Race Weekend Central

Sometimes It’s Skill and Sometimes It’s Luck

When you put aside the terrifying wreck that broke Aric Almirola’s back, we can look back on the Kansas race weekend and decide that the cream rose to the top by the end of the race with Martin Truex Jr. soundly putting his demons to bed on Saturday night and Kyle Busch taking his typical …

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Are NASCAR Fans Safe Enough When Sitting in the Stands?

On Sunday night many people on the Twitterverse, and probably those in the grandstands at Charlotte, were momentarily taken aback by a red flag that was issued not for a crazy amount of debris, but for weather nobody could see yet.  Was it really necessary to clear the stands, pull all the officials off of …

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Mid-season NASCAR Report Card: Does Segment Racing Work?

At the beginning of the season, I listened to NASCAR’s announcement that we’d be testing out this whole segment racing deal.  I really thought it might drum up some interest for me when watching the weekly race. Teams would be charging to the front to gather up those extra points that would be so valuable …

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If a Matt Kenseth Falls in the Forest…

On Friday afternoon, Matt Kenseth mentioned that he does not have a contract for the 2018 season. And NASCAR Nation experienced a collective shrug. While celebrity drivers such as Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon drove the headlines during their final seasons, the offices at Daytona wondered how the sport would survive the loss of these …

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Race Day Impressions from New Hampshire Motor Speedway

This year we really did head out to the races along with the masses, leaving the RV home and simply attending the big show on Sunday afternoon.  It allowed me to filter the race day experience through the eyes of the majority of fans who arrive, park, enjoy the whole day and reverse the order …

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Who is the Better Investment for NASCAR: Rookies or Veterans?

Yet another familiar driver is leaving their team at the end of 2017 further altering the landscape of NASCAR.  Many times Silly Season involves just one or two big names with the rest of the insanity associated with racing teams that perform in the bottom half of the roster.  However, this year it is turning …

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The Hole in Subway’s Reasoning for Abandoning NASCAR

Sometimes you just don’t want to play anymore.  That is apparently what happened in the Subway marketing department last week when it was announced that the sandwich chain was dropping its sponsorship deal with Joe Gibbs Racing, Daniel Suarez, and the No. 19 machine.   Awkward interviews were held with the young driver sporting a blacked …

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What Usually Happens with Safety Equipment During a NASCAR Caution?

After the confusing and alarming performance of a certain ambulance during Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400, it seemed appropriate to review what typically happens once the yellow is thrown during the race.  While many drivers and tons of fans squarely placed the blame on NASCAR for the screw up, that may not entirely be …

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Changing Your Perspective at the Track: It’s a Good Thing

Remember when buying a ticket to the next NASCAR event required extensive advanced planning? If you wanted a seat anywhere in the stands on Sunday, you may have been required to buy the whole weekend, or a standalone ticket for another type of event in order to get on the waiting list for the really …

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Why NASCAR Needs Deregulation

By now everybody has seen the miles of empty seats glittering under the sun at every NASCAR venue on the circuit. Meanwhile the TV ratings for most of the races in 2017 have been clocking in anywhere from 15 to 30% below last year’s numbers. It isn’t like efforts aren’t being made draw more interest …

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Did the Five-Minute Clock Ruin Plate Racing?

This could be yet one more post-Talladega column that bemoans the high toll that the banks of the 2.66-mile superspeedway take on the field of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. But that would simply be beating a dead horse. Perhaps we could look at this fiasco from a different direction. Only fourteen cars took …

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