By Jerry Bonkowski I spend a great deal of time scanning wires for photos of NASCAR drivers, seeking the photo that best illustrates the story that I am writing or editing. The past two weekends – particularly the most recent race weekend at Auto Club Speedway – I came upon a rather interesting observation. Since he came back from a NASCAR-imposed three-race suspension to start the season, I’d say that at least 90 to 95 percent of photos of Kurt Busch have shown him without a smile on his face. Big deal, right? But bear with me as I explain further. In…

By Ben White Trevor Bayne, driver of the No. 6 Roush-Fenway Fords, took a giant step toward stardom when he became the surprise winner of the Daytona 500 in 2011 while driving for Wood Brothers Racing. It all started for the Knoxville, Tenn. native when he was five years of age racing go-karts. Over the next eight years, he collected three world championships with over 300 feature wins. Bayne competed in the Allison Legacy Series at age 13 and was named their youngest top rookie. He logged 14 wins, 19 pole positions and 30 top-five finishes in 41 starts in 2005. That…

By Jared Turner As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series moves to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California for Race No. 5 of the 2015 season, one question is at the top of everyone’s minds: Can anyone beat Kevin Harvick? Over the past two weekends, the reigning champion and Stewart-Haas Racing team led by crew chief Rodney Childers have overwhelmed the competition on the way to victories at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway. What’s really scary is that with his triumph on Sunday at PIR, Harvick became first driver to finish in the top two in seven consecutive races since…

By Aaron Burns A friend of mine moved from Louisiana to North Carolina a little more than 20 years ago. He grew up around race tracks, so when someone invited him to accompany them at a local race track, he took them up on it. But it wasn’t what he was accustomed to. In North Carolina, a race track is where stock cars compete. In Louisiana, it’s where horses race. NASCAR, though, may as well be a two-horse race. It’s been Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and everyone else. Sure, Jimmie Johnson won at Atlanta and until he finished last on Sunday, Dale…