By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Some Thursday observations:
Whenever there’s an issue that doesn’t seem to make sense, it’s always a good idea to check the facts, specifically the statistics involved.
For those wondering how a  four-time Sprint Cup winner this season could be on the outside looking in a the circuit heads to the final regular [...]

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Brian Vickers is making a habit this season of proving wrong the conventional racing wisdom.
First he got in a crash with Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sport’s most popular driver, during the season-opening Daytona 500, but wound up getting broad support from fans across the board, including a good many members [...]

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
One of the winners of the old Roush Racing “Gong Show” tryouts is finally getting his chance to prove himself in a Sprint Cup car.
Erik Darnell, the 2005 winner of the contest that won him a ride in a Roush truck, is running the first of seven races this season [...]

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Hampton, Ga. – Kevin Harvick’s thorough domination of Saturday’s Degree V12 Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway made one wonder whether he had a V-12 engine under the hood while his competitors ran the standard V-8s.
Harvick, driving the No. 33 Chevrolet that he owns and drives, was so strong that [...]

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com

Truex Knocks Chase Contenders From AMS Pole, Stewart on Danica, Chevy Boss Promises Continued Support

The NASCAR cream is rising to the top, well almost to the top. Saturday’s qualifying session at Atlanta Motor Speedway saw eight of the top 10 starting spots go to drivers contending for berths in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, which begins after next Saturday’s race at Richmond International Raceway.

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
There’s lots of excitement around Atlanta and throughout NASCAR over the prospect of running a nighttime Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on a holiday weekend.
Sunday’s Pep Boys Auto 500 could provide the kind of boost the track needs to increase attendance and quell the talk of the speedway [...]

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
This is becoming the week of living dangerously for Sprint Cup drivers. First Carl Edwards broke his foot playing Frisbee and now Bill Elliott has cracked three ribs riding his dirt bike.
“It was just a freak deal,” Elliott said. He said although he probably could have raced in pain, he [...]

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
There are a lot of people who would say that Nationwide Series driver Ken Butler III is a “Lucky Dog” because his dad is president of Atlanta-based Aaron’s and therefore has ready access to the funds required for his son’s racing adventures.
Butler, who does have Aaron’s on the side of [...]

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
Some Thursday Observations:
* The news this week about Austin Dillon entering the Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway in a No. 3 Chevy brought to mind a visit to 311 Speedway in Madison, N.C., a few years back.
Then, as now, there was great interest in what it would [...]

By Rick Minter | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
The NASCAR circuit is back at Atlanta Motor Speedway this week, so that means the home folks have to brace for another round of stories questioning whether the track should lose one of its Cup dates.
The talk doesn’t make sense to them for a variety of reasons. Even with the [...]