Race Weekend Central

Happy Hour: NASCAR Wins Leaders Both in Danger of Missing Playoffs?

Remember the good old days when we didn’t care who was fighting for 12th place in the standings too much? Those days are gone, even for me. Kyle Busch and Mark Martin, two great drivers on opposite ends of NASCAR Nation’s polarization spectrum, battled to one of the best finishes of the year in Bristol …

Read more

Voice of Vito: Fuel for Thought – Making the Case for Fuel Injection in NASCAR

Progress and change. Both are touchy subjects and, more often than not, have no bearing or influence on the other. One can fly in the face of tradition while the other may support and reinforce it. I’ll spare you the political diatribe (for now) however, and cut to the chase where in NASCAR, the opportunity …

Read more

What’s Vexing Vito: Driver Introduction Music at Bristol – How to Turn a Good Idea Up to 11

This past weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, the night race that was the Sharpie 500 was host once again to one of NASCAR’s most anticipated races of the year. As NASCAR continues its effort to elevate itself to something that resembles a cross between an NFL game, Wrestlemania and a rock concert, it featured personalized …

Read more

Mirror Driving: Fuel-Injection Firestorm, Tackling Team Orders & Why Bash Bristol?

Saturday’s race at Bristol featured green-flag passing as well as several on-track run-ins, although many fans still said afterward that the race was boring.

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Sharpie 500 at Bristol

The new banking at Bristol, along with the new car, has bred a new form of racing at the old bullring. Single-file bump-and-runs have been replaced by side-by-side competition, with wrecks at the finish line replaced by the type of winning maneuvers you’d be more likely to see at a track like Atlanta or even …

Read more

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Sharpie 500 at Bristol Edition

Welcome back Bristol – we missed you! Or maybe you never left and we just had to get used to a few less shoving matches in the Thunder Valley bullring. Nonetheless, the Sprint Cup Series capped off an exciting week of racing at Bristol Motor Speedway by seeing Kyle Busch break out of both a …

Read more

Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 Bristol Night Race Recap

The Key Moment: Kyle Busch prevailed in a spirited side-by-side duel over the final two laps. In a Nutshell: While there’s side-by-side racing and technically better racing, fans just aren’t warming up to Bristol Lite. Fans don’t seem to like the new track, the new cars and less carnage. Maybe Bristol should modify Miller’s slogan, …

Read more

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Sharpie 500 at Bristol

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? Everybody knows he can run a road course, but the man who was introduced to Men At Work’s “Land Down Under” on Saturday night showed he could handle one of NASCAR’s toughest tracks with ease. Marcos Ambrose started 25th at Thunder Valley but had a real shot at …

Read more

Voice of Vito: Take the Pain – Should Jeff Gordon’s Back Injury Be a Storyline as the Championship Chase Looms?

Playing hurt is one of the inevitabilities in professional sports and the world of motorsports is no exception. In NASCAR particularly, it seems that more often than not, competing with an injury becomes the defining aspect of a championship season, and in recent years has played a significant role in determining the Sprint Cup champion. …

Read more