LOUDON, N.H. – If you were a betting man and there was trifecta wagering in Sprint Cup racing, choosing Kurt Busch, Michael Waltrip and J.J. Yeley to finish 1-2-3 in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 Sunday would have you running to your travel agent plotting out your dream… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – For a driver who has accomplished so much in racing, NASCAR success wasn’t coming quickly for Patrick Carpentier. But at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he made it look easy. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – The Heluva’ Good! 125 was just that Friday night. Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass., a Camping World (Busch North/East) driver since 2001, took the lead on a green-white checkered finish and held off 17-year-old Trevor Bayne to collect his first-ever win at… Read More
Cherryfield’s Andy Santerre will get to race with some of the former giants in auto racing in the new Old School Racing Championships Tour next year. David Pearson, who has 105 Nextel Cup wins and three points championships; Harry Gant and Geoffrey Bodine, who each… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Your first win in any sport is always memorable. Clint Bowyer was savoring his first Nextel Cup win after the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway Sunday when he was asked in a press conference if he remembered his first ever… Read More
Denny Hamlin, winner of Sunday’s LENOX Industrial Tools 300 Nextel Cup race, said he will always be indebted to Gardiner’s Steve Prescott and his EJP [E.J. Prescott] Racing team. In 2004, Prescott reached an agreement with Joe Gibbs Racing to put a young driver in… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Denny Hamlin said he felt he had some “kids riding along with me all day” during Sunday’s LENOX Industrial Tools 300 Nextel Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway. Hamlin had visited Children’s Hospital in Boston Thursday and was presented with a… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – In the song “Born Under a Bad Sign” by the group Cream, one lyric goes “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have any luck at all.” That has been the case for Andy Santerre Motorsports team driver Sean Caisse, who… Read More
While most of the focus at Daytona during Speedweeks 2007 will be on the drivers as the NASCAR season gets under way, some Maine families will also be following the action along pit lane. Several Maine natives are a part of the behind-the-scenes story of… Read More
Cherryfield’s Andy Santerre has signed a deal with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and will have the late NASCAR Nextel Cup champion’s grandson, Jeffrey, driving for him in the Busch East series this season. Jeffrey Earnhardt is the son of Kerry Earnhardt, Dale’s eldest son. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Only two of the cars in the Kyle Busch stable for Hendrick Motorsports have names. And one of those cars lived up to its name Sunday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
OXFORD – Denny Hamlin, a candidate for NASCAR Nextel Cup rookie of the year, will be returning to his racing roots July 30 as an entrant in the 33rd annual TD Banknorth 250 (formerly Oxford 250) at Oxford Plains Speedway. Hamlin was one of the… Read More
DOVER, Del. – Cherryfield’s Andy Santerre captured his 23rd career Busch North win as he came from his 14th-place starting position to edge pole-sitter Ryan Moore of Scarborough by .022 in the MBNA Race Points 150 at Dover International Speedway Friday. It was Santerre’s 10th… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Michael Waltrip never even hesitated. When asked recently what profession he would like to try if he wasn’t an auto racer, the Nextel Cup driver for Dale Earnhardt Inc. answered “Weatherman, for sure.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
Bobby Hamilton spent 12 years racing in NASCAR’s top stock car series without ever finishing better than ninth in the points. But since losing his Cup ride in 2002, when Andy Petree’s team lost its primary sponsor, Hamilton has moved to NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series… Read More
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Rookie Todd Kluever could feel that change was imminent heading into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race this weekend at Kansas Speedway. Swapping crew chiefs was a risky move on such short notice, but the switch paid off as Kluever had… Read More
Newburgh’s Ricky Craven is one of the leading candidates to replace Mark Martin in the Roush Racing team’s No. 6 Viagra Ford next season, according to Geoff Smith, the president of Roush Racing. Martin has announced that he will retire from full-time Nextel Cup racing… Read More
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bobby Hamilton was standing on pit road and Jimmy Spencer was celebrating in Victory Lane. Then they switched positions. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i =… Read More
TALLADEGA, Ala. – “Front Row Joe” is back on top. Finally. Joe Nemechek took his first pole in four years and the seventh of his NASCAR Nextel Cup career Friday, earning the top spot for the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Larry McReynolds has had a first-hand look at the remarkable growth of Winston Cup racing. The former Winston Cup points championship crew chief has made the transition to the announcer’s booth for Fox Sports Net telecasts and he foresees continued growth for… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Newburgh’s Ricky Craven and his PPI Motorsports team will be busy working on their Tide Pontiac today in preparation for Sunday’s Sylvania 300 Winston Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway. Craven qualified 21st Friday, which is actually an improvement upon his… Read More
DARLINGTON, S.C. – As Maine driver Ricky Craven appeared to be making the winning move at Darlington Raceway, his children were rushed to Victory Lane. But when 11-year-old Riley Craven looked up, she saw Kurt Busch edge past her father on the final lap of… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Newburgh’s Ricky Craven was running second behind Jeff Gordon with 66 laps remaining in the New England 300 Winston Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway Sunday. But there was a problem: Gordon and Craven had elected to stay out on the… Read More
LOUDON,. N.H. – If you follow the career of NASCAR Winston Cup driver Ricky Craven, you could look at the cancellation of Friday’s qualifying for the New England 300 a couple of ways. Since qualifying was rained out, Newburgh native Craven will start 17th on… Read More
DARLINGTON, S.C. – Ricky Craven thought one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history was absolutely “perfect.” Craven won the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 by inches Sunday in a spectacular banging, grinding side-by-side finish with Kurt Busch at Darlington Raceway. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
Newburgh’s Ricky Craven had an up-and-down day before finishing 17th at the Pepsi 400 Winston Cup race in his Tide Ford Taurus at Michigan International Speedway Sunday. He started 16th, moved up to sixth in just six laps, and continued to run in the top… Read More
The Winston Cup series is flourishing. Spectators are packing the stands for the races including 101,000 who converged on the quaint New Hampshire town of Loudon for Sunday’s New England 300. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – For the first time since the Daytona 500, nothing went wrong for Ward Burton. Burton, stuck in a miserable slump since winning the season-opening race, found a groove to drive in, avoided all the accidents caused by a hazardous racing surface and… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – While his teammates have struggled, Bill Elliott and his crew have locked into something – at least when it comes to qualifying. Elliott continued his recent stretch of strong qualifying runs by winning his third pole of the season Friday at New… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Sunday’s New England 300 Winston Cup race will be the 528th for Mike Beam as a crew chief. The Hickory, N.C., native, who is the crew chief for Newburgh native Ricky Craven’s Tide Ford No. 32, has worked with 13 different drivers… Read More
A breakthrough season for Ricky Craven will come to an end at his favorite track. When they drop the green flag for the start of the New Hampshire 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway at noon Friday, the Newburgh native will have just one thing… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Enjoying mild temperatures and their own camaraderie, NASCAR fans built campfires and cooked turkeys in a parking lot at the New Hampshire International Speedway on Thanksgiving, the day before Friday’s Winston Cup race. They threw horseshoes and baseballs Thursday afternoon in the… Read More
BROOKLYN, Mich. – Sterling Marlin has been the best Dodge driver all season, so it was only fitting he gave the automaker it’s first Winston Cup victory in 24 years. The two-time Daytona 500 winner passed Bill Elliott with 53 laps to go at Michigan… Read More
After Ricky Craven crashed in Texas four years ago – his third major accident in about 12 months – the world of NASCAR questioned whether he could safely drive a stock car. “A real job scared me,” said Craven, who many times figured his racing… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – New Hampshire International Speedway is considered the home track for Newburgh’s Ricky Craven. But the home cooking has left something to be desired as evidenced by his average finish of 27th in his nine NASCAR Winston Cup series races prior to Sunday’s New Hampshire 300. Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Newburgh’s Ricky Craven didn’t qualify as well as he usually does at his “home” track: New Hampshire International Speedway. But Friday’s qualifying time of 130.220 miles an hour, which will put his Tide Ford Taurus No. 32 car in the 20th spot… Read More
BELFAST – Racing fans will have the chance to meet Maine’s only NASCAR Winston Cup driver on Saturday when Ricky Craven returns to his home state for an autograph session. Craven, who drives the No. 32 Tide car for PPI Motor Sports, will sign for… Read More
Ricky Craven has had his share of ups and downs. But the NASCAR Winston Cup driver from Newburgh now finds himself at a crossroads. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
Maine native Ricky Craven took the blame for engine failure and his early exit from Sunday’s NASCAR race, the Pocono 500 at the Pocono International Speedway at Long Pond, Pa., according to a story on Craven’s Web site compiled by his team, PPI Motorsports. A… Read More