Red Bull team gets wings

If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that life after Hendrick Motorsports can be good. Kyle Busch wore out his welcome there last year and soon signed on with Joe Gibbs Racing, whose future was uncertain amid a switch to Toyota. Anyone who’s watched NASCAR this year knows he’s the hottest thing on wheels right now, and he is no doubt thanking his lucky stars that he moved on from Hendrick.But

Smoke on the move?

As we head into Talladega this weekend, I should be talking about the race and what might happen. So let me get that out of the way quickly -- Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and maybe Kyle Busch will be up front all day and one of them will win the race.Now that we’re done with that, let’s move on to my friend and yours , Mr. Stewart. Everyone’s favorite motorsports lightning

Ditch the plates

There are some questions to which I can never seem to find an answer. What exactly is in McDonalds’ chicken McNuggets, how do so many 80s hair metal bands somehow still have enough fans to keep on touring, and, most importantly, how is it possible that NASCAR can not find any better way than restrictor plates to slow down their cars at Daytona and Talladega? Talladega is upon us, and once

The First Lady

She’s no longer just that girl who drives Indycars.Fifty races into her career, Indy Racing League superstar Danica Patrick can finally call herself a winner, after playing a smart fuel mileage strategy into a victory in Japan.Unfortunately, nobody saw it, as it was a rain-delayed event that was broadcast in the U.S. at 10 p.m. on a Saturday night on ESPN Classic -- Not exactly your best bet for

South of the Border

While the Cup series takes a week off, the Nationwide drivers head down Mexico way this weekend to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for a road course event.I am very excited about this event for several reasons. First of all, unlike many NASCAR fans, I love road course racing. These events are always a joy to watch, as they are demonstrations of pure driving skill, not just strong cars. When you

How the mighty have fallen

Of all the major sports in America, NASCAR is arguably the one that most cherishes its heroes and past greats. It is risky to your health to speak ill of legends like Dale Earnhardt while out at the track. Richard Petty and David Pearson’s legendary battles from 30-plus years ago are forever burned in the minds of longtime fans, and those who have seen the tapes replayed endlessly on cable

The old man still has it

Mark Martin is probably the greatest driver ever who has not won a championship in NASCAR’s top division. He has finished second in the point standings four times, and the most heartbreaking time was in 1990. That year, he lost to Dale Earnhardt by 26 points, but had been docked 46 points earlier in the season for using an illegal carburetor spacer. That part, which didn’t even help him improve

Heroin lies the rub

Most people under the influence of heroin would probably have trouble tying their shoelaces.But somehow, amazingly, former Craftsman Truck Series driver Aaron Fike drove his truck to a top-five finish at Memphis last summer while he was high on heroin.The only thing stopping this man, high on a powerful drug, from taking the checkered flag that day was a field full of former series champs like

Tony Stewart is a loudmouth jerk … and NASCAR is better off for it

Remember back in grade school how there was always one kid -- maybe it was you -- who couldn’t follow directions as well as all the other kids. He always wanted to cut in line, talk out of turn and do everything that annoyed the authority figures in his life. In NASCAR, that kid is Tony Stewart. Since leaving the Indy Racing League in the late 1990s and joining NASCAR, the driver of the No.

Carl Edwards -- hero or bully?

Carl Edwards has two faces. One face belongs to a true American success story, a country boy with a true dedication and love for racing. There’s a famous story about how, when out of a ride in his younger days, he would hand out business cards that read "Carl Edwards, race car driver," and that he bought ads in racing trade magazines that said, "Put me in your race car this weekend, have helmet

Wide open weekend at Texas

Texas Motor Speedway is a rarity in modern-day NASCAR, in that there are no clear favorites to win at the track. In the 14 races held so far at the super-fast track, only one driver, Jeff Burton, has taken the checkered flag more than once. He won the inaugural race in 1997, and didn't get back to Victory Lane until last spring.If history is any lesson, Roush Racing has won several races at the

Don't count Hendrick out just yet

Over the last 15 years in NASCAR, one thing has been consistent: Hendrick Motorsports wins races and championships. From the time Jeff Gordon joined NASCAR's top series with a silly mustache and a rainbow car to last year's dominating performance by Jimmie Johnson, this team has been very good, much to the chagrin of many fans. Between Gordon, Johnson and Terry Labonte, Hendrick has taken