Race Weekend Central

Thompson in Turn 5: Random Drug Testing – Harvick, Earnhardt, Stewart & Granny! Form a Line Over Here!

Recent shocking revelations that former Craftsman Truck and Nationwide series driver Aaron Fike not only concealed a painkiller addiction from NASCAR officials, but competed in CTS events after using heroin on race day has renewed criticism of the sanctioning body’s present drug-testing policies. At the moment, NASCAR does not have a random drug-screening policy like …

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Fan’s View: Striving for Mediocrity the NASCAR Way to Victory Lane

“Slow down! Slow way down! You’ll never make it unless you slow down!” I really thought I had entered the twilight zone. What NASCAR crew chief in his right mind would possibly be telling his driver that he’d better pull back or he’d never win? “You’ve got 20 seconds on the No. 07. You’ve got …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix

8. What, No Boogity, Boogity? – FOX broke away from their Subway Fresh Fit 500 pre-race programming to cover the rain-delayed end of the Major League Baseball game between historic rivals the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

Bubble Breakdown: David Reutimann Muscles His Way Into the Top 35… Again

The big news for the week from bubble land involved the No. 70 Haas Automation Chevrolet previously driven by Jeremy Mayfield. On Monday, Haas CNC Racing announced that the team and Mayfield agreed to part ways after the No. 70 car fell out of the Top 35 in owner points. According to team General Manager Joe …

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Voices From the Heartland: Think Twice Before Playing Poker With Aaron Fike

It often appears that the suits in NASCAR hold all the cards; they are usually confident that no matter what the circumstances, they always have four aces up their collective sleeves. But a young driver named Aaron Fike – in his bid for eventual re-instatement as a NASCAR competitor – may have just laid down a …

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Happy Hour: “Our” NASCAR? Nice Try, Brian

Prior to the start of the 2008 NASCAR season, Brian France held his annual “state of the sport” press conference. In his announcements, to the surprise of some accustomed to the sport’s general arrogance about criticism, he admitted that some hardcore fans had been driven away from the sport. He also stated that NASCAR had …

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Fanning the Flames: Texas Testing, Kyle Petty is Testy & “Creative Arrangements”

Thanks for the Qs this week, everyone. This is the place for them, be they questions, rants, comments, ideas or tongue-lashings. As always, I’m interested to hear what you have to say. It’s your submissions, after all, that keep this column up and running. And David, if I fail to mention it later, thanks for …

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Voices From the Heartland: Michael McDowell Incident a PR Bonanza for NASCAR

Before I go too far into this article and ruffle some serious feathers, I want to make it perfectly clear that no one, with the possible exception of Michael McDowell and his family, was as glad as myself to see Michael emerge virtually unscathed from the tangled wreckage that used to be his racecar last …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2008 Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix

After what many had hoped would be a good old-fashioned Texas shootout turned into a king-sized snoozefest, the series heads to Phoenix International Raceway this Saturday night for the first short-track battle under the lights of the season. With the exception of Jeff Gordon‘s dismal performance, Texas didn’t offer many surprises with no major upsets …

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Top 10 NASCAR-Related Deductions Submitted to the IRS

10. $450 for new shorts and driver’s suit, submitted by Michael McDowell. (Uniforms and Work Clothes) 9. $1,500 for the complete set of Deep Thoughts works by Jack Handey, submitted by Brian France. (Work-Related Educational Expenses) 8. $750 for resumes from FedEx/Kinko’s, submitted by Jeremy Mayfield. (Moving Expenses) 7. $5,000 submitted by Chip Ganassi for …

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