Passing Lane
A NASCAR BLOG BY Mike Hembree
Explain Martin's move? No chance
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Don't look for those of us who have been around racing virtually for Mark Martin’s entire career to explain him.
A great story waiting to happen
It’s unlikely, of course, but what a great story it would be if Terry Labonte wins a race while he’s sitting in the driver's seat for that TV guy, Kyle Petty.
Play ball!
DOVER, Del. - I'm leaving Dover in the rear-view mirror this morning with the Pocono Mountains on next weekend's schedule. In between, however, the NASCAR Scene cruiser will make stops in New York City, Pittsburgh and Toronto - all part of a week's worth of racing-related endeavors, with a little baseball thrown in.
Food for thought: Stewart and Hendrick
Now that Tony Stewart has basically declared himself a free agent, one of the biggest guessing games of the next year or so will be trying to figure out where he might land.
Talladega has the prescription
Dissatisfied with racing that you consider not quite up to snuff? Relax. Talladega’s coming.
It's up to teams to figure out new car
NASCAR’s new car – well, it’s not really new any more, but, whatever – got some rotten reviews again at Texas.
Martinsville: Tiny and intimate
They'll race at Martinsville today, and this is what you'll see: really big race cars on a really small track.
He said vs. he said
HAMPTON, Ga. - Well, gang, what we have here is a good ol' fashioned Mississippi throwdown, a gloves-off, bare-knuckles, in-your-face kind of fuss.
Look out for Hendrick
Good grief! One race in the books already and no Hendrick Motorsports victory? What is racing coming to?
One race, two versions
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After all these years – almost 30 now, still they differ on the particulars.
Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison. Combatants – literally – on the last lap of the 1979 Daytona 500. Participants, along with Donnie’s brother, Bobby, in a fight that, many say, helped launch NASCAR on its way to broader national acceptance.
Extra incentive?
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR’s ruling tribunal has spoken, and Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart are under the dreaded probation sword.
Daytona: A place apart
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Say what you will about Darlington or Indianapolis or Charlotte or even the dear-departed North Wilkesboro. Daytona is the vibrant heart of NASCAR.
Tour de Humpy
The preseason media tour organized by Lowe’s Motor Speedway (which does a masterful job with it, by the way) is over. What have we learned? 1. That media people can eat. A lot. And often. This is not news. It is comforting to note, however, that in the rapidly changing world of news-gathering, some things remain [...]
Welcome, Mr. Houston
The National Motorsports Press Association did a good thing Saturday night by inducting Tommy Houston into its Hall of Fame. Houston’s name has never been in the big spotlights. He didn’t win a Cup championship or a Daytona 500. Heck, he didn’t even win a Cup race, competing in only a handful during his career. But Houston [...]
Bring on 2008
Yes, I’m ready for the new year. Santa Claus didn’t bring me a Dodge Viper again. He also didn’t bring a Corvette, a 62-inch flatscreen television, Jennifer Aniston, a model train layout or any of the other things I’ve been asking for over the years. He’s obviously an obese man with a severe fashion [...]
AARP alert - Hylton’s back
Bring out the adult diapers jokes. James Hylton is back in Daytona. To understand the unusual nature of all this, you have to keep reminding yourself that Hylton, who was NASCAR’s Cup series rookie of the year in 1966 - yes, 1966 - is 73 years old. [...]
Junior withdrawal
We’ve heard barely a peep from Dale Earnhardt Jr. since he popped into New York City during Champions Week to pick up his 38th (or whatever it is) Most Popular Driver award and then was gone, off to that mysterious Never-Never Land where NASCAR drivers go in December. We can assume that he’s off somewhere plotting, [...]
Banquet leftovers
Well, there was some questionable veal and some kind of weird salad and the vegetables weren’t that good, either. But seriously … The Nextel Cup awards banquet was the best in years, but that’s not saying a lot. It was still far too long and much too formulaic. Fortunately, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch detoured from [...]
Stewart cries foul again
JOLIET, Ill. – If Tony Stewart only had to drive a race car, his life would be grand. He can do that. No question. He may be one of the 20 best drivers to sit in any sort of race car anywhere. Unfortunately, Stewart drives race cars at a level that creates interest beyond his immediate household, [...]
Bring F1 to The Rock
JOLIET, Ill. – It isn’t often that I have a brilliant idea. I normally leave that field to folks like Scooter Libby and Bud Selig and other remarkable thinkers of the age. This one, though, deserves some consideration. You might have noticed among this week’s raft of racing news that the United States Grand Prix, a staple [...]
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Recent Blog Postings
- History in the making
by Art Weinstein | 07/16/2008 - NASCAR should move test session to Atlanta
by Bob Pockrass | 07/16/2008 - NASCAR should add a break before Chase begins
by Rea White | 07/15/2008 - Kyle Busch is the real deal
by Jared Turner | 07/15/2008 - Did you see Busch’s Earnhardt-like move?
by Jeff Owens | 07/14/2008 - Chicagoland's Saturday race was a good move
by Bob Pockrass | 07/14/2008 - Is night racing good for the sport?
by Jeff Gluck | 07/12/2008
Poll Position
How will Tony Stewart fare as a co-owner and driver for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009?