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Return of the Spoiler

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

March 28, 2010 9:53 am CDT No Comments

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NASCAR shows off the new spoiler for Sprint Cup cars with a cool graphic.

If you want to actually see what NASCAR’s techies have been talking about for months regarding the new replacement for the much hated wing on the New Car, here you go. The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule may now proceed.

Thanks to NASCAR Media for the graphic.

Filed under: Car of Tomorrow, Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR Tech, Sprint Cup Series

Tagged with: new car, spoiler, wing

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Daytona 500 Shark Fin Soup

by Charlie Turner

February 19, 2010 12:13 am CST No Comments

The 2010 Daytona experience was a little weird. It was.

Don’t get me wrong. Weird can be good.

For example - did you think there was any way to make the Car Formerly Known as “Of Tomorrow” look uglier? That shark fin thing may or may not have made for better racing, but the cars looked like parade floats or something. Not a fan.

I am a fan of Danica Patrick and her fledgling stock car carreer though. Good start. Next.

Nice debut by Martin Truex Jr in the no. 56 NAPA Camry. That Jamie McMurray kid did OK too.

I wonder what kind of odds you could have gotten on Dale Earnhardt Jr finishing as the best of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the 500?

Potholes? You people haven’t seen potholes if you thought that little thing at Daytona was a pothole. Lake Lloyd is a pothole. And everybody watching that race living north of Cincinnati knew that cold patch wasn’t going to work to fix that divot for long. Let me tell you about potholes…

Sprint Cup round two is the Auto Club 500. Jerry Wilson - the Diecast Dude - will be there for On Pit Row. Watch this space, and the Twitterverse, for his updates. It could get interesting.

Photo credit: Round Girl Jen by BethAnne Heisler for On Pit Row

Filed under: Auto Club Speedway, Car of Tomorrow, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR, On Pit Row on the road

Tagged with: Auto Club 500, BethAnne Heisler, Daytona 500, Diecast Dude, Round girl Jen

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Who Killed Talladega?

by Charlie Turner

November 3, 2009 10:10 am CST 1 Comment

So, there I was Sunday with the house all to myself; TV tuned to the NASCAR pre-race ordeal (sound muted), laptop in my…lap, tweeting away, enjoying the repartee, waiting for my afternoon of seat-edged rapture.

And some sumbitch killed my race.

There was more four-wide action at the Bono trailer park than there was at Talladega Super Speedway. Had to be.

I could have set up my chair on an I-75 overpass and watched double-file cruisers for three and a half hours. Some of the cars would have looked better too. That’s right. This race sucked so bad it made me re-start my campaign against the Ugly Little Toad of a car we race now.

There was a bunch of chat before the race about NASCAR’s announced ban on bump-drafting in the corners. Not popular it seems with drivers or fans. But, could that be blamed for the lousy race? This looked like the very first COT race at Talladega. Bad.

With eight laps to go, Ryan Newman’s scary wreck woke everyone up. That’s two ‘Dega races in a row where the roof flaps on the cars (Carl Edwards was the other) acted more like aelerons than anchors. There’s something bad going on with this car.

For years, the Talladega races have been a showcase for what NASCAR should want casual fans to see when they tune in. Exciting, colorful side-by-side-by-side-by-side racing, with tons of passing with a who-knows-who will win, suspense to it.

And some sumbitch killed it.

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

Filed under: Car of Tomorrow, Carl Edwards, NASCAR, NASCAR Trivia, Ryan Newman, Talladega Superspeedway

Tagged with: Amp Energy 500, Round girl Jen

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Logano has Dover Crowd on its Feet as Johnson Wins

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

September 28, 2009 5:40 pm CDT No Comments

Jimmie Johnson took his place at the front of the field at Dover International Raceway.

While Johnson made a mockery of the field at Dover, rookie Joey Logano was capturing the press. Sure Johnson’s victory closed him to within ten points of The Chase leader, Mark Martn, but it was the spectacular wreck that Logano was involved in , that left the crowd concerned.

Logano slowed for traffic in front of him, but Tony Stewart was unable to avoid the car he formerly drove and tagged the back of the #20 sending Logano into the outside retaining wall;followed by a spectacular seven revolution barrel roll down the front stretch at the Monster Mile. “Sliced Bread” left the batterd ride after it had stopped momentarily on it’s driver side door before ending on it’s wheels.

Logano emerged from the damaged car without serious injury and waved to the fans as he made his way to the ambulance for the precautionary ride to the infield care center. This new car once again proved how well it withstands damage and protects the driver.

It also shows that the cars still have a want to get upside down. Roof flaps solved that problem on the old car but the front splitter and rear wing combination have proven to be more of a challenge for the aerodynamicist. By definition the rear wing on the new car is designed to keep the rear of the car on the ground, but when it is turned up-side-down it does as any wing does and creates lift. Once the new car gets upset it doesn’t lend itself to minor mishaps.

NASCAR will figure this out and make the car perform better. It may come with some help from the Nationwide COT as it develops.

This week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW is this:

Should NASCAR and its drivers be concerned with the airborne tendencies of this car?

Let us know what you think and we could use your answer on this weeks radio show. Tune in to ON PIT ROW every Tuesday from 5-7pm ET. You could win a Kevin Harvick bobblehead if you are the Shell-Fuel My Passion Call of the Day.

photo credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

Filed under: Brian France, Car of Tomorrow, Chase for the Cup, Clint Boyer, How to fix NASCAR, Jeff Gordon, NASCAR, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio

Tagged with: jimmie johnson, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart

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Brian France to NASCAR Drivers; “I Care”

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

June 16, 2009 5:34 am CDT 17 Comments

Brian France showed up at Michigan to let everyone know he is involved in fixing what ills NASCAR.

It has been a bit unusual for the Prince of NASCAR to show his face to the crowds at a race sanctioned by his family’s company. But Brian, Jim Hunter and Mike Helton were all at Michigan International Speedway this weekend. NASCAR’s version of the big three wanted to talk with drivers, owners and the media to assure them that racing will go on even if Detroit’s big three aren’t involved.

General Motors now joins Chrysler in scaling back their financial backing brought on since thy both declared bankruptcy. That is where France’s comments become interesting. He told those attending the driver/crew chief meeting that there were other foreign manufacturers interested in coming to NASCAR. While none were ready to make the jump immediately; he could foresee more participation from foreign based manufacturers as long as they had manufacturing facilities also in the United States.

Therein lies the impetus for this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

How will fans react if NASCAR allows other foreign makes into the Cup Series?

Let us know what you think and we could us your answer on this week’s ON PIT ROW radio show heard live from 5-7pm ET at www.onpitrow.com. You can also call the show at 800-645-2946 and possibly win a Kevin Harvick bobblehead if you are chosen “The Shell Nitrogeon Enriched Call of the Day”

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Car of Tomorrow, How to fix NASCAR, Michigan International Speedway, Mike Helton, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media, NASCAR Bidness, NASCAR Rumors, NASCAR officials, Nextel Cup Series, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio

Tagged with: Brian France, Jim Hunter, Mike Helton, MIS

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Joey Logano a Real Gamer at Nashville Superspeedway

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

April 12, 2009 9:49 am CDT 6 Comments

Joey Logano did exactly what everyone has been expecting of him at Nashville; he won a race.

The Connecticut rookie that has been named “sliced bread” for his next best thing promise finally lived up to the hype in a NASCAR race. Because it was a Nationwide Series race and not on the Cup level he still has a way to go before the Joe Gibbs Racing driver lives up to his moniker.

Logano won in the ARCA series in 2008 on his way to NASCAR’s top series in 2009, but the road has been rocky at best throughout his rookie series. The season started with a crash out at Daytona and has never righted itself since.

Logano’s success at Nashville makes one wonder if he might have been better served to have spent an entire season in the Nationwide Series to get a feel for the tracks and environment of the NASCAR big leagues. The no testing policy that NASCAR implemented in the ‘08/’09 off season had an impact on start up and rookie teams. The same reasons that allowed start ups the ability to enter the series were counter-productive to the rookie class.

In a normal year Logano and the #20 team would have spent much of the off season getting him comfortable in the new car. Not only was Logano expected to acclimate himself to the ex-Stewart car and team, he had to learn the nuances of the CoT–a car he had driven sparingly until the start of speed weeks at Daytona.

I boldly predicted in February, on ON PIT ROW the radio show, Logano would not make it to Daytona in July as the driver of that car. There have been rumblings to that effect and a “vote of confidence” from team owner Joe Gibbs. Those VOC’s tend to be a bad omen. Gibbs and Home Depot may not have the ability to hang in with Logano throughout the season. Gibbs may have been better served to have used a seat holder for a year, while Logano perfected his craft in 2009.

He needs to move up the cup ladder quickly over the next five races to prove Gibbs confidence is warranted. Nashville may give Logano exactly what he needed–a win to get things moving in the right direction.

Photo credit: John Sommors II - Getty Images for NASCAR

Filed under: Car of Tomorrow, Daytona 500, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano, NASCAR Rumors, Nationwide Series

Tagged with: Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano, NASCAR, Nashville Superspeedway

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