The Hooters ProCup Series was on top of the world in 2001. Brian Vickers was graduating to NASCAR after a three-year Pro Cup career. Joey Logano would join Hooters a few seasons later. Every short track superstar in the eastern half of the country knew that Hooters was the place to be. Johnny Rumley, Bobby Gill, Jay Fogleman, Jeff Agnew, Michael Ritch... they all knew that the money, the prestige and the path to the top went through Hooters Pro Cup.
After starting the race in the rear of the field because of a transmission change to the Team Penske No. 22 car on Saturday, Joey Logano found his way to the front and won Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.
Over the last few years, Yankees Captain Derek Jeter retired from baseball, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant called it an NBA career, and Peyton Manning retired from football after a brilliant career with the Colts and Broncos. And now NASCAR will soon bid farewell to one of the best drivers of all time.
Will the retirement mark the end of NASCAR? Of course not. We may see a shift of loyalties (mostly to another driver at Hendrick Motorsports, maybe Chase Elliott) and some fans staying away, but just as was the case when other drivers retired, I don’t think this change will really change the landscape of the sport.
Jimmy Johnson took the lead from Kevin Harvick with 21 laps to go to capture his second win of the season and the 82nd of his career on Monday at Bristol Motor Speedway. Johnson led 81 laps in route to his second win at Bristol in 31 starts.
When Andrew Murstein entered into negotiations to purchase Richard Petty Motorsports from George Gillett in 2010, he didn’t have to look further than the name of the team to come up with a partner. While the President of Medallion Financial Group was eager to become a sports owner after raising $220 million to establish a sports fund in 2008, he didn’t know much about NASCAR.
Nevertheless, I was pleased to drive Ona because I'd heard that The King himself, Richard Petty, had raced there in the 1960's. So naturally, when Petty showed up at last week's Mecum auction in Houston (which I co-host for NBCSN), I asked him if he remembered racing at “West Virginia International Speedway,” as it was then known.
As most racing fans know, two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso is slated to run the Indianapolis 500 in a Honda-powered entry from Andretti Autosport.
The Monster All-Star Race, scheduled for May 20, 2017, will mark the 25th anniversary of this race. The first checkered flag for the All-Star race was waved under the lights for the first time in 1992. This was also the race that signaled a new change within the sport, and it has become a tradition that has quickly become a fan favorite.
The 27-year-old Jones from Atlanta, Georgia, will rejoin Joe Gibbs Racing to pilot a Toyota Supra entry on a multiyear basis following a two-year campaign at JR Motorsports.
