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Mark Martin Staying Full-Time in 2010

Posted: May 6th 2009 1:12PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Mark Martin, Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports

29 COMMENTS
For one driver, getting older in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series just means getting better.

50-year-old Mark Martin will drive the full 2010 schedule in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 car, according to the Associated Press. Martin returned to full time competition in 2009 with a two year deal at Hendrick after running partial schedules since 2007, and it was originally expected that 2010 would be another partial schedule for the driver.

While the news may be good for Martin fans, surprise Talladega winner Brad Keselowski is now somewhat on the outside looking in for 2010 if he wants to pursue racing in NASCAR's top division.
Continue Reading Mark Martin Staying Full-Time in 2010

Wheel2Wheel: From 'Dega to Richmond

Posted: Apr 30th 2009 11:59AM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Sprint Cup, Wheel2Wheel

76 COMMENTS
Jump in as FanHouse writers Holly Cain and Geoffrey Miller try to put a cap on the weekend that was Talladega and look ahead to the always exciting spring race in Richmond with a little thing we like to call Wheel2Wheel.

NASCAR Feuds

    While Carl Edwards' wreck stole the show at Talladega, two of NASCAR's biggest stars will be thrust into the spotlight Saturday. Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. traded paint at both of last year's Richmond races. Click through to see their two dustups and other top feuds.

    Getty Images

    Race: Crown Royal presents Dan Lowry 400 Date: May 3, 2008
    Feud: Kyle Busch spins out leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. with three laps to go.
    Memorable Quote: Kyle Busch: "The deal with Jr. ... man, it was racing."

    Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

    Race: Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Date: Sept. 7, 2008
    Feud: Dale Earnhardt spins out leader Kyle Busch on lap 212.
    Memorable Quote: Dale Jr.: "I really ain

    Shawn Chamberlin, AP

    Race: Subway Fresh Fit 500
    Feud: Dale Earnhardt Jr. crashed with 11 laps to go after he and Casey Mears made contact. Earnhardt then spun Mears on the cool-down lap and Mears retaliated by bumping into the back of Earnhardt's car on pit road.
    Memorable Quote: Mears: "I guess he was a little bent out of shape about it, because he spun me out after the checkered flag."

    LEFT: Jim McIsaac, Getty Images RIGHT: Christian Petersen, Getty Images

    Race: Subway Fresh Fit 500
    Feud: Robby Gordon, left, gets upset with Michael Waltrip after contact with Waltrip's No. 55 Toyota sends Gordon into the Phoenix International Speedway wall.
    Memorable Quote: Gordon: "I

    Getty Images

    Race: Daytona 500
    Feud: Dale Earnhardt Jr's clip of Brian Vickers triggers a 9-car accident
    Memorable Quote: Earnhardt: "What the hell am I supposed to do? ... If he wasn't so damn reckless, we would have never had that problem."

    Getty Images (2)

    Race: Gatorade Duel 150 Date: Feb. 12, 2009
    Feud: Ryan Newman wrecked by David Reutimann
    Memorable Quote: Newman: "Reutimann is a good name for him -- because he rooted a man right out of there and sent me up into the wall."

    Steve Johnson, Orlando Sentinel / MCT

    Race: Amp Energy 500 Date: Oct. 7, 2008
    Feud: Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick clash four days after race
    Memorable Quote: Harvick after race: "I know that [Edwards'] fans won't be very proud of him sitting back there riding around like a pansy."

    AP

    Race: CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 (Nationwide) Date: May 24, 2008
    Feud: Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski mix it up under a caution
    Memorable Quote: Hamlin: "If he throws a rock, I'll throw a concrete block back."

    Jason Smith, Getty Images

    Race: Food City 500 Date: March 17, 2008
    Feud: Kevin Harvick wrecks Tony Stewart with two laps left
    Memorable Quote: Stewart: "I thought I left him plenty of room. I was far enough ahead of him that I didn't see where he hit me or when he hit me. But I'm sure, somehow, it's my fault."

    Jason Smith, Getty Images



Q: What was your first reaction to all of the events and drama that Talladega produced this weekend?

Holly Cain: The accident began only a few yards below my seat in the Talladega press box. At most tracks, the press box is an elevator-ride atop the grandstands, but at Talladega it sits only about 15 rows up.

The last lap was sensory-overload, but that's what you expect at Talladega.
Continue Reading Wheel2Wheel: From 'Dega to Richmond

Injured Fan, 17, Leaves Alabama Hospital

Posted: Apr 29th 2009 9:32PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Fans, Sprint Cup

14 COMMENTS
For Blake Bobbitt, 187 laps of last Sunday's Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway were pretty much the same as the rest of the 142,000 fans on hand -- fast and exciting. Then, on the lap 188, Carl Edwards' No. 99 flew into the catch fence in front of her, ripping apart and spewing a chunk of metal into her face and shattering her jaw.

Talk about a bad experience at your first NASCAR race.
Continue Reading Injured Fan, 17, Leaves Alabama Hospital

Numbers: Keselowski's 'Dega Shocker

Posted: Apr 29th 2009 2:48PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Talladega Superspeedway, Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup Numbers

1 COMMENT
Takin' a glance at Brad Keselowski's upset win in last Sunday's action at Talladega Superspeedway:

0.175 - Seconds Keselowski finished ahead of second-place Dale Earnhardt Jr.

1 - Total number of laps led by Keselowski in his Sprint Cup career

1 - Number of Miss Sprint Cup girls doused with champagne in victory lane by Keselowski
Continue Reading Numbers: Keselowski's 'Dega Shocker

Blame NASCAR for Edwards' Scary Ride

Posted: Apr 26th 2009 9:19PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Crashes, Sprint Cup

74 COMMENTS

Let's face it: NASCAR's own rules nearly killed multiple spectators Sunday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway.

The scary last-lap crash in the Aaron's 499 involving Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman and first-time winner Brad Keselowski is just the concoction NASCAR has cooked up with their set of rules governing the cans and cannots of racing at restrictor plate tracks.

At issue, primarily, is the much discussed yellow line rule that prohibits a driver from going below to advance a position.

Continue Reading Blame NASCAR for Edwards' Scary Ride

Video: Matt Kenseth Takes Wild Tumble

Posted: Apr 26th 2009 4:30AM by Tom Herrera (author feed)
Filed under: Matt Kenseth, Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Videos, Nationwide Series

1 COMMENT
David Ragan's first NASCAR victory in 196 starts was the major story of Saturday's Nationwide race, but it definitely wasn't the biggest highlight. As Holly mentioned in her recap, a wild wreck by Matt Kenseth had every spectator in awe at Talladega.

After Kenseth lost control with 12 laps left, the car skidded on its roof, flipped three times and caught fire along the grass. Thankfully he was able to make a quick escape from the car as his pregnant wife, Katie, watched with bated breath.

Paging Matt Kenseth: Where's He Been?

Posted: Apr 23rd 2009 11:38AM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Matt Kenseth, Roush Fenway Racing, Sprint Cup

0 COMMENTS
Just weeks ago, the name Matt Kenseth was the only available substitute for '2009 Sprint Cup winner'.

The Roush Fenway Racing driver picked up the Harley J. Earl Trophy for winning the rain-soaked Daytona 500 and followed it up a week later with a 'W' in the season's second race at Auto Club Speedway.

Since then, however, Kenseth has fallen through the standings at a clip rivaling a Ryan Newman qualifying lap.
Continue Reading Paging Matt Kenseth: Where's He Been?

10 from '08: Tony Stewart's Talladega Gift

Posted: Dec 1st 2008 3:00PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Regan Smith, Tony Stewart, NASCAR Videos, Sprint Cup

1 COMMENT
With NASCAR's awards banquet on Friday, Dec. 5 (stop by for the live blog!), here's a look at 10 from '08 -- 10 of the NASCAR season's best moments.

It's a rare feat in NASCAR racing to actually cross the finish line first with the checkered flag waving and not be awarded the race winner's trophy.

A rare feat, of course, until you toss in a set of rules that don't even get the judgment-call benefit of the doubt like a foul in basketball or a strike in baseball.

But that's exactly what happened to Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s rookie driver Regan Smith in October at Talladega Superspeedway. Smith, driving the No. 01, passed Tony Stewart while driving under the painted yellow line 300 yards from the finish, but was declared to have finished 17th while Stewart celebrated his lone win of 2008.

Whaaaaa?

NASCAR has somewhat enforced a rule for many years to curb dangerous passes out of the groove at its two restrictor plate tracks -- Daytona and Talladega -- by saying a car must yield a gained position or it will be forced to make a pit stop if a driver advances position while below the "out of bounds," or yellow, line.
Continue Reading 10 from '08: Tony Stewart's Talladega Gift

NASCAR Team Layoffs Start to Pile On

Posted: Nov 21st 2008 12:23AM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: NASCAR Silly Season, Pit Crews, Sprint Cup

6 COMMENTS
Joe Nemechek and the Furniture Row Racing team were the latest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team to see some significant cutbacks as the sport heads into what could be the most anxious and interesting off-season it has ever seen.

Nemecheck, driver of the No. 78 Chevrolet who won the April pole at Talladega Superspeedway, was notified that his team is looking at the high-probability chance of not competing in 2009 -- just days after the team owner indicated the team would compete but with a reduced schedule.

Aside from Nemechek and Furniture Row Racing's situation that very likely saw a number of the team's employees at the shop located in Colorado get laid off this week, NASCAR teams have been letting team members go left and right in the past week.

We saw last week that Dale Earnhardt Inc., and Chip Ganassi Racing merged to a four-car operation and eliminated 116 jobs from the new Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing operation and the news continued in full force after the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway last Sunday.
Continue Reading NASCAR Team Layoffs Start to Pile On

LFL: Regan Smith Won 'Dega, Says Dale Jr.

Posted: Oct 11th 2008 3:30PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Regan Smith, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Talladega Superspeedway, Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports

12 COMMENTS
FanHouse's Geoffrey Miller is at the track in Concord, N.C. for Saturday night's Bank of America 500 in full fan mode. He's hoping to avoid Kevin Harvick's motor coach driver from his location in the Ford Grandstand, Section I.

Regan Smith may drive for the race team that Dale Earnhardt Jr. left in 2007, but that didn't keep the now-Hendrick Motorsports driver from taking Smith's side after last week's controversial finish at Talladega Superspeedway.

Smith, a rookie in the Sprint Cup series, was denied his first-career win after NASCAR declared his last-lap pass underneath Tony Stewart illegal and gave Stewart the win despite getting beat by Smith to the finish line.

I was thoroughly against the ruling, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his support of Smith clear and questioned NASCAR's judgment on Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
"In my opinion, the 01 (Smith) was forced below the line," Earnhardt Jr. said on Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"The two did make contact – (Smith) was on the inside of Tony and he had no choice other than to move away from Tony and that sends him below the line and in my opinion, the 01 wins the race. I feel like Tony did what he had to do. In the car, everyone would have done what Tony did, everyone would have done what the 01 did. Neither one of them were wrong or right.

"What's curious is when are you forced? Show me some video. I want to know what's forced and what's not. I felt like that was being forced."
And can you argue with Earnhardt Jr.? His statement further exemplifies how confused drivers were on NASCAR's rule, and how they remain to be confused now even after NASCAR tried to clarify the rule this week.
Continue Reading LFL: Regan Smith Won 'Dega, Says Dale Jr.

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