Going through NASCAR withdrawal already? Here's some intriguing numbers to devour - MotorSportsTalk

NASCAR may have the upcoming weekend off for the Easter holiday, but that doesn’t mean its crack team of statisticians is on vacation like most of the drivers and teams.

Even without a race, they’re still pumping out numbers that fans love to devour. So for an appetizer prior to next week’s countdown to the April 26 race at Richmond International Raceway, here’s some food for thought and to munch on:

* THAT’S DOMINATION: In addition to being the first repeat winner of 2014 in the Sprint Cup Series, Kevin Harvick has led 462 total laps in those two wins this season. He led 224 laps in winning Saturday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, and led 238 laps in his first win earlier this season at Phoenix. All told through eight races, Harvick has led an impressive 515 laps in competition.

* FROM WORST TO FIRST – OR CLOSE TO IT: Let’s face it, Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had terrible days at Texas two weeks ago. Earnhardt made a huge mistake, bouncing into the rain-drenched infield grass going into Turn 1, and then shot across the track and hit the wall head-on, ending his day and leaving teammate Jimmie Johnson to finish 25th (Johnson picked up a lot of debris kicked up by Earnhardt’s car). Harvick, meanwhile, finished one spot ahead of Earnhardt in 42nd place because his engine expired early. Just five days later, both drivers improved an outstanding 41 places in the final race finish at Darlington: Harvick won and Earnhardt finished second.

* EARNHARDT SUCCESS CONTINUES: Even with the Texas debacle, Earnhardt continues to have the best season start of his Cup career. In addition to winning the season-opening Daytona 500, he has three other runner-up finishes (Phoenix, Las Vegas and Darlington) and a third (Martinsville), making for five top-three showings in his first eight starts.

* BUSCH NEARS IMPRESSIVE MILESTONE: Kyle Busch needs to lead 30 laps at next week’s race at Richmond to reach 10,000 total laps led in the Sprint Cup Series in his career. And the guy is still only 28 years old (he turns 29 on May 2)!

* THAT’S STOUT: More specifically at Richmond, the younger Busch brother has led 586 total laps in the last five spring races at the ¾-mile bullring. He’s led at least 32 laps in each of the last five spring races and won four of them.

* HE’S THE NO. 1 AND ONLY: Pop quiz – who is the only driver to have reached the final round in each of the seven knockout qualifying sessions this season? Joey Logano, that’s who. Logano continued his streak as the only driver to make every final qualifying round at Darlington, starting on the outside of the front row. And just in case you’re asking, “Wait a minute, there’s been eight races this season. Aren’t you missing one?” The answer is no. Remember, there was no knockout qualifying in the season opener at Daytona. Knockout qualifying did not begin until the second race of the season at Phoenix.

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Vicki Golden has earned a career worthy of a thousand stories and 805 Beer tells at least one of them, as “Inverted Perspective” premiered March 30 on the company’s website and YouTube channel.

Golden did more to break the glass ceiling in SuperMotocross than she ever thought possible. She knows this because riders have never felt the need to explain any of her accomplishments with the disclaimer, “for a girl”.

At this point in Golden’s career, she’s been the first woman to finish top 10 in AMA Arenacross Lites, the first woman to qualify in the Fast 40 in Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the first woman to compete in freestyle Moto X competition, earning a bronze medal by doing so.

Her love for moto came from childhood while she watched her dad and brother ride. By seven she was on her bike and making waves throughout Southern California.

Golden, 30, is still madly in love with the sport and has no plans on moving away but her career is already one to talk about. 805 Beer’s film series wanted to do exactly that.

“I’m taken aback by it all,” Golden told NBC Sports about the documentary. “It’s just crazy to see your story, it’s one thing to live your life and battle everything that comes about but it’s another to just sit there and talk about it.”

805 approached Golden about the feature by asking, “Do you even realize that what you do, and your story is special?”

Golden took the question as a blank canvas to map out the highs and lows of her career and life.

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The title “Inverted Perspective” came from a brainstorming session with Dominick Russo and it highlights Golden’s outlook on the sport of SuperMotocross and her life in general.

“My whole life, my whole career was thinking differently and looking at things that shouldn’t be done and aren’t there, while being able to make a place for myself, where no one thought there should be a place,” Golden said. “It’s inspiring someone to think in different ways. It sums up my life.”

*Vicki Golden is not “fast for a girl”; she’s just fast. – 805 Beer*

While Golden is no stranger to the spotlight, this was the first time she’s been fully involved with the storytelling and creation of a feature about herself.

“It’s not like a full new experience,” Golden said. “Obviously, you get your standard questions about your upbringing and accomplishments, but I’ve never really put into perspective things that happened in my past with my dad and putting that to light. Also, certain other things that maybe got overlooked in previous interviews or films. I wanted to touch on these and Dom wanted to create a story. It’s just cool to see it come to light, it’s a nearly impossible thing to tell somebody’s life story in 40 minutes.”

Golden’s father was left paralyzed after an ATV accident, robbing him the opportunity to ride again. This happened a few months before the father-daughter duo was set to compete in the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals when Vicki was 12. While she might have been unable to grasp the severity at the time, it’s something she carries with her. Golden continues to ride in his honor.

Years later, an accident in 2018 nearly sidelined the then 25-year-old Vicki when a freestyle accident almost resulted in the amputation of her lower leg.

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Golden 805 Beer — *Vicki Golden has ridden a variety of disciplines in SuperMotocross, which gives her a unique perspective. – 805 Beer*

“Inverted Perspective” highlights her father’s diligence in helping Vicki continue with her career and the kindness and strength he carried while fighting his own battle.

“My dad was the entire reason that I started riding in the first place,” Golden said. “So, to honor his memory and to honor what we went through and how hard he pushed to keep our dream alive and keep everything going – in that sense then, it was really special to be able to honor him and talk about him.”

The 40-minute feature was filmed entirely in black and white, a stark contrast from the oversaturated world of motocross where the brighter the suit the easier it is for fans to find their rider and follow him in the race. By filming in monochrome Russo and Golden had the chance to focus on the race and track from a different perspective.

“It was cool to be able to film it differently,” Golden said. “It created a challenge in the sense of what was going to be more visually impactful for the film.

“I couldn’t be here without the companies that back me but at the same time, it’s not like the logos or colors disappeared, it’s just different lights shed on different spots. It’s just a cool way to do it and to take color away and still be impactful. When you think of black and white, you think of old school, the OG way of doing things.”

Going through NASCAR withdrawal already? Here’s some intriguing numbers to devour

Vicki Golden and 805 Beer tell a unique story from an Inverted Perspective

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