5 Lessons: Danica Is Learning, Improving

Jimmie Johnson Is New Texas King Entering the Duck Commander 500, Jimmie Johnson had won four races at Texas, including three of the past five at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth track. But all of the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s wins here had come in the fall. That’s not the case anymore, however. With his triumph on Saturday night, the six-time Sprint Cup champion finally unlocked the door to Victory Lane in the spring race while making it four wins overall in the past six Texas races. That’s the essence of domination -- at a track that, for the longest time, wasn’t among Johnson’s…

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Battle at Bristol? Short track causes tempers to flare

By Jared Turner Think the first seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of 2015 have been wild and unpredictable? Buckle up. You probably haven’t seen anything yet. The next track on the schedule, Bristol Motor Speedway, is notorious for bump-ups, short tempers, fights and, yes, wrecks. Want to settle a score? Bristol’s steep 33-degree banks, lightening-fast speeds (at least for a short track) and narrow racing groove make the treacherous .533-mile high-banked layout a good place to do it. Unlike many tracks where roughing up a driver in the final laps is widely frowned upon, such tactics are not only lawful at…

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I’m Just Saying: Earnhardt Jr.’s Girlfriend Should Relax

Amy Reimann, the girlfriend of Dale Earnhardt Jr., posted two tweets to her personal Twitter account on Friday afternoon expressing her displeasure about someone – presumably a fan – giving NASCAR’s most popular driver the ol’ bunny ears during a photo opportunity at Texas Motor Speedway. Reimann, Junior’s partner of more than three years, used the hash tag “rude” to describe the prank, and tweeted, “If you get the pleasure to take a photo with a celebrity, don’t give em the bunny ears.” In a second tweet, she added that there is a “time and place” for such a practical joke. While…

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Jimmie Johnson Takes Texas

By John Sturbin (NASCAR Wire Service) FORT WORTH, Texas—Jimmie Johnson continued his recent domination of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday night, rallying after a late pit stop for a victory in the 19th annual Duck Commander 500. Johnson, the six-time NSCS champion, took the lead on Lap 321 of the scheduled 334 when he drove under and past Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick exiting the dogleg of TMS’ high-banked, 1.5-mile quad-oval. The final 14 laps featured a battle between Johnson and Harvick, the reigning NSCS champion, who finished second despite scraping the Turn 4 wall on Lap 331. Johnson,…

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Jones speeds to first XFINITY Series victory at Texas

April 10, 2015 By John Sturbin NASCAR Wire Service FORT WORTH, Texas—Teenager Erik Jones turned his first NASCAR XFINITY Series pole at Texas Motor Speedway into his first series victory Friday night, schooling NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. en route to the checkered flag in the 19th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts 300. Jones, 18, held off Keselowski on a restart on Lap 175 of the scheduled 200 around TMS’ high-banked, 1.5-mile quad-oval for a margin of victory of 1.624-seconds in the first night race of the season. Jones’ first series win came in his ninth start.…

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