Sports & Recreation

MK wins again! Smash Mouth sings All Star! Must be Parker's Points!

Thursday, May 16th, 2013, 7:44pm

MK wins again! Smash Mouth sings All Star! Must be Parker's Points!

CONCORD - His boss (Matt Kenseth) won again and Adrian Parker might have something to say about it!

Adrian's career includes football and academic glory at South Rowan High and Catawba College, then public relations perfection for some of NASCAR's top drivers and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Now, he's the business brains behind Matt Kenseth, frequently balancing the champ's checkbook.

But when he's not doing that, he provides us with the deep insight known by limo drivers and NASCAR fanatics across the planet as Parker's Points!

TOO TOUGH TOO TAME? Not for Matt Kenseth. The boss man got it done at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Saturday night by leading when it counted and scoring his series best third win of the 2013 season.

For the first time Parker and Whisenant were actually photographed together! Here they collaborate on Parker's Points and David reacts to Adrian's suggestion to include pictures of kittens to reach a broader demographic

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"Ten Days of Speed" underway now at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Submitted by David Whisenant

Thursday, May 16th, 2013, 7:22pm

"Ten Days of Speed" underway now at Charlotte Motor Speedway

CONCORD - Every year, Charlotte Motor Speedway packs as much entertainment as possible into the 10 Greatest Days in Racing to give fans an experience that they’ll never forget. From the excitement on the track to pre-race concerts, the expansive Play Zone and a moving salute to our nation’s military, fans that come to Charlotte will be sure to create memories that will last a lifetime.

While you’re in town, be sure to check out these can’t-miss opportunities that you can only find at Charlotte Motor Speedway!

Fan Zone: Every trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway should start with a visit to the Fan Zone. Located at the speedway’s main entrance, the 10-acre Fan Zone is a one-stop shop for race souvenirs, interactive displays and so much more. Fans can visit the Sprint Experience for driver appearances, photos with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series trophy and an autograph from Miss Sprint Cup.

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Who wants to Go Pro with Steve Smith?

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff

Thursday, May 9th, 2013, 1:01pm

Every year, thousands of young football fans dream of breaking the huddle with hero Steve Smith. Showmars, a proud sponsor of Steve Smith’s Football ProCamp, is making that dream a reality for four Charlotte-area children this summer.

Showmars is giving away four spots to the 2013 Steve Smith Football ProCamp. Football fans can sign up by filling out an entry form at any of Showmars 28 Charlotte-Metro locations.

ProCamp is a youth athletic camp for children in grades 1- 8. Established in 1998, the camp provides thousands of youth the opportunity to attend camp with their sporting heroes. At the camp, attendees learn football fundamentals and meet children their own age with like interests.

This year’s ProCamp event will be held at Ardrey Kell High School on Monday, June 10, and Tuesday, June 11.

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Ragan wins Talladega and you read it here first!

Submitted by David Whisenant

Sunday, May 5th, 2013, 8:55pm

Ragan wins Talladega and you read it here first!

CONCORD - David Ragan was the surprise winner in the thrilling finish of the Aaron's 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, but if you're a regular reader of Parker's Points, you know it was no surprise.

Why?

Adrian picked it. On Thursday. Take a look at this paragraph, copied verbatim from the Thursday edition of Parker's Points:

YOUR TALLADEGA NUMBERS ARE… Since “crapshoot” seems to be a popular phrase among industry insiders when asked to predict who will win at Talladega, I’ll use a random number generator to determine this week’s top-five finishers. They are: No. 34, David Ragan; No. 22, Joey Logano; No. 15, Clint Bowyer; No. 9 Marcos Ambrose; and No. 7 Dave Blaney. You’re welcome!

And there it is, wrapped up and delivered ahead of time, just like having tomorrow's newspaper today, only better. Look for the newest edition of Parker's Points coming this Thursday.

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Team Kenseth reacts to the penalty, JJ strikes a pose, must be Parker's Points!

Submitted by David Whisenant

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013, 10:01am

Team Kenseth reacts to the penalty, JJ strikes a pose, must be Parker's Points!

CONCORD - Yeah, you knew this was coming. Adrian Parker, business manager for Matt Kenseth, had to cool down a few days before he could respond! His thoughts on the Gibbs penalty are thought provoking, but he's also weighing in on so much more, let's get to it!

CAN THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME? It’s a question that will be asked a lot over the next week, as Penske Racing will have their final appeal on Tuesday, May 7, for violations at Texas, a day before Joe Gibbs Racing has their first appeal on Wednesday, May 8, for a violation on the No. 20 car at Kansas.

The latter hits a little close to home. It’s been covered ad nauseam so I’ll refrain from recapping. Bob Pockrass, who writes for the Sporting News, wrote a good opinion piece about the infractions and penalties here: http://bit.ly/ZZxdxG

In my opinion, once it is determined there is an infraction then it should come down to a couple of questions that need to be taken into consideration when levying the punishment:

1. Did the team gain a competitive advantage?

2. Can the conclusion be made that the team intended to gain a competitive advantage?

If the answer to both of those questions is the same, then that should determine how big of a hammer NASCAR swings at the ruling. “Yes” being a sledge and “no” being a tack.

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Charlotte Motor Speedway unveils pre-race spectacular for Coke 600

Submitted by David Whisenant

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013, 3:26pm

Charlotte Motor Speedway unveils pre-race spectacular for Coke 600

CONCORD - Charlotte Motor Speedway is continuing the rich tradition of paying tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces with a Welcome Home Our Troops pre-race spectacular at the May 26 Coca-Cola 600. The program will include a one-of-a-kind air parade with 10 vintage warbirds, a patriotic flyover and a flight by an American bald eagle over the infield during the national anthem.

“When the sequester took away military flyovers earlier this year, we heard from hundreds of fans who wanted to know what we were going to do at the Coca-Cola 600,” said Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“Instead of doing less, we’re going to ramp it up and give the fans more aircraft than ever before as part of our spectacular military pre-race tribute on Memorial Day weekend. The Coca-Cola 600 will again carry on our tradition of providing the most race-day entertainment found anywhere on the planet.”

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Rookie at the "Head" of the class at zMAX; two fans hit by debris

Submitted by David Whisenant

Saturday, April 20th, 2013, 6:57pm

Rookie at the "Head" of the class at zMAX; two fans hit by debris

CONCORD - Rookie Funny Car driver Chad Head raced to his first career No. 1 qualifying position Saturday at the Dollar General NHRA Four-Wide Nationals fueled by Full Throttle, and two fans received minor injuries when the shell of a funny car came off and landed on a walkway.

The engine in the Ford Mustang of Robert Hight exploded, sending the shell of the car high into the air. It came down on the walkway in front of the east grandstand near the finish line.

The NHRA said two fans were treated at the scene.

"As a precaution, two fans were evaluated and released by paramedics onsite," the NHRA said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the on track action produced a few surprises on Saturday to set up for Sunday's finals.

Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also will lead their categories into Sunday’s noon eliminations as No. 1 qualifiers at zMAX Dragway during the only NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event that features racing in a four-wide configuration.

The second generation racer powered his Head Racing Toyota Camry to a career-best performance of 4.014 seconds at 315.19 mph to top the 16-car field. Head is the son of longtime NHRA nitro racer Jim Head, who has earned multiple wins in both Funny Car and Top Fuel as a driver.

“To go 4.01, it’s unbelievable,” Head said. “It’s just credit to Dad, Johnny Davis, and the whole crew. We did a really good job in testing, then we really struggled hard in Gainesville and Vegas, so to come here and rebound and do that, that’s pretty awesome. It lifts everybody’s spirits.”

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