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THA TENACIOUS TALLADEGA TOAD!

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by Art Almond, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2012 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

Awright y'all... I'm tha crazy dude that is known as... "Drawer-Dude" I draw funny pictures of this racin' cartoon character that I created... known as "PIT-ROAD-TOAD! You can see more Toad-Toons at my blog site... RACIN' RUCKUS

April 22, 2009 4:44 pm UTC 3 Comments

 

Talladega… Here we come!

As far as restrictor plate tracks go…Talladega is the “Mac-Daddy”! Constructed in the in 1960’s over an old abandoned airport, this track offers some the best restrictor plate racing NASCAR has to offer. At 2.66 miles this the largest oval track raced in today’s NASCAR events.

 Often referred to as simply… “Dega”… it is owned by International Speedway Corporation, and controlled by the France family. This facility can seat up to 175,000 fans.

Speeds in excess of 200 mph were a one time commonplace at Talladega. Talladega Superspeedway has the record for the fastest recorded speed by a NASCAR stock car in a closed oval course, with the record of 216.309 mph set by Rusty Wallace on June 9, 2004. Wallace circled the 2.66-mile trioval in 44.270 seconds! Go Rusty!

Above the TOAD offers up a plate of his own “restricted” fuel flow!

 

Filed under: Comics, NASCAR, Nextel Cup Series, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Pit Road Toad, Rusty Wallace, Sprint Cup Series, The France Famliy 

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NASCAR Once Again Proves Who’s in Charge

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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.

January 19, 2009 9:03 pm UTC 3 Comments

When Budweiser was supplanted by Coors as the sponsor of NASCAR’s pole award, changes needed to be made with the Bud Shootout.

The season opening invitational exhibition race that had been for the previous years pole winners and assorted other notables, such as past Bud Shootout winners, had to change course.  After all the race that was sponsored and named for one beer company couldn’t be promoting drivers, teams and sponsors who had won another beer companies pole award.  More simply; it would be awkward for drivers who won Coors pole awards to be racing in the Budweiser Shootout.

NASCAR changed the rules for entry into The Shootout to avoid this awkwardness by basing entry on  manufacturers points from 2008.  This seemed like a great idea until drivers started changing teams, teams started folding and drivers became owners using different makes of race cars.

However NASCAR ran the numbers and the new #14 of Tony Stewart wasn’t going to be included in the New Bud Shootout.  No problem–lets change the rules.  Let’s throw in a wild card–yeah a wild card will make this all work.  We’ll base it on past champions for each car make and if there isn’t a past champion then it can be almost anyone who drives for any manufacturer.  This just shows that indeed NASCR is in charge of it’s race series and whatever needs to be done will be done to ensure that the drivers that need to be present will be present.  Tony should be in the Shootout, but how he got there is pretty convoluted.

And all this leads to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Why did NASCAR add the “wild card” to the Bud Shootout now?

Let us know what you think and we could use your comment on this weeks show.  Tune in to ON PIT ROW Tuesdays from 5-7pm ET at www.onpitrow.com

Filed under: NASCAR, NASCAR Rumors, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Sprint Cup Series, Stewart Haas Racing, The France Famliy, Tony Stewart 

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What Do You Call the Pennant Race in NASCAR?

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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 7, 2008 7:10 am UTC No Comments

First baseball had its “Pennant Race”. You can take those words – “pennant race” – and put them on your car or in the name of your bar and nobody in a three-piece and cleats is going to show up with a cease and desist order.

NASCAR calls their deal the “Race to the Chase”. That’s not bad I guess, but the France family is pretty protective of their branded properties. Try calling your Swedish Spa, Olga’s Race to the Chase and Brian Francewill own your ass. I need something that I can play with in relative, judicial safety.

But baseball still has its “Pennant Fever”. The suits in Daytona haven’t put the yellow, red, purple and blue striped logo on anything like that yet. So what would the, uh, stock car version of that saying be?

Something like “Road Race Rash”? Nah, no road courses in the Chase.  Maybe the “Homestead Trots”.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Filed under: Chase for the Cup, NASCAR Bidness, Shut Up and Drive, The France Famliy 

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Junior Johnson’s trying to haul his moon to Daytona

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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

February 7, 2008 8:45 am UTC 4 Comments

Moonshine and NASCAR - now that’s getting back to your roots.

Untitled PostNASCAR legend Junior Johnson is going to drive the pace car at the 2008 Daytona 500. That’s fantastic. I wonder if Tony Stewart will bump draft him during the yellows?

On top of Junior in the Pace Car, Johnson’s Midnight Moon will be sponsoring Jeremy Mayfield’s Chevy for Haas CNC Racing. Piedmont Distillers, the makers of Junior’s legal shine is hoping that the exposure will help the company enter the Florida market. If this doesn’t work out guys, maybe Junior could go back into runnin’ it hisownself.

Please tell me that Brian France has something to do with all of this. What a way to connect the 50th Daytona 500 to NASCAR’s past. NASCAR and moonshine – what next? Maybe Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison can have a book signing and knuckle munching session, after the race, on the infield grass.

Filed under: Daytona 500, Haas CNC Racing, Jeremy Mayfield, NASCAR, NASCAR Bidness, Nascar Legends, Sprint Cup Series, The France Famliy, Tony Stewart 

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Geeked over the Rolex 24

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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

January 25, 2008 11:59 pm UTC 1 Comment

25 Daytona Prototypes will start the 46th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway tomorrow. That should give some comfort to NASCAR fans who are nervous about the future competitiveness of the Racer Formerly Known as CoT.

Gurney_johnson_fogarty_vasser_dayto
Daytona Prototypes were introduced to skeptical sportscar racing fans in 2002 by, basically the same folks who are force-feeding you that other car.  The field for the 2002 Rolex included only a handful of DPs – and they weren’t very fast – or very pretty. 

The Grand Am Series‘ new-at-the-time stewards – that would be the Family France – said many of the same things about DPs back then as they have been telling NASCAR fans about CoTs.  They’ll save teams money.  It’s a safer car.  We won’t permit any cheating.  You’ll grow to think they’re cute.

Whether or not the new NASCAR-car makes for better racing is up in the air.  Way up there, in fact.  But there is really no argument that the DP saved big league sportscar racing in this country.  That field tomorrow is big, competitive and – with the sponsor decal-friendly broad sides, hoods and tops – colorfully NASCAR-like.

And….and…. it will be a real race -  Finally

Picture credit: John Raoux/Associated Press

Filed under: Car of Tomorrow, Chip Ganassi Racing, Jimmy Johnson, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, The Busch Bros, The France Famliy 

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Brian France the sixth most powerful person in sports

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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 28, 2007 4:23 pm UTC 1 Comment

Did you notice this week that Business Week, in collaboration with ESPN the Magazine tackled the problem of ranking the sport’s world’s top 100 most influential individuals, in what they modestly termed "a mammoth and challenging project".

Boss_hog No doubt it was.

While listening to the mainstream sports media noodle this story over the past few days, I found the same anti-NASCAR bias blathered as is always the case when the stick and ball boobs are forced to act like they know what NASCAR is – and that real people, with full sets of teeth actually pay attention to it.  I know it bothers many of you as well.

Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO, is listed as the sixth most influential or powerful figure in the mega billion dollar sports business game.  Here is the top ten, in case you missed it.

1. Roger Goodell Commissioner, NFL
2. Tiger Woods Golfer
3. David Stern Commissioner, NBA
4. George Bodenheimer President, ESPN, ABC Sports; co-chairman, Disney Media Networks
5. Bud Selig Commissioner, MLB
6. Brian France Chairman, CEO NASCAR
7. Dick Ebersol Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics
8. Phil Knight Chairman, Nike
9. Sean McManus President, CBS News and Sports
10. Rupert Murdoch

Chairman, CEO, News Corp

Not bad company there, Brian.  Other notable representatives of the so-called major leagues follow.

23. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

27. Gary Bettman

Commissioner, NHL

30. Roger Federer

 Tennis player

57. Bernie Ecclestone

 Head of Formula 1

Fear not, fellow red necks.  There appears to be hope for us after all.

Let’s go racin’ Y’all.

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR & the Media, NASCAR Bidness, The France Famliy 

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