‘Dega’s Wild-Card Reputation is Heightened by New Championship Format
Unpredictability is what fans expect of the high-banked racing action at Talladega Superspeedway since opening the gates in September 1969. Competition derailed by the ‘Big One, or by drivers’ concern about tire wear while approaching 200-mph on a 2.66-mile tri-oval rising from the Alabama countryside, looking like Daytona on steroids. Continue reading
Photo – Phil Manson/AP
Michael Waltrip’s win in the 2001 Daytona 500 for his new team, Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI), began a stranglehold on the field at Daytona and Talladega. DEI went on to win ten of 13 Cup races on restrictor plate tracks from February 2001 to February 2004. Continue reading
When Will Johnson, Kenseth Quench Wins Thirst?
Here’s a stat that properly illustrates how weird this Jimmie Johnson/Matt Kenseth “drought” is: The last time neither won any of the first eight races, Johnson wasn’t even in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series yet.
The year was 2001. Johnson was in his second full season of NASCAR Nationwide Series competition. Kenseth was in his second full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and battling a bit of a sophomore slump. He went winless and finished outside the top-ten in the last championship standings. Continue reading
The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season has been one of feast or famine for Kevin Harvick—and on Saturday night at Darlington Raceway, Harvick enjoyed the delectable taste of victory.
Passing Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the next-to-last lap of the second attempt at a green-white-checkered-flag finish, Harvick won Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 and all but locked himself into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup as the first two-time winner in the series this year (he still needs to finish in the top 30 in points after race No. 26 and attempt to qualify for every race). Continue reading
Photo – Emily Horos/AP
The traditional Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway found itself in an unusual spot in 2004. A big shake-up in the Cup schedule moved the Labor Day date to the second-to-last race in the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup.
The 2004 championship was coming down to the wire. Kurt Busch held the points lead over Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and others. Inclement weather during the weekend cancelled qualifying, giving Busch the pole. Continue reading