NASCAR on TV this week

By Frontstretch

Side By Side: Why Race Fans Should Branch Out

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*This Week’s Question: Why should NASCAR fans check out IndyCar racing … and why should IndyCar fans give NASCAR a chance?*

Matt Stallknecht, Senior Writer: NASCAR Fans, Get Your IndyCar On!

Let me just be clear here: I love both NASCAR and IndyCar. I grew up watching NASCAR and found IndyCar later in life, but I feel I would be remiss if I did not point out that each discipline of racing has its own unique appeals and drawbacks. One is not “better” than the other. They are simply different.

Beyond the Cockpit: Johnny Sauter On A New Year, Down Time And Dirt Track Racing

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_After a six-week vacation, the Camping World Truck Series is back in action this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. With a victory to open the season, Johnny Sauter sits as the current points leader, and he’s got his best start to the year since he started racing full-time in the series in 2009. This week, Sauter sat down with Frontstretch.com’s Beth Lunkenheimer to talk about getting the Daytona monkey off of his back, dirt track racing and so much more._

Beth Lunkenheimer, Frontstretch.com: *To get us started, I’ve heard that the number change from the No. 13 to the No. 98 this year had to do with Mike Curb’s association with it, but is that the only reason?*

Frontstretch Off Week Power Rankings: Top 15 Up-And-Coming Drivers Of 2013

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_Editor’s Note: Your regular, national power rankings with writers across the country will return next week. This time, in honor of the off week Michael Mehedin did a little something special on his own._

With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series receiving a majority of the focus, many people forget the impressive full-time driver lineups in the Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series. At times, these they do not receive the credit they deserve. And don’t forget, these two series hold the key to the future of Sunday cup series racing. With the low number of drivers available, it is important for team owners to properly develop their current drivers and ensure they are making transitions at the right time.

Open Wheel Wednesday: Reasons To Be Optimistic About 2013

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Now that we are officially underway on the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season, there are several early indicators that there is a lot to look forward to this year. A number of things went very well in St. Petersburg, and if they continue the same way, they would be good for the IndyCar Series in the long run.

As noted in “Pace Laps”:https://frontstretch.com/tbowles/42693/ on Monday, ratings were up for the season opener on NBC Sports Network. Part of it could be momentum from last season, but whatever the reason it’s great that there were more eyes than usual on the broadcast. NBC Sports Network is setting a great standard for not just IndyCar broadcasts, but for anyone doing motorsports television. The broadcast crew is knowledgeable and interesting and they know how to keep viewers interested, giving a good mix of facts and statistics and color commentary.

Did You Notice? … Five Teams Looking To Save Their Season Five Races In

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*Did You Notice?…* For every team in contention for this year’s Chase, there’s another dangerously close to early elimination? You’d think, five races in, that wouldn’t be the case, considering debates surrounding whether Denny Hamlin can miss that period of time and still charge back into the playoffs.

But, by and large, as has been widely reported in recent years, strong starts in the point standings, even this early, typically hold up come September. Here’s a quick look at how many drivers eligible for the Chase, five races in went on to earn a bid once the regular season was complete…

Racing To The Point: NASCAR Penalizing Itself For Inconsistent Rulings

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Five expletives in one sentence. I wasn’t sure if the NASCAR race was still on or if FOX was showing an early presentation of “Hell’s Kitchen,” one where Chef Gordon Ramsey — Tony Stewart in this case — found out Joey Logano’s beef ravioli wasn’t fully cooked.

Stewart sure put on a post-race show at Fontana. It had all the same ingredients of the boxing match I watched on HBO on Friday night. Punches were thrown — or at least a water bottle — trash was talked and, in the end, the sore loser went on a profanity-laced tirade vowing for revenge.

Going By The Numbers: NASCAR’s Sub Story – Do They Win When Filling In?

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The back injury Denny Hamlin sustained at Auto Club Speedway after a last-lap, last-corner tangle with Joey Logano is not necessarily anything new to NASCAR, but an injury that flips a driver’s season upside down with multiple races missed? That’s a bit rarer these days.

Think about it; aside from Hamlin’s accident a week ago and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s concussion, one that caused him to sit out two races in 2012, how many debilitating injuries, to the point of having to miss a race or more in the seat, can you remember in the Sprint Cup Series over the past, say, five years?