Race Weekend Central

Picks ‘N’ Pans: Michigan Summer 2008 – Will Smoke Finally Win or Is It Edwards’s for the Taking?

The Irish Hills of Michigan host the 23rd race of the season and the opportunity is there for drivers to start officially stamping their passport into the 2008 championship fight. With just three races remaining before the Chase field is set, a driver can be locked into the playoffs as long as they finish this …

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Thompson in Turn 5: No “Mind Games” Intended Towards Kyle Busch – Just the Truth

Wholly based on genuine observations and candid comments made by Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson leading up to Kyle Busch’s convincing win last Sunday at the Watkins Glen International road course, some in the news media and apparently Busch himself believe that his former Hendrick Motorsports teammates are engaging in some form of psychological warfare …

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Mirror Driving: Road Ringers Lose, Casey Mears on the Move & Young Guns Get the Boot

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: Tony Lumbis (Mondays/Rookie Report) Mike Neff (Wednesdays/Power Rankings & Full Throttle, Thursdays/Picks ‘N’ …

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Did You Notice? Junior Stressed Out? Said Rained Out? & Why Did McDowell Pout?

Did You Notice? That Dale Earnhardt Jr. looks a little haggard lately? In virtually every single interview I’ve seen him do over the past two months, Junior’s answers are so slow and meticulously constructed it feels like he’s processing the question in slow motion. I feel like it’s either one of two things – it’s either …

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Top 10 Foreseeable Problems with NASCAR in China

Editor’s Note: In honor of the Olympics, we wanted to bring back this popular Top 10 from last year, with a few tweaks — hope you enjoy it! 10. StarvingPeasant.com not allowed to sponsor a car. 9. Colossal statues and portraits of “Chairman Brian” begin popping up everywhere at all ISC tracks. 8. NASCAR rulebook …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Punch, Pit Road & Post-Race Are Where ESPN Needs to Improve

ESPN’s road racing coverage Sunday at Watkins Glen was not great – but it could have been much worse. The first two-thirds of the race, with the exception of a couple of caution periods and varying fuel strategies, provided little excitement. Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree and Dr. Jerry Punch did a wonderful job in the …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2008 Centurion Boats at the Glen Edition

It doesn’t matter what type of track the Sprint Cup Series is on these days; if Kyle Busch is racing, he’s got a good chance at picking up the win. With his eighth victory of the season coming this week at Watkins Glen, Busch again showed why is the favorite for this year’s Sprint Cup …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Centurion Boats at the Glen

1. Artifacts – Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s. driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, Martin Truex Jr., has agreed to contract terms with his current employer that will keep him with the organization and his team at least through 2009. Last week, rumors had Truex Jr. agreeing in principal to resigning with DEI, leading …

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Happy Hour: NASCAR Gets 1 Right – No Mas in Ciudad de Mexico

NASCAR announced last week that they will not be running Nationwide Series races at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course in Mexico City next year. Finally, a change in the schedule we can applaud. Granted, it’s only the Nationwide Series, but we’ll take whatever victories we can get. It would probably be an understatement to …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: A Watkins Glen Repeat or the Agony of Defeat?

For the final time in ’08, the Cup boys will be turning left and right as they visit another road course. Watkins Glen is one of the more historic tracks in America and it can have dramatic effects on fantasy players’ teams. This weekend affords you the chance to pick up some inexpensive road-course ringers …

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Voices From the Heartland: In Less Than a Year, An Overrated JJ Yeley is Found Out

Once in a while, something happens in the world of NASCAR that affords me the opportunity to be one of those annoying guys that no one wants to share a beverage with. You know the kind – the guy who says “Ha Ha! Told you so!” I try not to be that guy too often …

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Fanning the Flames: NASCAR Fines, Carl Edwards’s Flips & Some Canadian Love

Your questions were all over the board this week, which was a welcome respite after last week’s Goodyear bashing, er… I mean, questions. As always, shoot whatever you got my way, and I’ll either answer it or make light of it next week! In case you’re wondering, that last part was a joke… nevermind, let’s …

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