Race Weekend Central

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

With former open-wheel stars Dario Franchitti, Patrick Carpentier, Sam Hornish Jr. and Jacques Villeneuve leading the 2008 Sprint Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year class, there is one other open wheel and sports car regular who seems to go unnoticed – Michael McDowell. A former Star Mazda Series champion, Rolex Sports Car Series race winner …

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Down in Daytona 2008: Nationwide Series Underway With Testing

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 …

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Down in Daytona 2008: A Rundown of Sprint Cup Testing

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 …

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

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. Now that the son of NASCAR …

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Down in Daytona 2008: Relieved Dave Blaney Says “Toyota Has Definitely Improved”

Toyota may have looked strong all this week in single-car runs, but all but four of those teams are far from being able to breathe easy with Speedweeks now one month away. Sure, they’ve been fast in the two sessions of winter testing at Daytona, but the three Joe Gibbs Racing entries of Tony Stewart, …

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Down in Daytona 2008: Toyotas Overshadow Junior/Hendrick, Dominate Single-Car Runs in Opening Day of Session 2

Editor’s Note: Mike Lovecchio will be covering testing news and information in a variety of ways for us this January at Daytona. To read his reports from earlier in the week, be sure to click the links below: Cup Testing, Day 1 Cup Testing, Day 2 Truck Testing, Day 1 Truck Testing, Day 2 Truck …

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Down in Daytona 2008: Steve Park on Hand for Charity Go-Kart Event

NASCAR testing may be going on all this month at Daytona International Speedway, but as teams headed back to their hotels Monday night, the racing was just beginning across the river at the Daytona Lagoon Water Park. Former Sprint Cup driver Steve Park, Jamie France and SPEED TV analyst Dan Pardus were among those taking …

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Down in Daytona 2008: Trucks Hand Track Over to Cup Cars for 2nd Session

Editor’s Note: Mike Lovecchio will be covering testing news and information in a variety of ways for us this January at Daytona. To read his reports from earlier in the week, be sure to click the links below: Cup Testing, Day 1 Cup Testing, Day 2 Truck Testing, Day 1 Truck Testing, Day 2 Raindrops …

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Down in Daytona 2008: Jack Sprague, Ron Hornaday Take Friendly Rivalry to KHI

Editor’s Note: Mike Lovecchio will be covering testing news and information in a variety of ways for us this January at Daytona. To read his reports from earlier in the week, be sure to click the links below: Cup Testing, Day 1 Cup Testing, Day 2 Truck Testing, Day 1 Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday …

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