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The Frontstretch Staff is made up of a group of talented men and women spread out all over the United States and Canada. Residing in 15 states throughout the country, plus Ontario, and widely ranging in age, the staff showcases a wide variety of diverse opinions that will keep you coming back for more week in and week out.

2008 Season Preview: Is There Another Juan Pablo Montoya in This Year’s Rookie Class?

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Today’s Season Preview Topic: After the success of Juan Pablo Montoya last season, the floodgates opened for a number of open-wheel stars to transition into the NASCAR ranks. But after a win and a top-25 points finish for Montoya in his rookie season, can any open-wheeler in the rookie class of 2008 duplicate that success – especially considering most of them have even less preparation time and stock car experience under their belts?

2008 Season Preview: Will Toyota Become a Sophomore Sensation With Gibbs… Or Enter a Sophomore Slump?

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Today’s Season Preview Topic: Toyota made a major effort to upgrade their teams in the offseason, making a blockbuster deal with Joe Gibbs Racing. But how much will the other teams in the Toyota fold benefit? Simply put, can anyone else other than JGR win a race this season in a Camry; and for that matter, can that three-car juggernaut compete for the championship themselves in only their first season following a major manufacturer switch?

2008 Season Preview: How Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. Do At Hendrick?

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Today’s Season Preview Topic: As Hendrick Motorsports comes off another year of dominance, the big question will be how much better they are now that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has entered the fold. Emerging from the shadow of DEI, will NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver succeed in his first year with the new team – or will the pressure of high expectations set him up for failure?

Beyond the Cockpit: Michael McDowell Prepares for Rolex 24 Before Beginning His Cup Career

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This month, Michael McDowell returns to the series where he competed in 2005 and 2006, participating in the Rolex 24 at Daytona for the No. 09 Spirit of Daytona Racing Porsche FABCAR. As he prepares for his fourth grueling 24-hour event and his upcoming rookie season for MWR, McDowell took some time out at the Spirit of Daytona race shop to talk with Frontstretch, discussing why he made the transition from sports cars to stock cars and what his goals are for 2008.

The Best of Frontstretch: Voices from the Heartland – Nextel/ISC/NASCAR, From Tiananmen Square to Talladega

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While I was researching the events from those days some 18 years ago, the similarities of how the communist government of China dealt with it and the way NASCAR is/has been run is truly quite amazing and inescapable. It is well documented in NASCAR history that any attempt to organize the participants into any semblance of a union was instantly and vehemently quashed by the France family. People were threatened and people were banned.

The Best of Frontstretch: Thousands Gather as Community Celebrates Life of a Legend

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At the service for her late husband Bill France Junior, Betty Jane France stepped up to the microphone and said, “Bill France loved Daytona Beach, and today, the city returns that love to him.” In front of 2,000 people at Bethune-Cookman University, the life of the visionary who transformed NASCAR from a regional sport to a worldwide phenomenon was celebrated in the same city where the sport got its start. It was 60 years ago that his father, William H.G. France, called the first meeting at the Streamline Hotel and set up NASCAR, an idea that Bill Junior helped develop into a multi-billion dollar industry.

Down in Daytona 2008: Nationwide Series Underway With Testing

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With Preseason Thunder testing winding down, the first of two Nationwide Series sessions began Friday at Daytona International Speedway under damp and cloudy skies. The morning session was delayed by 45 minutes, but as soon as the cars hit the track for their first single-car runs of the year, it was Johnny Sauter who shot to the top of the charts after spending a year in the Sprint Cup Series. Like the first day of testing, teams are racing the weather with rain in the forecast each of the next two days. While the cars are on the track, however, a mix of past champions and phenoms are trying to get as much of their cars before Speedweeks roles around in February.

Down in Daytona 2008: A Rundown of Sprint Cup Testing

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The Sprint Cup Series has officially finished Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona, and after six days of action featuring 56 drivers, it was Kasey Kahne who left the famed 2.5-mile superspeedway as the fastest. The 27-year-old from Gillett Evernham Motorsports shined on the third and final day of the second session, besting all competitors with a speed of 189.111 mph. Now, the next time the Cup cars come to Daytona will be Speedweeks in February, leaving many fans wondering how testing speeds will translate when it really matters. But if early results prove any indication, it looks like Hendrick Motorsports and Toyota should be labeled the early favorites for strong runs in the Great American Race. Here is a rundown of what happened during Preseason Thunder.

Thompson in Turn 5: There Will Be Only 1 Junior to Blame

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When Dale Earnhardt Jr. took to the track for testing Monday in the new No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet, his presence at Daytona officially ushered in a new era for fans hopeful for greater success in the coming years for stock car racing’s Most Popular Driver. On Tuesday, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. took that momentum and ran with it – he predicted the No. 88 would win no less than four races during its first year on the Sprint Cup tour.

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