5 Points to Ponder: All-Star Flaws, All Hail the (Burger) King & Defense Dollars at Risk
ONE: It’s Time for the All-Star Race to Move From Charlotte
Travis Kvapil
Who Will Win the Cup? 2012 Frontstretch Staff Predictions
Who will emerge above the fray in year two, post Five-Time Dominance?
David vs. Goliath: Regan Smith Sets Bar for Underdogs at Homestead, Heading Into ’12
With 2011 now in the books, here’s to one last look at the lesser-known trials, tribulations and triumphs of big-league racing’s little guys.
David vs. Goliath: Casey at the Bat Comes Through in Small-Town Virginia
Casey Mears has never been synonymous with short-track racing during his NASCAR career, but he looked right at home on the tight confines of Martinsville.
David vs. Goliath: Yeley, Blaney Among Those Windswept at Chicagoland
Chicago marked the first weekend of a 10-race battle between David and Goliath. Who came out on top in this week’s edition of how the cookie cutter crumbled?
David vs. Goliath: Stephen Leicht, Dave Blaney Among Few Successes at RIR
Was Richmond a weekend for the underdogs or the latest bump in the road for the rest of the Cup field?
Running Their Mouth: 2011 Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond
If Jimmie Johnson ever admitted fault for anything and bothered to look at the video, perhaps he wouldn’t have retaliated at Kurt Busch on Saturday night.
Bubble Breakdown: The Back of the Field Weathers the Storm at Bristol
The Bristol night race served as an equalizer, allowing numerous operations at the back of the Cup field to make some noise and log some laps.
Bubble Breakdown: Everyone Holds Serve at Michigan
When all was said and done at Michigan, the gap between 35th and 36th grew larger and the locked-in segment of the Sprint Cup field stayed stationary.
Bubble Breakdown: Rookie Andy Lally Fights Off His Rivals At Pocono
_It was a tough weekend for the bubble crowd at Pocono, where even strategy calls didn’t seem to keep the underdogs in contention for long. Without a top-25 result from anyone, the race became more a matter of survival than success, a day at the office with little if anything to hang their hat on. Pocono has a history of tearing up equipment, and more than one driver found himself babying it to the finish in the name of keeping their status intact in owner points._
_So after a weak weekend overall, which teams continue to stand out above the rest? And could rookie Andy Lally keep quietly impressing, just one week after Robby Gordon’s blown engine handed his team, TRG Motorsports a spot inside the top 35? Check out the Bubble Breakdown this week to see how the battle to keep a “locked in” spot is shaking out amongst NASCAR’s little teams that could…_