Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan

2015 Michigan II CUP Matt Kenseth team trophy CIA

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Who’s in the headline – Joe Gibbs Racing established their dominance early in the weekend and threw down the gauntlet in qualifying by putting their cars first through third, and all four in the top six. When the race started, Matt Kenseth took advantage of his 16th career pole and a very strong car to race off …

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Off the Wall With: John Hunter Nemechek

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driverJohn Hunter Nemechek in the garage at Phoenix International Raceway

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014)­

Welcome to Off the Wall With…, where we ask your favorite drivers five questions that are… well, off the wall! We’ll check in with a different driver each week to get a peek into life outside the racecar. This week, we’ve got rising Truck Series star John Hunter Nemechek. What’s fun besides racing? John Hunter …

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Tech Talk: Tony Gibson Talks Aero, Fuel & Yaw

2015 Michigan II CUP Kurt Busch Tony Gibson CIA

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Crew chiefs make the big money because they have to make the calls that can win or lose a race on pit road. Last weekend we saw the race settled in the last quarter-mile of the event thanks to fuel strategy. As the series prepares to head to Michigan International Speedway for the second time …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

Joey Logano poses with the trophy after winning the Cheez-It 355 at the Glen at Watkins Glen International

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)­­

Who’s in the headline – Weekend sweeps seem to happen quite frequently these days, with some of the winning drivers from the Cup Series running the companion races that are scheduled on many race weekends. Surprisingly, this weekend featured the first time such a sweep took place at Watkins Glen. Joey Logano had never run a …

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Off the Wall With: Ward Burton

Ward Burton coaches son Jeb Burton at Martinsille Speedway

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2013)­­

Welcome to Off the Wall With…, where we ask your favorite drivers five questions that are… well, off the wall! We’ll check in with a different driver each week to get a peek into life outside the race car. This week, former Sprint Cup driver and current Sprint Cup dad Ward Burton stops by. What’s …

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Tech Talk: Bono Manion on Setting Up for Those Pesky Right Turns

Kevin Bono Manion Martinsville 2015 Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

Pocono was a rough weekend for Kevin “Bono” Manion and the No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports team driven by Sam Hornish Jr., but the veteran crew chief is hoping to put the disappointment behind his team and have a better run this coming weekend – after all, it’s a car that has won in the past …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Windows 10 400 at Pocono

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Windows 10 400

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Who’s in the headline – For the first time in month, Kyle Busch is not the main story coming out of a Cup race. He was half a lap from taking another trophy, but it was his teammate Matt Kenseth who came home with the hardware. In a crazy race that featured seven cautions in the first …

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Tech Talk: Talking Aerodynamics, Strategy & Shift Levers with Jason Ratcliff

Jason Ratcliff Daytona 500 Cup 2.15 Mike Neff-147

(Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

The last four weeks have been quite a challenge for the crew chiefs in the Cup garage. The head wrenches had to prepare a low-downforce car for Kentucky, a standard 2015 rules package car for Loudon, a high-drag car for Indianapolis and now another standard package car for Pocono. Don’t forget that every team brings …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard

2015 Indianapolis CUP Kyle Busch wins CIA

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Who’s in the headline – Feel free to stop if you’ve heard this one before: Kyle Busch just won a Cup Series race. If you haven’t been paying attention or lived under a rock for the last month, this win was his third in a row and fourth in the last five races. Three in …

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Xfinity Series Breakdown: 2015 Lilly Diabetes 250 at the Brickyard

2015 Indianapolis NXS Kyle Busch bricks CIA

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

The caution flag flew over Kyle Busch leading late in the Xfinity race at Indianapolis again, threatening to derail a dominant performance that saw his No. 54 Toyota take control early and often at the 2.5-mile oval. It is a scenario that has plagued the all-time NXS race winner in three of the four races …

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Off the Wall With: Carl Edwards

2015 Daytona II CUP Carl Edwards vertical CIA

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Welcome to Off the Wall With…, where we ask your favorite drivers five questions that are… well, off the wall! We’ll check in with a different driver each week to get a peek into life outside the racecar. This week, Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards is delivering the goods. What’s fun besides racing? Carl Edwards: …

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Tech Talk: Flying Blind into the Brickyard with Matt Puccia

2014 Atlanta CUP Greg Biffle Matt Puccia CIA

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014)

New Hampshire Motor Speedway was a race to forget for Matt Puccia, driver Greg Biffle and his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing team. After spending a day off the pace, running two laps down in 27th Puccia is more than ready to head toward the Racing Capital of the World. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is always …

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