Race Weekend Central

NASCAR Mailbox: The Sport from an Outsider’s Perspective

2014 Sonoma CUP Austin Dillon car CIA

The cool thing about having a fairly large staff of writers here at Frontstretch means, though we’re tied together by a passion for auto racing, we come from multiple walks of life. I’ve been a NASCAR fan longer than probably anything else except really good burritos, but the thing about my chosen industry — the music …

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Chasing the Chase Will Influence How Teams Hit the Bricks

Indy_2009

What is the most memorable Brickyard 400 moment of all time? Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

The Sprint Cup Series returns to action at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday after its final week off of the season. The question now with the Chase spots being on the line,  will they be racing the same way by being worried about nothing but wins, or concerned about points? Clearly, there are going to …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not In NASCAR: Off-Week–Indianapolis Edition

2014 Loudon I CUP Cup Paul Menard Kevin HArvick loser CIA

(Credit: CIA)

Summer might be in full swing, but with seven races remaining before the Chase cutoff, things are only starting to heat up in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Drivers and teams received a bit of rest and relaxation over the season’s final off week but now, it’s back to business as stock car racing’s best …

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Four Burning Questions on the Off-Week: Title Favorites, Silly Season Rumors, and Chase Predictions

Jimmis Johnson and Casey Mears race at Kentucky Speedway July 2014.

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014)­­

It’s a rare off-week in NASCAR-land, and as the men and women who make up the Sprint Cup Series enjoy some well-earned vacation time, the sport’s observers are left to reflect on the season that’s been as we sit at the de facto halfway point of the schedule. The 2014 season has been an interesting …

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Going By the Numbers: The Sprint Cup Series at Halfway

2014 Kentucky CUP Kevin Harvick racing CIA

(Credit: CIA)

It’s been what seems like a quick, whirlwind journey for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series so far, and now the season’s hump has been traversed — the halfway point of 2014 has been reached. With 18 races completed in the Sprint Cup season, the same amount remains before a champion is crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway …

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Fantasy Insider: Laying it On The Line in Loudon

2014 Sonoma CUP Brian Vickers car CIA

For some NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, these are now desperate times. With a win needed to be guaranteed a spot in the Chase for the Championship, and 11 winners so far after 18 races, that means points don’t mean much at all to some drivers. Part of the issue is that of the 11 winners, …

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Who’s Hot / Who’s Not: Daytona-New Hampshire Edition

2014 Sonoma CUP Ricky Stenhouse Jr face CIA

(Credit: CIA)

Remember when you were a kid at the beach — Daytona Beach, perhaps, and went into the surf only to have a huge wave rock everyone? Well, that happened at Daytona International Speedway this weekend in many ways. Rain forced officials to move the race back to Sunday, but precipitation continued to come into play …

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Fantasy insider:Daytona Puts Plenty of Unpredictability On the Plate

2014 Michigan I CUP Ryan Newman Kevin Harvick CIA

The Sprint Cuppers head to Daytona for the third of four restrictor plate races Saturday night. And the one thing about these races, as you may well know, is that you don’t know with any certainty what is going to happen. Sure there are some guys who have a knack for this kind of racing, …

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Fantasy Insider: Will The K-Factor Continue In Kentucky?

2014 Sonoma CUP Kyle Busch Dave Rogers CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup series will make its way to Kentucky for the fourth time Saturday night. When it comes to making picks, there is not a whole lot of history to go on here for the Cup drivers. But with three races, there are at least some trends we can look at. The one …

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Who’s Hot / Who’s Not In NASCAR: Sonoma-Kentucky Edition

2014 Sonoma CUP Carl Edwards Jamie McMurray racing CIA

Another stop in California left the road course specialists of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wishing for another try.  They’ll get one eventually, but for now, the Chase picture remains unchanged. Carl Edwards added another victory, a first ever at Sonoma, and helped Roush Fenway Racing get back in the win column.  Next up is …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not In Sprint Cup: Michigan-Sonoma Edition

2014 Michigan I CUP Jimmie Johnson helmet CIA

Can Jimmie Johnson help Tyler Clary achieve his goals of becoming a racecar driver?

Move over Talladega — Michigan International Speedway deserves some of the spotlight now. NASCAR’s fastest non-restrictor plate track took a step up with the assistance of Sprint Cup’s new rules package, and Who’s Hot and Who’s Not shows that other than the faster speeds, nothing really changed.  Long green flag runs were prevalent, and smart …

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