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Nuts for Nationwide: Annett’s Anguish, Plus Seven Part-Timers To Watch In 2013

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The crop of young talent in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series is deeper than it has been in years. After many years of Cup guys running the show, more teams are taking chances on rookie drivers to lead them on the path to victory — or, at least, some good finishes here and there.

In 2013, three of those drivers — Alex Bowman of RAB Racing, Kyle Larson of Turner Scott Motorsports and Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Parker Kligerman — lead the charge with full-time efforts and established organizations. Count on at least one, if not more of them making it to Victory Lane by season’s end. That’s how good this group is.

Voices From The Cheap Seats: Fans That Sue Are No Fans At All!

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Here it is, not even a week after the first race of the season and already it looks as if NASCAR is going to have at least three lawsuits to contend with. We’re off to a great start!

Now normally, when it comes to suing NASCAR, I am usually on the “non-NASCAR” side of the aisle. This time however, I find myself firmly entrenched in the sanctioning body’s camp.

Jeb Burton Driver Diary: Daytona Success, Goals and Extended Breaks

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_Welcome to Jeb Burton’s Driver Diary! After running a handful of Camping World Truck Series races last season before a lack of sponsorship sidelined him, the 20-year-old has signed on to run the full season with Turner Scott Motorsports behind the wheel of the No. 4 Chevrolet. In five races last season, Burton posted a lone top-10 finish (eighth at Charlotte) and has already bettered that with a fifth-place at Daytona to start off 2013. Join in all season long as he keeps you up to date on everything happening both on and off the track._

I started racing Motocross and I did that and won some races. I realized my talent was better on four wheels than two, so I took it to go-karts and succeeded very well at it. Then we went on to Late Models and I ran really well. We figured it was time to go to the next level, got some time and ran well in the Truck Series (in 2012). I knew I could do it then and I’m with a great organization now – it’s time to win races now.

Frontstretch Foto Funnies: Anyone Know Where We Can Buy This In Bulk?

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_Welcome to the Frontstretch Foto Funnies! Ever see a photo that’s just begging for a caption? We see them all the time! Each week, we’ll pick a few, and our let our staff give it their best shot. Then we’ll post the best ones for you!_

_Want to get in on the fun? Each week, we’ll also designate one of the photos for fan captions. Leave your best ideas in the comments below or on our “Facebook page.”:https://www.facebook.com/Frontstretch We’ll choose our favorite one and reprint the photo next week with its new caption! This week’s Fan Foto is Photo No. 2 (the one with Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex, Jr.). Ready, set… caption that!_

Four Burning Questions: Phoenix (Johnson’s Momentum And The First Real Gen-6 Test)

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The stars and cars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head west this weekend as the series descends on Phoenix International Raceway for the Subway Fresh Fit 500, Round 2 of the Cup season. After an utterly boring Daytona 500, there is hope that the uniquely shaped one mile Phoenix facility will deliver a scintillating race. Of course the biggest story heading into this weekend will be how the still new Gen 6 cars perform in the series’ first non-plate race, and needless to say many of the questions surrounding the car’s race-ability will come a step closer to being answered after Sunday’s race.

Mirror Driving: Picking Up The Plate Pieces, Drivers In Trouble And Gen-6, The Next Step

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*Obviously, the Daytona 500 was the big race of the weekend, but most of our thoughts are still with the injured fans from Saturday’s Nationwide Series race after Kyle Larson’s car flew into the catchfence. What can NASCAR and Daytona learn from the incident and what can be done to make sure it never happens again?*

Mike N.: You can never be sure it will never happen again. It is cars travelling at high rates of speed. Accidents will happen. That said, I hope they’ve learned that they need to get rid of crossover gates at all racetracks.
Summer: Or at least find a way to make them safer. I usually advocate for a second look before a total elimination. I think it should be an evolving process, like the cars. But it will never be perfect.

Mirror Driving: Dueling Towards The 500 And Qualifying Quandaries

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*Danica Patrick made history last Sunday, becoming the first female to win a pole in the Sprint Cup Series. What impact, if any, will it have on her season and NASCAR as a whole?*
Phil: Somewhere between bukpis and bupkis. While it is nice to win the pole at Daytona, it doesn’t really help her case for the rest of the season. There have been drivers who have had terrible years win the pole for the 500. Loy Allen, Jr. won the pole in 1994, then DNQ’d 12 times.
Kevin: That’s the exact stat I was actually going to point to, Phil! In terms of the season, it’s definitely a nice boost of confidence, but it’s still just one pole position at the beginning of the year. She’s still gotta perform in the actual race(s).
Jeff: I think it gives her a big boost of confidence that she can drive a fast car. How much impact she has will depend on her ability to stay consistent. I think she will have some good races, top 15s even, and some 30-something finishes.