Race Weekend Central

Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off: All Around NASCAR’s Chosen Ones

Like it or not (and I think I’ve made it pretty clear which side of the fence I stand on over the last five years) NASCAR’s all-singing, all-dancing, usually disappointing Chase for the Championship is now underway. 12 finalists have been anointed possible titlists and, barring the sudden addition of a swimsuit and talent competition, …

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Voice of Vito: Pugliese the Prognosticator – A Comprehensive Guide to the 2009 Chase for the Cup

Following weeks of speculation, rationalization and wild-assed guesses, the field for the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship is now set. This week, the Dirty Dozen has been performing the requisite New York City media stops, making appearances on just about any talk show or television program you care to mention before the first …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond

The final weekend in the race for the Chase saw plenty of playoff-worthy drivers put their best foot forward at Richmond. Brian Vickers slipped in, Kyle Busch fell just short… and there were a slew of others in between who made it clear they’ll spend this fall fighting for a season championship. The shuffling of …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta

The aged surface of Atlanta Motor Speedway offered up multi-groove racing from the drop of the green flag that also yielded some bizarre events, with Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards both having freak problems that knocked them out of contention. Tony Stewart also had another off weekend, which cost him some of his first-place votes …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Edition

The buzz generated by Sunday’s exciting night race at Atlanta Motor Speedway will likely reverberate through the NASCAR masses for a long time. The Pep Boys Auto 500 saw exciting racing for much of the event and saw someone not driving a non-Hendrick-affiliated car go to victory lane (though many were picking Jimmie Johnson to …

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Kasey Kahne Takes Advantage of the Short Run to Win 2009 Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta

New wrinkles in the schedule typically result in teams having to scramble in order to figure out what the right setup is, or how to handle the track at all. Sunday night was no different. A three-way change in the schedule for this season moved the second race at Atlanta Motor Speedway from the end …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Sharpie 500 at Bristol

The new banking at Bristol, along with the new car, has bred a new form of racing at the old bullring. Single-file bump-and-runs have been replaced by side-by-side competition, with wrecks at the finish line replaced by the type of winning maneuvers you’d be more likely to see at a track like Atlanta or even …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 CARFAX 400 at Michigan

A fuel-mileage race at Michigan? Who would have guessed it? Seriously, as expected Sunday’s 400-mile affair in the Irish Hills left us counting drops of Sunoco gasoline to see who was going to make it to the finish line first. And just like any stock car event decided by fuel strategy, those final few laps …

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