Tony Stewart talks about first day back at the track

 

 

   Smoke has risen.

   NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drive Tony Stewart took his first laps in his No. 14 Chevrolet on Friday night since he broke two bones in his right leg in a dirt track racing accident last August.

   After participating in Friday's practice session for the Sprint Unlimited, Stewart spoke to the media.

   Q: How did it feel?
   "It felt good. The great thing is there is zero percentage of pain in the car. That was nice. We will see what it feels like at 9 o’clock tonight, but so far so good. That is better than I was hoping for, honestly. I thought we would have some kind of ache, pain of some kind that would bother us. It was like putting on an old pair of shoes again."

   Q: At what point were you smiling?
   "When we hit the end of pit road leaving. That is way too long to wait to get back in a race car that is for sure."

   Q: Is it a relief or are you just overjoyed?
   “Well a little of both. I think once we got the relief of knowing we weren’t hurting anywhere then it was just joy of being back out there again. It didn’t feel like I had been gone seven months when we started running. It was today though, every five minutes I was looking at the clock from 3 o’clock on going ‘is it 4:30 yet’ because I wanted to get dressed at 4:30 and come in. That is a long time to be staring at the clock for an hour and a half. That is small compared to the seven months.”

   Q: You got in the car about 18 minutes early, which seems early for you.
   “I told them don’t get too excited that is not going to be a habit. So I’m logging courtesy minutes so if that way I’m late for practice I got that credit."

   Q: After you get your helmet on what is going through your mind? What are you thinking?
   "Just waiting. I didn’t want to wait anymore to be honest. The biggest thing was going in there, as soon as I got in the car, I’ve sat in that car three times now. I still had to move the mirror when I got in there one more time. We just wanted to give ourselves a couple of minutes so we weren’t thrashing at the last second if there was something we needed to move. Sure enough I had to move my mirror.”

   Q: Was the walk to the car any different? Were you anxious; were you excited, just normal or typical?
   "I just put one foot in front of the other like I do every time I got to the car."

NASCAR legend and Fox Sports analyst Darrell Waltrip has surgery

  

 

   NASCAR Hall of Fame and Fox Sports TV analyst Darrell Waltrip under a minor surgical procedure on Thursday and could miss Saturday night's broadcast of the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway. Waltrip will not participate in coverage of Friday's Sprint Unlimited practice sessions at Daytona.

   Fox Sports provided the following statement on Thursday night to The Charlotte Observer:

   "Darrell Waltrip underwent a minor surgical procedure today near his home in Tennessee and is resting comfortably. We wish him a speedy recovery and his on-air status is day to day."

Has former NASCAR champ Brad Keselowski really been muzzled?

   There have been many headlines on stories of late asking whether former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has been "muzzled" by the sport, or in some fashion  not as outspoken as he has been in the past.  

   I asked Keselowski during Thursday's Daytona 500 Media Day if he felt that assessment were true and if it were, what would be the reason. Here is his response, along with some follow-up questions:

   “I don’t have a muzzle on my face right now, but maybe I should have. I’m in an increasingly difficult position as a champion of this sport to try to convey the very strong situation and the health of this sport, which, although it could always be better is not terrible. And also my own personal agenda to be a champion that moves this sport forward. I think the most significant way I can answer that question is I think quite a few back channels have opened up within NASCAR over the last six to eight months that have given me the ability to not have to go to the media to get something done," Keselowski said. "That fits my personal and professional agenda, and out of respect for that I think it maybe creates a situation where what might look like a muzzle to you or to the outside is perhaps more a moment of opportunity I just don’t want to piss away.”

   Do you feel that's the benefit of becoming a champion? "Either that or just being so damn annoying that people start listening to you – one of the two.”

   Do you feel by being outspoken may have opened some doors, but were there misktakes?
"Are there things I could do better? Absolutely, but the mistakes is what builds your character and helps you become the person that you are and that you can learn from, so they’re only a mistake if you don’t grow and learn from them."

   Why do you feel these back channels have opened up? "I don’t know why channels are the way they are. That’s probably a better question for someone else, but I do feel like this sport has grown a lot over the last year in the sense of new people, new hires, and a new level of transparency that will serve it for years to come. It’s not really fair for me to answer why it has been the way it has, but from my perspective it certainly has gotten better.”

Jimmie Johnson's biggest regret in racing? Hint: It involves the No. 3

  

 

    What is six-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson's biggest regret of his racing career?

    Not having the opportunity to "get spun out or crashed" by Dale Earnhardt Sr.

    Johnson touched on that topic and more in a wide-ranging interview with Fox NFL Sunday host Curt Menefee, which will air Friday, Feb. 14, at 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

    Johnson is the first auto racing personality featured on Fox Sports 1’s signature interview show, which has included past sit-downs with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Denver Broncos legend John Elway and former NBA star and now TV analyst Charles Barkley.

    Among the many topics covered in the Johnson interview; he recounts a critical moment in his relationship with crew chief Chad Knaus, his place in NASCAR history and one of his greatest regrets … involving Dale Earnhardt.

    Here is an excerpt of part of Johnson's interview discussing the late seven-time NASCAR champion:

    Johnson: "That’s one regret I have. Again, Richard (Petty) was too far removed for me to say that I had a chance to drive with him on the track. But Dale (Earnhardt), that could have happened. And I so regret that I'll never have that chance to honestly get spun out or crashed by him. That opportunity will never be there for me."

    Menefee: "Really?"

    Johnson: "I mean every kid, especially my generation, that black No. 3, the black No. 3, you know, that's what you wanted to be and race against. And knowing Jeff Gordon as I do and watching him race with Dale all those years and then talking about it with Jeff now there's some really cool experiences there that I would have loved to have had."

Entry list for 2014 Sprint Unlimited

Entry Veh # Driver Owner Crew Chief Mfg

1. 1 Jamie McMurray Felix Sabates Keith Rodden  Chevrolet

2. 2 Brad Keselowski Roger Penske Paul Wolfe  Ford

3. 4 Kevin Harvick Tony Stewart Rodney Childers  Chevrolet

4. 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Drew Blickensderfer  Ford

5. 10 Danica Patrick Tony Stewart Tony Gibson  Chevrolet

6. 11 Denny Hamlin J D Gibbs Darian Grubb  Toyota

7. 14 Tony Stewart Margaret Haas Chad Johnston  Chevrolet

8. 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr John Henry Michael Kelley  Ford

9. 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Dave Rogers  Toyota

10. 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Jason Ratcliff  Toyota

11. 22 Joey Logano Walter Czarnecki Todd Gordon  Ford

12. 24 Jeff Gordon Rick Hendrick Alan Gustafson  Chevrolet

13. 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Luke Lambert  Chevrolet

 

14. 32 Terry Labonte Frank Stoddard Jr Daniel Stillman  Ford

15. 41 Kurt Busch Gene Haas Daniel Knost  Chevrolet

16. 48 Jimmie Johnson Jeff Gordon Chad Knaus  Chevrolet

17. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr Rick Hendrick Steve Letarte  Chevrolet

18. 99 Carl Edwards Jack Roush James Fennig  Ford

NBC set to launch new weekly NASCAR TV show on Feb. 24

 

 

  NBC Sports Network will debut its new, weekly NASCAR TV show "NASCAR America" on Monday, Feb. 24, the day after the 2014 Daytona 500.

   The 30-minute show will debut at 5 p.m. ET and return each week at the same time and place. "NASCAR America" will cover the sport from all angles, delivering news, highlights and access to NASCAR’s dynamic stars and personalities. Each episode will include in-depth access to the drivers, crew chiefs and team owners that are integral to the sport, opinions and analysis from NASCAR’s most prominent personalities, and exclusive looks inside the high-tech race shops and storied racing venues that dot the country.

   Originating from NBC Sports Group’s International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., as well as a new NBC Sports’ studio located in the racing hotbed of Charlotte, "NASCAR America's" primary host is Rick Allen. Allen, who will usher in NBC Sports’ live coverage of NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series racing as lead announcer in July 2015, will interact daily with NBC Sports motorsports reporters Marty Snider and Kelly Stavast. Snider and Stavast, both based in Charlotte, will operate on location throughout the country to deliver the latest news and features on NASCAR’s drivers and race teams. NBC Sports Group’s IndyCar and Formula One play-by-play voice Leigh Diffey will also serve as host.

   Alongside Allen in the studio will be a constant rotation of guest analysts offering fresh perspectives and insights. Guest analysts throughout February and March include NBC Sports NASCAR analyst Jeff Burton, Sprint Cup Champion Bobby Labonte, Kyle Petty, Ken Schrader, and crew chief Frank Stoddard. Future guest analysts, which will include former and current drivers and crew chiefs, NASCAR executives, and even prominent fans such as NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, will be announced at a later date. 

   “The excitement and energy that the NBC Sports team is pouring into all the great ideas and concepts for NASCAR America has me convinced that this show will be special for race fans,” said Burton. “I’m looking forward to contributing to NASCAR America, and watching it as well.”  

Woah! Will Ford Say "Yes" to a Mustang Wagon? Could they Even? Should they?

WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! This derriere! All up in my grille! Ooooooh man! What seduction of the senses. What visual excitement" Flying right into my mind is Kevin Little's "Tempted to touch". Go to the link! Please do! Because this picture and that song will be everything! (Hahaha).


Well to my pleasure, a yacht company, by the name of Strandcraft,  has decided to make a shooting brake or high-powered sportswagon Mustang version. If this picture is anything to go by, then I wouldn't mind keeping celibate until she visits me in April of this year. And when she comes, it's going down!

This picture is a splendiferous visualization of what a screaming, shooting Mustang would look like. My eyes can't withhold itself from repeatedly caressing the sides of this car - those wide hips - innumerable times. "Where I get that feeling"? (Lol) Huh? No words! I am almost speechless and going brain-blank as I attempt to analyze the deliciousness of this beauty. It is so perfect! The rear end with the fat tires has that look of weight, and rubber-burning smoke, and drifting, and cargasms! And that rear quarter panel, as it sits likes the hips on a vivacious girl, is all the life in the world. I can't say anything more. My hands are slowly failing to type anymore. My brain is slowing down. I'm drooling. I've passed out...I soo want to see this car speeding down the street by my house ASAP!

The Mustang wagon will come with a 5.8 liter v-8 and able to pull 850 horses! Seating will be of the Recaro brand, ofcourse perfect racing interior attire for a humungously fast car! Get your drool level up!

- Gebre Mesquitta