Race Weekend Central

Friday Faceoff: Texas Tangle, Phoenix Fury & Chases for Everybody?

2014 Texas Ii Cup Jeff Gordon Brad Keselowski Postrace Brawl Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Welcome to Friday Faceoff! What do you get when you take some hot-button NASCAR topics and hand them over to our dedicated and… er, opinionated staff? A little disagreement and a whole lot of thought-provoking insight! Check out this week’s edition to see what everyone is arguing… um, we mean, discussing this week! 1. Tempers …

Read more

Happiness Is… Drivers Not Liking Other Drivers

2014 Richmond Ii Cup Jeff Gordon Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

So this is what NASCAR wanted, eh?  Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman duking it out at Homestead for the championship.  There’ll probably be another driver there too, like Matt Kenseth, or Carl Edwards.   Then, when one of these drivers hoists the big shiny trophy everyone will collectively yawn and find something else to …

Read more

Fantasy Insider: Dare To Take Risks Out In The Desert

2014 Kentucky Cup Kevin Harvick Josh Wise Racing Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

If you picked Jeff Gordon last week at Texas, with just a few laps to go you thought you had it made. He had a comfortable lead and it all looked good for him advancing into NASCAR’s version of the Final Four and for your fantasy team that day. Then, after his old buddy Clint …

Read more

Did You Notice? … NASCAR’s Gamble With Pandora’s Box, Hamlin’s Heist & Quick Hits

2014 Texas Ii Cup Brad Keselowski Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Did You Notice? … No drivers were penalized in Tuesday’s list of fines and suspensions doled out after the Texas brawl? NASCAR chose instead to come down hard on four crew members, all from Hendrick Motorsports whose punches were clearly captured either through photos or video footage obtained from the pit road incident. The punishment …

Read more

NASCAR Issues Penalties Against No. 5 and No. 24 Team Following Texas Fight

2014 Texas Ii Cup Jeff Gordon Brad Keselowski Postrace Brawl Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Following the fight at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday night, NASCAR has issued penalties against crew members on both the No. 5 and No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports teams. Jeremy Fuller off of Kasey Kahne‘s No. 5 team, along with Dwayne Doucette and Jason Ingle off of Jeff Gordon‘s No. 24 team, have been each fined …

Read more

NASCAR Mailbox: NASCAR Was Right Not to Penalize Gordon, Keselowski

2014 Texas Ii Cup Pack Racing Ii Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

To say that NASCAR has faced some criticism in the past for being inconsistent on issuing penalties would be an understatement. Seemingly similar incidents would get completely different penalties, and would sometimes be completely over turned by NASCAR’s own appellate staff. Even with the introduction of the new penalty system, the different levels assessed didn’t …

Read more

NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Texas

2014 Texas Ii Cup Jimmie Johnson Crew Checkered Flag Cia

For the second time during the Chase, on-track contact has led to a post-race fight. The one common denominator: Brad Keselowski. This time, Keselowski made a bold three-wide move between Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon which resulted in a cut tire for Gordon and a 29th place finish. Understandably, Gordon was upset after seeing a …

Read more

Racing to the Point: NASCAR Plays The Brawl Blame Game

2014 Mudsummer Classic Eldora Speedway Robin Pemberton Camping World Trucks Mike Neff 172

(Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

NASCAR executives probably spent Monday morning reveling in the media attention sparked by Sunday’s post-race fight. Then they spent Monday afternoon analyzing the video to dish out penalties for it. After all, that type of behavior can’t be tolerated – even if it’s exactly what NASCAR wanted, creating one hell of a strange disciplinary policy. …

Read more

Five Points to Ponder: Fiery Phoenix, 500 Strong for Harvick & The Big Unknown

2014 Darlington Cup Chad Knaus Jimmie Johnson Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

ONE: UNDER PRESSURE Two races remain – 579 laps or 712 miles, if you prefer – until we crown the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, and right now it’s anyone’s title, with all eight still-eligible drivers absolutely in the mix for the big silver wavy trophy. This new Chase version is certainly polarizing, but …

Read more

Voices from the Cheap Seats: Defending the Indefensible

2014 Loudon Ii Cup Kevin Harvick Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Just a scant couple of weeks ago in this column, I basically did the journalistic equivalent of ripping Brad Keselowski a new one. Today, I find myself in the position of public defender for the aforementioned “defendant,” who shall henceforth be referred to as BK. Others involved in this investigation, namely Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: ESPN’s Fight Night At The Races

2014 Texas Ii Cup Brad Keselowski Postrace Brawl Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The specter of violence has reared its head once again. Cripes. Before we even get into the critique, I’ll state for the record that this fighting is passé. Not only is it played out, it’s also ludicrous and makes the sport look bad. I do a lot more pertaining to motorsports coverage than critiquing TV …

Read more

Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Texas – Phoenix Edition

2014 Richmond Ii Cup Denny Hamlin Teeth Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

It seemed like everyone wanted a piece of Brad Keselowski after the AAA Texas 500, but he isn’t the driver atop Who’s Hot and Who’s Not. The actions of Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick are being studied under a microscope after a multifaceted brawl in the Lone Star State left three Chasers bruised and bloody. …

Read more