Race Weekend Central

10 Points to Ponder… After the 2007 Ford 400 at Homestead

1. Matt’s Momentum – Matt Kenseth has had a great second half of the Chase, posting finishes of fifth, fourth, second, third and first in the last five races – an average finish of 3.0. Six races ago, Kenseth was 12th in the points – Sunday, he finished the season in fourth. With all the …

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Bubble Breakdown: Bill Davis In, Wood Brothers Out; Top 35 Locked in for 2008

We all but knew it coming into Miami. The Nextel Cup championship may have been up for grabs at the season’s final stop, but the top-35 teams in car owner points were all but locked in, with Dave Blaney and the No. 22 team holding a 136-point lead over the No. 21 Wood Brothers entry …

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Rick Crawford Driver Diary: Home Sweet Homestead

We’ve been to Texas and Phoenix since our last diary. Starting with Texas, our Circle Bar Racing Team went there with the Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford F-150 with our guns loaded and had a top-five finish, but it wasn’t that easy. It sort of left a mark with that last green/white/checkered finish that …

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Voices From the Heartland: Is Brian France Stupid or Does He Not Understand the Word Contract?

con•tract – kuh n-trakt – verb to become drawn together or reduced in compass; become smaller; shrink In February, NASCAR CEO Brian France, on the subject of lower television ratings, said: “My view on television ratings, I mean, we look at them a little bit longer cycle or window than maybe you would think we …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2007 Ford 400 at Homestead Edition

The fat lady is warming up, the sun is beginning to set at Homestead and the curtain is about to close on the 2007 Nextel Cup season. After 35 races, it all comes down to two drivers – Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon – who’ll battle for the rights to the title. The rest of …

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Mirror Driving: Jeff Gordon No Longer Number 1? Is Parity in NASCAR Done? & Truck Series Fun

Should Jimmie Johnson continue on and win his second straight title, is it fair to say the No. 1 driver in the Hendrick stable is now him – not Jeff Gordon?

Thompson in Turn 5: Johnny Benson Didn’t Get the Memo

I learned something about Johnny Benson this week. It seems the guy is quickly becoming a dinosaur, obsolete within a sport that is evolving in a direction he is neither able or willing to keep up with. Thank goodness he’s still here. Apparently, the veteran Truck Series driver is not up to speed with what …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in the Chase: 2007 Checker Auto Parts 500k at Phoenix Edition

Jimmie Johnson continued to make the Chase a bore by scoring his fourth straight win in Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500K at Phoenix.