SPORTS SHORTS

Requiem for Brandon Brown By Brian H Cotnoir On October 1, 2022, Brandon Brown made what--in all likelihood--would be his last start in his #68 Brandonbilt Motorsports.   Almost one year to the day where he shocked the NASCAR world by winning his first career victory in the Xfinity Series for his family-owned team, his once promising NASCAR career went out with a whimper finishing 33rd out of 38 drivers.    What should have been the greatest day of the Virgina drivers' life in 2021 would be become marred in controversy and he would unintentionally become a focal point of a Right-Wing Political Ideology, that his career could never recover from.   The first time I remember hearing Brandon Brown's name was when legendary college basketball announcer, Dick Vitale declaring that Brown would win the season opening Truck Race at Daytona in 2016.  Now, I value Dick Vitale's knowledge and opinion on College Basketball, but when I heard this on ESPN, I remember...

In Defense of Steve Grissom By Brian H Cotnoir My most powerful memory of NASCAR driver Steve Grissom was during a race at Atlanta in 1997.   I was only seven years old, and I remember seeing his #41 Kodiak Chevy spin down the back stretch before backing into the inside concrete wall and flipping violently as his gas tank was thrown from car and erupted in a fireball.  I remember watching this on TV in the living room because I can still recall my father's reaction to the wreck "He's gone!   Nobody can survive that!" and I started to cry, because I thought he really was killed in the wreck.   Fortunately, Steve Grissom survived the wreck and would be back in his car two races later at Texas Motor Speedway.   That wreck in Atlanta wasn't a career-defining moment for Grissom, but unfortunately many of his accomplishments in NASCAR have been overshadowed by a lackluster Cup Career and being a part of some of NASCAR's most tragic moments....

4 More NASCAR facts that sound made up, but are true By Brian H Cotnoir 1.)  Richard Petty's father protested his "1st win" Even the casual NASCAR fan knows that "King" Richard Petty is the All-Time Winningest driver in NASCAR History, with 200 Career wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, but it very nearly was 201 wins, until his father intervened.   In 1959, Richard Petty won his first race in NASCAR at the Lakewood Speedway, a 1-mile dirt oval in Atlanta, Georgia.   Making the moment even more special was that Richard's father (and team owner) Lee had finished 2nd in the race...that was until Lee filed a protest and claimed a scoring error had been made, and that Richard was actually one lap down.   Hours later, the results were overturned, and Lee Petty was declared winner of the race while Richard was credited with a 3rd place finish.  Lee Petty was later quoted to have said "I would have protested my mother if I needed to". 2.) Joe Nemechek won his...

 5 Drivers who had no business competing in NASCAR By: Brian H Cotnoir Thousands of drivers have made starts in NASCAR across its history.   The best drivers in NASCAR go on to have long and prosperous careers, some drivers are late bloomers, some drivers' careers come quickly, and other drivers show a lot of potential early on in their career but fail to find success in the top Series (I.E. NASCAR Busts).   Then there are drivers that make you go "how the hell did this person every get a ride in NASCAR?".  Well, here are five drivers that made many fans wonder the same thing. 1.)  John Wes Townley The son of Zaxby's restaurants Co-Owner, John Wes Townley career only existed because of sponsorship from his father's business.   Townley drove for some of the best teams in NASCAR, Roush Fenway, Richard Childress Racing, and Red Horse Racing.   Townley struggled on the track, and his high frequency of wrecks on track led some fans to du...

In Defense of Buckshot Jones  By Brian H Cotnoir One of the coolest nicknames in NASCAR History, Roy "Buckshot" Jones.   Buckshot Jones took a rather unconventional road to NASCAR and managed to win races too.   However, just as it looked like he was about to racing dreams would come true, his meteoric rise through NASCAR came to screeching halt. As I mentioned, Buckshot Jones rise through NASCAR was rather unconventional.  He began racing as a hobby while he was a student at the University of Georgia, where he earned a business degree.   Jones ran in the NASCAR Southeast Series in the 1992.   Jones and his father, Billy, came up with a six-year plan to start their own race team and become NASCAR Champions.  In 1994, Jones started in 19-out-of-21 races in the NASCAR Southeast Series.  He finished 16th in points.  Jones best finish in the NASCAR Southeast Series was a 5th place finish at Martinsville in 1995. Throughout 199...

5 "How Embarrassing" moments in Auto By Brian H Cotnoir In racing sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.   When you're really unlucky, it tends to be more noticeable (especially on television).  Here are five moments that drivers experienced on track that'll make you say "How Embarrassing" 1.)  Mike Borkowski is sued by his sponsor Speed costs money.  A big-name sponsor can make or break a driver's career.  We've seen drivers' careers come to screeching halt due to lack of sponsorship or the end of a sponsorship deal, but what would happen if you're on-track performance was so bad that your sponsor decided to sue you?  That's exactly what happened to driver Mike Borkowski. Mike Borkowski  You'd be forgiven for not remembering or recognizing the name Mike Borkowski.   Before racing in NASCAR, Borkowski had a successful racing career in Sports Cars.  He won four different titles in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).  In...

NASCAR's Forgotten Dark History: Tales of Derailment, Drugs, and Destruction By Brian H Cotnoir If you asked most NASCAR fans to point out the Darkest Time in the Sports History, I'm sure many fans would say from between 2000-2001, when the sport lost five drivers---Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr., Tony Roper, Dale Earnhardt Sr., and Blaise Alexander--all in racing accidents.  The cause of death for all five was a basilar skull fracture. The following season ARCA driver, Eric Martin was killed when he was hit driver side door after spinning during a practice session at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  These tragic events led a safety revolution in NASCAR which led to the development of NASCAR's fifth generation car (dubbed "The Car of Tomorrow"), mandatory head and neck restraints for all competitors, all race teams were required to have a Spotter for all Practice sessions, and the installation of steal of foam walls--known better as SAFER Barriers--to replace the solid con...