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On Sunday, we got to witness Jimmie Johnson soar into the record books and not for the first time. Johnson became only the third driver to win a record 4 races at the infamous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Only Rick Mears and Jeff Gordon have accomplished that feat until now. With his win on Sunday, Johnson scored his 58th career win and his third win in this NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

As always, Jimmie Johnson is a title contender but he’s been kind of hot and cold. Yes I know it sounds weird to say that because Johnson has a total of 15 top 10 finishes in 20 races but in a lot of races this year Jimmie Johnson has been very anonymous. Could Jimmie be working this to his advantage? Although you can never forget “5-time” is there, sometimes he’s just is not in the picture. Continue reading →

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What does racing mean to me? Racing is about wanting to go fast, and achieving that goal. It’s about winning. No matter how close you come to first, if you come second, you’re not a winner. You can’t go to victory lane and celebrate your achievements, or do a burnout and climb the fence. You can’t have a checkered flag or a trophy.

Racing is a passion. Not everybody does it knowing that they can win. If you really think about it, only about 20-30 cars on a given week have the speed to beat the others and be competitive. The rest don’t enter hoping the other 42 cars get wrecked; they do it just for the racing. Maybe you’re a young kid trying to make it; you’re not looking for a win. When trying to make it in the sport, you need experience. You have to follow more experienced guys around knowing you can’t catch them, but you try anyway. Continue reading →

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Pocono Raceway is a track on the up rise. After the re-pavement of the track last off-season, the track developed a whole new meaning. The track is now faster and smoother which gives fans better racing action. The track is a perfect racers race track. We saw a great race back in June and should see another great one this weekend.

As the workers prepare track for the big weekend, I was able to talk with the President of the raceway, Brandon Igdalsky.  He described to me some of his favorite aspects of the track and gave me some insight to some neat things happening at the Pocono Raceway.

How long have you been around racing?

“I was born into the family business but started working full-time during summers when I was 13.” Continue reading →

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The 2012 NASCAR season has been a triumphant year for Dale Jr. as well as Junior Nation, scoring their first Sprint Cup win since the 2008 Lifelock 400 at Michigan, as well as their first points lead since September 19, 2004. Even though Jr’s career had quite a dry spell where wins are considered, his die-hard fans stood beside him and this NASCAR season seems to be rewarding them, as well as the driver, very generously.

As of New Hampshire, Jr. had an average Cup finish of 8.3 so far this season, compared to 14.3 at the end of 2011. His average finish is second only to the previous point’s leader, Matt Kenseth, with an average finish of 7.7. Some NASCAR fans on social media sites, such as Twitter, exaggerate Junior Nation’s reactions to his success this season. Continue reading →

Johnson celebrates in victory lane Photo- Getty Images

Jimmie Johnson dominated the race at Indianapolis today, leading 99 out of 160 laps. Johnson entered the record books of Indianapolis Motor Speedway by winning his fourth race at the track, tying teammate Jeff Gordon in stock cars and Johnson’s racing hero Rick Mears in open-wheel cars. Johnson took control of the race just before halfway and never let up.

Pole-sitter Denny Hamlin led early while outside pole-sitter Carl Edwards experienced problems. On lap 13, Edwards started experiencing issues, Edwards fell off pace and had to pit. His team couldn’t find any major issues so they sent him back out two laps down and in 39^th place. Edwards can’t afford these things to happen if he wants a shot at making the Chase.

The first round of green-flag stops began on lap 26 and after they finished up, Johnson beat Hamlin off pit road to take the race lead. The first caution came out on lap 41 when Travis Kvapil’s car cut down a tire and hit the wall. The leaders pitted and Hamlin beat Johnson off pit road but Brad Keselowski stayed out and took the lead. Just after the restart, Johnson regained the lead. Continue reading →

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Starting lineup for the Crown Royal Presents Curtiss Shaver 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

1. Denny Hamlin (#11 FedEx Toyota)
2. Carl Edwards (#99 Fastenal Ford)
3. Joey Logano (#20 Dollar General Toyota)
4. Aric Almirola (#43 Eckrich Ford)
5. Greg Biffle (#16 3M Ford)
6. Jimmie Johnson (#48 Lowe’s/ Kobalt Tools Chevy)
7. Kyle Busch (#18 M&M’s Toyota)
8. Paul Menard (#27 Menards/Nibco Chevy)
9. Jeff Gordon (#24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy)
10. Matt Kenseth (#17 Fifth Third Bank Ford) Continue reading →

 Penske Racing finally got to victory lane in NASCAR at the Indianapolis Saturday afternoon in the Nationwide Series when Brad Keselowski pulled into victory lane. Penske had won numerous races at Indy in the Indy Car Series but now Brad Keselowski delivered a victory to the captain in NASCAR. In the inaugural Nationwide Series race at Indy, we had a race full of action. Not a race full of carnage but NASCAR had a say in the race outcome which created action. On the final restart, Elliot Sadler was supposed to restart second but when Austin Dillon gave him a push from behind; Sadler went ahead of Keselowski before they crossed the line and NASCAR black flagged Sadler.

That forced Sadler to serve a pass through penalty and that ruined Sadler’s chances of kissing the bricks at the end of the race. Following the race, NASCAR officials addressed the media and said Sadler did not jump the restart but now they can’t reverse the outcome. The start of the race had some questions flying when Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin crossed the line first before pole-sitter Kasey Kahne. NASCAR did not black flag Busch because they said Kahne didn’t go when the green-flag dropped. Continue reading →

Starting lineup for the inaugural Nationwide Series Indiana 250 from Indianapolis Motor Speedway

1. Kasey Kahne (#38)
2. Kyle Busch (#54)
3. Ty Dillon (#51)
4. Denny Hamlin (#18)
5. Elliot Sadler (#2) Eligible for ‘Dash 4 Cash’ $100,000
6. Joey Logano (#20)
7. Austin Dillon (#3)
8. Brad Keselowski (#22)
9. Paul Menard (#33)
10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr (#6) Eligible for ‘Dash 4 Cash’ $100,000 Continue reading →

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DETROIT – Chevrolet will have a new entry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013: Camaro, the top- selling sports car in America, will make its series debut next February at Daytona International Speedway.

“Chevrolet is proud to bring the Camaro to the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013,” said Jim Campbell, vice president, Chevrolet Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The Camaro Nationwide race car incorporates many of the distinctive styling elements of the production Camaro, including the unique power-bulge hood and deep recessed grille. In addition, the design incorporates the distinctive halo light rings and dual-port grille appearances, and the gold bowtie.” Continue reading →

Age is only a number, Joey Gase started racing when he was eight and he set racing records by the time he was sixteen. Now at 19, Gase is competing against some of the best drivers in the sport in the Nationwide Series. Gase competes in a variety of racing leagues each season. He currently competes in the NASCAR K&N Series, part-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driving the No.39 car and races at his hometown track of Hawkeye Downs Speedway. Gase is not yet a household name but if he continues the path he’s on, soon we’ll hear about Gase running up front and competing for wins in races.

Recently I was able to interview Joey Gase about where he started in racing, where he is now and where he’s going in the future.

What is your racing background?

“I’ve been around racing all my life, my dad raced long before I ever did. I started racing go karts when I was eight years old. When I turned fourteen I raced open wheel modified for a year; the next year I started racing late models. In 2009 I raced Crate Late Models at New Smyrna Speedway during World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing (Speed Weeks) and finished 5th in points. Later that same year I was the youngest (16) ever to win a track championship at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Late Models. The following year I signed with SS Greenlight Racing as a development driver and raced in eight different series, PASS, Sunoco National Tour, NASCAR K&N, ARCA, USAR, ASA Midwest, ASA North, and Hawkeye Downs; Earning numerous wins, podiums, poles, and a track record.” Continue reading →