Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2016 Daytona 500

Who’s in the headline – Denny Hamlin put a stamp on his Daytona Speedweeks with his second triumph in three races Sunday. Hamlin beat Martin Truex Jr. to the line with a scintillating run that resulted in the closest finish in the history of the Daytona 500. Hamlin was the dominant car for much of …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2016 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona

Who’s in the headline – After being involved in an early caution Denny Hamlin played pit strategy to get to the front of the pack and stretched his fuel to the end of a green-white-checkered finish to take his third Sprint Unlimited victory. The vast majority of cars had damage during the evening but Hamlin’s …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead

Busch, Kyle - Flag

Photo by Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images

Who’s in the headline – Just eight months after severely breaking his leg and foot at Daytona during the first Xfinity Series race of the season, Kyle Busch stands above all others at the 2015 Cup series champion. Busch ran third and maintaining a healthy lead over Kevin Harvick as Brad Keselowski was headed to the …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix

Earnhardt, Dale Jr. - 2015 Quicken Loans 500 Victory Lane - Phoenix

(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Who’s in the headline – Amazingly it is Dale Earnhardt Jr. this week, thanks to a fortunate pit stall location and an unimpressive bit of driving by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Joey Gase. The latter two drivers got together during a round of green flag stops and Earnhardt was pitted just before the start/finish line …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 AAA Texas 500

2015 Texas II CUP pack racing CIA

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)­

Who’s in the headline? – Jimmie Johnson saved his best for last Sunday and spoiled Brad Keselowski‘s party as the laps wound down. Johnson led six laps during the event, including the final four to steal the win from Keselowski, who led 312 of the posted 334 laps of the event. Johnson proved, once again, …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville

Martinsville Jeff Gordon Team Victory  2015 Cup Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

Who’s in the headline – Martinsville resurrected the emotions of both fans and competitors that it has not incited in a decade. In the end, while there is much buzz about retribution and championship ramifications, the most important story of the weekend is that Jeff Gordon will be one of the four competitors vying for the …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega

2015 Talladega II CUP Joey Logano trophy CIA

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Who’s in the headline – There are a few headlines coming out of Talladega, but the top story is Joey Logano sweeping the entire second round of the Chase. Logano led the race twice for 20 laps and survived an unsuccessful green-white-checkered start and then a very short run after a restart before the caution …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas

2015 Kansas II CUP Joey Logano woohoo CIA

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Who’s in the headline – Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth are going to dominate the headlines this week. Kenseth led the most laps in the race but, heading into turn 1 with five laps to go, Logano made a move to the bottom of the track and tapped the left-rear corner of Kenseth’s car. Kenseth spun …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte

Joey Logano Bank of America 500 Finish Cup Mike Neff

Photo Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch

Who’s in the headline – For the third week in a row, a driver led more than half of the laps in a race, and for the second week in a row that driver won. Joey Logano took the lead on lap 77 of the event and, outside of pit-stop cycles under green flags, Logano …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 AAA 400 at Dover

dale jr and mcmurray

Photo Credit: Joseph Wolkin, Frontstretch

Who’s in the headline – Kevin Harvick dominated the race and dominated the headlines. He drove from a 15th-place starting spot, due to qualifying being rained out, to the lead in just 23 laps. From then on, Harvick led 355 of the final 377 laps, only losing the lead during pit stops when drivers took two …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire

2015 Loudon II CUP Matt Kenseth wins CIA

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Who’s in the headline – The headlines are crowded after Loudon, but Matt Kenseth gets the bold print. Kevin Harvick tried to stretch fuel but came up two laps short and Brad Keselowski was penalized for jumping a restart, which took him out of contention for the win. Kenseth was the driver who conserved his equipment …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 myAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland

2015 Chicago CUP Denny Hamlin burnout CIA

(Photo: CIA Stock Photography, 2015)

Who’s in the headline – Dave Rogers made a call to stay out on a late-race caution and Denny Hamlin restarted the race in third with five laps to go. He went three-wide on the bottom of the track, cleared Jeff Gordon in turns 1 and 2, passed Kurt Busch as they spilled onto the …

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