Denny Hamlin's breathing remains labored, but his focus is not

   HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. - Denny Hamlin's breathing remains labored a week-and-a-half after breaking his back but his focus is not.

   "There is mathematics that make it possible (to make the Chase), it's not going to be easy," said Hamlin, in his first interview since his injury in the March 24 Sprint Cup Series race at Fontana, Calif.

   "I'd like to cross that bridge when I get there, as far as that's concerned. I don't want the chance at a championship to decide when I get back in the car. I want to do it when it's most safe.

   "I want to do it when everyone - doctors, etc. - are comfortable with me getting back in the car, not just because 'if we don't get in this week then our season is done.'"

   Hamlin addressed several topics, including how he believes his circumstances would be different if SAFER barriers had been installed where he hit; how he blames Joey Logano for the accident but doesn't think NASCAR should penalize him; and how he thinks drivers and fans are wrong to think drivers can't get injured in today's Cup car despite all the safety advances.

   Check back later for more.

  

This just in: Blocking is not against NASCAR rules

   My two cents

   This just in: Blocking is not against the rules in NASCAR.

   Actually, it’s not ‘just in’ but with all the discussion the past two weeks over Tony Stewart’s criticism of Joey Logano’s blocking move at Auto Club Speedway, you’d think the issue somehow remained unaddressed in NASCAR.

   For as long as NASCAR has existed, there has never been anything in the NASCAR rulebook (in any of its three national series) prohibiting blocking.

   Other motorsports series do frown on the practice – notably Formula One and IndyCar – but not NASCAR.

   That doesn’t mean it may not always be “appropriate” in terms of driver etiquette.

   Now, some drivers may decide they won’t tolerate it from their competitors and vow to wreck those who do it, even though they employ the move themselves. Please see Stewart on multiple occasions during his career in regards to that example.

   Ryan Newman, on a teleconference this week, went so far as to call blocking “a chicken way of driving.” Yet he is often selected as the driver most difficult to pass by his competitors.

   The newest “big story” in NASCAR may be the use of blocking, but the bottom line is, the issue of right or wrong lies in the eyes of drivers affected.

   As long as there remain no guidelines to its use in the NASCAR rulebook, the only ramifications will be from fellow competitors.

   For 60-plus years that appears to have been enough to keep the practice in check.

   But even if it isn’t, this is still racing.

 

   If someone is trying to get by another driver, why would they expect to complete the pass without being fast enough to do so?

   You could always try IndyCar - it has a button you can press when you aren't fast enough to pass.

 

Check out Joey Logano's interview with ESPN's Marty Smith

 

  In his first on-camera interview since the controversial ending to the March 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Fontana, Calif., driver Joey Logano appeared on the 6 p.m. ET edition of ESPN SportsCenter in an exclusive interview with ESPN lead NASCAR reporter Marty Smith.

   Some quotes from the interview:

    MARTY SMITH -- How did what happened at Bristol impact your relationship with Denny Hamlin?

    JOEY LOGANO – Well, you feel like you got done wrong, alright? You know got spun out. So it doesn’t help that relationship, obviously. And yes, did I remember who I was racing against? Yes. Obviously I know who I’m racing against and what happened a week before but going into turn three on the last lap, I remember ‘I’m going to win the race.’ My number one goal is to go win a race. So did I intentionally wreck him? No, I did not intentionally do that. If I was going to do that I would have hit him in the left-rear tire. I hit him in the door. It’s hard racing at that point. I hate that he got hurt. I feel like the comments after the race that I made were taken way out of context. My mind wasn’t straight and I didn’t know Denny was hurt. There was no way for me to know. And it got taken way out of context.

    SMITH -- I talked to Carl Edwards once couple of years ago in an interview like this and he told me that you have to stand your ground as a race car driver …

    LOGANO – Yeah you have to stand up for yourself. We’re racing against the same people every weekend and you have to put your foot down and show them that you’re out here to win a race, you’re out here to stand strong and you’re doing that for your whole team.

    SMITH -- What’s it like to hear from a peer (Tony Stewart), a guy that you previously … took his car, ok, that got you into the Cup Series, say, it’s, quote, a rich kid who never had to work …

    LOGANO – You can say it the same way as my comments made after my race – heat of the moment. Our sport, we don’t have time to take a deep breath, give me 15 minutes to regain my thoughts, and what the heck just happened, and let me watch a replay and see all this. I’m the same Joey Logano I’ve always been. I’m still happy-go-lucky. I’m very competitive. That’s never going to change, you know what I mean? I’m still who I’ve always been. But I don’t get walked on.

One UNC Charlotte student's road to NASCAR

 

 
   Ryan Bennett, a freshman from Crownsville, Md., hopes to use a victory in the annual Michael Waltrip Racing Competition as a chance to establish a career in NASCAR, whether it's as a driver or working with one.

       You can read about his journey here.

Was Fontana the best race Joey Logano has driven in his NASCAR career?

   Neither Joey Logano nor Denny Hamlin took home the trophy at Fontana, but former NASCAR Cup champion and current Fox analyst Darrell Waltrip thinks Logano gained some confidence and respect he had been lacking the past couple of seasons.

    “That was the best race I’ve seen Joey drive,” Waltrip asserted. “He was aggressive and drove like he really wanted to win. I’ve seen him drive many races in which it seemed he left something on the table, but he didn’t at Fontana. Drivers in the past have taken advantage of him and he didn’t do much about it.

    "But he’s with a new team and has a pretty fast car this year, so it seems like he has found a new confidence he didn’t have at Joe Gibbs Racing. I think he realizes now is his time and he needs to take advantage of it, and we’ve seen that in his driving.”

Meet your favorite NASCAR Truck Series drivers at The Rock

   Fans hoping to get to meet their favorite NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers will have the opportunity to do so on Saturday, April 13 at Rockingham (NC) Speedway.

    The speedway will hold a driver autograph session that morning from 10:15 a.m. until 11:15 a.m. by the famous rocks by the main entrance of the track.

    The autograph session is open to anyone holding a ticket for Saturday's or Sunday's races.

    "We had such a great turnout with last year's autograph session, that we had to do it again," said Rockingham Speedway President Andy Hillenburg. "The autograph session is a great time for fans to come out and meet their favorite drivers before the racing action gets underway."

    There will also be a "Tweet Meet" Sunday morning at 9 a.m. outside of the track for the NASCAR Twitter community. More details will be available on Rockingham Speedway's official Twitter @RockinghamSpeed as the race approaches.

    Tickets are available by calling (910) 205-8800.

Guess which NASCAR driver's car will be at the White House Easter Egg hunt?

   This year’s 135th Annual White House Easter Egg Roll will kick off Monday, April 1 with Roush Fenway's No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion featured at The Ellipse in the nation’s capital. NASCAR star Carl Edwards drives the No. 99 in the Sprint Cup Series.

   The 2013 Easter Egg Roll, which takes place on the South Lawn of the White House, is focused on promoting health and wellness with the theme, “Be Healthy, Be Active, Be You!” The event features live music, sports courts, cooking stations, storytelling and, of course, Easter egg rolling. The activities encourage children to lead healthy, active lives in support of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative.

   “It will be an honor to have the No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion on site at the White House,” said Pat Resch, Fastenal’s VP of Marketing. “We’re looking forward to being a part of this Easter tradition and presenting the Fastenal brand to 30,000-plus attendees.”