Race Weekend Central

2009 Season Preview: Will Mark Martin Be a Contender?

After another long offseason, NASCAR is set to return to our lives with the 31st Annual Bud Shootout in less than two weeks! That means it’s time to get the blood racing and your mind fixated on another year of our sport. This week, we’ll get you thinking on six big questions facing NASCAR this …

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2009 Season Preview: Should NASCAR Fix the Car of Tomorrow?

After another long offseason, NASCAR is set to return to our lives with the 31st Annual Bud Shootout in less than two weeks! That means it’s time to get the blood racing and your mind fixated on another year of our sport. This week, we’ll get you thinking on six big questions facing NASCAR this …

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2009 Season Preview: Can Joey Logano Succeed?

After another long offseason, NASCAR is set to return to our lives with the 31st Annual Bud Shootout in less than two weeks! That means it’s time to get the blood racing and your mind fixated on another year of our sport. This week, we’ll get you thinking on six big questions facing NASCAR this …

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2009 Season Preview: How Can NASCAR Survive the Economic Crisis?

After another long offseason, NASCAR is set to return to our lives with the 31st Annual Bud Shootout in less than two weeks! That means it’s time to get the blood racing and your mind fixated on another year of our sport. This week, we’ll get you thinking on six big questions facing NASCAR this …

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Thompson in Turn 5: NASCAR Stars Weigh in, for Better or Worse, on Big-3 Bailout Debate

The growing worldwide financial crisis seems to be growing larger, more confusing and more controversial every day. While not be a topic particularly appropriate for the sports page NASCAR, more than any other major sport in the U.S., is directly related to the business world. One look down pit road is a colorful exhibit of …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Ford 400 at Homestead

1. It’s Still The Thought That Counts – NASCAR drivers Geoffrey Bodine and Scott Wimmer will join the National Hot Rod Association’s Hillary Will and Arie Luyendyk Jr. of the Indy Racing League in a tour of U.S. military bases in Iraq and Kuwait. Billed as “The Racing Heroes 2008 Goodwill Tour,” the four racecar …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Jamie McMurray – Predictions of His Demise Were Premature

Roush Fenway Racing appears to be heading into 2009 with all five of its cars hitting on all cylinders. Considering four of those men will finish the year 13th or better in Sprint Cup points, that’s hardly a big surprise. But to have the fifth car suddenly running with the rest… it’s something you couldn’t …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix

1. Monkey See… Monkey Do – The nip and tuck championship battle between Ron Hornaday and Johnny Benson Jr. continues after the two squared off at Phoenix Friday night in the Lucas Oil 150. The fact the two Craftsman Truck Series drivers continued their points fight was made more remarkable after Hornaday incurred significant damage …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Blame Slumping NASCAR Attendance on the Economy & Oh, Yeah… Jimmie Johnson

It is difficult to determine where the blame lies for race enthusiasts turning away from the final weeks of the Chase, but there’s no denying that they are. Seeing is believing, and all those empty seats, most recently at Atlanta and Texas, are all the seeing anyone needs to believe that interest in the season-ending …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Dickies 500 at Texas

1. Bailout Needed – According to CBS Sports, sources have said that anywhere from 750-1,000 jobs in NASCAR shops may be lost in the Sprint, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series as a result of the nation’s slumping economy. The report specifically mentions Dale Earnhardt Inc. as a prime example of teams poised to see drastic …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Jack Roush’s Ideas to Revamp Chase Aside, Let’s Give Fans a Break

Whether Jimmie Johnson, with a seemingly insurmountable 183-point lead in the Chase to the Cup, actually closes the deal this season is yet to be decided. However, many fans and others in the NASCAR community are already conceding the championship to him. The Hendrick Motorsports driver’s string of seven top-10 finishes in seven Chase races …

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