Race Weekend Central

Bubble Breakdown: Michael Waltrip Gives Himself Top-35 Breathing Room with 2nd Top-10 Finish of 2008

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series made their second appearance at Dover International Speedway Sunday amidst rumors of bubble drivers wrecking each other in order to stay in the Top 35, and there is some evidence to back that up. With crashes involving Michael McDowell and AJ Allmendinger on several different occasions, the Chase for a …

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Driven to the Past: Relieving Shorty/Charley Glotzbach & the Wasps

John “Shorty” Miller was a transplanted Pennsylvania Dutchman who was an outstanding flagman/starter. Like all good men in this position on short tracks, and I hope I’m including myself in this group, he took a real interest in the drivers and their welfare. He was also very tough with the rules and would have blackflagged …

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Happy Hour: From 207 Points Up to 74 Points Down; What’s Wrong With NASCAR’s Picture?

20 laps into the 27th race this season, an enigmatic driver, who had been wiping up the floor with most of the competition for 26 races, had his season more or less destroyed. Eight wins in 26 races meant only that he’s eligible for the title – one faulty sway bar bolt in one race …

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BSNews! Roid ‘Rage in NASCAR? & Bobby Hamilton Jr. Eyes Short Stint in Cup

BSNews – Bobby Hamilton Jr. Team Rensi Motorsports is facing a December shutdown if new sponsorship cannot be found, but Nationwide Series driver Hamilton Jr. says he is not ready to quit driving just yet. “I’d like to run full-time, but if you can’t, you’ve got to take what you can take. The Nationwide cars, …

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Fanning the Flames: Ganassi’s Woes, Gibbs’s Rookie & Gordon’s Typical Loudon Stunts

For those of you that did not catch last week’s Fanning the Flames, I have to share one of the funnier post-article comments I’ve seen in a year and a half of writing for Frontstretch. In response to a question and subsequent answer by yours truly concerning the Tony Stewart Rolling Stone article, a poster …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: Dodging Trouble During Dover’s Playoff Push

The Chase is now officially underway, and the wild position swings that accompany the first few weeks of the sprint to the finish were very evident this past weekend. The biggest mover – in the wrong direction – was Kyle Busch, who went from the dominant driver in the points to eighth place while taking …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Ron Hornaday’s Testosterone Use – The Story That Should Have Never Been Told

As the media fanfare surrounding the first race of the 10-event Chase for the Sprint Cup heated up last week, news that defending Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. had used steroids stole the headlines. Not just motorsports headlines, mind you… sports headlines, period. ESPN the Magazine broke the story that three-time CTS champion …

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Mirror Driving: Biffle Breaks Out, Is Busch a Bust? & the Trucks Brawl

Welcome to Mirror Driving. Every week, your favorite columnists sit down and give their opinion about the latest NASCAR news and rumors. Love us or hate us, make a comment below and tell us how you feel about what we’ve said! This Week’s Participants: Ren Jonsin (Co-Publisher) Tom Bowles (Editor-In-Chief; Mondays/Bowles-Eye View & Wednesdays/Did You Notice?) …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2008 Sylvania 300 at Loudon Edition

The Chase is finally here, and after one race, there’s something very strange about the standings – Kyle Busch isn’t leading. An array of problems at NHMS knocked Busch from his perch atop the championship ladder, dropping him all the way to eighth while his two toughest competitors (Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards) stepped up to …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Classic ESPN Speed World Links Past Success, Failure With Present Coverage

Despite all of the resources and talent ESPN possesses, its 2008 NASCAR coverage has been less than spectacular at best. Some moves made in preparation for and during the season – like replacing Rusty Wallace with Dale Jarrett in the booth – have proven to be ingenius, especially since Wallace seems to fit in well …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Sylvania 300 at Loudon

1. Not Keepin’ Up With the Times – This past week, Kyle Petty took on NASCAR for not being able to control the number of teams an owner operates, as well as keeping a level playing field for smaller organizations. Petty cited the recent alliance of Stewart-Haas Racing with Hendrick Motorsports as an example, nicknaming …

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Bubble Breakdown: Michael McDowell, AJ Allmendinger Tangle Costly in Top-35 Race

As NASCAR’s top teams began their Chase for the Cup Sunday at New Hampshire, the bubble teams continued their quest for a Top 35 spot in the owner standings. The number of cars fighting to either get into or stay in one of those locked in spots has been pretty much narrowed down to seven …

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