Race Weekend Central

Fanning the Flames: The King in Victory Lane & 1 Helluva Show Down South

For the record – and not that anyone asked – but count me in among the masses that thought Sunday night’s Atlanta race was a winner. Yeah, I know it wasn’t in Darlington as it should be, but those cars under the lights on a big ol’ track with 49 years of tradition, a worn …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta

The aged surface of Atlanta Motor Speedway offered up multi-groove racing from the drop of the green flag that also yielded some bizarre events, with Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards both having freak problems that knocked them out of contention. Tony Stewart also had another off weekend, which cost him some of his first-place votes …

Read more

Fanning the Flames: Kyle Busch’s New Gibson Guitar Antics

If you blinked, you missed it… and if I didn’t live in Nashville, I probably would have. As much we like to pile on young Mr. Kyle Busch for his snippiness with reporters, his taunting bows to the crowd after a win or his guitar-smashing antics, we need to give him an “A-atta-boy” for this …

Read more

Fanning the Flames: NASCAR TV Coverage, Team Orders & Tapping the Roof

I am not a NASCAR TV critic. I leave that up to Frontstretch’s own Phil Allaway. And I’ve never been one to get my panties in a wad over a particular broadcaster’s production of a race or its on-air talent. After all, and as I’ve said here before, I remember a time when not every …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Sharpie 500 at Bristol

The new banking at Bristol, along with the new car, has bred a new form of racing at the old bullring. Single-file bump-and-runs have been replaced by side-by-side competition, with wrecks at the finish line replaced by the type of winning maneuvers you’d be more likely to see at a track like Atlanta or even …

Read more

Fanning the Flames: Numbers Show 2009 Season Most Competitive of NASCAR’s Chase Era

A quick observation that somehow waded into my head amidst the congestion and cloudiness of a mid-August head cold: For as much as we, as fans and media, like to complain about the slanted nature of the sport circa 2009, notice that with Red Bull Racing’s win at Michigan, we’ve now had four first-time team …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 CARFAX 400 at Michigan

A fuel-mileage race at Michigan? Who would have guessed it? Seriously, as expected Sunday’s 400-mile affair in the Irish Hills left us counting drops of Sunoco gasoline to see who was going to make it to the finish line first. And just like any stock car event decided by fuel strategy, those final few laps …

Read more

Fanning the Flames: Penalties & Robby Gordon a NASCAR Tradition Since 1991!

The only thing that makes me cringe more than sponsor plugs during the pre-race invocation is when the sponsor being plugged is Heluva! Good Sour Cream Dip. It’s just not right. But to prove that I can be a glass half-full type guy, I am thankful that the ACLU hasn’t seen to it that the …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Heluva! Good Sour Cream Dips at the Glen

Turning right and turning left was good for some at Watkins Glen, but turned others into a knot they never wriggled out of. After his record-breaking fifth victory at the track, Tony Stewart was able to once again garner all of the first-place votes for this week, but the remainder of the spots in our …

Read more

Fanning the Flames: No to the Camaro, Stremme v. Gordon & ESPN’s Twittergate

Some involved questions this week, so let’s jump right in. Small-engine repair tips are welcome as well. Q: I read about the Nationwide Series needing an “identity” every week. It’s a common theme on this site and others. My question is how can that series do so if guys like Mike Bliss, a Nationwide-only driver, …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono

NASCAR went back to the tricky triangle in the Pocono mountains just six weeks after its last race there; and at first glance, it looked like not all that much had changed. Just like in June, Tony Stewart crashed in practice and started at the rear of the field in a backup car. Once again, …

Read more

Fanning the Flames: Montoya’s Tach, Elliott’s Oil & the Revenge of the Pony Cars

With apologies to my colleagues here on Frontstretch, the column everyone should be reading this week (actually, every week) is by Dr. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky at StockCarScience.com. It shines light on many of the reasons it’s easy to speed on pit road, what role rpms, gears and the transmission play, and why simply installing a speedometer …

Read more