Race Weekend Central

Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Michael McDowell Survives Darlington Duel

Rookies in the Starting Lineup: Regan Smith (16th), Michael McDowell (18th), Sam Hornish Jr. (23rd), Patrick Carpentier (43rd), Unofficial Finishing Positions: McDowell (28th), Smith (29th), Hornish (38th), Carpentier (40th) Rookie of the Race: McDowell. The rookie hailing from Phoenix, Ariz. recorded his career-best qualifying effort this past weekend when he placed his Camry 18th on the …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Regan Smith Runs Well at Rowdy Richmond

Rookies in the Starting Lineup: Patrick Carpentier (fourth), Regan Smith (26th), Michael McDowell (29th), Sam Hornish Jr. (35th) Unofficial Finishing Positions: Smith (21st), Hornish (23rd), McDowell (40th), Carpentier (43rd) Rookie of the Race: Smith. The most notable part of Smith’s night wasn’t so much his leading rookie finish of 21st, but rather how he got to …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Michael McDowell Terrifies at Texas

Rookies in the Starting Lineup: Sam Hornish Jr. (17th), Patrick Carpentier (27th), Regan Smith (34th), Michael McDowell (40th) Unofficial Finishing Positions: Carpentier (28th), Hornish (32nd), McDowell (33rd), Smith (35th) Rookie of the Race: Carpentier. The No. 10 Dodge qualified for their fourth event in the last five races on Friday, and the momentum did not stop there… …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Aric Almirola Breezes Through Bristol

Rookies in the Starting Lineup (Due to inclement weather, the qualifying order was determined by 2007 owner points): Sam Hornish Jr. (seventh), Aric Almirola (16th), Regan Smith (17th), Dario Franchitti (26th) Unofficial Finishing Positions: Almirola (eighth), Smith (26th), Hornish (29th), Franchitti (36th) Rookie of the Race: Almirola. Mark Martin was not piloting the No. 8 Chevy …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Sam Hornish Jr. Stops Horrible Luck for Rookies at Atlanta

Rookies in the Starting Lineup: Patrick Carpentier (21st), Dario Franchitti (23rd), Sam Hornish Jr. (33rd), Regan Smith (41st) Unofficial Finishing Positions: Hornish (25th), Franchitti (33rd), Carpentier (35th), Smith (38th) Rookie of the Race: Hornish. The bright yellow color scheme of Penske Trucking replaced the familiar blue and white Mobil 1 logo on the No. 77 Dodge in …

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Bubble Breakdown: Blown Tires Lead to Blown Opportunities for Several on the Top-35 Bubble at Las Vegas

Right-front tires and unstable grip were the talk of the town Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, variables which led to increasing instability as the Top-35 standings continue to fluctuate early in 2008. The mix of a new track configuration, a new car and wind gusts up to 40 mph all led to an unpredictable …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: From Dario Franchitti to Patrick Carpentier, Vegas is Vicious to Rookies

Rookies in the Starting Lineup: Patrick Carpentier (12th), Sam Hornish Jr. (20th), Regan Smith (28th), Dario Franchitti (42nd) Unofficial Finishing Positions: Franchitti (33rd), Smith (34th), Carpentier (40th), Hornish (41st) Rookie of the Race: Nobody. I have decided that I am not going to award the “Rookie of the Race” to any driver unless one of them …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Rain, Sam Hornish Jr.’s Hard Hit Ruin Rookie Results at California

Rookies in the Starting Lineup: (Due to inclement weather, the qualifying order was determined by 2007 owner points) Sam Hornish Jr. (seventh), Regan Smith (17th), Dario Franchitti (26th) Unofficial Finishing Positions: Smith (31st), Franchitti (32nd), Hornish (43rd) Rookie of the Race: Absolutely Nobody. There is no way that I can assign this category to a freshman …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Sam Hornish Jr. is Heroic at Daytona

Rookies in the Starting Lineup: Sam Hornish Jr. (19th), Regan Smith (29th), Dario Franchitti (40th) Unofficial Finishing Positions: Hornish (15th), Franchitti (33rd), Smith (37th) Rookie of the Race: Sam Hornish Jr. Most of the NASCAR world will say that Penske Racing had its most successful run in team history during Sunday’s Daytona 500, based on the …

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Nextel Cup Rookie Report: 2008 NASCAR Preview, Part I

Speedweeks at Daytona starts up this week, which can only mean one thing – a new NASCAR season is finally upon us after some much-needed time off. The 2008 season will once again feature a talented group of rookies who look to hit the pavement for their first full (or almost full) season of competition; …

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