Race Weekend Central

NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Pocono

2014 Pocono II CUP Dale Earnhardt Jr woohoo CIA

Credit: CIA Editorial Photography

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made another statement as to why he’s a top contender to win the 2014 Sprint Cup Championship Sunday, sweeping both races at Pocono and scoring his third win of the season. To put this year’s performance into perspective, Junior won only one race in the past five seasons. It was an up …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: A New Man In NASCAR’s Play-by-Play Chair

2014 Pocono II CUP Justin Allgaier racing CIA

Credit: CIA Editorial Photography

Last weekend, all three series were back in action, though they were split up between Pocono and Iowa. ESPN continues their “lame duck” season covering the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series, while FOX Sports 1 continued their longtime coverage of Camping World Trucks. U.S. Cellular 250 On Saturday night, the Nationwide Series was back in …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: GoBowling.com 400

2014 Pocono II CUP Dale Earnhardt Jr checkered flag CIA

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. after winning the GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway. (Credit: CIA)

Key Moment – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Clint Bowyer pitted when the pits opened after the Big One with 39 laps to go. That decision by Steve Letarte put Earnhardt in position to take a splash of gas to make it to the finish of the race. Earnhardt made that final stop to top off …

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Pace Laps: Pocono Oddity, Iowa Adventures, Ohio Excellence, and More

Cup: Strange Results from Pocono It’s not a surprise that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won at Pocono.  He raced with the leaders all race long and his crew chief, Steve Letarte, made a brilliant strategy call that put him in the best position to win. But what about the rest of the field? Kyle Busch completed …

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Fantasy Insider: NASCAR Flat Track Fortunes

2014 Pocono I CUP Dale Earnhardt Jr trophy CIA

Can Dale Earnhardt, Jr. complete the Pocono sweep this weekend at Pocono?

This is generally considered the hottest time of the year in most parts of the nation and when you’re looking for good fantasy picks for your team, you’re looking for who the hottest drivers will be. One driver in the past capable of running off a rare winning streak in NASCAR was Jeff Gordon. He …

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Going By the Numbers: Toyota’s NASCAR Streak Of Epic Proportions

By now you’ve heard the story, even if you don’t follow the series on a scrutinizing level: Toyota’s Tundras are unbeatable in the Camping World Truck Series. The manufacturer has been on point in 2014 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, setting a blazing pace in the season’s first 10 races. So far, Toyota …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR Sprint Cup: Indianapolis – Pocono Edition

2014 Daytona II CUP Paul Menard car CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

It looks like NASCAR has caught a case of flat-track fever. With stops in New Hampshire, Indianapolis, and Pocono all bunched together, Cup’s top flat-track talent has another chance to shine as the Chase closes in. This week, Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the proverbial meat in the flat-track sandwich – served as the stage for …

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Four Burning Questions at the Brickyard: The Drive for Five and an IndyCar Ringer

2014 Loudon I CUP Jimmie Johnson garage CIA

(Photo: CIA Stock Photography, Inc. ©2014)

Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Simply reading those three words in succession should incite a fit of shivers up the spine of any race fan worth his/her salt. NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series will invade the historic facility today for the 21st annual Brickyard 400. It seems wild to think that Indianapolis has been on the schedule for …

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Holding A Pretty Wheel: Everyone’s Got An Achilles’ Heel

2014 Kentucky CUP Jimmie Johnson car CIA

(Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

It seems as though the 2014 Sprint Cup Series season started just last week, but suddenly it’s midsummer and the countdown to the Chase is in the single digits and clicking lower. It’s been a quirky season — teams who looked unbeatable early faded, teams who looked out to lunch surged into the spotlight. A …

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Chasing the Chase Will Influence How Teams Hit the Bricks

Indy_2009

What is the most memorable Brickyard 400 moment of all time? Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

The Sprint Cup Series returns to action at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday after its final week off of the season. The question now with the Chase spots being on the line,  will they be racing the same way by being worried about nothing but wins, or concerned about points? Clearly, there are going to …

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The Calm Before The Storm

2014 Loudon I CUP Joey Logano Brad Keselowski racing CIA

If nothing else, NASCAR enters this particular Monday morning well rested. Fresh off its last Sprint Cup off weekend, the news cycle slowed to a crawl last week as most participants were busy enjoying life elsewhere, away from the cameras on some Caribbean island. Even those who stayed at home would rather relax, mowing their …

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Four Burning Questions on the Off-Week: Title Favorites, Silly Season Rumors, and Chase Predictions

Jimmis Johnson and Casey Mears race at Kentucky Speedway July 2014.

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014)­­

It’s a rare off-week in NASCAR-land, and as the men and women who make up the Sprint Cup Series enjoy some well-earned vacation time, the sport’s observers are left to reflect on the season that’s been as we sit at the de facto halfway point of the schedule. The 2014 season has been an interesting …

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