Race Weekend Central

Happiness Is… Records, Chicagoland, and Smog

2015 Richmond Ii Cup Grandstand Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Out like a lamb and in like a lamb. That description feels apt for the end of the Cup Series’ regular season and the beginning of its Chase – or is it playoffs? In many ways, there is nothing surprising about the regular season wheezing out as few can remember anything significant happening in that …

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NASCAR Mailbox: Denny Hamlin and the Chase Media Tour in… Mexico?

2015 Richmond Ii Cup Denny Hamlin Family Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

That collective gasp you just heard was the sigh of relief from Jeff Gordon fans. The No. 24 team will make the Chase and contend for a fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup championship this year, for the final time in the driver’s 24-year career. We also saw drivers Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard make it …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2015 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond

2015 Richmond Ii Cup Matt Kenseth Woohoo Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Matt Kenseth closed out the regular season with his fourth win of the season, tying Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch for most wins. With that, the 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup is set. 16 drivers representing eight different teams will compete. Below is a breakdown of the 2015 Chase grid: Five drivers made the …

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Beside the Rising Tide: NASCAR S.O.S.

2015 Richmond Ii Cup Aric Almirola Pack Racing Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)­

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein Hey, who knew? After the much ballyhooed and largely successful experiment with a new rules package at Kentucky, NASCAR reverted to their tried-and-true 2015 rules package which has consistently delivered substandard results and stood back as if they expected …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: 2015 Chase Edition

2015 Richmond Ii Cup Kevin Harvick Car Cia

(CIA Stock Photography, 2015)

So here we are heading into the first race of the Chase at Chicagoland on Sunday and the good news is that going in, there is may be not one clear cut favorite. If this had been done by the old pre-Chase points system, Kevin Harvick would pretty much have things wrapped up with 10 …

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NASCAR 101: Can Anyone Clinch a Chase Spot with a Win?

2015 Darlington Cup Jeff Gordon Car Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

You’ve heard it all year: win and you’re in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Well, this weekend marks the final chance for a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to do so. By scoring a victory, while also being inside the top 30 in points and having attempted every race of the season …

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Happiness Is… Themes, Hype, and Silly Season

2015 Darlington Cup Tony Stewart Car Ii Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

The low downforce. The softer tires. The retro paint schemes. The return to Darlington Raceway over Labor Day weekend. All of these elements added up to an interesting Southern 500, one that has seemed to garner overall positive reactions. That’s great! For a sport that has seemingly battled itself more than it should and caused many of …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2015 Southern 500

Carl Edwards Victory Lane Confetti Darlington Cup 2015 Yvonne Leonard (5)

(Photo Credit: Yvonne Leonard, Frontstretch)

And then there was one… race left. One race remains to set the field for the 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup. But someone outshone the fact that there is only one race left, and her name is the Lady in Black. Opening her doors on Labor Day weekend for the first time in more …

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2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup Clinch Scenarios

2015 Richmond I Cup Kurt Busch Wins Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will invade Richmond International Raceway this weekend for the final regular season race on the 2015 calendar. That means numerous drivers who have not already locked themselves into the Chase will be eager to do so on Saturday night. NASCAR released the clinch scenarios for this weekend’s race: Regardless of …

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Beside the Rising Tide: That ’70s Show

Kyle Larson And Ricky Stenhouse Jr Darlington Cup Retro 2015 Mike Neff 108

(Photo: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

Perhaps the most highly anticipated race of the 2015 Cup season has now come and gone; my, oh my. After a lot of races, folks need a little time to digest and contemplate what went on, and some folks will give an event a thumbs up while others will take a decidedly more negative view …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Southern 500

2015 Darlington Cup Carl Edwards Champagne Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Who’s in the headline – While Carl Edwards’s name appears in the headlines, it is his pit crew that deserves the accolades. The new aero package provided some great racing and passing opportunities, but the race came down to an eight-lap dash for the cash. Fresh tires were good enough for 15–20 laps, so whoever …

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Friday Faceoff: Panic Time for Jeff Gordon?

2015 Bristol Ii Cup Jeff Gordon Car Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

The summer stretch is coming to a close and Jeff Gordon still hasn’t won a race. Is it time for the No. 24 team to click the panic button? Aaron Bearden, Assistant Editor: No, the No. 24 team shouldn’t hit the panic button just yet. Despite its struggles, the team is sitting in position to make the Chase …

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