Race Weekend Central

Full Throttle – Confidence can go a long way

After spending a weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one thing is very clear – Jimmie Johnson is going to be hard to beat for the 2012 Cup title. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is the current points leader, Tony Stewart and Brad Keselowski may be tied with Johnson at three wins to be tops in the sport …

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Has Earnhardt Jr.’s Time Finally Come?

After the dust settled at Indianapolis, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. emerged with the point lead for the first time since 2004. That’s right; the driver once labeled “fourth-best” at Hendrick used a fourth-place finish to climb to the top of NASCAR’s championship Chase for the first time since Joey Logano was practically in diapers. Although NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver won’t be the point leader when the postseason starts, unless he goes on a phenomenal winning streak, there is no doubt that he is a legitimate threat to win the championship in 2012. While the wins have not come in large numbers, the speed and consistency are there to position Earnhardt near the top of any pre-Chase favorite lists. With the current state of the sport somewhere between its niche status of the 1980s and its boom years in the 2000s, nothing could give it a bigger shot in the arm than having the No. 88 team in the mix for the championship once the green flag flies in Homestead.

Full Throttle – Chopping off the roots of the Nationwide Series

From the drop of the green flag on the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series and the Kroger 200 during the 1982 inaugural season until the checkered flag fell on the 2011 Kroger 200 Benefitting Riley Hospital for Children, Raceway Park in Indianapolis hosted a national touring series race for NASCAR. As the green flies over …

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Full Throttle – What have you done for me lately?

Roush Fenway Racing announced on Tuesday that Bob Osborne had stepped down off of the pit box for Carl Edwards after nearly nine years as the only crew chief Edwards has ever known. That makes room for Chad Norris to take over the helm of the No. 99 Ford with the daunting task of helping …

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