The Charlotte Motor Speedway: A Clash of Tradition and History Make Up This Gem
There are 23 different tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit. Throughout the 36 race season, most fans watch all the races at the different tracks on their televisions. Always dreaming of going to the track and seeing the monstrous venue for themselves. Certain tracks have uniqueness to them that makes you want to just go run around and take in the sights that track beholds. For me, that track has always been the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Ever since I began watching NASCAR in 2005, Charlotte (Then called Lowes) Motor Speedway had some awesome shows. The 2005 All-Star Race likely made me a lifetime fan of the sport after I was leaning that way in the races prior. That race had fights, action, and a deserving winner. What’s better than that? Very little and it was unique to the track so it made that venue always come up as one of my favorites.
While I was in Charlotte, I knew I had to make a stop at the speedway. I had gone the year prior, but I just needed to go again, because it is indeed that amazing. The best way to get a look at the whole motorsports complex is by taking a tour. The tour takes you everywhere including inside and on the track, and all around it. All while checking out the neatest views the speedway has to offer.
While I was at the track, I couldn’t think of half the amazing things I was experiencing. I was wide-eyed throughout the tour, soaking it all in. What I didn’t realize was all the tradition and history that I was seeing first-hand. The track has had its fair share of magical moments, from One Hot Night in 1992 to the infamous cable incident during this year’s Coca Cola 600. All that has happened there has shaped it into truly one of the best.
Tradition runs deep at the track. The Coca Cola 600 is one of the longest running events in NASCAR. Year after year, fans pour into the speedway for arguably one of the richest (history-wise) races on the circuit. It’s grueling, tough, and difficult to be successful in the race. Those are the elements that drive fans in year after year. That’s how the tradition lives on and it’s likely how it will never die out.
A nickname of the track is “The Beast of the Southeast” and I can attest that it in fact is a beast. Everything’s huge and it takes a visit to the facility to actually realize it. Though the track looks much different than it did forty plus years ago, the history is still there. The pass in the grass, One Hot Night, and all the exciting races are prime examples of the past times that have shaped the speedway and made it a very historical one.
Being in the heart of NASCAR country, this track won’t be going anywhere anytime soon and that means that many magical moments are still to come. A facility that has it all is the Charlotte Motor Speedway and it’s truly one of a kind. Race weekend or not, the place still has a racing feeling and getting to check it all out was one of the best experiences I’ll ever have.
NASCAR Champions Featuring Bill Rexford
Cup Champion 1950
Birthday: 03/14/1927
Death: 04/18/1994
Hometown: Conewango Valley, NY
NASCAR was born in the southern United States so it may surprise you to learn that in 1950 it was a young man from New York who won the Grand National Championship – the forerunner to today’s Sprint Cup Series.
Bill Rexford also has the distinction of being the youngest driver to ever win a Cup Championship, winning the title at the age of 23.
Rexford began his racing career in the 1940s. He worked in his dad’s Chevrolet dealership while competing at local tracks. After serving two years in the United States Navy, he continued racing until he caught the eye of racing promoter, Ed Otto. Otto encouraged Rexford to make the move to NASCAR in 1949.
In 1949, NASCAR’s inaugural season, Rexford made three starts and finished 12th in the standings.
The next season he competed in 17 races, including the first Southern 500 at Darlington, South Carolina where he finished fourth.
By season’s end, he was in a battle for the championship against Fireball Roberts. A blown engine almost cost him the title. However, luck was on his side when Roberts, who was racing for the win, blew his engine less than 50 laps from the finish.
Rexford won the crown and became NASCAR’s second champion in its premier series but the title was not without controversy.
Lee Petty should have easily captured the championship but was stripped of approximately 800 points for racing in non-NASCAR sanctioned events. If not for that point reduction, Rexford would have lost his claim to fame.
During the 1951 season, Rexford won the pole at Canfield, Ohio but later crashed and suffered minor chest injuries. He only competed in 11 NASCAR sanctioned races that year and competed in his last Grand National race in 1953.
In 36 Grand National events, Rexford captured one win, eight top fives and 17 top ten finishes. Rexford gave up racing altogether a few years later, moved to Parker, Arizona and started a trucking business. He eventually relocated to Hemet, California.
On March 18, 1994 Rexford passed away after several months of illness.
Rexford is the only series champion that was not included among NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
Accomplishments:
1950 Won the NASCAR Grand National Championship
1994 New York State Auto Racing Hall of Fame
1995 Inducted into the Friends of Auto Racing Hall of Fame
1997 Inducted into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame
Scott Dixon and Team Ganassi Make Indy History at Pocono with Win; Podium Finish
Scott Dixon, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, made history at Pocono Raceway in the IZOD IndyCar Series as the eighth different winner in eleven races, scoring his 30th career win, as well as the 200th win for Honda and the 100th team finish for team Target.
“Going into this morning, I was not thinking we could win,” Dixon said. “The team definitely hasn’t given up and you’ve got to hand it to Honda as well.”
“The fuel mileage was the key today and we still had speed up front without having to save all the time.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Dixon continued. “It’s the 100th win for Target as well which is just so fantastic.”
“It’s been a long drought, almost a year, so it’s fantastic to be back in winner’s circle.”
With the return of IndyCar Racing to Pocono Raceway for the first time since 1989, Team Ganassi also made history, finishing one, two, three for the first time ever in any form of competition, including IZOD IndyCar Series, CART, NASCAR or GRAND-AM.
With teammate Scott Dixon in Victory Lane, Charlie Kimball, behind the wheel of the No. 83 NovoLog FlexPen Honda for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing, finished second, and teammate Dario Franchitti, behind the wheel of the No. 10 Energizer Honda for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, finished third.
“The whole Chip Ganassi Racing crew, as evidenced by the 1-2-3 finish, was focusing on race day knowing that’s when it mattered,” Kimball, who matched his career best finish of second, said. “Throughout today, the guys made it better on each pit stop and the car just got quicker and quicker.”
“A lot of credit to Honda, they gave us the fuel mileage and speed today.”
“The Honda today, it’s so good on fuel mileage and that really, really helped us,” Franchitti, the third place finisher, said. “We went for a very aggressive downforce so every lap was an adventure.”
“It was a good day.”
“I had no idea we’d finish one, two, three after coming back late from Daytona,” Chip Ganassi, team owner, said. “When I got out of bed this morning, I wouldn’t have guessed this.”
“I actually forgot that the next win would have been our 100th; it’s been so long since we’ve had a win,” Ganassi continued. “It’s a really great place to do it – in Pennsylvania, my home state.”
“It’s great for the Series to have a 1-2-3 finish,” Ganassi said. “Honda needed a boost.”
“The drivers did a great job and the team did a great job,” Ganassi continued. “Hopefully we’ve turned the corner.”
Will Power finished fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. This was Power’s third top-five finish of the season.
“I didn’t realize Charlie (Kimball) was for position,” Power said. “It was quite tough to pass.”
“It was physical but a lovely track,” Power continued. “There was a good crowd and it was a good race.”
“But it was an awesome day for Verizon.”
Josef Newgarden, driving the No. 67 SFH Racing/Rotondo Weirich for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, rounded out the top-five, matching his best IndyCar Series finish of fifth in Sao Paulo.
“We had a great day,” Newgarden said. “To get representable results, I’m super pleased for all our guys.”
“Pocono is incredible,” Newgarden continued. “I wasn’t even born that time they had the last race here.”
“We’ve got to come back here because it’s an IndyCar track,” Newgarden said. “I’m super pleased for our group.”
The race was not without drama as James Hinchcliffe, driver of the No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet, wrecked on the very first lap.
“I’m not entirely sure what happened,” Hinchcliffe said. “We’ll have to take a look at it.”
“The car just snapped loose on me,” Hinchcliffe continued. “We went a bit aggressive on setup because we had an understeering car all week, and we didn’t want that in the race.”
“Maybe we overstepped it a bit; I’m not quite sure,” Hinchcliffe said. “It’s a 400-mile race so to go out on Lap 1 is just devastating.”
“It’s really unfortunate.”
Another pair of unhappy campers was Ryan Hunter-Reay, driver of the No. 1 DHL Chevrolet, and Takuma Sato, behind the wheel of the No. 14 ABC Supply Co/A.J. Foyt Racing Honda, who collided on pit road.
“I think I misjudged it,” Sato said. “Extremely sorry.”
“It was my fault.”
“I couldn’t believe it,” Hunter-Reay said. “I thought a plane crashed in there.”
“I didn’t expect it would have been Sato,” Hunter-Reay continued. “We had a great car to challenge for the win and then get creamed from behind.”
“He unplugged his brain entirely,” Hunter-Reay said. “It’s just so frustrating when someone comes from nowhere completely unglued.”
Hunter-Reay admitted that the hard hit on pit road exacerbated an injury with which he has been struggling.
“I have to go get my thumb x-rayed now,” Hunter-Reay said. “That made it worse than it was before.”
“It is what it is and we’ll deal with it.”
The most upset driver, however, was hometown hero and third generation driver Marco Andretti. The driver of the No. 25 RC Cola Chevrolet for Andretti Autosport finished tenth after leading a race high 88 laps and sitting on the pole.
This was the fifth race this season in which Andretti led and the fourth oval race he has led. Yet he still remains winless for the 2013 season.
“I’m so frustrated right now,” Andretti said after the race. “We were so dominant.”
“I’m just absolutely gutted,” Andretti continued. “I just sat there and watched the lead go away from me and it ripped my guts out.”
Helio Castroneves, driver of the No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, finished eighth and extended his points lead to 23 over Ryan Hunter-Reay after the Pocono IndyCar 400 Fueled by Sunoco.
“For us getting a lot of points in the championship is fantastic,” Castroneves said. “It was a tough race.”
“It was a lot of thinking and I’m terrible at thinking!” Castroneves continued. “It’s one of those races that nobody knows what to do.”
“It was crazy and quite exciting,” Castroneves said. “At the end of the day, it was a great day for championship and that’s what we’ve got to think.”
Johnson dominates Coke Zero 400 for fourth victory in 2013
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jimmie Johnson has once again put his name in the NASCAR record book.
For the first time in 31 years Daytona International Speedway was swept, Johnson completing the honors Saturday night in the Coke Zero 400. Surviving a green-white-checkered finish, meaning another late race restart, Johnson held off defending winner Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick.
“That’s tough to do at a plate track. Especially with how tight the rules are,” said Johnson in Victory Lane on his dominating car.
“I think I showed strength early and a lot of guys knew that and were willing to work with me, and kind of help me through situations, which is great. I don’t know if I really made a bad move tonight. I’m pretty proud of that.”
Johnson dominated the event, leading 94 of the race’s 161 laps for his fourth victory of the season. From the drop of the green flag Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet could go anywhere on the racetrack, whether it was trying to get the bottom to work, or sailing around the top when the race entered a long green flag run in which the field ended up single file.
Kyle Busch started on the pole for the 55th annual event and led an early portion. Teammate Denny Hamlin also took a turn at the front, inheriting the lead when the caution came out as green flag pit stops began when Joey Logano hit the wall on lap 71.
Both Busch and Hamlin’s days would later come to abrupt ends. Hamlin was first collected in a lap 98 wreck when Martin Truex Jr. got loose in front of him and spun. Hamlin ended up spinning all on his own later in the event, lap 157, and collected AJ Allmendinger, Jeff Gordon, Travis Kvapil, Matt Kenseth and Dave Blaney.
The brought out the red flag and set up a restart with seven laps to go. Just two laps later the caution was out again, this time the result of Kasey Kahne hitting the inside of the backstretch wall head on.
Kahne was running side-by-side with Johnson for the lad when Marcos Ambrose made a bold move to the middle. When Johnson moved over ever so slightly, it sent Ambrose into the side of Kahne.
Johnson quickly broke away with the lead on the GWC finish as Carl Edwards and a group of others wrecked in turn one. NASCAR chose not to throw a caution and let the leaders race to the finish. Stewart and Harvick had nothing for Johnson as another wreck broke out coming to the finish line. This time collecting Kyle Busch, Danica Patrick and Jeff Burton among others
“That’s amazing. I remember being in Southern California watching Bobby Allison,” said Johnson on the sweep.
“I remember where I was the day Davey passed away. That’s how much the Allison family meant to me. I always thought it was so great to watch Bobby and Davey race. To tie anything that Bobby has done is that’s pretty special. Very happy tonight.”
The victory marks the 64th of Johnson’s career and he remains the point leader, now by 49, over new second place driver Clint Bowyer. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the highest finishing rookie in 11th.
The NSCS moves to New Hampshire next weekend where Kasey Kahne is the defending winner. There are eight races before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
