If you ask any driver or any team owner, they’ll be the first to tell you that every race is a big deal, and nobody can deny that. But, as I take a look at the starting grid for the Toyota Save/Mart 350 and then look at the points standings, when I combine that with everything that I know has already taken place in this crazy season, I can’t help but think that it especially holds true this weekend at Infineon Raceway, and it all starts right there at the top of the field.
Kasey Kahne has been on a helluva …read more

We all know that Joe Gibbs Racing has established themselves as the powerhouse of the field at this point in time. We know that Roush-Fenway Racing has come a long way in figuring out this new car and that Hendrick Motorsports seems to have lost the edge that they had on everyone else last year. We’ve analyzed potential contractual signings every which way we could, and still found ourselves locked in a guessing game. Been there, done that, but perhaps one of the stories that we haven’t talked nearly enough about are two teams that are holding out hope of …read more

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Yes, it’s Friday once again, and I think we all know what that means!  Welcome, everyone, to yet another edition of “Loose in Turn Three” with your favorite blogging panel. Of course, you know who I am, and I believe my colleagues here no longer need introduction, either … but, just formality’s sake, I’m joined once again by Bruce Simmons from Bruce’s NASCAR Bits & Pieces, and the infamous Charlie Turner from On Pit Row.
We’ve got another exciting lineup for you this week, as we refuse to let go of the drama that was …read more

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In the longest race on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, Kasey Kahne proved that attrition pays off, as he was setup in the right place at the right time in the closing laps of the Coca Cola 600 to put his no. 9 Dodge into Victory Lane at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for the second time in as many weeks for car owner Ray Evernham.
After cruising to a victory in last week’s All-Star Challenge, and then earning himself the outside pole position through qualifying, Kahne looked as though he was in position to potentially …read more

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It’s probably fair to say that before the 2008 NASCAR season started, the dynamic duo over at Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, would have finished in the top-five “Most Hated Drivers” poll by NASCAR fans. For years, Jeff Gordon’s dominant on-track nature has had him marked as the “Alpha Male” in the sport, but it has also marked a huge target on his back in the eyes of the fans. And, ever since Johnson has entered the Cup Series ranks and adopted Gordon’s winning behavior, the typical fan has seemingly put Jimmie …read more

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Kyle Busch drove around Lowe’s Motor Speedway in just 29.121 seconds this past Thursday, and in doing so, took his first Coors Light Pole award in a 2008 points race, though he also sat on the pole for last weekend’s All-Star Challenge. Kyle’s lap was fast, but almost not fast enough. Trailing just behind him on the speed charts were Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers, both of whom missed the pole position by less than 0.030 seconds. The Roush-Fenway cars of Greg Biffle and David Ragan will start fourth and fifth in Sunday’s …read more

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Most of you watched this past weekend as all three of the Joe Gibbs Racing cars went “up in smoke” (sorry for the pun, couldn’t resist) at some point while either getting ready for, or during the All-Star Challenge. It all started on Friday when Tony Stewart blew up in practice and the team was forced to change engines in the car overnight, resulting in a dead last starting position for Smoke. Then, on Saturday night during the race itself, after dominating the first segment of the race, Kyle Busch’s engine blew during the second …read more

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After finishing fifth in the All-Star Showdown, Kasey Kahne was announced as the winner of the fan vote, beating out Robby Gordon for the honors, and as a result transferred into the All-Star Challenge itself. He then became the first driver to ever win both the fan vote and then go onto win the All-Star Race, as he held off a charging Greg Biffle in the closing laps of the race to win the $1,000,000 purse.
Polesitter, Kyle Busch, led the entire first segment of the race and appeared to be in cruise …read more

Greg Biffle won Saturday night’s Burnout Competition, the first of its kind by NASCAR, and as a result was awarded $10,000 for the Greg Biffle Foundation for his efforts. He ran the duration of the course in only 25.406 seconds, which was good enough to get the win over second-place Clint Bowyer.

Jimmie Johnson clocked an unofficial time of 69.017 seconds after having 20 seconds worth of penalties added to his time. “I wasn’t worried about the technical aspect of it,” he said. “I just wanted to have fun.”
Kevin Harvick followed Johnson’s lead and also put on a show, parking his …read more

He failed to qualify for the first three races of the season, then Team Red Bull replaced him for with Mike Skinner for the next five events, he wrecked out of the two races after that, and he finished a race for the first time this season by finishing 27th last weekend at Darlington. Yet, following the NASCAR All-Star Showdown, AJ Allmendinger stood in Victory Lane for the first time in his Sprint Cup career, with his eyes now set on competing in the All-Star Race itself.
Allmendinger led all twenty laps in the second and final segment of the Showdown …read more