Race Weekend Central

Talking NASCAR TV: Lack of Focus Hurts ESPN Broadcasts

Hello, race fans. First off, I’m sorry that it’s Thursday and you’re just getting the chance to read this critique. The rainout on Sunday (Aug. 2) has played havoc with our typical weekly schedule here at Frontstretch, with articles having their days switched up and some pieces being swapped between the website and the newsletter …

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Talking NASCAR TV: ORP Good, IMS Bad as ESPN Jumps Back Into Double-Duty

I know that the beginning of this week’s title sounds like something out of the 2001 movie Zoolander, starring Ben Stiller (Martial Arts good; Prime Minister bad), but it essentially drives home my point in this critique. Indianapolis is likely the biggest race weekend for NASCAR in the second half of the season. As a …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Nationwide Shines but SPEED Fails to Recognize Start & Park Presence

Hello, race fans. I hope you enjoyed your weekend. I certainly did. I had fun, not just critiquing races but relaxing, sleeping in and hanging out with a group of employees at the local YMCA. Going into this weekend, I had planned on only covering the Truck and Nationwide series races. However, I had not …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Lack of on-Track Action Hurts All Broadcasts at Chicagoland

Hello, race fans. Chicagoland Speedway brought us some more rain on Friday (July 10), but thankfully, it did not cancel any sessions. Instead, the racing Friday and Saturday night suffered from a different problem: it was rather spread out and kind of boring. In fact, there hadn’t been so much as a spinout all weekend …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Jerry Punch Mails in the Nationwide Race While TNT Shines

Welcome, race fans. For nearly 50 years, the Fourth of July weekend at Daytona has marked the ceremonial, and in the case of this season, the physical halfway point. The Truck Series took the week off, so it was the Cup and Nationwide series competing at the World Center of Racing this weekend. The Cup …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? Tony Stewart‘s pit crew: Smoke came down pit road seven times at Daytona and on each and every occasion, his pit crew’s speed and efficiency saw him drive across the exit line in position Numero Uno. Sure, he had the favored first pit box thanks to a rain-out …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Loudon Telecasts Marked by Bill Weber’s Departure in the Booth

Greetings, race fans. This past weekend, all three of NASCAR’s major series were in action. The Truck Series was in Millington, Tenn. at the Memphis Motorsports Park for the MemphisTravel.com 200 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts. Meanwhile, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series were both in Loudon, N.H. for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 and …

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Joey Logano’s Pit Strategy Pays Off Big Time at Loudon, Wins 2009 Lenox Industrial Tools 301

In NASCAR, anything can happen during races. On lap 180, Joey Logano blew out a left-rear tire in turn 3. He had to make multiple pit stops under the caution (during one stop, the crew had to remove part of the tire that had wrapped itself around the left rear hub) and lost a lap. …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Action Overload for TNT

Greetings, race fans. This past weekend brought two fairly interesting races at the Milwaukee Mile and one very racy 350-kilometer event at Infineon Raceway. I, for one, thought that the double-file restarts were going to create chaos on Sunday (June 21) since this was completely uncharted territory for restarts on road courses. However, this actually …

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Kasey Kahne Wins a Wild 2009 Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma

In the Sprint Cup Series, road racing is a rarity. Since 1988, the series has only held two road races a season. Some fans claim that Sprint Cup cars are not designed for road courses, and thus, should not race on them. Sunday’s race might have proved those fans wrong. The new rules brought double-file …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Bill Weber, You Lied To Us

Hello, race fans. Last weekend was a busy weekend, with the ARCA Re/Max Series, Sprint Cup and Truck series at Michigan while the Nationwide Series raced in front of a near-sellout crowd in Kentucky. However, I’ll keep things relatively brief with the support series to start, because I’m going to bring on the vitriol towards …

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Mark Martin Wins 2009 Lifelock 400 at Michigan, Thanks to Fuel Mileage

Sometimes, motorsports can be cruel. You could completely dominate a race, only to lose badly at the end, either through a crash or by mechanical means. However, sometimes, other factors can cost you a race. Sunday brought on one of those “other factors.” Jimmie Johnson, in his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, dominated the day, leading …

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