NASCAR Steve O’Donnell

43 posts

Tweaks to Charlotte’s Road Course should make Playoff Race Faster, More Intense

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Track News
NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr. talks about testing tires at the new Roval track at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 18, 2017, in Concord, North Carolina. Photo – Bob Leverone/Getty Images

CONCORD, N.C. – Get ready for a road-course Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race on a layout unlike any other.

That, at least, was the way reigning series champion Martin Truex Jr. put it.

When he tested on the Charlotte road course in October, Truex described the road course/oval track hybrid as “all kinds of craziness going on.”

That was before the track made tweaks to the 2.28-mile course that should make it faster and more intense, lopping as much as 20-seconds off the time it takes to negotiate the 17 turns that make up a lap, Speedway Motorsports Inc. CEO Marcus Smith said on Monday during the kickoff for the NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. Continue reading →

XFINITY Rookie William Byron Holds Off Paul Menard in Brickyard Debut

NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Track News Xfinity Series

With a new competition package that produced a race-record 16 lead changes and the closest NASCAR XFINITY Series finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, William Byron threw more blocks than an NFL fullback in holding off charging Paul Menard to win Saturday’s Lilly Diabetes 250.

Byron made the decisive pass for the lead on lap 85, surging past JR Motorsports teammate Elliott Sadler into the top spot. Menard gained two spots, from fourth to second over a six-circuit stretch from laps 90 to 96 but couldn’t overtake Byron, who blocked each of Menard’s attempts to make a winning pass. Continue reading →

NASCAR Promotes Brent Dewar to President

NASCAR
Photo – Getty Images

Dewar Becomes Only Fourth Person in NASCAR History to Hold Position 

NASCAR announced today that Brent Dewar is now promoted to President of NASCAR effective immediately. Dewar, who joined NASCAR as Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2014, becomes only the fourth person in the sport’s history as President of NASCAR. Continue reading →

Dodge a Part of NASCAR Silly Season Questions

Jay -MJ- Husmann Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series NASCAR
Photo – Getty Images

Prior to the beginning of last year’s season, Stewart-Haas Racing knocked the NASCAR industry on its rear end when they announced their switch from Chevrolet to Ford for the 2017 season. With the ongoing and never-ending discussions of whether and perhaps when Dodge will return to the sport – the real question becomes where would they fit in?

The answer could be a ‘mic drop’ type bombshell when and if it happens.
Continue reading →