Race Weekend Central

Racing to the Point: How Earnhardt, Kahne Traded Places at Hendrick

Remember when Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 25th in the Sprint Cup standings in 2009? It’s hard to believe considering the success he’s had lately, but it’s true. The next season didn’t go much better, with little progress, and the son of a legend ended up 21st. If his name wasn’t Earnhardt, he probably would’ve wound …

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Racing to the Point: What’s Up With Stewart-Haas’ Other Team?

If I mentioned a Stewart-Haas Racing driver with two top-20 finishes, sitting 28th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, who would you guess it is? If you guessed Danica Patrick, you’d be wrong. After her run Saturday that was more surprising than the time Darrell Waltrip correctly identified a car on aFOX broadcast, Patrick has three top 20s …

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Who’s Hot / Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: Talladega – Kansas Edition

Restrictor plate racing. It’s hard to describe the sensation it brings. Just when it appears evident that a dominant car/driver has prevailed, the field shuffles again.Brian Scott had it right when he said, “Love them or hate them, with the luck involved in superspeedway racing, you always feel like you have as good a shot as …

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Racing to the Point: NASCAR Has Its Own Heartbreak Kid

Sprint Unlimited Practice

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Ben Stiller is no longer the Heartbreak Kid. The role now belongs to 23-year-old Parker Kligerman. Kligerman didn’t marry a crazy woman after knowing her for six weeks, then fall in love with someone else on his honeymoon, nor did he act in a subpar comedy. His story is full of heartbreak, though, just the …

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Racing To The Point: Rules Package Has Created Parity

Seven drivers have visited Victory Lane in seven races and not one is named Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne or Denny Hamlin. In case you didn’t notice, those all happen to be Hendrick and Gibbs drivers. Along with Kyle Busch, they dominated the Sprint Cup season in 2013. Gibbs and Hendrick won …

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Racing To The Point: Sliced Bread Ready To Be Served

There’s been a question mark hanging over Joey Logano’s head since the then-18-year-old filled Tony Stewart’s seat at Joe Gibbs Racing at the start of the 2009 season. The question was simple: could this driver who had developed more buzz than probably any talent that had come before him deliver at the highest level? For …

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Racing to the Point: Balancing NASCAR Trash Talk With Credibility

There’s nothing better than sticking a microphone in front of a wrecked driver just moments after he or she exits the car. The quicker the interview happens, the higher the likelihood somebody is going to say something they might later regret. Just ask Kurt Busch, who spent two years of his prime in obscurity with …

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Racing To The Point: The Sorry State Of NASCAR’s Second Tier

I could’ve sworn that NASCAR made a rule change last week stipulating that cars could no longer run cool-down laps at the bottom of the track, but then, I watched the Nationwide race on Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway. Basically everyone except Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch was doing it. It’s dangerous, people; did you see how …

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Racing to the Point: “Game 7 Moments” Don’t Feel Like Game 7 At All

Most playoff series don’t reach Game 7. Some go four games, some five, some six, but few go seven. There’s a reason for it: Game 7 is reserved for the playoff series that just couldn’t be decided any other way. They’re destined to have one last winner-take-all moment. As fans, we treasure Game 7s because …

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