Race Weekend Central

Bubble Breakdown: Brian Vickers Digs Out of a Hole, While Jamie McMurray Digs Himself 1

When the checkered flag fell at Bristol Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon, it ended more than just the Food City 500. For some, it concluded a short-term “mulligan” they’ve utilized for over a month. For the first five races this season, the Top 35 was based on 2007 owner points; that loophole allowed rookies like Dario …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Sam Hornish Jr. Stops Horrible Luck for Rookies at Atlanta

Rookies in the Starting Lineup: Patrick Carpentier (21st), Dario Franchitti (23rd), Sam Hornish Jr. (33rd), Regan Smith (41st) Unofficial Finishing Positions: Hornish (25th), Franchitti (33rd), Carpentier (35th), Smith (38th) Rookie of the Race: Hornish. The bright yellow color scheme of Penske Trucking replaced the familiar blue and white Mobil 1 logo on the No. 77 Dodge in …

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Mirror Driving: Tires Making You Pout? Will Carl Edwards’s Penalty Have Some Clout? & Mark Martin Spinning Someone Out?

Carl Edwards’s win was tainted with word that an oil-tank cover was left off the car following Las Vegas. Is it time for NASCAR to strip a win?

Bubble Breakdown: Blown Tires Lead to Blown Opportunities for Several on the Top-35 Bubble at Las Vegas

Right-front tires and unstable grip were the talk of the town Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, variables which led to increasing instability as the Top-35 standings continue to fluctuate early in 2008. The mix of a new track configuration, a new car and wind gusts up to 40 mph all led to an unpredictable …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: From Dario Franchitti to Patrick Carpentier, Vegas is Vicious to Rookies

Rookies in the Starting Lineup: Patrick Carpentier (12th), Sam Hornish Jr. (20th), Regan Smith (28th), Dario Franchitti (42nd) Unofficial Finishing Positions: Franchitti (33rd), Smith (34th), Carpentier (40th), Hornish (41st) Rookie of the Race: Nobody. I have decided that I am not going to award the “Rookie of the Race” to any driver unless one of them …

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Bowles-Eye View: California’s Weekend Joke Puts NASCAR Passion to the Test – Did Yours Take a Hit, Too?

Sunday night marked just the second official weekend of the NASCAR season. In a perfect world, I would have spent it smiling in Ontario, Calif., celebrating the sport’s continued momentum off the heels of a Daytona 500 that exceeded expectations. Instead, my night became so incredibly frustrating, so mentally frying I was virtually jumping through …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Auto Club 500 at Fontana

1. You’re Just Repeating Yourself! – Ahead of the running of the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, International Speedway Corporation (ISC) announced that they had sold the naming rights to the track located in Fontana, Calif. to the Auto Club Speedway of Southern California. The 10-year deal was for an undisclosed amount rumored to …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Rain, Sam Hornish Jr.’s Hard Hit Ruin Rookie Results at California

Rookies in the Starting Lineup: (Due to inclement weather, the qualifying order was determined by 2007 owner points) Sam Hornish Jr. (seventh), Regan Smith (17th), Dario Franchitti (26th) Unofficial Finishing Positions: Smith (31st), Franchitti (32nd), Hornish (43rd) Rookie of the Race: Absolutely Nobody. There is no way that I can assign this category to a freshman …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Sam Hornish Jr. is Heroic at Daytona

Rookies in the Starting Lineup: Sam Hornish Jr. (19th), Regan Smith (29th), Dario Franchitti (40th) Unofficial Finishing Positions: Hornish (15th), Franchitti (33rd), Smith (37th) Rookie of the Race: Sam Hornish Jr. Most of the NASCAR world will say that Penske Racing had its most successful run in team history during Sunday’s Daytona 500, based on the …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2008 NASCAR Preview Edition

The last time we were in Florida for a NASCAR race, Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team were basking in a sea of confetti after winning their second consecutive Sprint Cup title at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A lot has changed since that historic day in November; there’s been a powerful addition to the Toyota camp, …

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NASCAR Nextel Cup Rookie Report: 2008 Preview, Part II

With the Daytona 500 nearly upon us, it’s time to finish off my look at the 2008 NASCAR Nextel Cup rookies. Last week in this column, we profiled three of the six candidates; this time around, we’ll finish the job by chronicling three impressive open-wheel veterans turned stock car freshmen: No. 27 Jacques Villeneuve – …

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