By Ben White The number 43 is widely associated with seven-time champion Richard Petty. The winner of 200 Cup races enjoyed an incredible career as a driver from 1958 to 1992. Many have wheeled the famed Petty machines since his retirement and currently, the job falls to Aric Almirola. Last July, he became the first driver to take the No. 43 back to victory lane at Daytona International Speedway since Petty won his final race there in July of 1984. The Cuban-American standout competitor is most appreciative of the opportunity to carry on such a storied tradition for Richard Petty Motorsports. “That’s…

By Aaron Burns Jeff Gordon’s final Sprint All-Star Race was solid if unspectacular last Saturday, but the importance attached to the event made it memorable. Gordon was introduced last during driver introductions at Charlotte Motor Speedway and met with a chorus of cheers that nearly rivaled those for teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gordon, if you didn’t know, used to draw cheers at Charlotte only when he wrecked or pulled into the garage early. Those times are long gone. On Saturday, fans held up “Thank you, Jeff” No. 24 cards as he walked onto the stage with his family and crew. Gordon hoped…

By Jerry Bonkowski When Kyle Busch emerged from his wrecked race car at Daytona on Feb. 21, it appeared likely the NASCAR world wouldn’t see him again in a race car for several months, if not perhaps until 2016. Coming back from a broken right leg and fractured left foot are not easy injuries to recover from – let alone recover quickly from. But somehow, just like he astounds with his winning prowess that has accounted for more than 100 wins thus far in his NASCAR career, Busch has also astounded with his recovery from the February wreck. Perhaps Busch should change…

By Jared Turner 5 Lessons Learned In All-Star Race   JGR Is Gaining On It After not showing much speed all season at the mile-and-a-half tracks, Joe Gibbs Racing showed major improvements in the All-Star Race where Denny Hamlin captured his first victory in the $1 million, winner-take-all event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Hamlin led from flag to flag in the 10-lap money segment, holding off a spirited charge from the Chevrolet of Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick. So does Hamlin’s win mean that JGR has magically fixed all that has been wrong with its Toyotas at the mile-and-a-halves so far this year?…