Angie
I woke up early in anticipation of my visit to the Hall of Fame. After a stop to meet up with a pal, we were on our way and finally arrived around 11:30am.
The first stop was a visit to The High Octane Theater to see a short film about the evolution of NASCAR. It was just enough to get the adrenalin pumping and we walked out eager to explore.
The first thing that caught my eye was Dale Jr’s bright yellow and blue No. 3 Wrangler car. As I approached to get a closer look, I found myself grinning from ear to ear. His emotional win in the Nationwide Series race at Daytona just a few weeks earlier will probably always be one of my favorite NASCAR memories.
I was especially pleased to see that the car had been brought from the track perfectly preserved, down to the mud splattered hood and windshield. Continue reading →
Angie
DeWayne Louis “Tiny” Lund was named as one of NASCAR’s 50 best drivers in 1998. The list is a mix of drivers with varying qualifications. Some won a lot of races and some won multiple championships. Often the reasons are not as obvious as numbers on a piece of paper but they all have one thing in common. Each had a huge impact on the sport of stock car racing.
Lund was born in Harlan, Iowa in 1929. He began his career racing motorcycles but later moved on to midget and sprint cars. Lund eventually found his way to the Modified Division where he quickly became a dominant force.
He made a name for himself as a hard charger who never lifted. Iowa was his proving ground and he excelled on every kind of short track. From dirt to clay, from flat track to banked, Lund became a master at his craft. No one can say for sure how many features that he won but estimates are as high as five hundred. Continue reading →
Angie
(c) Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing will run a special decal on their cars this weekend at Pocono, It’s their way of saying, “Get Well Soon” to team owner Jack Roush.
Jack Roush is recovering from facial injuries suffered in a plane crash. He remains in serious but stable condition after [...]
Angie
Stock car racing has always been a team sport. Each person in the organization plays a key role in the success of the team. One minor mistake can ruin a driver’s day and the smallest thing can often make the biggest impact.
Just ask Doug Taylor.
After a brief career in the Air Force that taught him electronics, Taylor was looking for a new direction when he heard that 2-way radios were being used in Indy and stock cars. He began to focus on developing a better system for in-car communications.
At first only a few drivers were interested but through word of mouth advertising, more and more seemed to take notice. In 1974 things began to come together when Junior Johnson became his first customer.
You might recognize a few of the legendary names he has worked with in his 25-year long career. They include A.J. Foyt, Benny Parsons, Darrell Waltrip, the Woods Brothers, Paul Newman and many more. Continue reading →
Angie
Image by Bristol Motor Speedway & Dragway via Flickr
It suddenly occurred to me that the recent incident between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski reminded me of two guys fighting at school surrounded by a crowd of excited onlookers. Half of them are screaming “Let the boys fight,” while the other half are saying “Someone stop them please.”
I really felt like I was a kid again when I started reading the varied opinions and I couldn’t help but reflect back to lessons learned as a child.
The arguments have gone something like this. Continue reading →
Angie
Image by Bristol Motor Speedway & Dragway via Flickr
Carl Edwards won Saturday night’s Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway in spectacular fashion.
An ongoing feud reared its ugly head when Keselowski bumped Edwards going into Turn 1 after a restart on lap 199. In a move that Edwards later admitted was retaliatory, he sent Keselowski into the wall on the final lap of the race. Edwards captured the win and the debate began.
For some fans, the issue is simple. If Brad Keselowski is your favorite driver then you’re on his side. On the other side are the fans of Carl Edwards who feel their driver was justified in taking the action he did.
There’s also been a lot of talk about the “driver mentality.” Drivers have long memories and when someone takes them out of a race their initial response is to return the favor. This is the way it has always been in a process that teaches drivers to give and gain respect.
Let’s not forget that many fans asked for less oversight and begged NASCAR to let the drivers be themselves. Fans wanted to see the individuality and passion of the drivers.
Racing is, after all, a dangerous sport and crashes are an inevitable part of it.
For many others, the line between right and wrong is somewhat blurred. Continue reading →
Angie
Richard “Richie” Evans was just announced as a NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee for the second year in a row. For those of you who only follow the Sprint Cup Series drivers, his name may be unfamiliar. But his record speaks volumes about why he was included in such a prestigious class of NASCAR drivers.
Evans won nine National Modified Championships, including eight consecutive championships from 1978 to 1985. His eight straight championships still stand as a record in any NASCAR division to date. He has been hailed as the best to ever drive the asphalt modified circuit.
During his career he won more than 400 feature races and over 30 track championships. One of his best seasons was in 1979 when Evans ran 60 races capturing 54 top five finishes that included 37 victories.
The International Motorsports Hall of Fame lists his achievements as “one of the supreme accomplishments in motorsports.” Continue reading →
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