Features Category

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor When the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Watkins Glen International, the races staged at the 2.45-mile road course in upstate New York have been known for both the hard racing and the violent crashes that come on the fast seven-turn layout. Back in August 2011, the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen delivered that and more. After getting delayed until Monday due to rain, Kyle Busch and AJ Allmendinger led the field to green for the first of 90 scheduled laps. AllmendingerRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Pocono Raceway has always been hit or miss when it comes to action, but back in June 2000, the late race battle between Jeremy Mayfield and Dale Earnhardt resulted in an instant classic. After all activity was washed out on Sunday due to rain, the NASCAR Winston Cup Series returned to the “Tricky Triangle” the following day ready to do battle on the three-turn 2.5-mile track. Rusty Wallace started on pole and had the dominant car of the day, leading 107 laps, but on a lateRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After the tragic passing of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin in separate incidents earlier in the year due to stuck throttles at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, NASCAR made the decision to implement horsepower robbing restrictor plates that are normally used at Daytona and Talladega for the September 2000 race on the flat one-mile oval. Broadcaster Dick Berggren set the scene prior to the race, highlighting the unknown territory that teams and drivers were venturing into that day. “In the wake of two fatal accidents here, NASCARRead More

By ARX Rallycross Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross’ Scott Speed held off first lap challenge from Loenbro Motorsport’s Ken Block to claim the victory in the second ever Americas Rallycross (ARX) event at the Dirtfish ARX of COTA. Speed took maximum points from the first event held at COTA’s permanent rallycross circuit and now leads his VARX teammate Tanner Foust – who won the second semifinal and started on the front row of the grid with Speed in the final – by one point in the Championship. As they did in qualifying,Read More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor AUSTIN, Texas – It’s not very often you get a chance to witness the debut of a new race series, but fans at Circuit of the Americas this weekend are enjoying the opportunity. The brand new ARX American Rallycross series has its U.S. debut today with the Dirtfish ARX of COTA, just over a month after the series inaugural race at Silverstone in the UK. The new series is picking up where Red Bull Global Rallycross leaves off and has taken up the mantle of theRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor With an aggressive on-track persona, Jimmy Spencer was given the nickname of “Mr. Excitement” early in his racing career, but it wasn’t until the 1994 Pepsi 400 at Daytona that he really lived up to it. Entering the Independence Day classic, four drivers had been the class of the field all season long, with Ernie Irvan leading the way ahead of Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, and Mark Martin, but by the time the checkered flag flew, it was Spencer who stole the show. Earnhardt and LoyRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor These days, Jimmie Johnson is known as a seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion driving for Hendrick Motorsports, but back in the early 2000’s, Johnson was a relative unknown driving for Herzog Motorsports trying to make a name for himself. That all changed at Chicagoland Speedway in July 2001 with the running of the Hills Brothers Coffee 300. Prior to the 2001 season, Johnson was best known for his crash at Watkins Glen in 2000 after he lost his brakes heading into Turn 1, whichRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Throughout his NASCAR career, Robby Gordon was never one to shy away from controversy and in June 2003 at Sonoma Raceway, his path to victory included a bit of controversy and a stellar battle with Jeff Gordon to see who would take home the trophy. Robby Gordon, who last won on the Cup Series circuit back in November 2001 at New Hampshire, was one of the most feared drivers when it came to road course racing as he always found himself in the mix for theRead More

September 16, 1975 – June 12, 2013 1997, 1998, 1999 USAC National Midget Champion 1998 USAC Silver Crown Champion 1999 Copper Classic Winner Two-Time Turkey Night Grand Prix Winner Two NASCAR Xfinity Series Wins One NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Win How do you describe a driver who could be competitive in just about any discipline of auto racing in the car, and a fun-loving person out of the car? Aggressive, caring, determined, fast, fierce, friendly, fun, hard-worker, mentor, personable, strong, talented, and wild. Jason Leffler was all of theseRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor There are times when Cup Series regulars ruin the show by dropping down into the lower tiers, but sometimes they create a moment that is remembered for years to come. In this week’s “Throwback Thursday Theater”, we take a jump back to the 2006 Carfax 250 at Michigan that seemed to be another run of the mill race at the two-mile track until the action picked up with the closing laps and post-race activities. Through the first 95 laps, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards had beenRead More