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Daytona 500 starts NASCAR Season

Jeffdstuff — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:02:29 +0000

Since football season is over, it’s that time of the year when we watch cars go around in circles again.

And in case you didn’t get that, the 2010 NASCAR season is kicking off on Valentine’s Day weekend with the Daytona 500. For all ya’ll who didn’t know, they say the Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s equivalent to the Super Bowl. I still have no idea why they have this race to kick off their season though.

Still, NASCAR will have the annual Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway to generate some hype for the whole year. And since this sport really doesn’t have anything else to offer other than cars going around in circles for three freaking hours, they need all the hype they can get.

So with the 52 ^nd Daytona 500 kicking off the brand new season, what’s in store for NASCAR racing fans this year? Well, for one, NASCAR has made headlines over the last couple of weeks following several rules changes that will take place this season. These changes will encourage more aggressive driving from drivers AND more importantly, to captivate fans.

The recent changes have been made due to the continual poor ratings that racing received last year.

Chariman of NASCAR, Brian France said that he wants drivers not to be afraid to ”open it up.” Bump-drafting will now be permitted at Daytona during the race. France went on to say that he would like to see some of the drivers on the circuit show more emotion at times.

This new policy on the rules should make for an interesting race, when the Daytona 500 begins.

There will be 43 drivers in the field, and leading the pack as favorites for the Daytona 500 is Tony Stewart. Stewart has 43 career victories and 226 top-10 finishes. He has never won the Daytona 500, but oddsmakers have installed him as a +700 favorite to claim his first victory in the race.

At the second spot is Kyle Busch. Busch was...

Who will win the NASCAR Carfax 400?

Jeffdstuff — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:02:21 +0000

Are you ready for another weekend of fast cars?

The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads up north to the Michigan International Speedway for the Carfax 400, the first of two stops at MIS this year.

Michigan is a two-mile D-shaped oval (so to speak) with 18 degrees of banking in the turns. People describe it as a sister track to either California or Texas Speedway, although similar track lengths do not really mean the tracks are otherwise similar.

Michigan International Speedway's Aug. 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup race will be called the Carfax 400 under terms of a title sponsorship agreement that has been announced with the company that provides vehicle history reports.

The company, which will be the title sponsor of a Cup race for the first time, is also sponsoring the NASCAR Nationwide Series Carfax 250 at the track. The doubleheader marks the first time MIS has had the same corporate sponsor for both NASCAR events on the same weekend.

The Cup series has been racing at Michigan twice a year since 1969, except in 1973 when the track was visited just once. Mark Martin has the most wins here among active drivers with four, though he's also made more starts than many other drivers, 46 in all. Martin's last win here was in 1998 and all four of his wins came in Roush Fords, as this is his first season with Hendrick Motorsports.

Bobby Labonte has three wins at Michigan and...

NASCAR returns to Indianapolis Sunday

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:36:51 +0000

It's time to rev up your engines again.

The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will be the twentieth race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and the sixteenth NASCAR race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). The 160-lap, 400 miles (640 km) event is scheduled on July 26 at the 2.5 miles (4.0 km) IMS located in Speedway, Indiana. By this time drivers are battling for every point and separating into contenders.

As the second most popular race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard doesn't take a back seat to anything. But this is one of the most popular NASCAR races because the track itself challenges drivers.

Tony Stewart maintains his hold on the top spot in the standings. He has two wins, 11 top-five finishes and 15 top-10s in 19 races. He has already collected $4,429,930 in winnings.

However, although Tony Stewart has a sizeable lead, Jeff Gordon is safely positioned to make the Chase. He has one win, 10 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. He has won $3,835,490.

Kurt Busch, on the other hand, has one win, six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.

One of the big shocks of the 2009 season is the fact Carl Edwards remains winless through 19 races. He has five top-five and nine top-10 finishes with $3,191,650 in earnings.

Kyle Busch is having some struggles lately as well. He continues to drop and is now hanging on to the 10th position in the standings. However, he has three wins, four top-five and six top-10 finishes, keeping him optimistic about his title chances.

''I think team performance this year has...''

NASCAR and Formula One are in economic trouble

NBA Blogger B — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:44:55 +0000

As the world’s economy plunges into uncertainty, the Motor Sports industry is likewise affected just by the sheer turmoil every industry is experiencing at this moment.

NASCAR itself has seen it’s share of backdrops while Motor Sports giant F1 is also looking towards implementing further cost cutting measures that would save the series money up to 2010. the FIA otherwise known as the governing body of Formula One has noted that the shocking departure of Team Honda from Formula One would mark as one of the biggest downturns so far and is sighting unsustainable costs that ultimately gave the go ahead signal for Honda Corp. to pull out.

Dutch Bank ING has also seen its side of the inconceivable economic unrest that also has brought them to make a decision of slashing millions of Dollars to its Formula One sponsorship programs. Credit Suisse, a Swiss Banking giant has also dropped its sponsorship of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld of BMW Sauber who last year was one of the more competitive Teams in Formula One. Going on to the United States, who are by far the country that has its economy in a twist concerning motoring, has also seen a trend that would keep up most likely if the global economy keeps slipping into total chaos.

Early into this NASCAR season we already have...

NASCAR back with Budweiser Shootout

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:42:35 +0000

NASCAR returns to Daytona.

The 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona will probably aim to set us all up for the grand opening of the new season in NASCAR, which will be the 2009 Daytona 500 on February 15. But since we are still a couple of weeks away from that, I guess this big race this weekend would do.

You read it, NASCAR returns with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout this Saturday at the Daytona International Speedway. This year, NASCAR will have a new format that puts more emphasis on the series’ four manufacturers and the same star-power appeal that has become a season-opening tradition for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and its fans.

The 31st annual season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway will be held this Saturday night with a field of 24 cars representing the top teams from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota that will showcase the close competition in NASCAR’s premier series.

That lineup will consist of the top six teams from each manufacturer, based on the final 2008 car owner points.

For the Chevrolets you have; No.48 Jimmie Johnson, No.29 Kevin Harvick, No.07 Casey Mears, No.31 Jeff Burton, No.24 Jeff Gordon, and No.88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The Dodge camp will bring; No.9 Kasey Kahne, No.12 David Stremme, No.2 Kurt Busch, No.43 (Reed Sorenson?), No.19 Elliot Sadler and (with the loss of Juan Pablo Montoya), the No.10 car (driven by probably Allmendinger if they run with it).

Ford will bring mostly Roush Cars with; No.99 Carl Edwards, No.16 Greg Biffle, No.17 Matt Kenseth, No.6 David Ragan, No.26 Jamie McMurray, and No.28 Travis Kvapil.

For Toyota you will see; No.11 Denny Hamlin, No.20...

NASCAR Chase for the Cup Favorites

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:13:30 +0000

It’s that time of the year when NASCAR tries to bring in more racing fans towards the sport.

And since NASCAR’s target market are mostly fans who love speed, the 2008 NASCAR Chase for the Cup is exactly what the docotr ordered.

So who are the favorites? Well, there’s Jimmie Johnson for one. Johnson comes into the 2008 Chase for the Cup as the two-time defending Sprint Cup champion. Johnson has been relatively quiet in 2008. He has just four wins in the series this season. However, he comes into the Chase with lots of momentum as the winner of the last two races.

Jimmie Johnson and his no.48 Hendrick Motorsports team know how to get the job done during the Chase. They have been in this situation before and prevailed.

Next we have Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior is one of four drivers with one win during the regular season. He comes into the Chase 70 points behind Kyle Busch and since he’s now one of the more popular figures in the sport, getting his fan base going for the Chase is as easy as, well… you get the drift.

Clint Bowyer, who had to battle his way into the Chase, also has to be a favorite. He was 12th in points coming into Richmond and held off David Ragan for the final Chase spot.

Among other notables include Denny Hamlin, who had a frustrating Chase in 2007.

Bad luck and bad finishes caused him to wind up a distant 12th in the final standings, last among the 2007 Chasers. Jeff Burton, who started 2008 with 14 consecutive finishes of 13th or better, is also another...

NASCAR DAYTONA 500 Betting Preview

Tristan — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:52:27 +0000

NASCAR Betting Preview. Everyone is pumped up in the 2008 Daytona 500 set on Sunday, February 17, 2008 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 2008 Daytona 500 is the 50th annual running of "The Great American Race", the 2008 Daytona 500 race will celebrate the Golden Anniversary of the first race run in 1959, won by NASCAR driver Lee Petty. To commemorate the 2008 Daytona 500 event, the Harley J. Earl Trophy, which goes to the winner of the race, will be plated in gold instead of silver. Three drivers lead the pack as early favorites to win the 2008 Daytona 500. Defending Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson is listed at 6/1 favorite. Jimmie Johnson, has 33 wins in six full-time seasons under his belt, Jimmie Johnson has proven to be a worthy successor to Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports, edging his mentor for the 2007 championship. Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to have won three consecutive Coca-Cola 600s. And in 2007, he became the first driver since 1998 to win four races in a row.

Who will win the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup title?

Jeffdstuff — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 11:59:33 +0000

It's between Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, two teammates from Hendrick Motorsports who found themselves jockeying for position for the Cup.

Jeff Gordon has been dominating the standings before Jimmie Johnson was able to pass him this 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. Sure, Jimmie Johnson is probably regarded by many as a lock to win his second consecutive Nextel Cup title with him having a 30-point lead in this year's Chase for the Cup.

But his win last time he was on a race track could be a fluke and I'm sure Gordon won't let him slide that easily on Sunday when the Chase for the Cup resumes.

The 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup championship chase has become unpredictable at this point with both Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports teammates, fully capable of taking the title home.

''It came down to a full-blown brawl,'' Jimmie Johnson said. ''And I mean that in a good way. We both wanted that win at all costs. And I knew I could race Matt hard and he wouldn't take me out. He would race me hard, but he wasn't going to run into me.''

Coming to the next race, Johnson probably has all the advantages, that's a brilliant crew chief, a near-flawless pit crew and pristine equipment from the best organization in NASCAR. The problem for Johnson is, his closest rival in the Chase for the Cup, Jeff Gordon, would have EXACTLY THE SAME STUFF.

Jeff Gordon has 81 career wins with a series best average running position of 9.2, that includes six wins and 20 top fives. Jeff Gordon is a...

Jimmie Johnson to win 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup

Tristan — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:56:06 +0000

Jimmie Johnson is bound to win his second consecutive Nextel Cup title.

Johnson who won his third consecutive race Sunday, passing teammate Jeff Gordon and taking a 30-point lead in the Chase with two races remaining. The 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship has become unpredictable at this point with both Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johsnon, Hendrick Motorsports teammate fully capable of taking the title home.

"It came down to a full-blown brawl," Johnson said. "And I mean that in a good way. We both wanted that win at all costs. And I knew I could race Matt hard and he wouldn't take me out. He would race me hard, but he wasn't going to run into me."

Coming to the next race, Johnson has all the advantages: a brilliant crew chief, a near-flawless pit crew and pristine equipment from the best organization in NASCAR.

One of his biggest rivals is his...

Who’ll win the Pennsylvania 500 on NASCAR Sunday?

Jeffdstuff — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 09:41:42 +0000

The 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season returns to the Pocono Raceway. For the second time this year, 47 of the best NASCAR drivers in the world resume the race for the Nextel Cup after Indianapolis. The last time NASCAR was at the Pocono racetrack, Jeff Gordon was pouring champagne all over himself, all over his [...]