Race Weekend Central

Holding a Pretty Wheel: This is NASCAR, Not a Bazaar

With Daytona’s convoluted qualifying procedures, it’s easy to overlook things while just trying to figure out how the heck they set the field this year. What is with setting the Duels by owner points and then qualifying speed, anyway? Was it actually necessary? But there is one insidious little thing that has been happening in …

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Kenny Wallace Driver Diary: Down & Dirty in the Offseason

This was definitely the strangest offseason for me and a lot of my racecar driver friends. I’ve talked to a lot of great racecar drivers – I’ve talked to Jeff Burton, I’ve talked to Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – and we all agree that this was the strangest offseason we’ve ever had. Usually by …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? New readers, don’t expect to see the race winner here – he already gets a trophy and a check for his effort! Instead, this weekly shoutout goes to a driver who didn’t win, but impresses me all the way through with his effort from beginning to end. This …

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Holding a Pretty Wheel: My Winter of NASCAR Discontent – With a Little Amusement Tossed In

With Daytona around the corner, the racing world is picking up speed, and with that comes a whole slew of questions – but not too many answers. So after a long and eventful offseason, it’s time to dust off the things that made it notable for me. First up, I have an issue with the …

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Holding a Pretty Wheel: Not Cale Yarborough vs. Jimmie Johnson, Yarborough & Johnson

Excuses, excuses. Everyone loves a good excuse, and this week, in the wake of Jimmie Johnson’s record-tying third straight Sprint Cup championship, I think I’ve heard them all. There are excuses why Johnson’s accomplishment isn’t as valid as Cale Yarborough’s was when he took three titles in a row in 1976-1978, compared to reasons why …

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Kenny Wallace Driver Diary: Grateful for 2008’s Highlights

Editor’s Note: This diary is part of a wrap-up series detailing the end of the season for Frontstretch‘s four driver diary participants. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I really want to look at the things I have to be thankful for. Two weeks before the Daytona 500, I didn’t have a ride. We pretty …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2008 Ford 400 at Homestead

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? It’s not every day you get this prestigious honor for finishing 15th, but Jimmie Johnson earns it by way of becoming the second driver in history to win three consecutive Cup championships, tying the mark set three decades ago by his boyhood hero, Cale Yarborough. The title is also …

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