Polesitters Get No Respect Anymore
Carnage at the start AutoWeek Race series could prevent so many of their own problems if they would simply allow the pole sitter to do his job. Every driver's meeting … Read More
Author: Stephen Cox
10 Great Race Tracks Part III: Winchester Speedway
Winchester 1936 In the spring of 1914, Indiana farmer Frank Funk had an idea. This whole newfangled automobile thing seemed to be catching on. Lots of folks were racing them. … Read More
Five Pieces of Advice That I’ve Never Forgotten
Road Atlanta Number Five – “Wanna win? You need a trailer like that." So said a racing friend in the summer of 1986 at Bloomington Speedway. We were walking past … Read More
Collector Cars: A Primer on Porsche’s Amazing 550
This Porsche 550 sold for $3.75 million David Newhardt/Mecum Auctions I confess that I am a muscle car guy. Can't help it. I grew up cruising Mustangs and Torino's on … Read More
What Luca Filippi Means for IndyCar Racing
Luca Filippi IndyCar/LAT USA Perhaps I'm the lone voice in the wilderness on this, but I was very impressed with Luca Filippi's IndyCar debut at Mid-Ohio last week. He was … Read More
A Crash Course in the Great Anti-Lock Brake Debate
"Say, don't anti-lock braking systems shorten stopping distances?" Nope. An ABS-equipped car cannot stop a single millimeter shorter than a non-ABS car. Read the fine print. ABS proponents create a … Read More
10 Great Race Tracks: Part 2 The Milwaukee Mile
Okay, I'm bending the rules on this one. Most of you have seen the Milwaukee Mile on TV, even if you haven't been there in person. But The Mile deserves … Read More
VINTAGE RACING: Driving a 1969 Corvette
1969 Corvette Have you ever wondered what it was like to drive a production-based sportscar in the golden era of American road racing? Me too. And now I know. "I … Read More
Remembering Dr. Jack Miller, the Racing Dentist
Dr. Jack Miller Indy 500 Photo Stephen Cox is on vacation; this week's article is a re-release of a popular article from 2012. Twelve years ago, Dr. Jack Miller and … Read More
PURE EVEL: An Authentic Motorsports Hero
Evel Knievel Stephen Cox is on vacation; his next articles will be a re-release of popular articles from 2011-2012. So I’m sitting in a Bob Evans restaurant in northern Virginia … Read More
The Man Who Destroyed Muscle Cars
“In our midst are people who think that if only they had government power on their side, they could pick tomorrow’s winners and losers in the marketplace, set prices or … Read More
Racing past 40: Part 1
Mario Andretti in 1992 with Paul Newman. He would win his last IndyCar race the following year, April 1993, at Phoenix, at the age of 53. I have wonderful news. … Read More
What makes a race car driver ‘professional’?
AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti in 1968. They drove every week to put food on the table, sometimes 3 and 4 races a week. If I had to choose between … Read More
INDY 500: Success Built on Thin Ice
Tony Kanaan still dripping with milk The 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 was widely lauded as a tremendously entertaining event. The grandstands were nearly full, every fourth lap or … Read More
Five Minutes With former IRL Driver John Hollansworth
John Hollansworth It was May 30, 1999 and John Hollansworth, Jr. had his hands full. Early in the 83rd running of the Indianapolis 500, his Oldsmobile-powered Dallara picked up a … Read More
The Indy Lights Series is dying, and here’s why!
Indy Lights – Great racing, few cars Imagine you’re in a McDonald’s restaurant. You order a Big Mac. The cashier plops your sandwich on the counter and says, “That’ll be … Read More
5-Minutes with Hoosier Hundred Promoter Bob Sargent
Bud Kaeding at the 2012 Hoosier Hundred during qualifying, just yards from the spot where DePalma was photographed nearly a century before. The track is still in its original layout … Read More
The Driverless Car is a Stupid Idea and I Hate It
Audi driverless car test mule California has passed a new law allowing “autonomous cars" on the roadways and Audi says it can have an automated car ready for sale by … Read More
Women in F1: The Stirling Moss Debate
83-year-old Formula 1 legend Stirling Moss has once again spoken with conviction and said what he really believes to a world that has no convictions and doesn’t know what to … Read More
NASCAR and Congressional Blackmail
Auto racing has once more been turned into a political circus by a politician who apparently has so little actual work to do that he must fill his time by … Read More
CLASSIC CARS: Mercury Cyclone for Dummies
1970 Cyclone Spoiler 1970 Cyclone GT 1969 Cyclone CJ 1969 Cyclone Spoiler As under-appreciated muscle cars go, the enigmatic Mercury Cyclone is about as obscure as they come. But I … Read More
Thank Heavens, Bob Jenkins is Announcing Again
Bob Jenkins interviews Tony Kanaan I had just ordered a Bison Burger with bacon and cheese and frankly, I was concerned. We were at Ted’s Montana Grill just outside of … Read More
INDYCAR: Who Cares Who Was the Worst?
What a great way to kick off the IndyCar season. So I’m sitting here browsing articles and I run across a piece that attempts to name the “worst drivers in … Read More
Jeremy Clements: Another Witch Hunt Gone Bad
Jeremy Clements I wanted to let the dust settle on this story and see public reaction before writing on it. And after doing so, I've come to a startling conclusion: … Read More
Why Won’t Anyone Examine My Helmet?
Buckling up my helmet Nelson Skinner/Sopwith Motorsports Have you ever had one of those enlightening moments when a truth really dawned on you? Call it an epiphany. Or maybe a … Read More