NASCAR’s future brings reasons for optimism

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kyle Larson, decked out a suit and bowtie, attended a party at The Joseph. Inside a penthouse suite of the top floor of the luxury hotel stood dignitaries from Goodyear, Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR, all dressed in their best formal attire. In one corner of the room laid a table with kobe beef […] READ MORE


Unpublished championship stories: 2021

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Sometimes, the best game stories are the ones that don’t see the light of day. Mike Wilson, Tennessee athletics beat writer for the Knoxville News Sentinel, told my sportswriting class that. Though in the case of 2021, I think we got the best story. As a peek behind the curtain, I wrote four championship columns, […] READ MORE



The White Zone: Kyle Larson goes from pariah to champion

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A year and a half ago, Kyle Larson dropped a racial slur in an iRacing event. The next day, NASCAR indefinitely suspended him and his sponsors departed one after another. The day after, Chip Ganassi Racing fired him. In the span of less than 48 hours, Larson’s NASCAR career slammed head-on into a wall. “After […] READ MORE


Alex Bowman steals victory at Martinsville

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Six laps remained, and Denny Hamlin sat in the catbird seat. He held off Alex Bowman, who overtook him once for the lead, lap after lap for close to 20 laps. Then came contact. Bowman got loose into Turn 3, hit Hamlin and turned him into the wall. “For anybody that wants to think I […] READ MORE


The White Zone: Bubba Wallace did it

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One hundred and ninety-eight. That’s how many different drivers have a NASCAR Cup Series win, over the span of 2,673 races. Bubba Wallace put his name on that list. He put himself in position, in a race where nobody led more than 11 laps in a single stint. He blocked the advance of Brad Keselowski and Joey […] READ MORE


NASCAR: Cup race postponed to Monday

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NASCAR postponed Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, due to relentless rain. It now starts Monday at 1 p.m. ET. Call in sick, tomorrow, if you still have days off. NBCSN will carry the television broadcast, while MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio carry the radio broadcast. It’s the fourth Cup Series race postponed, this […] READ MORE


Three Big Stories: Bristol (XFINITY)

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BRISTOL, Tenn. — It’s Bristol, baby! The regular season for the NASCAR XFINITY Series concluded, Friday, in the most NASCAR way possible, with two drivers spinning at the finish line. Austin Cindric came up on the short-end of the finish. Justin Allgaier dominated the night, but sped on pit road. Also, it’s great to see some semblance […] READ MORE


Kyle Larson: ‘I tried to video game it’

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Desperate times call for desperate measures. Coming to the checkered flag of Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500, Kyle Larson channeled his inner Carl Edwards and rode the wall through Turns 3 and 4 to pull up to Denny Hamlin‘s bumper. “We got to the white,” he said, “and I was like, ‘Well, I haven’t been able to […] READ MORE


Michigan wreck puts Austin Dillon in points hole

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Just like that, all the ground Austin Dillon gained on Tyler Reddick evaporated. After crossing the start/finish line on Lap 120, Dillon drifted up the track and across the nose of Brad Keselowski‘s car. As a result, the No. 2 Ford hooked his No. 3 Chevrolet, which pounded the outside wall head-on. It pirouetted, briefly lifted off the […] READ MORE