A rumbling undercurrent of conversation around this season’s NASCAR Sprint Cup broke through in a geyser last Sunday.
When Joey Logano confronted Kevin Harvick after a perceived slight late in the Pocono race, it marked a 
breakaway from the go-along, get-along nice-guy persona he’s displayed so far in his career. (Image credit: Flickr member: plstt http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4680247516_df9f5401ce.jpg)
More Joey, after the jump.
Who’s Racing Where?
Kicking off race week all over the map:
NASCAR Sprint Cup: Michigan International Speedway: Sunday, 1pm Eastern
NASCAR CampingWorld Truck Series: Companion race at Michigan: Saturday, 1:30pm Eastern
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Kentucky Speedway: Saturday, 7:30pm Eastern
Formula 1: Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Sunday, 12:00noon Eastern
NHRA: Supernationals, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ: Racing June 10-13
(check out the NHRA Supernationals New Jersey Event Schedule for details.
Stay tuned for updates throughout race week.
Emotional Roller Coaster Runs Through Pocono
After the quickest track-drying operation in recent memory, the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 presented by Target at Pocono went from near washout to nearly washing out its bored audience to a drama-filled finish.
In a race marred by two of the most welcome phantom debris cautions ever, Denny Hamlin picked ‘em up and put ‘em down when it counted, winning for something like the eleventeenth time.
TNT and NASCAR.com are kind enough to spare you having to watch all four hours. Pretty much everything you need to know is right here:
More Poconosiness after the jump!
Thoughts, prayers and “thank goodness-es” for Simona de Silvestro after a horrible wreck experience at Texas.
Racer David Richert offers some perspective in a Winnepeg Free Press guest column. (Yes, I guess we have to depend on the Canadians to cut through the fog.)
Saturday night played host to the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway as Indy Car brought its show into town. What wasn’t on the program though was the ineptness of the Indy Car safety crew in response to a stricken driven in urgent need.
Watching the video, it’s hard to argue with David’s assessment:
Simona commented after the race that her main concern was for her father. “I thought he was going to have a heart attack.”
Didn’t she also have a close call in Mike Conway’s wreck at Indy? Scary.
Good Texas race weekend news after the jump!
By JJFan1993 at 06/06/2010 18:09
By beallhigh26 at 06/06/2010 18:09
I’m a fair-weather AJ fan, too. He’s good when he’s good!
By Flavorofdasouth at 06/06/2010 18:09
Crazy, ain’t it? Lousy race, GREAT FINISH! Crazy, but true. Good point.
By galengidman at 06/06/2010 18:09
And DW is strangely silent on the point, don’t ya think?
By DNewtonespn at 06/06/2010 18:09
More twitterverse magic after the jump
Racing on a windy, wet day in Long Pond, PA
From ESPN’s David Newton
He’s the one scowling?
More Twitter photo fun after the jump:
It would not be race week in Texas, especially IndyCar race week in Texas, if somebody didn’t don an engagingly inappropriate cowboy hat.
Who better than Will Power? (Sorry. No embedding. It’s worth the click)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4PL4Ung_zA
Practice 2 Highlights from Texas
Highlights from practice two for the IZOD IndyCar Series at Texas Motor Speedway for the 2010 Firestone 550k.
More Texas IndyCar Race Week after the jump
Todd Bodine loves him some Texas Motorspeedway, don’t he?
Something about that place brings out the tough guy in those truck racers, and Todd’s 6th victory proves he’s tough enough to tangle with any of them.
A strong performance, with enough stamina to hold on through the green-white-checkers, all just to get to this:
More Texas race week trucking after the jump:
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TMS always seems to rock the truck races. Maybe it’s something about trucks in Texas, but the fans, the heat and the energy of those trucks seems to bring out something unique and awesome.
Let’s hope that carries over into tonite’s race. 8:30 pm (Eastern,) according to NASCAR’s broadcast schedule.
IndyCars, on the other hand, have a more, eh, “checkered” history at Texas. And I’m not just talkin’ about flags. From cancelled races (a CART event, I believe) to AJ Foyt and Arie Luyendyk’s little to-do in victory circle, way back in 1997(!), open wheel races at Texas always have a sort of raw feel about them.
Running them at night seems to help create that edge, too. If you’re in Texas and you’ve never seen the lights gleam off those little rocket cars, it’s worth the trip.
Let’s catch up with Texas race week.
Credit and thanks to original posters
Ride For Dime NASCAR Truck #89 Qualifies
The #89 Ride For Dime NASCAR Truck driven by Mike Harmon qualified for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition at Texas Motor Speedway today. Big thanks to Jerry Rubly and Mike Harmon for making this happen for Ride For Dime. Be sure to wat…
More Texas race week after the jump!
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Winding down the work week just means race week is hitting its stride. Friday is a big day on NASCAR’s senior circuit, and this week is no different as the teams puzzle over and ponder Pocono.
Yahoo’s Jay Busbee always adds a unique style and flavor to racing commentary. A true blogger, he always goes above and beyond the “this happened, then that happened” news cycle.
Today, he’s working as hard as he can to put a positive spin on the trip to Pocono, and especially the unique, shall we say “character” of Pocono Raceway.
Nice try, Jay. The Long Pond circuit has plenty of history and, as Jay points out, plenty of first time and unexpected winners. But the location isn’t exactly a garden spot of, well, much of anything:
(Scranton! Get Dunder Mifflin on one of those start and parker’s hoods! Make it so!)
The race is long and usually not overwhelming, excitement-wise. But, take heart, NASCAR goes up there twice a year!
Jay suggests politely that it might be time to give Pocono Raceway a break. Might be. But it also might be nice in, say, Kentucky this time of year.
Pocono or no, it’s race week. Let’s catch up.
Thanks and credit to original posters.
Dave D’Onofrio and Gavin Faretra of the Concord Monitor preview the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway in the latest episode of the RaceDay Preview series at concordmonitor.com.
More race weekness after the jump!
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