CHARLOTTE, NC (April 1, 2013) - The early morning broke cold and gray with alternating drizzle and snow flurries falling to the ground. It certainly didn’t look like it was going to be a good day for stock car racing.

CHARLOTTE, NC (April 1, 2013) - As it turned out, April 1, 1993 wasn’t going to be a good day for racing. In fact, it wasn’t going to be a good day at all.

The weather was the main focus of conversation that morning as we sat at the dinette in our motorhome parked just outside Bristol International Speedway. Back then, there were no ‘smart phones’ or ‘pads’ to break out and get an instantaneous read on weather, so we turned on transistor radio to get the latest update.

A commercial for a local car dealership greeted us before the announcer returned to deliver staggering news - Alan Kulwicki – the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup champion – and three others had perished in a plane crash at Tri-Cities Regional Airport in nearby Blountville, TN.

Suddenly, the weather was meaningless.

CHARLOTTE, NC (March 25, 2013) – “If NASCAR wants to let the guys have at it, it shouldn’t be any different from hockey. Let us have at it and when the guy goes on the ground, it’s over.”CHARLOTTE, NC (March 25, 2013) – “If NASCAR wants to let the guys have at it, it shouldn’t be any different from hockey. Let us have at it and when the guy goes on the ground, it’s over.”CHARLOTTE, NC (March 25, 2013) – “If NASCAR wants to let the guys have at it, it shouldn’t be any different from hockey. Let us have at it and when the guy goes on the ground, it’s over.”

CHARLOTTE, NC (March 25, 2013) – “If NASCAR wants to let the guys have at it, it shouldn’t be any different from hockey. Let us have at it and when the guy goes on the ground, it’s 

over.”

To say Tony Stewart was in a fighting mood after Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway is putting it lightly. Racing for the lead one lap and chugging home 22^nd a handful of circuits later will do that to a guy.

Stewart wanted a piece of Joey Logano after Sunday’s race and went looking for him. The result was some pretty good pushing and shoving, a few swings that didn’t connect, and a thrown water bottle.