The Chase continued on Sunday, at the iconic Kansas Speedway for the legendary Hollywood Casino 400. The race formerly and memorably known as the Protection One 400, the Banquet 400 Presented by ConAgra Foods, the LifeLock 400, the Camping World RV 400 presented by Coleman, and the Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods has been making memories since 2001.
It is funny how we react to certain aromas. When I was a kid, we lived near the public works yards my father worked at. My brother and I would wander amongst the heavy equipment, taking in the smells of their exhaust and even today I rather like the smell of gasoline and diesel fuel.
CONCORD, N.C. -- What had been a great day in the Queen City for both Austin Dillon and Chase Elliott turned south in a flash in a multi-car wreck in a late-race restart.
When asked the importance of winning one of the first two races so as to not need to rely on a decent finish at the wild card race of Talladega, Austin Dillon said that it's important, but "you can still have a really good finish at Talladega."
Sixteen started the Chase with some hope. That is now down to 12 as they pull into Charlotte. If we relied strictly on the season tally to award the trophy, it would already be down to Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick. Just two points would be separating them. Both could have sat out Saturday night’s race and still have been one-two in the standings come Monday. Hence, the Chase.
Perspective. It means everything. Take Trevor Bayne, for instance. Last Sunday at Dover, he picked up a speeding penalty while on pit road during an early caution. No big deal. Sure, he finished 20th on the day, but with not a single Roush driver making the Chase, expectations were not exactly soaring.
In the opening Sprint Cup Series practice session on Friday morning, Kyle Larson ended up being the fastest at the Dover International Speedway. Larson’s lap at 165.578 mph was his final lap in the practice session as the No. 42 team was preparing for qualifying.
I hate change. Even good change can take a while to be appreciated. I did not like the Chase when it came out. I do now. I am still perturbed brand names like Firecracker 400 and World 600 were kicked to the curb to make a sponsor happy who obviously had no appreciation for the traditions of the sport. Then again, neither does NASCAR.
Mistakes. They happen. You just have to learn to overcome them, hopefully not to be repeated. On Sunday I made a mistake, and I know that it will never happen again.
Nothing like a good old-fashioned hand out to make people feel good. Terrence Cox III and his Diversity Motorsports wants in. They are suing NASCAR, the tracks, even the other teams, in a racial discrimination lawsuit for half a billion dollars.
