The Granite Stripe Blog
The Granite Stripe Blog
Daytona 500 Fantasy Preview
There's nothing quite like the Daytona 500. It's unique in that it's the season's first race, while also being the season's highest profile race. That's not to suggest that the quality of the race falls off or that the stakes will be lower by the time NHMS gets a few pieces of the pie in the summer. It's just unusual for the "Super Bowl" of the sport to be the first event of the season.
Continue...
It's time to get ready for the 2012 NASCAR season, so let's open up the closet and dust off the flags, as we get ready to wave them.
Who can we expect to have a big season and who might look like they're racing under yellow? Here's a preview of some of the names to keep track of as the pack races to start/finish to open up the season.
Checkered Flag Drivers
Drivers that should lead the pack this season.
There's nothing better than the start of the season! Everyone's in first-place, every fan base is full of optimism and the year is a blank canvas just waiting to have paint thrown on it.
As someone that grew up on "stick and ball" sports, I've always loved that time. Whether it was the freshly-mowed green grass of MLB's Opening Day, the cool autumn breeze for the kickoff of the NFL or the crispness of the rink air for the NHL's first puck drop, the start of the season is always fun.
Continue...
In 2011, we launched The Granite Stripe blog. While fellow blogger Travis Barrett focused on regional racing, I spent my time mainly discussing the Sprint Cup Series, since that's what I knew best in the motorsports world. Each week throughout the season, I'd provide a comprehensive look at my Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing team for the week in hopes that I could introduce the game to NHMS and its fans.
It's 2012 now and it's a big time for me as we have officially launched a Fans of NHMS group on Yahoo. In today's world of social media, fans have a closer interaction with NASCAR and, in our case, a speedway than ever before.
Continue...
Richie Evans was the greatest NASCAR driver never to get behind the wheel for a Cup Series car. Plain and simple.
On Friday, he becomes the first of 15 inductees into NASCAR's Hall of Fame that doesn't have a direct connection to NASCAR's top level. And, while he might never have competed in that series, it'd be unfair to assume that Evans wasn't on that level. That would be a falsehood.
The Rome, N.Y., native won nearly 500 modified races in his life and would drive around Cup level drivers that thought it cute to get behind the wheel of a modified.
Continue...
Romney? Huntsman? Newt? Ron Paul? Santorum? Good with Obama?
Don't answer those questions. The beauty of the sports world is that I can generally stay removed from the political debates that no one ever wins. In politics, the "winner" is usually the person that simply continues talking for longer than everyone else in the room. It's kind of like if NASCAR just had an endurance race and the last car running won.
I don't care who you vote for. But, I do care that you vote.
Continue...
It's a tough time in the auto racing world right now. Unlike other sports where there's over analyzed drafts and extensive free agency, NASCAR tends to have a quieter offseason. Sure, there are some crew chiefs switching pit boxes and drivers swapping rides, but, like the days of December, the NASCAR landscape gets pretty dark this time of year.
At this point, we're left to scour the internet for news on David Ragan's future and hope that The Orange Cone posts another holiday greeting on YouTube.
So, let's share stories about our year.
Continue...
Roger Penske's message was clear and decisive. It brought down the hammer on a long-time driver and set a moral standard that is far too often neglected in sports.
Kurt Busch had driven for Penske since 2006, and the former Sprint Cup champion made three Chases behind the wheel for Penske's team. However, after Busch melted down late in the season and was fined by NASCAR for his antics, Penske made a move that made the most sense for his organization.
He parted ways with Kurt Busch.
Continue...
The tiebreaker for the 2011 Sprint Cup champion was the number of race wins. Naturally, for Carl Edwards and his seven second-place results, he finished the tiebreaker in second.
While champion Tony Stewart amounted five wins in the Chase, he also only came away with nine top-fives and 19 top-10s (just over half, for those of you non-math majors) in 36 races.
Edwards, meanwhile, amassed 19 top-fives (again, over half of the races) and 26 top-10s. Those numbers haven't been matched by anyone since Edwards went 19 and 27 in 2008. Care to guess where he finished that year?
Continue...
NASCAR announced today that the points system all NASCAR national series began using this year will be instituted in the regional touring level for 2012.
The points system was simplified to make it easier for fans, competitors and the industry to understand.
Beginning in 2012, the system will be integrated into the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and NASCAR Mexico Series.
The new structure awards points in one-point increments. As an example, race winners earn 43 points, plus three bonus points for the win. Drivers also can earn an extra point for leading a lap and leading the most laps, bringing the race-winning total to a possible maximum of 48 points.
Continue...