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Earl Stoudt on NASCAR Pictures from Pocono Raceway Saturday
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Hollywood Evicted from Hotel? Say it Ain’t So

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

October 1, 2011 6:46 am UTC No Comments

Do we really need more Waltrip-ness in NASCAR?

Michael Waltrip is replacing Hollywood Jeff Hammond in Fox’s Hollywood Hotel pre-race and in-race TV segments for the 2012 Sprint Cup season.

No offence Mikey, but that is gonna suck. Here’s why. There’s just too much Waltrip on the NASCAR-network already. I like these guys. I don’t even mind Boogity-Boogity, but between Michael’s and Darrell’s commercials and their, already pervasive presence in race coverage I get plenty of Waltrip. Jeff Hammond was a nice break from it all. Hollywood will be a great pit reporter.

I think that one of the reasons TV ratings for the actual races have declined in recent seasons is that there is SO MUCH TV NASCAR available, throughout the week, that folks feel its’s OK to miss a 3-plus hour, live race broadcast because they can get the highlights somewhere during their schedule. I can’t help but think that further saturating the NASCAR-air, even though it’s different, may drive more viewers away from the actual race coverage.

That’s just me, maybe. But the best NAPA Know How commercials are the ones with Martin Truex Jr in them, without Mikey.

Filed under: Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Hammond, Michael Waltrip, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media

Tagged with: Fox Sports, Hollywood Hotel

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NASCAR Pictures from Pocono Raceway Saturday

by Charlie Turner

June 5, 2010 11:39 pm UTC 1 Comment

Glenn Bure is at the track for the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 weekend. Here is a selection of his NASCAR photos from Saturday’s practice at the Tricky Triangle with some bonus photos of Elliott Sadler doing Trackside Live!

: Elliot Sadler Trackside at Pocono

: Sadler, Hammond and Byrnes Trackside

: Elliott Sadler on the track at Pocono

: Mark Martin at speed

: Carl Edwards Pocono Raceway

: Kyle Busch Pocono Raceway 2010

: Denny Hamlin on the track at Pocono

: Casey Mears in the Red Bull Camry at Pocono

: Mark Martin on the track at Pocono

: Kevin Harvick at Pocono Raceway

: Martin Truex Jr at Pocono Raceway

Photo credit for all: Glenn Bure for OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Casey Mears, Denny Hamlin, Elliott Sadler, Jeff Hammond, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR, NASCAR photos, Pocono Raceway

Tagged with: NASCAR pictures, Speed TV Gillete Fusion ProGlide 500, Steve Byrnes, Trackside Live

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Kyle Busch Wins Food City 500–While Earnhardt Fans are left to Wonder

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Over ten years on the air and three on the net; see what can happen when I don't let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

March 23, 2009 8:56 pm UTC 3 Comments

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin battled past the scheduled end at Bristol.

Hamlin was chasing Busch when JGR rookie Joey Logano blew an engine causing the race to finish in a green-white-checkers fashion. Busch dominated the race, leading the most laps, on his way to a second consecutive win.

While the Gibbs boys were on their way to a one-two finish, a trio of Hendrick Motorsport drivers were busy finishing in the top six. Jeff Gordon took his fourth place finish and continues to lead the Sprint Cup standings. Jimmie Johnson finished third while leading 88 laps, second only to race winner Busch. Mark Martin started on the pole for the second week in a row and finished sixth.

Missing in the Hendrick good finishes again was Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Junior took his Chevrolet to a respectable 14th place finish. But when your teammates finish in the top six, more is expected from the fourth driver. When that success doesn’t happen regularly, questions begin to be raised. The restless start calling for heads to be put on chopping blocks.

Check out Charlie’s post: Earnhardt, Jr. to Dump Eury, Jr: Signs may be Pointing that Way. Charlie chronicles comments by Jeff Hammond about the lack of success coming from the cousin combo.

Which gives us this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Whose decision should it be whether to replace Tony Eury, Jr?

Let us know what you think and we may use your comments on this week’s ON PIT ROW radio show. Listen live from 5-7pm ET Tuesdays here. Call in to The Bench Racing Hotline at 800-645-2946

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Bristol Motor Speedway, Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jeff Hammond, Jimmy Johnson, NASCAR, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio

Tagged with: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, jimmie johnson, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin

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Digger Must Die

by Charlie Turner

March 1, 2009 10:49 pm UTC 40 Comments

I am four weeks into the extra six weeks of winter that some ground hog promised us, after seeing his shadow, and I have revenge on my mind. Maybe that’s why Fox Sports Digger-cam darlin’ is bothering me so much. The fact is, after watching today’s Sprint Cup race – the Shelby 427 – from sunny, warm, summer-like Las Vegas Motor Speedway, I’d say that Fox TV execs may have been impressed by the amount of anger their little Track Rat brought on after the California race. Unless I missed something, Digger appearances were down this week.

I don’t mind Fox using the cartoon to brand their Digger-cam, track level camera. In fact, I agree with Bruce at NASCAR Bits that a piece on the technical aspects of the actual camera would be interesting. Bruce has his own rant about the Race Rodent that was his part of our Tight in Turn Two blog last week.

I’m with you on the tech aspects of the Digger-cam Bruce. That would be worth a look. Maybe Fox could do a segment during the Simpsons. You know – a NASCAR segment during a prime time Fox cartoon show. Just imagine the reaction of Simpsons’ fans to a NASCAR show breaking out in the middle of their favorite Sunday night television.

Nah. They’d never make that kind of programming mistake.

And since we’re talking about Vegas, if you are thinking of doing any actual NASCAR betting you would be well served by finding actual NASCAR odds at a service that is involved in online wagering or something. We, most assuredly, are not.

Photo(shop) credit: BethAnne Heisler for OnPitRow.com with an assist from Angel_Nurse at Photobook.

Filed under: Auto Club Speedway, Comics, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Hammond, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media, Shut Up and Drive, Sprint Cup Series

Tagged with: Digger, Fox Sports, irritating cartoon characters, Jeff Hammond, Larry McReynolds, media hype, Mike Joy, NASCAR betting, NASCAR odds, NASCAR toons, online waggering, The Simpsons, toons

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Smarter than the Average NASCAR Bear

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Over ten years on the air and three on the net; see what can happen when I don't let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

December 1, 2008 10:26 pm UTC No Comments

NASCAR teams may well be the smartest group of individuals assembled of any major sport.

The stick and ball sports are ripe with the stories of dumb athletes; who in spite of their own stupidity can excel in their chosen profession. You don’t have to look too far back into history to see some of America’s most revered athletes doing something that defies reason. The NFL alone has the likes of “Pacman” Jones, Michael Vick and Ricky Williams; who not only have done some stupid things, but illegal as well.

Compare that to the hundreds of NASCAR drivers, owners and team members that are rarely involved in these stupid acts. Could it be that NASCAR team mates just need to use their brains to solve the challenges of this sport, more than raw physical ability? NASCAR teams have engineers in all facets of the sport including the likes of drivers Ryan Newman and the late Alan Kulwicki.

Getting a 3500 pound race car to do what is necessary to make consistant fast laps falls onto the shoulders of the teams to out think the car. Maybe the days of Cale or the Allisons or Pearson muscling a car for 500 miles are long gone because race teams have found ways to work smarter and not harder.

And if the teams are smarter than most then it stands to reason that the fans are smarter than those of other sports.

This leads us to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

If you had the power to change one thing, and one thing only, about NASCAR, what would it be?

Let us know what you think and we may use your comment on this weeks ON PIT ROW radio show. Listen live at 5pm ET on Tuesdays at www.onpitrow.com

Image credits: Hanna Barbara, findagrave.com

Filed under: Brian France, Jeff Hammond, NASCAR, NASCAR Bidness, Nascar Legends, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio

Tagged with: Bobby Allison, Cale Yarbrough, David Pearson, Donnie Allison

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Watch the Dodge Boys at Infineon

by Charlie Turner

June 19, 2008 11:47 pm UTC 3 Comments

I have been looking through the entry list for the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. I had plans to write something about road course ringers or some such. Fact is, there aren’t that many ringers any more. But there are an awful lot of experienced road racers driving Dodges this weekend in wine country.

Start with the Ganassi Racing trio of defending race winner Juan Pablo Montoya and teammates Dario Franchitti and Scott Pruett – strongest driver line-up in the race. Gillette- Everham has red hot Kasey Kahne with Patrick Carpentier – who will be good – and Elliott Sadler. Penske’s Kurt Busch is strong here as is Ryan Newman and Sam Hornish Jr is experienced turning both ways. The Labonte brothers will make Petty Enterprises a factor. Robby Gordon might be a favorite to win this thing.