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Talladega was a merry-go-round of sheet metal. A number of cars were damaged and put off or out. There were five yellow flag situations. Cautions and crashes. On average, a bit light on yellow for Talladega.

Then came Darlington. Green flag racing for the first half of the race. The last half of the race brought the yellow but for the most part it was a NASCAR call for “debris”. There were some spins and wall slides but no real field-changing sheet metal bang-ups.

Fan excitement. The debate is on… Again.

At some point in the week following Richmond on the way to Talladega one of the many “race talk / preview / review” shows on TV brought forth the subject of fans and attendance and viewing. One of the sub-topics included was cautions, crashes and what fans want to see. It seems the 2012 season is below average for crashes and cautions. Apparently, there is just too much green flag racing to keep the “fans” interested. (more…)

The AARON’S 499 at Talladega set a winning scenerio for some big names to present themselves in the final laps and the finish. Brad Keselowski and A.J. Allmendinger. Big, long names…

Four laps to go at Talladega and an impulse move takes out a chunk of the top challengers. It also set up a restart scenario that left the door open for the BK/KB train to rail to the front.

Denny Hamlin was crunched into a spot on the outside and when the two lines separated enough to make hole in the middle, he went for it. A.J. Allmendinger made an impulse move to keep the 11 behind him but he went without looking and Hamlin’s FedEx #11 was already nose in. The #22 of A.J. clipped and slid in front of Hamlin’s nose and dipped into the low row. The #22 straightened with contact on the inside row but the chain was off at that point putting the field on the brakes and into the wall and each other. (more…)

We were at Richmond International Raceway for a weekend in April for some pit cruising and fast left turns. While there, we made a discovery. We sat on it for a few days to make sure we weren’t being tracked by a geek squad in black and white checkered helicopters…

We wandered about the garage and saw any number of things we likely shouldn’t have. We took notice of Team Mechanics holding up clipboards while looking over them at what the team in the next stall was doing. We saw the “cheat sheets” drivers use to remember what town they are in, who their sponsors are and which hat to wear. We found the plastic storage bin where NASCAR keeps the yellow Krylon for the lug nuts.

However, it was during qualifying we made our “discovery”. It brought to mind the adage “hide in plain sight” as it was obvious yet so inconspicuous. Everyone is so focused on times and speed and there is so much color on the cars and uniforms that the scene blurs together.

But we saw it. Or should we say… We saw her. (more…)

It may be home for Denny Hamlin but the Busch brothers owned it for the weekend at Richmond International Raceway.

Friday night for the Nationwide “Virginia 529 College Savings 250”, Kurt Busch drove the #54 Monster Energy Toyota to Victory Lane. Denny Hamlin made a run on the final lap to the finish with a drag race to the checkers and was a nose behind at the line. Kevin Harvick seemed to have it wrapped up for most of the race but Busch slipped by with 8 laps to go and took a comfortable lead until Hamlin filled the mirrors. Apparently, Kurt Busch had just enough to hold Hamlin to the line.

The #54 Toyota, by the way, is owned by Kurt’s brother, Kyle, who drove to Victory Lane on Saturday night in the Sprint Cup race.

Denny Hamlin also ran in the top 10 throughout the “Capitol City 400 presented by Virginia is for Lovers” but couldn’t quite make it into the top spot. He rode the #2 slot for a few laps but finished fourth at the end of the night.

Kyle Busch also ran the top 10 all night. He had the lead with 100 to go but Tony Stewart’s #14 car had found footing and was running too well for Busch to hold it at that point in the race. (more…)

The Nationwide Series runs at Richmond International Raceway with the 529 College Savings 250. For the NNS race it is common for Cup drivers to get lots of attention from the press.

Saturday in Richmond, during qualifying, it was evident that the IndyCar crossover, Danica Patrick, is still a novelty for NASCAR news.

Photogs and press surrounded the GoDaddy #7 Chevy when Danica approached the car. Denny Hamlin went by and hardly a lens turned. There went Keselowski… and Kyle Busch… Still, the cameras and mics were on Danica.

Yes, “Missed Gear” was no different. We stayed near the green of the GoDaddy #7… (more…)

NASCAR is a big part of Virginia. Martinsville, Bristol and Richmond have driven NASCAR and a big part of Virginia tourism for many years. To celebrate some of that history, Richmond International Raceway is going back in time a bit and pulling up a name from the past for the Sprint Cup race this Saturday. “Capitol City” was the namesake of the race for many years and will be again this weekend as RIR and the Virginia Tourism Corporation present the main event.

Richmond is celebrating 60 years of racing this year. The “Capital City 400 Presented by Virginia is for Lovers” is the Sprint Cup Series race to crown the weekend. (more…)

One MWR engine remained to run in front for most of the STP 400 in Kansas only to have the power of sunlight pull the rug. Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin both started in the top 10 off the grid. Both suffered engine trouble leaving Martin Truex, Jr. to battle for the MWR banner.

The #56 NAPA Toyota ran well, hugging the wall for fast laps. That was until the sun came out from the clouds and track conditions changed just enough to loosen the Truex car and allow a hard charging Denny Hamlin to get the lead with 30 to go. Truex gave it a couple of dives on the inside of Hamlin in the last few but could not hold the line and get by. (more…)