AllLeftTurns.com

JEFF GORDON: NASCAR'S GAME-CHANGING DRIVER

Jim McCoy — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

21 years ago, almost all of us had a phone on our wall or on an end table. Email was something guys with thick glasses and pocket protectors used. On demand TV? Wasn't that what happened when you yanked the remote control out of your kid brother's hand? If Rip Van Winkle were awakening today from a 20-year snooze, he'd find the world has changed a lot since that November day in 1992 when Jeffrey Michael Gordon made his NASCAR Winston Cup debut.

NASCAR has seen more than its share of change. For better or for worse, the cars are different, and the tracks are too. The sport evolved further from being a sport of largely regional interest to the national stage, to even developing a little bit of an international following. The drivers and fans have changed a great deal too. NASCAR has gone from a sport populated with the good ol' boys to a day where now there are drivers hailing from all four corners of the country. Now, instead of a sport consisting of blue collar, fresh from the garage types, you have drivers who make an easier transition from the track to the television screen.

Jeff Gordon has had something to do with it. A great deal.

2013 BOJANGLES SOUTHERN 500 ODDS

Dan_Farkas — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

The 2013 Sprint Cup season isn’t even one-third of the way complete, but odds makers clearly have a Fave Four.

Here’s how a sizeable shift in the numbers will influence how you should watch Saturday’s Southern 500.

SUNDAY THE GIANT KILLERS PREVAILED

Jim McCoy — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

A David pushes a David to score a win for one of NASCAR’s “little guys.” How many people here get Front Row mixed up with Furniture Row? You mean David Ragan is still racing? Who’s that’s “Gilligan” guy that’s his teammate? And just who the heck is Bob Jenkins?

NASCAR Nation, meet Front Row Motorsports! Ok, they're not quite THAT obscure, but thanks to their thrilling victory at Talladega, this week we have a fresh batch of story lines, and we learn some sweet stuff about a bunch of racers and a race owner who get far less attention than they should. To my friend who chastised me for saying people would forget David Gilliland just days after he scolded Danica Patrick and told her to shut up and race: this is how you get remembered. You win. Gilliland may not have received the champion’s trophy for the Aaron’s 499, but you better believe Ragan’s fans won’t forget him, and neither will all the fans who cheer for the underdog.

2013 AARON'S 499 ODDS

Dan_Farkas — Sat, 04 May 2013 01:40:00 +0000

NASCAR’s biggest track is NASCAR’s biggest crapshoot.

Talladega is known for the unknown. Big speed. Bigger packs. The biggest wrecks in racing. All of this makes picking Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 nearly impossible. Check this out:

WHY KURT BUSCH IS GOOD FOR NASCAR

Jim McCoy — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Kurt Busch is most definitely good for NASCAR. Right now, you’re either thinking I’ve been smoking Oregon’s number one cash crop, or I am being as honest as Ol’ Slick Willie about Ms. Lewinski. Like him or not (and for the record, I am not saying I’m a fan), Kurt Busch is a needed presence in the sport.

Why? First of all, Kurt races to win. One need look no further than Saturday night. His dash for cash contained no animus for anyone in his path, he had a race to win and traffic was in his way. This is no “we had a good points night” kind of guy. If the hardcore fan is being honest, there are fans of other drivers who wished their guy had a little more of Kurt’s hunger.

2013 TOYOTA OWNERS 400 ODDS

Dan_Farkas — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Denny Hamlin won’t race Saturday night, but his impact is already being felt.

Next to Martinsville, Richmond might be Hamlin’s best track. In 14 career starts, Hamlin has two wins and nine finishes of 10th or better. With Hamlin still injured and unable to drive Saturday night, the numbers have made a major shift.

'SHUT UP & DRIVE" HE SAID!

Jim McCoy — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Want to be famous? Get into the NASCAR Sprint Cup series and cross Danica Patrick. How many of you actually knew David Gilliland was still racing before Sunday? I figured as much.

Usually the journeyman driver is good for a top ten or two every year, and that’s not that bad considering what Gilliland is working with as a driver for the modestly-funded Front Row team. Aside from that, you would have to be a pretty serious fan to remember his career launching win in the Nationwide Series, or the time Tony Stewart opined that Gilly had come too far, too soon, or perhaps you recall the time Gilliland and Matt Kenseth swapped shots at Bristol. Judging from the comments around the blogosphere, one might get the impression the veteran driver did pick up a few new fans and a lot of notoriety when he instructed Patrick to “Shut up and drive!”

2013 STP 400 ODDS

Dan_Farkas — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Dear Brad Keselowksi,

Having lived in Michigan for six years, I admire your guts, opinions, determination and dedication. So I say this with as much due respect as possible.

Stop trying to be the Stone Cold Steve Austin of NASCAR.

EXPERIENCE HAS TAUGHT KYLE BUSCH WELL

Jim McCoy — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:10:00 +0000

You hear coaches say you learn more from failure than you learn from success. Put another way, it is said in racing that to win a championship, you must first lose one.

It wasn’t too many years ago, Kyle Busch was reeling off wins, smashing guitar trophies, talking smack to Dale Jr., and making friends and enemies in equal numbers. Then, adversity showed up; Busch got busted for tangling with the opposition, he got parked by NASCAR and the burning Busch probably came a little closer to getting his career at Joe Gibbs Racing snuffed out than anyone would care to admit.

2013 NRA 500 ODDS

Dan_Farkas — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

NASCAR doesn’t make any sense right now.

It’s impossible to write about Sprint Cup racing, see the title of this column and not address the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, there’s no good way to address it Saturday night. It’s not a matter if is something clunky happens, but how soon. There are plenty of other mindboggling things in play that are more appropriate for Team FOX to discuss. For example: