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…”

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”

And then THIS happened after Reutimann drew the caution...

How do you lead well over 400 of a possible 515 laps and NOT win the race?

Let’s ask David Reutimann.

Hendrick Motorsports embarrassed the competition in Martinsville by their total dominance of the Goody’s Fast Relief 500.  Jeff Gordon led the most laps with 328, Jimmie Johnson led around 105 laps, and even Dale Earnhardt, Jr led a handful of laps.  At one point in the race, those three Hendrick cars were running 1-2-3 and one of them was poised to earn Rick Hendrick’s 200^th win.

It was not to be.

» Continue reading “NASCAR Sprint Cup: How Reuti!”

Chad Knaus cannot help but be relieved...

So, Chad…about that suspension…

As you all know from my earlier post, NASCAR had found Chad Knaus guilty of altering parts on Jimmie Johnson’s 48.  He and car chief Ron Malec were suspended for six races.  The 48 car and owner lost 25 points for each of their respective championships.  NASCAR assessed a $100,000 fine and probation until May 9th.  Needless to say, Hendrick Motorsports was not happy with the outcome and chose to appeal.

In a shocking development, NASCAR chief appellate officer John Middlebrook overturned the previous decision on appeal.  Chad Knaus and Ron Malec will not have to serve suspensions, but will pay the $100K fine and remain under probation until May 9th.

So, wait…there was some sort of a rules infraction, but not to the degree of a six race suspension and severe point loss?  We’ll keep your money, but you can have everything else back?

» Continue reading “Chad Knaus Returns To His Winning Ways”

This is a No Drama Zone on a cranky Monday morning.

I’m going on a short rant today about drama created in NASCAR and it’s just in general.  I’m not picking at or pointing out one particular source but one situation “sent me over the edge” today (you’ll get the pun later).

My issue:  drivers and reporters trying to make something out of nothing in racing (i.e. looking for drama or looking to create drama where there really isn’t any to be found).

This one happened to involve a veteran and NASCAR’s most popular driver, two of which happen to be teammates on the track:  Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Las Vegas on Sunday.

» Continue reading “Motormouth Monday: …And There’s A Fret!”

Boom went Smoke's dynamite today, people. Scratch Vegas off the bucket list.

Tony Stewart must have heard my sarcastic plea to not suck at Las Vegas this weekend because he certainly proved me wrong today.  How did he do it?

Well, on Friday I told the entire universe to not bet on him to win this weekend.

Oh yeah, Stewart completely crossed out Las Vegas at the “Tracks I Suck At” list today and took the checkers to secure his 45th career victory.

And made me look like an ass in the process…thanks, Smoke.

» Continue reading “NSCS: Smoke Sizzles In Sin City…And Makes Me Look Bad”

It's Denny Time. (photo courtesy Nascar.com)

Tony Stewart, what were you thinking?

We all shook our heads when, during last year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup, the news broke that Tony Stewart had fired his crew chief Darian Grubb.  Tony was very clear that he felt they were not a championship caliber team when he barely squeaked into the Chase.  I’m sure that Darian had the news he was being let go a lot sooner than we did.

What did Darian do?  He set up the car that won 5 of 10 Chase races and got his soon to be former boss his third championship.  Not too bad for a lame duck crew chief.

Tony Stewart’s loss was Denny Hamlin’s gain.

» Continue reading “Denny and Darian 1: Tony Stewart 0″

Because the "bad" guys wear black hats...

All right, you fact-checkers, I know that Chad Knaus doesn’t get suspended EVERY year, but it sure seems like it.

Once again, NASCAR has brought out its favorite phrase in response to some new “innovation” from Chad Knaus of the Hendrick Motorsports 48 team.  Crew Chief Chad Knaus and Car Chief Ron Malec have been suspended for the next 6 races for actions detrimental to stock car racing.  This will leave them suspended through April 18th and on probation until May 9th.  Chad Knaus has been fined $100,000.  Losses of 25 championship points and 25 owners points were dealt to Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon respectively.

Jimmie Johnson will be going into this weekend’s race in Phoenix with -23 points.  As if finishing 42nd in Monday night’s Daytona 500 wasn’t enough of a mental hole to crawl from.

» Continue reading “Chad Knaus Suspended? Must Be February.”

Three dreams dashed in one wreck. Trevor Bayne, Danica Patrick, and Jimmie Johnson were three of the weekend's biggest stories.

Coffee, check.  Extra espresso shot, check.  More than five minutes of sleep after Monday’s Daytona 500, check check.

Good morning, kiddos.  Everybody semi-recovered from Monday’s mayhem?  I didn’t think so and neither am I so we’re all drifting helplessly in the same boat. 

Let’s talk Cinderella stories today, shall we?  Morgann, by what in the beard of Zeus are you talking about? 

Drivers that were favored to win the Daytona 500 but fell a little short and the ones I’m going to discuss fell a lot short on Monday night.

» Continue reading “Lap Two: One Wreck, Three Cinderella Stories Destroyed”

This Wisconsin native was the "Big Cheese" in Daytona tonight. (photo credit: Chris Graythen)

The race technically ended on the twenty-eighth day but who’s counting, right?  This weekend’s Daytona 500 kind of ran together in one, huge blur of weirdness that started way back yesterday around noon.

And just ended about five minutes ago.  No joke.

In twenty years as a race fan, this was the most unusual of them all.  Rain was our problem on Sunday and fire was our problem on Monday.  Go figure, right?

Unless readers sat and suffered through the more than two-hour long caution for a strange, almost  God-like act at Daytona trust me when I say readers have no idea.

Until tonight I thought I’d seen it all at the track…until the jet dryer nearly burned the track down.  Thanks, Juan.

Oh yeah.  And Matt Kenseth won the 2012 Daytona 500 with an overheating car and nearly zero radio communication.

» Continue reading “Daytona 500: And On The 27th Day…Everything Happened.”