By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Well, here in the Sprint Cup garage he really was spinning his wheels, as crew members raced the motor with the rear jacked in the air as they made last-minute adjustments before heading out for practice. Denny Hamlin has been on a hot streak since around the time of his knee surgery, running every race like it’s his last chance, even throughout his painful recovery. He’s surged up through the points in the last several weeks, winning three of the last six races. However, Denny is a driver who’s proven to be very sensitive to momentum, and hasn’t historically done too well at Dover. Do you think the Monster Mile will call a halt to his forward charge, or will his energy be enough offset his bad luck here and get him a decent finish?

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Continue reading "Will Denny Be Spinning His Wheels On Sunday?" »

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

NASCAR legend Richard Petty dropped by the infield media center just now to say a bit about the new NASCAR Hall of Fame that just opened in Charlotte, where he’s being inducted into the inaugural class of five. The King spoke with his trademark grace and humility, insisting he didn’t completely deserve a place in the Class of 2010–”I know we won a bunch a races and did all this stuff,” but that there were a ton of “them cats” who’d done a lot more for the sport on the whole. I know he means what he says, but Petty, despite having been retired from active racing for years, continues without equal to be the ambassador of NASCAR. At nearly 73 years of age, this guy is literally everywhere–remember we even ran into him at SEMA?–and his pulling for NASCAR, his warmth toward fans, and his tirelessness in drawing new viewers into the races doesn’t have any current equivalent that I can think of. The King is a class act, and I love that he even passed out Richard Petty party favors to the attending media, each one marked in Sharpie with his trademark ornate signature.

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Continue reading "Richard Petty Stopped By" »

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Things are just heating up here in Dover, with Nationwide and Spring Cup Series cars alternating their practice and qualifying runs out on the track. In the Nationwide Series, Kyle Busch set a track qualifying record with a 22.752-sec lap around the 1-mile concrete oval, winning the pole for today’s Nationwide race. Denny Hamlin got the second starting position, Brad Keselowski the third, with Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounding out the rest of the first three rows. Even here in the second-tier Nationwide series, the starting grid is dominated by the Sprint Cup veterans who are pulling double duty by running in both the weekend’s races.

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By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Brian Vickers, driver for the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota and one-time Chase contender when he squeaked into the 12th spot ahead of Kyle Busch last year, has been hospitalized for mysterious blood clots and will not race this weekend at Dover. Red Bull Racing honcho Jay Frye said Vickers was on an “intense type dosage” of stabilizing meds as doctors try to figure out what’s going on with the multiple clots, one of which is threatening his lungs. Frye  cited occupational hazards of the racing life as a possible cause of Vickers’ condition; as David Caraviello pointed out in his article for NASCAR.com,

Clots in veins often occur when blood flow becomes stagnant, and can be caused by something as mundane as sitting for long periods of time, which drivers certainly do in the race car. Carbon monoxide exposure can also play a role in clots that develop in the lungs.

Casey Mears will drive the No. 83 Toyota on Sunday in his place, but the setback basically kills Vickers’ chances of making the Chase for the Cup this year–doctor’s orders are that he can’t even run the first lap of Sunday’s race and then swap out, as sick and injured drivers have sometimes done as a means of preserving their hold on the points standings. Best wishes to Brian Vickers for a complete and speedy recovery–sure we’ve loved to hate on him sometimes, but we’d rather see him back racing. Follow the jump for more driver drama.

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Continue reading "Adversity Piles Up For NASCAR Drivers Ahead Of Dover Race Weekend: Vickers Hospitalized, Kyle Busch “Shot Down”" »

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Thanks to our buddies at Valvoline, I’m going to be bringing you live coverage of this weekend’s NASCAR action from Dover International Speedway! I’ve been to this crusher of a track once before, and the speed and brutality of this one-mile concrete oval just blew me away. Stay tuned to the blog all weekend long for news from the track, and don’t forget to watch this weekend’s races–the Nationwide Series race is on Saturday at 2pm Eastern on abc, and the Sprint Cup run will be Sunday at 1 on Fox.

NASCAR coverage brought to you by Valvoline Engine Guarantee–the first and only motor oil in the industry that will guarantee your engine up to 300,000 miles. *Registration required, some limitations apply.