Race Weekend Central

Bowles-Eye View: Kevin Harvick Victimizes Chase Chances While Creating Innocent Victims of McMurray, Stewart

The last time the Cup Series visited a road course, the enduring image was of Kevin Harvick getting in Juan Pablo Montoya’s face. It was a comical confrontation, a fit of frustration after Harvick thought Montoya wrecked him out of the race. While the conduct was hardly professional, Harvick did have the perfect excuse for …

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Bowles-Eye View: Road Course Ringers Running Short On Wins

Max Papis. Brian Simo. Ron Fellows. This weekend, some of the most accomplished road racing veterans will once again descend upon Infineon Raceway in a stock car, looking to translate success from other series into an upset victory on their biannual tour around the Sprint Cup circuit. There’s just one problem; barring a miracle, every …

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Bowles-Eye View: Kasey Kahne Leads Charge, But Chase Hopefuls Brian Vickers, Kurt Busch Steal Headlines

This weekend at Pocono began with the Sprint Cup points leader front and center, as Kyle Busch attempted the vaunted “tripleheader” – three races, three cities, three days – with Sunday’s 500-miler the biggest crown jewel of them all. But by the end, it was Busch who was pushed to the back pages, his late-spring …

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Bowles-Eye View: For 2 NASCAR Champs, a Little Game of Perception Versus Reality

Coming off of Dover, the latest NASCAR buzz continued to center around the budding Kyle Busch – Carl Edwards rivalry – and rightfully so. Finishing 1-2 on Sunday (with Busch on top) proved rather appropriate considering both drivers’ perch on top of the Sprint Cup wins ladder – halfway through the regular season, they’ve combined …

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Bowles-Eye View: Bad Luck Bug Still Keeping Tony Stewart From Closing the Deal

Come Monday morning, Tony Stewart might well be lobbying NASCAR to change the mileage of the Coca-Cola 600. For if it were the Coca-Cola 595… Stewart would have won. Up to that point, the veteran of the Joe Gibbs Racing stable had played his poker hand to perfection. Struggling during the first 300 miles, Stewart …

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Bowles-Eye View: A Fine Line Between Fans & Fairness – The All-Star Popularity Contest Gone Awry

I’ve got a knot in my stomach, and I just can’t get it out. It’s been 24 hours, and the All-Star Race has left me torn; as well as scratching my head in disbelief. Winner Kasey Kahne can relate; well, to the disbelief part, at least. As Kahne celebrated his surprising victory into the wee …

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Bowles-Eye View: Having a NASCAR Villain to Hate Never Felt So Good

Moments after taking his first career Darlington win, Kyle Busch got out of his car, hopped on the roof and took a bow as if he were the hero. It was the culmination of a burnout performance worthy of his Indiana Jones paint scheme. Too bad the fans thought it was the equivalent of a …

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Bowles-Eye View: The Good Guy Lost – Why Dale Earnhardt Jr. Could Pay a Long-Term Price for His Win Gone Sour

Two years. 731 days. 17,500 hours. And counting. Dale Earnhardt Jr. stood despondent by his car Saturday night, watching in vain as another car, another driver pushed its way to victory lane. After weeks of coming oh-so-close, the newest member of the Hendrick Motorsports stable found himself four laps from returning to the very same …

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Bowles-Eye View: NASCAR’s Baddest Boys Steal Restrictor-Plate Racing’s Biggest Stage

They say the Car of Tomorrow is built to withstand bumper-to-bumper contact far better than any stock car in history. Well, I have two words to say to that: Thank God. Sunday’s race at Talladega resembled the atmosphere of a short-track slugfest, with cars exchanging punches at a cool 190 mph across NASCAR’s fastest facility. …

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Bowles-Eye View: 2 Countries, 2 Races, 2 Divergent Outcomes on Diversity

It was a tale of two cities, two countries and two completely different races. But those two checkered flags converged into one defining story, leaving fans both delighted and disappointed by the future of diversity in a sport that’s lacked it for far too long. The events were held outside the country, on opposite ends …

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Bowles-Eye View: For Dale Earnhardt Jr., Patience is a Virtue

As the No. 48 crossed the finish line first Saturday night, it was the true definition of a champion returning to form. Crew chief Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson had pulled their patented magic once again; sitting in second as the race wound down, they used communication and cunning to find that extra ounce of …

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Bowles-Eye View: Jeff Gordon’s Kryptonite Comes in the Form of the Letters T-M-S

It’s a natural inclination for ordinary people to put extraordinary athletes on a pedestal. Everyone wants to believe in something special; after all, that’s how the concept of the superhero was born, wasn’t it? Superman becomes a product of our imaginations run wild; we thrive off of those who set records that stand the test …

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