Race Weekend Central

Fanning the Flames: NASCAR Fans Throwing More TLC at TRG

Did you enjoy your off week? I hope so, because by my math we’ve got 13 straight weekends on tap starting with Phoenix Saturday night. Again, I sometimes wonder if a monkey and some ping pong balls are the driving force behind this jacked up schedule. However… I’m not here to bring you all down …

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Fanning the Flames: Victory Lane’s Ultimate “D’Oh!” Moment

Did you catch it? Did you see the irony there? You know, victory lane. Last weekend. Jeff Gordon emerges victorious to a shower of Pepsi, Powerade and confetti in victory lane at Texas Motor Speedway, and as the post-race interview works its way through the first round of sponsor acknowledgments, a cell phone is thrust …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Edition

What a race Sunday! The Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway gave fans the tight racing action they have been yearning for since before the season began. The close racing amongst competitors individually made the race well worth watching, as did the fact that some unexpected drivers had good runs on the tricky …

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Mirror Driving: Final Thoughts on the New Bristol & Digesting the New Top 35

It’s clear 18 months after repaving this isn’t the same old Bristol. That’s led to mixed reviews from fans – but is the new Bristol a classic or a total flop?

Bubble Breakdown: TRG Making Miracles with David Gilliland While Mark Martin Just Hanging On

The Kobalt Tools 500 marked the fourth race in the 2009 season, meaning there is just one more event to get into the Top 35 in owner points before NASCAR shifts to this year’s standings to determine who is or isn’t locked into the starting grid each week. This made the race at Atlanta critical …

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The Yellow Stripe: Catch 21 – NASCAR Thoughts, Questions & Observations 3 Races Into 2009

21, as many of you will know, is a lucky number in Las Vegas. So, here are exactly that many questions, observations and thoughts – in no particular order – on the season so far as the series leaves Sin City to head back east: Nothing changes for Casey Mears New team, new number, new …

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10 Points to Ponder: 2009 Shelby 427 at Las Vegas

Kyle Busch Still the Driver to Beat Daytona was just a minor hiccup: the No. 18 team is back with a vengeance in 2009. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch won the pole this weekend, only to have to start at the back after an engine change. Nonetheless, Busch methodically made his way back to the …

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Bubble Breakdown Review: Yates Racing Biggest Surprise in Avoiding Top-35 Trouble

2008 Bubble Review The 2008 Sprint Cup tour is now officially in the books. And as with all sports, there were many surprises as well as disappointment throughout the year. So, as the holiday season descends upon us and the thundering of NASCAR’s engines fades away for another offseason, let’s take a moment and look …

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Did You Notice? NASCAR Layoffs Still Looming, Testing Hope & Changes at Yates

Did You Notice? A ray of hope in the midst of NASCAR’s testing ban? The logical assumption when the policy was announced was that every one of the sport’s big-time owners would pull out the bulldozers and start building racetracks themselves. But to everyone’s surprise, one of the power players of the “Big Four” – …

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Fanning the Flames: Talking IROC, Driver Cash & the Perp Who Got Away With One

What, no questions about the ABC/ESPN2 fiasco this past week? I’m fairly shocked, but not entirely disappointed, as I believe we’ve run that topic out of Dodge. Maybe the grind has gotten to everyone so much that what would have been a huge uproar in March is taken with a shrug-of-the-shoulders and shake-of-the-head in November. …

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