Recent Articles
Alex Andrejev: A rookie on the NASCAR beat
Alex Andrejev sits in the media center at Daytona International Speedway and waits for news on Ryan Newman’s condition. An ambulance transported him to Halifax Medical Center, after his wreck on the final lap of the Daytona 500. The atmosphere in the room is tense. Veteran reporters tell her they flashbacked to Dale Earnhardt’s fatal […] READ MORE
Daytona road course replaces Fontana on NASCAR schedule
We didn’t even make it through the offseason before COVID changed next year’s schedule, and we’re running the Daytona road course, again. NASCAR announced Tuesday that the road course at Daytona International Speedway will replace Auto Club Speedway on the 2021 schedule. It moves to the second race on the schedule. Homestead-Miami Speedway takes Auto […] READ MORE
Flat tire costs George Russell chance at victory
George Russell took advantage of a massive opportunity and dominated, Sunday, at Bahrain. Even after a miscue by his team on pit road cost him the lead, he climbed back through the field and ate away at Sergio Perez‘s lead. It was his race to lose. Suddenly, debris punctured his left-front tire. He couldn’t put it […] READ MORE
Sergio Perez capitalizes on Mercedes follies to win in Bahrain
Sergio Perez walked out onto the podium, holding the flag of his native Mexico. He stood and listened as “Himno Nacional Mexicano” played over the loudspeakers of Bahrain International Circuit. After that and the presentation of trophies, he picked up his champagne bottle and sprayed both Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll. When the celebrations died down, he sat […] READ MORE
Steve Linkowski, the man behind UrinatingTree
Steve Linkowski uploaded a video to his YouTube channel, “UrinatingTree,” titled “The Haters Guide to the 2017 NFL Playoffs,” on Jan. 2, 2017. At the time, his subscriber count was somewhere between 550 to 650. The next day, he had a hundred more. “I’m just sitting there like, ‘What? Wait, what,’” he said. “And I […] READ MORE
Unpublished championship stories
During a sports journalism class I took at the University of Tennessee, my professor — Phil Kaplan, south region assistant sports editor for USA TODAY Network — invited writers to speak to us, tell us about their experience on the job. One of those speakers was Mike Wilson, Tennessee athletics beat writer for the Knoxville […] READ MORE
Chase Elliott rebounds from pre-race penalty to win championship
Chase Elliott climbed out of the car and lied his head on the roof for a moment; absorbing everything. Then he hopped off and jumped into the arms of his pit crew. After his trackside interview with NBC, he walked over and hugged his father, Bill Elliott, and mother, Cindy Elliott. “All you can dream […] READ MORE
The White Zone: Chase Elliott takes next step with Cup title
Anybody who watched Chase Elliott race super late models in the 2010s realized he was a generational talent. His XFINITY Series championship in 2014, his rookie season, reinforced it. His development progressed in the Cup Series, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2016. He’s made the playoffs every year of his Cup career and won […] READ MORE
Kevin Harvick Misses Championship Cut, Despite Late Rally
Kevin Harvick found a secluded spot in his motorhome and talked to the media. Sporting a hoodie and glasses, he answered everyone’s questions like the professional he is. Not one to wear his heart on his sleeve, but not the stone cold stoic, either, he hid his disappointment well. Most people wouldn’t take missing the cut […] READ MORE
