Angie
J.C. “Jake” Elder, a former crew chief in the Cup Series, died Wednesday in Statesville, North Carolina at the age of 73. He was known as “Suitcase Jake” because he could never settle down with one organization for very long.
He is generally considered by the NASCAR community as one of the greatest crew chiefs of all-time. He won two championships with David Pearson and helped mold some of NASCAR’s legends including Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip and Benny Parsons.
If you want to take a look back at the grassroots of NASCAR, Jake Elder is a great place to begin.
He was born on November 22, 1936 and his education ended around the 3rd grade. Elder never learned to read and write but his knowledge of cars was almost unrivaled.
He began his NASCAR career in 1960 as a fabricator for Petty Enterprises.
Jake came to work for us in Level Cross in the ‘60s, down from the Hickory area, and he was a fabricator,” Richard Petty said. “Jake was old school. There was no engineering; it was all off the cuff. He’d put something on the car and say, ‘OK, now it’s right. Here, you go drive it. And don’t come back in complaining to me, because I got the car fixed. You go learn how to drive it.’” Continue reading →
Angie
Matt Poole is a man on a mission.
The fantasy began as a childhood dream and lay dormant for much of his adult life. Then tragedy struck, not once, but twice, and suddenly Matt had a clear vision of his future.
As a child, his mother often asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. The answer was always the same.
“I want to be a race car driver,” the youngster replied.
But, childhood desires were soon replaced by the realities of life and the dream was set aside.
Then, in 2003, Poole lost his mother when she died suddenly from a heart attack. His father, suffering from Parkinson’s disease, was left alone. Matt’s Mom had always been the foundation of the family and her death affected him deeply.
After her funeral, Matt could only think of one thing. He had to do something to honor his mother’s memory and pay tribute to the woman who had shaped his life. With a newly found clarity and a desire fueled by heartbreak, he decided to take a chance and begin his quest to race. Continue reading →
Angie
The Daytona 500 is the NASCAR season opener and is thought by most to be the ultimate prize. Today’s race got off to a roaring start with Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. leading the cars to take the green flag.
The trouble began with 78 laps to go when a hole in the asphalt appeared between turns one and two on the racetrack. The race was red-flagged for about 1 hour and 45 minutes and the race was finally restarted.
Unfortunately the pot hole reappeared resulting in a second stoppage with 39 laps remaining.
This is certainly not the way NASCAR wanted to start the season and many fans were just waiting for it to end.
That’s when things got interesting. Continue reading →
Angie
Supermarket Dash
Since they’re calling for 3-4 inches of snow here, Hubby and I made the mandatory trip to the grocery store.
I’m not sure if he’ll agree to go grocery shopping with me ever again.
Let’s just say I approach going to the grocery story like running a NASCAR race.
The [...]
Angie
The world was watching as Danica Patrick made her first stock car start at the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, an ARCA Series event at Daytona International Speedway.
Her foray into NASCAR has been eagerly anticipated since the announcement was made this past December that she was joining JR Motorsports. Fans and critics alike have been vocal in expressing their differing opinions.
A third contingent of fans took the wait and see attitude and Danica did not disappoint.
She qualified in the 12th position, stayed in the top ten for much of the race and ran as high as fifth at one point. On lap 54, however, she bumped fenders with Nelson Piquet Jr., spinning off the track and into the grass. She managed to straighten out her car and avoid the other drivers, exhibiting great car control. Continue reading →
Angie
Sergio Pena, driving for Revolution Racing and the Drive for Diversity program, made the most of his first start at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California this weekend.
He arrived at the speedway to begin a two step process that would give him the opportunity to race in the Toyota All Star Showdown.
First he had to earn his way into the event by competing in a qualifying race with his three teammates Thursday evening. He won easily making him eligible to qualify for the Showdown.
The next step for the 16 year old rookie from Virginia came on Friday when he would have to qualify for the chance to compete. He not only qualified but surprised everyone with an outstanding run, capturing the pole position. Joey Logano, 2009 Sprint Cup driver rookie of the year, qualified in second spot.
Saturday night the race began with Sergio Pena leading the first lap. Throughout the race the two drivers battled side by side, swapping the lead. Pena drove an almost flawless race keeping fans on the edge of their seats. Continue reading →
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