Race Weekend Central

Fanning the Flames: Carl Long, Brad Keselowski & Other Issues of the Week

Carl Long, we are with you bud. Just so you know, there are a lot of longtime fans of the sport out here that are appalled by the situation you find yourself in. Thank you for fighting the good fight and speaking frankly on the subject. We don’t get that a lot, but whether out …

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What’s Vexing Vito: Carl Long Penalty Further Proof That the Little Guy No Longer Is Welcome in NASCAR

Much like Lloyd Christmas in Dumb & Dumber, just when you didn’t think NASCAR could do anything more asinine than they have as of late, “they go out of their way and totally redeem themselves!” – i.e., out do even themselves yet again. Carl Long, who two weeks ago was the recipient of one of …

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Full Throttle: If Carl Long Has Been Wronged, Fans Should Speak With Their Wallets

The National Stock Car Racing Commission listened to Carl Long’s appeal of his fines and suspensions that stemmed from the All-Star weekend and issued a ruling yesterday. While the Commission acknowledged that Long’s testimony was “genuine and heartfelt” and “expressed a strong love of racing and a desire to compete at the highest levels of …

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Did You Notice? Carl Long’s Last Words, Driver of the Decade & GM’s Rough Road Ahead?

Did You Notice? That at the end of a provocative, fantastic interview by ESPN’s Marty Smith, Carl Long took a swipe at NASCAR worth expanding on. In case you hadn’t heard, Long lost his appeal of an oversized engine penalty on Tuesday, meaning not only is he stuck with a 12-race suspension from the Cup Series, …

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Mirror Driving: Carl Long’s Public Whipping, Gauging David Reutimann’s Upset & Meetings, Meetings, Meetings

Welcome to Mirror Driving. Every week, your favorite columnists sit down and give their opinion about the latest NASCAR news and rumors. Love us or hate us, make a comment below and tell us how you feel about what we’ve said! This Week’s Participants: Beth Lunkenheimer (Tuesdays/Running Your Mouth & Various/Frontstretch Truck Series Reporter) Jeff Meyer (Wednesdays/Top …

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5 Points to Ponder: Memorial Day Weekend 2009 Edition

Longing for Leniency You know that big senior bully who picks on the little freshman in high school? That’s what NASCAR has been accused of on several occasions in the past month with the suspensions of Jeremy Mayfield and Carl Long. The recent 12-week, $200,000 fine for Long’s engine that was a fraction of an …

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What’s Vexing Vito: Carl Long’s Suspension & Fines a Cover-Up for Mayfield Drug-Test Fiasco?

Do any of you remember that Robert DeNiro and Dustin Hoffman movie Wag the Dog? The plot of the movie was that in order to cover up a sex scandal involving the President prior to an election, a Hollywood producer comes up with a plan to fabricate a fictional war on television, keeping the scandal …

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Did You Notice? CoT Equality, Newman Backing Stewart?, Harvick Speaks Out… & More

Did You Notice? That after Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch tangled on the track, Ryan Newman was seen engaging in lighthearted conversation with Stewart on his way to the NASCAR hauler? It’s not like the two drivers can’t talk to each other – they’re friends – but to make that type of move in public, five …

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Bowles-Eye View: If France Wants NASCAR “Back to Basics,” Getting There Starts With Daytona Dreams

It’s been nearly two weeks since Brian France spoke the words that made everyone covering NASCAR do a double take. “We’re going to minimize change the best we can,” he said of the upcoming season ahead. “Change is good to a certain point – but we’ve done all the changing we think the sport can …

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Evernham Motorsports Claims 2006 Banquet 400 Front Row with Kasey Kahne on the Pole

Kasey Kahne picked up the pole for Sunday’s Banquet 400 at the Kansas Speedway, making it his fifth pole of the season (tying Kurt Busch for most poles in 2006). Kahne, looking for his sixth victory of the season, will line up beside his Evernham Motorsports teammate, Scott Riggs. This is the second sweep of …

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