Every sport seems to have that pinnacle event that draws out the prestige and spectacle of its athletes and participants. The NFL had its biggest game last Sunday with Super Bowl XLVI in Miami, FL, featuring a rare matchup between the league's No. 1 seeds in what became the most watched American program of all-time. Just in nearby Daytona Beach, the NASCAR Sprint Cup gang has its biggest show of the year in the form of "The Great American Race" aptly called the Daytona 500 (Live, Sunday, 1 p.m/ET on FOX). It is the ultimate showcase of stock car's best drivers duking it out around the high-banked, 2.5-mile super speedway for three hours of white-knuckle action. Given its nickname by former CBS Sports' Ken Squier, this generation's "Dean of ...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. might be considered "the lost boy" of Hendrick Motor Sports for 2009.  When Earnhardt signed with Hendrick Motor Sports in 2008, it seemed to be a perfect fit. It was NASCAR's most popular driver, from a strong lineage of stock car racing, matched with the best equipment available. With teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson it appeared that Rick Hendrick had assembled an all-star team. There were even references as the New York Yankees of NASCAR. The season started just as everyone anticipated. Earnhardt won the Budweiser Shootout and followed that up by winning Gatorade Duel #1, earning a starting spot on the second row for the Daytona 500.  Fast forward 26 races. Earnhardt enters the Chase in fourth place, along w...

Not to be confused with the currently popular PK Nation (fans of Penske driver Parker Kligerman), Piquet Nation may well be on the verge of creation after former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr.'s introduction to the stock car world in last Saturday's Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA series race. Driving for defending series champion owner Eddie Sharp in the car that won the championship with Justin Lofton behind the wheel, Piquet Jr. started the weekend off well—qualifying a strong seventh out of the 51 cars that took time. Now the race was not all good for Piquet Jr., who—despite running in the front of the pack for most of the day and avoiding the well-known "big one" crash, which collected ten cars in this year's edition—ended the day sti...

Both Ferrari and McLaren's respective new signings will drive their 2010 cars on the opening two days at Jerez this week, the second of four preseason track sessions in the run up to Bahrain.

Fernando Alonso will drive Ferrari's F10 car on Wednesday and Thursday after having driven it for the first time last week. The Spaniard will test a few minor mechanical updates on the car, which appears to have an early advantage on its opponents after topping all three days of the first 2010 test at Valencia.

Ferrari say they will not introduce any new aerodynamic parts until the next Jerez test...

Danica Patrick probably made the best decision of her young NASCAR career—choosing to race in Saturday’s Drive4COPD 300 Nationwide race. After hearing week after week the saga that followed her desire to race in the NASCAR Series, she held true to her words and now the fans will finally get what they have been waiting for. "I've got a lot to learn, but I have good people around me. We're ready to go. I am here to drive a Sprint Cup Car in the Sprint Cup Series,” said Patrick. The decision couldn’t have been an easy one, but when you think of the word competitor, why would any driver choose to sit out the biggest race of the season? After all she did make it clear that her desire was to someday race in the cup series, and with a lot...

It’s no surprise that I’m not a big fan of Danica Patrick. I’ve said a few less than stellar things about her in the past, but only because I’m worried about the kind of impression people get of female racers when they see her interviews. Danica seems happy to use her sex appeal (i.e. the Go Daddy commercials) and while that may work for her, you won’t see Kyle Busch or Jimmie Johnson acting the same way. She’s also quick to point the finger of blame at other drivers, never takes responsibility for her own actions and isn’t afraid to let the tears flow, whether she wins or loses.

Patrick announced this weekend that she’ll run the Nationwide race at Daytona and it seems like everyone has an opinion on her choice. Ho...

While the Budweiser Shootout wasn’t as crazy as the Thursday practice session, it was still a competitive event among 24 drivers looking for nothing but cash. It also helped show who might have the upper hand and early edge when it comes to this weekend’s Daytona 500. Many drivers flexed their muscle: Carl Edwards led the entire first segment in his Roush-Fenway Ford; he’ll spend this week waiting for the birth of his daughter. Kasey Kahne unleashed his new Budweiser Ford in what looks to be a rebound year. And Jamie McMurray made an excellent debut with his team Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing team. Once again though, it was Tony Stewart that may have stolen the show when it comes to Daytona, making three wide moves and challenging for the ...

What makes you like your favorite NASCAR driver?   The way he drives his car? The way he holds his line? His bump-drafting? Off-the-track attitude?   What makes you dislike others?   The way he drives his car? The way he holds his line? His bump-drafting? Off-the-track attitude?   When I first got into NASCAR, I was told to pick a driver. I watched a few races, did some research on their off-the-track lives, and picked Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I hissed and booed at the ones I didn't like. Kyle Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya took the brunt of my discontent, mainly because their attitudes were just downright bad.   But then came along an amazing invention called Twitter. This was a land of opportunity for fans to interact with their favorite...

It's called the changing of the guard. Sometimes it is done by choice, but in this case, NASCAR decided it was ready for a new face for their sport. Jeff Gordon came into the NASCAR series as just another young guy with success in other types of racing. Although he started his career as a kid in California, his parents moved the family to Pittsboro, Ind., because there were more opportunities for young racers. Pittsboro is just 10 minutes from my home, and growing up in the area, Gordon was all the rage. Gordon came into the Cup Series in 1993. In his first six years, Gordon had already racked up three Cup Series Championships, and won his fourth Championship in 2001. That was his last title to date. From 1996 to 1998, Gordon won 33 races i...

With the 2010 NASCAR season officially underway, fans from around the country will once again look to add to their collections of memorabilia from their favorite drivers and teams. The amount of money, time and effort that is put into searching for these NASCAR collectibles can sometimes be worth its weight in gold, depending on how rare the item is. NASCAR fans are known to be some of the sporting world’s most dedicated and committed collectors. They are willing to rummage around for that perfect piece which will compliment the rest of their collection. NASCAR collectibles can be found just about anywhere, The most common places are on the Internet and at each racing venue. Sponsors throughout the years have always looked for the most in...