The Sports

COLUMN: Forget the format; fix the racing

Expected reckless, got wreckless

Monte Dutton

            CONCORD  – First of all, I was wrong. My outlook going into Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race was optimistic. I thought the new format would make it better. I had... Full story

COLUMN: The pomp, the pageantry, the utter silliness

That's Event with a capital 'E'

Monte Dutton

            CONCORD  – I write this column every year at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In fact, there may be another next week. Night races mean that the column must not be dependent on th... Full story

COLUMN: The race went all fateful on me

Memories of that long-ago Winston

Monte Dutton

            CONCORD  – In the spring of 1992, I wasn’t quite ready for the big time. Well, I hadn’t attained it yet. I occasionally covered NASCAR races, and when I did it ... Full story

COLUMN: The All-Stars who still care

Old-fashioned racers still try to win

Monte Dutton

            CONCORD – Charlotte Motor Speedway is upon us. It is an imaginary tsunami that floods the month of May.             With ... Full story

COLUMN: Good, hard racing in all its many forms

Darlington filled the bill

Monte Dutton

            DARLINGTON, S.C. – Many of NASCAR’s fans said they wanted good, hard racing. They didn’t want to see crashes. Apparently, the goal was a constant series of almost-cr... Full story

COLUMN: A kid's eye view

And a Darlington flashback

Monte Dutton

            DARLINGTON, S.C. – Now Alex Howard is a year older. He still lacks NASCAR sophistication – never a bad thing for a 9-year-old to lack – but pays more attention. &nb... Full story

COLUMN: Darlington's toughness endures

Lights! Cameras! Action!

Monte Dutton

            DARLINGTON, S.C. – It’s almost as old as Darlington Raceway, this perpetual admonition that Darlington Raceway “ain’t as tough as it used to be.” Undoubt... Full story

COLUMN: Racing wasn't always so available

Subtraction by addition?

Monte Dutton

            DARLINGTON, S.C. – When I was a kid, most NASCAR races weren’t on television. Come to think of it, most sporting events of all kinds weren’t on TV. The Atlanta Brave... Full story

COLUMN: Keselowski the Conqueror

Talladega victory impressive

Monte Dutton

            TALLADEGA, Ala. – Maybe NASCAR got a bit overzealous in its “race the way we want, or else” mentality, but the Aaron’s 499 wasn’t without its merits. Pre... Full story

COLUMN: A cliffhanger at the end of a soap opera

Monte Dutton

            TALLADEGA, Ala. – The ending of Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 was eventful. Brad Keselowski was clever and resourceful. He happened upon a race that was ripe and picked it cl... Full story

COLUMN: A taste of the Talladega infield

Music in the midst

Monte Dutton

            TALLADEGA, Ala. – On the fourth night of May, it was fated that I venture out into the infield of Talladega Superspeedway. You see, Jimmy Miller, both a fine fellow and a one-ti... Full story

COLUMN: Just a bunch of crazy kids

NASCAR wants 'em to play nice

Monte Dutton

            TALLADEGA, Ala. – Restrictor-plate racing always changes gradually due to little nuances, and sometimes it changes drastically because rule changes have unintended consequences.... Full story

COLUMN: The whole world's a-Twitter

Nothing more so than NASCAR

Monte Dutton

            TALLADEGA, Ala. – Even in these rapidly changing times, I’ve still got this perverse desire to be right only once.          &... Full story

COLUMN: Back to NASCAR normal

Monte Dutton

            RICHMOND, Va. – Albeit the basic shape is similar, albeit scaled down by half, Richmond International Raceway has few similarities with the tracks in Kansas and Texas that prece... Full story

COLUMN: Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a race without rain?

Monte Dutton

            RICHMOND, Va. – For a fair amount of Saturday, songs were coursing through my brain. It was raining. What else was there to do? Have guitar, will travel.    &nbs... Full story