Features Category

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor “They touch once! Twice! Drag race! Jimmie Johnson!” When looking back at memorable moments at Martinsville Speedway, the duel between Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon in the spring of 2007 is often near the top of the list. The race, which featured the much maligned Car of Tomorrow in only its second outing, would turn into a Chevrolet showcase with the four drivers that dominated the race all driving a car with a bowtie on the grill. Dale Earnhardt, Jr, Denny Hamlin,Read More

By Christopher DeHarde, IndyCar & Road to Indy Writer It isn’t often that a Louisiana native makes waves in the motorsport world, but that’s exactly what one teenager from Sulphur has done. Aaron Jeansonne (left in above photo), 19, was announced by Team USA Scholarship as one of two representatives for the United States at the Formula Ford Festival that starts today at Brands Hatch and also for the Walter Hayes Trophy Race at Silverstone in November. He is joined by Jonathan Kotyk from Atlantic Beach, Florida. Jeansonne will follow inRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor The 2001 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season started off with profound loss, but also ushered in an era of unprecedented growth for the series as they made their way to new markets and new tracks later in the year. One of those new tracks/markets was Kansas Speedway, a 1.5-mile intermediate oval just outside of Kansas City that would make its debut in September 2001. Jason Leffler and points leader Jeff Gordon would start on the front row, but it wouldn’t take long for thingsRead More

Editor’s note: This article first appeared as Track Day with Wings & Slicks by Associate Editor Adam Tate. With the U.S. Grand Prix coming up this weekend we thought it was a perfect time to share this again and give our readers an idea of just what it’s like to drive an open wheel race car. Enjoy. Last week I experienced the power, immediacy and thrill of an open wheel race car for the first time in my life. A fan of open wheel racing since child hood, the anticipation andRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor As Dale Earnhardt, Jr’s full-time career in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series continues to wind down, this weekend, he heads to Talladega Superspeedway – the track he has been the most productive at – for the final time. With Sunday’s Alabama 500 being his last ride around the 2.66 mile facility, this week’s “Throwback Thursday Theater” takes a look back at his triumphant Talladega moments over the years. 2001 EA Sports 500 – October 21, 2001 After winning at Daytona earlier in the yearRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor The Fall race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is often overshadowed by the Coca-Cola 600 and the All-Star Race, but there have been a few occasions when the second race date at the track provides a memorable finish. The 1972 National 500 was one of those races. David Pearson would put his Wood Brothers Mercury on the pole, with Buddy Baker joining him on the front row. In what would be the final race that the Wood Brothers entered two cars, A.J. Foyt qualified third, followedRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Dover International Speedway has always been a treacherous track since its inception in 1969, but the “Monster Mile” really earned its nickname when the asphalt surface was converted over to concrete in 1995, making Dover the first concrete track on the circuit and really giving “Miles the Monster” some teeth. Our Dover edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater” will focus on that first race on the concrete surface – the 1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500. The new concrete surface brought worries about the tires being ableRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor The pressure that comes with competing for the championship in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is immense for the drivers that make the cut into the postseason to be one of the few to have a shot at the title and sometimes that pressure can be too much to bear. In the 2005 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, tempers flaring among the drivers, those in the playoffs and on the outside looking in, nearly overshadowed a stellar finish between Ryan NewmanRead More

June 5, 1958 – September 16, 2017 2001 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Champion 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion 48 NASCAR Modified Wins 10 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Wins Four-Time Thompson Speedway Track Champion Nine-Time Stafford Motor Speedway Track Champion How do you describe a competitor who made a career playing to the fans? Aggressive, controversial, dominant, fan favorite, hated, loved, successful, or victorious? Ted Christopher was all of that and much, much more. Christopher was one of the winningest drivers in the history of SK Modified competition. HeRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor As the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Chicagoland Speedway for this weekend’s opening round of the playoffs, it’s time again for another edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater”. Since Chicago has only been on the schedule since 2001, there are few races that really stick out in the track’s history, but one in particular sticks out above the rest. That race is the 2010 Lifelock.com 400, which saw a multi-time champion get bested by an underdog. Jimmie Johnson started on the outside of theRead More