SM Staff

As Danica Patrick approaches her first race ever at Pocono Raceway, she absolutely acknowledges that she is still very much in learning curve mode. In fact, the rookie Patrick is just the second woman to race at Pocono, following in the steps of Janet Guthrie.

While most have the race at the Monster Mile in their rear view mirrors, with the focus moving to the Tricky Triangle of Pocono, competitors Jimmie Johnson and Juan Pablo Montoya are still jawing about that pesky restart at Dover last weekend.

After an unpredictable day in Dover, NASCAR heads to the Tricky Triangle for the 14th event on the schedule. This unique 3-turned track is notorious for long runs and bad weather.

There is no doubt that one of NASCAR’s greatest charitable partnerships has been with Autism Speaks, an organization devoted to helping those impacted by autism. But with the diagnosis on the rise, including one in 88 children affected, NASCAR has helped Autism Speaks find an even stronger voice.

Not only did Jeff Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 AARP Credit Cards from Chase Chevrolet, have a record-setting day at the Monster Mile with a third place finish, but he also set a record in his drive to end hunger.

After an appeal made by the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society, the appeal has been denied and plans to build a new speedway in Fort Erie, Ontario are to continue as planned.

The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is 13 races old and we now have a fairly clear picture as to which manufacturer has an edge on the competition. There is a great disparity between all three makes which isn't surprising considering that this is a brand new car. Joe Gibbs Racing is by far the best team winning five races this year and dominating many more.

For a small team like the one owned by veteran NASCAR driver Joe Nemechek, sponsorship literally keeps his race car on the track. So for this season Nemechek’s No. 87 Nationwide and Cup cars are being fueled by a new relationship with, of all things, a tea company.

After last weekend’s triple-header at Dover International Speedway, the three national series go their separate ways this weekend with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series headlining at Pocono Raceway, the NASCAR Nationwide Series heading to the Midwest for a Saturday night showdown at Iowa Speedway, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicking off the weekend in the Lone Star State with their race on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.

No one in chase history has made up the kind of deficit Hamlin faces and made the playoffs at this point of the schedule so Denny's chances seem slim to none. On the other hand, no driver the caliber of Denny Hamlin has ever found themselves in this kind of position 13 races into the season. Hamlin is very fast and will win this year but will it be enough to grab a wildcard spot?