nascar sprint cup series

So Why Can’t JR Motorsports Move to The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series?

by Bruce Simmons on January 26, 2012

Did you know that at one point Dale Earnhardt Jr. was thinking about moving his JR Motorsports operation into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but believe it or not, he cannot do that while he’s driving for Hendricks Motorsports, of all things!

In a (weird) set of rules that (I think) should really be non-exclusive to each other, NASCAR has inadvertently put the ix-nay on Dale Earnhardt Jr. moving into the Sprint Cup Series.

Mike Helton made the point that

“if a driver owns a team but drives for another organization, then the total number of cars for both organizations counts toward the four-team cap.”

Which to me, initially makes absolutely no sense in how the Hendricks Motorsports team cap should affect JR Motorsports desire to field a Sprint Cup Series team.

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NASCAR Bits: A Record Breaking Season & New Local Series Points Structure

by Bruce Simmons on December 3, 2011

The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season broke a few records, and it was fun to watch. On top of that, the local or regional NASCAR series have a new points structure. Check it out below!

2012 Record Breaking NASCAR Season

Did you know that the 2011 NASCAR season was the most competitive in the history of the sport? Yep, check out these stats…

First up, the average lead lead changes and leaders per race records were broken.

There were 27.1 lead changes per race in 2011 and an average of 12.8 leaders per race.

If you’re counting, there were 131,989 total green flag passes (an average of 3,666 per race), which is a series-high since NASCAR began tabulating passing numbers in 2005. (And 118 of them were Tony Stewart in that last race at Homestead!)

A record 23 races featured a Margin of Victory of under one second.

Five new drivers found themselves added to the list of first-time winners.

NASCAR on ESPN (ABC) Nets Largest Audience Ever For The Most Exciting Race Ever

by Bruce Simmons on November 24, 2011

The battle for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship was a battle of the ages. This race brought the championship down to the last lap, and I’m not just saying that.

NASCAR‘s Ford 400 ended up averaging 6.8 million viewers, netting the broadcast a 4.6 rating. This broke ESPN’s previous record from it’s 2008 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. These numbers were a 21% increase from last year… but then again, NASCAR fans were a bit tired of Jimmie Johnson always winning.

Then again, you can also see the writing on the wall long before any race finishes, who will clinche the Sprint Cup Championship.

But this year was different than most.

Most years the top two contenders usually are looking at a mix of different finish potentials to see how they would clinch the trophy title. But this year, with the new points system put into play by NASCAR, this race came down to those last laps.

Tony Stewart had to win the race to beat Carl Edwards. But that didn’t seem doable. Stewart’s track record for Homestead was mediocre, at best, compared to Edwards’ own statistical performance at the track.

A Fan’s Experience Watching Stewart and Edwards Fight For the Title [NASCAR]

by Bruce Simmons on November 20, 2011

CONGRATULATIONS TO the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Tony Stewart!!! Defying all statistics and expectations, Tony won the championship by winning today’s race. Wow… and now, my experience is just amazing. This was the first points tie in NASCAR history and Stewart was the last driver to win the championship before the Jimmie Johnson 5-year era. Totally amazing!

With that said, this piece is going to focus on ONLY two guys in the race… Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart, and one race fan’s experience watching this unfold on TV, as I wrote it out during the afternoon/evening race.

The Ford 400 at Homestead started and we know that Carl is going to be very strong today. Stats, practice and qualifying seemed to back that up. So I’m not expecting any surprises.

With the start, Carl Edwards led the first lap, getting a bonus point for leading while Tony Stewart charged hard from his 15th starting spot and passed three cars to settle into 12th.

Kurt Busch was an early fatality in the competition in what looked like a failed tranny and Kurt pulled off track in lap 4.

Then we get that first weather caution, then we’re watching the No. 14 team working over the front grill, where there’s a hole on the grill. The car ate something off the track surface.

NASCAR: Comparing Carl Edwards to Tony Stewart Headed Into Homestead!

by Bruce Simmons on November 14, 2011

I know there are 10 other, no, strike that. There are 41 other drivers headed to Homestead for the final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of 2011. But the big excitement is the 3 point differential between Carl Edwards, the points leader going into this race, and Tony Stewart, the only other driver capable of winning the 2011 Sprint Cup championship.

For Edwards to take the championship, he has no easy task and there’s only 1 finishing spot where he doesn’t have to worry one bit about Tony Stewart, and that’s by winning Sunday’s season-finale Ford 400 at Homestead.

If Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart tie in points somehow, the tie-breaker will go to Stewart, for having the best finishes.

If you’re wondering how tight this points race is, sure, it’s only 3 digits apart in the new points system that NASCAR instituted this year. But even if you translate this to last year’s point system, this would be a 13-point spread.

Edwards Leaves Phoenix Still Hanging Onto The Point Lead [NASCAR]

by Bruce Simmons on November 13, 2011

Going into Phoenix the stats favored Carl Edwards in NASCAR‘s Kobalt Tools 500. But those were the stats, as related to Phoenix before the track repaving/reconfiguration. Coming into the new configuration, I wasn’t sure what to expect. So we waited, and watched.

As the race started, David Ragan and Regan Smith were the participants of the first altercation on the third lap of the race. You can see that the racing line is finite and there is very little, if any room for error in turns three and four.

Though it was thought it would be a single line track early on, an occasional contender made the outside line work. And early on, the championship focus being on Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards, Stewart was in front of Edwards.

Early leaders on lap 20 included Matt Kenseth, Stewart, Martin Truex Jr., David Reutimann and Marcos Ambrose.

Stewart took the lead on lap 38… by passing on the outside.

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Bits & Pieces About The Upcoming NASCAR Race at Martinsville

by Bruce Simmons on October 27, 2011

This upcoming weekend, we have two NASCAR race series competing at Martinsville Speedway is the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series divisions.

NCWTS

Next Race: Kroger 200
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
The Date: Saturday, Oct. 29
The Time: 2 p.m. (ET)
TV: SPEED, 1:30 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
Distance: 200 miles (105.2 laps)

NSCS

Next Race: TUMS Fast Relief 500
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
The Date: Sunday, Oct. 30
The Time: 1:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN, 1 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
Distance: 500 miles (263 laps)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series TV Sched:

Friday, Oct 28

12:30 PM ET First Practice on Speed
3:30 PM ET Practice – on Speed

Saturday, Oct 29

Noon ET Qualifying on Speed

Sunday, October 30th:

1:30 PM ET Tum’s Fast Relief 500 live on ESPN

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Three HUGE NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Penalties From Talladega

by Bruce Simmons on October 27, 2011

In case you had not heard the news, NASCAR issued penalties to the No. 00, No. 47 and No. 56 teams from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The infractions were discovered on opening day inspections on Oct. 21 at Talladega Superspeedway.

These penalties are in line with NASCAR’s mandate about the COT body. They’ve been pretty wild-haired about the template and the rules pretty much say there is no grey area when it comes to the body and to not f*!k with them.

For busting (well, being caught at) Sections

12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing);

12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the rule book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event); and

20-3.2.1A (unapproved modification to an approved windshield) of the 2011 NASCAR rule book.

The following were also handed out:

Crew chiefs

Rodney Childers (No. 00),
Frank Kerr (No. 47) and
Chad Johnston (No. 56)

Were all fined $50,000 and suspended from the next four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship events. They’ve also been suspended from NASCAR until Nov. 23.

NASCAR ‘Good Sam Club 500′ at Talladega – Edwards Extends Point Lead

by Bruce Simmons on October 23, 2011

NASCAR has done it… they’ve made enough adjustments over the last few years and they have finally unpacked the pack of cars that we have been used to seeing over the years at Talladega.

But is that good or bad? We now have tandem drafting, with its own hazards, as the back car can’t see what the front car sees, or reacts to.

And that was seemingly what happened in several incidents at the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega. With 72 lead changes amongst 26 drivers, Carl Edwards extended his championship points lead up to 14 points today.

And as you can see, the drafting and some race incidents impacted the Championship contenders…

FINISHING CHART for the ‘Good Sam Club 500:’

Finishing	CAR #	DRIVER
Pos. 1	33	Clint Bowyer
Pos. 2	31	Jeff Burton
Pos. 3	36	Dave Blaney
Pos. 4	2	Brad Keselowski	Chase Contender
Pos. 5	83	Brian Vickers
Pos. 6	4	Kasey Kahne
Pos. 7	14	Tony Stewart	Chase Contender
Pos. 8	11	Denny Hamlin	Chase Contender
Pos. 9	115	Michael Waltrip
Pos. 10	56	Martin Truex Jr.
Pos. 11	99	Carl Edwards	Chase Contender
Pos. 18	17	Matt Kenseth	Chase Contender
Pos. 25	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chase Contender
Pos. 26	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chase Contender
Pos. 27	24	Jeff Gordon	Chase Contender
Pos. 32	29	Kevin Harvick	Chase Contender
Pos. 33	18	Kyle Busch	Chase Contender
Pos. 36	22	Kurt Busch	Chase Contender
Pos. 38	39	Ryan Newman	Chase Contender