Mike Smith

Blog Post Archive

Mother Nature shouldn't control Sprint Cup qualifying

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008

Mother Nature is a shrew whose bad attitude is having a negative effect on Sprint Cup racing. And NASCAR is letting her get away with it.

Dominating day for Jimmie Johnson

Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008

Jimmie Johnson led 339 laps to win under a green-white-checkered finish at Martinsville and took another large step toward reaching Cale Yarborough’s record of three consecutive championships.

There are no crystal balls in NASCAR

Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008

People seem to think that I have a crystal ball. “Who’s going to win the election?” is the common question I get from readers of my editorial cartoons.

Jeff Burton sets his sights on Jimmie Johnson

Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008

“It’s way too early to be handing anyone the trophy. It’s our job to put ourselves in a position to go to Homestead with a chance to win.” Those were Jeff Burton’s comments after winning the Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Is DEI headed for the ICU?

Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008

Call 911. Dale Earnhardt Incorporated driver Paul Menard announced a week ago that he was leaving DEI and was taking his sponsor, the home-supply company Menard’s, with him to Yates Racing.

Tony tames Talladega

Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008

Tony Stewart ended his 43-race winless streak and got his first Talladega victory Sunday after battling with Regan Smith for the win.

Carl Edwards goes for broke at the Camping World RV 400

Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008

The best driver and crew chief combination in Sprint Cup racing continued its march toward a third consecutive Sprint Cup championship despite a wild, wall-banging challenge from the No. 99 car on the last lap.

Craftsman Truck Series race sketchpad

Monday, Sept. 22, 2008

My condolences to anyone who missed Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was a great race that included the type of wild, wreck-filled finish that’s typical of truck races at this track.

Observations from the Camping World RV 400 at Dover International Speedway

Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008

A friend of mine, who is a NASCAR fanatic, often pressures me to make predictions about the racing season.

Winning caption in the Carl Edwards caption contest

Friday, Sept. 19, 2008

Winning caption for the Carl Edwards caption contest

What would Sarah Palin drive?

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008

Seeing John McCain speak at the pre-race ceremonies last week made think about what make of vehicle each presidential candidate would drive if they were NASCAR athletes.

Carl Edwards caption contest (Updated)

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008

It’s time to rev up your creative juices once again. See if you can come up with the winning caption for the Carl Edwards caption contest.

Observations from the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008

Greg Biffle broke his 33 race winless streak to bring home the trophy at New Hampshire, which allowed him to jump six points in the points standings to end up in the third position.

Observations from the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway

Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008

What a difference a week can make. Richmond produced a great race with side-by-side racing, numerous lead changes, wrecks between rivals, battered cars that remained competitive and an emotion-filled finish that made me wish we could see this type of racing every week.

NASCAR drivers included on list of 50 most hated sports figures

Friday, Sept. 5, 2008

AOL Sports has come up with a list of what it considers to be the 50 most hated sports figures.

Is Joey Logano ready for prime time?

Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008

The first and most obvious question regarding Joey Logano’s move to Sprint Cup is whether or not he’s ready to perform with the big boys.

Exciting racing is the key

Monday, Aug. 25, 2008

I noticed something at Bristol that I haven’t seen much of this racing season. No noticeable empty seats.

Observations from Sunday's 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway

Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008

The driver who does back flips beat the driver who’s flippant at the Michigan International Speedway. Carl Edwards held off Kyle Busch to win his second race this weekend at MIS

NASCAR Poll Position-Ryan Newman's move to Stewart-Haas Racing

Friday, Aug. 15, 2008

Ryan Newman isn’t the type I would picture sitting around the roulette wheel at Caesars Palace. But we know he’s a gambler since he’s willing to move to what will be Stewart-Haas Racing, a team that has no Sprint Cup wins under its belt and currently has both of its cars ranked 35th or worse in the points standings.

Observations from the Centurion Boats at The Glen

Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008

What slump? The Kyle Busch juggernaut continued with a flawless performance at Watkins Glen that gave him another 10 bonus points for a total of 80 with four races left until the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

It's time to turn right

Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008

Turn right.

No, I’m not endorsing John McCain for president.

Observations from the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500

Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008

Please buy Pocono Raceway and move one of its races to another track. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the race this weekend; I just think it’s repetitive to hold two races at the same track within an eight-week period.

NASCAR Poll Position-Tire issues

Friday, Aug. 1, 2008

Participate in our poll regarding the Goodyear tire fiasco.

Controversy in NASCAR gets the creative juices flowing

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

A Sprint Cup driver is always looking for the perfect car that will take him to Victory Lane. A cartoonist is always looking for the perfect controversy that will give him or her a great cartoon idea. When it comes to controversy, NASCAR rarely fails to deliver.

Observations from the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

Sunday, July 27, 2008

There was some shocking news from the sport of stock car racing this weekend. Kyle Busch didn’t win a Sprint Cup race.

Will automakers' woes hurt NASCAR?

Thursday, July 24, 2008

I’m getting worried. Toyota has surpassed General Motors in auto sales. Ford just announced an $8.7 billion loss, its largest quarterly loss in history. Chrysler is having such a hard time selling its products that it’s had to resort to promising $2.99 a gallon gas with the purchase of a new vehicle.

NASCAR Poll Position-Filling empty seats at the races

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

A few sketches and thoughts regarding recent NASCAR headlines

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Thank you, Tony Stewart. Thank you for a headline that wasn’t about Kyle Busch.

Where's the spotlight for Dale Earnhardt Jr.?

Thursday, July 17, 2008

What do you call someone who’s not a thief, but still manages to steal something?

Observations from the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Does Toyota have an unfair advantage over other manufacturers in this sport as some people claim? Yes. And its name is Kyle Busch.

NASCAR Poll Position-Tony Stewart's future

Friday, July 11, 2008

Vote on Tony Stewart's chances for a win in his first season as a team owner.

Tony Stewart's move warrants a quick sketch

Thursday, July 10, 2008

My deadline each week for the StockcarToon is Monday afternoon.

What Tony Stewart and I have in common

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Who dislikes Mother Nature more than Tony Stewart? I do.

Silly Season gives Kurt Busch an opportunity

Saturday, June 28, 2008

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. It’s a tired cliche. But it’s one that sometimes applies to NASCAR.

Should NASCAR consider hybrid technology?

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Will the roar of a race car engine soon be replaced by a hum? A recent Wall Street Journal story revealed that BMW plans to develop a hybrid Formula One race car that will see action on the track next season.

Winning caption for the Kyle Busch caption contest

Friday, June 13, 2008

“Yes, race fans, Kyle Busch has just found out that M&M does not mean Me & Myself.”

Chris Lindseth from New Caney, Texas, submitted this winning caption.

NASCAR officials accused of racism, sexism

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

The NASCAR blog world is abuzz with the news that a NASCAR technical inspector has filed a $225 million sexual and racial harassment lawsuit against the sanctioning body.

Thoughts on the NASCAR coverage by Fox and TNT

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Like all NASCAR fans I cringe at the number of commercials during the race broadcasts...

NASCAR Poll Position

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Are they real NASCAR fans?

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Mike Hembree of scenedaily.com reported on Monday that thousands of fans left the stands long before the end of Sunday’s race at Dover.

I find this astonishing.

What could "Humpy" Wheeler bring to NASCAR?

Friday, May 23, 2008

Could former Lowes’s Motor Speedway President “Humpy” Wheeler soon be working for NASCAR? I would guess that NASCAR would seriously consider making Wheeler part of its team given the unique level of creativity he brings to promotion and the wealth of knowledge he has as a result of working in the sport for so many years.

Sketches and thoughts on Saturday's NASCAR All-Star race

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

This is a photo of:

A. People watching a lunar eclipse.

B. A seminar at an optometrists’ convention.

C. NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers wearing those hideously large sunglasses that seem to be so popular.

Darlington should have 2 Sprint Cup races

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Another race at Darlington and I was left scratching my head, wondering whose idea it was to take a race away from a track that produces great racing. Maybe someone at NASCAR had inhaled too much exhaust on the day the decision was made, or maybe we should really blame those suits on Wall Street who think NASCAR will be better off by moving races out West.

Kyle Busch is the Dennis the Menace of NASCAR

Thursday, May 8, 2008

I may have to eat my words. Earlier this year I commented in this blog that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would win a championship before Kyle Busch. Now I’m having my doubts.

Observations from Saturday's Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Kyle Busch better hightail it back to his hometown of Las Vegas and enlist the protective services of several wise guys if he wants to save himself from the wrath of an angry Junior Nation.

IndyCar vs. NASCAR

Friday, May 2, 2008

The people at IndyCar may think that Danica Patrick’s recent success will help the series compete in the ratings with NASCAR, but that would be like saying a Toyota Prius can keep up with a Ferrari.

Tony Stewart should stay put

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

There’s about as much of a chance that Tony Stewart will move to Haas CNC Racing as there is that John McCain will give up the nomination to run for a dogcatcher position in Phoenix.

Danica Patrick and NASCAR

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Now that Danica Patrick has an IndyCar win, will it be long before NASCAR comes calling? One thing that’s missing from NASCAR’s roster of accomplishments is a competitive female driver.

Drug testing and NASCAR

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

NASCAR’S drug testing policy was the major headline out of the sport last week. The image of drivers holding their specimen cups kept rattling around in my head even though I knew a cartoon like that had as much of a chance of getting published as I do of winning the Sprint Cup.

Give Jeff Burton his due

Sunday, April 20, 2008

So far this season the only thing getting more attention than the Hendrick, Gibbs and Roush teams has been Hillary Clinton’s sniper-fire fantasy. Meanwhile, Jeff Burton continues to lead the points standings with a lot less fanfair.