BRISTOL, Tenn. -- When you look at the performance of Joe Gibbs Racing, compared to the last year or two, it's not hard to understand why one would see a problem.
NASCAR travels to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend for the Monster Energy Cup Series Food City 500. The first Food City 500 was held on April 5, 1992, 25 years ago. But did you know that it was won by Alan Kulwicki who started from the pole and led 252 laps to claim his second consecutive victory at Bristol?
Ever since 1987, Charlotte has hosted the all-star race. Some, including Kevin Harvick, figure it should be rotated to other venues like those other sports do. I would agree, only if I had a veto as to what tracks it went to. Even then, I am not sure I would ever agree to the change.
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.
Jimmie Johnson started at the rear of the field after a spin in Coors Light Pole Qualifying required the team to change tires before the green flag. The seven-time champion passed Joey Logano with 17 laps to go to capture his first win of the season, 81st career and his seventh win at Texas Motor Speedway. Johnson led 18 of 334 laps and finished 0.340 seconds ahead of runner-up Kyle Larson.
Every father who is a NASCAR fan can agree with me on this. You want to pass that love down to your children. You want them to be able to revel in it the way you do. You want them to enjoy the noise, the commotion, the fight of it all. You want them to understand those weekends where you were in front of the television, reading the magazines, or talking about it with your buddies. In short, you want to see them become a fan.
Drivers researching upgrades may compare owner’s manual data, fitment charts, tire sizing tools, and suppliers such as Level 4x4 before choosing a new direction.
