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FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s Top Five Ride Momentum Into Race 14 In Pocono

June 8, 2013 by thefinallap 1 Comment

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series climbs up to the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania for a challenging race on the 2.5-mile triangle with 14 degree banking at Pocono Raceway.

by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com

This race is named the Party in the Poconos 400 presented by Walmart, but the track is known as The Tricky Triangle. NASCAR drivers past and present respect this fast track that opened in August 4, 1974. A recent re-pavement has rendered most historic data inadequate so teams will look forward to practice time with keen awareness.

Rainy weather may interfere with anticipated adjustment laps.

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Filed under Columns Tagged with Dwight Drum, NASCAR, racetake.com

FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s 7 Winners In 2013 Charge Into Race 13 At Dover

May 31, 2013 by thefinallap

FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s 7 winners in 2013 charge into race 13 at Dover

by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com

As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit rolls into race 13 at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Delaware, seven drivers bring wins to the garage where teams will prepare for the “Monster Mile.”

Matt Kenseth leads the victory pack with three wins. Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick have won twice this year. Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards and David Ragan have one win each.

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Filed under Columns Tagged with Dwight Drum, racetake.com

Column: Is winning Bruton Smith’s $1-million bonus a realistic possibility?

May 18, 2013 by thefinallap 1 Comment

May 17, 2013

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

CONCORD, N.C.—Kyle Busch calls it a 300-to-1 shot.

Jimmie Johnson, on the other hand, doesn’t discount the prospect of winning Bruton’s Big Bonus nearly that much.

Track owner Bruton Smith, chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., has offered a $1-million bonus to any driver who can win all five segments of Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That’s in addition to the $1-million top prize already on the line for the winner of the non-points NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

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Filed under Columns Tagged with All Star Race, bonus, Bruton Smith, dollar, million

FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s Leaders With Jimmie Johnson Won’t Lose Points In Charlotte

May 16, 2013 by thefinallap 2 Comments

Big reality—The Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway will go about 90 laps 135 miles in five segments on the 1.5-mile track this Saturday night in Concord, N.C. and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points lead will not change.

by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com

The popular fan friendly and fan-influenced All-Star race is not a NSCS point race at all. It’s a race for bragging rights and maybe $1 million dollars in prize money. This event is a prelude show for NASCAR’s longest race, the Coke 600 the following week.

As most of the NASCAR drivers have homes in the Charlotte area both races allow them the luxury of local travel distances and the comfort of sleeping in their own beds for two weeks.

The All-Star race also helps drivers and teams to gain data on CMS for the long Coke 600.

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Filed under Columns Tagged with All Star Race, Charlotte, Dwight Drum, racetake.com

FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s Fastest With Dale Earnhardt Jr. Talk Wall Hits At Darlington

May 9, 2013 by thefinallap 1 Comment

Darlington Speedway walls always win. Ask any NASCAR driver, past or present.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series roars to action during the Bojangles’ Southern 500 May 11 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

by Dwight Drum at http://Racetake.com

When the popular circuit haulers roll into Darlington Speedway, teams will return to familiar territory.

The track “Too Tough to Tame” designed after Indianapolis Motor Speedway and built on 400 acres, but crimped by the existence of a fishing pond was created in 1950. Darlington’s 1.366-mile oval with 25 degree banking has been a wall-banger ever since.

Harold Brasington, track owner, wanted to develop a true oval, but the landowner, Sherman Ramsey, didn’t want his minnow pond disturbed. The west end of the track (Turns 3 and 4) had to be narrowed thus creating an egg-shaped design.

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Filed under Columns Tagged with Dwight Drum, racetake.com

NASCAR Cup Series Recap: David Ragan Beats Goliaths In Astonishing Race At Talladega

May 5, 2013 by thefinallap 5 Comments

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

TALLADEGA, Ala.–In the type of stunning victory that has typified racing at Talladega Superspeedway since its inception, David Ragan led an extraordinary 1-2 finish for Front Row Motorsports, which had never won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race before Sunday.

David Gilliland pushed Ragan, his teammate, to the lead on the final circuit in a green-white checkered-flag finish that took Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 four laps past its scheduled distance of 188 laps. Gilliland came home second, followed by pole sitter Carl Edwards, Michael Waltrip and series leader Jimmie Johnson.

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Filed under Columns Tagged with NASCAR, recap, results, Talladega

FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s Top 5 Aces With Dale Earnhardt Jr. Talk Talladega Race 10

May 2, 2013 by thefinallap

Here’s one for the BIG ONE.

FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s top 5 aces with Dale Earnhardt Jr. talk Talladega race 10

by Dwight Drum at http://Racetake.com

NASCAR’s longest rack, the 2.66-mile tri-oval Talladega Superspeedway, began a lengthy history on 2000 acres with its inaugural race on September 14, 1969. Ever since then NASCAR drivers have been challenged by the wide surface with 33 degree banking.

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Filed under Columns Tagged with Dwight Drum, racetake.com

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