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Gen-6 Speeds at Darlington are……WAY WAY FAST!

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SM Staff
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Photo Credit: David Yeazell
Photo Credit: David Yeazell
Photo Credit: David Yeazell

If there is one race besides the Daytona 500 that I’m very much looking forward to this upcoming season, it is certainly going to be the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Several Sprint Cup stars were at the Darlington Raceway as part of a Goodyear tire test for the new Gen-6 race car. The Gen-6 race car will debut in the Sprint Unlimited Saturday, February 16th.

Carl Edwards was one of the drivers that gave two thumbs up in regards to the tire test saying that his digital speedometer on his Ford Fusion hit as high as 193 mph. That is a speed unheard of at this track. Several years ago Michael Waltrip sat down with Jeff Gordon on the program NASCAR Thunder 2004. One of Gordon’s comments was, “We go around here around 180 mph.” The conversation dealt with Gordon, then a 6-time winner at the track, talking about how you survive at Darlington. This will be a brand new monster for Gordon as well, who last won here in 2007.

Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Paul Menard, and Juan Montoya were also on hand for the Goodyear tire test. Edwards is predicting much faster speeds and tighter racing when the Bojangles Southern 500 comes to FOX on May 11th.

I’m expecting every single driver that qualifies at the track later this season to completely shatter the previous qualifying record. Darlington’s fast lap speed was set by Kasey Kahne in 2011. Darlington is known to be tricky. It’s egg-shaped corners will make it very treacherous, so qualifying, pit strategy, and staying out of trouble will be the keys to winning the race.

In other words, expect a lot of crashes and excitement. The new car has also shown to have better grip than the previous models, so we might see a lot of crashes, and we might not.

But there is no denying it, the Gen-6 car has been far much quicker at each place it has been tested thus far. And the fans are anxious to get the 2013 season under way! Are you all ready? Follow me on Twitter at SirRyanTheOHara for more NASCAR updates.

Martin Truex Jr. Foundation Announces 4th Annual Catwalk for a Cause

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Sorenson Returns to Nationwide Series with TMG

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Richard Petty Motorsports Hits the Road with Allstate Peterbilt Group

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Kyle Larson Looks to Compete Full-time In NASCAR Nationwide Series In 2013

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NASCAR Sprint Cup and MIS on location at the Canadian Motorsports Expo

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John Wes Townley Teams with Venturini Motorsports for Partial ARCA and NASCAR Nationwide Schedule; Dan Deeringhoff to Crew Chief Nationwide Races

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Photo Credit: Venturini Motorsports

2013 Will Make Or Break Newman’s Career

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SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Kyle Ocker
Photo Credit: Kyle Ocker
Photo Credit: Kyle Ocker

With Kevin Harvick officially coming to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, what does this mean for Ryan Newman? Does Tony Stewart have the resources to field four cars for an entire season. Is Ryan Newman the odd man out? I think unless Newman puts that No.39 car in victory lane a couple times, or at least contends for the championship from a fan’s standpoint, I don’t see Newman staying with this team. He will either be looking for a ride, or he will just stop racing.

Retirement does seem a bit early for Ryan Newman and maybe I’m a bit crazy, but you have to admit that this economy has left many drivers out looking for work. In this economy, it is harder to find a ride. If Newman were to leave Stewart-Haas Racing at the end of this upcoming season, it could mean retirement or it could mean racing for a lower-funded team than he is usually accommodated to. He won’t be racing for a Roger Penske or a Tony Stewart, but more like a James Finch or a Tommy Baldwin. He is in a really delicate situation. I’m pulling for him to get some wins this year, but it will be a difficult task with the competition the way it is now.

Some call 2003 a breakout year for Newman. It absolutely was a breakout year in terms of wins, but he ended up finishing 6th in the final points because of the amount of DNF’s that No.12 Alltel team had. Newman has only won eight races since then and the highest amount of wins he has had per season has been just two.

Newman did have one win last season at Martinsville, but that was caused by a wreck entering turn-1 that took Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, and Jimmie Johnson all out of contention for what should have been Rick Hendrick’s 200th NASCAR victory.

He has never really made a serious run for the title and I honestly doubt that the Gen-6 car will see much of an improvement. When the COT was not in full swing yet, Newman still missed the Chase in 2006, and 2007. It’s going to be tough to find a new ride if this season is yet another mediocre one. If he doesn’t shine this season, we might not see Ryan Newman at all on the Sprint Cup circuit in 2014.

What do you all think?

NASCAR Reallocates Winnings In Effort To Discourage Start and Park

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SM Staff
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Photo Credit: David Yeazell
Photo Credit: David Yeazell
Photo Credit: David Yeazell

Just weeks after SMI chairman Bruton Smith called start and park teams a “disgrace to the sport”, NASCAR president Mike Helton has released news of a change in the way that purses would be paid out to competitors in positions 39 through 43 of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

In a statement on Tuesday, Helton said, “We moved prize money higher in the purse, so if someone’s intent is solely to run a lap or two and park, the revenue stream shrinks.” The reduction is an incremental $4,000.00 reduction, per position, from 39th to 43rd. The total purse per race is not reduced. Instead, the additional money shifts to higher ranking finishers, paying winners and those higher in the finishing order a little more. Basically, it works like this: 39th place is reduced by $4,000, 40th is $4,000 less than 39th, 41st is $4,000 less than 40th, and so on until you get to 43rd.

The immediate question is whether this will do anything to discourage small teams from starting and parking in an effort to get a payday. When some races pay upwards of $70,000.00 just to start, small teams can often use these mini “paydays” as a way to fund the next race and keep their hopes alive. There has been a lot of discussion about this over the last few weeks and the reality of the situation is that some of the small teams who have little to no sponsorship would not continue in the sport without the ability to do this.

Whether you believe it is, as Mr. Smith says, “…a disgrace to the sport,” or feel that it is okay if not abused, don’t expect to see start and park teams to disappear from the sport anytime soon. NASCAR has been very clear that they do not intend to change the rules to eliminate the practice any time in the near future.

Chad Walter Joins Michael Waltrip Racing

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SM Staff
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MWRChad Walter has left Penske Racing as crew chief to the No.12 of Sam Hornish Jr., and instead has accepted a role at Michael Waltrip Racing as their Director of Engineering.

During his tenure at Penske Racing, he was crew chief to both Justin Allgaier and most recently Sam Hornish Jr. He led both to fourth place points finishes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Toward the end of the 2012 season, Walter was replaced by former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief, Greg Erwin. Erwin was known for being the crew chief for Greg Biffle for four seasons after a two year tenure with Robby Gordon Motorsports.

Walter worked for Hendrick Motorsports prior to joining Roger Penske’s stable in 2009, and served as crew chief for Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, and Ron Fellows. Walter was successful in getting all three to victory lane. He attended Cornell University where he joined the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers’ race car design team. Walter and his team won the national championship twice, enhancing his love for racing.

Walter will replace Steve Boyer who has served as the Director of Engineering at Michael Waltrip Racing for the past two seasons, but ultimately decided to resign and return to the private sector.

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