Race Weekend Central

Thompson in Turn 5: Dale Earnhardt Jr. & DEI Just Going Through the Motions

This Monday at Atlanta, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will officially test a No. 88 Chevrolet with Hendrick Motorsports for the first time. That in-season move is just the latest in a transition that appears to be accelerating a bit faster than initially anticipated. Out of the Chase and out of the running for anything higher than …

Read more

Mirror Driving: Hating a Johnson/Gordon Chase, Why Carl Edwards’s Behavior Was Off-Base, & Grading the CoT

Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth got into it not just during the race at Martinsville in what was a weird post-race altercation. What the heck happened?

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in the Chase: 2007 Subway 500 at Martinsville Edition

The Hendrick stronghold on the Chase for the Championship tightened Sunday in the Subway 500 at Martinsville, as Jimmie Johnson scored his series-high seventh win of the season. Not to be totally outdone, teammate Jeff Gordon finished third, maintaining a 53-point lead over Johnson in what has quickly become a two-man race for the championship. …

Read more

10 Points to Ponder… After the 2007 Subway 500 at Martinsville

1. Safety, Schmafety – The next time anyone from NASCAR tries to say that safety is their first priority, I want to have a tape of today’s Subway 500 finish on hand, showing David Ragan‘s car sitting sideways in the middle of the track coming off turn 1 and the leaders heading towards him full …

Read more

Bubble Breakdown: 3 Straight Weeks of Misfortune Cripple Bill Elliott, Wood Brothers In Top-35 Quest

October has not been a good month for the Wood Brothers team. It all started back in Talladega, when Ken Schrader tagged the wall following a cut tire; it was a tragic set of circumstances that resulted in the No. 21 car falling out of the Top 35 in owner points. Sadly, that was only …

Read more

Rick Crawford Driver Diary: 4 Feet Short & Gone Golfing

Sorry for keeping you all waiting on this edition of my diary. Sometimes our schedules just get crazy! Our last race at Talladega was definitely a good one. That was a very important one for me since Talladega is my home track. I’m from L.A. That stands for Lower Alabama, which is where my hometown …

Read more

Fanning the Flames: Talkin’ Smoke, NASCAR Specs & Wrecks

Count me as being of the opinion that Tony Stewart‘s NASCAR Chase hopes are officially dashed. Yes, I know Stewart is arguably the most talented driver on tour (case in point: wheeling that aero-deficient car with Band Aids on the nose to a seventh at LMS) and that Jimmie Johnson overcame a 146-point deficit after …

Read more

Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2007 Subway 500 at Martinsville Edition

With the Chase halfway complete, it’s time for the playoff teams to enter the home stretch, as 12 special teams join your fantasy juggernaut in battling for a year-ending trophy. Too bad the hardware they’re chasing is probably a little nicer than the one you might win in your local league; but hey, a guy …

Read more