SM Staff

We've suspected this for many years and now it's official. The Indianapolis 500 is no longer a reasonable aspiration for most racing drivers.

It was just over one year ago that my race car caught fire at Circuit of the Americas during an endurance event. You can read more about it here. Suffice to say that as fires go, this one was bad. Perhaps my fellow racers will find the following thoughts from that experience helpful.

It's no secret that vintage pickup trucks are the latest rage in collectible vehicles. They are inexpensive to restore, utterly reliable, born with a lengthy shelf life and they are enormously popular right now. If a collectible truck is on your wish list, here's what you should know about two of the mainstay trucks from the 1970s

Martin Truex Jr. was able to pass Brad Keselowski with two laps left in Sunday's Kobalt 400 and capture his eighth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win. Truex Jr. also became the first driver to win every segment along with the race victory.

A.J. Allmendinger is riding an upward trajectory into the new season, hoping to dominate the road courses where he performs best and possibly grab a win at another track along the way. His third place finish in the Daytona 500 is proof of his relevance in 2017.

Now that the dust has cleared and a Daytona 500 Champion has been crowned, it’s time to look back at that race and see where we are with the changes made by NASCAR. First, we must understand that Daytona (and its sister track, Talladega) are different animals than the rest of the tracks that the drivers will visit the rest of the races.

Sunday evening Kurt Busch was able to give Stewart-Haas Racing its first Daytona 500 victory. Kurt Busch took the lead on the final lap of Nascar's most prestigious race and was able to hold off Ryan Blaney to win the 2017 Daytona 500 for his new manufacturer Ford and SHR.

That’s it! I’ve had enough! I cannot count the times I have heard how NASCAR or the people involved with the sport have placed blame on the lack of attendance, ratings and overall disinterest in NASCAR on drivers retiring or not racing. This week a well-respected publication stated that since Dale Earnhardt Jr. decided to sit out the Advanced Auto Parts Clash on Sunday, that led to a decrease in attendance.

Chase Elliott, who is just in his second year of full-time MENCS competition earned his second consecutive Daytona 500 pole.

Tonight will mark the return of "The Clash" which consists of a 75 lap event, with two segments and a competition caution at lap 25. Brad Keselowski drew the pole yesterday, alongside him will be the defending Daytona 500 champion, Denny Hamlin.