Race Weekend Central

Frontstretch Fantasy Insider: Cookie-Cuttering, Chicagoland Style

There are few, if any, tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit as sterile as the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway. The epitome of a cookie-cutter oval, there will likely be few, if any, surprises at the front this Saturday night, so make sure you leave your underdog drivers sitting on the bench. Indeed, the big names of …

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Mirror Driving: Changing Plate-Racing Rules, Mayfield’s Murky Future & Truex’s Future Potential

Jeremy Mayfield’s victory in court – winning an injunction that will allow him to race – shed new light on NASCAR’s drug policy. Does the policy need changes?

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Daytona Summer Speedweeks Edition

The July 4 bash at Daytona International Speedway literally ended with a bang, as Kyle Busch’s attempt at blocking Tony Stewart from taking the race win sent him bouncing off the frontstretch wall. While the finish stole the headlines, the plights of Chase-contending drivers permeated other post-race storylines. Drivers Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne, Mark …

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Bubble Breakdown: Part-Time Schedule Yielding Big-Time Results for Furniture Row Racing

Rain washed out qualifying for Daytona last Friday, meaning the field was set by owner points. This was not good news for our bubble drivers, as the teams outside the Top 35 not only had to start at the rear of the field – they also had to do so in their qualifying setup, as …

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Happy Hour: NASCAR Consistency Still Rules Over Wins, Especially in 2009

Despite that most general managers in the NFL know never to let the fans or media pick their quarterback (which can be a flawed tenet if the fans are smarter), NASCAR has responded in many ways to fans’ and media behest to place more emphasis on winning. It hasn’t been as pronounced of late as …

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Voices From the Heartland: Bad Economy or Bad Decisions?

Hey look, I know times are tough, but has this sport finally reached a point where a man must sell his soul for a sponsor? I speak mainly of Joe Nemechek, Kevin Conway, Steve and Rusty Wallace and their current sponsors, ExtenZe and U.S. Fidelis respectively. Now, unless you have been living under a rock …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Double-File Restarts Are a Big Hit – Now Let the Kids in for Free

It has been almost one month since NASCAR revamped its restart procedure at Pocono Raceway, a decision that most agree has served to add at least a smidgen of excitement to the traveling circus that we know as NASCAR Sprint Cup racing. The change has not been met with unanimous support by drivers or motorsport …

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