All posts by Toby Christie

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Earning millions of dollars, collecting numerous prestigious trophies, and having the support of an unrelenting fan base; just another day in the life of a NASCAR driver. But before you drift away into a day dream about how great it would be to chase the checkered flag at Daytona, be sure to check out the aftermath Kevin Harvick is dealing with following last Sunday’s race at Sonoma Raceway. Here is a tweet sent out by Kevin Harvick on Wednesday: Today’s pre draining foot status… #nastyRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Of the 10 races remaining until the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, Daytona International Speedway could be the one that flips the entire championship hunt on it’s side. With Tony Stewart’s unexpected victory this past weekend in Sonoma, there are now 11 winners in the first 16 Sprint Cup Series events this season. That total could easily be 12 after this weekend, as Daytona is a complete crapshoot, where even the biggest underdog has a decent shot at contending for a victory. That beingRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Not many people in the NASCAR universe are as charismatic or genuinely liked as Kerry Tharp. Tharp, who has served admirably as NASCAR’s Senior Director of Communications for several seasons, will move to a new job as Darlington Raceway’s track president starting Juky 1st, the track announced with a press release on Wednesday. The always engaging Tharp vows to carry on the historic tradition of one of NASCAR’s oldest tracks. “I am deeply humbled and honored to have this opportunity,” Tharp said. “I love theRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor When the NASCAR Xfinity Series Subway FireCracker 250 goes green this Friday night, one of the best looking cars twinkling under the powerful trackside lighting at Daytona International Speedway will undoubtedly be Kaulig Racing’s No. 11 Chevrolet Camaro. This week the team, which has been one of the pleasant surprises so far in 2016, will have a new sponsor on board — Celsius Energy Drink. The sponsor is new to the race team, but they have sponsored Koch’s racing efforts for years. The paint scheme,Read More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor NASCAR has announced penalties stemming from the chaos that broke out in last week’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park. John Wes Townley, who drives the No. 05 truck for Athenian Motorsports and Spencer Gallagher, who drives the No. 23 truck for GMS Racing each have wallets that are quite a bit lighter today after their on track wrestling match this past weekend. Townley, who first charged at Gallagher to start the fight was fined $15,000, while GallagherRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor 45 drivers will head to Daytona International Speedway vying for a place in the field for Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Subway FireCracker 250. One name that will be missing in action is 20-year-old rookie Matt Tifft. Tifft was expected to compete after completing surgery to correct an issue with a disc in his back. Unfortunately — or forunately, actually — as Tifft was being treated for his back injury, doctors found a low-grade glioma in his brain. A glioma, according to a team pressRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a strong weekend all the way around in Sonoma. He was fast in both practice sessions, and he qualified a respectable 13th for Sunday’s race. In the early stages of the race, Earnhardt worked his way up into the top-five where he would stay for a good portion of the Toyota/Save Mart 350. Earnhardt looked poised to cruise to his third-consecutive top-10 finish at Sonoma Raceway. However Earnhardt got shuffled back late in the event, after a sluggish pit stop mired him inRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor There were times in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, where it looked like any shot Tony Stewart had at reaching victory lane had all but vanished, but the always stubborn Stewart would battle back every single time. As Stewart body slammed past Denny Hamlin in the final turn of Sunday’s race, it was incredible because just a couple of turns earlier it looked like Hamlin had nudged past Stewart for his first-career road course victory. “I made mistakes the last two laps,” StewartRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor The abysmal season for Clint Bowyer at HScott Motorsports continued Sunday at Sonoma Raceway in the Toyota/Save Mart 350. Bowyer rolled off from a respectable 18th-starting position at one of his best tracks, but it didn’t take long for things to come undone for the driver of the No. 15 Five-Hour Energy Chevrolet SS. On lap five, Bowyer came to a stop on the racetrack. As he attempted to re-fire his machine, smoke began to billow from under the dashboard. Bowyer quickly hopped out, andRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Christopher Bell won a dramatic Drivin’ For Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park on Saturday night, and by claiming his second career victory in the Camping World Truck Series, Bell became the fifth different Truck Series points eligible driver to win a race in the first nine races of the season. What this essentially means is that the eight driver grid that will make up the inaugural Camping World Truck Series Chase for the Championship is getting pretty damn full, pretty damn quickly and thereRead More