Race Weekend Central

10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 All-Star Challenge at Charlotte

1. No Problem, Ron – Sprint Cup Series points leader Kyle Busch ended his six-weekend streak of winning a race – somewhere and in some type of car or truck. The Las Vegas native won the pole positions at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for both the Craftsman Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 and the …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Sam Hornish Jr.’s Solid All-Star Performance Not the 1st for a Rookie

Forget the Indy 500 rumors; Sam Hornish Jr. is finally starting to make some noise in the Sprint Cup Series. In Saturday night’s Sprint Showdown event that featured three rookies, Hornish proved the lone bright spot after Patrick Carpentier wrecked his Charter Communications Dodge early while Regan Smith faded to the back of the pack. …

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Talking NASCAR TV: FOX Wines & Dines Lady in Black to a 2nd Straight Saturday Night Success

There must be something in the air at racetracks on a Saturday night. After a less-than-stellar outing at Talladega, the FOX Sports broadcasting team again turned in a performance deserving of the Emmy Award they received just a few short weeks ago. In fact, the last two races at Richmond and Darlington – both on …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2008 Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Edition

Despite a different track surface, it was the same ol’ Darlington Saturday night, with the Lady in Black’s walls jumping out and biting drivers on several occasions, including race winner Kyle Busch. But while there were some adjustments made to the track, adjustments made to this week’s “HOT” list are minimal. Busch continues to dominate. …

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Bubble Breakdown: Dave Blaney Rides Momentum Into the Top 35

NASCAR’s Sprint Cup teams raced under the lights Saturday night at one of the crown jewel of the series: Darlington Raceway. The track labeled as “Too Tough to Tame” looked quite timid during qualifying for several of the bubble teams as five drivers managed to qualify their cars in the top 18 during Friday evening’s …

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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 Wrecks… But Still Finishes Strong

Rookies in the Starting Lineup: Jon Wood (12th), Patrick Carpentier (17th), Michael McDowell (24th), Aric Almirola (28th), Regan Smith (29th), Sam Hornish Jr. (37th) Unofficial Finishing Positions: Smith (21st), McDowell (26th), Carpentier (31st), Almirola (33rd), Hornish (35th), Wood (36th) Rookie of the Race: Smith. Smith had the precarious task of starting in the eye of the storm …

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Side-By-Side: Should Sam Hornish Jr. Leave NASCAR?

Editor’s Note: The following is a special edition of Frontstretch‘s Side-By-Side. Occasionally throughout the season, two of your favorite Frontstretch writers will duke it out in a debate concerning one of NASCAR’s biggest stories. Don’t let us be the only ones to speak our minds, though… be sure to read both sides and let us …

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Bubble Breakdown: David Reutimann Muscles His Way Into the Top 35… Again

The big news for the week from bubble land involved the No. 70 Haas Automation Chevrolet previously driven by Jeremy Mayfield. On Monday, Haas CNC Racing announced that the team and Mayfield agreed to part ways after the No. 70 car fell out of the Top 35 in owner points. According to team General Manager Joe …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Sam Hornish Jr. Carries Banner for Penske Racing

Editor’s Note: Regular Rookie writer Tony Lumbis is off this week, so our resident Nationwide Series expert Bryan Davis Keith filled in. Tony returns from vacation in time for next Monday’s edition. Rookies in the Starting Lineup: Dario Franchitti (21st), Michael McDowell (29th), Sam Hornish Jr. (31st), Patrick Carpentier (37th), Regan Smith (38th) Unofficial Finishing …

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Bubble Breakdown: Jeremy Mayfield Out, Sam Hornish Jr. Back Inside Top-35 Safety Net

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series made its annual spring journey to the Lone Star State for the running of the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway this past weekend. They tell me that everything is bigger in Texas; and apparently, this adage can be applied to the problems of some bubble teams. There’s bickering at …

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