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- August 18th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
I’ve Moved to One Bad Wheel.Com
Come on over and check out my new digs at One Bad Wheel. All of the same content you’re used to with a shiny new home.
- August 14th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Friday Notes:Newman, DEI, Fuel Mileage and Housekeeping
A few notes for a hot(100+ in Portland) weekend. Is there a such thing as breaking news in sports anymore? With the immediacy of the internet and more extensive coverage at all levels, it’s hard to keep announcements secret. Which is why ever
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Michigan II Preview
One of the first topics to come up when a Cup race at Michigan is mentioned is fuel mileage. That is something that usually sets Michigan apart, but this year has already featured four such finishes including the June Michigan race. What is it about
- August 13th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Reviewing the Rookie Classes: 2006
The last seven seasons have seen the advent of a youth movement in NASCAR at the Cup level. Young Guns have taken over in large numbers and many have quickly found success. Since 2000 a rookie has won a race in every season except 2004. Going back to
- August 12th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
View From the Couch: Watkins Glen-Tardy Edition
[Note: Blogging is a great thing. It allows for freedom and flexibility. These things only apply with the help of a computer, which in my case went AWOL Sunday night. My apologies.] All right people, move along. Kyle Busch won another Cup race. Nothi
- August 7th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Friday Notes: Yeley, Kill Carl, Olympics
Not so Dyno-Mite! JJ Yeley was told by Hall of Fame Racing you don’t have to go home, but you can’t drive here. It’s interesting that both Yeley and HoF Racing have taken similar paths since debuting in the Cup series in 2006. Yele
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Watkins Glen Preview
Hello, my name is Glen. I’m from upstate New York. I throw a party once a year and invite all of my friends to come and hang out for the weekend. My political views are pretty balanced, sometimes I go to the left, other times I lean to the righ
- August 5th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
How to Speak NASCAR: A Translation Guide
One of the biggest complaints from fans is that drivers are too vanilla in interviews. With so many sponsors to appease, the days of drivers telling it like it is are mostly gone. If you believed everything that a driver said that would mean no one w
- August 4th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
View From the Couch: Pocono II
If you missed Sunday’s race at Pocono here is a quick recap in a segment I like to call, “Pocono in a nutshell”: Carl Edwards won(again) the race on fuel mileage, Mark Martin was undone by no fault of his own (again), Jimmie Johnson looked
- August 1st, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
NASCAR Notes, Quotes and Anecdotes
How to Piss off a Cup Driver: Part I Last week Rusty Wallace claimed Ryan Newman was fired by Penske instead of a mutual parting. Newman didn’t appreciate his former teammate/bicker buddy sticking his nose into Newman’s business. Wallace
- July 31st, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Pocono II Preview
Until last year the second Pocono race fell prior to the Brickyard 400. Under that arrangement we all believed that Pocono served as a tuneup for the Brickyard. We could catch a glimpse of who might run well at one of NASCAR’s elite events. Nev
- July 30th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Reviewing the Rookie Classes: 2005
The last seven seasons have seen the advent of a youth movement in NASCAR at the Cup level. Young Guns have taken over in large numbers and many have quickly found success. Since 2000 a rookie has won a race in every season except 2004. Going back to
- July 29th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
9 Ways NASCAR Can Improve their Image
Let’s face it, NASCAR has had a rough 2008. They introduced a new car that no one really likes, are facing a lawsuit that apparently has legs, are facing shrinking attendance and now they see their second biggest race of the season become a deb
- July 28th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
View From the Couch: Indianapolis
On Monday morning at the water cooler the NASCAR fans that have been talking about Kyle Busch all summer will be talking about tires. In November, the same fans might be talking about Hendrick Motorsports and Jimmie Johnson. Whatever struggles the or
- July 25th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Reviewing the Rookie Classes: 2004
The last seven seasons have seen the advent of a youth movement in NASCAR at the Cup level. Young Guns have taken over in large numbers and many have quickly found success. Since 2000 a rookie has won a race in every season except 2004. Going back to
- July 24th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Brickyard 400 Preview
It’s Indy time for the Cup guys. That means speeds over 200 mph, a huge purse (last year was over $8 million) and tight racing. With not a lot of room to pass in the corners, horsepower on the straightaways is a driver’s best friend. Dal
- July 23rd, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Where’s the Indy Hype?
The NASCAR Cup race at Indianapolis Motorspeedway is arguably the second biggest race of the season. With two weeks since the last Kyle Busch conquest race, there has been plenty of time for everyone to be whipped into a frenzy of pre-race hype. So w
- July 22nd, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Pick Your Ten Favorite Cup Races
Every summer when the Sprint/Nextel/Winston Cup tour nears the Brickyard, the debate is renewed. That debate of course is the one centered around which is the best track and race in NASCAR. The Daytona 500 and has the most prominent history in stock
- July 21st, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
View From the Couch: Who Will Stumble?
Someone is about to go for a parachute ride. Based on recent history, it’s inevitable that one and maybe two teams sitting on the good side of the points will tumble between now and September. Since the Chase was created in 2004, at least one d
- July 18th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Friday News, Notes and Quotes
It’s been a few weeks since I have done a roundup of the news stories in NASCAR. Apoligies for some of these nuggets being a little old, but it’s a slow news week anyway. DEI is reportedly looking for an investor. Apparently after sayin
- July 17th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
What If NASCAR teams made trades?
One of the most exciting parts of sports for me is the transactions and seeing how teams are built. I love drafts, hot stove leagues and trade deadlines. Obviously NASCAR is different since there is no salary cap, anyone can start a team, the draft i
- July 16th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Reviewing the Rookie Classes: 2003
The last seven seasons have seen the advent of a youth movement in NASCAR at the Cup level. Young Guns have taken over in large numbers and many have quickly found success. Since 2000 a rookie has won a race in every season except 2004. Going back to
- July 15th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Ignore Jimmie Johnson at Your Own Risk
All the attention right now is focused on Kyle Busch and rightfully so given his incredible season. That’s probably fine with Jimmie Johnson. Johnson is probably the most invisible 2-time champion in the history of NASCAR. Johnson has only one
- July 14th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
View From the Couch: Chicago
In the last four races dating back to Sonoma we have seen Kyle Busch in a nutshell. He has won three races at three completely different tracks and also thrown in a nice scuffle at Loudon for good measure. Since his crash at Pocono (and the accompany
- July 11th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
10 Signs NASCAR is Feeling the Recession
We’re in a recession. Everyone’s felling it and it’s not very funny. But what’s the point if you can’t at least try and laugh about it. The Labor Day race at Fontana will be moved to LA and filmed in front of a green s
- July 10th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Chicago Preview
The good news for Matt Kenseth is that he is really good at Chicago. The bad news is that despite several dominant performances at the track, he has not won a race there yet. In 2005 he led 176 laps but was pipped at the end by Dale Earnhardt Jr on p
- July 9th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Reviewing the Rookie Classes: 2002
The last seven seasons have seen the advent of a youth movement in NASCAR at the Cup level. Young Guns have taken over in large numbers and many have quickly found success. Since 2000 a rookie has won a race in every season except 2004. Going back to
- July 8th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Assorted thoughts on Mark Martin’s move to Hendrick
I’m a little late to the party (who comes on time to parties anyway?), but here’s a few thoughts, observations and questions about Mark Martin’s plan to run for the 2009 Championship with Hendrick Motorsports. Unless you have exper
- July 7th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
View From the Couch: Daytona II
Saturday night’s race at Daytona was a perfect example of why Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards are having such great seasons. They have each enjoyed dominant stretches during the season, but their ability to take advantage of other’s mistakes
- July 4th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Friday Notes: Somewhere Sterling’s Laughing
A brief history of the #40 car. Once upon a time there was a driver named Sterling Marlin. He was hired to drive a racecar full time for Chip Ganassi/Felix Sabates Racing (This was before they changed their name to Chip Ganassi/Felix Sabates Mostly R
- July 3rd, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Daytona Preview: Coke Zero 400
This weekend TNT brings back their Wide Open coverage for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. More racing and fewer commercials sounds pretty good. What is even better is a good race at a fun track under the lights and 100 miles shorter than the Daytona 50
- July 2nd, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Dodging Success at Every Turn
Have you ever had a friend that no matter what they do can’t seem to get out of their own way? Maybe they get a raise at work, but then blow it on a new TV they can’t afford? You can’t help but slap your forehead and cover your eyes
- July 1st, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
By the Numbers: The 12 Best Summer Drivers
After another disappointing and undeserved finish for Tony Stewart and the #20 team, it’s easy to wonder what’s wrong this year. The truth is, while some of their finishes have been lower than usual, Stewart rarely wins before June. In hi
- June 30th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
View From the Couch: Loudon
For the first 270 laps, Sunday’s race at New Hampshire was pretty tame. The leaders maintained comfortable leads with ease, the top ten positions didn’t change much and barring problems, cars were pretty much locked into a comfortable pos
- June 27th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Jenga-NASCAR’s Unofficial Silly Season Game
NASCAR’s Silly Season is kind of like a big game of Jenga. The year begins with everything in a solid block but then slowly a piece gets pulled from the bottom and moved to the top. After a while a lot of holes appear, the formation begins to s
- June 26th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Loudon Preview
Let’s start with a few questions for New Hampshire. Will this race be in Kentucky or Las Vegas next year? Will we see a tight contest with lots of battles for the lead? Will we see a rout like Clint Bowyer’s 6 second win last fall? I don&
- June 25th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
NASCAR’s Shrinking Sponsorship Pool
Jeff Burton is getting a caterpillar for 2009. With AT&T’s sponsorship exemption expiring after 2008, Richard Childress Racing had to find a new sponsor for the #31 car. The answer came from the yellow and black colors of Caterpillar. Give
- June 24th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
6 Things that Could Happen in 2008 Update
Prior to the 2008 season I made a list of six things that would happen this season. After 15 races we can already begin drawing conclusions about some of the predictions. Some have been right on, some have been off and some are still unknown. Overall
- June 23rd, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Greetings from Minnesota
Apologies for the lack of posting the last two days. I’ve been on vacation and believe it or not, I found a place that has no wi-fi. I’ll be back on the grid tomorrow morning for more words. In the meantime, be sure to check out One Bad W
- June 19th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Sonoma Preview
This week’s race at Infineon raceway might be the perfect storm for NASCAR. With the influx of open wheel drivers plus the incumbents that can wheel a stock car, the season’s first road course has the potential to be one of the best races
- June 18th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Know Your NASCAR Bloggers: Steve Wronkowicz
The second half of the On Pit Row Steve Wronkowicz let’s us in on the origins of “On Pit Row”, Bill Elliott and why facts are cumbersome. How long have you blogged? If memory serves me right, we didn’t even have a website of any k
- June 17th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Ten Drivers Looking For a Slump Buster
Now that Dale Earnhardt Jr has scored his breakthrough win for 2008, who is the next driver to win for the first time this year? Nine different drivers have already won at least one race this year, but there are still a lot of big names looking to ki
- June 16th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
View From the Couch: Michigan
Finally. Dale Earnhardt Jr returned to Victory Lane in a Cup race. The last time Dale Earnhardt Jr won a Cup points race, Bill Clinton was in office. Or at least some people made it seem like it had been that long. The way Junior’s 2008 has gon
- June 13th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Friday Notebook
Sponsorship is playing a greater role in Silly Season than ever before. With increased costs to simply fund a team, let alone a successful team, it’s no wonder that drivers are loathe to sign a contract without firm sponsorship in place. Greg B
- June 12th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Michigan Preview
I’m always a little confused about Michigan. The track is wide and features several grooves, so drivers can find a place where their cars work best. Because it’s wide, that also means the passing can be rather easy. So is it a fun race be
- June 11th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Know Your NASCAR Bloggers: Clance Mcclannahan
It’s time to get to know everyone’s favorite NASCAR astrologer, Clance fromChurch of the Great Oval. How long have you blogged?I started blogging in June 2005. What made you start blogging? I started blogging just to practice my creative
- June 10th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Tuesday Notes: Shrub’s Weekend, A win for the #88 and Free Agency
After taking a day to reflect on the weekend, it’s time to break down Kyle Busch’s triple. As I noted Friday, I don’t think it was very significant to attempt all three races. Other drivers of lesser skill have accomplished the feat
- June 9th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
View From the Couch: Pocono
During Sunday’s race I had to paint a room in our house while listening to MRN and occasionally stealing time in front of the TV. With that context I can certifiably state that the Pocono race was more exciting than watching paint dry. Actually
- June 6th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Friday Notes: Drivers’ Wealth, Shrub’s Weekend and Soccer
Forbes and SI.com announced the list of the top 50 best paid american athletes of 2007. The list is based on salary/winnings plus sponsorship/endorsement dollars. Three NASCAR drivers made the list, Dale Earnhardt Jr (11th), Jeff Gordon( 14th) and Ji
- June 5th, 2008
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MNmike has posted a new entry on: Trouble in Turn2
Pocono Preview
This week’s Cup race is at the uniquely shaped Poconnnghh. [wakes up]Sorry, Pocono Raceway. In my unofficial poll of Cup drivers I have interviewed, 100% have admitted that the Pocono race can get pretty long. The popular opinion is that Pocono
