September 26, 2008
NASCAR Post-Race Teardown
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
As you probably know, the racecars that compete in NASCAR’s top series are subject to ongoing, nearly constant inspections from the moment they roll off the trailer at any given track. When I was in Dover last weekend, one of the things I was especially curious about was the post-race teardown, where inspectors nab the winning car and a handful of randoms and then break them down into nothing but a heap of components, going through the car with a fine-toothed comb to rule out cheating. So as soon as the race was won and the Victory Lane celebrations were over, I high-tailed it over to the garage area to watch Greg Biffle’s No. 16 Ford, still sticky with Gatorade and confetti, get transformed from a race-winning Sprint Cup car to a rolling shell and a rubble of car parts. Read more…
September 25, 2008
NASCAR At Dover: Hundreds Of Pics Now Live!
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
Dover International Speedway is a hot, high-banked concrete oval that chews up racecars, spits them out, and asks for more—and after watching that happen all weekend, I sure did have one burly item that I could cross off my before-I-die list. Now, here at CarDomain, we’ve got the largest collection of Dover race photos on the internet. Over in our Events section, there’s a ton of pics from all three of this week’s exciting series, but don’t think you have to put up with much of my Casio’s mediocre track photography—the lion’s share of the shots are from behind the scenes, the restricted areas like the garage and the pits, where the real craziness happens. Enjoy!
September 24, 2008
Back 40 Racing
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
NASCAR driver Carl Edwards told me about Back 40 Racing when I chatted with him at Dover this weekend—basically, it’s an informal field-racing series in which competitors run cars they’ve pulled out of the junkyard. Carl was more involved in Back 40 before full-time racing duties took over—it bears the same name as his record label—but apparently, he still goes out racing with them once in awhile. And yeah, running junker cars through back fields against the current Sprint Cup Series points leader sounds like my idea of a total blast! Check out video of a typical Back 40 lap, below.
September 22, 2008
Somewhere Under All That Confetti Is Greg Biffle
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
Today was huge for the Roush-Fenway Fords, with Greg Biffle scoring the win at Dover following a harrowing battle with Roush teammates Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards. Those two finished second and third, respectively, but not before spending the final 25 laps trading paint and nearly giving team owner Jack Roush a heart attack. As Greg Biffle reflected after the race on what it must’ve been like for his boss to witness his Fords’ kamikaze three-wide antics, "I would have crapped my pants watching those three cars run into each other." But all the beatin’ and bangin’ paid off, of course, with a 1-2-3 finish for the Roush Fords, a sweep that some speculated might’ve even been 1-2-3-4 if Jamie McMurray hadn’t been caught up in a wreck after leading the race early on. The win seemed to come as a bit astonishing to Biffle, who said his car had been off and on all day and who had been second-guessing his suspension setup until well into the race. Biffle hadn’t scored a win all season prior to his back-to-back victories in these first two races of the Chase for the Cup. Congratulations!
See a few of my pics from today’s finish.
Continue reading "Somewhere Under All That Confetti Is Greg Biffle" »
Door Prize: Dover Gives Away Its Pace Car
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
Hey, remember that awesome Charger pace car I told you about on my first day at Dover? Yep, some lucky bastard got to drive it home. The Charger ended up being the speedway’s giveaway car during today’s pre-race festivities, and Buck and Bass from Rowdy.com got to do the honors and hand over the keys. The six finalists who gathered at the start-finish line had been entered automatically in the drawing when they renewed their season passes. There were six keys in the hat, but (isn’t it always the way?) only one unlocked the Charger’s door—and set off its alarm. Sweet prize!
Continue reading "Door Prize: Dover Gives Away Its Pace Car" »
September 21, 2008
Kyle Busch Heartbroken Following Engine Failure
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
Kyle Busch, tailed by ESPN pit reporter Jamie Little, leaves his No. 18 Toyota following a catastrophic engine failure that sent his car to the garage. If you were watching, you’ll know that the car started billowing smoke out the exhaust at around lap 140, before it settled down to puffing smoke in bursts in time with the RPM. It hung on that way for several laps, but finally expired and was pushed into the garage. There, the team drained the oil and started tearing the motor down. That splatter of oil on the underside of the hood doesn’t look like a good sign, and there was more down the right-hand fender—but at the time, the crew was talking burned or bent valves and thinking maybe they could get the car back out on the track to avoid a DNF. Even if they do, however, the buzz is that this incident is going to be catastrophic for the former points-leader’s championship standings: Kyle will be lucky if he can hang onto the bottom rung of the Chase ladder. But Busch isn’t the only Chase Toyota having drivetrain problems today—Denny Hamlin had to go into the garage to swap out his rear end and axles after having burned them up, and is back out on the track, 37 laps down. See some shots of the No. 18 in the garage.
Continue reading "Kyle Busch Heartbroken Following Engine Failure" »
Wrecking Already!
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
The race had barely run three laps when Kurt Busch got into it with David Gilliland’s No. 38 and mashed up his car’s rear clip. It looked like it was going to be bad for Kurt as he ended up a lap down after the stop, but Patrick Carpentier spun just a few laps later, clipping Carl Edwards and barely missing Jimmie Johnson. Kurt Busch scored the "lucky dog" from the ensuing caution, meaning he was advanced back up to the lead lap. I was in the No. 02’s pit box when Kurt brought it in for on-the-fly repairs. Here’s the view!
On The Starting Grid at Dover
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
Out on the track, the cars were lined up and wearing their little heat-repelling space blankets. Following driver introductions, the drivers hung out by their cars for a bit before climbing in. Some were chatting with fans—Hot Pass-holders weren’t kicked off the track until right before they fired up the engines. See more pics from the starting grid below the jump.
Sprint Cup Garage During Practice: Controlled Chaos
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
The drivers only have a limited amount of time to get out on the track and to run practice laps during any given session, and with so many 850-horsepower racecars coming in hot for quick adjustments, then shooting out again, the garage area feels like hell in a very small place. In such close quarters, it’s kind of a miracle that crew members don’t get hurt more than they do, but they’re clearly experts in staying out of the way, just as they are in the pits. Another curiosity was that a handful of fans were milling around with garage passes—whether they got them through connections, contest giveaways, or some other means I’m not sure—and they had to be carefully herded behind a line on the pavement to keep them from getting nailed by incoming or outgoing cars. Meanwhile, cars in practice were shooting by on the track directly behind us, and the air was full of that rich, strangely roasted-chestnut smell of burning race gas. Click below the jump to watch and listen as the whole garage full of cars empties out at the beginning of practice!
In the final practice, the fastest car was Carl Edwards’ Ford, followed by Greg Biffle’s Ford and Jimmie Johnson’s Chevrolet.
Continue reading "Sprint Cup Garage During Practice: Controlled Chaos" »
September 20, 2008
Kyle Busch Dominates Nationwide Race
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
Today, Kyle Busch became the winner of the awkwardly-named Camping World RV Sales 200 (who comes up with these things?), not to be confused with Sunday’s Sprint race, the Camping World RV 400. Today’s race was a harrowing, crashy one that saw early achievers get laid low, and during the last couple of restarts, Kyle left the pack in his dust every time. I watched the No. 18 team celebrate in Victory Lane, and, and while it’s true that they splash nasty, sticky Gatorade over everyone, it won’t get you (or your camera) unless you’re down in the first few rows. Advice if you’re ever there: go high, unless you brought a change of clothing! See more pics below the jump, as well as a video clip of the No. 18 Toyota rolling into the circle.
