By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio NASCAR icon Bobby Allison, whose Hall of Fame career included two Indianapolis 500 starts with Team Penske, died Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Mooresville, N.C. Mr. Allison was 86. A self-described “Racer’s Racer,” Allison’s 85 victories rank fourth on NASCAR’s all-time list _ with that 85th win ironically accompanied by a recent asterisk that broke him out of a tie with Darrell Waltrip. Allison trails only “King” Richard Petty (200), David Pearson (105) and Jeff Gordon (93) on NASCAR’s all-time wins list. In addition, Allison’s 336 top-five finishes are second only to King…
Author: John Sturbin
John Sturbin
John Sturbin is a Fort Worth-based journalist specializing in motorsports. During a near 30-year career with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he won the Bloys Britt Award for top motorsports story of the year (1991) as judged by The Associated Press; received the National Hot Rod Association’s Media Award (1995) and several in-house Star-Telegram honors. He also was inaugural recipient of the Texas Motor Speedway Excellence in Journalism Award (2009). Email John Sturbin at jsturbin@hotmail.com.
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio ENNIS, Texas – Justin Ashley says his hole-shot victory over Clay Millican in Sunday’s Top Fuel final of the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals was a matter of “divine intervention.” Who’s to argue with a man of faith…and his 11,000-horsepower hot rod? Still, a pivotal, first-round knockout of three-time world champion Antron Brown proved equally seraphic at Texas Motorplex. Ashley’s win over point-leader Brown triggered a workmanlike, day-long sprint in summertime-like heat that saw the native New Yorker also trailer world champions Shawn Langdon and Tony Schumacher en route to the final vs. Millican.…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Three-time/reigning INDYCAR champion Alex Palou’s pursuit of the one victory missing from his otherwise brilliant open-wheel resume officially is underway. Palou topped the speed chart at 224.342 mph during an NTT IndyCar Series test Friday around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s famed 2.5-mile oval, seven months before the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500. “It was a good day of testing,” said Palou, driver of the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “We tried a lot of stuff. Yesterday was Firestone (tire test), today was more us, Ganassi and Honda. We’re happy. You want…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio ENNIS – Tony Stewart puckered-up and dodged the dreaded first DNQ of his rookie Top Fuel season during final-round qualifying Saturday afternoon for the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals. Stewart covered the 1,000-foot distance at Texas Motorplex in 3.816-seconds and 327.25 mph to bag the 15th spot on Sunday’s 16-car eliminations ladder. Stewart’s previous three passes this weekend in the black-and-gold 50th anniversary Tony Stewart Racing Mobil1 Dodge//SRT dragster had gone up in tire smoke, leaving the NASCAR Hall of Famer 18th in a field of 19 entries after an aborted lap of…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio ENNIS – Self-proclaimed Funny Car “rookie” Austin Prock continued to steamroll toward the 2024 NHRA world championship during second-round qualifying Friday night at Texas Motorplex. Prock laid down a 1,000-foot run in 3.813-seconds at 333.09 mph to claim the provisional pole for the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals. Prock’s lap re-set the class track elapsed time record, stands as a career-best and the quickest run in “Ha-Ha Car” since 2017…two years before Austin made his NHRA nitro debut. The special “Friday Night Live” session offered more than $40,000 in bonus money. The low qualifier under…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio FORT WORTH – Himself the subject of hero-worship from his legion of NASCAR and NHRA fans, Tony Stewart quickly deferred to Marine Corps veteran Don Graves the moment they were introduced at Texas Motor Speedway. The occasion was the 14th annual Tony Stewart’s Smoke Show fund-raiser, during which paying participants sampled a day in the life of a NASCAR stock car driver – from pre-race introductions to hot-lapping the high-banked/1.5-mile oval to riding alongside Stewart and his heavy right foot. Program beneficiary Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter invited Graves to sing the national anthem…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio FORT WORTH _ INDYCAR’s colorful and controversial 27-year history at Texas Motor Speedway officially has run full-circle with the confirmation of an NTT IndyCar Series street-race scheduled for Arlington’s Entertainment District in March 2026. Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment _ official events partner of the Texas Rangers _ announced a joint venture Monday, Oct. 7, 2024 establishing and operating the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington in that springtime slot. A 2.73-mile course will be featured against the backdrop of a pair of sporting venues recognized by fans around the world…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Open-wheel superstar Alex Palou was honored for his third NTT IndyCar Series championship in the past four years during Monday’s Victory Lap Celebration in Indianapolis, where the mercurial Spaniard put an exclamation point on an incomparable 2024 season for Chip Ganassi Racing. Palou won two races in the No. 10 DHL Honda and scored 13 top-five finishes in 17 races to become just the 13th driver in history to earn at least three INDYCAR championships. The Spaniard is just the seventh driver to win three titles in four years and first since Scotsman…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Alex Palou continued to embellish his INDYCAR resume Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway, where the Spaniard’s methodical drive to a third championship in four years is drawing comparisons to domestic open-wheel racing’s all-timers. Palou placed 11th in the 2024 season-ending Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, a finish more than enough for the Chip Ganassi Racing ace to secure his third Astor Challenge Cup. At 27 years, 5 months and 14 days, Palou is the second-youngest driver to win three INDYCAR championships. Only Team Penske’s Sam Hornish Jr. was younger _ 27 years,…
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Alex Palou’s NTT IndyCar Series championship mettle _ the Spaniard’s world-class race craft _ will be tested to the max Sunday during the 2024 season-ending Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. Palou, of Chip Ganassi Racing, was among five series regulars slapped Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway by INDYCAR’s paddock police with nine-position grid penalties for unapproved engine changes. Originally gridded 15th after a two-lap average of 199.532 mph around the 1.33-mile concrete oval in Lebanon, Tenn., Palou will start 24th in the 27-car field Sunday afternoon. The two-time/reigning series champion, Palou leads fellow…