Keeping race fans revved up

At Pocono International Speedway, in the din of roaring racecars last weekend, I wondered where things stood for NASCAR apps.

There are some good ones, though user reviews keep asking for a smartphone application that will stream NASCAR's live race audio (available only by monthly subscription via NASCAR.com).

Race Fan Ultimate: NASCAR, a $2.99 app from 220 Software, was a lot of fun to have running on the iPhone during a 200-lap race. It has a leaderboard and kept me in touch with the track when I went roaming for food and souvenirs - though the app did lag at times by several laps.

Race Fan opens to a "dashboard" that highlights a driver you've selected as your favorite, and lists recent and coming races. Tap for more details on any race. If you don't like having to choose a favorite driver, tough luck, but you can change the designation easily from any driver's profile screen.

A "race preview" details race times, track measurements, the purse and payouts, lists of race entrants with stats of the leading contenders, past winners, race notes, and details of the NASCAR race just before the current one.

For completed races, there's a "recap" button for a narrative of the contest.

The "more" button has links to race videos from YouTube, NASCAR podcasts that are pulled out of iTunes, reports from Rowdy Racing News, and others. There are also links to the NASCAR areas on mobile websites of ESPN, Fox Sports, Scene Daily, and Yahoo Sports.

NASCAR Countdown, from Imp Software, is a free app that pretty much does what its name says - and that's all. It counts down to the next NASCAR race and lets you know where it's available to watch on TV.

For a bonus, the app has a season schedule that links each race to its Web page at NASCAR.com.

NASCAR Junkie comes in versions for iPad and for iPhone or iPod. It's by EZ Apps Inc., costs $1.99, and offers a way to jump through websites dedicated to stock-car racing.

On iPad, its screen lists popular NASCAR-related websites in a window on the left. Among the choices are Jayski.com, Cup Scene, Speed TV, and ThatsRacin.com. Tap any one of them, and the site appears on the right. Tap edit to add or delete a site.

Happy motoring.