Next up in the Sprint Cup Series is the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Since its inaugural race in 1994 it has become the most-attended NASCAR event.  Jimmie Johnson will go into this race as the defending champion.  Johnson also won in 2008 as well as in 2006. Already racking up a number of victories this year, Johnson’s definitely got a good shot it bringing home a win on July 25^th.

On August 1^st, NASCAR heads to Pennsylvania for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500.  This race, which was once known as the Pennsylvania 500, began in 1974 and changed its name in 2008.  Last year the race was postponed from Sunday until Monday due to rain, after which Denny Hamlin took the prize.

Mid-August will bring one of NASCAR’s most-loved events with Irwin Tools Night Race.  Held at Bristol Motor Speedway, this 266.5 mile race began in 1961, tickets for this race are very hard to come by.  Chevrolet and Ford have had, by far, the most success at this event.  This race is a very prestigious race in the world of sports and Bristol Motor Speedway was listed as one of the 30 most important sports venues in the world.  Kyle Busch will pull up to the starting line as defending champion on August 21^st.

Check out the official NASCAR website for tickets and a complete list of the season’s events.

This season we’ve not only seen the reigniting the Jimmie Johnson-Jeff Gordon rivalry, but the two have also had their share of feuding. Earlier in the season, the two found themselves budding heads in two consecutive Sprint Cup races.  The first event at the Texas Motor Speedway seemed to blow over more easily, but when Johnson forced Gordon over in a bold move to the front a week later, the sting lasted a little longer.  Having been long time friends and teammates it seems that the feud will blow over.  Rick Hendrick, the team’s owner doesn’t seem to mind if the two show a little competition but he also doesn’t want a full blown feud between these drivers.  Many have interpreted this feud as a reflection of Gordon’s frustration with the fact that Johnson, who he helped build, has become a winning fiend contesting his own records.

Perhaps one of the season’s most eventful feuds occurred between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.  During the final segment of the Sprint All-Star Race, Hamlin forced Busch into the wall and caused him to crash out of the race due to a consequential flat tire. Busch then threatened Hamlin over his team radio, swearing to kill Hamlin for ruining his sure to be win. Though the threat was made in the heat of the moment and the two have talked since, the violence and feuding between NASCAR drivers is constantly escalating into more potentially dangerous situations.

The High Octane Theater, with seating capacity of 278, takes visitors back to the early days of NASCAR with its informative video.   For a hands-on look at what it’s like to sit behind the wheel, step into the http://www.nascar.com/ and you’ll never look at racing the same. The NASCAR vault is home to many of the sports artifacts commemorating the past.  Another memorable section of the museum is the Honoring Our Legacy Theater, where deceased members of the NASCAR family are remembered.

Perhaps one of the most notable aspects of the museum is the Hall of Honor where hall of fame inductees will be honored.  This year saw the first class of inductees during a momentous ceremony on May 23.  Among the inaugural class were Dale Earnhardt, Bill France, Sr., Bill France, Jr., Junior Johnson, and Richard Petty.   Of the inductees, only Junior Johnson and Richard Petty are still alive.

Just a few weeks ago, the names of the nominees for the 2011 class were released.  The inductees won’t be announced until October and a celebration to honor them will take place next year.  A few well known names on the list include Darrell Waltrip, Jack Ingram, Rick Hendrick and Cale Yarborough.  Fans can cast their vote for five of the names on the list as to who they think should be in this year’s inducted class.

Currently in first place for the 2010 NASCAR season, Harvick has raked in $3,835,290 in winnings this season. Clearly, he’s come a long way since he was first given a go-kart for his kindergarten graduation and started his racing career. This weekend, Harvick will compete in the coveted No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado at the Gateway International Raceway in Illinois. This will be the first time he will be competing in the Truck series since the SuperSpeedway in April. The No. 2 truck has been good to Harvick this season, earning him two wins and one second-place finish.

Also this weekend, KHI (Kevin Harvick Inc.) will bring in a new sponsor, STUBB’S Bar-B-Q Sauce for the Truck No. 2 team. Since its introduction to the racing world in 2007, the No. 2 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) team has piloted the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado in a multitude of successful CWTS events. Harvick (the cofounder of KHI), Clint Bowyer, Cale Gale, and Daniel Pope as well as full time drivers Jack Sprague and Ryan Newman have taken the driver’s seat of the coveted No. 2.

In fact, Reutimann was more than ‘pretty damn good’ at the Chicagoland Speedway, he was fantastic. Leading in 51 out of the final 55 laps, Reutimann finally redeemed himself as a worthy competitor rather than a circumstantially lucky winner of the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 last year.

While this bodes well for Reutimann’s future, Gordon’s second place finish tells another story. In the last five weeks, Gordon’s scorecard has consistently held a spot in the top five (3, 3, 4, 5, 4), but he has yet to pull in a win. In fact, since 2008, Gordon has finished in the top five 39 times, but has only won one race. His teammate, Jimmie Johnson, has also finished in the top five 39 times, but he’s won 19 of those races.  It seems Gordon’s gotten in the habit of leading late in the race, then falling short in the end. However, it is possible that Gordon could still win a championship even without winning a race. His average finish is 3.8, plenty good enough to be eligible for a win. Despite his many losses, Gordon has stayed classy throughout all of his defeats, shaking each winner’s hand and congratulating their accomplishments. For his fans sakes, we can only hope he’ll soon on victory lane shaking his own hand.