There was a time when the two road races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule were like sideshows, separate from the main event and not exactly fan favorites. Drivers who had limited road course experience simply struggled to survive. But after the last few seasons of weaker competition on ovals, better driver preparation and a …
After another set of thrilling road course races at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International, it’s time to admit it. The Chase for the Sprint Cup needs a road course. Once surrounded by a general feeling of awkwardness as the majority of the field attempted merely to survive and advance, the two road courses have …
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Watkins Glen on August 7th for the Cheeze-It 355. Watkins Glen is the second of two road courses the series travels to in 2016. The weekend was headlined by the return of Dale Earnhardt Jr., but not to competition. Junior will miss the next two races with continuing …
After struggling in the opening practice session, AJ Allmendinger found himself on top of the leaderboard for the final practice at Watkins Glen International, with a speed of 127.551 mph, .038 mph faster than Martin Truex, Jr. (127.481 mph) who paced the first practice. Final practice wasn’t all fine and dandy for the No. 47 …
Tommy Badwin Racing Regan Smith, No. 7 APC Chevrolet Looking back: Chris Buescher wasn’t the only small-team driver who scored a top finish Monday. Smith’s third-place run ties his organization’s best finish ever and marks TBR’s top finish not on a restrictor-plate track. Sound strategy played into the team’s hands and Smith walked away with his …
Supposedly it’s the middle of summer, but if you were fortunate enough to spend a lot of time at Pocono Raceway on Sunday and then again on Monday, it would have been easy to think that summer days and summer nights were gone. Monday turned into one of those “if you don’t like the weather, …
Indianapolis represented a mixed bag for the small teams this week, with finishes ranging from 14th for rookie Chris Buescher to 40th for Matt DiBenedetto, thanks to an untimely engine expiration. Indy is a tough track for teams that are a step or two behind the elite teams in both handling and horsepower, and next …
We know it was hot Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with in-car temperatures regularly between 110 and 115, and track temperatures in the 130-degree range. But the temperature wasn’t the only indicator of who was hot, or not, at the famed 2.5-mile oval. HOT No matter what the temperature was, no driver was as hot …
The race-winning team from Loudon was penalized following post-race inspection. Matt Kenseth’s No. 20 team was docked 15 points and crew chief Jason Ratcliff was fined $25,000 for failing laser inspection following the New Hampshire 301. Multiple teams were warned for failing pre-qualifying inspection. The No. 1 of Jamie McMurray, No. 3 of Austin Dillon, …
NASCAR has a few tracks that are fairly unique in layout. Among those are both new Hampshire Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway-a flat one-mile oval with long straights and tight turns – think big Martinsville – and a huge, flat, rectangular behemoth with four separate corners and four straights to match. These tracks are …
So… what makes a small team? Yep, I addressed this last week, but again, we’ll give it one more time for those race fans who missed the last edition. I’m frequently asked how I categorize NASCAR’s teams, and I’m sure lots of people have a different definition, but I look at a couple of things …
What makes a small team? I’m frequently asked how to categorize NASCAR’s teams. I look at a couple of things when I make the list each spring: budget and performance. Small teams simply don’t have the budgets of the larger ones, even middle-tier organizations. They may have alliances with bigger teams, but that doesn’t mean everything gets handed …
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