Race Weekend Central

Voice of Vito: Kevin Harvick’s Potential Move to Stewart-Haas Racing Has Long-Lasting Implications

Kevin Harvick may have just pulled the pin on the Silly Season grenade. It used to be late summer and fall when the rumor mill would heat up with stories of defections, sponsor swaps or new teams entering the fray for the coming year. Nowadays, it usually begins just about the time the first Gatorade …

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Voice of Vito: Déjà Vu to You, Too – Hendrick Teams Virtually Guaranteed 2009 Sprint Cup Title

With a much-needed off week prior to the 16th running of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis next Sunday, the Sprint Cup teams fighting for a spot in the Chase are gearing up for what will be a slugfest in the final seven races to determine who gets a shot at the championship following Richmond in …

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Voice of Vito: Michael Waltrip, Motorsports Motormouth Finally Focusing Full-Time on Owner Role for 2010

While the majority of news media yesterday were trained on the Michael Jackson memorial, there was another announcement being made on the opposite side of the country in Cornelius, N.C., at Michael Waltrip Racing. A new driver is joining the MWR stable in 2010, as Martin Truex Jr. was officially announced as the new full-time …

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Voice of Vito: No News is Bad News – Dark Days Still Loom on the Horizon for NASCAR

After taking last week off after covering the LifeLock 400 at Michigan, there have been a few stories floating around that provided some ammo for this week’s column. Some are the same retreads we’ve all heard before, but regardless of what information has come to light, the answers remain the same. Even after spending a …

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Voice of Vito: Number 5 is Alive – Mark Martin Outwits & Outlasts Opponents in 2009 Lifelock 400 at Michigan

Editor’s Note: Tom Bowles is off from his Monday commentary the next few weeks. Bowles-Eye will return in its regular slot Monday, July 6th. BROOKLYN, Mich. – Ste-Pha-Nie… Number Five… is ALIVE! Remember that from the 1986 movie, Short Circuit? It was about a robot that, after being struck by lightning, has an awakening and …

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Voice of Vito: Desperate Men Doing Desperate Things, NASCAR’s Actions Speak Volumes About the State of the Sport

William Shakespeare is quoted as having said, “Tempt not a desperate man.” During the last few weeks, it has become apparent to me that he must have been a NASCAR fan. We’ve all read similar columns and stories about our sport this year. They all start out the same way: bemoaning the state of the …

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Voice of Vito: Kyle Busch – Who Else Is Sick & Tired of His Act Besides Me?

It has happened again. The destructive force that may ruin NASCAR as we know it has reared its ugly head once more. No, I am not referring to General Motors joining Chrysler in bankruptcy – though that is another matter altogether that I will be addressing here in the in coming weeks – but rather …

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Voice of Vito: The Curious Case of Helio Castroneves, David Reutimann & Jenson Button

With the running of the 50th Coca-Cola 600, the biggest weekend of racing has mercifully come to an end… finally. And with Monday’s running of NASCAR’s longest race of the season nearly being a washout as well, another first-time winner wound up getting crowned in victory lane. David Reutimann embodied the old racing adage of …

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Voice of Vito: Big 3 Bankruptcies & New Government Mandates Spell Doom for NASCAR & Motorsports

There is no way to be polite about this. The United States auto industry is circling the drain. Two-thirds of the largest manufacturing entities on the planet will have filed for bankruptcy within two months of each other in the next few weeks. First Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 and now word has come down …

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Voice of Vito: The Southern 500 & Darlington – Same as It “Ever Was, Only Different

Darlington, S.C. You’d be hard pressed to find it on a map; but say the name and instantly a flurry of iconic imagery comes flooding forward; Cale Yarborough sailing out of the track over the guardrail; Richard Petty hanging halfway out of the window of his battered Plymouth as it tumbles down the frontstretch; Bill …

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