Race Weekend Central

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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Bubble Breakdown: Michael Waltrip Bounces Back With Strong 17th to Solidify Spot in Top 35

If you make the long and winding drive down Long Pond Drive you’ll come upon the speedway in the woods known as Pocono Raceway. In 2008, this track was nothing short of disaster for the bubble teams and 2009 wasn’t much kinder to them. It started Friday when qualifying was rained out, meaning that the …

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Happy Hour’s Best Drivers in NASCAR, Part 1: Drivers #15-11

Being the Official Columnist of NASCAR is not an easy job. It’s not a matter of simply handing over a few million to NASCAR, as with most “official” entities. It takes effort. Column topics must be selected with care as opposed to just hitting the escape key and writing something about Dale Earnhardt Jr. when …

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Voices From the Heartland: Studies Have Shown NASCAR is ‘Full Of It’

Over the last couple of weeks, ever since the rumors started flying about the demise of Tony Eury Jr. as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief, the ‘media’ has reported several times, in various ways, that “studies have shown that when Jr. isn’t running well, NASCAR’s ratings are down.” NASCAR of course, actually likes to hear …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Jeremy Mayfield Hearing Delayed & the Whole Mess Could Have Been Avoided

It has been almost a month since the suspension of Sprint Cup owner/driver Jeremy Mayfield and the matter is no closer to resolution. Wednesday’s scheduled hearing before a North Carolina Superior Court Judge in Mecklenburg County, N.C. was cancelled due to an 11th-hour move on the part of NASCAR to have the case heard in …

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Fanning the Flames: Carl Long, Brad Keselowski & Other Issues of the Week

Carl Long, we are with you bud. Just so you know, there are a lot of longtime fans of the sport out here that are appalled by the situation you find yourself in. Thank you for fighting the good fight and speaking frankly on the subject. We don’t get that a lot, but whether out …

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Frontstretch Fantasy Insider: Trying to Overcome the Pythagorean Theorem of Racing at Pocono

The weekend’s trip to Pocono Raceway is about as far away from the Monster Mile as one can get. An enormous (and enormously wide) 2.5-mile triangle, Pocono is truly a one of a kind racetrack. With long straightaways and three unique corners, both handling and horsepower will be at a premium this coming weekend. And …

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Fan’s View: Kyle Busch – Because Pride Must Always Go Before the Fall

Once upon a time – just last Friday, in fact – in a media center not too far from here sat a boy. He wore a yellow suit decorated with multi-colored candies, beautiful on the outside while attempting to hide the ugliness that occasionally lies within. His name was Kyle. Now, Kyle is not like …

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