Race Weekend Central

Slipstream Saturday: The F1 Offseason is Nearly Over

Lewis Hamilton 2703 630

(Photo: Getty Images)

Frontstretch will be bringing more Formula 1 coverage this season.  Here is the beginning with a look towards the season opener in Australia. Last season Lewis Hamilton drove the dominant Mercedes to the title facing his best competition from his teammate Nico Rosberg.  The Mercedes was so stout that the third-place driver, Daniel Ricciardo, finished …

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Happiness Is… The Rules Package, Safety & Las Vegas

2014 Chicago Cup Jeff Gordon Cia

(CIA Stock Photo, Inc. © 2014)

The small crowd this past weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway should not be too much of a surprise.  In many ways, it should have been expected.  The track has faced difficulty filling its stands for a few years now, and being given a race date with unpredictable weather offered no favors. So what is going …

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Happiness Is… Bargain Shopping, Good Times & Monkeying Around

2015 Daytona I Cup Joey Logano Woohoo Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

There was a time when some young hotshot got a sweet ride driving for top-tier organization, taking over from a former champion and stalwart of the sport.  That driver faced the challenge of carrying with him exaggerated expectations but also squinted eyes from fans.  That driver, however, found elements of success but eventually wore out …

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Happiness Is… Listening, Livery & Midseason Form

2014 Loudon Ii Cup Danica Patrick Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The Great American Race, version 2015, is upon us.  The offseason has finally given way to throttled-up engines and strapped-in drivers and it’s time to enjoy NASCAR’s biggest spectacle. With Daytona’s surface in good shape and no Juan Pablo Montoya in the field, there’s a good chance that nothing wildly extravagant will happen on par …

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Pace Laps: Daytona Racing and Wrecking

2015 Daytona I Unlimited Jeff Gordon Alan Gustafson Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Sprint Cup: Gordon’s Farewell Begins; Qualifying Questioned: Jeff Gordon earned the pole position for the Daytona 500 next weekend in what amounts to a dramatic beginning to a final full-time season.  Doing so just means that Gordon further cements himself as one of the all-time greats, notching his 78th pole start.  Though his accomplishment might not …

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Happiness Is… Jeff Gordon, Money, Side Skirts & Technology

2014 Phoenix Ii Cup Jeff Gordon Car Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Well, here it is again, that time of the year when winter doldrums set in allowing us all a moment of reflection and to… whatever.  This column isn’t seeking to be any kind of philosophical rumination about life – at least not this time.  Nope, this space is for thinking about hyper-colored automotive blurs, whizzing …

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Pace Laps: Cars, Drivers, And Rookies Come Sharply Into Focus

2014 Eldora Cwts Wall Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. © 2014)

Sprint Cup: A Burton Still Walks Among Us – NASCAR is a sport built on families, famous siblings and their sons carrying us through racing generations. Petty. Earnhardt. Elliott. Even Pearson and Bodine. It’s a seamless transition of success that jolts us when it reaches an end. That makes Monday’s pending announcement of Jeb Burton’s …

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IndyCar’s Brazilian Opener Cancelled

2012 Indycar Fontana

(Credit: INDYCAR/LAT USA)

In a bizarre and unanticipated move, BAND Tv out of Brazil announced that the season opening IndyCar race, to be held at Autodromo Internacional Nelson Piquet, is cancelled.  The race was scheduled to take place on March 8. The circuit had been undergoing renovations and there was nothing indicating that the construction was the issue.  The …

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2014 NASCAR Driver Review: Elliott Sadler

2014 Michigan I Nns Elliott Sadler Car Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Ride: No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Crew Chief: Chris Gayle Points finish: Third Stats: 33 starts, one win, seven top 5s, 25 top 10s, one poles, 148 laps led, one DNF, 9.1 average start, 9.4 average finish Best finish: First (Talladega – May) High Point: The win at Talladega certainly counts as the high …

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Happiness Is… One Still Left To Go

2014 Loudon Ii Cup Jeff Gordon Car Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Sayonara NASCAR season.  In many ways, you’ll be missed.  You’ll be missed for the weekly habit.  You’ll be missed for the ongoing drama, manufactured or not.  You’ll be missed for the weekly dose of horsepower, speed, and silliness.  You’ll be missed for the variance, because one week could be fantastic and the next a dud, …

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