Race Weekend Central

Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 World 600 at Charlotte

The Key Moment: David Reutimann stayed out when a caution flew for rain. The precipitation never stopped and Reutimann reigned at Charlotte. In a Nutshell: After 24 hours plus at Charlotte, Mother Nature turned a stock car race into a high-dollar game of musical chairs. Dramatic Moment: Waiting to see if the weather would relent …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

David Reutimann won Monday’s Coke 600, despite scratching up the right side of the No. 00 Aaron’s Toyota. Crew chief Rodney Childers’s call for the ‘Franchise’ to stay out instead of pitting before the race’s final caution flag put the Michael Waltrip Racing driver in the lead ahead of Ryan Newman, Robby Gordon and Carl Edwards. The crew chiefs of all of these entries deserve three thumbs up for playing the Mother Nature card and snagging top-five finishes.

Grading the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Pack: Part 2

NASCAR’s longest and most grueling race, the Coca-Cola 600, represents a significant milestone in the 2009 season. It’s not quite the halfway point to the Chase (that comes the following week after Dover), but once the checkers fly late Sunday evening we’re exactly one-third of the way through the 36-race schedule. With that in mind, …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 All-Star Race at Charlotte Edition

Tony Stewart took Lowe’s Motor Speedway by storm Saturday night, as the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy smelled victory and found it in the 25th annual All-Star Race. Stewart’s first win as a driver/owner and first All-Star win came in a race that saw tepid-at-best racing in the first three segments …

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Holding a Pretty Wheel: After 25 Years of All-Star Races, 1 Really Stands Out, but Not for the Racing

With the 25th running of the All-Star Race coming up Saturday night, I was supposed to write a column about memorable All-Star races… or something like that. You know, standard rundown of the big moments. But the problem with that reared its ugly head in oh, about 30 seconds. I don’t really remember any. Sure, …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Time Is Ticking for Tony Eury Jr.

Rumor and speculation continues to circulate in the NASCAR community this week that Tony Eury Jr., crew chief of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet piloted by the sport’s Most Popular Driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., will soon be replaced. With no credible insider connected to the rumored change atop the pit box, it seems clear …

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BSNews! Real NASCAR News That Fits the Headline Title

For the last few days, I have been hearing some “busyness” going on in the BSNews room, which happens to be adjacent to my bedroom. There was a lot of thumping and bumping, the occasional “heated exchange” and the ever present “pphhhfffsssttt” of a beverage being opened. I just assumed that the crew was working …

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Did You Notice? Kyle Busch’s 200-Win Fantasy, Stremme’s Dream Turned Nightmare & Hendrick’s Big Choice

Did You Notice? The big hubbub this week – by far – is whether Kyle Busch can get to 200 wins throughout his Cup career in NASCAR’s top-three series. What? I’ve been under the weather with some kind of flu bug this week, so at first I thought I was being delusional when I heard …

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Full Throttle: Tony Eury Jr., It’s Time to Let Someone Else Guide the Ship

The whole NASCAR world was turned on its ear when Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he would be racing for Hendrick Motorsports. Everyone from his staunchest supporters to his biggest detractors all chimed in with one undeniable opinion: There would not be any more excuses. He would be in top equipment, driving for the best organization …

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Frontstretch Fantasy Insider: NASCAR Beating & Banging in the Capital of the South

With Talladega in the rearview mirror, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series turns to the cozier confines of Richmond International Raceway and good ol’ fashioned short tracking this week. But while the Series’ last downforce race at Phoenix offered a glimpse of who you’d expect to contend in Virginia’s capital, don’t discount what happened last Sunday. …

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Mirror Driving: Keselowski’s Sprint Cup Future, Yanking the Yellow-Line Rule & Super Bowl-Sized Issues for Daytona

Brad Keselowski won in just his fifth career Cup start at Talladega this past weekend. In 2010 and beyond, what does Keselowski’s Cup Series future hold?

Did You Notice? Tragic NASCAR Death Reminder to Push for a Higher Standard

In four years of covering the NASCAR beat, I never “officially” met David Poole. But you don’t have to know him to understand. The word is beloved and the year is 2006. I’m asked to speak for a documentary about the past, present and future of NASCAR. The producer, a friend, chooses three writers to …

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