Latest Headlines

Comments

charlie on dovchasesun-kurt-busch-winners-circle-2-dover-international-speedway-chase-fall-bure-11
There’s a New Kyle Coming and He’s Coming Fast : NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie on Logano has Dover Crowd on its Feet as Johnson Wins
Charlie Turner on missun-pitstop-in-turn1-michigan-international-speedway-heisler-sum-11
Sloan on NASCAR History: Car Number 46 and Speedy Thompson
Richard Petersen on 5 More Years! 5 More Years!

Sections

NASCAR Pictures: 5 Time Jimmie Johnson

by BethAnne, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I am the field producer/photographer of the syndicated radio show/website ON PIT ROW. When Steve and Charlie ask me to 'jump', I say "Yeah right."

November 22, 2010 11:32 pm CST No Comments

Photos of NASCAR Driver & Sprint Cup Champ Jimmie Johnson

Say what you will about Jimmie Johnson, the man has talent and he long ago earned the right to be respected. Now he has achieved an unprecidented five consecutive cup championships. In those five years, he has raced clean, has never been the in-your-face-asshole type, has always had a positive attitude towards his team, his friends, his family and his fans. So I say congratulations to Jimmie and his crew on a job well done.

: Jimmie Johnson in car ii Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Jimmie Johnson in car Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Jimmie Johnson waiting for qualifying Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Jimmie Johnson on track Chicago 10

: Chad Knaus Texas Motorspeedway 09

: Jimmie Johnson in garage with Chad Knaus Texas Motorspeedway 09

: Jimmie Johnson in garage Texas Motorspeedway 09

: Jimmie Johnson Indianapolis Motorspeedway 10

: Jimmie Johnson Michigan International Speedway spr 10

: Chad Knaus Jimmie Johnson Chandra and daughter on pit road Dover 10 bure

: Jimmie Johnson Chad Knaus victory lane Dover 10 bure

: Jimmie Johnson Rick Hendricks victory lane Dover 10 bure

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler; Last three photos Glenn Bure - OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Chase for the Cup, Hendrick Motorsports, Homestead-Miami Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR photos, Sprint Cup Series, jimmie johnson

Tagged with: Chad Knaus, Chandra Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR pictures, Rick Hendrick

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

NASCAR Race Day Pictures from the Kobalt Tools 500

by BethAnne, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I am the field producer/photographer of the syndicated radio show/website ON PIT ROW. When Steve and Charlie ask me to 'jump', I say "Yeah right."

November 20, 2010 10:29 pm CST No Comments

Photos of NASCAR racers on the track at Phoenix Sunday

On track action from Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at PIR. Congratulations again to Carl Edwards for sweeping the car races. Leave comments if you like what you see, please.

: #11 Denny Hamlin in pit straight Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #1 Jamie McMurray Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #2 Kurt Busch #34 Tony Raines Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #11 Denny Hamlin Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #14 Tony Stewart Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #16 Greg Biffle Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #18 Kyle Busch Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #19 Elliott Sadler Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #24 Jeff Gordon Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #29 Kevin Harvick Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #31 Jeff Burton Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #48 Jimmie Johnson front straight Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #48 Jimmie Johnson turn three Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #78 Ragan Smith Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #83 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #99 Carl Edwards #82 Scott Speed turn three Phoenix International Raceway 10

: #164 Langdon Cassill Phoenix International Raceway 10

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Chase for the Cup, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Elliott Sadler, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Marcos Ambrose, NASCAR, NASCAR photos, Phoenix International Raceway, Red Bull Racing, Regan Smith, Scott Speed, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart, jimmie johnson

Tagged with: Kobalt Tools 500, NASCAR pictures, PIR

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

NASCAR Driver Pictures from Phoenix Sunday

by BethAnne, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I am the field producer/photographer of the syndicated radio show/website ON PIT ROW. When Steve and Charlie ask me to 'jump', I say "Yeah right."

November 19, 2010 10:47 pm CST No Comments

Photos of Sprint Cup Drivers at PIR

I got some nice raceday pics of NASCAR drivers before the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway Sunday. Hope you enjoy them.

: Kurt Busch pre race Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Jimmie Johnson on golf cart Phoenix International Raceway 10

: David Ragan Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Jimmie Johnson waiting for qualifying Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Matt Kenseth helmet Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Joey Logano Phoenix International Raceway 10

: David Ragan pre race Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Regan Smith Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Elliott Sadler in car Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Jeff Burton pre race Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Elliott Sadler pre race Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Kasey Kahne in car Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Juan Pablo Montoya pre race Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Kasey Kahne pre race Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Jamie McMurray Greg Biffle waiting for practice 10

: Kevin Harvick checking radio Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Kevin Harvick pre race Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Bobby Labonte Phoenix International Raceway 10

: Marcos Ambrose pre race Phoenix International Raceway 10

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Bobby Labonte, Chase for the Cup, David Ragan, Elliott Sadler, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Joey Logano, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Marcos Ambrose, Matt Kenseth, NASCAR, NASCAR photos, Phoenix International Raceway, Red Bull Racing, Regan Smith, Sprint Cup Series, jimmie johnson

Tagged with: Kobalt Tools 500, NASCAR pictures

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

NASCAR Fuel Mileage Poker at Phoenix

by Charlie Turner

Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. The best NASCAR and IndyCar news and opinion, exclusive pictures and video. I'm Charlie Turner. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

November 19, 2010 9:59 pm CST No Comments

In poker playing terms Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick went all-in at Phoenix and all of them hit their draws on the river.

They gambled on fuel and made it to the finish.

Denny Hamlin - the Sprint Cup chip leader - folded what might have been the winning hand. I think it was a good lay-down by the way.

The Fed Ex Camry pitted for a splash, and finished outside the top ten after dominating the day.

Hamlin may not be dealt any better hand at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the showdown of NASCAR’s Florida Hold-em tournament. That’s why it’s called gambling when you make a call like Mike Forde’s Sunday. But I like Denny’s position.

So let’s shuffle up and deal.

Photo credit: Round girl Jen by BethAnne Heisler - OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Chase for the Cup, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, NASCAR, Phoenix International Raceway, Sprint Cup Series, jimmie johnson

Tagged with: Chad Knaus, Kobalt Tools 500, Mike Forde, PIR

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Fantasy Pick’Em: 2010 Ford 400

by Chris Leone, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I do weekly Fantasy Pick'Em columns here at OPR, as well as the occasional opinion and analysis piece. I also provide the IZOD IndyCar Series coverage. For more on that, head to my site, OpenWheelAmerica.com. My Twitter handle is @christopherlion.

November 18, 2010 4:26 pm CST No Comments

This is it, folks. The last race of the 2010 Sprint Cup Series season. The Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race for all the marbles in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Three drivers have a shot at the title. Denny Hamlin holds a 15-point lead over four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick, who would have clinched the title under the old points format last week at Phoenix, sits in third, a mere 46 back.

Any of them could win the championship. In effect, it comes down to a win. Hamlin can clinch outright by winning the race. Johnson can do so by winning the race and leading the most laps. Harvick, on the other hand, needs a little more help – and although Johnson and Hamlin can still be beaten with top-10 finishes, the math gets tricky.

It’s the closest Chase title race since its inaugural season in 2004. So let’s forget the normal fantasy stuff this week, and switch it up a bit. We care about three drivers and three drivers only right now. And one of them will be your Sprint Cup champion come Sunday. But who?

Hamlin, of course, controls his own destiny. As we’ve said, if he wins the race, the title is his, no matter what. And Hamlin has won at this track before – last year, in fact, making him the only title contender with a Homestead win. At the beginning of the Chase, he talked about simply making it to the end, because the last few races are when the No. 11 team heats up, and it’s shown in their performance. They’re the best team at the track right now.

But being good and being lucky are two different things, and Hamlin was not lucky last week at Phoenix. Having to pit for fuel very late in the race bounced him back to 12th. While it didn’t slaughter his points lead entirely, it did weaken it severely, and the pressure is on him.

Meanwhile, Johnson must be somewhat refreshed by his new position as the pressuring driver. With Hamlin thrown off by last week’s setback, he and Chad Knaus can try to mess with their key championship rivals on track. After all, they’ve done this before. Four times, to be precise. In a row. What’s a fifth?

Well, none of those previous four were come-from-behind wins. In fact, nobody’s ever come from behind in the Chase to win without holding the points lead with two races to go. It hasn’t been done in Cup since 1992, when Alan Kulwicki did it. And Johnson, with his 12.7 average finish, is actually the worst of the three title contenders at Homestead. While he usually finishes solidly at the track, he’s never capped off any of his title runs there with a win.

So, given all that, I’m going to take the road less traveled and pick Harvick to win the title.

Yup.

If you’ve followed my column all Chase, you’d know that I pick a “lead” driver every week, and I’ve been saving Harvick for this very weekend anyway. With four top-fives in nine starts, he has the best average finish of the title contenders at the track, an 8.4. He’s finished second and third the past two years at Homestead, so he knows what he’s doing.

And I’m going to put my faith in karma – that the driver who dominated the regular season, who should have a 200-plus points lead and his first Cup championship right now, will find a way to get it done – and get a little lucky this weekend.

Game on, gentlemen. It should be a fun show.

Filed under: Homestead-Miami Speedway, One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing

Tagged with: Denny Hamlin, Ford 400, Homestead-Miami Speedway, jimmie johnson, Kevin Harvick, One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

NASCAR Pictures: Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway

by BethAnne, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I am the field producer/photographer of the syndicated radio show/website ON PIT ROW. When Steve and Charlie ask me to 'jump', I say "Yeah right."

November 17, 2010 10:02 pm CST No Comments

Nationwide Series action from PIR

The NASCAR Nationwide Series champion has been crowned, but they still run the races. Here are some photos of Nationwide Series action from the WypAll 200 presented by Kimberly-Clark.