Author Archives: kkrangel

Fans Look Forward to Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals

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Photo - LucasOil.com

Photo – LucasOil.com

Every January, drivers from all over the world and all disciplines of racing flock to the QuikTrip Center in Tulsa, OK.  Why Tulsa?  Simple, it is the home for Chili Bowl, otherwise known as the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, which takes place every year around this time.

Chili Bowl is in it’s 27th year and is a five-night event, January 14 to 18th, known as Midget racing’s answer to the Super Bowl. Every driver will give all their effort toward putting on a show for the fans while competing for the coveted Chili Bowl trophy, the Golden Driller. Continue reading →

Jason Leffler’s Chili Bowl Plan Comes to Life This Week

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Jason Leffler checks out the track with his son Charlie Dean Photo - JasonLeffler.com

Jason Leffler checks out the track with his son Charlie Dean
Photo – JasonLeffler.com

Jason Leffler’s  Memory and Legacy Live On in this Week’s Chili Bowl Races

Jason Leffler was a racer’s racer in every sense of the word.  He was what some in racing call a journeyman racer, as he raced anything and everything just to race.  The night he died, Leffler was competing in a race with a winner’s purse of only $7,000; a big departure from the paydays he experienced during his days of NASCAR racing.

 

Another big part of Leffler’s life was Charlie Dean, his son with Alison East. They divorced leaving time with Charlie Dean at a premium for Leffler. Charlie Dean was five-years-old at the time of his father’s death and they resided in North Carolina.  Continue reading →

Nationwide Series Drivers Withdrawing Could Become an Unintended Trend

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Michael McDowell, driver of the #98 K-Love Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 25, 2012 Photo - Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Michael McDowell, driver of the #98 K-Love Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 25, 2012
Photo – Tom Pennington/Getty Images

NASCAR made many changes in the off-season in order to try and limit the start-and-park teams.  Among those changes were cuts to the prize money for the lowest finishers and cutting down the field in the Nationwide Series from 43 to 40.

However, many of those teams are also underfunded teams who attempt to make enough per race so that they can make it to the next race.

A staple driver in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series’, Michael McDowell will not be making the trip to Phoenix this weekend, which is a shame because he is originally from Phoenix.  McDowell has always looked forward to the bi-yearly trips to his hometown to compete in front of his family and friends.

Another driver whose team has withdrawn before teams made the trip to Phoenix, is Morgan Shepherd.  Shepherd and his team have been a staple in the garage for over 27 years. Shepherd attempted 31 of 33 races and competed in 21 of 33 Nationwide races last year.

Could this the beginning of a trend for the season? Continue reading →

Nationwide Series Driver Jeremy Clements Out Indefinitely

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Jeremy Clements Photo - Getty Images

Jeremy Clements
Photo – Getty Images

NASCAR is just like any other sport where there are rules during the course of  competition as well as a Code of Conduct that the drivers must adhere to, whether on or off the track.  Any infraction of any rule can and usually will incur some kind of penalty, monetary or otherwise.

There have been many drivers suspended over the years for their behavior, including suspensions for alcohol offenses and failed drug tests. Most of these offenses bring only a small penalty, but being caught in violation of NASCAR’s drug policy, brings an indefinite suspension.

Jeremy Clements became the first driver of the year to be suspended indefinitely.  However, his suspension wasn’t for a violation of the drug policy but rather for violating NASCAR’s Code of Conduct. Continue reading →

Annett Recovering from Injury Suffered at Daytona

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Michael Annett, driver of the #43 Pilot Ford, walks on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 22, 2013 Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Michael Annett, driver of the #43 Pilot Ford, walks on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 22, 2013
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Everything in life carries risks. Every time we wake up and get ready for the day, everything we do has its own risks. Every time a NASCAR driver climbs behind the wheel and straps in, they know their risk of getting hurt or possibly even killed.

Since NASCAR’s inception, several drivers have lost their lives and countless others have suffered a variety of injuries. When a driver gets hurt, they will still try to climb behind the wheel the following weekend unless it’s prevented by the severity of their injury. They may also have a driver on stand-by for a week or two in case they can’t go the distance.

During this past weekend’s race at Daytona, Michael Annett was caught up in a wreck that sent him to the hospital with pain & bruising in his chest.  Further evaluation led to the diagnosis of a fractured and dislocated sternum, which was corrected with surgery Wednesday. Annett’s injury will keep him out of the car for an indefinite period of time while he heals.  RPM is hopeful that Annett will return to the car in 6-8 weeks, although nothing is definite at this time. Continue reading →