…to the NASCAR Fix!

This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, but never quite pulled the trigger until now. My goal is simple. I just want to share my thoughts and opinions on the sport and engage with fellow NASCAR fans. That’s doable, right?

So, what makes me qualified to start a NASCAR blog? Let’s be honest…you don’t have to be knowledgeable, articulate, or even respectful to voice your opinion. Maybe the better questions is: why should you care about what I have to say?

For starters, I became a NASCAR fan at three years-old. According to my mother, we stumbled upon a Winston Cup race on ESPN and a guy driving the no. 3 had a big lead over everybody else. I was three, Dale Earnhardt was driving the three.

Ballgame.

That was 1987. Thinking about it now, I really lucked out. Had I been one year older, I might have become a Rick Wilson fan.

Allegiances aside, the point is I’ve been a NASCAR fan for about 30 years. That’s roughly 900 races.

I also have more than a decade of experience in sports media. I earned my degree from Western Kentucky University in broadcast news and spent almost ten years working in local television. Currently, I freelance for LouisvilleCatholicSports.com and serve as the beat reporter for Camping World Truck Series driver Ben Rhodes, who resides in Louisville, Kentucky.

I realize one introductory blog post is not enough to persuade you to pay attention to me. Hopefully, listing my credentials will convince you that I know what I’m talking about and this blog is worth revisiting. I will do my best to make sure that happens.

 

Early thoughts on Daytona

I’ll be very interested to see what happens during Thursday night’s duels. With no cars on the bubble to qualify for the 500, I think we will see two very conservative races. By all accounts, drivers are still trying to figure out this year’s package. Why jeopardize your primary car in a race with very little is on the line. Sure, there are stage points for the top ten, but I don’t think teams are thinking about that yet. Worry about points at Atlanta.

Duel 1 should shape up to be a battle between Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske. Three of the four Hendrick drivers and all three Penske cars are in the first duel. Hendrick cars may have been faster in time trials, but I think Penske prevails and Brad Keselowski notches his second win of Speedweeks.

Duel 2 sets up perfectly for Joe Gibbs Racing. I expect the trio of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Erik Jones to make it nearly impossible to make a run for the lead. Hamlin leads most of the race, but Busch gets a fender in front at the line. Keep an eye on Austin Dillon. I think he’s a player on Sunday.

If there’s anything NASCAR-related you want to talk about, leave something in the comments section.

I look forward to the dialogue and cannot wait for the green flag on Sunday.

More to come later this week! Thanks for reading the NASCAR Fix.

-JW