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Running Wide Open
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Author: |
Joe VanHoose |
Created: |
1/24/2007 10:37 AM |
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An inside look at stock car racing's biggest stories, from local dirt tracks to Daytona. |
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In this case, NASCAR was right |
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By Joe VanHoose on
2/23/2007 2:53 PM
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NASCAR just can't seem to win, even when everything is seemingly never better. In the past ten days, the sanctioning body has clamped down on cheating like never before, and it witnessed one of the most thrilling finishes in history in its biggest race, the Daytona 500.
But yet, everyone seems to be dumping on NASCAR.
Critics argue that the penalties dished out by NASCAR to the cheaters in Daytona were not harsh enough. Critics argue that NASCAR should have thrown a caution flag when a wreck broke out in the last lap of the Daytona 500, negating the photo finish that transpired.
Critics can whine all they want, but that doesn't mean they're right.
In fact, as much as it pains me to point this out, NASCAR has done everything right in the last two weeks. From pre-race penalties to in-race decisions, the NASCAR powers that be ...
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The Daytona 500 turns into an instant classic |
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By Joe VanHoose on
2/20/2007 12:55 AM
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The 49th annual Daytona 500 read like a novel, but it started out as a snoozer. At the half way point, only four drivers had led the race and everyone was still running, quite spread-out to be exact.
Then there was a turning point. Actually, it was Tony Stewart getting turned by Kurt Busch while leading the race that turned this race upside down.
All of a sudden, the two dominant cars were out of the race, and everybody now thought they had a shot to win. And they proved that they would drive through each other to get in position to win the Great American Race.
Five cautions, all multi-car crashes, slowed the field in the final 50 laps, compared to just two cautions in the first 150. The wrecks trimmed the fat from the field a little more, and suddenly there were just a handful of contenders, a small cast of characters indeed, for the Daytona 500 win.
Then there was ...
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Live from Daytona: Saturday AM Update |
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By Joe VanHoose on
2/18/2007 5:45 PM
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Did you see the finish last night in the truck race?
If you didn’t, you missed one for the ages. Jack Sprague pulled a Days-of-Thunder-like move to get by Travis Kvapil on the final lap, really the final 100 yards. To top it off, Johnny Benson shot low to make it a three-wide photo finish.
How close was it? Well, Kvapil was leading in turn 4 and he finished third.
That’s the beauty of Speedweeks. You never know what race will be the best. The few folks covering the race in the press box, myself included, were beside themselves. Remember, we media folk aren’t the easiest group to excite. But there we were, throwing high fives and cheering.
That’s what racing will do to you. We knew we had seen something special, and so did the 60,000 freezing fans that stayed until the end, even though it was 30 de ...
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Live from Daytona: Friday PM Update |
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By Joe VanHoose on
2/18/2007 12:15 AM
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The lights are on and the temperature is falling as fast as the sun here at Daytona International Speedway.
Tonight, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series takes to the high banks for the Chevy Silverado HD 250. The green flag waves shortly after 8 p.m., with truck series veterans Jack Sprague and Carl Edwards pacing the field.
Drivers to look out for include 2006 truck series champion Todd Bodine starting third, Travis Kvapil starting fourth, Terry Cook and Ted Musgrave filling up row 4, Johnny Benson rolling off tenth, and Ron Hornaday starting 16th. NASCAR drivers Ken Schrader and Mike Wallace share the eleventh row, Mike Skinner will make a go from ninth and Bill Lester will start 33rd.
Check back for results on this 100-lap race later on this evening.
The NASCAR Busch Series just finished qualifying
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Live from Daytona: Friday AM Update |
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By Joe VanHoose on
2/17/2007 6:09 PM
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Burton speaks out against cheating
The NASCAR garage has always unofficially appointed a driver to speak on behalf of all the others. For years, it was Dale Earnhardt.
Earnhardt had his finger directly on the pulse of the NASCAR garage, and he was always the driver to speak up on behalf of his brethren, whether he was promoting his own agenda or not.
Now the leader and spokesman for drivers is Jeff Burton. Burton is not exactly a star and he doesn’t have the souvenir sales of those like Gordon and Earnhardt Jr.
But what Burton does have is an opinion. And he may be the best at articulating the pulse of the garage, so much so that when he gave his press conference Friday morning, the media hung on his every word.
Today Burton focused on cheating, the buzz word for the week that has stolen racing headli ...
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Random Observations: Daytona |
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By Joe VanHoose on
2/17/2007 4:59 PM
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It’s amazing how quickly a fan base can turn on a driver, just ask Michael Waltrip.
From 2001 to 2005, Waltrip drove for Dale Earnhardt Incorporated alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr., and he rose to become one of the more popular drivers on the track. Granted, it was popularity by association (anyone who partners with Dale Jr. will watch his stock go way up), but he was definitely loved.
Then last year he left DEI, formed his owned team, and hopped on the Toyota bandwagon. You could feel Waltrip’s popularity slowly leaking away.
Then he arrived at Speedweeks this year. So far, he’s been busted for cheating, had his crew chief and team manager ejected from the race track, and to top it all off, he wrecked Earnhardt Jr. while battling for the lead in yesterday’s qualifying race.
Judging by the collective jeer of the ...
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There's nothing like Daytona |
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By Joe VanHoose on
2/15/2007 5:05 PM
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Speedweeks is in full bloom, and my life is back to feeling a little more complete once again. There really is nothing like driving through the tunnel into the Daytona International Speedway infield, or walking up to the catch fence to feel the fury of 20 cars screaming by a mere five feet away at 190 m.p.h.
Whether I’m going to the track to work or just watch, this is my favorite week of the year. There’s the buildup to the Daytona 500: the Gatorade Duels on Thursday, truck racing on Friday, and then the Busch race on Saturday.
And then there’s the big one, the Daytona 500, the Great American Race. There’s nothing that matches standing out on pit lane on a cool, sun-drenched February afternoon, watching fighter jets come flying overhead, and then hearing the roar from fans and cars that accompany those four little words, “Gentlemen, start your engines.”
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It's a good weekend to go racing |
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By Joe VanHoose on
2/10/2007 9:08 PM
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Every February, the stars and cars of NASCAR invade Daytona International Speedway for the sport's biggest race, bringing with them legions of fans and national publicity. And that’s great.
Good for you, NASCAR. Your marketing powerhouse has made Speedweeks and the Daytona 500 the premier racing event in the country.
But there’s so much more happening in the world of stock car racing than just Speedweeks in Daytona. There’s Speedweeks in Barberville at Volusia Speedway Park, the World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna Speedway, and the Winternationals at East Bay Raceway on the outskirts of Tampa. Hundreds of the best local and regional short track drivers will take their cars to the Florida circuits in the state’s biggest racing week.
This year, Ocala Speedway hosts its own event that it hopes will feed off the racing hotbed.
The Ocala Sp ...
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For better or worse, NASCAR is changing again |
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By Joe VanHoose on
2/3/2007 3:31 PM
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It’s that time of year again when NASCAR shuffles its own deck just to see if anyone notices. Whether it’s abandoning old racetracks, adding new mainstream sponsors, or tweaking the ever-changing points system, NASCAR seems to run a little further away from its tradition and the status quo.
Will the changes stop this year? Hardly.
Years from now, racing historians will look at 2007 as one of the most change-ridden years in NASCAR history. The question is whether all of the changes will prove to be beneficial for the sanctioning body.
The Car of Tomorrow becomes the car of today
This year, the biggest change starts and ends with the racecars themselves. NASCAR will unveil its “Car of Tomorrow” at Bristol in March and will use the car at almost half the races this year.
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In racing, cheating and success walk hand in hand |
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By Joe VanHoose on
1/27/2007 8:03 PM
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As promised, I welcome you to the first installment of my weekly racing column, Running Wide Open. Every week, you can get your fill of commentary on everything from Florida’s short tracks to NASCAR.
There won’t be too much ground I won’t cover here, from giving you my take on the week’s controversy to spotlighting area drivers turning heads at the local bullring.
You can get a word in, too. Drop me an e-mail, call my office, or just look for the guy in the red hat the next time you’re at the races.
The first lap: The art of cheating
Just as in other sports, everyone is always looking for a competitive edge when they take to the track. Finding that edge usually involves giving the racecar a performance-enhancing drug, bending the rules a little bit all in the name of speed.
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