Race Weekend Central

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 Sharpie 500 at Bristol

Bristol’s new variable banking has given drivers the option to pass without having to wreck a guy on the racetrack. But as Carl Edwards showed us Saturday night, the bump and run can still be the only option if the car in front is just good enough to keep you behind. Ensuring that move remains …

Read more

The Yellow Stripe: Grading NASCAR’s Pack Two-Thirds of the Way Through 2008

66 drivers have started their engines at the NASCAR Sprint Cup level this season. From the high banks of Daytona to the high banks of Thunder Valley the Sprint Cup season has been in part thrilling, part farcical but for the most part, despite all the flaws (yes, even the really obvious ones), still utterly …

Read more

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2008 Sharpie 500 at Bristol Edition

Boy. is this shaping to be one heck of a Chase! The media have been trying to generate some sort of rivalry between Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch for weeks, but this week that media-generated rivalry finally came to fruition. Neither driver backed up on post-race opinions of how clean Edwards’s pass of Busch was …

Read more

Talking NASCAR TV: ESPN Shines Under the Bristol Lights

The script for excitement during Saturday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway practically wrote itself. The sports two hottest drivers, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, occupied the top two spots in the pack for most of the race. Edwards tagged Busch’s back bumper ever-so-slightly, clawing his way into the lead, and yanking victory away from …

Read more

Bowles-Eye View: The Kyle Busch – Carl Edwards Rivalry Gains Steam, But Do the Fans Love It?

There were differing opinions on the quality of racing Saturday night; but if we learned anything from the new Bristol that everyone can agree on, it’s that the Kyle Busch – Carl Edwards battle is officially the sport’s newest rivalry. With one angry swipe on the cool-down lap – and one angry slam hit in …

Read more

10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Bristol Night Race

1. A Little Communication – New team owner for 2009 Tony Stewart has had a change of heart on acquiring the No. 4 for next year’s teammate Ryan Newman; instead, Stewart’s fellow Indiana driver will race the No. 39. Though NASCAR agreed to transfer the number, used by Morgan-McClure Motorsports for 25 years, the sanctioning …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 3M Performance 400 at Michigan

Four wide-open grooves of racing at Michigan gave the drivers a lot of options Sunday – giving the faster cars a great chance to work their way forward. But for Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne, the only racing line they were able to handle was the one that led straight to the garage. Both saw …

Read more

Top 10 Ways Carl Edwards Can Psych Out Kyle Busch

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson recently failed miserably in an attempt to get into Kyle Busch’s head before Watkins Glen, suggesting that Busch was in a slump. Busch responded to that by dominating that race for his eighth win of the season, then finished runner-up to Carl Edwards at Michigan the following week. So, with …

Read more

Mirror Driving: Gibbs’s Cheating, Kyle Busch Takes a Beating & Dyno Tweaking

Welcome to Mirror Driving. Every week, your favorite columnists sit down and give their opinion about the latest NASCAR news and rumors. Love us or hate us, make a comment below and tell us how you feel about what we’ve said! This Week’s Participants: Tony Lumbis (Mondays/Rookie Report) Mike Neff (Wednesdays/Power Rankings & Full Throttle, Thursdays/Picks ‘N’ …

Read more

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2008 3M Performance 400 at Michigan Edition

With the Chase fast approaching, the number of races left for contenders to reel in points leader Kyle Busch are quickly coming and going. Busch’s 80 bonus points – as of now – guarantees the No. 18 team the number one spot once the Chase begins. However, Carl Edwards narrowed that deficit to 40 with …

Read more