The NASCAR season is well underway. A look back from the Easter break after Martinsville shows the points are beginning to stack up with familiar names but the order is shaken a bit from what we may have come to expect. Greg Biffle is on top. He has always been in the group as a contender but riding this momentum of early season points is likely to fade unless there is a win coming. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is right there in the second slot, also without a win, and just six points off. Defending Champion Tony Stewart has two wins out of six races (plus a bonus of one of the Gatorade Duals) and is in the third position chasing 12 points. Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex, Jr. share the same 12 point deficit.
NASCAR is shaping up to generate some momentum for the fans as well. The drama of Jimmie Johnson penalties while still able to fight back to the tenth points slot is amazing. Jeff Gordon is 90 points back which is uncommon. Kurt Busch is fighting bad press from last season and bad luck for this one.
Those are just a few of the possible drama lines for fans to chat over. There are many more on tap and still to come.
There have been close finishes, surprises and plenty of good racing to keep fans interested. Texas and Kansas are coming up before a return to more traditional venues such as Richmond, Talladega, Darlington and Charlotte. Six races are run and we’re looking for the next six to shake up some of those points positions.
IndyCar is on tap for this weekend also with two races run. So far the winners are Helio Castroneves and Will Power. Scott Dixon finished second in both races and Castroneves tagged a third in Alabama to go with the win at St. Petersburg. These same drivers are also one-two-three in points with Castroneves on top, Dixon second followed by Power.
A name missing from these top finishes and positions is Dario Franchitti. He is currently off to a slow start in the season in the tenth points position.
It is almost a certain bet that defending Champion Franchitti will push back. IndyCar is in Long Beach for the Toyota Grand Prix this weekend. The premiere open wheel series for the U.S. is off and running with some interesting twists for the fans.
American Le Mans takes the rubber to the track for their second race of the season this weekend, also in Long Beach, sharing the venue of racing with IndyCar. Race fans in California should be excited to have multiple showcase series running the same weekend.
European open wheel is off the grid with two starts as well. Australia started the season and Malaysia ran the end of March. This weekend they run in China. Jenson Button won the opener and Fernando Alonzo won in Malaysia. The concept of auto racing in China is a strange concept to the western mindset. We think of red stars and tanks and Tiananmen Square. Nevertheless, F1 will invade this weekend.
Another benchmark for Formula 1 is an American race this year. November in Austin, TX just might have to be a calendar marker for U.S. race fans of any stripe.
Grand-Am Rolex skips this weekend and next to return to racing the last weekend of April. They will be heating up the course at Homestead, FL with sports car racing of many styles. Following the last race at Barber in Alabama, Starworks Motorsport is leading the Daytona Prototypes and Magnus racing is leading the GT class. Fall-Line is leading the Continental Tire Series. The Grand-Am series, like American Le Mans, offers so many styles of racing there is always drama from tuned street sports cars to highly specialized machines.
Racing is on. The seasons are heating up and the laps are fast. The predictions are next to impossible and more drama is yet to come. It is time to stop being just a fan of one series and be a “race” fan and catch as much of the speed as possible across as many venues as possible.
While you’re at it, take the time and catch a race or two at your local weekend track. Racing is racing. Enjoy it!