Race Weekend Central

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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Drivers Vent Frustration Following Daytona 500 Qualifying Fracas

2014 Indianapolis Cup Clint Bowyer Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Is your head still hurting? If so, you’re like much of NASCAR nation who struggled to grab a hold of the group qualifying system for the 2015 Daytona 500. Though the attention had some positives – some found the debut of the new format exhilirating – others were much more pronounced in their discontent, and …

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Richard Childress Racing, Partners Ready for 2015

2014 Kentucky Cwts Richard Childress Austin Dillon Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014)­­

So close. 2014 saw Richard Childress Racing come within a hairbreadth of winning the Sprint Cup championship with Ryan Newman despite not having won a race all year. The organization knows there is work to be done in 2015 to bring the wins, but team officials are confident that the team has the pieces in …

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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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NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Homestead

2014 Homestead Cup Kevin Harvick Burnout Cia

Four drivers entered the season finale at Homestead with one mission: finish ahead of the other three and win the 2014 Sprint Cup Series championship. There was a general consensus that whoever won the championship would also have to win the race, and that proved to be the case as all four drivers were strong …

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Racing to the Point: NASCAR’s One-Sided Tug of War

2014 Homestead Cup Ryan Newman Smiling Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. @2014)

There’s been a tug of war going on for the last decade or so between lifelong NASCAR fans and NASCAR executives. The battle? For the sport’s soul. Lifelong fans started tugging on the rope to keep tradition and to not fix what wasn’t broken. NASCAR executives have been fighting to appeal to a broader audience …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Homestead – Offseason Edition

2014 Atlanta Cup Tony Stewart Hand Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

The Sprint Cup season is over, and it’s hard to let it go. The new Chase format gave new reason to religiously follow each of the final 10 races, while Homestead-Miami Speedway provided the perfect setting to finish off the year. After all, it’s tough to beat 80-degree weather in mid-November. This edition of Who’s …

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NASCAR’s Big Gamble… And Its Lucky Roll

2014 Homestead Cup Kevin Harvick Burnout Cia

NASCAR’s new Chase format entered the weekend with four possible championship outcomes. Two of them, regardless of fan loyalty, would have caused a major, Grand Canyon-sized rift in NASCAR history. Ryan Newman, who wound up one spot short of a title, would have had the fewest top-5 finishes for any champion since 1949. Denny Hamlin, …

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Four Burning Questions at Homestead – Title Hopes and Fan Acceptance

2014 Phoenix Ii Cup Joey Logano Pack Racing Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Here we are, the day that so many of you claimed to be dreading for months. Yes, it’s the “Championship 4” race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Sprint Cup season finale. And what do you know, there actually seems to be a fair amount of excitement surrounding the whole affair? What a concept! Who could have …

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