Category: Auto Racing

Race fans want tickets. If they can get them for nothing, even better. There are ways but it takes some effort, time and perseverance. No guarantees, mind you, but these ideas can help increase your chances.

1. “Like” your racetrack. This is a top priority. Get on Facebook and “like” the tracks you tend to visit. Tracks will broadcast ticket specials and promotions on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Many of these specials are for their Facebook/Twitter fans only and often are significant compared to what may be generally listed on their website. You also get news and updates that will prepare you for a better race day experience when you get there… Free tickets or not.  “Like” your track! While you’re at it, “Like” your favorite drivers’ pages. They will also often offer tickets for their fans. (more…)

Coming away from Daytona it was difficult enough to determine who is driving what but now you have to take into account what day it is. Yes… Cup drivers have been running in the Nationwide Series for some time but it seems to be even more so. However, NASCAR has a rule about declaring which series a driver is running for a potential championship so why all the crossover? (more…)

Could the season get worse for Jimmie Johnson following a 2nd lap crash and out? Well… Yes it can.

NASCAR announced a penalty for the #48 Crew Chief Chad Knaus and Johnson because of something called a “C-Post”.

I had to look it up, too…

The penalties originated from Daytona inspections on February 17 and involve illegal sections of sheet metal between the roof and the side windows on the back sloping sections. The area in question is known as the “C-posts”. (more…)

The only thing missing from the Monday night Daytona 500 was James Taylor and Tom Cruise. We already have the Three Stooges as Grand Marshals..

However, as a movie drama the editing was botched. The lap 2 crash should have been put off till much later. Why would you cast a record champion, a rookie winner and an antagonist woman and have them out in just the second lap…? That doesn’t make hay for a good story.

But wait…! We get a fire explosion in the last quarter of the film! On top of that we get the most popular star into an “almost win” scenario at the finish!

What…!?

“And then… we flash forward from Victory Lane to the end of the season and the Earth implodes in December as the fire damaged pavement cracks open causing a world-wide chain reaction with John Cusack in a small plane…”

“Can we get George Clooney…?”

The Daytona 500 was hardly the start of the Sprint Cup season that NASCAR wanted. There was just too much drama leading up to the actual race and too much “weird” in the race itself. Rain stayed over Daytona setting the scene for a first ever prime time night event. It was a poorly written script as a movie which makes it comical as reality. We should have guessed when we saw Darrell Waltrip talking with the Three Stooges… (more…)

It is likely getting a cell signal out of Daytona this afternoon was a bit “iffy”.  After all, how many phones lit up from the speedway area when NASCAR called the Daytona 500 until Monday at noon…? How many ticket holding NASCAR fans suddenly came down with dengue fever and just can’t make it in to work on Monday? How many hotel stays are being extended…? Airline tickets re-scheduled…? Pizzas being ordered…?

Important questions.

The other question you’ll hear pre-race on Monday is “How will this affect how you run today…?” (more…)

Sunday morning – Daytona 500 Race Day! Clicking into NASCAR.com first thing to check on updates for today and what do we see…? A big sidebar advertisement for Nationwide Insurance with Danica Patrick standing there…  Ironic…? Good timing…? After all, she has gone nose deep into concrete twice in three days and steps back into a new car. That would seem to be a good selling point for auto insurance… Right…?

But this race, this season… It’s not all about Danica Patrick. Every garage, team and driver has a story that brought them here and they all want the same thing. There are also the stories of those who are shut out of the barn for the big dance. Take Michael Waltrip, for example… Re-entering the field during Gatorade Dual Day, he attempted to leave the inner skirt of the track and get on the banking but the sudden angle change was too much at speed and the car jolted up the track and into the wall. That put him at #44 and one spot off the grid after pre-season wrangling to have a ride to qualify with. Yes, MWR still has cars on the track for the 500, but Michael isn’t in any of them. (more…)