Race Weekend Central

5 Points to Ponder: An Emerging Austin Dillon

2015 Pocono Cwts Richard Childress Austin Dillon Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

ONE: Chicagoland will be the real test for JGR There’s no question it has been a wonderful stretch of racing for the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization, and in particular Kyle Busch. In an eight-race stretch starting at Sonoma Raceway, JGR has won a total of six events (four wins for Busch and two for …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan

2015 Michigan Ii Cup Matt Kenseth Team Trophy Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Who’s in the headline – Joe Gibbs Racing established their dominance early in the weekend and threw down the gauntlet in qualifying by putting their cars first through third, and all four in the top six. When the race started, Matt Kenseth took advantage of his 16th career pole and a very strong car to race off …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2015 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

2015 Watkins Glen Cup Joey Logano Woohoo Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Another race determined by fuel strategy in the closing laps. Unlike last week in Pocono, Joey Logano had enough fuel to get to the checkered flag first and sweep the weekend at Watkins Glen. It looked like Kevin Harvick was going to finally pick up his third win of the season but lost fuel pressure …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

Joey Logano poses with the trophy after winning the Cheez-It 355 at the Glen at Watkins Glen International

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)­­

Who’s in the headline – Weekend sweeps seem to happen quite frequently these days, with some of the winning drivers from the Cup Series running the companion races that are scheduled on many race weekends. Surprisingly, this weekend featured the first time such a sweep took place at Watkins Glen. Joey Logano had never run a …

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Tweet ‘N’ Greet: Tony Gibson, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray, Plus More!

2015 Watkins Glen Cup Ryan Newman Vertical Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Each week, Frontstretch will scour Twitter and other social media platforms looking for some of the best posts from your favorite NASCAR personalities, drivers and media members from all across the industry. These were some of our favorite posts from this week and we hope you enjoy them too! So, @JimmieJohnson has offered to take …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2015 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis

2015 Indianapolis Cup Kyle Busch Kiss Bricks Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Third verse, same as the first. I’m running out of ways to say how dominant Kyle Busch has been. He has now won three straight races and four of the last five. Busch is on a mission to win his way into the Chase and now sits only 23 points out of 30th place. On …

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The Big 6: Questions After the 2015 Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard

The NASCAR trophy ready for the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Looking for the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How behind Sunday’s race? Amy Henderson has you covered each week with the answers to six race-day questions, covering all five Ws and even the H… the Big Six. Who… gets my shoutout of the race? Starting in the back of the pack is tough at …

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Ryan Newman Returns to His Roots at Lucas Oil Raceway, Doesn’t Seek NASCAR Return to the Track

2015 Loudon I Cup Ryan Newman Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

12 hours before returning to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Ryan Newman took the time to return to his racing roots. Newman, 37, returned to the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series Thursday night, piloting the No. 21 Bricker’s Pub Beast/Chevrolet for Bowman-Armstrong Racing in the Rich Vogler Classic at Lucas …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2015 5-hour Energy 301 at New Hampshire

2015 Loudon I Cup Kyle Busch Trophy Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Eight races into his return to competition, Kyle Busch has now claimed three victories in the Cup series. He continues his bid to make the 2015 Chase, taking his second consecutive win at New Hampshire. Busch now sits 58 points behind 30th position. I’ll start the hashtag: #BuschWatch Loudon produced a diverse number of teams …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2015 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his team celebratein Victory Lane after the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)­­

Mother Nature seems to have it out for NASCAR this season. Rain once again delayed the start of the race, but that didn’t stop the fans from enjoying the Fourth of July fireworks on and off the track. Dale Earnhardt Jr. reasserted himself as the restrictor-plate king, leading 96 laps en route to his second …

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5 Points to Ponder: Austin Dillon’s Wild Weekend, Testing & Halfway Home

Austin Dillon leads the field in the XFINITY Series race at Daytona.

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)­­

ONE: Wild ride for Dillon What a wild, wild weekend it was for Austin Dillon, who finished Saturday night in Victory Lane and was lucky just to finish Sunday night in one piece. It truly is a testament to the safety of the cars today that he was able to get out, walk away under …

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The Frontstretch 5: Tracks That Could Offer New 2015 Winners

2015 Daytona I Unlimited Pack Racing Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

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. With Amy busy this week, Frontstretch Assistant Editor Aaron Bearden looks ahead to …

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