Memorial Day is finally here. Spring is on its way out and the summer sun is here to stay. Baseball is being broadcasted on the radio (or streamed over the internet). Pools and beaches are filling up and boats are being polished up and returned to use.
But one of the greatest events of Memorial Day weekend takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A place where a yard of brick is meant to be kissed and milk is the best thing to wear. The place where blood, sweat, and tears are poured out for the chance to become one of the legends. [keep reading]
The world of NASCAR as we know it was changed when Toyota entered the ranks of racing in 2007 with the Toyota Camry. This got the blood boiling for many fans who took it as a personal affront that a foreign car manufacturer was allowed to race with their beloved Fords, Dodges, and Chevys. The most common argument made was that NASCAR rules state that vehicles competing on the racing circuit must be based on American vehicles. I think we can clear this little misunderstanding up right away.
The Toyota Camry, the nameplate on the 2007 race car, is manufactured in Georgetown, Kentucky. This same Camry has been the best-selling car in the United Stated for years and Toyota employs some 152,000 American workers. It is obvious that Toyota can now be considered as much an American manufacturer as GM and Ford, who still build a significant number of their vehicles in Mexico and Canada.
Plus, Toyota developed their race cars for NASCAR in North Carolina. These facts make Toyota more than qualified to race according to the NASCAR rulebook. And race they have. [keep reading]
In Dale Earnhardt’s 30+ year racing career, he drove a lot of cars. Everyone remembers the black #3 Chevrolet Goodwrench car or the #3 Chevrolet Wrangler car, but there were others. Oh yes, there were many others. Here are some of the best and coolest stock cars ever driven by the legendary Dale Earnhardt.
#3 Wheaties Car
Dale Earnhardt drove this Wheaties car at The Winston in 1997 (currently known as the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race) when he finished second to Jeff Gordon. Team owner Richard Childress said The Winston was one of Earnhardt’s favorites because “it was short, paid a huge purse and we didn’t have to worry about getting in trouble or be worried about the championship.” [keep reading]
Over the years in NASCAR there have been many voices bringing race results and news to fans. Whether it was calling the race like Bob Jenkins or reporting from the pits like Chris Economaki, these talented broadcasters brought NASCAR to life over the airwaves. For the drivers, on air abilities and public personas are keys to making a driver a fan favorite or the one they love to hate.
Let’s take a look at a few of those drivers that draw the crowds as well as the boos like the late Dale Earnhardt, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski who have been known to run their mouths from time to time. [keep reading]
Last week, David Caraviello @dcaraviello argued in an article published on NASCAR that Joe Gibbs Racing was the “biggest off season winner” going into 2013. Caraviello points out JGR’s Sprint Cup drivers makes them heavy favorites to win the Chase next year.
Joe Gibbs Racing stable of drivers for 2013 include Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and the newly-signed Matt Kenseth to replace Joey Logano. While Joe Gibbs has a history of success winning championships, one with Bobby Labonte in 2000 and two more with Tony Stewart in 2002 and 2005, these drivers have long since moved on and JGR’s current drivers only boast two championship wins with other race teams. Kyle Busch hasn’t won a championship since 2004 and Matt Kenseth hasn’t won since 2003. [keep reading]
In the world of competitive racing, there are many different kinds of races but there are few that are as exciting as the good, old dirt track racing. When I heard that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series would be back on the dirt track at the Tony Stewart-owned Eldora Speedway on Wednesday, July 24th for the first time in 43 years, I just had to get an interview to find out more about Eldora and how to get tickets. I gave the track a call and quickly lined up an interview with Roger Slack, the general manager and promoter at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The transcript from our interview follows after the jump. You can also listen to the entire interview here.
Welcome everyone to the Mojo Motors Race Report! Today on the show we have the privilege of hosting @RogerSlack, the general manager and promoter at Eldora Speedway. Eldora just made the big announcement that they are bringing dirt track racing back to the NASCAR circuit by hosting the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. [keep reading]
In 1999 a young Englishman with a heart for people and a passion for racing, made the move to the US to pursue his dream of becoming a professional driver on the open-wheel racing circuit. This is a move that would forever change the world of IndyCar. Dan Wheldon brought so much heart to the world of open-wheel racing, it was impossible not to be caught up in his infectious energy and passion. His love for what he did and the teammates he worked and raced with was evident in his ever present smile. He would stay long after races were finished to talk with fans, take pictures and sign autographs, even when he was the only driver left, which a lot of the time, he was. His heart was huge and his talent behind the wheel of a car was one of greatness.
In the world of US open-wheel racing, there have been a lot of ups, downs and unknowns throughout the years but the sport got a big boost in 2003. Dan Wheldon, a virtual unknown at the time, was signed on to replace a retiring Michael Andretti. He showcased his talents, placed well and ended up winning the Rookie of the Year title. Dan won his first race in 2004 at Twin Ring Motegi and in 2005 he exploded out of the gates winning four out of five races and setting a new record for most wins in a single season, including his first win at the Indianapolis 500. It was the first win at the Indy 500 by British driver since 1966 and the first for Michael Andretti as a team owner. Dan went on from there to dominate in his next two seasons, winning the Championship in 2005 and tying for the Championship in 2006, while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
In early 2007, I decided to take my passion for racing and turn it into a radio show catering to the Tampa Bay market. The Race Report was born. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that it takes awhile to really break into the radio market. Time and again my requests for driver interviews were turned down because my show “did not have a large enough fan base yet.” In February of 2007, I get my first big break when Dan Wheldon, who calls St. Petersburg, FL home, agreed to come on the show. This was going to be a pretty straightforward 10 minute interview. I had prepared all of the questions meticulously and was ready to keep it short and sweet so as not to keep him from what I was assuming were probably more important things, like an interview for SpeedTV or some other big network. Dan had other ideas. [keep reading]
We asked the fans on the Mojo Motors Facebook page what would make the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup better. In the current point system, the 10 drivers with the most regular season points and two wildcard drivers make the 10-race Chase. The two wildcard drivers are selected out of the drivers ranked 11th through 20th with the most points. Here are their suggestions.
10. Eliminate the last driver in the standings each week.
9. Allow points from the regular season to carryover into the Chase
8. Only drivers that qualify for the Chase can race in the final 10 races
7. Add a road course to the Chase like Watkins Glen or Sonoma Raceway
6. Add Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway into the Chase and end the season at Daytona
Disclaimer: The next five suggestions are a little more creative.
We interviewed Jeremy Foley, the race car driver who cheated death a couple of weeks ago after crashing/destroying/totaling his Evolution Dynamics Mitsubishi EVO during the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Listen to the entire interview here or get a recap of the interview to learn more about his HANS device, his daily driver and the roll cage that saved his life after the jump.
There’s something gamers call the Madden Curse and it guarantees if an athlete appears on the cover of the EA Sports Madden NFL video game, their season will be plagued with bad luck. The Curse has been traced back to 1999, but does the curse exist for the drivers on the cover of NASCAR video games? Dale Jr. will appear on NASCAR The Game: Inside Line next month and spoke to USA Today about the curse. Jr. shrugged it off and said as long as Activision is developing the game, not EA Sports, the curse shouldn’t be an issue.
Unlike Madden which is released before the NFL season starts, NASCAR video games have been traditionally released towards the end of the race season in September. As a result, we’ve taken a look at how the drivers featured on the cover of the video game fared in races before September and those after to really see if the Madden curse affects NASCAR too. At the end of each segment we have a verdict for each year. Please note, the year of the game does not coincide with the race season. For example NASCAR 1998 was released in 1997, NASCAR 99 in 1998 and so on.[keep reading]
