Race Weekend Central

Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Montreal

For the third year in a row, Marcos Ambrose was the class of the field. And for the third year in a row, he failed to take the checkered flag at Montreal. Ambrose, who in an interview that ran during the race broadcast was quoted calling his secret to road racing “minimizing the mistakes made …

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Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 US Cellular 250 at Iowa

If there is one thing that has kept Brad Keselowski from challenging Kyle Busch for the Nationwide title in 2009, it has been an inability to keep up on the short run. The No. 88 car has been among the fastest after a few laps… but that’s all it’s been taking for the No. 18 …

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ARCA Racing Background Proving Beneficial to Nationwide Series Regulars

It’s safe to say that Michael McDowell’s limited tenure in the Sprint Cup Series with Michael Waltrip Racing last season was a humbling experience. The same young driver that came as close to stealing the ARCA Re/Max Series crown from Frank Kimmel as any driver had this decade before Justin Allgaier did it last year, …

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Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona

Friday night’s (July 3) race at Daytona was shaping up to be a tremendous finish until a messy wreck on lap 96 stopped the battle at the front of the field and scattered debris and rescue equipment all over the 2.5-mile oval. In their infinite wisdom, NASCAR chose not to red flag the race – …

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Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 Meijer 300 at Kentucky

Finally, someone has Kyle Busch’s number. And it’s his teammate. Running his first Nationwide Series race since an incident that saw him knock Busch from the lead at Dover with two laps to go, Joey Logano beat his teammate without the chrome horn on Saturday and took the checkers for his trouble. On a late …

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5 Points to Ponder: Nashville/Pocono 2009 Edition

Kyle Busch is about as “Rock ‘N Roll” as Clay Aiken Add Saturday night’s guitar-smashing episode to the long list of reasons why a number of NASCAR fans absolutely hate Kyle Busch. The victory lane celebration left musicians everywhere cringing at the sight of a custom Gibson Les Paul being smashed into oblivion a la …

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Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville

For the sixth week in a row, Kyle Busch was the dominant car in a Nationwide Series race. That’s it, no tricks to this story. His pit crew perfect, his laps fast, his nose clean, Busch led 173 of the 225 laps run Saturday night to score his long overdue fourth win of the Nationwide …

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Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix

Friday night’s broadcast from Phoenix was the Kyle and Carl show on TV… and it was literally called that. The first eight minutes of the pre-race show were uninterrupted Kyle vs. Carl, as was the majority of the on-track coverage from flag to flag. Yet, while both drivers led a number of laps, neither driver …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 NASCAR Drivers NOT in Sprint Cup

With NASCAR’s off week in full swing, it presented an opportunity for the Frontstretch experts to do something a little different. Instead of grading the Cup guys, we took a look at those drivers who often get shunned from the spotlight these days, the drivers exclusive to the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series desperate …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Creative Approach to Practice Makes ESPN Shine at Nashville… Until Nemechek’s Flip

Last weekend was Easter Weekend, a traditional week off for the Sprint Cup Series for as long as I can remember – and probably before that as well. However, the Nationwide Series has not always stuck with that tradition. In the past, the division has actually held races on Easter Sunday at tracks like Hickory …

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Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 Scotts Turf Builder 300 at Bristol

NASCAR fan or not, every sports fan in America has had at least one eye drawn on the NCAA basketball tournament this weekend. There are few sporting events anywhere in the world that can match the excitement, passion and competition evoked by the weekend’s first two rounds. And, just like it does every year, the …

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