Race Weekend Central

Happy Hour’s Best Drivers in NASCAR, Part 2: Drivers #10-#6

I unwittingly picked a bad time to discuss who the best drivers in the sport are today. Between Kyle Busch’s guitar smashing, double-file restarts and the Jeremy Mayfield situation, there is plenty to discuss in NASCAR these days that gets a writer’s columns clicked on by subject matter alone. Maybe this column could have been …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Pocono 500

The tricky triangle in Pocono threw everything at the drivers but the kitchen sink. There was rain, a new double-file restart procedure and even a late-race fuel-mileage gamble thrown in for good measure. As you might expect, with that many variables the final running order was turned upside down after 500 miles of competition. But …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Autism Speaks 400 at Dover

While Jimmie Johnson was completely dominant at Dover, he wasn’t the only one with a stellar Sunday at the Monster Mile. Our experts actually rewarded a different driver with the top spot this week, keeping the three-time champ from assuming the throne he’ll so desperately seek by Homestead. At the same time, some people who …

Read more

Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 Dover Spring Race Recap

The Key Moment: Coming up on two laps left to race, Jimmie Johnson powered around the outside of Tony Stewart to retake the lead at Dover. In a Nutshell: Ever hear of a cow-patty sandwich on whole wheat bread? The top and the bottom of the race weren’t bad… but everything in the middle was …

Read more

The Yellow Stripe: So Near & Yet So Far – The Story of RCR’s Struggles in 2009

The trouble with great expectations is that when you fall even just a little short, the disappointment is exponentially greater. In the case of Richard Childress Racing, falling short is very much the story of its season so far. And nowhere was that more evident than at Lowe’s Motor Speedway this past weekend where the …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Coca-Cola 600

While racing was supposed to be the focus at Charlotte, rain wound up being the headline. Since the Coca-Cola 600 was called short due to weather, the final standings were a jumbled mess of drivers who took a risk on the final pit stop to steal a good finish – leaving the fastest cars in …

Read more

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, …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 All-Star Race

The All-Star Race is supposed to feature the cream of the crop, a chance for Sprint Cup’s top tier to go head-to-head in a battle royale with nothing but money and pride on the line. And after a tame beginning, this race featuring a who’s who of stock car stardom refused to disappoint, with drivers …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Southern 500

The Track Too Tough to Tame may have a new surface, but she’s that same old fickle girl. The rankings may not have taken a DNF at Darlington, but they certainly earned their stripe with the list all scrambled after 500 miles there Saturday night. Former champions are hogging the top of the charts, but …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Crown Royal 400 at Richmond

Some retro short-track racing in Virginia provided a lot of high-powered action Saturday night, with the end result a record 15 caution flags and a late-race pit strategy that left the standings jumbled all the way up until the checkered flag. That unpredictability factored right into our own Power Rankings this week, as 14 out …

Read more

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Crown Royal 400 at Richmond Edition

Watching the running order during Saturday’s Richmond race was similar to watching a yoyo go up and down. Pit strategy, brake wear, copious amounts of cautions, timely adjustments and good ol’ fashioned hard-nosed racing worked in harmony to jostle both the running positions and the points standings all throughout Saturday night’s event. In comparison to …

Read more