Features Category

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Detroit’s Armani Williams had a milestone afternoon in his home track at Michigan International Speedway, finishing 10th in Sunday’s VizCom 200. This was the 20-year-old’s second career ARCA Menards Series start and while he finished four laps behind race winner Riley Herbst, it was a positive learning experience for the Fast Track Racing (owned by Andy and Michelle Hillenburg) driver with autism. “It was a big and special day. I can’t thank Centria Autism. Without their support and goal to raise awareness with autism, none ofRead More
By David Morgan, Associate Editor When the NASCAR Cup Series rolled into New Hampshire in June 2009, almost everything that could have gone wrong for rookie Joey Logano did, but at the end of the day, he would be the one hoisting the trophy in Victory Lane. Dubbed “Sliced Bread” as he made his way up the ranks, Logano got the nod to replace Tony Stewart behind the wheel of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing entry when Stewart started driving for himself at Stewart-Haas Racing. The Middletown, Connecticut native hadRead More
By David Morgan, Associate Editor In the fall of 2015, the term “quintessential NASCAR” was coined by then NASCAR CEO Brian France with the genesis of the phrase coming after a late race incident between Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Both drivers found themselves in contention as the race played out, with Logano running in the top-five for the majority of the race and Kenseth leading 153 laps on the day. A restart with 20 laps to go placed the two drivers onRead More
By David Morgan, Associate Editor Kentucky is known for horsepower of a four-legged kind with the state hosting the prestigious Kentucky Derby each year, but back in 2011, the state gained a new kind of horsepower when the NASCAR Cup Series rolled into Kentucky Speedway for the inaugural running of the Quaker State 400. After years of lobbying for a Cup Series date to go along with the Xfinity Series and Truck Series races the track had been hosting since opening its gates in 2000, the Speedway Motorsports Inc. owned trackRead More
By David Morgan, Associate Editor There have been many memorable moments in the history of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but a native Hoosier capturing the checkered flag on his native soil, makes the 2005 running of the race one of the most special in the event’s history. In his first six starts at Indianapolis, Tony Stewart had come close to winning at the Brickyard, with two top-five finishes and a top-10 finish, but a win still eluded him. Stewart was on a roll when the 2005 edition ofRead More
By David Morgan, Associate Editor Pocono Raceway carries the moniker of the “Tricky Triangle” for a reason, with its three different corners and long straightaways giving even the most seasoned of drivers fits over the years, so when a rookie comes in and excels at the 2.5-mile track, it certainly turns some heads. Back in 2006, Denny Hamlin, who was in his first full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series behind the wheel of a Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet, showed the rest of the field how it’s done by winning notRead More
By David Morgan, Associate Editor Throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s, it was a common sight to see the Wood Brothers and Petty Enterprises battling it out for the win, but in the following decades, both teams found themselves in a slump. All of that changed when the NASCAR Cup Series rolled into Bristol in March 2001 with Elliott Sadler and John Andretti driving the famous No. 21 and No. 43 cars for the Wood Brothers and Petty Enterprises, respectively. As the Food City 500 played out, several drivers took their turnsRead More
By David Morgan, Associate Editor There have been plenty of weird and quirky moments in NASCAR history — then there’s the 1999 Transouth Financial 400 at Darlington Raceway. Having been delayed once already due to rain, Mother Nature had one more trick up her sleeve with 130 laps remaining in the race, leading to one of the most bizarre finishes in recent memory. As Jeff Burton led the way over Jeremy Mayfield, the skies darkened and rain started falling again as the leaders made their way off Turn 4 and ontoRead More
By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The third round of the INDYCAR iRacing Challenge takes a virtual visit to the Irish Hills of Michigan International Speedway Saturday with the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Ryan Hunter-Reay making their league debuts. It’s also the first time Michigan and Indy car racing are mentioned in the same breath since 2007 when the sport last ran the real-life two-mile circuit. Tony Kanaan scored the victory on what was an unforgettable day for Andretti Autosport (then known as Andretti Green Racing). Although Kanaan ate someRead More
By David Morgan, Associate Editor Returning to the track a week after unspeakable tragedy struck into the heart of the team, Hendrick Motorsports rolled into Atlanta Motor Speedway in late October 2004 looking to kickstart the healing process. By the time the checkered flag flew on the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500, the healing was well on its way thanks to an emotional win from Jimmie Johnson. En route to Martinsville Speedway the previous weekend, a Hendrick Motorsports team plane, carrying 10, had crashed into Bull Mountain in southeast Virginia. ThereRead More