Race Weekend Central

Chasing the Chase Will Influence How Teams Hit the Bricks

Indy 2009

What is the most memorable Brickyard 400 moment of all time? Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

The Sprint Cup Series returns to action at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday after its final week off of the season. The question now with the Chase spots being on the line,  will they be racing the same way by being worried about nothing but wins, or concerned about points? Clearly, there are going to …

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Racing to the Point: What Does NASCAR Have to Show for 20 Years in Indy?

2014 Daytona Sprint Cup Brian France Press Conference Credit Phil Allaway

(Photo: Phil Allaway, Frontstretch)

Prestigious. Historic. Spectacle. All three words suit the greatest race in the world, the Indianapolis 500, run annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The flat 2.5-mile track has proven time and time again that it suits America’s top open-wheel series. Ryan Hunter-Reay and Helio Castroneves’ battle during the last laps of this year’s event further …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not In NASCAR: Off-Week–Indianapolis Edition

2014 Loudon I Cup Cup Paul Menard Kevin Harvick Loser Cia

(Credit: CIA)

Summer might be in full swing, but with seven races remaining before the Chase cutoff, things are only starting to heat up in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Drivers and teams received a bit of rest and relaxation over the season’s final off week but now, it’s back to business as stock car racing’s best …

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Four Burning Questions on the Off-Week: Title Favorites, Silly Season Rumors, and Chase Predictions

Jimmis Johnson and Casey Mears race at Kentucky Speedway July 2014.

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

It’s a rare off-week in NASCAR-land, and as the men and women who make up the Sprint Cup Series enjoy some well-earned vacation time, the sport’s observers are left to reflect on the season that’s been as we sit at the de facto halfway point of the schedule. The 2014 season has been an interesting …

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Going By the Numbers: Ryan Newman Peaking at the Right Time

2014 Dover I Cup Ryan Newman Car Cia

Who’s the hottest driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series right now? Well, it’s Brad Keselowski, who’s won two of the last three races, of course. He’s followed by Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch, who have been equally impressive as of late. But ever so quietly, another is rattling off solid results, to the point …

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Ryan Newman Posts All-Star Performance At New Hampshire

Ryan Newman Wins Whelen Modified All Star Race At New Hampshire Motor Speedway 2014 Getty Images

Ryan Newman gets an invite to the Whelen Modified All-Star Shootout and takes the win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Credit: Getty Images

NASCAR Sprint Cup Veteran Claims Whelen All-Star Shootout By Jason Christley LOUDON, N.H. (July 11, 2014) — Twice before, Ryan Newman drove the venerable 7NY Modified to Victory Lane in a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver did it again Friday. This time, the win …

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Daytona-2

2014 Daytona Ii Cup Aric Almirola Team Victory Lane Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014)

It was not the way anyone expected or wanted the race to end, but one fact cannot be denied: Aric Almirola is a winner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He put the famed No. 43 back in Victory Lane for the first time since 1999, launching it right into the 2014 Chase during the …

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The Frontstretch Five: Reasons Why NASCAR Commercials Aren’t All Bad

2014 Michigan I Cup Ryan Newman Helmet Cia

Welcome to the Frontstretch Five, a brand-new column for 2014! 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. In the latest edition, Amy’s taking a walk …

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Fantasy insider:Daytona Puts Plenty of Unpredictability On the Plate

2014 Michigan I Cup Ryan Newman Kevin Harvick Cia

The Sprint Cuppers head to Daytona for the third of four restrictor plate races Saturday night. And the one thing about these races, as you may well know, is that you don’t know with any certainty what is going to happen. Sure there are some guys who have a knack for this kind of racing, …

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Five Points: Halfway Home, Rocket Man & Sliced Bread

2014 Dover I Cup Ryan Newman Car Cia

ONE: HALFWAY HOME Saturday evening’s race under the lights on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway will mark the 18th race of the season and thus the halfway mark on the 2014 Sprint Cup schedule. Given the sheer length of the season the point at which we have more races in the books than …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud – Quaker State 400 – Kentucky Speedway

2014 Kentucky Cup Brad Keselowski Victory Lap Cia

Brad Keselowski was perhaps a little too excited after his win in Kentucky. He cut his hand on a champagne bottle in Victory Lane.

Key Moment – With 25 laps to go, Joey Logano’s car lost a cylinder in his engine. Logano was the only car on the track that had shown any potential to challenge Brad Keselowski for the win. Once his car no longer had all its ponies, the only worry left for the eventual winner was whether …

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Top 15 Power Rankings After Michigan

2014 Michigan I Cup Jimmie Johnson Woohoo Cia

Credit - CIA Stock Photography

Remember when all anyone could talk about was the fact Jimmie Johnson hadn’t won a race yet in 2014, and he kept saying over and over again not to worry? Looks like he was right. Johnson played the late-race pit strategy perfectly en route to his first career win at Michigan and third overall in …

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