Race Weekend Central

Did You Notice? Vickers Vexed by Pit Road, the 5-Lap Farce & Nationwide’s Double Standard?

Did You Notice? How much pit-road mistakes have played into the momentum of teams this season? It started in Daytona, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. missed his pit en route to what’s been a disastrous season. Between Juan Pablo Montoya’s speeding penalty causing controversy at Indy, failed gas gambles like Michigan’s 1-2 stumble by both Jimmie …

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Did You Notice? Fixing NASCAR’s Penalty Problem, Sponsor Hogs & Why Parity Doesn’t Matter

Did You Notice? All the hubbub surrounding Juan Pablo Montoya’s pit-road penalty? In the wake of a boring race at Indy, it seems all everyone wants to talk about is a conspiracy theory, with NASCAR putting the No. 42 in the penalty box for speeding simply to “spice up the race.” At the time of …

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Did You Notice? Mayfield Burned at the Stake, Sadler’s Recurring Nightmare & a Champ Cashing In

Did You Notice? That in light of everything that’s happened over the past week, there’s a large army of media, fans, garage members, etc. looking to tar and feather Jeremy Mayfield before all the evidence has even been collected? I had a hard-nosed debate with Dennis Michelsen of RaceTalkRadio.com Monday night about this issue, one …

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Did You Notice? McGrew Not the Answer for Earnhardt… Yet, Midseason Trends & Mystery Cautions Revealed

Did You Notice? Two quickie midseason stats that tell us who’s on top and who’s fallen apart so far in 2009? They might not be the first ones you look at when you wake up in the morning… but sometimes, it’s the small things that tell the tale as to some of the trends shaping …

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Did You Notice? Truex Missed Teresa, Hall of Fame Snubs, Fan Tragedy Averted & Stewart’s Smelly Towel?

Did You Notice? With the Hall of Fame’s official selection of its top 25, debate’s now raging on which five will be picked to be part of the Hall’s inaugural class. When that happens, there will inevitably be drivers and teams that get snubbed… it’s just an unfortunate part of the process. But with the …

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Did You Notice? Ganassi Kept the Wrong Guy, Logano’s a Little Too Shy & Money Talks

Did You Notice? That for all the Joey Logano hype, not everyone is jumping on the bandwagon quite yet? Certainly, Sunday’s race was a bonified step in the right direction for establishing the 19-year-old as a national superstar. But while Logano shattered the record for being the youngest race winner in NASCAR history, what we’ve …

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Did You Notice? Boris Said a Madman for a Reason, Petty’s New Face & Jason Leffler, NNS in Trouble?

Did You Notice? That Boris Said was a one-man wrecking ball on the road course at Sonoma this past Sunday? Of course you did, because unless you’re a PJ Jones or Dave Blaney fan, Said probably made contact with your favorite driver during the race’s 113 laps. Said’s brazenly reckless and even violent performance on …

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Did You Notice? How to Make a Profit in NASCAR Without Racing 2 Laps & Gant’s Record in Peril

Did You Notice? The start-and-park charade hitting a crescendo this weekend? No less than 23 drivers in NASCAR’s top-three divisions pulled it in early, including a record 11 in the financially troubled Camping World Truck Series. But while the topic of field-filling has been hotly debated, for weeks those arguments have centered around a great …

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Did You Notice? The Real Problem With Kyle Busch, the Murkiness of Meth & Silly Season Revisited

Did You Notice? That in between all the controversy and opinions surrounding Kyle Busch and his guitar smashing, the No. 18 Cup team is in very real danger of not even making the Chase? Before we get to his antics (and don’t worry, I’m not going to comment too much as 1,500 people have already) …

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Did You Notice? Carl Long’s Last Words, Driver of the Decade & GM’s Rough Road Ahead?

Did You Notice? That at the end of a provocative, fantastic interview by ESPN’s Marty Smith, Carl Long took a swipe at NASCAR worth expanding on. In case you hadn’t heard, Long lost his appeal of an oversized engine penalty on Tuesday, meaning not only is he stuck with a 12-race suspension from the Cup Series, …

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Did You Notice? NASCAR’s Vague Meeting, Eury’s Imminent Departure & the Poor Become Penniless

Did You Notice? All the wholesale changes that took place after NASCAR’s meeting with teams and owners Tuesday? No, I didn’t notice them either… and whether any happen at all is what’s really going to make or break this “town hall” affair a longtime source explained was “nothing more than a PR move” after debriefing …

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Did You Notice? France Manipulates the Truth, Why NASCAR Parity is Still Problematic, & Driver Do’s & Dont’s

Did You Notice? That hidden underneath Brian France’s quotes on the drug policy was this little tidbit about the state of the sport: “In terms of the ratings decline, yes, I think it’s also important to note where our fans and sports fans can get their news, information and other mediums that are now in …

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