Race Weekend Central

Matt McLaughlin’s Driver Handicaps: 2007 Talladega Fall Race Edition

Jimmie Johnson – Johnson has been on a roll at Talladega as of late: he won here last spring and finished second in April. He almost won last fall’s Talladega event, as well; that is, before former teammate Brian Vickers crashed the little party Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson were staging on the final lap …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2007 UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Edition

This is the week the Chasers dread most, as the Nextel Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway for the first restrictor-plate race under Car of Tomorrow conditions. The 2.66-mile high-banked oval is notorious for being a crapshoot – simply because the restricted engines keep everyone in a three-wide pack most of the day. In that …

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Mirror Driving: The Kansas Debacle, Dale Junior’s Bobble, & Was Biffle’s Wobble to the Finish Legit?

How should the race at Kansas have been completed on Sunday? Should they have called the race at 148 laps, run the race on Monday, or done something in between?

Did You Notice? The 2007 Lifelock 400 at Kansas & Beyond

Did You Notice? How quickly Greg Biffle was ready with a story when he exited his car in Kansas’s victory lane? Whether you believe NASCAR made the right call or not, listening to the way in which the No. 16 driver handled the scenario certainly made it hard to believe that car would have lasted …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2007 Lifelock 400 at Kansas

1. Goody’s, anyone? – Somehow, I think all the NASCAR bigwigs were ready to share a round of Goody’s headache powder by the end of today’s Lifelock 400. Officials were called upon to make numerous critical and highly controversial calls this weekend, culminating in the Cup race itself. Should the starting time have been moved …

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Fanning the Flames: New Schedule, Same Ol’ NASCAR

I always look forward to the date when NASCAR releases its schedule for the upcoming season. What will they do this time that makes no sense whatsoever to us lay folks? Well, that day came yesterday when the 2008 Sprint Cup schedule was made public – and not surprisingly, things didn’t make sense. Needless to …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Driver Handicaps: 2007 Lifelock 400 at Kansas Edition

Jeff Gordon – Gordon won the first two Cup races at Kansas and finished fifth in his third start at the track. He hasn’t had a top five here since then, though, and last year suffered a mechanical DNF. Tony Stewart – Stewart won this race last year, coasting to the finish line out of …

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Voice of Vito: 2007 the Worst NASCAR Season Ever

I may be in the minority here (my heritage notwithstanding), but for many reasons, to me this season has been one of the worst in recent memory for NASCAR. Perhaps ever. To look back on it that way is quite disappointing – especially since 2007 started out with so much promise. There was the addition …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings After the 2007 Dodge Dealers 400 at Dover

Frontstretch Editors’ Nextel Cup Power Rankings As of Sept. 26, 2007 1) Tony Stewart (4 First-Place Votes) (Last Week: No. 1) – Home Depot wants us to smell the Smoke. Bet they won’t put THAT slogan in Tony’s armpits! 2) Carl Edwards (1 First-Place Vote) (Last Week: No. 8) Uh-oh… Roush found out all of …

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