Mike Smith

Blog Post Archive

A championship by a Dodge team would be a triumph over immense challenges

Friday, Sept. 25, 2009

Mark Martin could finally win a championship at 50 years old. Tony Stewart could be the first owner-driver to win a championship since Alan Kulwicki.

Martin wins and Montoya whines

Monday, Sept. 21, 2009

Prior to the start of the Chase, Mark Martin stated that Juan Pablo Montoya was a driver he thought had a good chance of winning the Cup title.

Will Stewart make this the year of the owner-driver?

Friday, Sept. 18, 2009

From a records standpoint, a fourth consecutive Cup title by Jimmie Johnson would be a historic accomplishment that could stand unbroken for decades.

Robby Gordon skips Richmond to race in the desert and Kyle Busch misses the Chase

Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009

Kyle Busch didn’t make it into the Chase, but don’t expect him to set the cruise control for the remaining ten races.

Winner in the Dale Earnhardt Jr. cartoon caption contest

Friday, Sept. 11, 2009

Don't tell me Danica Patrick doesn't have talent

Friday, Sept. 11, 2009

A quick search of racing-related Internet sites will reveal several stories on the possible move by Danica Patrick to NASCAR.

Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500 was a race I could watch again

Monday, Sept. 7, 2009

There were more headlines to come out of the Pep Boys Auto 500 than you would find on the front page of the New York Times.

A few questions for Tim Brewer about using fuel injection in NASCAR

Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009

Do you remember the last car you owned that had a carburetor? I do. It was a 1983 Ford Fairmont.

Racing on rain tires just doesn't do it for me

Monday, Aug. 31, 2009

I was beginning to think that the coverage of figure skating in the Winter Olympics had started early.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. cartoon caption contest

Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009

Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to our cartoon caption contest. Put on your thinking cap and see if you can come up with the winning caption.

Is the old Bristol gone forever?

Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009

It’s as plain as the nose on your face. The racing at Bristol has changed. But has it changed for the better?

Is requesting bonus points through the kindness of a teammate unfair?

Monday, Aug. 24, 2009

NASCAR goes to great lengths in its attempt to create a level playing field on the track.

Busch and Vickers rumble, Johnson and Co. stumble and Helton offers a rebuttal

Monday, Aug. 17, 2009

Saturday’s Nationwide Series race ended with an onslaught of verbal daggers between Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers after the two tangled on the last lap.

Who will perform the best at the next four tracks?

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009

Tony Stewart's road-course house

Monday, Aug. 10, 2009

“This is my house,” said Tony Stewart about Watkins Glen International Speedway on Monday after crushing the rest of the field to get his fifth win at this track.

NASCAR needs Bill Clinton...and a few thoughts on Stewart and Busch

Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009

Disputed drug test results, lawyers, lawsuits, conspiracy theories and even accusations of murder.

The two faces of Pocono

Monday, Aug. 3, 2009

The rain-delayed Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 was two races in one.

Will the Mustang start a new trend in stock-car racing?

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Goodyear wins at the Brickyard...and a few other observations

Monday, July 27, 2009

Johnson won the Brickyard 400, but it was Goodyear that won back the confidence of the drivers.

Winner in the cartoon caption contest

Saturday, July 25, 2009

I want to thank all of the readers who participated in this installment of the cartoon caption contest.

Please, Danica Patrick, move to NASCAR

Friday, July 24, 2009

Will Danica Patrick become a Sprint Cup Driver? I hope so.

Cartoon caption contest on NASCAR's drug testing

Thursday, July 23, 2009

The cartoon caption contest is back!

Fans won't be too happy if BMWs hit the high banks

Monday, July 20, 2009

NASCAR CEO Brian France recently revealed that the sport has been in discussions for some time with other foreign manufacturers about them possibly joining Toyota in stock car racing.

Stop the Mayfield madness

Thursday, July 16, 2009

When Mayfield issued his initial denials regarding a positive drug test, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Mayfield tests positive for meth again (Updated)

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

NASCAR announced this afternoon that Jeremy Mayfield’s drug test from July 6th was positive for methamphetamine.

Keselowski needs a full-time gig and the Busch brothers need some tough love

Monday, July 13, 2009

I’m looking forward to seeing Brad Keselowski behind the wheel of a full-time ride in Sprint Cup.

Wrecktona and an overly contrite Tony Stewart

Monday, July 6, 2009

I’ve said it before and it’s probably worth repeating after the last lap wreckfest we saw at Daytona on Saturday night: We can all think of things about the COT that make the hair on the back of our necks stand up, but this car has definitely raised the level of safety for all of the Cup drivers.

Federal Judge lifts suspension on Jeremy Mayfield

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

According to published reports, U.S. District Judge Graham Mullen lifted NASCAR’s suspension of Jeremy Mayfield this afternoon.

Anticipating the restarts at Daytona

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

I’m looking forward to viewing the double-file restarts at Daytona this weekend.

I won't doubt Tony Stewart this time

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The financial earthquake this country has suffered continues to produce aftershocks in the sport of stock car racing.

Double-file restarts not a concern at Infineon

Monday, June 22, 2009

One of the big topics heading into Sunday’s race was the question of how the double-file restarts would play out at the road course.

Bring Buick back to Cup racing

Thursday, June 18, 2009

In 1983 NASCAR driver Bobby Allison won the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. He won six races that year, five of them while driving a Buick. Is it time for Buick to make a return to stock car racing?

Michigan fuel-mileage mayhem

Monday, June 15, 2009

I usually don’t enjoy fuel-mileage races, especially when a driver limps to the finish line with the transmission in neutral.

Kyle Busch says Dale Jr.'s fans are "crazy."

Friday, June 12, 2009

While speaking to the media today at Michigan International Speedway, Kyle Busch had a few choice words for Dale Jr.'s fans.

Gordon's back pain could become a pain for NASCAR

Thursday, June 11, 2009

In addition to a continuing slump by Dale Earnhardt Jr., what could also contribute to the slide in TV ratings for NASCAR? The early retirement of Jeff Gordon.

Will Stewart-Haas Racing start a trend in NASCAR?

Monday, June 8, 2009

Where there’s Smoke there’s success. There has been no learning curve for Stewart-Haas Racing as Tony Stewart has visited victory lane faster than anyone expected.

It's about time the double-file restarts came to Sprint Cup racing

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Nascar has seen the light. The governing body announced today that beginning with this weekend's race at Pocono, the race format will be changed to include double-file restarts.

A few thoughts on Johnson, Earnhardt, Busch, double-file restarts and the Ford Motor Company

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Chad Knaus, Jimmie Johnson & Co. have proven, once again, why the No. 48 team has won three championships in a row and could be poised to win an unprecedented fourth.

Is this a new beginning for Dale Jr.?

Friday, May 29, 2009

It had become too painful to watch. Seeing the most popular driver with one of the most storied names in the sport continue a slide into a black hole of un-competitiveness was too much for Rick Hendrick to bear.

Dale Jr. gets a new crew chief

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Dale Jr. gets a new crew chief.

A win is a win and a few thoughts on the Coca-Cola 600

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The chatter today among some of my NASCAR-watching friends centered on David Reutimann’s win at the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 and whether it was legitimate.

Winner in the Dale Jr. cartoon caption contest

Friday, May 22, 2009

This installment of the cartoon caption contest received just over 100 entries. Thank you to all of the readers who participated.

Should allergy medications be a concern for Sprint Cup drivers?

Friday, May 22, 2009

Jeremy Mayfield contends he was using prescription drugs and Claritin-D.

Dale Jr. caption contest

Thursday, May 21, 2009

The cartoon caption writing contest is back! Put your wit and knowledge of NASCAR to good use by creating a caption for the cartoon below.

A few armchair observations on the all-star race

Monday, May 18, 2009

Did you think Stewart-Haas racing would perform this well this early? I didn’t. And neither did a lot of other media types.

Elvis car unveiled at Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

If my memory is correct, Tony Stewart once commented that Dale Earnhardt Inc. would become a museum without Dale Earnhardt Jr. Well, he was right.

NASCAR's drug testing should go to the next level

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Drug testing and Jeremy Mayfield. That’s what everyone who follows NASCAR is talking about this week.

More Talladega, Richmond and Darlington, please

Monday, May 11, 2009

In a perfect NASCAR world, the entire Sprint Cup season would have the excitement we’ve seen in the last three weeks of racing.

Jeremy Mayfield suspended for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Jeremy Mayfield has been suspended from competition for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy

Kyle Busch's dry spell

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

After Saturday night’s race at Richmond, race winner Kyle Busch was quoted as saying, “This is a phenomenal team right here. They never give up. We’ve had four bad weeks and we knew we had to get back on track somehow.”