Joe Cooksey

Upcoming Events in the World of NASCAR After an action packed week (race at Talladega on Monday, practice at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday, then head to Richmond International Raceway on Thursday for an action packed weekend), I'm sure the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams would love a little rest and relaxation. However, NASCAR is one of the most competitive sports out there, and with that comes a demanding schedule. This coming Saturday, the teams will race under the lights at the track known as the "Lady in Black", Darlington Raceway. For those of you who have had the privilege of watching a race at Darlington understand exactly how this track earned its nickname. Through the[..]

Fantasy NASCAR returns on Valentine's Day, and is there a better way to spend the most romantic of holidays than sitting in front of your television watching the preeminent NASCAR race? We didn't think so. And just think of how happy your loved one will be when you tell them you're on your way to making a tidy sum of money after the drivers you selected in the NASCAR Challenge have taken the top spots! And who knows, maybe that will lead to an even bigger reward later that evening. To help you accomplish that, here is our forecast for the initial fantasy NASCAR contest of the season. (Note: Fantasy NASCAR contest covers three races - Daytona on Feb. 14, Fontana on Feb. 21 and Las Vegas[..]

Upcoming Events in the World of NASCAR Roughly three years ago, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) was the site for a publicity show down pitting the top NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon, against one of the top Formula One drivers, Juan Pablo Montoya. Each driver swapped cars for 7 laps on the 2.6 mile road course through the Indy infield. At the day's end, both drivers, especially Juan, and teams gained a new found respect for the style of racing each series has to offer. In two weeks, Jeff Gordon and the rest of the Nextel Cup boys return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400. Of the 36 races on the Nextel Cup circuit, The Brickyard 400 ranks in top 5 favorite for many of the[..]

James Dennis Hamlin Jr. or better known as Denny Hamlin, was born on November 18, 1980 was born in Tampa, Florida but spent most of his childhood in Chesterfield, Virginia. He started racing go karts when he was 7 years old in 1988. He was burning up the go karting tracks in Richmond, Virginia. By the time he was 16, Denny had switched to sturdier racing cars. He was racing stock cars and at his first race at Langley Speedway, saw him winning the pole position and the race. From then on, Denny raced in the Grand Stock division in 1998 which then spurred him on to Late Model Stock Cars in the year 2000. Denny's lucky break came when he was 24 and racing in the Late Model Stock Cars full[..]

Next stop on the Nextel Cup Schedule is Chicagoland Speedway Next week, the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams head will bring their tornado like speeds to the windy city of Chicago. Chicagoland Speedway is a young NASCAR track still coming into its own. NASCAR has been hosting Nextel Cup races at Chicagoland since 2001 with the hopes of capitalizing on the die-hard auto racing fans of the Midwest in the 3rd largest media market in the US. So far, the initial gamble has paid of. Of all current drivers with 4 or more career starts at Chicagoland, Jimmie Johnson (average finish of 3rd) leads the pack. Also expect the following drivers to do well next week: Other drivers to note: Kyle Busch - Average[..]

Upcoming Events in the World of NASCAR We NASCAR fans are patriots at heart. And there's no better way to celebrate the birth of our nation than at the most beloved track in all of NASCAR, Daytona International Speedway. The beaches of Daytona were already a destination for motor sports enthusiasts before Bill France Sr decided to host the first NASCAR event there in 1947. Twelve years later, the track that we all know and love, Daytona International Speedway opened and hosted its first event drawing 41,000 people. Next week, the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams head to Daytona to perform their craft in front of a crowd of 175,000+. Expect the Hendrick boys to dominate. Of all current drivers[..]

Upcoming Events in the World of NASCAR Next week, the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams head will bring their tornado like speeds to the windy city of Chicago. Chicagoland Speedway is a young NASCAR track still coming into it's own. NASCAR has been hosting Nextel Cup races at Chicagoland since 2001 with the hopes of capitalizing on the die-hard auto racing fans of the midwest in the 3rd largest media market in the US. So far, the initial gamble has paid of. Of all current drivers with 4 or more career starts at Chicagoland, Jimmie Johnson (average finish of 3rd) leads the pack. Also expect the following drivers to do well next week: Other drivers to note: Tony Stewart - Average Finish 8th Matt[..]

It's the AFC Championship Game of stock-car racing. Okay, no, that's not exactly right. It's the Australian Open of NASCAR. Kind of. Anyway, the Brickyard 400 is a big deal. The vestigial home of auto racing in America is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (or "Brickyard"), where the Indy 500 has been run for 745 consecutive years. Or something like that; I'm not much of an open-wheel-racing guy. Beginning in 1994, though, the real drivers came to this place (all right, that's a ridiculously provincial thing to say, but hey, I'm writing about stock cars...), and this midsummer event quickly became the second-most-prestigious on the circuit, behind only the Daytona 500. Now, don't get me[..]

Thoroughbred Horse Racing has its celebrated Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes). Professional tennis cherishes its Grand Slam (Australian, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open), four tournaments that only five men and women have won in a calendar year. So does PGA golf (Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship), four tournaments that no man has captured in a single season. Sports where every participant gathers for each event have traditionally recognized a handful of prestigious races or tournaments that stand above the rest. NASCAR has added to its schedule through the years after chopping it to one race per week when the "Modern Era" began in 1972. But[..]

Jeff Gordon is a famous American race car driver who was born in 1971 in Vallejo, California. He has won the Nascar Winston Cup four times, and he drives car #24 for Hendrick Motorsports. As of this writing, one of his most prominent sponsors is DuPont. Jeff Gordon began racing when he was only five years of age. He loved to race cars, and his family was supportive of him. His family actually relocated primarily because they wanted Jeff to be in a location where he could better harness his racing skills. While he was still a minor, Jeff had already won a number of races and was given the USAC Midget Car Racing Rookie of the Year award. After this, Gordon went on to win the USAC Midget[..]

Kasey Kahne always knew from a young age that he wanted to be a race car driver. He was born on April 10, 1980 in Enumclaw, Washington and now resides in Mooresville, North Carolina. He grew up racing on dirt tracks in his hometown of Enumclaw. He raced with his brother, Kale, cousins and friends. They would build tracks on their own although occasionally his father would build the tracks. Because he was brought up with a lot of land to play around on, these kids would enjoy nothing better than just racing around on their four wheelers. He took to open wheel sprint cars at Deming Speedway at aged 17 in Deming, Washington. This was before he moved up to Skagit speedway which then had him[..]

Next stop on the Nextel Cup Schedule is Richmond International Raceway Well folks, the NASCAR version of the playoffs is here. We are gearing up for a 10-week showdown that features a star-studded cast of drivers (unless your fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr), and promises to be one of the greatest finales to a NASCAR season in its rich history. The first stop on the playoff rotation is New Hampshire International Speedway for the Sylvania 300. NHIS is a challenging, flat 1.058 mile oval track. If you recall the 2006 Chase, New Hampshire is the site of Jimmie Johnson's early stumble. Of all the drivers in the Chase, Denny Hamlin has had the most luck at New Hampshire. In 3 starts there, Denny[..]

Ferrari. A name that is synonomous with winning. Over 50 years of racing heritage; a heritage which includes several Formula One titles, as well as overall victories in Sports Car Racing at some of the most difficult race circuits known to exist. Tracks like Spa, the Nurburgring, and the great French classic held every year at Le Mans. Nearly every challenge the Prancing Horse of Maranello has undertaken in the last 60 years has resulted in victory. One series however was not intimidated by Italy's best. That series was the Can-Am Challenge, held between 1966 and 1974 in North America. The Can-Am, as it would become known, was perhaps the most exciting road racing series the planet has[..]

The first NASCAR race of 2006 ran recently at Daytona and I was surprised by the number of new product sponsors. For years NASCAR has been a "good ol boy" thing, however, marketers have finally realized that this is huge untapped and under marketed advertising segment. We have to admit that there are loads of stereotypes about the typical NASCAR audience. Ever heard this description, "Red necked, long haired, tobacco chewing, cigarette smoking, good ol boy?" Well, that used to be true of NASCAR viewers but auto racing now is one of the few sports that are gaining in popularity among all demographic segments. Face it. Popularity equals advertising revenue and sales. Two current market[..]

After the second world war stock car racing was very popular and drew big crowds. As its popularity grew so did the number of make-shift tracks increased. Due to the lack of a governing body often the rules varied from track to track and safety standards were inadequate. In 1947 Bill France organized a meeting at the Streamline Hotel to discuss introducing a governing body for the stock car races. Bill was born in Washington D.C to his mother Emma Graham, an Irish immigrant, and father William Henry France. Bill France usually organized races on the beach-road courses and also raced in them himself. At the end of the meeting the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was[..]

Next stop on the Nextel Cup Schedule is New Hampshire International Raceway Next week, the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams head to the largest sporting venue in the Northeast, New Hampshire International Speedway, NIS. NHIS is a challenging, flat 1.058 mile oval track that annually packs 100,000 fans in the seats. The friendly residents of New Hampshire, who live by the state creed of "Live Free or Die" are huge NASCAR fans and turn out in droves to watch their favorite drivers cheat death. The mile long oval with its low-banked turns can be considered a close relative to Martinsville Speedway. Just like at Martinsville, the racing at NIS offers hard-braking & nail-biting passing in the[..]

The question is often asked: When will Kyle Petty retire from racing? The main reason he has lasted this long is the same motive he has for carrying on. When 19-year-old Adam Petty was killed in 2000 during a practice run at New Hampshire, Kyle and Pattie Petty lost a beloved son, and Petty Enterprises lost its future. The fourth-generation driver was being primed to take the lead for the team, and to progressively replace his father in the then-called Winston Cup Series after another year of seasoning in the Busch Series. The kill switch was mandated by NASCAR after Adam's death, which preceded Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash at Daytona by nine months, six days. Filled with grief but[..]

Its white-knuckle racing all the way at Talladega Superspeedway! The speeds that used to be possible at Talladega are no more. It is one of two tracks on the NASCAR circuit that forces teams to run a restrictor plate to limit the engine horsepower, which in turn limits the top speed of the cars. Built in 1969, this challenging tri-oval course is a little over 2.5 miles and the banking degrees sure take some talent! The first winner of a NASCAR race at Talladega was Richard Brickhouse in 1969. Speed records have been recorded at Talladega Superspeedway and it is known as the biggest and fastest motorsports facility in the World. If NASCAR thrills are what you seek, then Talladega is the[..]

A good organization supports charity and NASCAR does just that through it's NASCAR foundation. The NASCAR foundation has a program where for a $30 donation you can join in on the NASCAR track walk. The Home Depot, one of the nation's largest retail home improvement centers, is a major sponsor of the promotions and holds charitable events with proceeds going to the Foundation. But who does the Foundation support and what kinds of events do they hold to raise funds? One thing they do is sponsor auctions where the proceeds go to one of the foundations supported by the NASCAR foundation. For example, on September 17, 2007, they announced bidding on Jeff Gordon full-sized and autographed[..]

Carl Edwards is a NASCAR Sprint cup driver and is a sponsor's dream. He is one of those super marketable people that everyone responds to. Carl has had some of the really big name sponsors like AFLAC, Office Depot and Scott's Fertilizer on the side of his car. Carl has even including been on the cover of several magazines such as Men's Health, NASCAR Illustrated and has even been on several television shows such as "24" and "The Bill Engvall Show". He is a well known name with those 30 million plus fans that follow Nascar. He has been on the cover of the Men's Health Magazine and those issues was extremely popular with the ladies who follow Nascar as it showed off his very[..]

Kansas is the next stop on the NASCAR Schedule It hasn't taken long for drivers in the Chase for the Championship to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. In just two races into the Chase, four drivers have already fallen more than 100 points back from the leader, Jeff Burton. Look for the gaps to increase as the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams head to Kansas Speedway next week. Of the ten drivers currently in the Chase for the Championship, only one, Jeff Gordon, has an average finish in the top 10 at Kansas. The next closest Chase driver is Jimmie Johnson with a 13th place average finish. Also expect the following drivers to do well next week: Tony Stewart - Average Finish 7th Jamie[..]

Next stop on the Nextel Cup Schedule is Lowe's Motor Speedway Just when you thought Jeff Burton was about to run off with the Nextel Cup Championship, Talladega happened. The surprisingly eventless UAW-Ford 500 turned into a classic restrictor plate wreck-fest with 50 laps remaining. As a result, the standings in the Chase for the Championship heading into next week's Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway have tightened making next week's race in Charlotte a can't miss! Of all current drivers with 2 or more career starts at Charlotte, Carl Edwards has had the most success. In 3 starts, Edwards has an average finish of 5th. Also expect the following drivers to do well next week:[..]

Next stop on the Nextel Cup Schedule is Watkins Glen International The weeks are rolling by and the race for the Chase is nearing its end. NASCAR has to be ecstatic with the standings heading into Watkins Glen next week. The biggest names in NASCAR so far are all qualifiers for the Chase. Unlike previous seasons where key drivers missed the Chase (Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jeff Gordon in 2005 along with Tony Stewart in 2006), this years Chase promises to be the best ever. Given this star-studded cast who has everything to lose, next week's Centurion Boats at The Glen is building up to be a can't miss race! Of all current drivers with 2 or more career starts at Watkins Glen International,[..]

Jeffery Brian Burton or JB as he is affectionately known as to his fans, was born on June 29 in 1967 in South Boston, Virginia. He is also the younger brother of Ward Burton who is also a NEXTEL cup driver. Burton started driving in a go-kart in Virginia when he was seven which marked the significance of fast cars in his life. He garnered two Virginia State championships in go karting before deciding to race cars in 1984. He started racing in late Model feature events and won six of them. A couple of years later and he went on with seven more wins and the "Most popular driver" award. Burton debuted into the Busch Series in 1988 but only started full time in 1989. He had his first Winston[..]

Born on October 24th in 1962 at Hartford, Ohio, David Blaney is one of the more famous NASCAR drivers on the sprint tracks. He chalks down his favorite childhood memory to watching his dad race with his brother. It used to enthrall the young Blaneys when they saw how their father handled his car and the way he used to win. Blaney was first racing in the World of Outlaws in 1992 and he won the 1995 championship. Being the talent that he is, he went on to win the 1997 Knoxville Nationals which in the world of sprint car racing, is THE premier event. Blaney then made his way into NASCAR championships in 1999 but he managed to keep his sprint car team going while looking out for his brother[..]

Martin Truex Jr. was born in Mayetta, New Jersey on June 29, 1980. He is a second generation racer in his family. His father, Martin Truex Sr. was a winner in the Busch North Series and was heralded as a successful modified driver. Martin Sr. was already a successful racer in the Northeast by the time Truex Jr. was ready to take up racing. As young as he was, Martin Jr. always knew that the race tracks were made for him. He was already racing go-karts at the tender age of 11. By the time Martin Jr. was 14, he had won the Junior Championship and the New Jersey Championship Series at the New Egypt Speedway. He then proved this to be the starting point for what would turn out to be a very[..]

G.O.P. candidate Rudy Giuliani made an appearance at Daytona International Speedway over the weekend announcing - "I want a ride in a pace car." Giuliani spoke to reporters in the garage stall of Rusty Wallace Racing, wanting to climb in one of the team's race cars. Rudy was denied the opportunity because, according to Rusty Wallace, Giuliani wouldn't fit through the window. "I said, 'Rudy, the problem is I'm too big to get in there, and you're too big to get in there." Wallace told reporters, "If he's really serious about it, I'll find a car for him to get in. He wants to get in the real car and get on the race track." Rudy ended up riding in his campaign bus around the track but vowed[..]

You have recently made the necessary arrangements to attend a live NASCAR race but this is your first time and you do not know what to bring on your trip. There are several items, like food and clothing, available at a number of NASCAR racetracks. Yet it is also important to be fully prepared for the trip. Bringing food and drinks is important when entering the racetrack but be sure that you have eaten a full meal before attending a race. If you have friends with you, you may benefit from a tailgate party before the race. Items like snacks and drinks are always available at NASCAR races but you might be put off by the costs of them and so it may be a better option if you bring your own.[..]

Bill France Sr., on February 21, 1948, established National Association for Stock Car Racing. Initially, it was divided in three divisions: Modifieds, Roadsters and Strictly Stock. During these days, NASCAR racing is very much popular in America. It is gaining more and more fans everyday. Basically NASCAR is an organization that arranges different types of racing throughout the country. National Association for Stock Car racing runs three top racing series: NEXTEL Cup Series, Busch Series, and Craftsman truck Series. On June 19, 1949, the first car race held in the section 'Strictly Stock' and Jim Roper was winner of that race. Presently we all know this division as NEXTEL Cup Series.[..]

After watching the NASCAR All-Star Race at Lowes Motor Speedway, I must admit that there is something wrong in the way NASCAR handles race results. More often than not, NASCAR races are a bit boring as teams and drivers try to rack up points. The amazing racing at Lowes shows it doesn't have to be this way. The current points approach in NASCAR favors consistency over winning. There, I said it. Consistency is another word for being conservative. Conservative racing is boring racing. Ah, but what about the Chase? Well, most drivers know they can't afford one bad finish so the racing in the chase really isn't that aggressive. All and all, this makes for a season that has the occasional[..]

Last May, Kyle Busch celebrated his 24th birthday in style by winning the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races at Richmond International Raceway, making a late surge in the Crown Royal 400 and coming away with his third win of the 2009 Sprint Cup season. Busch battled to the wire with Tony Stewart at last year's Crown Royal 400 and ultimately brought home the victory, but can he do it again this year? Busch has had a relatively quiet 2010 so far, finishing in the middle of the pack for most of this year's Cup Series races. The Joe Gibbs Racing extraordinaire has had only a lukewarm year so far in his No. 18 stock car, placing 14th at Daytona, 6th at Fontana, 15th at Las Vegas, 25th at[..]

Jeff Gordon is one of the most popular race car drivers around today. Chances are, even if you are not a race fan, you know the name Jeff Gordon and the #24 car. Although, Mr. Gordon has had his ups and downs in the racing industry, he remains to keep himself on track. There have been several controversies that could have destroyed other drivers' careers, yet Jeff continued to do his job. Jeff Gordon was born in early August 1971. At a very surprisingly young age, Jeff began his racing career. At five years old, he was already racing in the midgets. The races were only quarter miles, but that is still astonishing to say the least at five years old. Early on in his childhood career, he[..]

James Christopher McMurray was born on June 3rd in 1976 in Joplin, Missouri. He began racing around the tracks in Joplin by the time he was eight years old. He won the World Go-Karting Championship in 1991 which set the trail for him to go on for bigger winnings. He decided in 1992 to go into NASCAR late models racing and began competing in the NASCAR RE/MAX Challenge Series from 1998 till 1999. He took part in 4 starts of the Craftsman Truck Series and went on to compete in 15 truck races in 2000. He managed to win two Bud Pole Awards with one top-five and three top-ten finishes. He debuted into the NASCAR Busch Series in 2001 on a full time basis and in 2002 he brought back two races[..]