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Remembering the Southern 500 |
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By Joe VanHoose on
8/30/2007 2:34 PM
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It's Labor Day weekend, and NASCAR is in California. The series is not in Darlington, S.C., and neither am I. It's been four years now since NASCAR and I rendezvoused at Darlington on this weekend, and it still hurts.
Once regarded as the most prestigious race in NASCAR, Darlington Raceway's Labor Day weekend Southern 500 vanished. NASCAR moved the race weekend with 54 years of tradition out west to California Speedway in 2003.
The organization hauled off the race that defined the sport in the South, taking some innocence and pride along with it.
Once upon a time when NASCAR was just beginning, a South Carolinian named Harold Brasington had a crazy idea and a tractor. In 1950, he opened his creation, the 1.366-mile egg-shaped Darlington Raceway, for the world to see. NASCAR raced on the track from the very beginning, and the two entities played off of each other for half ...
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NASCAR vs. Local Racing: The tide may be turning |
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By Joe VanHoose on
8/23/2007 2:24 PM
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NASCAR returns to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend for a pair of night races Friday and Saturday. In other news, Ocala Speedway hosts a Gulfcoast Modified Series race tonight and Citrus County Speedway will run a full program tomorrow while the NASCAR race is going on.
While the night race at Bristol is the Holy Grail as far as getting a ticket is concerned, the fact that local tracks are running big races this weekend sends a message. These grassroots tracks aren't backing down.
"I could care less what NASCAR is doing," said John Sarppraicone, the promoter for Desoto Super Speedway in Bradenton, who has a full racing program scheduled for his track Saturday night. "Take a look at the crowd at a lot of NASCAR races and you'll see plenty of empty seats. We have a good night every time NASCAR races on Saturdays."
&nbs ...
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Gordon may be wrong, but NASCAR wasn't right |
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By Joe VanHoose on
8/10/2007 8:35 AM
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Funny story: I went to Citrus County Speedway Saturday night to see some good bumping and banging short track action. For the record, I was not disappointed.
Anyway, on my way to the track I was listening to the NASCAR Busch Series race from Canada on the radio. Marcos Ambrose was leading, Robby Gordon was second, and some 12 cars were crashing behind them with four laps to go.
As the caution came out, Gordon passed Ambrose only to be spun by Ambrose in the next turn. NASCAR said that this all happened under caution, and Gordon righted his spun car and rejoined the field in 13th place.
That’s when I arrived at the racetrack and left the broadcast. During the course of the night, I saw a few cars wreck each other and both were sent to the back of the pack. I saw one driver accidentally spin another one out, and the wrecked driver got his spot back.
This ...
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Goodyear Series brings new faces to Ocala Speedway |
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By Joe VanHoose on
7/20/2007 8:16 AM
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Ocala Speedway has proven to be a nightmare for rookies over the years, sending drivers in everything from late models to mini stocks home with beat-up racecars. The track's egg shape and differently-banked corners can throw surprises at even the most seasoned veteran, but first-timers never forget their first spin in turn 2 or crash in turn 4.
Tonight, the track with the tire-marked walls welcomes a new series and a host of drivers who have never taken a lap around the 3/8-mile oval. Bursting at the seems with young talent, the Goodyear Challenge Late Model Series will race for 100 laps, more than enough time for the unexpected to happen.
"This will definitely be a challenge for our drivers since most have never run here," said series director Scott Jackman. "We're very excited to be here."
Excitement turned in ...
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Let the Race to the Chase begin |
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By Joe VanHoose on
6/29/2007 4:34 AM
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Ten races from now, the top 12 drivers in the NASCAR Nextel Cup point standings will branch off from the rest of the pack and race for the championship. With ten races to go until the cutout, it’s time to take a look at who’s in, who’s out, and who’s in trouble.
Chase Locks
Jeff Gordon (1st) holds on to a 171-point lead over second place, even after he was docked 100 points this week for inspection infractions at Sonoma. He’s got the most wins, the most top fives and the most top tens.
Denny Hamlin (2nd) hasn’t won this year, but he’s been in contention nearly every week. His average finish of 9.9 is among the best in the sport.
Matt Kenseth (3rd) hardly gets any media time, but he’s been more effective than flashy this year. The California race winner also ...
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The 'Great Juan?' Not so fast |
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By Joe VanHoose on
6/26/2007 4:09 AM
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Juan Pablo Montoya did what many expected he would Sunday evening at Infineon Raceway. He won the first NASCAR Nextel Cup road race of the season, his first win in his career.
How long that career in NASCAR turns out to be seems up in the air, seeing how the 31-year-old has already raced in Indy cars, Formula One, sports cars and now NASCAR. Even in victory in his element, there is just something “here today, gone tomorrow” about the native Colombian.
Just a rookie on the Cup circuit, he is still learning and developing as a driver at the expense of a lot of bent sheet metal on ovals – tracks where NASCAR hold 34 out of 36 races, by the way. While many writers wrote headlines like “The Great Juan” today, I must laugh and bite my tongue.
Maybe Montoya is great, and maybe after a couple of years he will master the ovals and win a couple NASCAR championships. ...
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Anderson wins his sixth Powell Memorial |
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By Joe VanHoose on
6/9/2007 1:27 PM
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Wayne Anderson wrote a familiar tale Friday night in the 12th annual Powell Memorial, winning Ocala’s biggest race for the sixth time. But the ending caught the Florida short track ace a little by surprise.
“I thought I was going to run second,” said Anderson, who led only the final 12 laps of the 125-lap race. “Daniel Webster had a great car, but we were in the right place at the right time and we came out on top.”
Webster led the first 113 laps but began battling a suspension problem with about 25 laps to go. Anderson& ...
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Countdown to the Powell Memorial |
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By Joe VanHoose on
6/8/2007 5:04 AM
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Tragedy has a way of bringing out the best in people, and the Powell Memorial race at Ocala Speedway is a living and growing example.
Once a year, the biggest names in the state come to the Ocala track not just to race but also to remember. They remember the Powell family that went down in a plane crash 13 years ago. They support James Powell III, who went through hell but kept on going.
He's one of the nicest, strongest people in the business, and the overwhelming crowd of drivers and fans that will flood the Ocala Speedway Friday night shows how loved he and his family is.
And several storylines make the race even sweeter this year. For one, Powell will become a father next week when his wife gives birth to a baby girl. As for the race itself, the long list of drivers entered is longer than it's been in the past few years. This race could be back to is stature as the th ...
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Remembering Bill France Jr. |
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By Joe VanHoose on
6/5/2007 3:23 AM
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Bill France Jr. passed away today at the age of 74. He passed on a race day, just as his father did 15 years earlier, and while cars circulated at Dover International Speedway Monday afternoon, the flags were lowered to half mast.
The show – the show that he took from his father and passed on to his son – goes on, just as he would’ve wanted it to. There’s nary a doubt that he did more for it than anyone.
When he took over NASCAR in 1972, the sport was barely regional. All he did in 31 years was turn the best kept secret in the South into a national juggernaut. He brought on R.J. Reynolds in 1973, sold CBS on broadcasting the Daytona 500 flag-to-flag in 1979, and retired with the sport second only to the NFL in television ratings and first in spectator attendance.
< ...
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Where's the Spectacle |
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By Joe VanHoose on
5/26/2007 5:11 AM
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The Indianapolis 500 is this Sunday. Can you name the drivers on the front row?
Alright, that’s a little tough. How about the pole sitter? Not so much? Can you name five drivers in the field who’s not a woman and whose last name is not Andretti or Unser? Can you name one?
Therein lies the problem with the Indy 500 and Indy Car racing in general. Few people know or care anymore. And Indy Car only has itself to blame.
Granted, it didn’t used to be like this. The Indianapolis 500 used to live up to its billing as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” While network television passed on NASCAR broadcasts, the Indy 500 drew double-digit television ratings and over a half million people to the track in May. Pole day alone for the Indy 500 attracted over 100,000 fans into the early ‘90s.
But oh, how times have changed. The Indy 5 ...
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Ocala Speedway continues to cooperate |
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By Joe VanHoose on
5/19/2007 2:52 AM
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Armed Forces servicemen can see some local racing action for free this weekend at Ocala Speedway. The track will open its doors to anyone with a military I.D., whether they are active or retired.
Just what they and everyone else will see this evening will be a little different. The FAST Pro Trucks pay a visit to the 3/8-mile speedway, but the modifieds will be noticeably absent from the regular series lineup.
Ocala Speedway cancelled its weekly modified race this weekend out of respect for FASCAR’s Gulf Coast and Extreme Modified Series. The Extreme Modifieds, which runs only its second event this year after a first race flop, race at Orlando Speedworld Friday night while the Gulf Coast cars race at Bronson Motor Speedway Saturday.
Though Ocala’s weekly stable of modifieds has been just as strong as the two touring series, Ocala Speedway’s decision is noble and surprising for ...
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Behold the revival of Darlington |
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By Joe VanHoose on
5/11/2007 4:10 AM
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There are some places that just feel like home, and such is Darlington Raceway to NASCAR. This weekend’s race at the track “Too Tough To Tame” won’t be heralded by NASCAR or hyped by the sanctioning body’s public relations team, but it should be.
Darlington was the first super speedway – before Daytona, Charlotte, Talladega, etc. – to host a NASCAR race, which it did in 1950. In fact, even into the late 1970s, the Southern 500 at Darlington on Labor Day weekend was the premier race in the sport, not the Daytona 500.
But the NASCAR powers that be, in their never ending pursuit for larger television markets and more money, tried to kill off the old lady three years ago. They stripped the track of its Southern 500 and moved the race date out west to California. They gave Darlington one date on Mother’s Day weekend, a weekend that was always taken off in fea ...
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