Race Weekend Central

Racing to the Point: Revisiting Spingate, One Year Later For Michael Waltrip Racing

2014 Indianapolis Cup Clint Bowyer Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The spin, like an earthquake, lasted about five seconds. Its aftershock is still being felt. This was no ordinary I-want-to-be-a-NASCAR-driver spin. When Clint Bowyer followed orders to itch his arm and went sideways off turn 4 in the final laps of the regular season finale at Richmond last season, he set his organization back three …

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Racing to the Point: The Wait Continues for the New Kyle Busch

2014 Bristol Ii Cup Kyle Busch Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

We’ve been waiting a long time for the new Kyle Busch. You know the one I’m talking about: the guy that plows through adversity because his maturity matches his talent. It’s the new Kyle Busch that is going to realize his potential, pile up Sprint Cup wins and score championships with ease. Unfortunately, he’s a …

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Racing to the Point: Fireworks Ready to Ease Frustration at Bristol

2014 Sonoma Cup Kyle Busch Clint Bowyer Cia

(Credit: CIA)

Who is going to crack first? Frustration is mounting in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage and there are only three races until the new playoffs start. If Sunday’s race at Michigan was any indication, buckle your seat belts – and stay in your car until a safety worker arrives – because you know what is …

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Racing to the Point: Risk Worth The Reward for JTG-Daugherty Racing

2014 Watkins Glen Cup Aj Allmendinger Checkered Flag Cia

Can you imagine the conversation between the JTG-Daugherty Racing owners — Tad Geschickter, Jodi Geschickter and Brad Daugherty — and Bobby Labonte in June of last year? I assume it went something like this: Owners: Bobby, we’re going to bring in AJ Allmendinger to run some races in order to evaluate the program. Labonte: You’re …

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Racing to the Point: The Never-Ending Road Course Chase Debate

2014 Sonoma Cup Pack Racing Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014)

Every time NASCAR shows up at a road course, the same question is asked. And no, it isn’t who is going to want to knock out Jacque Villeneuve afterward? Well, maybe there are two. The bigger question is should a road course race be included in the Chase for the Sprint Cup? The resounding answer is …

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Racing to the Point: We Should Appreciate Jeff Gordon’s 90-Win Milestone

2014 Pocono I Cup Jeff Gordon Cia

(Credit: CIA)

Amid all the brick kissing and reveling in Jeff Gordon’s fifth Brickyard 400 victory on Sunday, a more important milestone was overlooked. Gordon became only the third driver in NASCAR history to win 90 races. Ninety. That’s how many wins Aric Almirola has times 90. It’s an incredible feat for a driver in the modern …

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Racing to the Point: What Does NASCAR Have to Show for 20 Years in Indy?

2014 Daytona Sprint Cup Brian France Press Conference Credit Phil Allaway

(Photo: Phil Allaway, Frontstretch)

Prestigious. Historic. Spectacle. All three words suit the greatest race in the world, the Indianapolis 500, run annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The flat 2.5-mile track has proven time and time again that it suits America’s top open-wheel series. Ryan Hunter-Reay and Helio Castroneves’ battle during the last laps of this year’s event further …

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Racing to the Point: The Flatter the Track, the More the Debris

2014 Pocono I Cup Brad Keselowski Debris On Grille Cia

Foiled by a hot dog wrapper? Brad Keselowski had the win in the bag back in June, but a move to remove the trash handed the win to the No. 88 with one lap to go.

Following the second caution for debris in turn 3 of Sunday’s race, the fan standing in front of me at New Hampshire Motor Speedway turned and suggested the safety worker probably went out and picked up the same piece he picked up last time. He was in the same exact spot. In other words, the …

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Racing to the Point: Aric Almirola Adds Another Asterisk

2014 Sonoma Cup Aric Almirola Cia

(Credit: CIA)

Every sport has its share of asterisks. There are always going to be games, races and matches that don’t end to our satisfaction, records that are cheaply broken and even legacies that are called into question. Baseball deals with the term more than any other sport. Alex Rodriguez could actually trademark the asterisk at this …

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Racing to the Point: Leave Kentucky’s Surface Alone

2014 Kentucky Cup Kurt Busch Jimmie Johnson Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

If Dale Earnhardt, Jr. hasn’t already torn up Kentucky Speedway’s surface with an excavator, the track’s general manager Mark Simendinger is going to be left with a difficult decision on whether or not to repave one of the circuit’s oldest surfaces. Junior made it very clear how he felt after his fifth-place finish Saturday, saying …

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Racing to the Point: One NASCAR Pastime Nearing Extinction

2014 Sonoma Cup Boris Said Car Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. Copyright 2014)

I say we cage Boris Said up, put him in a safe environment with plenty of hair care products and don’t let him out until Watkins Glen rolls around. You see, Said is an endangered animal, much like the black rhino and Hawksbill turtle, so we need to start dedicating our resources to preserving him. …

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Racing to the Point: Some Drivers Need to Stop Being So Nice

2014 Michigan I Cup Jamie Mcmurray Cia

Credit: CIA

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is lucky he has friends. Two weeks in a row, a driver with Hendrick Motorsports horsepower eased off the throttle and allowed Earnhardt to catch up and clean his front grille by sucking up on their back bumper. The kindness of his competitors kept Earnhardt in the hunt in both races, instead …

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