Kasey Kahne gave HMS win #201 on Sunday night in the quickest Coca-Cola 600 ever. (photo credit: NASCAR)

Everybody deals with pressure at one point in their lifetime and Kasey Kahne is no different.

Sunday night all the pressure that had been mounting since signing with Hendrick Motorsports was lifted in one drop of a checkered flag.

Kasey Kahne won his third Coca-Cola 600 and also placed himself back in the hunt for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup title.

Last night’s victory was Kahne’s 13th overall in Sprint Cup and the first since winning in Phoenix last season.  Last night was also Kahne’s 300th career Sprint Cup start as well.

» Continue reading “Sprint Cup: Make That #201, Mr. Hendrick…”

Dario won one for Danny Boy today on a blistering Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis, Indiana.

It’s the coolest place to race four wheels on Earth and it’s the most respected.

Today IMS was the hottest and it’s where history was made not once but twice on this very hot day in Indianapolis.

Did I mention a last lap wreck?

Oh yes, today’s race had it all:  heat, tons of lead changes, tradition seething in the air, memories and most important a champion  joining the ranks of legends at Indianapolis.

» Continue reading ““Everybody up there was a friend of Dan’s…””

Kes waived the checkers at Talladega on Sunday with a little help from his friend Kyle Busch (photo credit: NASCAR)

Okay so drivers have heard and been told a bazillion times to “be patient” on the track.

Yeah, we’ve all heard it on radio communications during races and have even probably preached audibly to our drivers during races as well.

I know I have.  I’m the queen of talking to the television during racing season.

Matt Kenseth looked poised to win the Aaron’s 499 with about five laps to go and clearly had one of the strongest cars (along with teammate Greg Biffle) all day long.

Until…the two K’s came rolling along on the green-white-checkered finish.  I’m talking about Keselowski and Kyle.

» Continue reading “Sprint Cup: No Patience? No Problem Says Lord Kes”

We have a half schedule this weekend but a full plate of craziness set up in Talladega. Join us!

It’s May and we’re in the midst of a jam-packed racing season.  Speaking of  jam-packed it’s time for some pack racing this weekend in Talladega with the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series.  Are you ready?

I don’t think any of us are truly ready for what happens at this track but we all take our headache medicine prior to the start of the races in hopes our favorite drivers survive to the end.

We only have two races this weekend but the two we have lined up will more than make up for our half schedule that’s in store for this weekend.  Let’s see what’s shakin’ in Talladega.

» Continue reading “Weekend Hot Pass: May 4 – May 6, 2012″

Will my team's communication be better at Talladega? You bet it will...I hope. (photo credit: Concord Monitor)

Carl Edwards nation was up in arms after Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race at RIR with 81 laps to go because somebody (at the time nobody knew who) miscommunicated the starting order to our “favorite” son.

So what happened?  Nobody really knows.

Did Tony Stewart (who was coined the leader at the time of the green flag restart) spin the tires causing Edwards to “pass” him on the track?

Was Carl told the starting order by spotters with him as being indicated the leader?

Nobody knew at the time and it doesn’t matter because Carl was nowhere near the restart box area so it doesn’t matter.

Carl also told the media after Saturday night’s race he was told the No. 99 was the leader on the restart which was incorrect.  Let’s sort this out NASCAR’s way, shall we?

» Continue reading “Sprint Cup: Did No. 99 Screw Up At RIR? NASCAR Says Yes.”

If my foreclosed home was auctioned to a bank and I had ten days to leave I'd look like this too.

Welcome to the wonderful month of May, race fans.  Does everybody recall how important this month is?

If you’re a fan of anything that speeds on four wheels and don’t know how important May is your dunce cap is in the mail.

Duh, it’s Indianapolis 500 month!  So exciting, especially down in these parts of Indianapolis.  Radio stations are already buzzing with excitement and my tickets are on my refrigerator waiting for race day.

However, we can’t neglect this week’s racing headlines even if they involve the likes of broken down, drowned out in bankruptcy probably feels like crawling into a hole and dying former drug addicted driver.

Yeah, Jeremy Mayfield is in the news yet again and hopefully for the last time.

» Continue reading “Garage Gossip: It’s May So Who Cares About Jeremy Mayfield…”

Lipstick and Lugnuts is officially back on the air but just for the record, I simply relocated to Indianapolis.

So let me catch everybody up on what’s happened here at Lipstick and Lugnuts the past few weeks, minus the racing.

Nope, I didn’t stutter at all when I said minus the racing.

I moved almost two-hundred miles away from home (distance of a NASCAR Nationwide or NCWTS race) from Hebron, Indiana to Indianapolis, Indiana.

And no, I didn’t move there because of the track location though it’s a huge help as our readers know for obvious reasons.

IMS is my home…and now I can say it’s for real this time.  Exciting stuff.

Nonetheless, I moved last Saturday and just got back to breathing again today so you may all rejoice because the great and powerful has returned.

However, there is some news I must relay to all of our readers and that’s the departure of Erin McCowan as of this past weekend.

She had her reasons for leaving AerysSports and Lipstick and Lugnuts but rest assured operations will carry on here with no problem.

So without further adieu, we now continue with our regularly scheduled programming beginning with Garage Gossip coming back to you in the morning.

Strap on your big kid pants and get ready because it’s coming up fast, just like the 2012 Indianapolis 500 in a few weeks.

Changes announced for my second home...

The fans have spoken, and Bruton Smith has answered.

Bristol Motor Speedway used to be just one step better than a demolition derby.  I described it to friends as “put 43 cars in a blender and hit puree.” After the surface change in 2007, this was not the case.

Bristol became a follow the leader track, but with more than one racing groove.  This is improvement, yes?  I thought so, but I was in the distinct minority.  I was able to actually watch them race instead of stopping to clean up the track and pick up the pieces every 50 laps or so.

And who am I?  A Bristol season ticket holder for the past 10 years.

The stands were empty for the March 2012 Bristol race, and Bruton wasn’t having that.  Smith said that he is not a fan of the progressive banking either and he is changing it.

» Continue reading “Bristol Motor Speedway Announcement: Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes”

I’ve been a little teary today watching the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from Rockingham Speedway.  I have missed this little track so much on the schedule.  The trucks make their debut at the Rock with the first NASCAR event at this track in 8 years.

Kasey Kahne almost won the last race at the Rock in 2004, losing to Matt Kenseth by a nose.  Kasey has had eight years to think about what he could have done differently to gain the 0.02 seconds he needed to win.

Regret no more, Kasey.

Kasey Kahne went from the back of the pack to win the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 at Rockingham Speedway.  This was truly a team effort, as Kasey was unable to practice or qualify this truck due to his Sprint Cup obligations in Texas.  Brad Sweet practiced and got the Turner Motorsports Rockwell #4 in the show.  Kasey Kahne was all that was needed to do the rest.

James Buescher, Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter, and Timothy Peters round out the top 5.

Nelson Piquet, Jr could run a class on how to give away races in two bonehead moves or less.  Piquet was the class of the field all day, leading 85 laps and setting a blistering pace.  A long pit stop dropped him back in the pack.  Piquet raced all the back to second when he received a penalty for too fast exiting pit road with only 26 to go.  This was his race to lose, and he did it all by himself.

I wish that a NCWTS driver would have won this race, but Kasey Kahne’s truck and his previous Rockingham experience were too strong.  Of course, Kasey was the only spoiler in the field.

The biggest win here is for Andy Hillenburg and the fans of The Rock.  We all complain (maybe me more than most) on how we cannot stand the cookie-cutter tracks, but yet we stopped filling the seats at the Rock.  The track is in need of updates, and I think that Hillenburg is willing to make these updates, but he needs the funds and the interest to do so.

It appeared that the stands were pretty well sold.  This has to be the biggest crowd that the Camping World Truck Series has seen in quite a while without having lots of big names in the lineup.  Kudos to everyone involved in promotion and those that purchased tickets.  Your efforts might just bring the Sprint Cup back to a race that we’ve all loved and missed.

We have a new leader in the NCWTS standings with Timothy Peters capitalizing on John King’s solo spin early in the race.  Peters leads Justin Lofton by 6 points, Ty Dillon by 7 points, and James Buescher by 10 points.  Parker Kligerman finishes the top 5 at 20 points out.

The Camping World Truck Series follows big brother Sprint Cup to Kansas on Saturday April 21.

I will never understand it, Morgann! NEVER!

What a difference a day makes! I had hoped that the crew at Texas Motor Speedway had fixed the turn 3 lights.  I did not want their malfunction to change the outcome of the Sprint Cup Samsung Mobile 500 as they had the Nationwide race.

After 241 consecutive green flag laps to end the race, I would have shot those lights out with a BB gun myself.

Greg Biffle managed to stay awake to take the checkers and get his first win of 2012.  This is his first win since October 2010, a total of 49 races.  Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top 5.

Even with all four drivers taking him top 10 finishes, Rick Hendrick still has to wait for his 200^th win.  It sure looked like Jimmie had that all wrapped up again.

I cannot stress how much I wished I would have been watching playoff hockey instead of this Texas race.  This type of racing made the March race at Bristol look like bumper cars at the fair.  So, where are all those people that complained so heavily that they wanted real racing?  Bristol is being changed, but we are subjected to not one, but TWO races of this caliber at Texas Motor Speedway?

Money talks, right, Eddie Gossage?  How long until fans stop ponying up the cash for infield Sumo wrestlers and fuel mileage races?

» Continue reading “NASCAR Sprint Cup: Texas Snoozefest and Angry PR Guy”