Race Weekend Central

Brian Vickers Cleared to Return at Las Vegas, Still Eligible for Chase

2014 Texas II CUP Brian Vickers CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

On Wednesday, Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) announced that Brian Vickers has officially been cleared to return to the driver’s seat starting at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.  He will miss the first two races of the 2015 Sprint Cup Series season while he continues to recover from a surgical procedure on his heart back in December. …

Read more

Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Homestead – Offseason Edition

2014 Atlanta CUP Tony Stewart hand CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The Sprint Cup season is over, and it’s hard to let it go. The new Chase format gave new reason to religiously follow each of the final 10 races, while Homestead-Miami Speedway provided the perfect setting to finish off the year. After all, it’s tough to beat 80-degree weather in mid-November. This edition of Who’s …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: ESPN’s Fight Night At The Races

2014 Texas II CUP Brad Keselowski postrace brawl CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The specter of violence has reared its head once again. Cripes. Before we even get into the critique, I’ll state for the record that this fighting is passé. Not only is it played out, it’s also ludicrous and makes the sport look bad. I do a lot more pertaining to motorsports coverage than critiquing TV …

Read more

Friday Faceoff: Feuds, Winning & the Dynamic Duo’s Demise?

2014 Martinsville Cup Martin Truex, Jr., Casey Mears, Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers, More Wreck Credit CIA

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014)

Welcome to Friday Faceoff! What do you get when you take some hot-button NASCAR topics and hand them over to our dedicated and… er, opinionated staff? A little disagreement and a whole lot of thought-provoking insight! Check out this week’s edition to see what everyone is arguing… um, we mean, discussing this week! Martinsville Speedway‘s …

Read more

Fantasy Insider: Late Revenge Tactics Could Ruin This Fantasy

2014 Pocono II CUP Alan Gustafson Jefff Gordon CIA

Credit: CIA Stock Photography

One of the things that is out of a NASCAR fantasy team owner’s control are the revenge tactics that can take place on the track. And since we are now down to the final three races of the season, there seems to be a lot of “getting even” stuff going on. There are few of …

Read more

Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Martinsville – Texas Edition

2014 Chicago CUP David Ragan CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The Eliminator Round is underway and already multiple drivers are in trouble. The tight confines of Martinsville Speedway proved challenging for some as new rivalries were ignited and older ones brought back to life. Yet, some championship hopefuls escaped with little more than a scratch and one driver – unfulfilled by last week’s restrictor plate …

Read more

Thinkin’ Out Loud: Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500

2014 Martinsville II CUP Dale Earnhardt Jr burnout CIA

Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Key Moment – During the caution flag that flew for the third incident between Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers on lap 278, Steve Letarte realized that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was going to restart in the fourth position, which would have put him in the outside line. Letarte called Earnhardt in, put four tires on his …

Read more

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2014 Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville

2014 Martinsville Cup Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Grandfather Clock Credit CIA

Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Looking for the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How behind Sunday’s race? Amy Henderson has you covered each week with the answers to six race-day questions, covering all five Ws and even the H… the Big Six. Who… gets my shoutout of the race? At the end, staying out on the final caution while …

Read more

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2014 GEICO 500 at Talladega

2014 Talladega II CUP green flag credit NASCAR via Getty Images

Credit: NASCAR via Getty Images

Looking for the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How behind Sunday’s race? Amy Henderson has you covered each week with the answers to six race-day questions, covering all five Ws and even the H… the Big Six. Who… gets my shoutout of the race? His run wasn’t perfect, and an ill-timed move late may …

Read more

Thinkin’ Out Loud – Charlotte Chase race 5 – Wrestlemania 31

2014 Charlotte II Cup Kevin HArvick woohoo credit Yvonne Leonard

Key Moment – On lap 328, Brian Vickers‘ No. 55 done blowed up. The cleanup from the oil laid down lasted until lap 332. Rodney Childers, crew chief for Kevin Harvick, decided to leave his driver on the track. Several other cars also stayed out, so the two-lap dash to the trophy was a battle among …

Read more