Race Weekend Central

Five Points to Ponder: The Big One, Clinch Scenarios & Steve Byrnes

2014 Atlanta CUP Kyle Larson car front CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

ONE: THE BIG ONE As you might have heard, there’s a rather significant race next up this Sunday afternoon at big bad Talladega Superspeedway. Following the shenanigans at Charlotte Motor Speedway last Saturday evening and the threat of the second phase of Chase elimination, I would expect this race to be even madder than the …

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Fantasy Insider: Rolling The Dice At The Chase Halfway Point

It was back in mid-May when Jimmie Johnson had yet to win a race this season and there were whispers about what was wrong with the No. 48 team. Maybe the relationship between Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus wasn’t what it used to be? Maybe the No. 48 team had lost its edge after …

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Did You Notice? … Hornish Hire Sign Of Shift In NASCAR’s Ford Hierarchy

2014 Road America NNS Sam Hornish Jr. credit NASCAR via Getty Images

(Credit: Getty Images)

Did You Notice? … Sam Hornish, Jr.’s strategy worked? His choice to run a limited schedule, in top-notch Nationwide equipment as opposed to running full-time with a struggling team paid off this week. Hornish will be the replacement for Marcos Ambrose in 2015, driving the No. 9 Ford for a Richard Petty Motorsports program that …

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NASCAR Mailbox: Championship Frontrunners are Now Chase Backmarkers

2014 Kansas II CUP pack racing CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

When the new Chase format was announced, no other round instilled so much fear as that of the Contender round. The Contender round involved the treacherous and unforgiving Talladega Superspeedway, a track known more for its crapshoot tendencies than its exciting racing. What’s worse is that Talladega is the final race of this round, adding …

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Kansas

2014 Kansas II CUP Joey Logano confetti CIA

Credit - CIA Stock Photography

Team Penske continued their dominating performance during the Chase as Joey Logano captured his fifth win of the season, second in the Chase and locked himself into the eight driver Eliminator Round. The Penske duo of Logano and Brad Keselowski have combined to win three of the first four Chase races. Many thought Talladega would …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Breaking Down NASCAR’s Kansas Chase Race

2014 Kansas II CUP Joey Logano confetti CIA

Credit - CIA Stock Photography

Key Moment – With 53 laps to go in the race Kevin Harvick thought he had a right front tire going bad. After the team swapped out all four skins on his ride it was determined that all four tires were good. The end result was Harvick slipping back into the upper 20s and having …

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Frontstretch Foto Funnies: You Had WHAT for Breakfast?

2014 Dover II CUP Ryan Newman face CIA

Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Welcome to the Frontstretch Foto Funnies! Ever see a photo that’s just begging for a caption? We see them all the time! Each week, we’ll pick a few, then let our staff give it their best shot. We’ll post the best ones for you! Want to get in on the fun?  Leave your best ideas …

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Dover

2014 Dover II CUP Jeff Gordon woohoo CIA

The revised Chase format brought exactly what was expected to the first round of eliminations at Dover. Jeff Gordon earned his fourth win of the season, becoming the first non-Team Penske driver to win a Chase race. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick dominated the day yet again, leading a race-high 223 laps before left front suspension issues …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not In NASCAR: Dover – Kansas Edition

2014 Richmond II CUP Kevin Harvick CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Dover International Speedway did its job: separate the contenders from the pretenders. After 400 circuits at the Monster Mile, only 12 drivers remain in contention for the ultimate prize, the NASCAR Sprint Cup trophy. Which drivers have what it takes to survive the Contender Round and which are lucky to have made it this far? …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud – Dover – Chase Race No. 3 – The field is trimmed to 12

2014 Dover II CUP Jeff Gordon family trophy CIA

Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Key Moment – The pass for the lead by Jeff Gordon over Brad Keselowski with 95 laps to go was the difference in the race. Keselowski was in the top 3 all day long and looked to be the driver to beat once Kevin Harvick’s car had issues with an inner liner going flat. Gordon …

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Quotes to Remember: AAA 400

2014 Dover II CUP Jeff Gordon wins CIA

Credit: CIA Stock Photography

“I don’t know what happened to Kevin Harvick. It was unfortunate for him. He was the class of the field. We were tuning on it to try to keep even with him. When I saw him go out, I knew we could compete with the No.2 (Brad Keselowski) car. The No. 2 was really good …

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92 and Counting: Jeff Gordon Wins at Dover

2014 Chicago CUP Jeff Gordon CIA

(CIA Stock Photo, Inc. © 2014)

On a day where much of the talk was about Chase eliminations and drivers being on the bubble. Jeff Gordon took another huge step towards immortality at Dover International Speedway. Gordon took advantage of a lightning fast pit stop by his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger crew with around seventy laps to go to separate …

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