Race Weekend Central

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Pocono 500

The tricky triangle in Pocono threw everything at the drivers but the kitchen sink. There was rain, a new double-file restart procedure and even a late-race fuel-mileage gamble thrown in for good measure. As you might expect, with that many variables the final running order was turned upside down after 500 miles of competition. But …

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Full Throttle: Double File Looks Good for Now, but Let’s Wait & See

The earth-shattering news that NASCAR was implementing double-file restarts with all lead-lap cars at the front is still ringing in everyone’s ears, especially after the first week’s implementation went off without any hitches. There were no extra caution-flag laps to get the field in order. There weren’t any penalties for drivers being out of position. …

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Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off: NASCAR Corps or Whores?

I’m getting a little dizzy here. NASCAR normally moves forward with glacial process when it comes to rule changes that at times make evolution look hasty. They’ll hold study groups and meetings, generate a ton of internal memos, send up a few trial balloons in the garage while maintaining plausible deniability, and then finally issue …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Pocono 500 Edition

Sunday was a long day in Long Pond, Pa., as only a few teams really had their cars hooked up to handle the tricky triangle that is Pocono Raceway. While positive storylines like the implementation of double-file restarts and Tony Stewart’s march from the back of the pack to win his first race as an …

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Talking NASCAR TV: TNT’s 1st Effort of the Year Promising, but Issues Remain

HEY FANS! I’VE GOT GOOD NEWS FOR YOU TODAY! THERE ARE NO GOPHERS IN THIS REVIEW! THAT’S RIGHT, NO STINKIN’ GOPHERS IN THIS REVIEW! Note: This is a reference to a YouTube video by the user UrinatingTree. It is adapted from his review of NHL Stanley Cup for the Super Nintendo. I do warn you, …

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Fan’s View: Tony Stewart – Rising Above a Checkered Past Into This Fan’s Heart

It’s always interesting to watch several races in a weekend. Different cars, storylines and personalities combine to snag my attention for hours on end. Perhaps the greatest display of diverse action appeared in two separate victory lanes this weekend. After Saturday’s Nationwide race, the stands at Nashville nearly fell down with the echoes of boos …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 Pocono Spring Race Recap

The Key Moment: Tony Stewart’s guys got him out on the track first after the last caution-flag pit stop on lap 159. Stewart then nursed an incredible 41 laps out of a tank of fuel to hold on to the victory. In a Nutshell: I guess it’s a matter of semantics. An “exciting” finish is …

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5 Points to Ponder: Nashville/Pocono 2009 Edition

Kyle Busch is about as “Rock ‘N Roll” as Clay Aiken Add Saturday night’s guitar-smashing episode to the long list of reasons why a number of NASCAR fans absolutely hate Kyle Busch. The victory lane celebration left musicians everywhere cringing at the sight of a custom Gibson Les Paul being smashed into oblivion a la …

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