Race Weekend Central

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega

The wildcard that is restrictor-plate racing at Talladega certainly mixed up our rankings as much as it mixed up the standings. The Big Ones led to big changes for our experts, as multiple drivers received first-place votes and just two of 15 stayed in the same position that they occupied last week. The race ended …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Edition

What a weekend! The rollercoaster-esque ebbs and flows of storylines and drama poured through Talladega more than at any track in a long time. The breakthrough win of David Ragan in Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 Nationwide Series race was impressive enough – but it merely set the stage for what would be a remarkable finish the …

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The Yellow Stripe: Why I Don’t Love Plate Racing Anymore & Up Next, the Best Month of the Season

Even by Talladega’s “biggest, baddest” standards, that was quite the race weekend in Alabama, wasn’t it, dear readers? Matt Kenseth’s crash in the Nationwide race was violent and scary looking, but it pales into almost insignificance when compared to the carnage the airborne No. 99 Ford Fusion caused on the final lap – not to …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 Talladega Spring Race Recap

The Key Moment: Carl Edwards had the lead when Brad Keselowski got a fender inside of him off turn 4 on the final lap. Edwards moved to block the No. 09 a little too late, going for a terrifying ride into the catchfence off of Ryan Newman’s car while Keselowski drove to victory lane. In …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? Most readers know I never give this one to the race winner, because he gets enough shoutouts, but this week I’m going to make an exception. To win a race as a rookie is tough enough, but Brad Keselowski won’t even be a full-time rookie until next year …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix

Phoenix’s Saturday night showdown may have been Mark Martin‘s time to shine, but it didn’t mean much for the rest of the Sprint Cup competition. Most of the racing behind him was tame at best, with few top drivers encountering problems that left them dropping off our Power Rankings list. However, Jeff Gordon‘s loose lug …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Jump the Shark

Race fans, the title says it all for me. However, for those of you who may not be familiar with the term… let me explain. The term “Jump the Shark” was created by Jon Hein and a group of his buddies at the University of Michigan in 1987. Apparently, they spent a Saturday night watching …

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Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix

Friday night’s broadcast from Phoenix was the Kyle and Carl show on TV… and it was literally called that. The first eight minutes of the pre-race show were uninterrupted Kyle vs. Carl, as was the majority of the on-track coverage from flag to flag. Yet, while both drivers led a number of laps, neither driver …

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Nuts for Nationwide: TV Coverage Strangling the NASCAR Nationwide Series

Back when the deal was first announced that ESPN would be returning to NASCAR broadcasting, and would also be giving the Nationwide Series a steady, permanent home, I was absolutely thrilled. What could go wrong here: a network whose Wide World of Sports coverage was largely responsible for NASCAR’s ascension from a niche to a …

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Happy Hour: Why We Don’t See as Much Emotion as We’d Like

I play in a fairly competitive but unofficial softball league. During a game last season while playing first base, I squatted and reached to my left to try to catch a low and wide throw from third. The runner ran into me, knocking me over. The ball got away. Instead of going after the ball, …

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Top 10 Places NASCAR Personalities May Have Found Their Easter Eggs

Author’s Note: It has become sort of a tradition (looking back) that around Easter, this list has usually done something about Easter eggs and the creative places certain NASCAR personalities may stick them – excuse me – perhaps “find them” might be a better phrase. With the ever changing world of sponsorship, we should have …

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