Think Small The 2017 season is at the quarter mark after nine races, and some trends are taking shape. Wood Brothers Racing has established itself at the top of the class, which was to be expected after the team increased its alliance with Team Penske this year. Even within the group, the haves and have …
Think Small Short tracks are popular with race fans because there is almost always some action somewhere in the field. Cars are close together, tempers flare and drivers are aggressive. Another reason to enjoy this type of racing is that short tracks (Bristol and Martinsville more so than Richmond) usually level out the playing field …
Think Small It feels like NASCAR’s small teams get a bad rap right from the start from some fans and even media. Too often, they’re lumped into a “backmarkers” category, often mocked for their poor performance compared to rivals. To hear some people talk, you’d think they went out every week and ran in the 20’s …
Sweeping all three rounds, it was a perfect qualifying day for Kevin Harvick. Especially the final session, where Harvick ripped around the 1.5-mile Texas track in 27.217 seconds [198.405 mph] to win the pole for Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. It is the 19th pole of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup career, first at Texas …
No Margin For Error Last week, we looked at the importance of improvement for small teams. For those that realistically just can’t compete with their powerhouse rivals on a weekly basis, it’s a better measure than finishes alone. It’s also an important step for those teams a step ahead of the game, ones in position to one …
Think Small It can be said that the real NASCAR season starts at Atlanta. The Intermediate track season kicked off last weekend and the results were fairly predictable of the small teams this week. In general at a 1.5 to 2-mile track, these teams struggle to keep up. You might see a couple of teams …
The season-opening Daytona 500 gave NASCAR fans a little bit everything. There was that last-lap pass for the lead, which is beginning to become a trademark for the Great American Race. There were plenty of battles for the lead and for positions throughout and a lot less riding around waiting for the end of the …
Think Small Well, Daytona is in the rearview mirror. Depending on who you ask, that’s either a real bummer or can’t come too soon, depending on how the race went. The thing about plate tracks is that they’re such an opportunity for teams to compete—if they’re lucky and avoid trouble. They can also become exercises …
Carl Edwards pulled off a move that shocked the racing community, announcing he’ll step away from NASCAR competition full-time. If Edwards has really hung ’em up for good, what is his legacy in the sport? Is he a future Hall of Famer? Amy Henderson, Senior Editor: I think he goes down as one of the …
Michael McDowell gave NASCAR fans some of the year’s best underdog moments in not only the Sprint Cup Series but also the XFINITY Series. From his top-10 efforts in Cup to a maiden XFINITY win in the summer, 2016 was a season of progress, triumph and memories for the 31-year-old. At the 2016 Daytona 500, its …
Prior to the final race weekend of 2016, Circle Sport Leavine Family Racing decided to put Ty Dillon in the team’s primary ride, moving Michael McDowell to the team’s second car, the No. 59 Chevrolet. It marked the second time in 2016 that McDowell would be piloting the No. 59 car. The last time he did, …
Start-and-parking, battling for sponsorship and fighting for recognition. Following years of struggle in the Sprint Cup Series, Michael McDowell has finally been able to say the word progress, as he and the No. 95 Circle Sport Leavine Family Racing team have topped their career-best numbers in the latter half of 2016. From McDowell’s highest average …
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