NASCAR’s inspection correction for the better

By Jared Turner NASCAR should be applauded for tweaking the pre-qualifying inspection procedures following the debacle at Atlanta Motor Speedway where 13 drivers – including Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart -- were unable to even get on track to complete a qualifying run. After being widely criticized for not giving drivers enough time to get through inspection, NASCAR announced prior to the Las Vegas weekend that an 15 extra minutes would be allowed for teams to prepare their cars for inspection and for officials to complete the inspection process before qualifying in Vegas, Phoenix and Fontana. The change…

Comments Off on NASCAR’s inspection correction for the better

Atlanta deserves a better date for race weekend

By Jared Turner     The rain kept falling and the fans kept shivering. Finally, the rain stopped and we had a race. But the shivering continued.   What else can we expect from a March 1 event at Atlanta Motor Speedway?   This isn’t Hawaii, mind you. It’s not Daytona Beach, either.   Remember 1993 when that huge blizzard hit the Atlanta area and the race had to be postponed an entire week? That year, the race was actually – get this – two weeks later on the schedule than it was this year.   In other words, winter weather could…

Comments Off on Atlanta deserves a better date for race weekend

Look Beyond the Wins: Harvick Is Best

By Jerry Bonkowski When you have been in the sports writing business for as long as I have, you learn to have thick skin. Especially when it comes to readers and their often misguided judgment and resulting comments. While I will never deny a person’s opinion, their logic – or oftentimes lack of – is a whole different story. So following Sunday’s race at Atlanta, I wrote a story about how Kevin Harvick remains the hottest driver in the Sprint Cup Series. Of course, several readers quickly wrote in or tweeted that I was off my rocker. “And how many wins does…

Comments Off on Look Beyond the Wins: Harvick Is Best

Is it time for drivers to gamble in Vegas?

By Jared Turner In a city world-famous for gambling and gamblers, don’t be surprised if some NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams roll the dice in this weekend’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Nothing would be more appropriate. Moreover, it wouldn’t be the first time. After locking up a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup last season with a victory in the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team rolled into Vegas with literally nothing to lose. So they gambled on fuel strategy – and lost. Taking the lead when Earnhardt ran out…

Comments Off on Is it time for drivers to gamble in Vegas?

Five Lessons Learned From Speedweeks

5 Lessons Learned By Jared Turner JoLo Is Superstar Remember just a few years ago when Joey Logano was regularly criticized for his perceived inability to live up to his potential and get the most out of his equipment? Well, those days after surely over. Now in his third year with Team Penske, and coming off of his best season ever, Logano is one of NASCAR’s true superstars – and he made the case like never before with an impressive drive to victory in the Daytona 500. The win was Logano’s first at Daytona and first on a restrictor-plate track. To top…

Comments Off on Five Lessons Learned From Speedweeks