Latest Headlines

Comments

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
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
Sloan on NASCAR History: Car Number 46 and Speedy Thompson

Sections

NASCAR Pictures: Helluva Good! Sunday at MIS

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."

June 26, 2011 5:22 am UTC No Comments

Exclusive Photos of NASCAR Action at Michigan Speedway

Sunday at Michigan International Speedway was an exciting day at the races. I got some nice photos on the track of the action.

: #2 Brad Keselowski Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

: #00 David Reutimann #32 Mike Bliss #31 Jeff Burton three wide Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

: #1 Jamie McMurray #24 Jeff Gordon #33 Clint Bowyer #20 Joey Logano #78 Regan Smith Michigan international Speedway spr heisler 11

: #11 Denny Hamlin #17 Matt Kenseth Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

: #17 Matt Kenseth #22 Kurt Busch Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

: #18 Kyle Busch #16 Greg Biffle Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

: #21 Trevor Bayne Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

: #24 Jeff Gordon #5 Mark Martin Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

: #29 Kevin Harvick Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

: #33 Clint Bowyer Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

: #48 Jimmie Johnson Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

: #56 Martin Truex Jr #2 Brad Keselowski #31 Jeff Burton Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

: #56 Martin Truex Jr #4 Kasey Kahne Michigan International Speedway spr heisler- 1

: #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr #83 Brian Vickers #39 Ryan Newman #29 Kevin Harvick #43 AJ Allmendinger Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

: #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr Michigan International Speedway spr heisler 11

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler – OnPitRow.com

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Brad Kesolowski, Brian Vickers, Clint Boyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Reutimann, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, jimmie johnson, Jimmy Johnson, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Michigan International Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR photos, Regan Smith, Ryan Newman, Trevor Bayne

Tagged with: Helluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400, NASCAR pictures

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

The Kez Wins One for the Captain

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 6, 2010 7:32 pm UTC No Comments

Brad Keselowski showed maturity – yep he did – in closing out his first NASCAR series championship at Texas Motor Speedway.

In doing so, The Kez brought one of auto racings’ most accomplished team owners his first NASCAR championship too.

Keselowski followed his two closest Nationwide Series championship contenders – Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch – to the finish line at TMS. He locked up the NNWS for Roger Penske, and himself, by doing so.

Penske has more racing championships than Keselowski has enemies, but this was The Captain’s first in NASCAR.

Rusty Wallace couldn’t bring one home. Nor did Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch or IRL Champ Sam Hornish Jr.

Congratulations Brad. You done the Captain proud.

Photo credit: Glenn Bure – OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Brad Kesolowski, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, NASCAR, Nascar Legends, Nationwide Series, Penske Racing, Rusty Wallace, Ryan Newman, Sam Hornish Jr

Tagged with: NNWS, Roger Penske

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Coke Throws a Big NASCAR Barbeque

by Charlie Turner

May 28, 2010 9:40 pm UTC No Comments

The Coca Cola folks always have something big cooked up for the Coca Cola 600 weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Thousands of fans turned out for the Coca-Cola Family Track Walk and Quarter-Mile Cookout at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, May 28. The event gave fans an opportunity to get active by walking the entire length of the 1.5-mile track, followed by a free cookout on the nation’s longest grill.

Coca-Cola Racing Family driver Ryan Newman used an oversized match to light 7,000 pounds of charcoal ablaze in a quarter-mile-long grill. Newman was joined by fellow drivers Michael Waltrip, Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer for the cookout and the Coca-Cola Family Track Walk.

Ryan Newman waved the green flag to start the Coca-Cola Family Track

Walk. Afterward they feasted on free chicken and burgers cooked on a quarter-mile-long grill, positioned in the track’s infield.

Coca-Cola Racing Family members Michael Waltrip (left) and Joey Logano competed in a spoon race. Logano won the competition when Waltrip fumbled the egg from his spoon in the closing steps of the final lap. The Track Walk reminded the thousands of fans on hand how simple and fun getting active can be.

Photo credit: Harold Hinson

Filed under: Clint Boyer, Joey Logano, Michael Waltrip, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media, Ryan Newman

Tagged with: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Coca Cola 600, Coca-Cola Racing Family, nation's longest grill

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Did Old Spice Pave the Way For Budweiser at Stewart-Haas?

by Charlie Turner

May 18, 2010 12:20 pm UTC 3 Comments

The news last Tuesday that Proctor and Gamble was going to pull its Old Spice sponsorship of Tony Stewart’s race cars certainly wasn’t good for Stewart-Haas Racing.

Tony Stewart’s year-plus stewardship of the team Gene Haas built has been mostly, wildly successful. The #14 has been solidly sponsored by Old Spice and Office Depot. But Ryan Newman’s #39 has shown up with Haas Automation on the fenders almost as often as the U S Army. Probably not the preferred situation.

So losing one of the big check writers – while not winning at all on the track so far in 2010 – makes year two of Tony’s reign less lustrous.

Stewart and Newman are famous fisherman. And there’s a big’un out there for the hooking.

Anheuser-Busch probably has an out with Richard Petty Motorsports, what with their chosen one – Kasey Kahne moving on. I look for Budweiser to be on one of those Stewart-Haas Chevies in 2010.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler – OnpitRow.com

Filed under: Kasey Kahne, NASCAR, NASCAR Bidness, NASCAR Rumors, Ryan Newman, Stewart Haas Racing, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Gene Haas, Old Spice Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Fantasy Pick’Em: 2010 Goody’s Fast Relief 500

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.

March 25, 2010 12:49 am UTC 1 Comment

The Sprint Cup Series is beginning to hit its stride, five races in and heading to Martinsville Speedway for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500. It’s the first race of 2010 where drivers and teams will be guaranteed in based on 2010 owners’ points, meaning we’ve run enough of this year to nail down who’s on top and who’s in a hole.

Clearly, Jimmie Johnson is on top after winning his first career race at Bristol. I didn’t have in the column at all last week, judging by his abysmal record at the track the past few years. My pick, Kyle Busch, wound up ninth, while dark horse Marcos Ambrose had a poor day and wound up 33rd. Kurt Busch had the best day of anyone I mentioned, finishing third, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. placed seventh and Kevin Harvick finished 11th.

I’d be picking Johnson to win Martinsville even without the momentum of three wins in five starts, and the latest coming at his worst track. He’s also won five of the last seven run at the paper clip, six in his career, and you don’t expect any less from him barring catastrophe.

As for a dark horse, check out Juan Pablo Montoya. Until he wins an oval race in Cup, I think this is a fair place to categorize him. He led 37 laps here in the fall, and has a career worst Martinsville finish of 16th, in his track debut in spring 2007. Montoya has only failed to complete one lap in six starts, a key fact at short tracks where cars can easily fall laps down under long green flag runs.

Don’t like what you see? Three more:

Denny Hamlin won the two races out of the past seven that Johnson did not, which basically guarantees him a place in the column. Yes, he’s 19th in points, and I bet that bum knee’s got something to do with it. That might even spell disaster for him at the track, where he has a strong 7.2 average finish and only one finish outside the top 10 in eight starts. But the Virginia native, barring that one poor finish (a crash in spring 2006), has always run well here. I’m going to give him a break.

Jeff Gordon has seven wins, 22 top five finishes, and 28 top-10s in 34 career Martinsville starts. He hasn’t been outside the top 10 at the end of a Martinsville race since 2002. If you took Gordon’s Martinsville track record and tallied up the points, he’d have enough to win the championship in almost any pre-Chase season.

Finally, in an attempt to make this column interesting (and not just pick the four drivers with the best four average finishes at Martinsville), Ryan Newman is a choice that many might overlook. Like a handful of other drivers worthy of consideration, Newman has a 50% top 10 rate; unlike many of them, he hasn’t won at the track. But Newman’s 2009 record at the track, with finishes of 6th and 7th and a pole in the fall race, merits strong consideration for this weekend.

Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, jimmie johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martinsville Speedway, One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing, Ryan Newman

Tagged with: Goody's Fast Relief 500, Martinsville Speedway, One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Double J and The Luck of A Golden Horseshoe

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

Clance' McClannahan, famous author behind The Church of The Great Oval and also one of the much appreciated Contributing Authors at Thunder Lounge.

February 27, 2010 12:04 am UTC 1 Comment

How much does luck really have to play in NASCAR? Auto Club Speedway was a perfect example of both good luck, bad luck, skill and strategy.

Race Day at ACS started out cloudy, with the threat of rain looming overhead in in the future. Lovely Katharine McPhee, Season 5 American Idol runner-up, performed the National Anthem, after stating “I’ve never watched a NASCAR game before.” Personally, I am really glad she said that prior to the first inning, or it might have been embarrassing for her later.

Andy Garcia was able to give the command. “ Gentlemen, start your engines!” and still be politically correct.

Pole sitter Jamie Mac led the race for about 5 seconds, and then Juan Pablo Montoya politely said “Excuse me?”, and took the lead. If you would reach far back into your memory…(I mean, it’s a stretch for me), you will remember that JPM led 60 laps at ACS in October, and in one truly horrendous moment, lost that race. Juan Pablo Montoya meant serious business and opened up a lead of more than 3 seconds by Lap 12. By Lap 29, Jimmie Johnson’s good luck began to show, and the 42 car’s not so good 30th lap, gave him a brush with the wall. Soon after…it was Good vs. Bad for JPM, Kasey Kahne and a few others. Namely Dale (**NOTE to Jr. Nation: Dale doesn’t want to be called Jr. or June Bug, anymore).

In the meantime, a war was beginning to rage. Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson had begun the battle that would continue throughout the race, which culminated in one of the finest moments in NASCAR History.

Lap 97 began to get a little more interesting. Now we will get into the good luck, bad luck, strategy (?) syndrome that happenedthat day.

Martin Truex Jr. loses power. Later, Martin Truex Jr’s engine blows.
JPM begins to battle with Jeff Gordon for 5th position. Harvick and Johnson continue to dance the Flamenco (to impress Juan Pablo Montoya) for 1st and 2nd, not being able to decide who would lead and who would follow.

In one of the most endearing and heart breaking moments of the race, Kasey Kahne, being conscientious of the bleak economy, decided he would help out some poor souls, who needed to make some money to feed their kids, by making sure they had jobs replacing the sod he tore up.
Ryan Newman’s engine blew up. DNF. Again. JPM, looking very competitive, was out of contention once again, after a great 140 laps. It also, was due to another kaboom of a large quantity of moving parts, critical to the car continuing to run..

Kevin Harvick discovered that one of Jamie Mac’s pit crew has a part time job with Cirque du Soleil. Scary.

Then there was Dale Earnhardt Jr. It seems like the last few years, if it’s going to happen to someone it will be Dale Jr. Personally, I don’t think he has any better or worse luck than many driver’s. I think his worst luck is the scrutiny he is constantly under. Much more than other driver’s. Broken Axle. Axle Broken. Race over for the 88.

Jimmie Johnson seemed to be going backwards for a small moment in time. Then… From out of the blue…comes JJ again. Jamie Mac, startled, said “”How can he be leading? “He was on pit road, wasn’t he?!!”
Why yes, he was. Double J won. 48/48.
Luck? Strategy? All of the above?

Kevin Harvick , at the end of the race, summed it all up, in one sentence. Possibly one of the finest quotes in NASCAR History. I am honored to have been able to do small tribute to that little quip at The Church.
“They have a golden horseshoe stuck up their ass.”
…And that, Dear Fans, was the finest finish to a race I have seen since the Daytona 500.

*What wondrous events shall LVMS bring us this weekend? Aw…the suspense is killing me!

Filed under: Auto Club Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Diversity and NASCAR, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, jimmie johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR, NASCAR Conspiracies, Ryan Newman