Race Weekend Central

5 Points to Ponder: 2009 Samsung 500 at Texas Edition

The streak is over How fitting is it that Jeff Gordon’s 47-race winless streak comes to an end at a track where he’s been winless for his entire career? Gordon was strong for much of the race, but it was a combination of a good pit stop by the No. 24 bunch and yet another …

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Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 O’Reilly 300 at Texas

On paper, this one wasn’t even close. And for over 250 miles on Saturday, it wasn’t. In the end, though, Kyle Busch led 178 of the 200 laps run at Texas to score his third win of the 2009 season. But he came very close to losing it. Brad Keselowski, who started 42nd in a …

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Nuts for Nationwide: A Look at NASCAR’s Soon-to-Be Top 30

This weekend’s upcoming race at Texas Motor Speedway will mark the fifth event of the season for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the final race before reverting to the 2009 owner points standings to determine who is locked into the field each weekend. Looking at the current standings, there are a number of teams that …

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Did You Notice? What Jimmie Johnson’s Hiding, Why Patience for NASCAR Owners Pays Off & Driver Depression

Did You Notice? During a garage walkthrough on Friday, the newest edition to Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 cloak of secrecy? It was a dark-blue drape placed over his stall inside the garage area, meaning no one walking by could see what they were doing to set up the car. In the team’s defense, the forecast …

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Beyond the Cockpit: Jason Keller on Racing NASCAR’s 2nd Series

While some drivers look at the Nationwide Series as a fun diversion from, or a stepping stone to the Cup Series, Jason Keller has made his racing home in the series since 1991, where he has more starts than any other driver (461). Keller sat down with Frontstretch’s Amy Henderson last week to talk about …

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Mirror Driving: Final Thoughts on the New Bristol & Digesting the New Top 35

It’s clear 18 months after repaving this isn’t the same old Bristol. That’s led to mixed reviews from fans – but is the new Bristol a classic or a total flop?

Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 Scotts Turf Builder 300 at Bristol

NASCAR fan or not, every sports fan in America has had at least one eye drawn on the NCAA basketball tournament this weekend. There are few sporting events anywhere in the world that can match the excitement, passion and competition evoked by the weekend’s first two rounds. And, just like it does every year, the …

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Nuts for Nationwide: 5 Fearless NASCAR Forecasts for Thunder Valley

Return to Their Roots Equals Success for Keselowski, Wallace Brad Keselowski has had top-10 racecars in each of the season’s first three NASCAR Nationwide Series races. Yet he has not finished in the top 20 even once this year, finding himself mired in 22nd in the points standings. Thankfully for him, Bristol and short-tracking is …

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Did You Notice? No ’09 Rivalries, Fun with NASCAR TV Ratings & Statistical Surprises in Sprint Cup

Did You Notice? The only thing Lowe’s Motor Speedway President Marcus Smith would commit to last week – alluding to changes for this year’s All-Star Race – is that the distance would stay exactly the same (100 laps). To me, that’s already a bad “change” to make, no matter how you break that distance down. …

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Mirror Driving: Grading NASCAR in 2009, Why Kvapil’s Cryin’ & Pushing for a Pension Fund

Four races in, how would you grade the 2009 NASCAR Cup season to date? And what, if anything, can be done to make things better?