Category: Auto Racing

Elliott Sadler. Pleasant fellow. Easy personality. NASCAR driver.

Everybody knows who he is. He has won in Sprint Cup. He has driven for a number of teams. His introductions at the track generally draw applause and welcome cheers.

His record in Cup races highlights a few wins plus top 5 and top 10 finishes placing him generally in the upper tier of drivers. This, however, has not necessarily brought him into the limelight of NASCAR stardom.

Until now…

Sadler has created momentum in the early season of the Nationwide Series. Backed by Richard Childress Racing from the shops previously run by Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler has taken the #2 OneMain Financial Chevy to Victory Lane twice in the first four races of the 2012 season. He won at Phoenix and just registered the second win at the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Bristol. (more…)

Madness…? Really…? It is still amazing to us at Missed Gear how people get so worked up over “ball” sports. Just a month or so ago it was football. Now it is basketball.

When did a basketball last have any affect on your daily routine? Well, beyond pouring over stats to fill out a bracket in your pool that you know is going to be won by the office assistant who filled it out blindfolded…

You are in your car every day yet the connection to that drive and motorsports is constantly overshadowed by a bunch of guys playing with balls. We don’t get it… (more…)

There are big dogs, little dogs, all types of breeds and mixes and colors and personalities and they can be comfortable and happy with a simple act of extending a friendly hand. Just ask Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 US Army / Quicken Loans Chevy with Stewart-Haas Racing…

Newman is a passionate animal advocate. His Ryan Newman Foundation is very active with conservation of natural resources and habitat as well as working with animal protection and rescue organizations. This was showcased with a recent visit to Martinsville, VA.

Of course, the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 is fast approaching at Martinsville and there were opportunities to discuss racing at the historic Speedway. He is coming off a good 4th place finish in Las Vegas. (Teammate Tony Stewart took the win)  The race at Bristol is a few days away and he had the pole on the last visit there. The Martinsville race is just over two weeks away. March 30 – April 1st marks the date for race weekend and the action on the tracks so far is shaping up for NASCAR to put on a big show at Martinsville. Ticket packages with family pricing are always an option plus the Fan Zones with visits from some of the top drivers in the field. Check the Speedway website or call 877-RACE-TIX for all the details. (more…)

The mileage for Bristol is a little crazy. Las Vegas to Bristol to California. However, setting your watch for time zones is hardly critical to getting the job done when there is much more hovering around the garage. The 2012 season is on and this weekend will likely be full of Bristol drama.

Racing in the first three Sprint Cup points races have already stirred things up as fans are settling in with driver, car and team changes. The drama at Bristol will likely be lead by the #48 Lowe’s team with Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus as they are still feeling the pain of Daytona. Before the season opener even started they encountered the long arm of the law from NASCAR Officials. Their car was deemed illegal and roof sections (C-Posts) were confiscated forcing a rush reconstruct with shipped in shop parts. This also led to penalties including fines, Knaus’ suspension and 25 points docked from Johnson’s ledger.

Two laps into Daytona and Johnson was out. The #48 Lowe’s Chevy was damaged and garaged. Add a DNF to the penalty and the 2012 season looks stacked against the five time champion.

The appeal did not go well following Las Vegas and it is up to NASCAR and their schedule if Knaus will be in the chair at Bristol.

The penalties were upheld on March 13th. Rick Hendrick has a final shot with the chief appellate officer on the NASCAR Appeals Panel and that decision could come any day. Until then, the appeal is open and the team is operating as if Knaus will be at Bristol.

Johnson finished 4th in Phoenix and 2nd in Las Vegas. Maybe a sour season start has kicked him into gear coming to Bristol.

The Food City 500 may be a game changer for early season points. They will be back west following Bristol then turn around and head to Martinsville for more of the Virginia short track drama.

Bristol and Martinsville tend to shake the bag a bit as the speeds come down but the tension goes up. The attention to detail and timing, the crowded traffic on limited real estate, the pit strategy and the inevitable dents and dings all add up on the short tracks.

The drama of NASCAR is on and Virginia has the stages for it to unfold. Johnson and the #48 team are bringing a bit of their own theatrics. Every other team in the garage will have their own characters to play. The best part is that nothing is scripted. NASCAR is improv at speed so raise the curtain and drop the green flag on Virginia racing.

 

It was as if WSOP was on hand for the Kobalt Tools 400 as the cards were dealt and the drivers made their bets at the  Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The seating positions were set from qualifying with Kasey Kahne on the pole and handling the dealer button but as the cards were dealt it was Dale Earnhardt, Jr. opening with a pair of tens.

It was a decent pair to start, apparently. The first caution hit while the #88 was going in under green. This little bit of luck allowed Jr. to keep the lead on the restart. However, the flop hit and changed the dynamic of the hand completely. (more…)

Virginia International Raceway had some tangles in 2011. The AMA “Suzuki White Lightning” event was pulled from the August date basically from a lack of communication, contract verbiage and an issue with promotions. Fingers pointed both ways. The end picture is that a big weekend at VIR was out.

Follow that with the announcement from the Grand-Am ROLEX Series that VIR would not be on the schedule for 2012.  New Jersey gets an earlier date and Belle Isle Park in Detroit is added to the mix. The Grand-Am race has been a showcase nationwide coverage event for VIR for several years.
Two big events that went a long way to re-establish Virginia International Raceway as a destination for fans and racing were out of the picture as 2011 came to a close.

This would seem to put a kink in the potential for 2012. Hit the brakes and stop the presses, so to speak. However, the folks at VIR have some surprises in store that may have blown by while you were watching the last turn… (more…)

Have you taken the time to see where they are racing or do you simply check the TV to see when the race is on…? All we do is plant ourselves on the couch and click the remote but those folks at NASCAR have to arrange all that stuff. At first glance it looks as if they arrange it with a dart board and blindfolds…

Race 1 – Daytona. Fine… Tradition and all that. The Daytona 500 starts the season and always will.

Race 2 – Phoenix. Let’s roll right by Texas to get there…

Race 3 – Las Vegas. Hey! Just up the road! Cool!

Race 4 – Bristol. What…? OK… Road trip!

Race 5 – Fontana…? Where is that? Next to Los Angeles…? California…? We were practically there in Vegas!

Race 6 – Martinsville. Back to Virginia…? What day is it?

Race 7 – Texas. What…? Why didn’t we stop there first and then go to Martinsville? It was on the way!

and so on…

Yes. Scheduling is a nightmare. There is the balance of tradition with newer facilities. There is the consideration of weather and temperature. There is the case for keeping the racing interesting with a variety of track length and technical skill. There is that dart board that doesn’t get used nearly enough… (more…)