All posts by David Morgan

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Heading into this weekend’s trip to the Arizona desert for the running of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, a visit to the past is in order for this week’s edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater”. This week, we’ll take a look back at the 1996 Dura Lube 500, which saw quite a few interesting storylines coming into the event and most certainly leaving it. Back in 1996, Phoenix hosted just one race on the Cup Series schedule, the penultimate raceRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor The Round of 8 all comes down to this. After last week’s rain delayed race at Texas, the stage is set for the final race of the round to determine which drivers will move onto Homestead and which drivers will see their championship hopes vanish in the Valley of the Sun. Phoenix has resided on the Cup Series schedule since 1988, but the track looks completely different than it did 28 years ago, having undergone a reconfiguration back in 2011. The reconfiguration added progressive bankingRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor For much of the first half of Sunday’s rain-delayed AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Joey Logano looked to be untouchable, but when all was said and done, the driver of the No. 22 Ford came up just short as he finished second on Sunday night. After starting on the outside of the front row, Logano got the jump on polesitter Austin Dillon when the green flag flew at lap six, pulling away from the field with ease to lead the next 25 lapsRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor As the Sprint Cup Series packs up and heads to the Lone Star State for the second time this season for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500, the championship fight is in full swing in all three of NASCAR’s national series. While the focus this weekend is on the here and now of how the championship battles will play out, we’ll take a step back in time to look back at a race from Texas Motor Speedway’s past. In this week’s edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater”, weRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor After a trip to the smallest track on the circuit for some great racing at Martinsville last weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the Lone Star State and Texas Motor Speedway to continue with the Round of 8 in the Chase with Sunday’s running of the AAA Texas 500. First joining the circuit in 1997, the 1.5 mile Texas track has provided some great racing over the years, especially as the track surface has worn out over time. With the new low downforceRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor One year ago, Jeff Gordon scored a storybook win at Martinsville Speedway to advance to the championship round at Homestead-Miami Speedway in what was his final full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and what everyone thought was his final Martinsville start. With Dale Earnhardt, Jr. being sidelined for the second half of the 2016 season while recovering from a concussion, Gordon made a return to the cockpit in Earnhardt’s No. 88 car and came into Sunday at Martinsville for one last ride atRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Since winning his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2013, the world has wondered when or if Jimmie Johnson would capture a record-tying seventh championship. On Sunday, Johnson moved one step closer to making that seventh title a reality. Prior to the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports as a whole were struggling, with his chances of being able to advance through the Chase to the championship round at Homestead being very slim. However, since the startRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor When it comes to racing at Martinsville, the flat half-mile bullring in southern Virginia as about as demanding as it comes on both drivers and equipment. Add in scorching hot temperatures and things get even more difficult for all parties involved. In this week’s “Throwback Thursday Theater,” we’ll look back at the 1998 NAPA Autocare 500 at Martinsville and a gutsy performance by one of the toughest drivers on the circuit, Ricky Rudd. The late October race, which normally saw seasonal fall temperatures greet theRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor After the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series made their final visit to a restrictor plate track last weekend at Talladega, the series kicks off the Round of 8 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by visiting one of the most historic tracks on the circuit, Martinsville Speedway. Last weekend’s race featured the biggest and fastest track on the circuit at Talladega, but as we fast-forward to this weekend, the series rolls into Martinsville, which is the smallest on the circuit. Racing at the twoRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor With the growing chorus against the idea of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series getting louder and louder, NASCAR made the announcement on Wednesday that Cup Series drivers will have their participation in the lower series limited in 2017 and beyond. Sprint Cup Series drivers who have been in NASCAR’s premier series for more than five years full-time will only be able to compete in a maximum of 10 races in the Xfinity SeriesRead More