“We’re not demolition derby,” NASCAR president Steve Phelps said about Austin Dillon’s conduct at Richmond.
Austin Dillon and Richard Childress Racing are still planning to make a final appeal to overturn NASCAR’s penalty against the No. 3 Chevrolet driver after their first attempt was denied Wednesday by the National Motorsports Appeals Panel.
NASCAR penalized Dillon and the team in a number of ways, including preventing the August 11 win from making Dillon eligible for the postseason, which a win normally automatically does. Should the final appeal be denied, Dillon would still need a win to make the playoffs.
NASCAR president Steve Phelps recently shared the governing body’s take on the wreck, the penalty and the future implications of both while talking to Kevin Harvick on the Happy Hour Podcast. The interview was recorded before the appeal was heard, according to Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass.
Phelps emphasized the need for safety as the sport evolves, but he also explained that it’s difficult to know and instruct drivers on where the line is between hard racing and unnecessary dangerous moves.
He told Harvick:
“I’ve heard from drivers over the years, ‘I don’t know where the line is. Tell me where the line is. Can you show me the line?’ I can’t show you the line, but you will know when it has been crossed, right? So if you hook someone to going 170 miles per hour on a mile-and-a-half track, you have crossed the line, and we’re going to park you. And so we’ve been consistent. We’ve had two of those. Do we want to do that? We don’t! But we need to make sure that we are keeping our drivers safe, and when you have a situation like that, it’s not safe.
“I think, as we were looking at, again, the data and what happened — it happened so quickly — but you had two incidents in a split-second right. Turn 3 had an incident. Turn 4, you had an incident, and then the race was concluded. I think the bump-and-run or slam-and-run or whatever it was, right — I won’t suggest that there wouldn’t have been a penalty. I have no idea, right? Because you had a second move, and the second move was a hook, in our opinion, right? Which was both the eye test as well as the data would suggest that’s what happened. It’s hard to hide from the data, right? And then he put a competitor also at risk, right? Denny took a hard hit, one of the hardest hits I think he’s had in this Next Gen car. And there was a line that was crossed, in our opinion.”
When Harvick brought up the possibility of NASCAR issuing penalties like this immediately after the race, Phelps said “it’s something we’ll explore,” including options of a one-lap penalty or a 15-second penalty for a driver and team.
But, as he also noted, unless it’s urgent or for safety, NASCAR doesn’t typically like to make rule changes mid-season.
The NASCAR president also looked ahead at the rest of the regular season — there are currently two races remaining at Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway — and the 10-race playoffs. He speculated about what could have happened had NASCAR not penalized Dillon and the No. 3 team.
Phelps added:
“If we hadn’t penalized it, then I think what we would see over the next 12 weeks would look significantly different. And we just can’t have it. It really comes down to: What do you want your sport to be? And that’s why I think we ruled the way we did, because we’re not demolition derby. We’re just not. We are a sport that if we had done nothing, I think we would have opened ourselves up for a mess, honestly.”
In case you missed it, Austin Dillon – desperate to win the race and grab a playoff spot – ran into the back of Joey Logano’s No. 22 car coming out of the final turns, spinning him into the wall. In the very next moment, Dillon then clipped the rear right panel of Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 car, sending him to the wall too. Dillon went on to win the race, his first in nearly two years, behind some very aggressive driving that was polarizing among fans and drivers alike – celebrated by some and widely criticized by others.
Since then, NASCAR penalized Dillon by ruling that his win would not count towards playoff eligibility – which Dillon is appealing. It also fined Logano for his actions after the race, where he spun the tires of his car down pit road in front of Dillon’s No. 3 pit box.
On Saturday at qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400 in Michigan, reporters caught up with Kyle Busch who offered his thoughts on the whole scene. If there was one thing that came out crystal clear, it’s that Busch still has no love for Logano.
Kyle Busch on Joey Logano when talking about the Richmond finish: “The one that had it happen to him is probably the one that has done it the most. … I guess his comments, he could be calling himself that.” pic.twitter.com/g1OAcFSJcT
“There’s a lot of guys that have done some desperate things to get wins even when they’re not desperate. The one that had it happen to him is probably the one that’s done it the most that doesn’t need to do it. I guess his comments – he can be calling himself that… Be mindful of what you do, I guess. It’s always going to come back on you. YouTube is there for not all positives.”
Simply put, Busch could’ve just said: what goes around comes around.
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA – AUGUST 11: Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, and Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 11, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
It’s also worth noting two things: First, Busch is a teammate of Dillon’s at Richard Childress Racing. And second, he has a history with Logano, getting into a pit road kerfuffle with him in 2017 in Las Vegas after Logano wrecked him.
“He leaned down in the window and I said, ‘Man, that got wild.’ And he said, ‘It doesn’t matter, you won it either way. You were the best car, and you dominated,’ which means a lot to me.”
Engines fire up for the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Hamlin is first in the starting grid after qualifying, Dillon is 10th, and Busch and Logano are nestled together at 13th and 14th. Stay tuned for any more potential fireworks between the drivers.
Joey Logano did not hold back on Austin Dillon here.
Welcome to FTW’s NASCAR Feud of the Week, where we provide a detailed breakdown of the latest absurd, funny and sometimes legitimate controversies and issues within the racing world.
Joey Logano did not mince words with reporters about Austin Dillon after the wild end to Sunday night’s Cook Out 400 in Richmond.
On the final lap of the NASCAR Cup Series race in Richmond, Logano was leading heading into the last dash. Dillon wasn’t too far behind Logano, but heading into the final turn, the 34-year-old driver made contact with the him, causing Logano to spin out right before the finish line.
Dillon then clipped Denny Hamlin on his way back inside before finishing an absolutely mind-blowing final lap to win the race. Here’s how the final lap looked on the broadcast.
An incredibly controversial move, to say the least. In the aftermath, Logano was understandably furious with Dillon in a very NSFW post-race interview.
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) August 12, 2024
It’s [expletive], there’s no doubt about it. He’s four car lengths back. Not even close. Then he wrecks the 11 to go along with it and then he’s going to go up there and thank God and praise everything with his baby. It’s a bunch of [expletive], it’s not even freaking close.
Logano continued to fume in a later interview on the track, saying Dillon has “sucked his whole career”.
“He’s a piece of crap. He sucks. He’s sucked his whole career,”
It remains to be seen if NASCAR will dole out punishment at all, but Hamlin — the other driver who was hit by Dillon — also wasn’t pleased about the way things went down.
NSFW language below.
Denny Hamlin says NASCAR parks people two laps for what Austin Dillon did; and that it shouldn't stand and that it's an example of the current lawless NASCAR pic.twitter.com/ifemtAWCgn
Caitlin Clark is going to be at the NASCAR Cup Series race this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Well, sort of.
The Indiana Fever rookie will be featured on Josh Berry’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford paint scheme with a giant photo of her on the hood. In the photo, Clark is wearing an Iowa Hawkeyes uniform seemingly about to shoot the ball with her name and “Raining 3s” written behind her.
Berry’s primary sponsor for Sunday’s Brickyard 400 is Panini America, which is highlighting its trading cards as part of the new Caitlin Clark Collection. While Clark herself will likely be busy this weekend for the WNBA All-Star weekend in Phoenix, she’ll be well represented at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Here are some close-up looks at Berry’s No. 4 Ford:
Caitlin Clark on Josh Berry’s No. 4 Ford for the 2024 Brickyard 400. (Courtesy of Stewart-Haas Racing)(Courtesy of Stewart-Haas Racing)(Courtesy of Stewart-Haas Racing)(Courtesy of Stewart-Haas Racing)
And a time-lapse video of the paint scheme being wrapped, courtesy of Stewart-Haas Racing:
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said he plans on attending more NASCAR races after attending on this summer
The Baltimore Ravens have been recharging ahead of the 2024 season after their brutal end to 2023. Baltimore’s players have been working out, getting better, and enjoying their offseason, and maybe none more than quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The seventh-year signal-caller has been out and about this offseason, including attending a NASCAR race. When asked about his experience, Jackson said it was his first time, but he plans on going back and doing it again, not sitting and watching lap after lap.
“Yes, that was my first time. I plan on doing it again, but I’ll probably be walking around speaking to people. Just sitting and watching, that’s a lot of laps. That’s a lot of laps. I couldn’t be racing them either. I couldn’t be the driver. But, hats off to those guys because they can do it. I can’t.”
Veteran report to Ravens training camp in around a week, which means it’s back to business for the quarterback. However, he’s made the most of his time off by mixing work with other experiences, as many players should.
David Ragan knew he was in a different kind of race car from the minute he pulled out of the garage. “I learned how to drive a manual at probably the age of 6 or 7 years old on my grandfather’s tractor and this EV car, you put it in reverse, it’s a …
David Ragan knew he was in a different kind of race car from the minute he pulled out of the garage.
“I learned how to drive a manual at probably the age of 6 or 7 years old on my grandfather’s tractor and this EV car, you put it in reverse, it’s a paddle shifter, but there’s no gears,” Ragan said. “There is a forward and a reverse and you click it in reverse, and it goes. You don’t have a clutch. You don’t have that sensation of choking the car down, getting it up to rpm or leaving the garage stall. It just goes.”
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Ragan has been the test driver of NASCAR’s battery electric vehicle, which was officially unveiled on Saturday in Chicago. In a partnership with ABB, the vehicle’s official name is the ABB NASCAR EV Prototype. It is shorter than the Next Gen car (193.4” to 185.5”) but weighs slightly more (3,485 lbs to 4,000 lbs).
The vehicle’s characteristics and energy saving make it ideal for short tracks and road courses. Martinsville Speedway, a half-mile, was one of the places Regan spent the most time behind the wheel.
“Martinsville is a track where you do a lot off feel and sound on the engine,” Ragan said. “Getting into the corner, you can often tell how fast you’re rolling based off engine deceleration. Leaving the corner, when you blend up to the wall, you don’t always look to the right to see how close you are (because) you can almost hear it. The closer you get to the wall that engine tune changes because of our exhaust coming out of the side of the car bouncing off the wall.
“I didn’t have any of that. So, I had to be a lot more conscious down the straightway looking and making sure I was using the whole racetrack.”
Ragan started driving stock cars in the NASCAR national series in 2004. He has nearly 600 starts between the Xfinity Series and Cup Series — all in a vehicle with an internal combustion engine.
The vehicle Ragan has driven in testing is all-wheel drive with three STARD UHP 6-Phase motors (one in the front, two in the rear) supplying power directly to the tires. The tunable powertrain can produce 1,000 kW at peak power and is anchored by a 78-kWh liquid-cooled battery.
“I can’t emphasize enough the regeneration capabilities. When you apply the brakes, it is sending some of that energy through the braking system back through a charger to the battery,” Ragan said. “So that helps the car slow down. We could tune that regen to very, very aggressive where I hardly had to touch the brakes, and that car would stop on a dime.
“That was hard for me to get used to because you just find that finesse with your left foot to roll into the corner, and if you rolled a little too fast, you could just gently apply a little bit of brake pressure in a traditional car and find that speed to roll the center. But with this car, it was a little more difficult to find that roll speed because the brakes were so efficient.”
The list of differences goes on for quite a while. Ragan said there are about 15 buttons on the steering wheel (like those used in open-wheel racing) for a driver to adjust torque and other items. Another big difference was in the noise. The lack of engine noise meant Ragan could hear other noises that he wasn’t used to hearing in competition, such as tire squeals or chatter. Usually, a driver would feel that either in the steering wheel or through the seat.
“But you could literally hear it and that was just weird,” Ragan said. “Your mind starts thinking about what you hear versus what you’re feeling. So, a lot of those little things I had to think about a little bit more.”
Because he is no longer a full-time driver, Ragan had the time and the interest to drive the EV. The adjustment Ragan went through driving it would be the same for any driver who got behind the wheel. But for now, NASCAR continues to stress there are no plans for a new series.
“It would be as big of a step as going from our old-style car to the Next Gen car,” Ragan said. “You hear drivers like Jimmie Johnson, who had been out of it a little and stepped back in, there are different cues that you’ve always thought of and relied on driving different types of cars that you were accustomed to feeling.
“Some drivers have struggled more than others finding that sweet spot and that edge that makes a great race car driver. So, it’s as big of a step or bigger driving this EV car because that edge feels different, and you have different propulsion capabilities and what it feels like when you do touch the brakes. It would be another adjustment.
“The best race car drivers can adjust. … But it is a big difference, for sure.”
NASCAR debuted its EV prototype car on Saturday morning in Chicago while announcing a partnership with ABB to become the first Official IMPACT partner of the sport. The car – ABB NASCAR EV Prototype – was developed between NASCAR and its three …
NASCAR debuted its EV prototype car on Saturday morning in Chicago while announcing a partnership with ABB to become the first Official IMPACT partner of the sport.
The car – ABB NASCAR EV Prototype – was developed between NASCAR and its three manufacturer partners. NASCAR engineers involved in the build were also responsible for the Next Gen and Garage 56 projects. And the vehicle shares similarities to the Next Gen car, as well as the Garage 56 project from last season, with the body sitting on a modified Next Gen chassis.
David Ragan has been the test driver for NASCAR during the development. It’s been a two-year journey by NASCAR, with the earliest indication of an EV car happening during the summer of 2022.
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The ABB NASCAR EV Prototype has three STARD UHP 6-Phase motors (one in the front, two in the rear; all-wheel drive) that supply power directly to the specially designed Goodyear tires. There is a 78-kWh liquid-cooled battery, and the tunable powertrain can produce 1,000 kW at peak power.
Other details:
Length: 185.5”
Width: 78.6”
Height: 56”
Wheelbase: 110”
Weight: 4,000 lbs
Body: Generic CUV body styling made of flax fiber composite
Chassis: Steel tubing w/bolt-on front clip and front/rear bumpers
Voltage level: 756 VDC max
Cooling: Water glycol
Steering: Rack and pinion
Suspension: Double wishbone billet aluminum control arms w/adjustable coil over shock absorbers
Brakes: Six piston monobloc front calipers/four piston monobloc rear calipers (heavy duty disc package)
Wheels: 18” x 12” forged aluminum
“There could not be a more optimal moment in time to announce our first IMPACT partner than in tandem with the debut of the ABB NASCAR EV Prototype at the Chicago Street Race,” said Eric Nyquist, NASCAR senior vice president and Chief IMPACT Officer. “ABB is an industry leader and will help in efforts to decarbonize our operations as we pursue achieving net-zero operating emissions over the next decade.”
NASCAR planned to debut the ABB NASCAR EV Prototype at the L.A. Coliseum before the Busch Light Clash in early February. However, because it was an unexpectedly abbreviated weekend due to inclement weather, the showcase never occurred.
The partnership with ABB is another move for NASCAR toward its public sustainability targets. NASCAR wants to reduce its carbon footprint to zero across its core operations by 2035 through electrification and innovative solutions.
“ABB is a technology leader in electrification and automation and we help customers globally to optimize, electrify, and decarbonize their operations,” said Ralph Donati, ABB executive vice president. “The objective of the collaboration between NASCAR, ABB in the United States, and the NASCAR industry is to push the boundaries of electrification technology, from EV racing to long-haul transportation to facility operations.”
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While there are no plans to develop a new series, NASCAR will not completely rule out the idea for the future. However, if one were to materialize, it would not replace its current competition and the internal combustion engine.
The photo that inspired the Air Jordan logo will speed through NASCAR’s 2024 Chicago Street Race this weekend.
NASCAR returns to the Windy City this weekend for the 2024 Chicago Street Race, with Cup Series drivers starting their engines on Sunday.
One driver, Tyler Reddick of the No. 45 Toyota Camry, will pay homage to perhaps the greatest athlete in the history of professional sports in Chicago – who also happens to own the team Reddick races for.
Reddick’s paint scheme for Sunday’s competition is splashed with purple on the roof and features a young, dunking Michael Jordan on the sides and hood of the car. It’s borrowing from the iconic 1985 poster – which shows Jordan in his unmistakable Jumpman pose – dunking over the Chicago skyline at sunset.
The image was part of Nike’s marketing promotion for the original Air Jordan sneakers. The silhouette of Jordan in that photo later turned into the Jumpman logo.
Reddick’s usual paint scheme is centered around his main sponsor, Monster Energy, while the Jumpman logo is typically featured on his passenger-side rear panel.
But this week, Reddick’s car is all Jordan. Fittingly so for a race in Chicago.
Reddick finished 28th at Chicago last year, but he’s been racing exceptionally well lately, finishing in the top 10 in five of his last six races, and winning at Talladega back in April.
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2021 and has been updated.
It’s undeniable: NASCAR and the tracks it competes at deliver some pretty spectacular trophies to Cup Series race winners.
Sure, there are plenty of traditional-looking trophies that are treasured and will surely be part of drivers’ display cases and trophy rooms. But many of those are also subject to change — in name and design — based on the race sponsor, and other than signifying another tally in the win column, they might not mean much.
Instead, we’re talking about the icons, the staples, the ones drivers can spend their careers chasing because they’re so uniquely coveted. We’re talking about the novelty trophies — whether they’re quirky, funky, steeped in tradition or synonymous with the track presenting them.
And NASCAR has some fantastic ones. So here is our ranking of the top-15 novelty trophies the sport’s tracks give their race winners.
15. Pocono Raceway: The Eagle Trophy
(Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
There’s a lot to take in here from Pocono’s Eagle Trophy, which has been given to race winners since 1996. The soaring eagle isn’t the most remarkable fixture, but it certainly stands out compared with a more traditional trophy.
14. Watkins Glen International: Corning Museum of Glass Trophy
(Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
Looking at that photo, it’s understandable if your eye is immediately drawn to the bowling pin trophy — Watkins Glen has a history of wild sponsor trophies, though the Cheez-It trophy is unparalleled — but that’s not the point here.
Instead, focus on the custom glass trophy made by the nearby Corning Museum of Glass that celebrates both the track and the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York where it’s located. Along with the hand-sculpted center in the shape of the road course (which isn’t visible in this photo), the blue tint of it is a nod to the track’s similarly colored guard rails. Not the quirkiest of NASCAR novelty trophies, but it’s still pretty cool.
13. Michigan International Speedway: The Heritage Trophy
(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Naturally, the Michigan race track honors its winners with a trophy that celebrates the track, the Motor City and the history of the auto industry in the U.S. But it’s not actually awarded to the driver. Since 2013, the trophy has been presented to the winning manufacturer — either Chevrolet, Ford or Toyota.
Inspired by the Stanley Cup, the trophy is about 50 pounds and more than three feet tall. While the base is an ode to landmark Detroit buildings, the sculpture on top resembles Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory, who also served as an inspiration for hood ornaments from Cadillac, Rolls-Royce and Packard.
12. Talladega Superspeedway: The Vulcan Trophy
(Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports)
With another hat tip to ancient mythology, Talladega presents Cup race winners with the Vulcan Trophy, inspired by the Roman god of fire and the Vulcan statue in Birmingham, Alabama not far from the superspeedway. The hot-poured iron trophy weighs more than 130 pounds.
11. Texas Motor Speedway: Six-shooter revolvers, a cowboy hat and a cowboy boot trophy
(Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
These are some quintessential Texas novelty awards right here with the winner dressed in Victory Lane looking like a cowboy. The trophies are unlike anything else presented to NASCAR race winners, but given the rampant gun violence in the U.S., it’s time for Texas Motor Speedway to ditch the six-shooters and stick with the hat and cowboy-boot trophy.
10. Phoenix Raceway: Live painting in Victory Lane
Joe Gibbs and Bill Patterson at Phoenix Raceway. (Will P1 Images/Will Patterson)
A trophy that’s also art is fabulous, but a trophy that’s also art and created on the spot is even better. Artist Bill Patterson generally begins painting his canvas with a few laps remaining in the race and quickly completes it with the respective winners — and sometimes the runner-up — according to the track. And then the winning driver signs it.
However, the only strike against this novelty trophy is the fact that the driver doesn’t get to keep it — the track does, though the winning teams often commission more. Still, a live painting from Victory Lane is decidedly impressive.
9. Charlotte Motor Speedway: A vintage Coca-Cola vending machine
(HHP/Harold Hinson, courtesy of Charlotte Motor Speedway)
For the Coca-Cola 600 — one of NASCAR’s “crown jewel” races, which is held at the iconic Charlotte track — the winning driver receives a traditional piston-style award called the Bruton Smith Trophy.
But the real specialty item here is the restored vintage Coke machine, which the track has been giving out since 2010. How fun is that? And a perfect novelty trophy for an important race with a consistent sponsor.
8. Daytona International Speedway: The Harley J. Earl Trophy
(eter Casey-USA TODAY Sports)
The Harley J. Earl trophy, given to the winner of the Daytona 500, is this high on the list mostly because of the massive accomplishment it is to get your name engraved on it. And there are actually two.
The Harley J. Earl Perpetual Trophy is the massive one that includes the names of every Daytona 500 winner, weighs more than 100 pounds and stays at the famous Daytona track. But the winner gets a smaller replica weighing in at 54 pounds with the bronze Firebird One car on top weighing 22 pounds. That car takes about seven months to complete.
7. California (Auto Club) Speedway: A surfboard
(Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)
Would you expect anything else from a southern California track? In addition to the rad surfboard trophy the winners get immediately after the race, they’re also honored the following season when NASCAR returns to Fontana. Although it’s a year later, the previous race winner gets a custom-made surfboard, which makes for an awesome novelty trophy.
The thing is, however, NASCAR’s return to Fontana remains unclear. The track is under construction, and The Athletic recently noted NASCAR is unlikely to return in 2025. So who knows when the next driver will get a surfboard.
Kyle Busch with his custom surfboard. (Photo courtesy of Auto Club Speedway)
6. Sonoma Raceway: A massive wine goblet
(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Wine is a phenomenal prize for a hard day’s work, whether or not you’re in wine country. In this case, Sonoma Raceway goes all out with an incredible wine goblet, along with a huge wine-themed trophy.
5. Dover Motor Speedway: The Monster Trophy
(Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
OK, look: This is not exactly a surfboard or a wine goblet or a vintage anything, but Dover’s Monster Trophy has to be among the best.
The track, nicknamed “The Monster Mile,” has been giving this to race winners since 2004, and it has to be the most peculiar and odd one given out. But its weirdness is what makes it great, and it’s even able to hold a replica of the race winner’s car.
4. Nashville Superspeedway: A Gibson guitar
(Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)
With Nashville Superspeedway returning to NASCAR’s schedule this year, its famed trophy is back as well. For NASCAR’s first Cup race and first event at the track since 2011, the race winners earned a Gibson guitar — a perfect trophy from the Music City track. And really, who doesn’t want to feel like a rock star sometimes?
3. Bristol Motor Speedway: A gladiator sword
(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
A gladiator sword is exactly the kind of novelty trophy you’d expect from the short track nicknamed “The Last Great Colosseum.” It’s a wild and larger-than-you-think kind of prize, and, as Joey Logano previously demonstrated, you can have a lot of (somewhat dangerous) fun chopping random things with it. A cool trophy that can also help you trim your hedges.
“It kind of feels good too just to chop stuff with a sword,” Logano said about his recently discovered recreational activities.
2. New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Loudon the Lobster
(Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports)
A race win in New England obviously means a lobster trophy, but the one New Hampshire gives out is typically between 18 and 22 pounds — though the one Hamlin is holding was reportedly a whopping 44 pounds. And it’s alive. While this novelty trophy is not No. 1 on this list, it’s definitely the most exceptional one.
Unfortunately for Hamlin, his self-described “lobster phobia” probably prevented him from enjoying the trophy. When asked in 2017 what he planned to do with it — the shell is typically preserved, hand-painted and mounted on a plaque — Hamlin said:
“I’m not going to do anything with it. I’ve seen it and touched it for the last time. I have a lobster phobia. I don’t know why. I just don’t like them. I cannot eat dinner if someone beside me is eating lobster. I can’t look at it. So as far as I’m concerned, they need to put it back in the water and let it live.”
1. Martinsville Speedway: A grandfather clock
(Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
Martinsville’s grandfather clock is the obvious choice for NASCAR’s best novelty trophy. It’s arguably the most coveted trophy on the schedule, and NASCAR drivers like Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have said as much.
Why? It’s a valuable piece of furniture you’d want to display proudly in your home rather than in a trophy room, and there’s a unique level of prestige associated with winning the clock.
As Johnson — who won nine grandfather clocks, tying him for third-most with Jeff Gordon — explained to For The Win in 2019:
“We get a lot of big trophies, and most are plastic. … To actually have — I don’t know if it should be called an art piece — a significant piece of furniture that you can proudly display in your home, it crosses over into that furniture category as well as a major achievement. They go right into houses because it’s not your typical trophy. Looking at that as a young driver, you think, ‘Wow, I can’t afford a grandfather clock. But I can go win one.’”
The Carolina Panthers are on the fast track in 2024 . . . literally.
As they broke off of this year’s final leg of organized team activities, the squad took a bit of a field trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway this week. The visit included a thrilling pit crew competition, an inspiring talk from NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon and, of course, some trips around the track.
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) June 6, 2024
Oh, and some of the players were able to take those trips around the track in this beauty . . .
Panthers.com
The custom wrap, per Darin Gantt of Panthers.com, was ordered by vice president of player affairs Kevin Winston. The car will remain part of the NASCAR Racing experience stable for the rest of the year.
Gantt was able to get a few words from guard Robert Hunt, who somehow fit his 6-foot-6, 323-pound frame in the ride.
“It was fun. It was an experience. I’m glad I did it,” Hunt said. “Would I do it again? Maybe not, but I did it today. I was pretty nervous, and the car was all crammed on me. So I’m like, God, please let me get through these couple of laps to get done, man. But I enjoyed the ride.
“The car was a little cramped on my back, and there wasn’t a lot of room to move my legs, but we got through it. Yeah, it ain’t meant for me, man. I’m meant to be on the football field, or a basketball court, you know what I mean? Something outside where I can move, and you know, get some space. I can’t do nothing in there, man. It’s too little.”
