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Author: Joseph Shelton

  • ‘Dash 4 Cash’ Events Are Helping XFINITY Series Regulars to Shine

    ‘Dash 4 Cash’ Events Are Helping XFINITY Series Regulars to Shine

    Of all the arguments made in favor of the XFINITY Series being a members-only division or at least diminishing the participation of Cup drivers, this stretch of Dash 4 Cash events (Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover) has shown some of the best racing of the 2018 XFINITY season, all of which have been run by series regulars.

    Diehard fans and racers who have felt that NASCAR was letting the series waste away through Cup participation have been vindicated considering the racing product has been excellent during this all-too-brief stretch.

    Granted, Cup participation in 2018 is supposed to have diminished among drivers, and for the most part, it has. But this season, in the first six events prior to the Dash 4 Cash, only one regular has won – Tyler Reddick at Daytona. Since then, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney have all dominated the 2018 season.

    This was a trend that was bucked seven races in when Ryan Preece scored his second career win for Joe Gibbs Racing. That was followed by Christopher Bell scoring his second career win at Richmond, then Spencer Gallagher scored his first-career win at Talladega. Although Preece is running a limited XFINITY campaign he’s still counted for XFINITY points. Otherwise, out of nine events in 2018 three full-time series regulars have won.

    It’s been said before and it will be said again, this isn’t good for business. What is good, though, is seeing the XFINITY Series provide new faces and new, fresh winners, which is exactly what’s going on.

    Granted, that’s bound to change. In the continuing quest for the “Owner’s Championship,” a paper championship with no real prestige, Cup drivers will be in future events this season in Cup-backed rides. There are still stand-alone events to look forward to at Iowa, Mid-Ohio, and Road America before the playoffs begin on September 21 at Richmond, where Cup regulars will be absent from competition for the rest of the season.

    The Dash 4 Cash events have helped bring the true stars such as guys like Reddick, Preece, Bell, and Gallagher to light, and Dover could only add to that list. The XFINITY Series has had to deal with an identity problem where opportunities were stolen from up-and-coming drivers who saw their opportunities come and go due to Cup interference. To see more emphasis placed on their role in the sport – they’re NASCAR drivers too, just so that’s clear – is great for the sport, but it shouldn’t be as limited as this.

    IndyCar doesn’t have this sort of identity issue with Indy Lights. Formula One doesn’t have an issue with this in their feeder series. NHRA doesn’t. IMSA doesn’t. Why does NASCAR? Why should they? That’s not to say that Nascar should ban Cup drivers and affiliations. Instead, continue to diminish their competition roles, and focus on the growth of a division that was originally created to be more than a feeder division. NASCAR is more than just the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, so let’s treat it as such.

     

  • Crossover Stars Help NASCAR’s Fan Appeal

    Crossover Stars Help NASCAR’s Fan Appeal

    NASCAR needs more crossover stars. It’s a time-honored tradition in the sport to bring in drivers from across the pond (mostly on NASCAR’s dime) and put them in our cars not only to perform but to draw in the fans. This is usually met with success more on the fan side of things, although former F1 drivers Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya did find a bit of success in NASCAR.

    Lewis Hamilton’s comments to TMZ regarding a foray in NASCAR have been given a bit of levity considering how his 2018 season has gone without a win, not to mention he has yet to finalize any plans beyond 2018. Hamilton has been vocal in the past regarding his love for American motorsports as well as a possible NASCAR venture, and considering he’s the closest thing to a mainstream A-list celebrity the racing world has, it’s easy to imagine the NASCAR brass salivating at the idea of Hamilton in a competitive car at Daytona. It’s not impossible to imagine NASCAR possibly even footing some of the bill to bring him.

    It’s had its pitfalls before, though. Two-time Formula One champion Jim Clark and Ludovico Scarfiotti were entered in the 1967 American 500 at Rockingham. Although Scarfiotti, winner of the 1966 Italian Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1963, did not compete due to his time being disallowed, Clark was able to bring his Holman-Moody Ford up into the top-15 before mechanical failure knocked him out of the race.

    Another Formula One champion, Kimi Raikkonen, competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s May 2011 Speedweeks in the Camping World Truck Series race as well as the Nationwide Series race. Raikkonen, the 2007 World Champion (and arguably one of F1’s most enigmatic personalities), drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports in both events, scoring a 15th-place finish in the truck race while finishing four laps down in 27th during the Nationwide race.

    Both instances had a lot of fanfare from across the racing world, and although they ended in less-than-stellar fashions, that hasn’t always been the case. Montoya won three races across the three national touring divisions in NASCAR. Andretti became a Daytona 500 winner for Holman-Moody in 1967. Nelson Piquet Jr. won two truck races and a Nationwide event.

    It’s been more than just an F1-to-NASCAR crossover. In 2017, two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso made his IndyCar debut at the Indianapolis 500, where he piloted an Andretti-Herta Autosport entry to Rookie-of-the-Race honors. Alonso managed to lead several laps and appeared in contention to win before an engine failure sidelined his Honda. The fanfare was so great it even garnered attention in the NASCAR world, where NASCAR-to-IndyCar and vice versa are not uncommon; NASCAR has seen its own Kurt Busch, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, and John Andretti make the Indy 500-Coke 600 double multiple times over the years.

    In 2008, on the heels of Formula One standout and Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya winning the 2007 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year with one win, three top-fives, and six top-10s, IndyCar champions Sam Hornish Jr. and Dario Franchitti ventured into NASCAR with hopes of success. They dominated the storylines early in the season as part of the “Open-Wheel Invasion” despite struggling, and Franchitti dropped out halfway through the season while Hornish is now a part-time Xfinity Series competitor with a handful of wins.

    Even Danica Patrick’s move from IndyCar to NASCAR was fruitless overall, although she was one of the faces of the sport and spent her entire career in top-caliber equipment.

    It’d be easy to become jaded at the prospect of a crossover star coming to NASCAR, admittedly so. When has one actually set the sport on fire other than Tony Stewart, the 1997 Indy Racing League champion? Even those who have found success have received it in short bursts. Ultimately, it’s a matter of experience – more seat time means more success unless you’re a racing anomaly like Andretti or Montoya. But the buildup, the hype, the suspense of a driver who may be established elsewhere making the dive into another major motorsport, i.e., NASCAR, is noteworthy to the brass. Fans and media get especially excited, PR people go all out and come race day it’s almost certain that the Next Big Thing has arrived.

    Should NASCAR invest into another crossover star (training, seat time, equipment, so on), it could help bolster attendance and ratings issues, same with IndyCar and F1. The day can and will come when a crossover driver is discovered and happens to truly be the Next Big Thing.

  • Bickford’s Late Model Schedule Puts Driving Career Back On Track

    Bickford’s Late Model Schedule Puts Driving Career Back On Track

    James Bickford, the 2014 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Rookie of the Year is scheduled to make a limited run of eight races in 2018 in the Pacific Coast Challenge Series, a Northern California touring series for Super Late Models. Bickford, a two-time winner in the K&N Pro Series West, will be piloting the No. 35 Kamps Propane/Slidebelts entry for Scott Family Racing in an April 20 testing session before his debut on June 23 at Shasta Speedway in Anderson, California.

    “This opportunity came in about February, and I’ve been friends with the Scotts and Matt Scott is currently the driver, but due to other commitments with Bill McAnally Racing (Scott is the Car Chief for Derek Kraus), I was given the opportunity to fill in for him for the races he won’t be able to attend while he’s working with the No. 19 team,” said Bickford. “It couldn’t be done without Kamps Propane and Slidebelts, and I’m just really looking forward to getting back into the car.”

    Bickford, an alumnus of NASCAR Next, finished a career-high fifth in points in 2014 in the K&N Pro Series West. He stepped away from the division in 2016 due to lack of funding. According to Bickford, there were a lot of close deals that ultimately didn’t work out. He credits those as part of a huge life experience to go through and to find his life without racing.

    “There’s pros and cons to every situation. I haven’t stopped working at trying to gather sponsorship to go back racing and trying to get that initial funding I need to get back into racing, but that’s proven to be a very difficult thing to do,” he said.

    In the meanwhile, Bickford has been a Richard Petty Driving Experience instructor, traveling to the various speedways across the nation. However, there have also been discussions behind closed doors with different Camping World Truck Series teams and XFINITY Series teams, both of which are also part of Bickford’s long-term goals, yet nothing has come into fruition – yet.

    Although his current schedule states that he’ll be running up to eight races, Bickford stated that his schedule could be expanded if funding allows, but for now they will be sticking to the current schedule.  Meanwhile, on his April 20 test, Bickford pointed out that he’ll be using the test to get himself acquainted with stock cars again.

    “There’s never been a time in my career where I haven’t been able to get accustomed quickly,” said Bickford. “But I’d rather be doing that on a test session at Shasta Speedway, looking for speed and getting back to that edge we need. We’re going to be working hard at that session and Matt will be racing the car on April 21.”

     

  • New Television Package Another Boost For INDYCAR Momentum

    New Television Package Another Boost For INDYCAR Momentum

    Wednesday morning INDYCAR announced a new television package that will start in 2019, with every race being broadcast on NBC or NBC Sports. The multiyear deal, which gives NBC Sports Group exclusive broadcasting rights, will broadcast eight races on NBC, with the remainder airing on NBC Sports. The move also marks the end of ABC’s relationship with INDYCAR, as they have broadcast every Indianapolis 500 since 1965.

    In a press release from INDYCAR, CEO of Hulman & Company Mark Miles said that the arrangement brings all of INDYCAR to one home and increases the sport’s exposure. “We couldn’t be happier to have start-to-finish coverage of INDYCAR’s season with NBC Sports Group,” said Miles. Hulman & Company owns INDYCAR as well as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    The latest announcement comes as a part of a wave of momentum for the sport. Not only was the new car released this season to rave reviews, but television viewership has risen 38 percent in the past four seasons, not to mention social media followers have risen 400,000 in the past year alone.

    Since joining NBC Sports in 2009 when the network was only a part-time partner, viewership has steadily risen, including a 78 percent increase since 2013. Also added to the lineup is exclusive content delivery through the NBC Sports Gold mobile app, available for verified users.

    While NASCAR remains the most popular form of motorsport in America, INDYCAR has steadily risen in prominence. If this current wave of momentum continues, there may be a day where the sport eclipses NASCAR and enters a Golden Age similar to NASCAR’s in the early 2000s.

    Something else that INDYCAR has going for it right now is the sport’s parity. Despite the sport’s smaller schedule (compared to NASCAR, NHRA, and other forms of motorsport), there have been 21 different winners in the last six seasons.

    The road is currently paved for INDYCAR to become the new top motorsport in America because of this momentum. Everything going on with the sport right now has brought continuing growth to the sport, ensuring it’s continued survival and promises to reach new heights, as coverage is bound to reach new demographics that may otherwise not follow any form of motorsport. In turn, the odds of a Golden Era for INDYCAR are higher than they’ve ever been.

     

  • Daytona Win A Capper on Self’s Comeback In Racing

    Daytona Win A Capper on Self’s Comeback In Racing

    After financial difficulties almost sidelined Michael Self’s career only a few short years ago, his Daytona win is undoubtedly a sweet vindication in his racing comeback. Self, 27, took his second career ARCA win in the wild season-opening Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona. The win was his second-straight overall and his fourth win in five starts between ARCA and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West division.

    Self, a former Richard Childress Racing development driver, had won six races between 2011 and 2013 during his tenure in the No. 21 Chevrolet. However, due to financial constraints, he was left without a firm ride for the 2014 season. A pair of starts for Tom Venturini’s ARCA team in 2014 netted a best finish of 18th at Mobile, and he also made seven NASCAR XFINITY Series starts for JD Motorsports in 2015, with a best finish of 11th at Road America.

    Self made one ARCA start in 2016 for Doug Fuller, finishing third at Kansas, and didn’t race full-time again until 2017 when he returned to the K&N Pro Series West for Bob Bruncati, winning at Meridian and Roseville and tying his career-best fourth-place points finish. He also made six ARCA starts for MDM Motorsports, winning the season finale at Kansas before signing on for a limited engagement with Venturini Motorsports in 2018, where he responded with what could be the biggest win of his career so far.

    “It was absolutely a dream for me to win at Daytona,” said Self. “But it was one I didn’t necessarily think would be a reality for a long time. Now, after a few weeks, whenever I think about the win or look at the trophy I get excited and it feels great. A few years ago I didn’t have the opportunity to race at all, because financially I didn’t have any backing, but Sinclair Oil Corporation gave me the chance to get back in the seat, and after working the partnership from the ground up and knowing how much has gone in to me being to compete at Daytona at all, the win feels especially rewarding, and I’ll always be proud of that and what we’ve done together.”

    Despite only being listed for 10 events in 2018, Self maintains that he plans to use the momentum not only from his Daytona win but from those last four wins in the next nine events. He has proven himself to be a versatile driver; not only has he won on short tracks, mile-and-a-half tracks, and superspeedways, he’s also a road racing coach who has coached for Chip Ganassi Racing drivers.

    “I’ve got nine more races this year and I go to every race with intentions of putting on a good weekend for the Sinclair folks, and winning the race,” he said. “That’s my job and that’s what I have to do at every race no matter what the results were the race before.”

    When it comes to which speedways he’ll feel the strongest at, Self feels that he’ll be the strongest on the mile-and-a-half speedways. This is highlighted by his runs at Iowa and Chicagoland, where he finished fourth and 19th respectively (the 19th-place was the result of a late-race crash after running near the front all race). He will be teamed up with Reed again this season, so he feels that the VMS Toyotas he will pilot will be a force to contend with.

    “I’m really confident in the 1.5-mile program after having a good bit of success there last year,” Self explained. “I felt like we ran really well at Iowa and Chicagoland last year in cars that were built by Kevin Reed, so I’m excited to be back with him for all the big tracks. I love racing on anything that’s a mile or larger, so those are the races I look forward to the most.”

    In the off-season, he was faced with other options on where he wanted to go with his racing career, but according to him, the staff at VMS went “went above and beyond” to work with him and current sponsor Sinclair Oil Corporation. According to Self, the group showed great initiative in helping him where he needed assistance, like growing the Sinclair program. With VMS’s experience with sponsors, as well as the massive commitments made from both financial and time standpoints Self said he knew he could help the program excel in 2018.

    The relationship between Self and VMS can be seen as going both ways in terms of expertise and drive.

    “They have a lot of young but talented rookie drivers under their stable this year, so I hope I can help guide some of them on track while I work with Kevin Reed to make the cars the best they can be for all of us driving them,” said Self. “Everyone at VMS just inspires confidence in me. For the most part, they’re people I know and have worked with in the past, so it’s nice to have preexisting relationships and to know the guys working on my stuff. It makes it easy to trust the scenario whenever I jump in one of their cars. There’s also no one in the garage area that wants to win more than Kevin Reed and Billy Venturini, and I know both of them will give me whatever I need to do that.”

    Self will be back in the car on April 7 at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville.

  • Atlanta Could Drive Home Possibility That New NASCAR Generation Is Here

    Atlanta Could Drive Home Possibility That New NASCAR Generation Is Here

    The nature of the Daytona 500 is for everyone to shine at some point during the race. This year, that was especially true of the new class of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup drivers, a group of twenty-somethings who have become the status quo in the sport.

    Just about every one of those drivers played a pivotal part in this year’s 500, from consistent midpack drivers like Matt DiBenedetto (who was running in the top-five before the Lap 198 Big One accident relegated him to a 27th-place finish) to 2017 Cup Series Rookie of the Year Erik Jones, who led 11 laps before crashing on Lap 59 and finishing 36th.

    It didn’t stop there. Twenty-four-old Alex Bowman won the pole in the No. 88 Chevrolet vacated by Dale Earnhardt Jr. while 24-year-old Ryan Blaney and 22-year-old Chase Elliott won their Can-Am Duels. Twenty-seven-year-old Austin Dillon took the win in the 500, with 24-year-old Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. finishing second. The fact that a handful of NASCAR’s freshest faces stole the show at Daytona speaks well for the sport’s future. However, Atlanta could be a deciding factor in whether or not this will be a true changing of the guard.

    For one, keep in mind that although there has been an uptick in new faces in the NASCAR garage, the current crop of drivers, featuring guys such as Kyle Busch, 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr., and Brad Keselowski still very much have that competitive fire, while guys like Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson are still out winning races. Denny Hamlin is a perennial contender who is always either on the cusp of a win or lingering near the top of a championship fight.

    While the new crop of drivers is still getting their legs underneath them, these guys continue to dominate and win. Sure, there are a few drivers that have slowly come to prove themselves as adaptable; 27-year-old Joey Logano has 18 Cup wins under his belt including the 2015 Daytona 500 as well as the 2016 All-Star race at Charlotte and the 2017 preseason Clash at Daytona. Meanwhile, 25-year-old Kyle Larson has only come around in the last two seasons, having scored five Cup wins since August 2016 and was considered Truex’s closest threat for the championship before a rash of DNFs left him eliminated after the second round of the Playoffs.

    The road to success in the Cup Series isn’t a guarantee, however. Twenty-seven-year-old Trevor Bayne, despite gradually showing more consistency in his No. 6 Ford, hasn’t done anything of note since winning the 2011 Daytona 500. Twenty-five-year-old Chris Buescher is in the same boat; since his rain-shortened win at Pocono in August 2016, he’s only put together six more top-10s, including just his third-career top-five with a fifth in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

    But if Sunday was any indicator, the younger generation of drivers could be taking over quickly. They’re fast and fearless, with a propensity of taking better care of their equipment than their predecessors 10, 15, maybe even 20 years ago. It also shows that they’re just as quick to learn as they ever were. They’re measuring their aggression, they’re bouncing back quickly from their lumps, and NASCAR may very well be going through a paradigm shift.

    In NASCAR’s case, it needs the younger generation to succeed. Fans are tuning in for the older staples, but they’re also tuning in to see the young guys who are slowly edging their way toward the front of the field race after race. There’s hardly any negative press on those guys which is always a boon for business. So come Sunday, when NASCAR hits the fast banks of Atlanta, an older track that never fails to put on a great racing product as well as a lot of speed, there’s bound to be a few of the new kids that loiter near the top of the pylon through the weekend. For NASCAR’s sake, let’s hope that’s the case.

  • NASCAR and Its Fans Do Not Need #DaytonaDay

    NASCAR and Its Fans Do Not Need #DaytonaDay

    Stating the obvious, Daytona Speedweeks is the biggest time of year for NASCAR. It’s every driver’s, crew member’s, media member’s, and die-hard fan’s birthday, Christmas, and July 4th all rolled into a couple of weeks of speed. It’s huge, it’s prestigious, man…it’s Daytona. What more needs to be said other than that it is a big deal?

    Starting in 2016, NASCAR figured they’d do their part by trying to promote it across social media by calling it #DaytonaDay. Now, a noble, honest effort was undoubtedly put into this. We live in a social media-driven society, so naturally, the sport figured it would do its part by trying to reach beyond the current fan demographic and to try to put its image out into the mainstream. But one has to ask if #DaytonaDay, in its current form, is what NASCAR needs at the moment. Short answer? No. It doesn’t.

    Long answer, there aren’t a bunch of goofy commercials celebrating #NBAFinalsDay, #SuperBowlDay, or #MLSPlayoffsDay. Scores of MTV rejects aren’t prancing around a pool in the shape of Tom Brady’s mug, astronauts aren’t waving flags with the FC Dallas logo on them, no unfunny jingles are being written for #WorldSeriesDay. So, what’s the end goal with #DaytonaDay?

    It’s a promotion that does nothing but dumb down the sport to outsiders looking in. Oh, yeah, great; Justin Bieber once tweeted the hashtag in 2016; Bieber isn’t an influence that the sport needs. Scores of drivers, media, and fans have spoken out against the promotion, all agreeing that it does nothing to show what makes this sport great. It doesn’t showcase the drama, the adrenaline rush, or the characters that the sport continues to cultivate and grow. Outsiders don’t need song and dance, they need examples of what makes NASCAR such an awesome sport and what makes Daytona such a huge deal.

    One such excellent television spot would have to be for the 2014 Daytona 500:

    No song and dance, no gaudy pastel colors, no ridiculous hashtags floating about. This is a promotion that does just that – it promotes. It doesn’t try to convince viewers to party or break into a flash mob. Instead, it brings in viewers for the race. It captures the mystique of Daytona, the adrenaline of the competition, and the prestige of the event – three ingredients that make the Daytona 500 such a big deal in the world of motorsports.

    Why change that? Why step away from something that was tried and true and hyped up not only the event but the sport itself? The #DaytonaDay promotion has repeatedly been slammed due to criticisms that it “dumbs down the sport.” That’s not a direction NASCAR needs to take. NASCAR fans are an intelligent, motivated lot and are undoubtedly some of the best fans in the professional sports world. Don’t change that. Don’t insult that.

    It’s disheartening that this promotion is now in its third year despite fans and competitors virtually disowning it. If NASCAR wants to promote the Daytona 500 into the mainstream, #DaytonaDay isn’t the way to go. Twitter and Instagram users will only join in to be included on the hashtag swarm that gets involved on the day of the event (see above: Justin Bieber. Have yet to see him at Daytona).

    Bring back the mystique. Bring back the nostalgia. Bring back the majesty of the Daytona 500. It’s a race, but it’s also more; it’s one of the biggest pillars of the American motorsports world. Make outsiders wonder why this is such a big day for NASCAR like they wonder why the Indy 500 is such a big day for IndyCar or Monaco is such a big day for Formula One. Don’t simplify it like what’s being done right now.

     

  • Reasons Why 2018 Looks To Be A Stellar Year In NASCAR

    Reasons Why 2018 Looks To Be A Stellar Year In NASCAR

    It’s easy to be negative about everything in NASCAR. If that statement is ever doubted, just take a look at the stands on any given race day. It’s become so difficult to have a sellout race that some tracks like Atlanta and Charlotte are removing entire seating sections, and Loudon has even lost a race date.

    However, it’s not all drudge and depression; there are many things to be excited about in regards to the upcoming NASCAR season.

    Stage Racing

    The outcry when NASCAR announced that the races in the main touring divisions (Monster Energy Cup, XFINITY, Camping World Truck) would be broken into stages in 2017 was met with a mostly negative reaction. Several fans pointed out that this was another gimmick in a line of foolish, pointless, ill-defined gimmicks that NASCAR was throwing at a deeper issue.

    Instead, we were faced with some of the best, wildest racing product we never expected. The season started off with a wild Daytona Speedweeks, where the victors (CWTS – Kaz Grala, XFINITY – Ryan Reed, Monster Energy Cup – Kurt Busch) were not only unexpected but were won with racers that looked ready for the scrap heap (Maybe not Grala, as he kept a pretty clean nose throughout 2017). Other spectacular races included the Fall Martinsville event, which to sum up in a word was wild, and the Fall nailbiter at Phoenix, where Matt Kenseth scored a farewell win in his final full-time season.

    With a season of Stage Racing come and gone, we’re now left with the hope that NASCAR can find a way to transcend the excellence of 2017’s racing product and top it with another year of great racing.

    New Faces

    It’s an old topic revisited: Young Guns. Once upon a time, guys like Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were labeled as some of NASCAR’s youngest, most marketable drivers. But at the end of 2017, there were five Daytona 500 wins and eight championships among those three alone. Other drivers such as Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, and Matt Kenseth have all been to Victory Lane at Daytona, Indy, Charlotte, Darlington, and even in the Champion’s Circle at Homestead. This means that a changing of the guard is imminent, considering that yesterday’s Young Guns are now today’s Old Guys; they are beginning to retire en masse, with Earnhardt and Kenseth joining former champions Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon on the retired list.

    Ryan Blaney celebrates victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Axalta Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway. Photo: Kirk Schroll/SpeedwayMedia.com

    Of course, there’s now William Byron, Bubba Wallace, and Ray Black Jr. to look forward to, joining the ranks of superstars like Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson. Alex Bowman can’t be forgotten; he’s gone from nobody to somebody in the sport as he has taken over the No. 88  This front is the future of NASCAR, and it promises to be good.

    The Playoffs

    Okay, so things may be a touch too gimmicky. But that didn’t make the 2017 Playoffs any less enjoyable. Granted, there were far too many moving pieces in the points, and as a result, we only got a basic, rudimentary sense of what was going on. Still, once the Playoffs started it was rife with drama as we watched, waited, and saw who was in and who was out. As a result, did anyone expect Kyle Larson to be eliminated after the second round? Or Kevin Harvick, who had a somewhat mellow first season with Ford Racing, to make it to Homestead?

    Granted, from the start we knew Martin Truex Jr. was going to be tough to beat, and given the Toyota Racing power his Furniture Row Racing team has, he’ll be tough to beat again in 2018. But it’ll be fun to watch the Playoff roulette wheel spin for the season’s final 10 races.

    Camaro Joins Cup Series

    This promises to be awesome. After years of Luminas, Monte Carlos, Impalas, and the SS, Chevrolet will now be fielding Camaros in the Cup Series after several years in the XFINITY Series. Whereas the XFINITY Series has been the scene for the age-old rivalry of Camaro vs. Mustang, it’ll be nice to see the transition begin in the Cup Series as the wicked-looking Camaro takes to the high-banks of Daytona.

     

  • Diversity In IndyCar Manufacturers Could Widen Sport’s Appeal

    Diversity In IndyCar Manufacturers Could Widen Sport’s Appeal

    One of the great things about motorsports is the competition. The regular, race-to-race battle for the win is something that draws the fans in, be it a battle between drivers, sponsors, or manufacturers.

    However, in the Verizon IndyCar Series, the best competition is between the drivers and sponsors. Manufacturers, not so much considering that at the moment, the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) in the sport are Chevrolet and Honda – hardly the basis of a legendary rivalry like Chevy and Ford or Foyt and Andretti.

    One of the perks of bringing in another manufacturer has to do with the new universal aero-kit. It will be cost-effective in the sense that manufacturers can solely focus on the equipment and powertrains without worrying about aerodynamics. As a result, prospective manufacturers can consider entry into the sport without worrying about any extra growing pains. They can enter and expect to be on par with the rest of the competition.

    This would bring much-needed parity to a sport that needs it. At the moment, Team Penske and Andretti-Herta Autosport are the two organizations that currently dominate IndyCar; with Penske’s Chevrolets competing with AHA’s Hondas. Those are the organizations that are always at the front every race; they’re what the prospective new fans see on a weekly basis.

    They don’t see teams like Ed Carpenter Racing, A.J. Foyt Racing, or Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports, teams that have to fight harder to compete with those groups. They succeed every so often, although it’s usually more of an uphill battle as they don’t have as much focus or funds at their disposal. Adding more manufacturers would even out the sport’s playing field, and as a result, we’d see guys like Spencer Pigot and James Hinchcliffe contending for wins more often.

    In 2017 10 races (out of 17) were won by Chevrolet; all Penske machines. The only other teams to score more than one win were Rahal-Letterman Racing (Graham Rahal’s Belle Isle sweep) and AHA (Takuma Sato won Indy, Alexander Rossi won Watkins Glen). Ganassi Racing earned just one win, a far cry from their Franchitti years of glory, while SPM and Dale Coyne Racing also earned singular wins. Those aren’t favorable, competitive numbers, and it’s no wonder why other manufacturers said, “no way,” when courted by IndyCar.

    In American motorsports, brand loyalty is huge. In NASCAR, there’s the Chevy/Ford/Toyota debate that draws in a substantial portion of fans. During the entirety of his NASCAR career, Dale Earnhardt Jr. voiced his unending loyalty to Chevrolet, and the fans ate that up. When NASCAR first brought Toyota into the national fold in 2004, cries of outrage came from the older contingent of fans given Toyota’s birth as a foreign car company.

    Point being? The manufacturer debate has always been full-speed in NASCAR. Why not IndyCar? Bring back Ford. Bring in Dodge. Bring in Toyota. Diversify the OEMs in IndyCar, and there could be a chance it could legitimately rival NASCAR’s mainstream status. Parity is key to the growth of a sport. Hopefully, with the universal aero kit cutting down team costs, we could see plenty of that in the near future.

     

  • No. 7 NXS Crew Chief Suspended For Homestead-Miami Finale

    No. 7 NXS Crew Chief Suspended For Homestead-Miami Finale

    Justin Allgaier’s Crew Chief Jason Burdett has been fined $10,000 and suspended for the NASCAR XFINITY Series finale at Homestead following an L1-infraction issued after Saturday’s post-race inspection at Phoenix Raceway. The No. 7 NXS team has also been penalized both 10 driver and owner points heading into the weekend, although they will still remain in the Championship Round at Homestead.

    According to NASCAR’s statement, both team and Burdett were penalized for a rear-brake assembly cooling issue, which is in violation of Section 20.15.2.2, which states that rear brake cooling assemblies must be sealed from inlet to exhaust.

    As a result, Allgaier’s 10th-place finish Saturday is encumbered.

    We’ll bring you more as the story unfolds.