Monday, January 6, 2014

NASCAR World Top Stories: January

By Richard Tix

NASCAR World is a section dedicated to keeping you up to date with NASCAR Articles from around the web. So just in case you missed it, check out these articles from other sites.
Check back, this article will get updated throughout the month

Also, Check out NASCAR Behind the Wall on Twitter to get even more updates from the Social Media world.
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Driver Spotlight: Joey Logano (Preseason Addition)

Joey Logano 2014 Preview


By Richard Tix

 So far this offseason NASCAR Behind the wall has taken a look at Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick, and Denny Hamlin in our Driver Spotlight articles. Next up, the Penske driver that made the Chase in 2013, Joey Logano.

Next up in our Preseason Driver Spotlight is Joey Logano.  I found it only fit to follow Denny Hamlin's spotlight up with a guy he was rivals with before his crash. No matter what side you take on the altercation early last season, both of these drivers were getting after it and racing hard.

Joey Logano and Penske Racing had a lot of ups and downs in 2013 with plenty of bumps along the way. All last season (from Fontana and on) I thought that Joey Logano would get a Win in 2013 and also have a legitimate chance at the Chase. In the end JoLo just got into the Chase after getting his first win of 2013 at Michigan which happens to be the one race I make it to annually.  Ironic he started his push in Michigan I guess, but he not only made the Chase for the first time but also didn't do too bad.


His Chase started out with a bang, he won the Pole, and then had engine troubles that put his chances immediately in jeopardy. He did however finish the Chase with 5 top 10's (including the last 3 races) and 3 top 5's. In four races he finished between 14-18th place with his lone spot outside the top 18 being the first Chase Race.

My Take:
2013 was hands down Logano's best season in the Cup Series with new Career highs in average finish position, top 10's, and top 5's. It was a bumpy first season with Penske, but not because of a lack of chemistry. It seemed that other then problems with Nascar Officials and Rules that Joey fit right in at Penske. Penske now has two young drivers with something to prove in 2014. I think now that Penske has another year under its belt with Ford and the Gen-6 car, and Joey Logano is also in year two with them, that he will have once again his best season yet. Joey Logano might be one of the drivers this season that takes his driving up to the next level and is talked about week to week as a race contender.

I don't think it is out of the question in 2014 to think that JoLo will get multiple wins and make the Chase again. So what do you think? Let me know and let your voice be heard on Twitter and let the countdown to Daytona continue.

New NASCAR Behind the Wall Articles:

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Friday, January 3, 2014

Driver Spotlight: Denny Hamlin (Preseason Addition)

Denny Hamlin 2014 Preview

By Richard Tix


Well on the third installment of the preseason driver spotlight Nascar Behind the Wall will take a look at Denny Hamlin. In 2013 Denny Hamlin started his 8th season as a full time Cup driver with high hopes of finally competing for a Cup Title.  Every season prior Denny Hamlin had made the Chase and no one in Nascar thought he would miss it in 2013, but then something crazy happened.


Nascar headed to Fontana and Denny Hamlin had a typical weekend, actually he started the weekend on a great note after winning the Pole. In the weeks leading up, back and forth Twitter banter with Joey Logano had heated up to on track racing which as a fan of racing was great to see.  While running for front spots Denny and Joey were racing hard and it ended with Denny heading towards the infield wall in a brutal accident. That accident left Denny out of his car for the next four races and killing his Chase chances. Denny got back in his car, possibly before he was ready, and still tried his hardest to get back into the race for the Chase but things just didn't work out.

Fast forward to the last race of the 2013 season. Most of the spotlight is on Jimmie Johnson and if he can finish off his 6th Cup Title at Homestead.  Not only had DH made the Sprint Cup Chase every year of his career, but he had also won a race every year. He entered Homestead still winless in 2013 but ended up winning and continuing his win streak. Yet, all the attention was obviously (and for good reason) on JJ and his 6-Peat.


So as we close the chapter on 2013 and the season that Denny Hamlin wants to forget, we move onto 2014 and the season that Hamlin can not wait to start.  This season DH hopes to be the headline for all the right reasons. He is ready to go and as motivated as ever. It will be interesting to see how he handles his first season after a down year. Will he bounce right back like nothing ever happened? Or will he still have some bumps in the road along the way?  Maybe this is what DH needed to finally cross that line into a true contender and win his first Championship.

Contact me on Twitter and let me know what you think! Will Hamlin bounce right back? Should other drivers worry that he could once again dominate? Will he finally make a run at a Title? Will his feud with JoLo start back up now that he is fully healthy or is that just a thing of the past? And will he win another in 2014 to keep his streak going?

Let me know what you think and lets continue the count down to Daytona.
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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Happy New Year: NASCAR Addition

Well the new year is upon us and in the NASCAR world a few drivers are thinking "about time!" NASCAR Behind the Wall is going to take a fast look at some drivers that want to forget about 2013 and move on in the new year and season.

Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin entered 2013 like any other season, ready to make the Chase and try to finally bring home a Championship. After Vegas, fans got to see an all out boxing match with Joey Logano and DH that festered into Fontana, and that is where Hamlin's season pretty much ended. DH never quite made it back to 100% all season, but he did happen to finish the season as the last winner in 2013, and for that reason he is looking forward to 2014 and getting back to the Chase.



Brad Keselowski
Coming into 2013 BK was NASCAR's defending Champion and showed why when he started the season hot. Then came some suspicious rear end housings and NASCAR penalties including losing Paul Wolfe for a few races. Once they were reunited the #2 team went through everything from in race penalties, to parts of there car ripping off, to just plain bad luck. BK never really bounced back but he did steal a Chase win away from contenders and for that reason he is looking forward to 2014 and getting back to Championship form.

Carl Edwards
Carl started 2013 by winning race number two at Phoenix and breaking his win less streak (he didn't win at all in 2012). Carl then won the last race before the Chase (Richmond) to get back into the Chase after missing it for the first time in his career. Everything sounds great right? Why would Carl want to forget 2013 and get the new year started? Well, the Chase happened. Carl started the season on a good note but after finishing the Chase in last place (our first ever 13th place finisher in the Chase) Carl wants to forget 2013 and for that reason move onto 2014 and try putting it together for a full season.

Tony Stewart
What didn't happen to Smoke in 2013? Stewart started the season off slow which has become a staple of his, and then it seemed he was starting to heat up. Everyone started talking about him and that maybe Smoke is ready to get into his "summer hot" stretch. After a few sprint car incidents came up Smoke finally ran out of luck in a crash and ended up with a broken leg that ended his season. Stewart had to sit out (and possibly stop eating so many soda cookies) and for the reason he is looking forward to 2014 and his new SHR teammates making a splash.

Honorary Mention: Martin Truex Jr, Kasey Kahne, and Paul Menard.

Happy New Year to the NASCAR World. We are that much closer to the 2014 season beginning. Let the count down to Daytona continue!

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