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Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Pep Boys Auto 500

Posted: Sep 8th 2009 1:22PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Bobby Labonte, David Gilliland, David Reutimann, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup

0 COMMENTS

After a slip-sliding affair in the Peach State on Sunday night, here's some Notes & Quotes from NASCAR's newest Labor Day tradition.

You've got to hand it to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sunday night's race looked and felt like a breath of fresh air into the venue that has long seen attendance woes -- even while the racing has generally been well above par. Estimates from media and drivers alike put the crowd much larger than the track has seen in years.

The on-track action -- thanks mostly to a tire that wore down and slowed the cars during a run -- was second to none with some 31 lead changes. You've got to bet track president Ed Clark has a big smile on his face this week because Labor Day weekend really clicked with the 1.54-mile track.

David Reutimann finished a strong 4th driving an ultra-cool camouflage-painted No. 00, but it wasn't an easy process.

Continue Reading Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Pep Boys Auto 500

Saturday Practice Wild at Infineon

Posted: Jun 20th 2009 9:12PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: David Gilliland, Jimmie Johnson, Sprint Cup

0 COMMENTS

Perhaps, you could say, Saturday's practice sessions had more twists and turns than the 10-turn road course they happened on.

An favorite, an underdog and a three-time champion were all involved in incidents that should have a good bit of effect on Sunday's 110-lapper at Infineon Raceway, and a rookie even got punted in the support race to accentuate a wild day.

All in a day's work, one would suppose.

Continue Reading Saturday Practice Wild at Infineon

NASCAR Can Afford to Tighten Belt More

Posted: Apr 2nd 2009 4:30PM by Dave Despain (author feed)
Filed under: David Gilliland, SPEED TV

5 COMMENTS

During the NASCAR offseason - November to February - as the U.S. and world economies headed deeper into the tank, we heard a lot of gloom and doom about the future of America's most popular motor sport. Corporate sponsorship, the lifeblood of racing, is currently hard to come by and the '09 season opened with an unhealthy number of cars lacking high-dollar logos on their hoods.

Though I am no economist, I have, through all the naysaying, remained bullish on stock car racing. Harvard MBAs, correct me if I'm wrong, I believe when there is less money to spend, a wise strategy is to spend less money. And at risk of curmudgeonry, I believe the stock car economy, bloated through more than two decades of runaway success, has plenty of room to tighten the old belt.

Continue Reading NASCAR Can Afford to Tighten Belt More

NASCAR Off-Week Check-Up

Posted: Mar 13th 2009 8:00PM by Holly Cain (author feed)
Filed under: Brian Vickers, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, Joey Logano

23 COMMENTS

During one of only four off-weeks all season, it's a good time to breathe and check out the early-season statistics. It's way to early to come to any conclusions, but it's been an interesting few weeks of haves and have-nots.

Here's a look at who's getting the thumbs-up or thumbs-down as we prepare for one of the best shows NASCAR has to offer -- 500 laps at the half-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway next Sunday afternoon.

Continue Reading NASCAR Off-Week Check-Up

Will NASCAR's Increased Safety Efforts Increase Accidents?

Posted: Mar 26th 2007 2:50PM by tallglassofmilk (author feed)
Filed under: Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR Crashes, Nextel Cup

1 COMMENT

Yes. There will be increased accidents in NASCAR, despite increased safety efforts--at least according to two college economics professor who produced a study in 2006 that explored how drivers react to having cars so safe that they can generally walk away with no injuries after crashing into a concrete wall or another car at a very high rate of speed.

Based on the results of the study, Todd Nesbit, Assistant Professor of Economics at Penn State Behrend and an avid NASCAR fan, projects that drivers will drive more recklessly and take more risks while driving the Car of Tomorrow:

"Initially, there will be a learning curve for everyone, which will likely increase the number of accidents as drivers and crews get used to the vehicles. Once the learning curve has passed, we predict that the new normal rate of crashes will be higher than it is currently because of the response to additional safety features on the Car of Tomorrow."

The study, "Automobile safety regulation and the incentive to drive recklessly: Evidence from NASCAR," shows that NASCAR drivers, in fact, do drive more recklessly in response to the increased safety of their vehicles. However, even with an increase in accidents, there is a reduction in total injuries-because the increase in riskier driving is not enough to offset the benefits from an increase in safety features.

Nesbit also noted that while NASCAR promises the COT will save the teams money, profitability could be offset by the cost of repairs due to increased accidents.

So ... let me get this straight. NASCAR exhausts all of this effort to improve safety just so the drivers can drive more recklessly?

Hell yeah! You wouldn't expect 'em to get off the gas, would you?

Live-Blogging: Daytona 500: Lap 101 - 150

Posted: Feb 18th 2007 5:10PM by tallglassofmilk (author feed)
Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, Nextel Cup

140 COMMENTS

Daytona Live Blog: Pre-race | Lap 1-100 | 101-150 | 151-200 | Victory Lane

Lap 101: Kurt Busch maintains the lead, with baby brother in his rear view. The last time brothers finished 1 and 2 was the 1999 Las Vegas 400--Jeff Burton with Ward behind him.

Lap 106: Kevin Harvick gets loose and almost takes out David Stremme.

Lap 117: Denny Hamlin takes Kyle Busch for the #2 spot. By lap 125 Kyle has fallen to 10th.

Lap 126: Green flag pit stops. 39 cars remain on the lead lap.

Lap 131: Pit stops complete. Restart order: Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Ricky Rudd, Kyle Busch, Johnny Sauter. Ryan Newman led a lap during the pit cycle.

Lap 137: Polesitter David Gilliland gets lapped in the 41st position. Mike Wallace, Clint Bowyer and Michael Waltip have also fallen off the lead lap.

Lap 148: Jeff Gordon is the fastest car on the track despite being in the 27th position.

Live-Blogging: Daytona 500: Lap 1 - 100

Posted: Feb 18th 2007 3:32PM by tallglassofmilk (author feed)
Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, Nextel Cup

6 COMMENTS

Daytona Live Blog: Pre-race | Lap 1-100 | 101-150 | 151-200 | Victory Lane

Laps 1-16: Pole-sitter David Gilliland maintains the lead.

In case you hadn't noticed, the new NASCAR.com sucks. It is sucking exponentially at this moment because it's not allowing the tallglassofmilk to log in.

Lap 6: The #8 Budweiser of Dale Earnhardt Jr. appears to be smoking

Lap 16: First caution, brought out by the #60 of Boris Said who bumped the #00 of David Reutimann. The #00 recovered nicely. The #60 went flying. Gilliland is still the leader.

Lap 19: The #38 team gave up the lead to the #2 of Kurt Busch in the pits.

Lap 21: Green flag

Lap 48: Kurt Busch maintains the lead.

Lap 49: Tony Stewart takes the lead.

Lap 51: NASCAR.com Trackpass PitCommand up and running. They must've been busy. Don't get me wrong, the new site still needs an overhaul, but as long as the critical parts work during the race, I can be content for the moment.

Lap 66: Green flag pit stops

Commercial Break: Is it just me, or does the little girl in the DLP ads girl look like Macy Waltrip?

Lap 80: Caution flag. Dale Jr. told his crew his was tight in the center and during an in-car interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr., he was asked what changes were made. He said unless there's trouble, he don't ask questions. He leaves it all up to crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr.--the one who'll go with him should Junior decide to leave DEI.

Lap 82: The #20 was penalized for speeding on pit road and will restart at the tail end of the longest line. New leader: Kurt Busch.

Lap 87: The #10 of Scott Riggs is the second car to go to the garage, following Kyle Petty's #45 which lasted 81 laps.

2007 Nextel Cup Rookie Class

Posted: Feb 17th 2007 8:43PM by tallglassofmilk (author feed)
Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, Nextel Cup

2 COMMENTS

Rookie David Gilliland, who makes his Daytona debut on the pole tomorrow, won't be eligible for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award in 2007 since he ran 14 races last season. Part-time rookies Brandon Whitt, Regan Smith and Jon Wood are eligible, but unlikely candidates to win.

That leaves five full-time 2007 Nextel Cup ROTY Contenders:

David Ragan (right), #6, Roush Racing
Daytona 500 starting position: 35th
Replaces the legendary Mark Martin in the #6 AAA Ford
* tallglassofmilk's ROTY pick

Juan Pablo Montoya, #42
Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Racing
Daytona 500 starting position: 36th
Marquee name in this year's class comes to NASCAR from F1
* Diversity ROTY pick

David Reutimann, #00, Michael Waltrip Racing
Daytona 500 starting position: 40th
* Michael Waltrip's ROTY pick

Paul Menard, #15, Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Daytona 500 starting position: DNQ
The son of the team's sponsor (and rumored boyfriend of team owner) starts the season at a points disadvatage due to his failure to qualify for the 500.
* DEI fans ROTY pick

A.J. Allmendinger, #84, Red Bull Racing
Daytona 500 starting position: DNQ
Comes to NASCAR from CHAMP
Toyota's misfortune is good fortune for all ROTY and Chase contenders on the track tomorrow.
* Who picks A.J.?