Category: Auto Racing

There has been a lot of chatter about football lately. The season is just a couple of weeks in without, apparently, the standard issue referees. The regulars are on strike. The fill-ins are, apparently, less than stellar.

No matter, really. The “Chase” is on. How can there be a comparison? Early season football or late season racing? I’ll go racing any day.

So I did, of a sort. Kyle Busch was at Martinsville Speedway to give a brief on the Tums Fast Relief 500. The manner of this briefing was from the cockpit of an M&M’s #18 Toyota Cup Car, modified a bit to carry a passenger. Also suited up was Speedway President Clay Campbell. Clay has his own experiences with driving so he was also on hand to run passenger laps behind the wheel of a Federated Auto Parts #52 race car. The cars were brought up to Martinsville by the folks from Fast Track High Performance Driving School in North Carolina.

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IndyCar ran their championship race over the weekend of September 15th.

Did you know? We watched it and it was only then we saw it was the last race of the season. Granted, the NASCAR “Chase” seemed to cover most of the racing news but you would think there would be some kind of fanfare whipping up about the MAVTV 500 at Fontana to close the Indy season.

Honestly, we were flipping channels and came across it. By chance. The 2011 season ended in October. A mid-September closer for the series was a surprise. It simply slipped our radar.

We’ve said it before. The last race of the IndyCar season should be at Indianapolis. Close the championship with the Indy 500. After all, why put the biggest race of the season and the namesake of the series one third deep in the schedule? Everybody knows the Indy 500. Close the season there. Make it a big deal. Let the season build to the Indy finale. That would be big.

But no. Let’s quietly run it out while nobody is paying attention. (more…)

A few months ago we had no idea what “Muscle Milk” was…

It is a health, body building, protein supplement for athletes and active, athletic people. “Muscle Milk” is also the sponsor for the Picket Racing #6 ARX-03a P1 Class Prototype.

If the stuff works as good as the team did at Virginia International Raceway perhaps we should grab a bottle or two…

It was as if “Dark Helmet” from “Spaceballs” pushed the “Ludicrous Speed” button… (more…)

The “Chase Across America” made a stop in Martinsville, Virginia on Tuesday, September 11th, as was the case at Sprint Cup race cities filling the schedule for the remainder of the season.

The “Chase Across America” is one, a NASCAR promotion for upcoming races for the championship. It also gets the drivers out and away from the tracks, closer to the fans and highlights their activities out of the race car.

For example, Jimmie Johnson made rounds in the Big Apple. Brad Keselowski spent some time with firefighters in Chicago. Jeff Gordon did fan Q&A in Phoenix. Drivers were all over the place with causes, fans and fanfare, including Martinsville High School which hosted Greg Biffle and Miss Sprint Cup, Kristen Beat.

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Hey Virginia Race Fans!

…and North Carolina, for that matter…

Don’t go anywhere! There is more racing to be had this weekend! Richmond International Raceway put on a good show. Despite rain they held out and ran all 400 laps for the last race to the Chase with the Federated Auto Parts 400.

This weekend, however, Virginia International Raceway hosts the American Le Mans Series! On course as well are the IMSA GT3 Cup, Playboy MX5, USF2000 and the Cooper Prototype Lites series. Sports cars. Fast, sexy and ready to race… (more…)

Rain… It is as necesary as air…

However, on race day for NASCAR Sprint Cup, it is as unwelcome as a Bud hat in a Miller campsite…

The entire season blew the storm of the Chase into Richmond with wildcards and points on the line. That storm was put off as another storm blew in and kept the race in the garage for almost two hours. NASCAR and RIR staff kept things tight as the rain moved out. After all, the plan was to run under the lights. The weather was watched and the decision was held. Jet dryers and utility vehicles did a number on the track to dry it out but even then they ran the first few laps under caution.

Finally they went green on a green track with any rubber from qualifying and the Nationwide race the day before  thrown to the inner wall. The crowd braved the rain to watch Jeff Gordon blow by pole sitter Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Dale, Jr. to regain the lead shortly after. (more…)

Richmond. Nationwide Series. Elliott Sadler comes in with a slight points lead over Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. By the end of the night, following a battle putting both side by side over several laps for the race lead, Sadler spun and was off the lead lap.

One point. That is all that separates them after Richmond.

Race winner, Kevin Harvick, was there to race. That is all. Get a win if possible, like any other driver…

He is down in Nationwide points by over 900. He doesn’t even earn Nationwide points. His appearance at the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 was essentially a blender thrown into the pudding. Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin were often trying for the front leaving the points runners to run defense as well as try for championship points. (more…)