Dale Earnhardt Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor In news that is not likely to have many fans throughout the NASCAR garage, Atlanta Motor Speedway announced on Tuesday that the 1.5 mile track will be resurfaced after the completion of its 2017 race weekend in March. The track was last repaved in 1997 when the facility underwent a reconfiguration from a true oval to the current quad-oval, making it the second oldest surface on the NASCAR circuit. A favorite among drivers and fans alike, the track’s aging surface had developed multiple racing groovesRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor HOMESTEAD, Fla. — “I’ve never seen anybody better, that’s for sure.” Those were the words of Jeff Gordon after a stirring finish in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Jimmie Johnson led only the final three laps to secure his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship, which ties him in the record books with Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty. Gordon, who has competed with Johnson since the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet SS was a rookie in 2002, also went head-to-head with Earnhardt for years.Read More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer Sunday’s championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway marks the first time Jimmie Johnson has made it to the Championship 4 in this the third season of the current version of the Chase format. The past two seasons have seen Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch win the final race of the season to earn the championship. Despite 79 career victories, the 1.5-mile track in Florida is one of just four on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule where Johnson has yet to win. However, it’s important toRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Since winning his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2013, the world has wondered when or if Jimmie Johnson would capture a record-tying seventh championship. On Sunday, Johnson moved one step closer to making that seventh title a reality. Prior to the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports as a whole were struggling, with his chances of being able to advance through the Chase to the championship round at Homestead being very slim. However, since the startRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor In the late 1980’s, Bill Elliott and his Harry Melling owned Ford Thunderbird was a dominant force at the restrictor place tracks, with his brother Ernie Elliott serving as engine builder and supplying a powertrain that was unmatched throughout the NASCAR Winston Cup Series garage. Elliott had won the season opening Daytona 500 in 1985 and tacked on additional wins at Atlanta and Darlington in the weeks that followed, but when the series rolled into Talladega in May, Elliott and his team would leave everyoneRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Bristol Motor Speedway under the lights in August has been a fan favorite since its inception and with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heading to Thunder Valley this weekend, it’s time again for “Throwback Thursday Theater”. When thinking of classic races at Bristol, there are a few that immediately come to mind and one of those has to be the 1995 running of the Goody’s 500, which provided action throughout the duration and ended with a spectacular finish between two of the sport’s best, TerryRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor For the 34th time, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head up to New York to take on Watkins Glen International, a fast 11-turn road course that has played host to NASCAR’s premier series in August of each year. This week we’ll take a step back to the 2000 season and the running of the Global Crossing at The Glen for this edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater,” which saw a first time winner and things getting a bit heated between two former champions. Heading intoRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor As the calendar continues to roll through the month of July, this coming weekend is always a special one for the drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. For the 23rd year, the series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the running of the Brickyard 400. With that in mind, we take a step back in time 20 years ago to the 1996 edition of the Brickyard 400 in this week’s edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater.” With the first two races at Indianapolis going toRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series gears up for their race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend, we’ll take a look back as we do each week at a race from New Hampshire’s past in this week’s edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater.” This week, we’ll go in depth on the very first race at the track – the 1993 Slick 50 300. The track first opened in 1990, with the Busch Series becoming the first NASCAR national series to compete at the track. AfterRead 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