Tag Archives: Tony Stewart

A Wild Start to 2013

Posted on by
Denny Hamlin, leading at Bristol, March 2013 Photo - Getty Images

Denny Hamlin, leading at Bristol, March 2013
Photo – Getty Images

Wild is just one word to describe the start to the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season. After five races last season, we sure didn’t have any rivalries and we were just complaining about the lack of action in the races. 2013 is a different story. The action we’ve seen so far this season has just been incredible. From heated tempers to Danica-mania, the storylines just keep rolling. NASCAR introduced the Gen 6 car for this season and that car is likely the result of the electrifying start to the season.

Each race so far in 2013 has its own storylines. The growing anticipation for the first race at Daytona and the start of the season along with Jimmie Johnson winning his second Daytona 500. Phoenix included Carl Edwards breaking his winless streak. Vegas contained a chase between Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth. Bristol featured hot tempers between former teammates. Fontana had a wild last lap that left everyone speechless. To say 2013 is off to a good start would be an understatement; it is off to a phenomenal start that no one had expected.

Daytona

It was only six short weeks ago that the anticipation meter for the start of the season was at an all-time high. Gen 6, Danica, and Daytona racing were what fans were most looking forward to when the green-flag dropped in the Great American Race. February 24, 2013 was the day we were all waiting for since the 2012 season ended. The 500 didn’t disappoint, but it didn’t include the wild racing we were sort of expecting.

Once the checkered flag fell in the race, Jimmie Johnson was in victory lane again and everyone was reflecting on the race. It was a calm-natured race which was what we weren’t expecting up until the Saturday before the race. The Nationwide Series wreck that sent 28 fans to the hospital the day before the Daytona 500 and scared the drivers into running a safe, clean race.

Danica finished eighth which was better than we expected and the one thing we could all agree on was that we hoped NASCAR could make a few changes to the restrictor plate package before we head to Talladega. The Gen 6 car didn’t entirely disappoint, but it could have been better. As the Daytona weekend went away, some people were scratching their heads and reality had set in for others since the season was about to get rolling real quickly.

Phoenix

The race out in the desert was another calm race which featured teams still trying to figure out the Gen 6 car. Passing was at a minimum and drivers were starting to get anxious, because they wanted their teams to figure out how to make this car a bit faster and be more competitive. Carl Edwards broke his winless streak that afternoon after racing the dominant car of the day. The spotlight was then on Denny Hamlin after he said a few words after the race about the Gen 6 car’s performance. That led NASCAR to issue Hamlin a fine which would begin the talk of Hamlin for at least the next four weeks.

Las Vegas

Finally, it happened in Vegas. The true identity of the Gen 6 car showed through with most everyone pleased with the race in which Birthday boy, Matt Kenseth, won. There was passing seen throughout the race and the last few laps featured an intense battle for the win between Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne. Before the season started, NASCAR said they hope the Gen 6 car would bring more excitement to the sport and the finish in Vegas saw their wishes become reality. Overall, the race was definitely thrilling and the exciting racing would carry over to the next two races.

Bristol

This race had almost everything hoped for a Bristol race. The race featured hot tempers, plenty of carnage, and good, hard racing. Kasey Kahne redeemed himself after coming up short at Vegas and took the checkers. Much like the race last August on the revamped surface, the race had plenty of carnage. Most notably, when Jeff Gordon was leading, his tire blew out and he went up into the wall and second-place driver, Matt Kenseth plowed right into him. That wreck was a game changing incident in the race, but overshadowing was another wreck that happened beforehand.

We all know what happened that afternoon with Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. The wreck and then the exchange of words in the garage area is what has had everyone talking the past few weeks. This feud between the former teammates boiled over into the next race at Fontana and it all started in classic Bristol fashion.

Fontana

To be honest, everyone had this race marked as a snooze-fest. The opening laps sure indicated that would be the case, but the Logano/Hamlin incident that carried over from Bristol is what made this usually boring race, a must-see. Kyle Busch held the keys to the race throughout the day and after a last-lap pass which was full of luck, Busch opened victory lane with those keys. Much like the race in Vegas, the last few laps featured an intense battle between the drivers going after the win. What was special about this battle was that it showcased two rivals not wanting each other to win.

Logano and Hamlin were battling side-by-side as they went down the backstretch and once they entered turn three, everyone watching the race knew what was going to happen. Logano slid up into Hamlin and both drivers wrecked while Busch sneaked by on the outside to grab the victory. Logano was able to salvage a third-place finish out of the race following his wreck, but Hamlin was less fortunate. As you all know, Hamlin crashed hard into the concrete wall before pit entrance and all he could murmur out was “my back, my back, my back.” Hamlin was seriously hurt and Logano had gotten his “pay-back,” but this was much worse than it should have been. The race at Fontana sure wasn’t the calm race we thought it would be and the action continued off the track.

Logano had picked another fight with Tony Stewart on the late restart and the two went at it on pit road after the race. Stewart threw a punch and Logano threw a water bottle. Stewart then called Logano “a little girl” and a rivalry was born. These incidents left everyone saying, “I can’t wait for Fontana next year” and that is something no one ever expected to say. The Gen 6 car had done its job and Fontana was a perfect example of NASCAR’s goal with the car.

What a start to the season. This was one beginning that no one had ever predicted. It only took four races for the drivers’ tempers to melt and that is something that will make the next 31 races must-see events. NASCAR hit the jackpot with the Gen 6 car and it only took five races for us to come to this conclusion. If it only took five races for the season’s action to pick up, with fans wondering, what could happen in the next five and beyond? One way to find out is to continue watching NASCAR’s drama unfold as the season hits full-speed.

Enhanced by Zemanta

STP Gas Booster 500 Preview

Posted on by
Martinsville 2012 Spring Race Photo - Getty Images

Martinsville 2012 Spring Race
Photo – Getty Images

The Sprint Cup Series heads to the “paperclip” this weekend for their sixth race of the season. In past years, the Martinsville Speedway has produced great racing and shocking moments. Last year’s Spring Race is likely the most memorable race from the past few years. The drama occurred on the final restart when Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer spun out while heading into turn 1. Ryan Newman snuck by the accident and took the win. Short track racing always produces action and Martinsville never disappoints. Continue reading →

Where do NASCAR and ‘The Fans’ Stand as a Sport?

Posted on by

ChangeMany will agree, the only consistency we see within NASCAR are the consistent changes over the years. And now, when ratings have dipped over the last year or so, what was once considered taboo, suddenly becomes encouraged as a ratings boost for the sport.

Perhaps, what that says about our society is more disturbing. But the most important question we need to ask of our sport and ourselves, is when will we take a good hard look in the mirror to see what is right before our eyes? Continue reading →

Busch Wins Feisty Fontana Race

Posted on by
Kyle Busch Happy with his win at Auto Club Speedway March 24, 2013 Photo - Getty Images

Kyle Busch Happy with his win at Auto Club Speedway March 24, 2013
Photo – Getty Images

The most exciting, incredible, and stunning last lap ever to occur at the Auto Club Speedway took place Sunday afternoon.

A mass of story lines came out from the last lap, after rivals wrecked each other, the third place driver coming into the last lap took the win and Smoke threw a punch on pit road. Fontana is not known for “exciting” races but, Sunday’s race was the most thrilling race to ever take place at the Auto Club Speedway.

The race leading up to the final lap had a little extra something that Fontana races never seem to have and that was likely a result of the Gen 6 car. NASCAR showed-off what the Gen 6 car was all about during this race mainly due to the incredible restarts and racing that was on display throughout the event. Leading up to the final lap, this race could be considered one of the best at Fontana in the track’s history but, the last lap made this race ‘the best’ from Auto Club Speedway.

Kyle Busch took the lead right off of the bat when he passed his teammate Matt Kenseth on lap 11. Busch led until Joey Logano was able to pass him on lap 45 and Busch was able to regain the lead after the first round of green-flag pit stops occurred on lap 65. He continued to lead throughout the mid-part of the race and led up until the action started to pick up with just under 70 laps remaining.

A strategic pit stop put Tony Stewart in the lead, after a caution with 70 laps to go. Stewart, along with a few other drivers, took two tires and they were up front on the ensuing restart. Smoke stayed up front until there were 53 laps to go when eventual race winner Kyle Busch regained the lead and was able to stay up front through the final round of pit stops but, when some drivers came down pit road under a late caution and Busch stayed out, he had older tires than some of the other drivers who would soon be challenging him for the lead.

Yellow flag number eight came out with 15 laps to go, for Clint Bowyer who blew an engine and spun out in turn three. That ended up being the final caution of the day and Kyle Busch led on the next restart. A move that didn’t seem too problematic when it happened, occurred on the final restart when Joey Logano put a big block on Tony Stewart heading down into turn one. Once the race concluded, that incident came up on pit road and a few punches were thrown.

On the restart, Kyle Busch started to pull away and it looked as though he wouldn’t be caught. But just a few laps after that, Logano caught up to him and started to challenge him for the lead. While these former teammates started to battle for the lead, Hamlin caught up to them with six laps to go. Hamlin and Logano didn’t get along too well following last weekend’s race at Bristol and their rivalry caused both drivers to miss out on a victory today.

Busch started to fade in the closing laps but, as soon as Hamlin and Logano went door-to-door for the lead, Busch closed the gap, positioning himself for the finish. Hamlin and Logano were side-by-side when they took the white flag and a little contact was made as they sailed off into turn one. They continued to stay side-by-side down the backstretch and by the time they reached turn three, neither driver was going to let the other one win. Logano slid up into Hamlin in turn three and that caused both of the drivers to slide up into the wall. Seconds before Hamlin and Logano slid up into the wall, Kyle Busch motored by on the outside with his sight set on the checkered flag.

Hamlin and Logano both wrecked in turn four, taking each other out with Hamlin taking a viscous hit to the concrete wall that had no SAFER barrier and just before the pit entrance. Hamlin’s car hit the wall nose first and the car’s front tires went airborne and touched back on the ground seconds later. Logano was able to escape with just slapping into the turn four wall and he finished third. Hamlin’s car was destroyed after his hard impact and once he got out of the car under his own power, Hamlin slowly collapsed on the ground. Continue reading →

NASCAR Hauler Parade To Roll Through The Inland Empire

Posted on by


download~ NASCAR Drivers Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart to visit Bass Pro Shops ~

~ Several merchandise haulers including Danica Patrick, Junior Nation,

Auto Club Speedway and NASCAR on site ~

Everyone loves a parade – especially a NASCAR Hauler parade.

To help get the Auto Club 400 Weekend underway, March 22-24, the spectacle of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hauler Parade will make its way to Auto Club Speedway from Citizens Business Bank Arena (4000 E. Ontario Center Parkway, Ontario) through Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana, beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 21.

Along the parade route, NASCAR drivers Jamie McMurray and Tony Stewart will make an appearance at the NASCAR Hauler Parade Festival at Bass Pro Shops (7777 Victoria Gardens Ln, Rancho Cucamonga).  In addition, several merchandise haulers including Danica Patrick, Junior Nation, Tony Stewart, NASCAR and Auto Club Speedway will be on site.

Stretching nearly an entire mile from the first hauler to the last, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hauler Parade will make its way to Auto Club Speedway around 7 p.m.  The convoy will travel:

From Citizens Business Bank Arena:

  • ·         East on Concourse St. to Milliken Ave.
  • ·         North on Milliken Ave. to Church St.
  • ·         East on Church St. to Day Creek Blvd.
  • ·         South on Day Creek Blvd. to Victoria Gardens Ln.
  • ·         East on Victoria Gardens Ln. to Baseline Rd.
  • ·         East on Baseline Rd. to Cherry Ave.
  • ·         South on Cherry Ave. to Auto Club Speedway

Fans are expected to greet the haulers along the 11-mile parade route, until the haulers make their final approach to Auto Club Speedway.  View the parade route at http://www.autoclubspeedway.com/HaulerParade 

Prime viewing spots along the parade route include: 

  • ·         Citizens Business Bank Arena, 4000 E. Ontario Center Parkway, Ontario

Haulers will be staged by 5 p.m. for fans to take photos and to talk with available Hauler Drivers

  • ·         Bass Pro Shops, 7777 Victoria Gardens Ln, Rancho Cucamonga
  • ·         Auto Club Speedway, 9300 Cherry Ave, Fontana

The final destination of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hauler Parade

For more information about the Hauler Parade and to purchase tickets to the Auto Club 400, call 800-944-RACE (7223), or visit www.autoclubspeedway.com.

Enhanced by Zemanta