Race Weekend Central

Fan’s View: NASCAR’s Memorial Day Tribute – Racing With the Red, White & Blue

It happens at the beginning of almost every NASCAR race; the Star-Spangled Banner ends to a rousing round of applause from the stands, closely followed by the thundering roar from a flight of F-14s. Each time I experience this combination of patriotism and muscular display of our nation’s military, I get goosebumps. Sharing a smile …

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Bubble Breakdown: Rain Plays Into the Hands of Robby Gordon While Scott Riggs Rains on Baldwin’s Parade

Well the 24 Hours of Charlotte finally came to an end late Monday afternoon and the 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 was dominated by Kyle Busch and the weather. The race never went green on Sunday and suffered rain delays again on Monday before finally being called and producing a surprise winner. So to …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

David Reutimann won Monday’s Coke 600, despite scratching up the right side of the No. 00 Aaron’s Toyota. Crew chief Rodney Childers’s call for the ‘Franchise’ to stay out instead of pitting before the race’s final caution flag put the Michael Waltrip Racing driver in the lead ahead of Ryan Newman, Robby Gordon and Carl Edwards. The crew chiefs of all of these entries deserve three thumbs up for playing the Mother Nature card and snagging top-five finishes.

2009 Indy 500 Breakdown: From Zero to Hero for Helio Castroneves

In a Nutshell: Helio Castroneves, just recently returned to the track after acquittal on tax evasion charges, probably gave the IRL the feel-good story of the year at Indianapolis. Taking the lead away from Scott Dixon with just under 60 laps to go, he never gave it up in coasting to his third Indy 500 …

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5 Points to Ponder: Memorial Day Weekend 2009 Edition

Longing for Leniency You know that big senior bully who picks on the little freshman in high school? That’s what NASCAR has been accused of on several occasions in the past month with the suspensions of Jeremy Mayfield and Carl Long. The recent 12-week, $200,000 fine for Long’s engine that was a fraction of an …

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Grading the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Pack: Part 2

NASCAR’s longest and most grueling race, the Coca-Cola 600, represents a significant milestone in the 2009 season. It’s not quite the halfway point to the Chase (that comes the following week after Dover), but once the checkers fly late Sunday evening we’re exactly one-third of the way through the 36-race schedule. With that in mind, …

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Fanning the Flames: Talking All-Stars, 600s & Lawnmowers

Totally unrelated to anything NASCAR (or racing in general), but if you’re in the market for a lawnmower, go with the Murray. My fiancé and I were victims of a flash flood a week ago and the lawn mower was submerged – completely submerged – for a good two hours. Five days later, after emptying …

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