Humpy Wheeler -- the longtime and now ex-President and General Manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway -- told the Indianapols Star this week that he and his company are in talks with IndyCar officials about promoting the American open-wheel series.
Humpy's name first entered the IndyCar fold after he attended the Indianapolis 500 instead of the 50th-running of the Coca-Cola 600 in May.
Since rain ruled over racing again on Wednesday to postpone Tony Stewart's Prelude to the Dream (no, really, I love four-hour road trips for nothing!) I figured a nice little story from my chat with David Reutimann last week would be something to tide over your dirt track racing cravings.
By now, you've probably heard of "Buzzie" Reutimann.
Whether you're a Florida short track aficionado that lives and breathes places like East Bay or you're still wondering how in the world David Reutimann snuck out a win in the Coca-Cola 600 two weeks ago, you've at least seen something about the elder Reutimann -- "Buzzie" -- as he was on hand for his son's first Sprint Cup victory.
Welcome back to another edition of Sprint Cup Notes & Quotes, where even Noah couldn't keep his boat afloat after the non-stop rain at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Are you one of those lonely souls mad that David Reutimann snookered 'em -- yep, that's the first recorded use of that word on FH -- to win his first career race Monday afternoon?
If so, get over it. First time winners are fun to see, and when the race officially ended he was the car leading everyone else. Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers and the rest of the field didn't have to pit, but they did -- and that's just the way it goes.
I'd still like an explanation as to why NASCAR decided on a start time of 12 p.m./EDT for the Monday make-up of its longest race.
For once, NASCAR as a sanctioning body completely deserves a heaping of praise.
Nope, there won't be rubbing, questioning or accusing in this post because its actions Monday afternoon concerning the true spirit of Memorial Day in the States is something a lot of fans won't soon forget. And should they, on any level -- whether it involve a national anthem singer or the allowance of a foreign-owned manufacturer in the sport -- there's one moment to fall back on.
That moment came at exactly 3PM Monday when NASCAR threw the red flag over the Coca-Cola 600, brought the field to a stop, quieted the cars and stood at silent attention in honor of the service of the men and women of the armed forces.
CONCORD, N.C. -- For 49 years, the crown jewel of Lowe's Motor Speedway had never failed to run a lap on the day it was scheduled.
A heavy rain shower, though, thoroughly doused the 1.5-mile speedway seemingly just minutes before NASCAR was to give the Coca-Cola 600 field the command to fire engines, leaving the 50th edition to set a disappointing new benchmark for the nearly sold-out crowd.
Now, the race will fire off on Monday afternoon, with NASCAR saying the green flag will fall at 12:01 pm/ET and television coverage provided by FOX.
Where:Lowe's Motor Speedway Time: Sunday 5:45 p.m./EDT TV/Radio: FOX Sports, PRN Radio Twitter: In-race updates at FanHouseRacing Forecast: 64 degrees, 80% chance of rain Distance: 400 laps (600 miles) Pole Winner:Ryan Newman 2008 Winner:Kasey Kahne
CONCORD, N.C. - Mike Bliss has again found some tremendous success at the only track in NASCAR's Nationwide Series he's ever won at.
Five years after scoring his first career Nationwide win at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Bliss used a bit of pit road luck, a timely caution and an even more timely rain shower to win the delayed and shortened Carquest 300 that say yours truly and thousands of others walk out thoroughly soaked.
The win, and the right-time-and-right-place racing luck, also gave his Phoenix Racing team their second surprise win in a month in NASCAR competition.
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Suspended and embattled Sprint Cup driver and team owner Jeremy Mayfield has picked up a lawyer in his bid for NASCAR reinstatement, and the attorney feels the evidence in favor of his client is quite compelling.
"Somebody is going to have to come forward and acknowledge that, well, we thought we did what we were supposed to do, maybe we made a mistake, let's try it again," said Mayfield's attorney Bill Diehl, suggesting NASCAR's next step in the process that has suspended the driver indefinitely from the sport during an interview on Sirius Speedway Wednesday.
Given history has yet to show a single lawyer not confident in a coming case, the factors seem to making the case for Mayfield's reinstatement a little brighter.
I'm not sure who makes the final call on the All-Star race format, but Saturday night's version is about as a good as it gets. That 10-lap finale? Adjectives don't describe that, but honorary race director Ric Flair's trademark "Woooooo!" does.
'Woooooo!' Part Deux
The single funniest moment of the night? Joey Logano's Ric Flair imitation after being announced as the fan vote winner. [Watch here at 1:16]
Never again will I propose a slight substitute or alteration, nor will I pitter-patter around the bush when asked what NASCAR can do to make racing better. Consider this the start of a crusade -- likely a powerless one, but meaningful nonetheless -- to help NASCAR see the ills of its head in the sand ways.
Race fans, it's imperative we see this through: NASCAR desperately needs to implement a double-file restart rule with the leaders up front for every single race on its 36-race schedule.