With the intense racing at the end of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma today, I just couldn’t help but let out a little of my own emotions, too. The racing was a bit over the edge, in particular over the last 30 laps and there was more than one person that got his feelings hurt in the road racing that looked more like short track bumpin’ and bangin’. Actually, at least from my view, the aggressive driving started early and then eased up for a while. It appeared to this fan that many of the drivers put up with some of the shenanigans for a period of time and then a lot of emotion along with the inevitable beatin’ and bangin’ began to spill out. Some of the drivers were able to keep their emotions in check while others let it all hang out. The one incident that...

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NASCAR hits the Sonoma road course this weekend and for the drivers and teams, it will be a love/hate/tolerate relationship. Some will love it, some will hate it and others will, quite simply, tolerate it. As for the haters (and I know this may sound a bit harsh), most of them won’t even be in their cars this weekend – someone else will be driving for them – and we won’t have to endure their sob stories about why NASCAR even visits road racing courses, anyway. It has been said NASCAR drivers are the best in the world and more than one will prove that statement to be true this weekend. Even more importantly, performance on road courses has become an integral part of the overall performance of the drivers and teams and most of them realize they no longer should look at them as “throw-away” races. Many of...

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Denny Hamlin won the Gillette Fusion Pro-Glide 500 at Pocono Sunday afternoon. (So what else IS new?) He continues to amaze many with his consistency and, whether you like him or not, he is proving he and his #11 FedEx – JGR team have what it takes to be considered a threat to win a NASCAR championship. (In fact, many think this could be the year he and his team unseat Jimmie Johnson and the #48 Hendrick team from repeating taking the championship for the fifth year in a row.) Now, hold on just a minute!  Isn’t it a little too early in the season to start predicting who will actually win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship for 2010? (Well, it is at least from this fan’s view.) I do find it interesting so many are so quick to write off Jimmie Johnson, (or any Hendrick Team for that...

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One thing is certain concerning the racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway over the last two weekends… The Bush brothers, in particular Kurt Bush along with Steve Addington and Penske Racing, put a hurting on the rest of the competitors. Not many thought a car that started out strong in the daylight would finish strong at night in the 600, (and I was one of them), but Kurt Bush’s #2 Miller Lite Dodge did exactly that. He led the most laps and the outcome of the 600 mile race was hardly ever in question, although circumstances did try to make it exciting at the end. The Steve Addington led Penske team was the class of the field and took home the big money and bragging rights for performance in the May races at CMS this year. Racing during the 600 was a little different than I expected it would be....

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The Memorial Day Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is all about staying within striking distance for the length of a normal race and yet not showing all you have and saving enough for the last 100 miles. It is definitely an endurance race for both fans and drivers. It will definitely not have the excitement of last weeks Shootout and All Star races all the way through, but will, barring any great unforeseens, see many of the same drivers and a few others going for the checkers with everything they’ve got at the end of the race. Last week it was all about the money… This week, it’s more about the miles than the money, (although I’m sure the money will matter after the race is over.) Last week, Kurt Bush left the track with over a million dollars and hardly fatigued at all. It was like a...

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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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