Race Weekend Central

Holding a Pretty Wheel: NASCAR Fans’ Reactions to Junior, Jeff, Jimmie & Jack Not What You Might Expect

It may be only five races into the NASCAR season, but there have certainly been a lot of things to think about: Toyota’s surge from backmarker to contender to winner; last year’s absolute domination of Hendrick Motorsports turning into not even being a serious contender to win in ’08; the Car of Tomorrow; Robby Gordon‘s …

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Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off: 2008 NASCAR Questions & Surprises

Only five races into the 2008 Cup season, it’s still premature to draw too many conclusions as to how various drivers and teams will fare this year. Things could change radically in the next five events and, like those disclaimers concerning mutual funds state, past performance is no guarantee of future success. But what is inarguable at this juncture of the season is that with the Cup Series taking the Easter weekend off, there just isn’t much to write about. So, let’s take a look back at some of the questions we had heading into 2008, and see whether they’ve been answered yet; and while we’re at it, check out what surprises have popped up along the way.

Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2008 Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville

The quiet Easter break comes to a screeching halt this Sunday as the Sprint Cup drivers take to the Virginia paperclip known as Martinsville Speedway. Festively painted Easter eggs give way to brightly painted stock cars; and you can bet that on the circuit’s smallest track, more than one car will end up cracked by …

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Holding a Pretty Wheel: Dog & Pony Show for Sponsors Can Leave NASCAR Fans With a Flea Circus

Over the years, the sponsor landscape has changed drastically, from one of small, mostly local automotive-driven businesses to one of billion-dollar international corporations who pump millions into the race teams for the right to paint their logo on the hood of a racecar. And in return, they get a polite, smiling racecar driver to come …

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Thompson in Turn 5: NASCAR Drivers’ Union Probably Not a Good Idea

After Tony Stewart‘s verbal assault on Goodyear gained support amongst a number of high-profile fellow drivers (albeit not quite as aggressively as Stewart), some journalists suggested that the time just may be ripe for the formation of a drivers’ union. Unions are great! I come from a long line of union guys that have walked …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 Food City 500 at Bristol

Despite scoring his worst finish of the season, Kyle Busch holds the top spot in the Frontstretch Power Rankings for the second straight week in a row. But the high banks of Bristol wreaked havoc on the rest of the list, forcing movement up and down the line… and even leaving some surprising names on …

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Side-By-Side: Is It Time For Goodyear to Have Some Competition?

Editor’s Note: The following is a special edition of Frontstretch‘s Side-By-Side. Occasionally throughout the season, two of your favorite Frontstretch writers will duke it out in a debate concerning one of NASCAR’s biggest stories. Don’t let us be the only ones to speak our minds, though… be sure to read both sides and let us …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2008 Food City 500 at Bristol

After four weeks of high-speed racing, beating and banging will be the name of the game this week as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Bristol for the Food City 500. At a track where people are often taken out through no fault of their own, this is definitely a wild-card weekend for fantasy owners. …

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