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J.C. McKinney on Dave Marcis vs Terry Labonte: NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Drivers Match Up
Earl Stoudt on NASCAR Pictures from Pocono Raceway Saturday
Pauline on NASCAR Transporters
C5Speed on Would You Rather be NASCAR Driver Kyle Busch or Dale Earnhardt Jr?
steve schloz on NASCAR! Danica Patrick and Tissot Watches are Giving it Away

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Chase History: Charlotte Motor Speedway

by Chris Leone, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2012 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.

October 15, 2011 12:30 pm UTC No Comments

Jimmie Johnson pit lane New Hampshire

The meat and potatoes of the Chase for the Sprint Cup has always consisted of 1.5-mile tri-ovals, of which Charlotte Motor Speedway has always been the standard. The host of the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend, its 500-mile race in October has always been an important part of the Chase. This year, it will mark the halfway point in the playoffs.

The track used to be called Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and while that was due to a contract between the hardware store and the track, it might as well have been the case because Lowe’s driver Jimmie Johnson owned it in the early years of the Chase. Johnson won the first two Chase races at Charlotte, in 2004 and 2005, and used a win there in 2009 to pull away from Mark Martin in that year’s title hunt.

But Johnson isn’t the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to put on a show at Charlotte. Jeff Gordon scored his first career win in the 1994 Coca-Cola 600, but it was in 2007 when Gordon took a Chase victory after inheriting the lead from Ryan Newman, who crashed in the race’s final laps. Gordon must be cursing the format, though; while he still led the Chase points by 68 over Johnson after that race, he would’ve had almost a 500 point lead under the old system.

Last year’s winner wasn’t a Chase driver, but his ability to win directly influenced the structure of the Chase this year. By taking last year’s Bank of America 500, Jamie McMurray scored wins at the three most prominent tracks on the NASCAR schedule – Daytona, Indianapolis, and Charlotte. It was in response to this that NASCAR set aside the final two Chase spots for “wild card” drivers – the two drivers with the most wins between 11th and 20th in points. (McMurray was 14th after Richmond and would have made it in under this system.)

Filed under: Chase for the Cup, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, jimmie johnson, Lowes Motor Speedway

Tagged with: Bank of America 500, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chase for the Cup, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, jimmie johnson

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NASCAR Pictures: Friday Qualifying for the Sylvania 300

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

September 24, 2011 9:33 pm UTC No Comments

Exclusive NASCAR photos from New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Our intrepid photog Glenn Bure was there and firing on all cylinders for the Friday Sprint Cup practice and qualifying action at The Magic Mile in Loudon. Nice work Glenn.

Photo credit: Glenn Bure – OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Brad Kesolowski, Carl Edwards, Chase for the Cup, Clint Boyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, NASCAR, NASCAR photos, New Hampshire International Speedway, NewHampshire Motor Speedway, Red Bull Racing, Ryan Newman, Stewart Haas Racing, The Busch Bros, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Loudon, Magic Mile, NASCAR pictures, sylvania 300

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NASCAR Pictures: Sunday Action at Pocono Raceway

by Charlie Turner

September 22, 2011 7:14 pm UTC No Comments

Exclusive Pocono 500 NASCAR race action and Driver photos

On Pit Row photographer Glenn Bure will be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend capturing all three days Nationwide Series and Chase to the Sprint Cup action on the track and in the garage. we thought we’d give you a little taste of what to expect with some bonus images from the last Pocono weekend. Enjoy and leave Glenn some comments about his work.

Photo credit: Glenn Bure – OnPitRow.com

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Brad Kesolowski, Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, Clint Boyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Ragan, David Reutimann, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, jimmie johnson, Joe Nemechek, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth, NASCAR, NASCAR photos, NewHampshire Motor Speedway, Paul Menard, Pocono Raceway, Robby Gordon, Ryan Newman, The Busch Bros, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Glenn Bure, NASCAR pictures, Pennsylvania 500, sylvania 300

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NASCAR Pictures: Friday from Michigan Speedway

by BethAnne, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2012 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."

August 20, 2011 9:22 pm UTC 1 Comment

Exclusive NASCAR driver photos from MIS

Camping World Truck Series action and Sprint Cup Series pre-qualifying shots Friday from Michigan International Speedway. Enjoy!

: Kurt Busch and girlfriend Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Jeff Gordon Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Tony Stewart Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Ryan Rocketman Newman going to qualify Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Jeff Gordon signing autographs Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Kasey Kahne Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Jamie McMurray and Matt Kenseth Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Kyle Busch Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Landon Casill and Regan Smith Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Todd The Onion Bodine and wife Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Trevor Bayne and David Reutimann Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Travis Kvapil Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: JJ Yeley qualifying Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Kyle Busch in truck Camping World Truck Series sum heisler 11

: Kevin Harvick Camping World Truck Series sum heisler 11

: Mark Martin Camping World Truck Series Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Justin Lofton Camping World Truck Series Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Parker Kligerman Camping World Truck Series Michigan International Speedway sum heisler 11

: Brendan Gaughan in Truck Camping World Truck Series sum heisler 11

: misfri JC strapping in Camping World Truck Series sum heisler 11

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler – OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Camping World Truck Series, David Reutimann, J J Yeley, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Michigan International Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR photos, Red Bull Racing, Regan Smith, Ryan Newman, Sprint Cup Series, Trevor Bayne

Tagged with: Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR pictures, Pure Michigan 400

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Win up to $1,000,000 with DIRECTV’s NASCAR Head 2 Head Knock Out!

by Charlie Turner

July 25, 2011 5:06 pm UTC No Comments

Includes printable NASCAR Head2Head Knockout Game bracket pdf

That’s right, NASCAR and the DIRECTV folks are rolling out a new and unique NASCAR fantasy game. 32 of the top drivers will be selected and seeded in a tournament style head to head single elimination bracket (think March Madness) Fans will then be able to choose the winners of each match-up for a chance to win up to a million bucks or a new truck.

The winning driver in each head to head match-up will advance to race another day. The game kicks off with the Pocono race August 7th and runs for three weeks until the “Fastest Four” are left. Those four drivers will race for the Championship at Bristol Motor Speedway August 27th.

The fan with the most accurate picks will win a truck from the manufacturer of the car driven by the winning driver. If Chevy driver Tony Stewart wins it all, the fan with the best record will win a Chevy truck. A fan with a perfect bracket has a chance at $1,000,000.

The drivers will be competing on behalf of their favorite charities, with a total of $400,000 to be awarded to support great causes. The contest starts August 7, so make sure to get your entries in soon. Click here to get set up.

This is a cool deal, with serious prizes. It’s a simple game to play, but you don’t have to rely on luck to win. Take a look at a couple of the first round match ups.

I’m not sure how they went about seeding this thing. Looks like maybe they went by championship points with the driver with the highest point total matched to the guy with the lowest. This might make for easy pickings in the first round. Maybe.

Carl Edwards is matched with Casey Mears, and you would need a big pair of rocks to take Mears. But the Matt Kenseth vs Jamie McMurray match up is a different story.

Kenseth is 6th in Sprint Cup points and has a couple wins, while McMurray has had a dismal season compared to 2010. But comparing their respective stats for Pocono Raceway makes the choice tougher. Kenseth still has the edge, but not a huge one. And if you look at stats for Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well – a track that is very similar in character to Pocono – you see the same thing. This race could go either way.

We will have a special section in the On Pit Row newsletter during the Head 2 Head Knockout game. I’ll give you my picks and tell you my thinking. Who knows; if it helps you win a million bucks, maybe you’ll start returning my calls. Click here to download a printable Head 2 Head Knockout Game bracket.

Anyway, the DIRECTV NASCAR Head 2 Head Knock Out game sounds like fun. Tell us what you think, and share your strategy with us in the comment section.

This post is sponsored by DIRECTV.

Filed under: Bristol Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards, Casey Mears, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media, NASCAR 64 Greatest Driver Tourney, Pocono Raceway

Tagged with: Direct TV, DIRECTV, NASCAR contests, NASCAR Direct TV HeadtoHead Knockout game, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming

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