Race Weekend Central

5 Points to Ponder: A Way Forward, Crispy Thunder & Fizzling Smoke

2015 Kentucky CUP Kyle Busch leads credit NASCAR via Getty Images

Photo Credit: NASCAR via Getty Images

A Way Forward If what we saw on Saturday night is a sign of things to come – if not necessarily this year but next – then I think we can look forward with confidence to some significantly better racing on the much-maligned mile-and-a-half tracks and elsewhere. That the success of the new package also …

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IndyCar Recap: 2015 ABC Supply Co. Inc. Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee

bourdais_milwaukee_chris owens

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

In a Nutshell: For much of the race on the flat 1-mile track, two-time race-winner Josef Newgarden looked to be running away to victory. Though Ryan Briscoe posed a serious challenge, a terrible pit stop pushed him back in the field and Newgarden maintained the lead. Then, the yellow flags changed things. Two yellow flags …

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Pace Laps: Hope Alive, a Perfect Team, & Close Finishes

2015 Kentucky CUP Kyle Busch checkered flag CIA

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Sprint Cup Series: Busch Keeps Chase Hopes Alive With Miraculous Three Weeks – If Kyle Busch is able to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup come September, the previous three races will have been the critical part of the run. Busch, who missed the first 11 Sprint Cup races of the season following a …

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Happiness Is… Raining on the Confederate Flag’s Parade?

2015 Kansas I CUP rain delay credit NASCAR via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Last week, the nation endured yet another moment of grief as it endured the senseless slaughter of church-goers in Charleston, South Carolina. This column isn’t the place for getting into all of the messiness and problems that surround that event, though it doesn’t seem like the government will take care of everything either. One of …

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Open-Wheel Wednesday: Wrapping Up IndyCar’s Last Month

IndyCar 2015 Indy Montoya on track credit Mark Reed

Photo Credit: Mark Reed

Toni Montgomery: Can we have a quick refresh – what races have they run since our last chat? Toronto and Texas. Did we chat after Detroit last?  Wait – it was before Indy, wasn’t it? OK, that helps – got my bearings. Huston Ladner: I thought we hit upon Indy, but perhaps not. I’d say go with …

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IndyCar Breakdown: 2015 Firestone 600 at Texas

Scott Dixon cruised away late to win the Firestone 600 IndyCar Series at Texas Motor Speedway. There was no pack racing, no incidents, but lots of drama at the Fort Worth race track regardless. Keep reading to find out why. How it happened The engineering staff at Chip Ganassi Racing insisted on a higher downforce …

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IndyCar Drivers Debate Pack Racing at Texas

IndyCarTex

(Photo: INDYCAR Media)

What makes a good race? For the IndyCar Series at Texas Motor Speedway, there are as many opinions as there are drivers, teams and pundits. On one hand of the spectrum, Eddie Gossage, President and promoter of Texas Motor Speedway, wants to see much closer action, even suggesting that the league should entertain the idea …

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Open-Wheel Wednesday: Checking in at Halfway

IndyCar 2015 Indy Montoya on track fist pump credit Mark Reed

Photo Credit: Mark Reed

With the conclusion of the Chevrolet Duel in Detroit this past weekend, the IndyCar series has reached its season midpoint. That’s right, the season is already half over, which is both surprising and not. Consider that Formula 1 started a couple weeks prior to IndyCar and that they’re only one-third of the way into their …

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Juan Pablo Montoya Given Detroit Pole After Qualifying Washout

Juan Pablo Montoya and Team Penske teammate Will Power will start on the front row for race No. 2 of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit based on entrant points after rain prematurely ended qualifying on Sunday morning. IndyCar called off the qualifying session due to “deteriorating racetrack conditions” when a persistent rain continued throughout the …

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Did You Notice? Indy Takes a Bite Out of NASCAR

IndyCar 2015 Indy Montoya and team victory credit Chris Owens

(Photo: Chris Owens)

Did You Notice? Two races headed in two markedly different directions? While the Indianapolis 500 went through its third straight ratings increase, reaching Nielsen numbers it hasn’t touched since 2008, NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 hit a new low. The Sunday overnight of 3.6 was the worst since FOX started covering the event in 2001; it was …

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Open-Wheel Wednesday: How the 2015 Indy 500 Fared on the Crowd-o-Meter

IndyCar 2015 Indy Montoya victory sign credit Chris Owens

(Photo: Chris Jones/INDYCAR Media)

You could maybe make an argument that social media reflects mainly the opinion of the squeaky wheels and in some cases this could be true. People are more apt to go online to post a bad review than a good one. There are some exceptions to this though I think, and a huge event like …

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Tweet ‘N’ Greet: Danica Patrick, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Plus More!

2015 Charlotte I CUP Clint Bowyer Danica Patrick CIA

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Frontstretch will scour Twitter every week looking for some of the best tweets from your favorite NASCAR drivers, personalities and other people that work around the industry. These were some of our favorite posts from the previous week and we hope you enjoy them too! https://instagram.com/p/26CHj9wfZV/ If you follow Danica Patrick or Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on …

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