Race Weekend Central

Four Burning Questions at Atlanta: New Rules & Standout Substitutes

2014 Chicago CUP David Ragan CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The 2015 Daytona 500 is finally in the books, and with its conclusion comes the real start of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The superspeedway-style racing inherent to Daytona is a unique style of racing with unique challenges that simply are not shared by the bulk of tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit. The …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not In NASCAR: Daytona 500 Edition

2015 Daytona I Unlimited Matt Kenseth burnout Credit NASCAR via Getty Images

(Photo: CIA Stock Photography)

Editor’s Note: Jeff Wolfe takes over our Hot/Not column this year. Come back every Tuesday to see his take on the sport along with which NASCAR drivers are trending up… or down over the last few weeks of racing. Burnouts (Hot) Matt Kenseth went without a win in 2014, so maybe his victory in the …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona

Sprint Unlimited 2015 Daytona (2) Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

Who’s In The Headline – Matt Kenseth added another notch to his Daytona belt. The two-time 500 champ wrestled the lead away from Martin Truex Jr. on lap 56 and took control of NASCAR’s season-opening exhibition race, the Sprint Unlimited. Kenseth did his best rolling chicane maneuvers over the final 19 circuits of the event, successfully …

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The Frontstretch Five: Storylines to Watch in 2015

2014 Phoenix II CUP Jeff Gordon CIA

Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014

Welcome to the Frontstretch Five! Each week, Amy Henderson takes a look at the racing, the drivers and the storylines that drive NASCAR, and produces a list of five people, places, things and ideas that define the current state of our sport. This week, Amy has some things to keep an eye on as the …

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New Lineup, New Attitude for Roush Fenway Racing in 2015

2014 Atlanta CUP Greg Biffle Matt Puccia CIA

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014)

New faces join the familiar veterans this season at Roush Fenway Racing, but no matter how long they’ve been with the team, the three Sprint Cup and four XFINITY series drivers have a common goal: to put the team back on top. It’s no secret that 2014 was not a strong season for RFR. Carl …

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Roush Fenway Racing Announces 2015 Crew Chief Lineup

2014 Kentucky CUP Jack Roush CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

On Tuesday morning, Roush Fenway Racing announced the driver-crew chief pairings for their three full-time Sprint Cup and four full-time XFINITY Series teams.  The organization will have a combination of brand new and familiar atop their pit boxes. Starting on the Sprint Cup side of the organization, Greg Biffle will once again have Matt Puccia …

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Stenhouse Crew Chief Mike Kelley Fined for Homestead Suspension Issue

2014 Texas II CUP Ricky Stenhouse Jr CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

While Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. avoided penalty after Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, his crew chief Mike Kelley was fined $50,000 on Thursday by NASCAR for unapproved suspension parts that were confiscated during pre-qualifying inspection last weekend. NASCAR determined that the violations were a P3 level penalty, which is outlined in section 12.3 of the NASCAR …

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2014 NASCAR Fantasy Review: Booms, Busts and Future Hopes

2014 Phoenix II CUP Kyle Larson car CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The just-completed NASCAR season had its usual twists and turns along with some punches thrown as well, and while those events sometimes had a significant effect on the outcome of a real race, they also likely had an effect on the outcome of how your fantasy team fared. The following is a brief overview of …

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Did You Notice? … Distinguishing NASCAR Dreams From Reality

2014 Texas II CUP Ricky Stenhouse Jr face CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Did You Notice? … The audience increased for this year’s version of the Chase? Homestead ratings, released Tuesday wrapped up the latest ten-race version of NASCAR’s playoff, a 3.1 Nielsen number flat year-to-year but still good enough to keep the audience rising. Yes, executives around the sport are trumpeting how much this postseason boosted interest. …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Phoenix – Homestead Edition

2014 Texas II CUP Ryan Newman face CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The Championship Round is set. A Sunday date at Phoenix International Raceway separated the final four drivers from the rest of the field. The teams left in the mix weren’t necessarily the ones on top for the majority of 2014, just the ones who got it done best in the Eliminator Round. Who’s hot enough …

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