Race Track

Everytime you think NASCAR can't out do its self, they take it up another notch. From the incredible points finish at Homestead, to the crazy start to the season in Daytona. But I would not expect that to continue this week in Phoenix. But that doesn't mean this won't be a great weekend of racing. As we all still remember from last years chase, PIR is still a little bit of an unknown. The track was reconfigured before the fall race. And most of the drivers will tell you, it took a while for the second grove to come in during that race, making passing very difficult.

The Confederate Flag and NASCAR. It's the 800lb gorilla in the middle of every race track.  And I don't care if it's Phoenix, Daytona, Darlington or Kansas. They are as much apart of the sport as the cars, the the gas cans and race haulers. And as much as NASCAR wants to ignore it...it's there. And it's a part of their image. Then there is the General Lee. A fictional car from a 80's television show. Is it named after a civil war general? Yes. Does it have a large confederate flag on the hood?

NASCAR heads to the Texas where every thing is big, including the race track. And the Texas Motor Speedway is one of the fastest track in the Sprint Cup series. It's also a track that doesn't produce a lot of repeat winners, which makes it exciting for the drivers and the fans, because lots of drivers feel like they can win there. “Texas is a great track. It's really challenging," said Jimmie Johnson. "The corner exits creep up on you and you are carrying a ton of speed and it's a narrow transition from the exit of the turn onto the straights.

It was going to be another strong run for the Kansas kid. It was going to be, until Clint Bowyer was spun coming to the checkered flag. After battling back from a tough day, Bowyer went from running into the top ten, to finishing 19th at Martinsville. "We were in position for a top 10, but I got taken out in the last turn," said Bowyer. "It is just frustrating. " That's the bad news. The good news is that NASCAR is off to a track that Bowyer has run well at recently. The 33 was second at Texas in the spring and really could have, should have won. "This track is like Talladega Superspeedway in that we could have won at both of those tracks," said Bowyer.

There is definitely something different about starting the chase at Chicagoland. But I'm all for shaking things up a little bit so lets do it. It's not as if we have a choice anyway. "I'm excited. I love change," said Kevin Harvick, the second seeded driver in the chase. "I think we should change it up every year. Chicago is a great city. There's a lot going on Chicago this weekend as we go there to start the Chase and I'm looking forward to it. " Five time champion Jimmie Johnson agrees.

Rockingham Speedway is pleased to announce that Richmond County and the city of Rockingham, N.C., will once again be home to NASCAR-sanctioned racing with the addition of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 on April 15, 2012. “In 2007, we set a goal to return Rockingham Speedway to its roots,” states Andy Hillenburg, president of Rockingham Speedway. “The introduction of the truck series to Rockingham Speedway is representative of years of hard work and the support of the county, city and state government officials, who understood the positive economic impact a NASCAR-sanctioned race could offer to the Piedmont region.

Why in the year 2011 doesn't every NASCAR sanctioned track have safer barriers (also known as soft walls)? I mean did you see that last lap crash started by Boris Said that slammed David Ragan and David Reuttiman into walls with no safer barriers? Surethey both walked away. But that doesn't negate the fact that NASCAR is playing with fire by continuing to race at tracks that don't have the latest safety features. "It's a shame that a race track that we go to in 2011 doesn't have a better wall design all the way around the racetrack," Ragan said after the race.