Nascar Fan's View

This is more than what would normally be called an off-weekend race… There are no points, very little off time and very little concern of how you get up front, (just as long as you get there.) Very few will care if you lose or even run second. In fact, (as long as no one gets hurt), nobody will care that much if you take someone out going for the checkers… That’s because this is a weekend that’s all about the money! Yep, this is one weekend where it is as close to no holds barred, pushin’ and shovin’, beatin’ and bangin’, bumper thumpin’ hard racing that counts for nothing but pride (oh yeah, and that million dollars.) This is the weekend of the NASCAR All Stars race and it is more than a showcase of all star drivers simply showing up and takin’ it easy. It is all...

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For some, the Monster still looms as big and ominous as ever. For Kyle Bush, however, the monster may still have teeth but he made it purr like a kitten and he did it on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yes it’s true, he only won Nationwide on Saturday and Cup on Sunday, but had things gone slightly different on Friday (and the fuel stops had fallen slightly different) he would have won the Camping World Truck race, too. Kyle’s closest competition on Sunday was Jimmie Johnson but a speeding penalty on the last caution and pit stop put him a lap down well back in the field and ruined any chance for the #48 to finish near the front. Once Jimmie Johnson was out of contention, there really wasn’t anyone else that could run with the #18 JGR car for the last laps of the race. Taking a look...

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Last week NASCAR faced the “The Track That’s Too Tough To Tame” and this week NASCAR drivers and teams face the “Monster Mile” at Dover, Delaware. Will it be a weekend of disappointment and frustration or will it be one of elation and a trip to Victory Lane for someone who has figured out how to tame the “Monster”? One thing about “the Monster” is things happen fast and without warning; that’s just the nature of “the beast” and so far, Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400 looks to be no different. The concrete track at the Monster Mile is one of the tougher tracks Nascar teams face every year. It isn’t just because of its size, it’s surface or its banking, no, not at all. It is because of all three and how narrow the racing surface is. Because it is what many call a self-cleaning track, when someone loses...

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Say what you will about Darlington but it looks like at least a couple of drivers and their teams have a good grip on what it takes to tame “The Track That’s Too Tough To Tame.”  No one can discount the fact that Jeff Gordon made another strong showing Saturday night at Darlington. He led the most laps and ran at or near the front most of the night, but still finished fourth in another race he ‘coulda-woulda-shoulda’ won, “If Only…” Well, those words have always loomed awfully large when things just don’t quite work out. So, am I talking about the words “coulda-woulda-shoulda”, or, am I talking about, “If Only?” To tell the truth, I’m talking about both. The way this fan sees it, Jeff Gordon: “Coulda” won “If Only” he hadn’t had the circumstances that caused him to miss the entrance to pit road late in the...

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Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway… (Wow, that sounds almost ominous doesn’t it?) It was a night of colorful cars, lots of horsepower, excited fans and two dominating cars (and one of them slightly better than the other, almost the whole race.) If anyone thinks they know what has made Nascar racing the best it has been in years, let them speak up now, (or I’ll have to speak for them)… In fact, I will anyway… NASCAR racing is the best it has been in years and the reason for it has nothing to do with spoilers, tires, horsepower or even those bright and shiny cars that sparkle and reflect the track lights like diamonds in a brightly lit showcase. (Wow, that sounded impressive didn’t it?) No… it has nothing to do with any of those things. The one thing that has made Nascar Cup racing what it is...

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