NASCAR 2010 = The Best Racing

Forget low TV ratings and lower track attendance. NASCAR 2010 has been one of the best years, if not the best as far as racing goes. The competition has been greater than ever, in every single race weekend. And if that continues, you can count on fans coming back to see more.

Not only was the season known for its "have at it boys" slogan, but it was known for its tight battle in the championship. Yes, Jimmie Johnson won, but it was one of the closest and best Chases NASCAR has ever seen.

Not to mention the other races.

There was more lead changes than ever before during the Sprint Cup races, averaging 25.4 changes.

There was an average high of 11.4 leaders in each event, the highest in history. Also adding to the great year, 55 drivers led a lap. Not to mention the 1,299 green flag passes for the lead, as well as 116,327 green flag passes in general.

Imagine being in charge of counting that.

So what does this all mean?

It means NASCAR may be in a slump as far as viewership goes, but the racing, which is really what matters, is the finest ever. If there continues to be a good show like there has been, then expect more people buying tickets.

So next time you say the racing is boring, think again. It could be a whole lot worse.


Thanks to Jayski.com for supplying the stats.

Roush Expects 3 Nationwide teams

According to Scenedaily.com, Jack Roush hopes to secure sponsorship for 3 full time teams next season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The 3 drivers he hopes to have run the full schedule are Carl Edwards, who will not be able to run for the championship because of rule changes, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a driver who has come on strong in the series as of late, and Trevor Bayne, who was let go from Diamond Waltrip Racing late in the season to drive for Roush the remaining few races.

Here's what Jack Roush had to say:

"Right now, we're still lacking sponsorship for two of our, hopefully, three programs next year. I am committed to start the year with Ricky and Trevor, assuming that we are going to be able to find the support, generate the interest in their future to make it a financially solvent program for both of them going forward."

He also says he will be willing to back them financially if sponsors do not come aboard.

"I'm prepared to make an investment myself. So we'll see how far we get."

Happy Thanksgiving!

As the season ends, and the NASCAR talk and TV shows wind down, it is important to remember all the good in our lives, and in the sport of NASCAR. We apreciate all the page views and visits to this website throughout the year, and we hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of your family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Big changes at Hendrick Motorsports

Just days after Rick Hendrick's 10th Sprint Cup championship, changes are being made to the team.

Hendrick will switch all the crew chief driver combinations, with the exception of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus, effective immediately.

Lance McGrew will switch over to the number 5 team and Mark Martin. This will leave Dale Jr. needing a crew chief. He will get Gordon's crew chief, Steve Letarte. This means Gordon will get Alan Gustafson.

Not only do the crew chiefs swap, the shops do too. The previous 24/48 shop will switch to the 48/88 shop. This makes the previous 5/88 shop turn into the 5/24 shop.

Here is what Rick Hendrick said in the official team statement.

"This will improve us as an organization, across the board. We had a championship season (in 2010), but we weren't where we wanted and needed to be with all four teams. We've made the right adjustments, and I'm excited to go racing with this lineup."

Kenny Wallace may run for his brother's Nationwide team in 2011

Kenny Wallace has spent the previous few years driving for low quality equipment teams, struggling to just stay alive in the sport as a driver. He didn't just want to be known as Kenny Wallace the TV guy, he wanted to be known as a race car driver as well. He also recently mentioned that he wanted to be involved with a team that can make him run better every race he runs, even if he didn't run all the races.

He many now have that chance.

According to Larry McReynolds during the SPEED Nationwide qualifying session at Homestead(and thanks to the assistance of Jayski.com), Kenny hopes to drive for his brother, Rusty Wallace, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in a limited schedule.

Kenny Wallace recently got a chance at running a Rusty Wallace Racing car this year at Gateway. No other details have been mentioned.

Yesterday, it was announced that Michael Annett would drive for the team as well next year, replacing Brendan Gaughan.

PRISM Motorsports not to shut down?

After news that PRSIM Motorsports, which is owned by Phil Parsons and Randy Humphrey, would shut down(see our blog about that here) Randy Humphrey has stated, according to Jayski.com, that the team will not shut down. Here is what Jayski.com said in an update upon the story:

"Team owner Randy Humphrey says Prism Motorsports is not closing and are working on their 2011 plans.(11-20-2010)"

There have been no other updates since. We will keep you posted if there is anything else.

Nationwide Series plans not to be announced until January

During a press conference at Homestead Miami Speedway, NASCAR Chariman Brian France answered many questions, but created many new ones. He left many questions left to be answered, including ones about the Chase format for next season as well as the championship format and other rule changes regarding the NASCAR Nationwide series.

Some of the series issues have been about Sprint Cup drivers participation in the Nationwide series. Many argue that cup drivers should be limited in points, number of races, or both. France addressed the situation and gave some hints about next season. He said any decisions would be announced in January.

"We want to see the Nationwide Series have its own identity, very similar to what college football does for the NFL," NASCAR CEO Brian France says. "We don't want to see Sunday and Saturday just completely homogenized. So we want to see Cup involvement absolutely. Fans want to see that. We also want to make sure the Nationwide Series is helping us find stars that stay there for a little while." (USA Today).

What changes are to be made, is still left to be seen. However, it appears NASCAR continues to look over every possible idea.

Gaughan to Trucks, Annett takes over Nationwide car.

Brendan Gaughan will continue to race in the number 62 South Point Toyota in 2011. However, it will not be in the NASCAR Nationwide series. According to Dave Moody, Gaughan will drive the 62 Toyota in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series next season, driving for Germain Racing.

Rusty Wallace Racing also has announced that Michael Annett, will drive the Nationwide number 62 car next season, sponsored by Pilot Travel Centers, a long time supporter of Annett.

Next season will be Annett's third season in the Nationwide series. He has no wins in the series yet, however, he has won two race in the ARCA series.

Newman's have baby, PRISM shuts down, Kahne to have surgery

Ryan Newman and his wife have welcomed in a new member to their family today. Their new baby girl, Brooklyn Sage Newman, and her mom are both doing great according to a tweet by Ryan Newman.

Also, PRISM Motorsports, owned by Phil Parsons and Randy Humphrey, will shut down at the conclusion of the season. The team is known for fielding the 66 car as well as the 55 car(Toyotas) for the majority of the races. They were usually a start and park team.

And Kasey Kahne will have surgery on both his knees following Homestead. He will be sidelined from the race car for 6 weeks, according to doctors. Kahne claimed the operation was "no big deal." He will not be behind the wheel at the Goodyear tire tests at Daytona in the offseason, but will be behind the wheel at the start of the 2011 season.

400 starts for Matt Kenseth

Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth will be achieving yet another milestone in his career this weekend at Homestead: 400 career Sprint Cup series starts. Since his first race in Sprint Cup Series competition, Kenseth has scored 1 cup series championship, 18 wins, 117 top fives, and 167 top 10 finishes.

Kenseth hopes to finish off the season with a high note, making it win number 19. He has not won since 2009.

Kenseth will run chasis RK-704, which was last raced at Martinsville where it finished 15th.

Dear ESPN, do what SPEED does, please

Over the weekend, the NASCAR On SPEED Camping World Truck Series team put together a great telecast as usual. As and added bonus, fans got to experience something they don't usually see, online live video access. This wasn't just streaming like we saw miraculously worked out for the Sprint Cup race, this was NASCAR.com's RaceBuddy.

Yes, good ole RaceBuddy, who us fans usually only see for 6 races a year with TNT. However, Turner Sports(which owns NASCAR.com) made an agreement with SPEED to somehow have a form of RaceBuddy for the final three truck races.

To say it was successful is an understatement.

Not only was the telecast nailed by the SPEED team, but fans were able to use the RaceBuddy feature as a tool to get more of a satisfying experience with the race. Four different camera angles showed racing all over the track, whether it was shown on TV or not.

The point here is that if this feature is added to the Sprint Cup series all next season and beyond, expect a huge sky rocket with NASCAR. NASCAR would make a comeback like you wouldn't believe, and everyone would benefit. Remember, this is the 21st century, so it's time for change.

As of right now, we are probably going to be lucky enough just to get online streaming of races, as Turner Sports and ESPN are in intense negotiations for races to be streamed on NASCAR.com. As of last weekend, there was a live stream of the Cup race. Will there be one this weekend? Who knows?

The saga continues......

NASCAR Penalizes Kyle Busch, And A Opinion

NASCAR Penalizes Kyle Busch For Actions At Texas Motor Speedway



DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 9, 2010) – NASCAR has fined Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, $25,000 and placed him on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for his actions during last Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Kyle Busch violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing – inappropriate gesture and verbal abuse to NASCAR Officials) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book.


Opinion
I personally believe this is hogwash !
Everyone in racing especially Nascar has got to understand the emotions of a driver when he is penalized
And then to get penalized for a action that was spur of the moment ,justly uncalled for, but one that should be expected with high energy drivers or any other sports figure.
Will Jeff Gordon ,while on the race track itself ,attacks a fellow driver actually laying hands on him be penalized ,at all ?.I ask you what would you consider the worse offense?.
Nascar needs too recind this penalty now or justly penalize Jeff Gordon too.
Paul Denton

NASCAR :TEXAS STYLE

By Paul Denton


Hell did you think you were watching a real Nascar event finally ,after 33 great races Texas takes them all on and proves what Texas style means.

Jimmie Johnsons pit crew acting more like the Beverly Hillbillies changing a tire until Chad "FIRES" them and puts Jeff Gordons crew in to replace them , and they prove the reason why they are called the best .The morale around the water cooler tonight will be subdued and most likely fighting mad because of that embarrassment,and for the record bad call they will never be the same.

Talking about Jeff Gordon [were we ?] It looked like fight night Nascar Style after Jeff Burton rams Gordon and destroys both cars ,Gordon walks the walk and slams Burtons chest and the shuffle starts until broken up by officials Burton admits fault but beware JB, Gordon will take this with him to drivers heaven as always..

Kyle Busch spun out then did a fast exit and was called back then he did a no no in his pit box, gave a Nascar offical the "finger" and got penalized two laps .So Kyle did what every driver has wanted to do and they will secrectly send him flowers and candies to be there secret Nascar driver of the year ,in any event Kyle wondered out loud about freedom of speech hee hee Kyle -it's Nascar ,theres no such thing .

Well I dont know, I actually got excited watching todays race ,how about you .

Oh yeah Denny Hamlin wins and takes over points lead putting Johnson in 2nd and Harvick in 3rd place All three still contenders ,two more race s left -Here we go loop de loop

New NASCAR Video Game - What NASCAR Needed

On September 29th, 2010 the official announcement was made about the next NASCAR video game, something that has been absent for quite some time.

Activision along with Eutechnyx announced the multi-year agreement with NASCAR to distribute multiple NASCAR games over the next few years. The first of them will be "NASCAR The Game 2011," coming out just days before the 2011 Daytona 500.

EA Sports covered the NASCAR games for years, but lack of interest from EA eventually led to the end of the partnership. Their final game was NASCAR 09.

For years, there was uncertainty around NASCAR fans and gamers about when or if there were to be a new NASCAR game in the near future. Just about a year ago, rumors began to spread.

People began hearing that Activision was currently designing the next NASCAR game, but there was never any more confirmation. There was just the same old rumors that only seemed the exist on forums.

About three months ago, rumors began to pick up. A popular NASCAR rumor website, Jayski.com, discovered of the rumor, which led to even more speculation.

Then, the announcement came. There would finally be a NASCAR game.

Within days, it was a big topic within NASCAR. The same week of the official announcement, the show NASCAR Raceday on SPEED showed fans the first ever trailer. Great graphics along with a well put together piece increased the excitement. Fans began following the official social media sites for the game in bundles, allowing Eutechnyx to interact with NASCAR fans nicely, answering loads of questions along with trying to put requested features into the game by the time the game would be released.

So far already, based upon great screen shots, wallpapers, videos, and even pod casts answering the questions of fans, Activision and Eutechnyx have proven this game will be better than any NASCAR game of the past. They may not be perfect to start with for the first game, but they have many years to constantly improve the games, plus the ability to update the games after buyers purchase it. The racing game company has done their homework. There is a good chance this will be a good relationship for fans, Eutechnyx, and NASCAR.

NASCAR needs as much exposure as they can get. This has been one of the problems with NASCAR, according to many. This video game will expose NASCAR to more than just NASCAR fans, but to the entire public.

Activision and Eutechnyx, welcome to NASCAR.

Note: Here are some website dealing with the game:
Official Site: http://nascarthegame.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NASCARthegame
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NASCARTheGame

Twitter of one of the game developers: http://twitter.com/davet_etx
Twitter of Community manager: http://twitter.com/baker011
_____________________________________________________________________
Thanks to the official site for the image.

Carl Edwards gives a surprise to fans at Texas

After the NASCAR Nationwide Series O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway, the fans waited for the celebration of the race winner, Carl Edwards. And they knew what was coming. Or did they?

Carl got out of his car, stood in front of the crowd at Texas, and did his back flip. Just like normal.

Except...

There was a little extra surprise waiting for the fans.

Edwards proceeded to the flag stand to pick up the checkered flag, and then it happened.

He went through the gate and into the stands.

Not only did he just go on the other side of the catch fence, he walked up the stairs into the grandstands, high fiving members of the crowd, even giving hugs to others.

He also said he should probably do that more often.

There's a marketing strategy for you Bruton Smith.

What Carl did was amazing, and he deserves as much credit as he can get for it. NASCAR is in an era where attendance isn't all that great, but if more drivers did things like Edwards did today, I wouldn't be surprised at all if more people sat in those seats.

Fans are what make NASCAR live, without them there would be nothing. So it is important those fans get some thanks, even if it is just a high five.

Allgaier part of Turner 2011 lineup

On Friday afternoon Turner Motorsports, which purchased most of the assets of Nationwide Series team Braun Racing recently, announced its driver lineup for Nationwide Series competition in 2011.

Among the organization's 2011 Nationwide driver lineup is Justin Allgaier, who was told by current team, Penske Racing, that there would be no Nationwide Series ride for him there next year as a result of team sponsor Verizon pulling out of NASCAR competition.

Allgaier is slated to be the full-time driver of the team's No. 31 car next year. That car will be part of a four-car Nationwide Series lineup. A No. 30 car will be shared by Ricky Carmichael, James Buescher and Jason Leffler. Leffler will also share driving duties in the team's No. 38 car -- a ride he'll share with Kasey Kahne. Reed Sorenson will drive Turner's No. 32 Nationwide Series entry.

To read more, visit NASCAR Nationwide Series Examiner.

Sadler goes Nationwide racing with KHI in 2011

It seems like months have passed since Elliott Sadler proclaimed that he wouldn't be returning to Richard Petty Motorsports No. 19 ride in 2011. Sadler made the announcement of his departure from the team, despite not having a ride lined up for next year.

It looks like Sadler has found a permanent home for 2011, but not in the Sprint Cup Series. Instead, he'll be heading to the Nationwide Series to drive full-time for Kevin Harvick Inc. KHI is expected to make an official announcement regarding Sadler's hiring on Friday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway.

Aside from his driving duties in RPM's No. 19 Sprint Cup car this year, Sadler has been competing part-time in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series on the side. His Nationwide Series starts this season have come from behind the wheel of JR Motorsports entries, but he's competed in the Truck Series this season in KHI rides. He won a Camping World Truck Series race for Kevin Harvick Inc. earlier this season at Pocono Raceway.

To read more, visit NASCAR Nationwide Series Examiner.

Photo of Elliott Sadler courtesy of NASCAR Media.

With driver's title in the bag, Keselowski tries for Penske owner's title

With his 2010 Nationwide Series driver's title all but locked up (he only needs to finish 21st or better Saturday), Brad Keselowski can shift his focus in Saturday's O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway to capturing the first NASCAR national owner's title for team owner Roger Penske. Heading into this weekend's race, Keselowski's No. 22 team holds a 71-point deficit to Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 18 team, with primary driver Kyle Busch.

"Regardless of how this season turns out, I'm proud of this team," Keselowski said. "To come out of the box like we have with a brand new team is pretty remarkable."

Gaining owner points on Busch and the No. 18 team won't be easy. Busch comes into Texas with five-consecutive wins. He's going for a sixth-straight Texas victory this weekend to take sole possession of a series record he currently shares with Dale Earnhardt and Jack Ingram. Earnhardt posted five-consecutive victories in Nationwide competition at Daytona International Speedway, and Ingram accomplished the same feat at South Boston Speedway. With six in a row, Busch will best the two.

To read more, visit NASCAR Nationwide Series Examiner.

Photo of Brad Keselowski by Amanda Vincent

Bowyer's 2010 Chase not a total loss

Of course, nobody can change history, but sometimes it’s fun to play what if. What if “wrecker-gate” never happened, and Clint Bowyer wasn’t docked 150 points after New Hampshire—the first race of the Chase?

On the surface, just by adding back the 150 points he lost near the beginning of the Chase he’d be sitting fifth in points, 217 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. Instead, in the real world, he finds himself mired back in 12th, 367 points out of first with only three races remaining before the end of the season.

And who knows, had the debacle following New Hampshire Motor Speedway never happened, Bowyer may have found himself even higher in points—maybe even a serious championship threat heading into the final three races. After all, Bowyer and the No. 33 team seemed distracted for a couple of races while fighting the NASCAR penalties—first to the National Stock Car Racing Commission, and then to the Commission’s Chief Appellate Officer. Without those distractions, the team could have garnered several more points to place Bowyer even higher in the driver points standings and closer to points leader Johnson. Just 10 more points added to the 150 and he’d be tied with Jeff Gordon for the fourth spot at this point in time.

Of course, bygones are bygones, and Bowyer, nor team owner Richard Childress, for that matter, can go back and change the past. The RCR team must move one and salvage what they can from the 2010 season.

To read more, visit Auto Racing Daily.

Photo of Clint Bowyer by Amanda Vincent

Friends gather at Darlington to remember Hunter

Friends, family and NASCAR's elite converged on Darlington Raceway on Tuesday to pay respects to NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Hunter, who passed away on Friday night after a year-long battle with cancer. Hunter was 71.

"Jim Hunter was one of NASCAR's giants," NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said. "For more than 40 years, Jim was part of NASCAR and its history. He loved the sport, but loved the people even more. It seems as if everyone in the sport called him a friend. Jim will forever be missed by the NASCAR community. Our sympathies go out to his entire family."

Hunter worked in motorsports, both as a newspaper reporter and a public relations representative. He covered NASCAR as sports editor of the Columbia Record, reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, columnist for Stock Car Racing magazine, and as author of several racing books.

To read more, visit Cup Series News & Notes.

Photo courtesy of NASCAR Media.