Race Weekend Central

Did You Notice? The Father’s Day Love for Earnhardt, Sorenson’s Pending Pink Slip, & Goofus & Gallant

Did You Notice? And I know it’s been mentioned countless times already, but three days later I still can’t get over the irony of Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning his first race for Rick Hendrick on Father’s Day. The bond these two share has been well-documented, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize what was …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Win Gave NASCAR What It Needed – Putting the Focus Back On Racing

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s first win in over two years could not have come at a better time for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. The sanctioning body desperately needed something positive to transpire for the sport after a week in which it found itself in the forefront of the national news – and …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 LifeLock 400 at Michigan

The Irish Hills of Michigan once again produced a fuel-mileage finish that will have people buzzing for weeks. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s strategic win – one that came packaged with a little luck – was enough to move him up the rankings. But did he knock off rival Kyle Busch? We’ll tell you this much; for …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2008 LifeLock 400 at Michigan Edition

The long-awaited first Hendrick-Earnhardt victory finally came this week at Michigan, but it didn’t come without controversy. Winning on fuel mileage, the No. 88 team worked some pit strategy to make it to victory lane; however, Matt Kenseth and Brian Vickers have criticized Dale Earnhardt Jr. and NASCAR for allowing the eventual winner to pass …

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Talking NASCAR TV: TNT Not the Only Network to Step It up a Notch This Week

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a lot of reasons to win Sunday’s Lifelock 400 at Michigan International Speedway, not the least of which was the strong reader response to my being critical of Junior for lethargic television interviews in last week’s column. The results were varied, but most sided with Junior, saying that he does enough …

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Voice of Vito: He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother – Cousins Earnhardt Jr. & Eury Jr. Silence Skeptics with Win at Michigan

This past Friday at Michigan International Speedway, there was a question and answer session near several of the drivers’ haulers following the first practice session. Outside of Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s No. 88 team hauler that day, the mood was anything but somber. Strained would be a better way to describe it. Junior was fielding the …

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10 Points to Ponder After the 2008 Lifelock 400 at Michigan

1. GEICO… Not Gecko! – GEICO Insurance, sponsor of Mike Wallace and the No. 7 Germain Racing Toyota, is indicating that they will end their sponsorship of the car after next season. Wallace, who finished third in the Meijer 300 last Saturday at Kentucky, believes he will need another sponsor if he is to continue …

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Today’s NASCAR Drivers Don’t Hold a Candle to Old-School Toughness

Editor’s Note: Due to personal issues detailed in Monday’s Thinkin’ Out Loud column regarding his nephew, Matt McLaughlin has taken this Thursday off. In his place, our TV critic Doug Turnbull fills in… we hope to have Matt back on Monday. Until then, keep him in your thoughts during his difficult time. The heat radiated …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: How to Get Maximum Fuel Mileage From Your Team at Michigan

Michigan is a wide open 2-mile track that offers drivers plenty of options and room to make moves, which hopefully will lead to on-track passes and its fair share of racing action. But for fantasy players that worry about their drivers being caught up in someone else’s problems, they can rest assured that it generally …

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