“Summer’s Five Things” is a daily column for NASCAR fans to catch up on the most recent, relevant, and need-to-know news and information in the sport! While mostly focused on NASCAR, this column may also feature other interesting and exciting moments from the world of motorsports. Enjoy!
- NASCAR Mourns The Loss Of One Of Its Most Beloved Journalists
Longtime NASCAR beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer Tom Higgins passed away Tuesday morning at the age of 80. Higgins wrote for the Observer from 1964 – 1997 and was perhaps most well known for becoming the first newspaper reporter to travel to every NASCAR race on the premier series circuit in 1980.
Higgins suffered a stroke in August of 2017 and reportedly had been in declining health ever since then.
Higgins earned the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence in 2015 and was inducted into the NASCAR Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 2011.
NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director and pit reporter for the Motor Racing Network released this statement:
Statement from NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France:
“For more than five decades, Tom Higgins was an ever-present figure in the NASCAR garage. Within the industry, he built a reputation as a trusted and fair voice who delivered our sport to the fans. To those fans, he was a must-read journalist whose reporting was rightly taken as gospel. Simply put, he defined what it meant to be a NASCAR beat reporter. As such, his outstanding career earned him NASCAR’s top honor for journalists, the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence, in 2015. On behalf of the France Family and all of NASCAR, I extend my deepest condolences to the friends and family of Tom Higgins, a true NASCAR media giant.”
- Aric Almirola Responds To Run-In With Matt DiBenedetto in Pocono
Following contact on pit road with teammate Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola found himself racing in the back half of the field with just a few laps remaining at Pocono Raceway. In a late-race battle for position with Matt DiBenedetto, Almirola was able to secure the 25th position, a disappointing result in a race where he was able to spend some time up front.
DiBenedetto, however, did not appreciate how Almirola raced him in the closing laps.
On the cool-down lap, DiBenedetto drove up alongside Almirola, hit the left side of Almirola’s car, then spun the No. 10 out completely.
Dibenedetto then confronted Almirola on pit road briefly before angrily walking away.
Almirola appeared on Tuesday’s “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and talked about the incident.
“He was frustrated or upset I guess that I passed him on the last lap,” said Almirola. “I don’t know. I guess he thought I shouldn’t race for 25th. I race for every spot all race long. I don’t care if it’s for 25th or for the lead and I guess he thought I should have let him finish 25th and I wasn’t gonna do that. I passed him in the tunnel turn on the last lap and he said I took his line away from him and he was upset about it. I don’t know. I hate it for him that he didn’t finish 25th but we were racing. It’s called racing.”
“I was baffled,” Almirola continued. “I was blown away after the race when he come and run into the side of me and then spun me out. I couldn’t wrap my head around what he was so upset about. I understand, I guess when you’re running back there and you’re fighting to stay on the lead lap week in and week out and racing like that, 25th is a big deal but I was racing. I caught him off Turn 1 and drove underneath of him and passed him in the tunnel turn and we came back to the checkered. I finished 25th and he finished behind me and apparently was pretty upset about it.”
DiBenedetto decided to have some fun with the incident on social media.
https://twitter.com/mattdracing/status/1023702777598488576
https://twitter.com/mattdracing/status/1024355699965485058
For the record, DiBenedetto actually wound up finishing 27th as Joey Logano was also able to get by him in the closing laps.
- Noah Gragson Medically Cleared To Return To Competition
Noah Gragson gave everyone quite the scare last weekend when he passed out on pit road during NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying. Gragson was battling a stomach illness over the weekend and, after passing out, NASCAR stated he was not medically cleared to race in the Truck Series race later in the afternoon.
NASCAR has since cleared Gragson to race again.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones served as his replacement, and ultimately finished second behind Kyle Busch (Gragson’s truck owner).
Typically, to be eligible for the Playoffs, a driver has to attempt to qualify for each points paying event. Gragson did not make a qualifying run before he was taken to the infield care center. However, NASCAR granted him a medical waiver that will allow the No. 18 driver to remain Playoff eligible with his win at Kansas Speedway earlier this season.
The next Truck Series event is Saturday, August 11, 2018, at Michigan International Speedway. The race will air at 1:00PM ET on FS1.
- Ryan Newman, Joey Logano Unveil Darlington Throwback Schemes
These never get old, do they?
Ryan Newman and Joey Logano were next in line to introduce their throwback paint scheme for the September 1st-3rd weekend at Darlington Raceway later this season.
Newman and sponsor Caterpillar will honor Neil Bonnett with their throwback scheme, paying tribute to the two starts that Bonnett made for Richard Childress Racing in 1993. Bonnet competed in 362 premier series races from 1973 – 1994 and eventually transitioned into a role in broadcasting.
Logano will “throw back” to Steve Park’s famous Pennzoil car. Park won with this paint scheme at Watkins Glen International in 2000, one of his two career victories in his 10-year career.
Neither Newman nor Logano has ever won at Darlington. Logano’s best finish at the track (nine starts) was a fourth-place run in 2015, while Newman’s best result (19 starts) was second place in 2002.
The Bojangles’ Southern 500 will be Sunday, September 2nd at 6:00PM ET.
- Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace Will Compete in K&N Pro Series East Race
This weekend, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East drivers will have a chance to shine in front of a larger audience, as they are sharing Watkins Glen International with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this weekend.
While I would encourage you to familiarize yourself with the drivers in this series, there will be a handful of names in the race that you will already recognize.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Erik Jones and Richard Petty Motorsports driver Bubba Wallace are both on the entry list for the Friday race in order to gain more experience on the road course ahead of the Cup Series event on Sunday.
At the other road course race on the other side of the country — Sonoma Raceway — Jones competed in the K&N West Pro Series on the same weekend as the Cup Series race and finished seventh.
Camping World Truck Series drivers Brett Moffitt and Noah Gragson are also on the entry list.
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If you would like to receive this column in your inbox, or if you want to connect with me, you may send an e-mail to [email protected].
You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.
Summer’s Five Things: What You Need To Know For August 1, 2018
“Summer’s Five Things” is a daily column for NASCAR fans to catch up on the most recent, relevant, and need-to-know news and information in the sport! While mostly focused on NASCAR, this column may also feature other interesting and exciting moments from the world of motorsports. Enjoy!
Longtime NASCAR beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer Tom Higgins passed away Tuesday morning at the age of 80. Higgins wrote for the Observer from 1964 – 1997 and was perhaps most well known for becoming the first newspaper reporter to travel to every NASCAR race on the premier series circuit in 1980.
Higgins suffered a stroke in August of 2017 and reportedly had been in declining health ever since then.
Higgins earned the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence in 2015 and was inducted into the NASCAR Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 2011.
NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director and pit reporter for the Motor Racing Network released this statement:
Statement from NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France:
Following contact on pit road with teammate Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola found himself racing in the back half of the field with just a few laps remaining at Pocono Raceway. In a late-race battle for position with Matt DiBenedetto, Almirola was able to secure the 25th position, a disappointing result in a race where he was able to spend some time up front.
DiBenedetto, however, did not appreciate how Almirola raced him in the closing laps.
On the cool-down lap, DiBenedetto drove up alongside Almirola, hit the left side of Almirola’s car, then spun the No. 10 out completely.
Dibenedetto then confronted Almirola on pit road briefly before angrily walking away.
Almirola appeared on Tuesday’s “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and talked about the incident.
“He was frustrated or upset I guess that I passed him on the last lap,” said Almirola. “I don’t know. I guess he thought I shouldn’t race for 25th. I race for every spot all race long. I don’t care if it’s for 25th or for the lead and I guess he thought I should have let him finish 25th and I wasn’t gonna do that. I passed him in the tunnel turn on the last lap and he said I took his line away from him and he was upset about it. I don’t know. I hate it for him that he didn’t finish 25th but we were racing. It’s called racing.”
“I was baffled,” Almirola continued. “I was blown away after the race when he come and run into the side of me and then spun me out. I couldn’t wrap my head around what he was so upset about. I understand, I guess when you’re running back there and you’re fighting to stay on the lead lap week in and week out and racing like that, 25th is a big deal but I was racing. I caught him off Turn 1 and drove underneath of him and passed him in the tunnel turn and we came back to the checkered. I finished 25th and he finished behind me and apparently was pretty upset about it.”
DiBenedetto decided to have some fun with the incident on social media.
https://twitter.com/mattdracing/status/1023702777598488576
https://twitter.com/mattdracing/status/1024355699965485058
For the record, DiBenedetto actually wound up finishing 27th as Joey Logano was also able to get by him in the closing laps.
Noah Gragson gave everyone quite the scare last weekend when he passed out on pit road during NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying. Gragson was battling a stomach illness over the weekend and, after passing out, NASCAR stated he was not medically cleared to race in the Truck Series race later in the afternoon.
NASCAR has since cleared Gragson to race again.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones served as his replacement, and ultimately finished second behind Kyle Busch (Gragson’s truck owner).
Typically, to be eligible for the Playoffs, a driver has to attempt to qualify for each points paying event. Gragson did not make a qualifying run before he was taken to the infield care center. However, NASCAR granted him a medical waiver that will allow the No. 18 driver to remain Playoff eligible with his win at Kansas Speedway earlier this season.
The next Truck Series event is Saturday, August 11, 2018, at Michigan International Speedway. The race will air at 1:00PM ET on FS1.
These never get old, do they?
Ryan Newman and Joey Logano were next in line to introduce their throwback paint scheme for the September 1st-3rd weekend at Darlington Raceway later this season.
Newman and sponsor Caterpillar will honor Neil Bonnett with their throwback scheme, paying tribute to the two starts that Bonnett made for Richard Childress Racing in 1993. Bonnet competed in 362 premier series races from 1973 – 1994 and eventually transitioned into a role in broadcasting.
Logano will “throw back” to Steve Park’s famous Pennzoil car. Park won with this paint scheme at Watkins Glen International in 2000, one of his two career victories in his 10-year career.
Neither Newman nor Logano has ever won at Darlington. Logano’s best finish at the track (nine starts) was a fourth-place run in 2015, while Newman’s best result (19 starts) was second place in 2002.
The Bojangles’ Southern 500 will be Sunday, September 2nd at 6:00PM ET.
This weekend, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East drivers will have a chance to shine in front of a larger audience, as they are sharing Watkins Glen International with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this weekend.
While I would encourage you to familiarize yourself with the drivers in this series, there will be a handful of names in the race that you will already recognize.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Erik Jones and Richard Petty Motorsports driver Bubba Wallace are both on the entry list for the Friday race in order to gain more experience on the road course ahead of the Cup Series event on Sunday.
At the other road course race on the other side of the country — Sonoma Raceway — Jones competed in the K&N West Pro Series on the same weekend as the Cup Series race and finished seventh.
Camping World Truck Series drivers Brett Moffitt and Noah Gragson are also on the entry list.
~~
If you would like to receive this column in your inbox, or if you want to connect with me, you may send an e-mail to [email protected].
You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram.