Race Weekend Central

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 Amp Energy 500 at Talladega

Blown tires, Big Ones, passes below the yellow line… Talladega had it all this fall. No question about it, the race routinely regarded as the biggest wild card of the Chase lived up to all its expectations, with more than half the title contenders caught up in accidents – some of their own making. But …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2008 Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Edition

Talladega. It was the Chase wildcard; everybody knew it. The Big One. Who would be in it? Everybody tried to avoid it… but you knew not everyone could. In the end, after a number of Chasers raced conservatively for three quarters of the race in anticipation of the big wreck, it was ironically one Chaser …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2008 Talladega Fall Race Recap

The Key Moment: The race at Talladega was decided in NASCAR’s control room almost a minute after the event itself ended. In a Nutshell: Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over until it’s over.” Apparently, sometimes it’s not over even when it is over. Dramatic Moment: With 15 laps to go, Carl Edwards got Greg …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Amp Energy 500 at Talladega

1. Change in Direction – Joey Logano, heir to the No. 20 Toyota presently driven by Sunday’s race winner Tony Stewart, will not compete in any further races this season in the No. 96 Hall of Fame Toyota. The 18-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing phenom had been scheduled to fill the driver’s seat in the HoF …

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Fanning the Flames: Talking Plates, Allmendingers & Last-Lap Dashes Heading Into Talladega

Good questions this week and I’m feeling long-winded, so let’s get to it. Q: We always seem to take it out on the 1.5-mile tracks as being uninteresting and of the cookie-cutter style. Actually, weren’t these type of tracks all built because, at one time, all the 1.5-milers provided really great door-to-door racing? (And one …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 Camping World RV 400 at Kansas

As the 2008 postseason rolls on to Talladega, Jimmie Johnson continues to make the playoffs his own private playground. The all-time winningest driver in Chase history scored another one this past weekend at Kansas, and it was enough to propel him into first in our weekly rankings. Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not In Sprint Cup: 2008 Camping World RV 400 at Kansas Edition

It was another week, another mechanical problem for Kyle Busch this weekend at Kansas. Busch is going through one of the most surprising slumps in recent history, dropping from the points lead to 12th in a manner of three weeks. But while Busch continues to struggle, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle continue to fight …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2008 Kansas Race Recap

The Key Moment: Carl Edwards sailed his Ford into the final corner in a kamikaze attempt to pass Jimmie Johnson. Edwards did get by the No. 48 car, but momentum carried him into the wall – allowing Johnson to retake the lead. In a Nutshell: The race might have been 100 miles too long but …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Camping World RV 400 at Kansas

1. Naturally Good – The Chase for the Sprint Cup point format initiated in 2004 is designed to narrow the point gap amongst the top-12 drivers and aid in creating a more exciting and suspenseful 10-race climax to the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Following Sunday’s Camping World RV 400 from Kansas, Jimmie Johnson now leads …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: Getting Your Cookie-Cutter Lineup Set at Kansas

The Chase heads to the Midwest this weekend for its eighth visit to Kansas Speedway. The teams will once again be trying to make the boxier new car go through the air quickly and still turn once it gets to the corners. As this is our first and only visit to the track this season, …

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