Nothing like the first time
Nearly a half a century ago, somewhere on a darkened two-lane road between Columbia and Level Cross, N.C., Richard Petty had his moment of epiphany.- 9:55 PM
Nearly a half a century ago, somewhere on a darkened two-lane road between Columbia and Level Cross, N.C., Richard Petty had his moment of epiphany.- 9:55 PM
SONOMA, Calif. — While working together on the No. 88 Chevrolets, there are times when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., sound like members of the same family.- 11:53 PM
CHARLOTTE — Marcus Smith, the 34-year-old son of Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith, has been named Humpy Wheeler’s successor as president and general manager of Lowe’s Motor Speedway.- 9:51 PM
SPARTA, Ky. — NASCAR’s decision Friday to not have a Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway in 2009, despite a change in ownership to Bruton Smith, has left the track’s founder livid.- 10:14 PM
Dale Earnhardt Jr. enters Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 looking for his first points-race victory at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, located a few miles from where he grew up and lives.- 9:24 PM
H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, one of stock-car racing’s great showmen, will take his final bows as president of Lowe’s Motor Speedway this weekend.- 11:52 AM
CHARLOTTE — With the help of a back-flipping dog, Humpy Wheeler made Carl Edwards the favorite to win the All-Star race by naming the acrobatic driver his pick to win Saturday night’s event.- 9:44 PM
DARLINGTON — Kyle Busch won the battle of attrition Saturday night as NASCAR’s least popular driver overcame a pit-road penalty and several scrapes with the wall to win at Darlington Raceway.- 11:48 PM
1. (6) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 367 laps, 138.6 rating, 195 points, $313,700. 2. (36) Carl Edwards, Ford, 367, 98.1, 170, $241,850. 3. (8) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 367, 116.5, 170, $194,236.- 1:23 AM
DARLINGTON — Consistently this season, Greg Biffle found a way to get his No. 16 Ford Fusion car through nearly every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.- 12:43 AM
DARLINGTON — Boo Kyle Busch. Boo his mother. Call him names, Make it colorful. He feeds on the hate. He dines on your bile.- 1:35 AM
FLORENCE — The caller asked for a few minutes of his time, and Cale Yarborough obliged, setting up an appointment for a Monday morning in May.- 1:39 AM
DARLINGTON — Forget the burgeoning Kyle Busch-Dale Earnhardt Jr. rivalry — keep your eye on Busch and Kevin Harvick.- 9:43 PM
In honor of race weekend, we’ll blast around the Let It Rip track at record speeds, pitting only when we need to ... Here’s what I want to know: Why are the only folks walking around topless at Darlington middle-aged men who can’t see their feet?- 9:43 PM
DARLINGTON YOU KNOW THE hype, the tub-thumping chant about Darlington Raceway. Too Tough To Tame. Too Tough To Tame. Too Tough To Tame.- 10:18 PM
1. David Pearson. Ten wins at the track "Too Tough to Tame." Any questions? 2. Dale Earnhardt. With nine wins before his death in 2000, you wonder if he’d have eventually topped Pearson.- 6:03 PM
The romantic in Jim Hunter would love to see the Southern 500 back at his beloved Darlington Raceway. The pragmatist in NASCAR’s chief spokesman is certain why it shouldn’t.- 10:38 PM
Leader: Kyle Busch Caution Flags: Two Laps under caution: Six Cars on lead lap: 22 Cautions Caution 1 As lap two began, Elliott Sandler went low into turn 1, got loose and plowed into Tony Stewart, sending both cars into the wall. Sandler was out, while Stewart resumed racing after a plume of flames shot from his car.- 9:38 PM
Harold King maneuvered the car onto the track at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR’s original superspeedway. He punched the gas and steered the car high around the banked corner.- 10:38 PM
DARLINGTON — The Lady in Black dined on a steady diet of sheet metal Friday afternoon. By the time qualifying for the Dodge Challenger 500 began, 24 cars (including both of Jimmy Johnson’s rides) had sustained significant damage as Darlington Raceway once again proved it was too tough to tame.- 11:43 PM