Race Weekend Central

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 Dickies 500 at Texas

History repeated itself for the third time in a row, as the winner at Atlanta in the fall headed to Texas the following week and won again. That Dickies 500 victory this week by Carl Edwards stole a couple of first-place votes away from Jimmie Johnson, but didn’t move him out of the top spot …

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Talking NASCAR TV: ESPN Pit Reporters Bring Their A-Game to Texas

There were two major storylines Sunday in the Dickies 500: Jimmie Johnson coughing up some of the points lead to Carl Edwards and Edwards’s unbelievable stretching of fuel to win the race. Johnson’s problems became entrenched before the midpoint of the race when the No. 48 team fell back to 25th in the running order …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta

Carl Edwards made good on the promise that he showed at the beginning of the spring Atlanta race by taking the win this past weekend. Overshadowed by that performance, however, was a banzai run by Jimmie Johnson from 11th to second in the last eight laps of the race. That strength solidified the points leader’s …

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Talking NASCAR TV: ESPN Atlanta Coverage an Improvement Over Past Weeks

ESPN’s Sprint Cup portion of its broadcast schedule for 2008 has seen its ups and downs. Unfortunately for the network, recurring mistakes have overshadowed some of its other more solid efforts. At Atlanta, however, ESPN minimized its obvious mistakes and broadcast a very consistent race. Besides the championship standings, the big story heading into the …

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Drivers Take Turns Trying to Solve Rained-Out Qualifying at Atlanta

HAMPTON, Ga. – Rain came in droves at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday, meaning that on-track activity was at a minimum. This means that qualifying for the truck and Cup teams couldn’t take place, and practice time for the two series was almost non-existent. The clouds parted midday, giving track crews time to dry the …

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Mirror Driving: A NASCAR Spending Cap? Fixing Qualifying & Saving the Truck Series

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: Doug Turnbull (Tuesdays/Talking NASCAR TV) Vito Pugliese (Tuesdays/Voice of Vito) Matt Taliaferro (Thursdays/Fanning The …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville

The oldest track on the circuit had its usual beating and banging this weekend; but when the smoke from Martinsville cleared, there was one warrior who stood head and shoulders above everyone else. As a result, the Chase picture appears more focused than ever, as Jimmie Johnson’s dominant performance has most everyone believing he’s got …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Mistakes Mar ESPN’s Middling Martinsville Coverage

The television coverage of Chase race number six at Martinsville achieved approximately the same quality level as the other five Chase races. Unfortunately, the network team in front of and behind the camera has not made much progress in correcting ongoing mistakes and heeding to repeated suggestions. At the same time, the things throughout NASCAR …

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Beyond the Cockpit: Matt Kenseth on a Lost Chase, Free Agency & the CoT

Only two men in NASCAR history can claim admission to all five Chase for the Championships: Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. But while Johnson has cruised to two straight titles under the new format, Kenseth has struggled to show the playoff consistency that won him the 2003 Winston Cup trophy in a landslide. It was …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s

The Chase has reached its halfway point, and for all intents and purposes, we’re down to a three-man race for the title. It’s just not the three men you would have expected after Richmond in September. While Jimmie Johnson remains a major player amongst the Power Rankings, it’s Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle replacing Carl …

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Talking NASCAR TV: ESPN Finally Points the Camera Lens Beyond the Chasers

The Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte did not produce many exciting storylines besides the weekly plight of the Chasers. ESPN reported on the state of these drivers well, however, and also made a move in the race’s first half that went above and beyond that coverage. As stated many times …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 Amp Energy 500 at Talladega

Blown tires, Big Ones, passes below the yellow line… Talladega had it all this fall. No question about it, the race routinely regarded as the biggest wild card of the Chase lived up to all its expectations, with more than half the title contenders caught up in accidents – some of their own making. But …

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