Opinions on Racing
The RacinDeals archive: race reports, commentary, and the conversations that followed.
NASCAR now takes the winter off until testing begins at Daytona in January – although the term taking the winter off is relative. GM teams have tested at Homestead and some Talladega testing may come soon for Ford and Dodge teams; Kentucky Motor Speedway will also see extensive testing by Winston Cup efforts, primarily by […]
So 2002 is finished and Tony Stewart is champion. Now we can look back on a season that frustrated even its winners and see what its top stories and bests-and-worsts were. To start, we have the top ten stories of the season – 1 – PARITY IS HERE TO STAY – Some might have thought […]
The season finale has come and gone and the 2002 title chases in NASCAR’s three big track divisions are over. First blood went to Mike Bliss in Craftsman Trucks, finishing second in the Miami 200 behind race-day teammate Ron Hornaday. The Hammer needed only a top-five to win the title and never was he out […]
Kurt Busch wins the ho-hum usual sleeper no race, race in Homestead. Kurt Busch’s phenomenal end of the season roll had him put another check mark in the win column and propelled him to a third place finish in the points race. Tony Stewart, finished a dismal 18th in the race he normally dominates, but […]
AN ULTRA SCREWJOB: Hey, remember me? It’s only been a couple of months since I posted anything I’ve written. Between me getting a new Kawasaki KLR650 motorcycle, and the general lack of competitive action on the race tracks, I haven’t really felt the need to “contribute” to the motorsports world. Until now. In a nutshell, […]
Entering the season finale, a quick reminder of how we got here in the 2002 Winston Cup season – FEBRUARY – Drivers acting like Matt Millen’s boogeyman Detroit Lions player got Daytona-Talladega rules reverted to the aero-clean configuration of 2000, and the racing suffered as a result. Nor was safety enhanced in any way – […]
So now it is down to one. The Phoenix 500k leads Winston Cup to the final race of the 2002 season, at Homestead Miami Speedway. And the championships in all three of NASCAR’s big divisions saw substantial pivots at Phoenix. First blood was drawn by the Trucks. Kevin Harvick’s photo-finish win largely obscured that Mike […]
Calling the two-tire pit stop is what did the trick – that and the fact that the early race leader, Dale Earnhardt, ran out of gas and never made it back to the front. Earnhardt finished in fifth place. Matt Kenseth picks up his fifth win for the season; more than anyone else. Phoenix is […]
Charles Martin Jones never drove a racecar, but he did have an influence on racing. Chuck Jones was Warner Brothers’ most famous animation director, and created a cartoon character that became among Chrysler’s most famous automobile nicknames. The Roadrunner became the ultimate chase fanaticism allegory, and it also badged Plymouth’s machinery in NASCAR in the […]
Hold on – here is the bump and the SPIN OUT! Before the SPIN OUT, I have to give a huge BURN OUT to Johnny Benson. What a mountain you have climbed and I am so glad you have that MONKEY off your back. I live in Michigan and the talk of the state for […]