Race Weekend Central

Happiness Is… Paperclip, Scheduling, Surprises

2015 Martinsville I Cup Sam Hornish Jr Car Ii Credit Amy Henderson

(Photo Credit: Amy Henderson, Frontstretch)

The Chase has been a flawed concept from the get go. That’s not to say that some kind of encouraged late-season drama isn’t welcomed. (Whether it was really needed is still a point for debate.) Any sort of postseason that still has the regular season participants is at best a curious one and at worst …

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Pace Laps: Championships and Future Stars

Lewis Hamilton Usgp 2015

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Formula 1: Hamilton Scores Second Consecutive Championship – The United States Grand Prix may have been the best race of the F1 season. Rain brought questions as to the actual performance of any of the teams and also made for a frustrating schedule – as qualifying got pushed to Sunday morning. During that session, things began …

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Slipstream Saturday: Formula 1 Racing Stateside

Kvyat Bahrain Sutton Images

(Photo Credit: Sutton Images)

The weather looks to be one of the big stories surrounding the United States Grand Prix this weekend, which really isn’t surprising with Hurricane Patricia bringing a belting of rain to the area. More on Patricia to come, but it’s time to return to the continued soap opera that is the relationship between Red Bull, …

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Happiness Is… Racing, America, and Business

Nascar Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

It’s time to do the Talladega Tango once again. You know, that dance when a driver hangs around with a bunch of friends and then gets shuffled out of the order only to end up staring at everyone’s backsides. Or maybe it’s the dance when a driver tries to get close to someone they like …

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Pace Laps: Elated 8th, Cup Moonlighters, F1 and More

Jeff Gordon Bank Of America 500 2015 Charlotte Cup Mike Neff

Photo Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch

Sprint Cup Series: Gordon and His Elated Effort – A blatant fact for the 12 remaining drivers in the Chase or the Sprint Cup is the importance of avoiding issues; or in other words, the hunt for consistency. Though no victory for Jeff Gordon Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a eighth-place finish in the Bank of …

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Slipstream Saturday: F1 Returns to Russia

Lewis Hamilton celebrating his 2014 Russian GP win (credit: AP)

(Photo Credit: AP)

Five races remain in the  Formula 1 season as the series races in Russia this weekend. Mercedes can lock up the constructors’ title at the Russian Grand Prix, something that merely feels like a done deal at this point, because if they don’t take care of it at Sochi, surely they will In Austin, Texas …

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Happiness Is… R.A.S, Regulars, and Sochi

2015 Cup Dover Pack Racing Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Another week, another sense that the sky is falling on NASCAR. The stands this past weekend showed a less than stellar crowd in attendance. Whether that can be credited to the threat of rain and overall gloomy weather, the popularity of football, or the fact that Dover is not what it once was, it doesn’t …

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Happiness Is… Sayonara, Hurricane Joaquin, and Money

2015 Chicago Cup Tony Stewart Helmet Ii Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

The changing of the calendar comes across as an appropriate thematic concept for what is currently happening in NASCAR. With October letting its presence be known again, it marks the beginning of the sunset of the season as just eight races remain on the Cup schedule. So for all of our collective griping, enjoyment, haranguing, …

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Pace Laps: Kevin Harvick Throws It All Away, Others Redeem Themselves

Nascar Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Sprint Cup Series: Harvick’s Horror Story – New Hampshire Motor Speedway won’t be remembered so much for who won as who lost. Sure, Matt Kenseth continued a hot streak for Joe Gibbs Racing but we knew he was in solid position to make the next round of NASCAR’s Chase playoff anyway. Most of the racing up front …

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Slipstream Saturday: Returning to Tragedy and the Japanese GP

Jules Bianchi

(Photo: Getty Images)

Formula 1 is on the second half of rare back-to-back race weekends, following the Singapore GP with another in the Pacific region as the series heads to Japan. A bit of a pall hovers over the event, as the track, Suzuka, is where Jules Bianchi suffered the accident that put him in a coma and …

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Happiness Is… Handling, Wussiness, and NASCAR’s B-Series

2015 Chicago Cup Matt Kenseth Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Anyone else underwhelmed by the first round of the Chase, er, playoffs?   The race drew just a 1.8 rating, which means somewhere in the neighborhood of three million fans tuning in to enjoy the action. On a positive note, that number also put the race as the most-watched sporting event that wasn’t football (Reminder …

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Pace Laps: Xfinity Frustration, Historic Finals, F1 Changeup & More

Nhra 2015 Charlotte Brittany Force Thanks Jeff Credit Toni Montgomery

Photo Credit: Toni Montgomery, Frontstretch

Sprint Cup Series: Denny Hamlin Joins In on JGR Dominance – Joe Gibbs Racing has been on a surge since the beginning of the summer, rattling off eight wins in the 11 races leading up to the 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Kyle Busch claimed four victories, Matt Kenseth reeled off three wins, and Carl …

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