Track Smack All Things NASCAR - 24/7
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Angie
PRESS RELEASE
08.18.10
JR Motorsports cemented an integral part of its future Wednesday by signing Aric Almirola to a multi-year driving contract for the company’s flagship No. 88 NASCAR Nationwide Series team starting in 2011, general manager Kelley Earnhardt announced today.
A 26-year-old native of Tampa, Fla., Almirola has 32 career Nationwide Series starts, including one for JR Motorsports in which he finished third at O’Reilly Raceway Park in July. Almirola’s full-time duties as the No. 88 driver will officially begin in 2011, but he could potentially fill the seat in select races this season while he continues to run for a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.
“The chance to drive full time in the Nationwide Series with a top caliber team is something I am extremely excited about,” Almirola said. “I was at the shop yesterday, and Kelley gathered all the employees around to announce our deal. The energy and excitement was addicting. We raced at ORP together a month ago and had a really good run. There is no reason why we cannot compete like that every race, and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be running for a championship. I would expect nothing less.” 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
 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
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
 (c) Nascar Media The Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday was one of the most widely anticipated races of the year.
The excitement began on April 29, 2010 when Earnhardt announced that he would drive the No. 3 with a special blue and yellow Wrangler paint scheme reminiscent of one his father drove in the 1980’s.
This venture was months in the making and required the cooperation of several different organizations.
“This idea came up as a way to pay tribute to my Dad,” Earnhardt said, “and it’s pretty cool that it’s a collaborative effort between JR Motorsports, RCR and DEI.” Continue reading →
Robert
Last week, I covered some major and near-major players in the Sprint Cup Series. This week is a continuation of the remaining teams and players. Don’t forget, this is all my opinion and everyone has one  , based on some facts, some observation coupled with all my personal prejudices, so feel free to put your two cents in.
Earnhart-Gannassi with Felix Sabates: Obviously last year was a watermark for this team, not only getting Juan Pablo Montoya into the Chase, but being competitive in the final ten races as well. This year is a little different. EGR seems to have the cars and the speed, and Jamie McMurray’s Daytona 500 win got them off to a great start. They have shown they are competitive most weeks, but seem to be not only a little snake bitten, but have a propensity for shooting themselves in the foot as well. The two of them crash each other once and Jamie rightfully took the blame. Identical part failures in both cars this past weekend, tire problems for Montoya from running the camber too radical, and a few wrong place wrong time accidents have put them in a hole. They are still Chase Contenders, but in the longs shot category and getting longer by the day. A striking turn around is needed, along with a dose of good luck. Continue reading →
Angie
 Joe Weatherly had a short but extraordinary career. His exploits off the track were as legendary as his accomplishments on the track.
When you hear people talk about the drivers who were there at the beginning of NASCAR, you often hear them called “good old boys.”
If you’re not sure what that means, just take a close look at Joe Weatherly.
He was well known for his love of liquor, women and hard racing. Weatherly was also the king of practical jokes and became known as “The Clown Prince of Racing.”
In the days before start switches, Weatherly would sneak along pit road and steal the keys to all the cars. When the command, “Gentlemen, start your engines,” was given, only one car fired up. It didn’t take much detective work to figure out that Weatherly was the culprit. Continue reading →
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