Welcome to “Fuel It Up”! The racing world is chock full of intriguing stories, but sifting through them to get a good general sense of the landscape can be challenging. In Fuel It Up, I take the biggest, more interesting storylines and present them to you in a quick, compact 300-words-or-less format.
The winner of this week’s paint scheme award goes to Greg Biffle, driving the 3M Safety Ford. A pat on the back goes to Nationwide driver Justin Allgaier who is running a scheme paying tribute to Jason Leffler…………… NASCAR will be returning to NBC in 2015 saying goodbye to ESPN and TNT and its 8-year relationship with them. The 10-year deal with NBC gives the network the final 20 Sprint Cup races of the season and the final 19 Nationwide races as well. Financial terms were not announced, but reports say the deal represents a 50% increase from the previous contract…………… Richard Childress Racing (RCR) may bring back the #3 car as early as next season. Richard Childress’ Grandson, Austin Dillion is expected to join RCR in 2014, and Richard Childress has hinted that he is likely to run in the famous black #3…………… Chalk this one up as just plain dumb. 64-year-old Leslie Charles Hunter was arrested and charged with DUI after running in a race at Watsonville Ocean Speedway in California……………. In a bit of irony, ESPN Sportscenter anchor, Sage Steele, will drive the pace car for the Brickyard 400 Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway…………… TV Coverage for the Brickyard 400 begins at noon on ESPN and TSN………….. NASCAR has banned the use of aerial cameras after the malfunction that led to injuries, car damage and a long delay at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. ESPN had planned to utilize the aerial cameras this weekend at Indianapolis and again at Watkins Glen but were told by NASCAR that they would not be allowed…………… Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson lead all drivers with 4 wins each at the Brickyard. Johnson won last season’s event…………… Cassadee Pope, lead vocalist for the rock band Hey Monday, is scheduled to perform the National Anthem prior to the Sprint Cup race on Sunday. The Grand Marshal has yet to be announced……………. The weather forecast for race day on Sunday calls for Sunny skies with temperatures in the mid 70’s F (24C).
Thanks for Reading, you can leave your comments below. Feel free to give me a follow on Twitter – @JimLaPlante, as well as the site – @LastWordOnSport.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? Find more info at our “Join Our Team” page.
