Race Weekend Central

Matt McLaughlin’s Driver Handicaps: 2007 Firecracker 400 at Daytona

Jeff Gordon – Gordon’s Daytona record speaks for itself; he’s won a total of six points races there, most recently the 2005 Daytona 500. With the Hendrick teams on a roll at the plate tracks, that should make Gordon an automatic contender, right? Not quite; it has to be pointed out that Gordon has finished …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2007 Pepsi 400 at Daytona Edition

The Nextel Cup circuit heads to Daytona this week for NASCAR’s traditional Independence Day extravaganza. Held on the 2.5-mile tri-oval to mark the end of the season’s first half, the 400-miler gives us a chance to take stock and look back on what’s been a wild and wacky beginning to ’07. Even though the race …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Nextel Cup: 2007 Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at Loudon Edition

The 1-mile flat track up in Loudon, N.H. proved as difficult as ever to pass on Sunday, but that didn’t stop a resurgent Jeff Gordon from giving it a shot. His last-lap battle with Denny Hamlin left the two side-by-side heading to the finish line; but in the end, Hamlin held on, squeaking out a …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Driver Handicaps: 2007 New Hampshire Summer Race

Jeff Gordon – Gordon has three wins at Loudon, but none since 1998. In fact, his third-place finish at NHIS last fall put to bed a streak of three straight finishes outside of the top 10. But overall, Gordon has 13 top 10s in 24 career starts at this track – and do you want …

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Fanning the Flames: A Confused Writer Has a Question of His Own for NASCAR

Before we get going with your questions this week, I have a question of my own: Q: Dear NASCAR: How does Kurt Busch slam into Tony Stewart‘s car while on pit road, almost hitting Stewart’s jackman in the process, only to walk away with the new standard of a 100-point docking and a $100,000 fine. …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2007 Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at Loudon

The Nextel Cup Series heads to the Northeast this weekend to the cozy confines of New Hampshire International Speedway, the 1.058-mile flat track in Loudon, N.H. The eighth Car of Tomorrow race of the season, this weekend up north is likely to send the usual CoT cast of characters near the front of the pack. …

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Too Early to Worry? Not Necessarily in NASCAR

I love studying the points standings at the beginning of the NASCAR season. The first five or six races are intriguing in that unheralded drivers often float to the top of the rankings by running steady, not necessarily great, and avoiding early pitfalls that can start a team in the hole, if not derail their …

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Scanner Static: NASCAR Racing Around the Western Hemisphere

Whew, After all this racing, I think everyone needs a break. What’s that? We’ve only run two races? Well, that’s NASCAR for ya. The excitement of Daytona is now long gone and the series has “triumphantly” (read: unnoticed) breezed in and out of southern California. Relax while you can, though; once the Cup Series gets …

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Voice of Vito: All That NASCAR’s Missing Are Some Turnbuckles

What a reversal of fortunes for NASCAR the last couple of weeks. Daytona started off with controversy: those who broke the rules were dealt with an iron fist. Punishments came out early and often for rules violations, consequences that were more severe than they’ve been in several years. Four crew chiefs were sent home for, …

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Matt McLaughlin’s 2007 Fontana Spring Race Driver Handicaps

Jimmie Johnson: Johnson scored his first-ever Cup victory at Fontana back in 2002 (yes, kids, they were racing stock cars way back in 2002). In addition, Johnson has scored three runner-up finishes at California, one of them in this race last year. That’s a total of four first or seconds in eight career Cup starts …

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Mirror Driving: I’ll Take Blocking for $200, NASCAR… & A Yellow Flag on the Last Lap

Should NASCAR stay consistent with NOT throwing the yellow on the final lap if the wreck happens behind the leaders, as they did in the Daytona 500?