2016 Tag

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer One year ago, two days of on-and-off rain plagued the NASCAR triple-header weekend at the Kentucky Speedway.  Attempts at drying the track became an agonizingly long and frustrating process as persistent weepers came up through the surface. It was at that moment that Speedway officials realized that it was time for drastic measures. The track surface, that had survived fifteen winters of freeze/thaw cycles and become as bumpy as a washboard, would be replaced. More than 17,000 tons of asphalt was torn out and hauledRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer This coming weekend the Verizon IndyCar Series will return to the Iowa Speedway for the Iowa Corn 300, continuing the 2016 season. The event is slated for July 9-10, 2016. About the Race The Iowa Corn 300 is round ten of sixteen for the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2016. The event is held on an oval track, one of five such events on the schedule. Andretti AutoSport driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay, is the defending race champion, and 2016 will mark the tenth IndyCar race held onRead More

By Frank Santoroski, Staff Writer As recently as a week ago, three-time World Driving Champion, Lewis Hamilton, was quoted in the press as stating that his relationship with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg was better than ever. The two had evidently spent some quality time together poolside and hashed out their differences. Fast forward to this morning, where Hamilton came out as the winner following a last-lap collision between teammates in the Austrian Grand Prix, and that is sure to change. In a series where races are often decided by obsceneRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Every year it becomes harder and harder to believe, but after another solid effort Saturday night, Kurt Busch still hasn’t won a race at a restrictor plate race. Busch started the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona from the 10th position, but he quickly asserted himself as a contender for the win. He knifed his way to the top-five early and would stay there virtually all night long. As Brad Keselowski dominated the night, Busch methodically held put in the top-five and just bided his time.Read More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor The Coke Zero 400 at Daytona was an unusually mellow restrictor plate race, until it wasn’t. On lap 89, all hell broke loose when Jamie McMurray received a tap from Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet. McMurray broke loose and spun into an entire field of drivers going 200-miles-per-hour. In all, 19 drivers couldn’t avoid piling into what turned out to be ‘the big one.’ The big one in Daytona. #CokeZero400 https://t.co/L9ke8AOcEZ — NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 3, 2016 Among those involved were several driversRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor If you would have told me at the beginning of the season, that Trevor Bayne would be the breakout driver of the year, I would have called your bluff. However 17 races into the 2016 season, Bayne is turning heads as he continues to bust out great finishes. That trend continued in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Bayne, who has had decent qualifying runs all season long, had another one this week when he nabbed the 13th-place starting spot for this race. BayneRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Another NASCAR Xfinity Series race at a restrictor plate track, and another controversial finish decided by a yellow flag. On the final lap of the Subway FireCracker 250, a melee ensued on the backstretch. However NASCAR officials opted to let the finish of the race play out. Aric Almirola and Justin Allgaier were locked into a drag race to the start finish line, until the epic finish was called off. Just a few hundred feet from the finish line the yellow flag was displayed andRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Ultimately, it means very little, but with a lap of 199.349 mph Brian Scott paced Friday morning’s final practice session for the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday night. Scott, who drives for Richard Petty Motorsports, has had a lackluster rookie season, so perhaps leading the speed charts in the drafting session can provide a confidence boost that will lead to results on the track. Scott enters this weekend 30th in the championship standings, and he has yet to record a top-10 finish through 16 starts.Read More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor With less than 10 minutes remaining in final practice for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, Kyle Busch had a severe impact. The right rear tire on Busch’s No. 18 Toyota blew causing him to veer right, head on into the wall. The hit was into a SAFER barrier, but it did catastrophic damage to the car. Luckily Busch walked away unscathed. NASCAR Tweeted footage of the accident: Here’s why we’re under red. #CokeZero400 pic.twitter.com/nFF9wNLMHN — NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 1, 2016 Busch, who wonRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor One of the key cogs in Richard Childress Racing’s flying aces pit crew of the 1980s, David Smith has passed away. The race team announced the somber news Thursday via Twitter. Thoughts & prayers are with the family of our longtime RCR team member David Smith. Rest in Peace champ. pic.twitter.com/6EinNxvECl — RCR (@RCRracing) July 1, 2016 Smith was a longtime jackman of the pit crew, but he also served as the crew chief for the legendary Dale Earnhardt during the 1996 season. In thatRead More