Truth & Rumors > Auto Racing

08:40 AM ET 03.14 | Earlier this morning NASCAR announced that they have reinstated Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements. Clements was suspended a few weeks ago for making a statement to a member of the media with a racial slur. Today, Clements is cleared to compete after completing NASCAR's Diversity and Ethics in Sports program. Clements released a statement shortly after his reinstatement. He will be returning to the track this weekend and will race in Saturday's True Grit Chips 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Beyond the Flag

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09:24 AM ET 03.13 | The fact that our sport has someone who can dominate at any track the circuit goes to and has won five consecutive championships and is always ready for his sixth one is great. We have the next best ambassador for our sport and the next Richard Petty. Johnson is the modern era Richard Petty. You can't argue that! However, at the slightest mention of his name, Chad Knaus or his team and the growls of the entire fanbase of NASCAR with the exception his own fans can be heard around the world. You are either a Jimmie Johnson fan, or you do not like him. It's a pretty simple and basic formula. There really is nothing NASCAR can do. It's up to competitor teams to get their equipment as good as the No. 48 team's is and begin to compete with him. Until then, we're going to be seeing a lot of Jimmie Johnson whether you like him or not.

Beyond the Flag

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01:32 PM ET 03.12 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is already a winner. He has two NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship wins, he drives for Roush Fenway Racing and recently took over the No. 17 Ford in the Sprint Cup Series, and he is dating the most popular woman in racing, Danica Patrick. Stenhouse, Jr. dominated the Nationwide Series in 2011 and 2012, and he is already taking the Sprint Cup Series by storm. Stenhouse, Jr. isn't quite used to all of the attention but that all may change. If he continues to perform well and possibly compete for a win this season, he will be getting more attention for his skills on the track than his skills that captured the girl. Well on his way to capturing the Rookie of the Year Award, it wouldn't be a surprise if, in a few years, the name Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is followed by Sprint Cup Series Champion.

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09:15 AM ET 03.08 | NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin was unhappy with the lack of action in the previous Sprint Cup races, and he openly criticized the new Generation-6 car. Hamlin wasn't trying to go against NASCAR, but he was giving his honest opinion of the car's performance. NASCAR was apparently unhappy with Hamlin's comments and decided to fine him $25,000 yesterday for "comments that denigrate the racing product." Hamlin, who was honest about his opinion of the new cars, once again gave an honest response to the fine. He simply said that he had no intentions to pay.

FanSided.com

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11:06 AM ET 03.05 | The Texas Motor Speedway announced a one-year agreement with the National Rifle Association to sponsor their NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in April. Included in the one-year agreement is an a renewal option to continue the sponsorship of the race. The National Rifle Association 500 will be on April 13 and will air on FOX and MRN. The anouncement comes just one week after the running of the Daytona 500, which included a car driven by Michael Waltrip and featured fundraising efforts for the victims and survivors of the Newtown, Conn., shootings. Draws some irony to some people about the car honoring a shooting while an upcoming race receives sponsorship from a gun activist association.

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