Race Weekend Central

Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: Picking the Best of Some Lowe’s Home Cookin’

The Chase is almost to the halfway point, and the haves and have nots among the Chase contenders are pretty well defined now. Fantasy gamers need to think about how desperate their top drivers are to get back into contention, or if they’re content with their lot and intend for consistent, solid finishes to differentiate …

Read more

Did You Notice? McMurray Got Screwed, Screwy Rookie Scheduling & NASCAR’s Fake Title Contenders

Did You Notice? Jamie McMurray’s crash at Dover was not just caused by Robby Gordon’s recklessness… but by missing the playoffs? Let me explain. After the regular-season finale at Richmond, Roush Fenway Racing GM Robbie Reiser made a number of pit-crew switches to benefit the RFR teams set to contend for the championship. “There were …

Read more

Voice of Vito: 2008 NASCAR Chase for the Championship Raises Interesting Questions at the Mystery Mile

NASCAR’s 2008 Championship Chase began in earnest this past Sunday with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Greg Biffle’s lights out performance (pun obviously intended) in passing race leader Jimmie Johnson with 11 laps to go served notice that there are more title contenders in this fight than just The Three Amigos of …

Read more

The Yellow Stripe: A NASCAR Chase Dream Broken – Who Just Missed, Who Just Didn’t Make It & Who Busted Up Trying

It’s postseason time in NASCAR, and despite it being the only points-paying system I’ve ever known, I still find it weird to hear the announcers, commentators, and analysts throwing around words like “postseason,” “playoff berths” and “wildcards.” That’s football or baseball terminology – even to this Brit. But here we are, I suppose, and regardless …

Read more

Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: Chasing Down Your Best Bets For Richmond

Providing Hurricane Hanna doesn’t interfere with the proceedings in Richmond, the regular season comes to an end in the Cup Series this Saturday night. The Chase picture will be completely in focus after the checkered flag falls, but one thing fantasy owners should know is that it’s already set for the majority of the field …

Read more

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

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

Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: Is Someone Else Worth Picking Over Kyle Busch & Carl Edwards at Bristol?

The toughest ticket in NASCAR. Jet fighters in a gymnasium. Bristol has been nicknamed many things; but when it comes your fantasy team, it’s likely been called something we can’t print on this page in front of you. Indeed, Saturday night’s 500-lapper is the one race left you’re cursing out on your schedule, almost as …

Read more

Did You Notice? Jeff Gordon’s Sudden Slide, What NASCAR’s Schedule Hides & Hamlin’s Bad Side

A lot of shorter observations than usual, so I’m calling this the Odds ‘N’ Ends edition of Did You Notice this week… Did You Notice? That California Speedway’s date realignment on the 2009 Sprint Cup schedule did nothing to address the quality of racing at that facility? I will say the Labor Day date was always …

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

Mirror Driving: Road Ringers Lose, Casey Mears on the Move & Young Guns Get the Boot

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

Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: How to Pick Your Team to Perform at Pocono

Pocono Raceway is the most uniquely shaped track on the Sprint Cup schedule, giving teams quite the challenge when it comes to getting their car to race well. Boasting the longest straightaway in Sprint Cup and a triangular shape with three distinct turns, the Pennsylvania facility is truly a 500-mile test of man and machine. …

Read more