Race Weekend Central

Pace Laps: Hope Alive, a Perfect Team, & Close Finishes

2015 Kentucky Cup Kyle Busch Checkered Flag Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Sprint Cup Series: Busch Keeps Chase Hopes Alive With Miraculous Three Weeks – If Kyle Busch is able to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup come September, the previous three races will have been the critical part of the run. Busch, who missed the first 11 Sprint Cup races of the season following a …

Read more

Pace Laps: Austin Dillon Wreck Safety Success Story or Catalyst for Change?

2015 Daytona Ii Cup Austin Dillon Dale Earnhardt Jr Kasey Kahne Paul Menard Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Did you miss an event during this busy week in racing? How about a late-night press release, an important sponsorship rumor, or a juicy piece of news? If you did, you’ve come to the right place! Each Monday, Frontstretch will break down the racing, series by series, to bring you the biggest stories that you …

Read more

Pace Laps: Dangerous Packs, Being Prepared & the Art of Racing in the Rain

16c 2194 2

(Photo: Chris Owens)

IndyCar: IndyCar Narrowly Avoids Tragedy at Auto Club Speedway – Saturday’s MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway was considered one of the best races in Verizon IndyCar Series history by many fans and critics. Despite being held in front of only a few thousand spectators, the stars of the series put on an incredible pack …

Read more

Pace Laps: Hot Streaks, New Faces, Contenders & Jumping Series

Slugger Cover

(Photo: RCR Team Relase)

Sprint Cup Series: “Slugger’s” New Assignment: Swing For The Fences To End Sophomore Slump – Swept under the rug during a week where NASCAR announced a new rules package is an important crew chief change at Richard Childress Racing. It’s a strange time at RCR, an organization whose trio of teams are so-so despite their …

Read more

Pace Laps: Stop & Go at Michigan, Kyle Busch is Back, Champions Prevail

2015 Michigan I Cup Justin Allgaier Riding Squeegee Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Sprint Cup Pace Laps: Raining On NASCAR’s Parade… But Not Kurt’s – You’ve got to feel for NASCAR, who was damned if they did and damned if they didn’t Sunday at Michigan. With a forecast that called for “pop-up showers” it was silly to postpone the Sprint Cup race until Monday; the easy decision was to …

Read more

Pace Laps: Finally, Milestones, Big Home Track Wins & Rainy Days

2015 Pocono I Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Austin Dillon Pack Racing Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Sprint Cup Series: Fourth Time’s The Charm – Finally. Martin Truex Jr. took his next step toward title contention this season by doing what race winners do: close the deal. Three straight times, Truex had led the most laps in a Cup Series race only to come up short. At Kansas, it was pit strategy and a …

Read more

Pace Laps: Mediocre Monster, Trouble Teammates & Bad Calls

2015 Dover I Nxs Chris Buescher Racing Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Sprint Cup Series: No Passing Zone – When even winner Jimmie Johnson says, “rough race today” then you know conditions were difficult at Dover. The Monster Mile was simply mediocre. NASCAR’s new rules package meshed with aerodynamic awfulness and the result was that passing was near impossible. At times, during 15-lap stretches of the race, …

Read more

Pace Laps: The Greatest Day In Racing

Indycar 2015 Indy Charlie Kimball Credit Shawn Gritzmacher

(Photo: Shawn Grtitzmacher)

IndyCar: Charlie Kimball Shows His Worth – Going into the 99th Indianapolis 500, all eyes were on Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) to compete for the win. While Penske ultimately got the upper hand in the battle, one CGR driver came out smiling. Charlie Kimball entered Sunday’s running of “The Greatest Spectacle in …

Read more

Pace Laps: Manufacturer Advantages, Standalone Races, & Different Faces

Nhra 2015 Atlanta Winners Hector Arana Jason Line Tim Wilkerson Antron Brown Courtesy Nhra Media

Photo Credit: NHRA Media

Sprint Cup Series: All-Star Snoozer – While the question of whether or not the All-Star Race has outlived its usefulness is a valid one, the bigger question resides with how it should remain should it continue. One comment that seemed appropriate regarding the race is that, to truly be an all-star race, drivers from all levels …

Read more

Pace Laps: Opportunity, Fuel Mileage, Make-A-Wish & More

2015 Kansas I Cwts Matt Crafton Celebrates Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Xfinity Series: It’s Time for a Standalone – After another much needed off-weekend, the NASCAR Xfinity Series regulars will have their first true chance to reach Victory Lane at a non-plate track this year. Heading over to the stand-alone event in Iowa on Sunday, the division’s drivers will be up against very few (if any) …

Read more

Pace Laps: Follow the Leader, Xfinity Dominance, & Other Racing Worlds

2015 Talladega I Nxs Green Flag Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR/Getty Images)

Sprint Cup Series: Jr. Wins But… – The easy aspect of the race at Talladega is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. won which is ostensibly good for the sport because of his continued popularity. The question, however, that slipped by with his victory is whether or not the racing was any good. If you’re a fan of …

Read more

Pace Laps: A 2nd Chance to Make a 1st Impression, Ending a Dry Spell

2015 Richmond I Nxs Green Flag Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

Photo Credit: NASCAR via Getty Images

Sprint Cup Series: We all need a second chance sometimes – For 19-year-old Chase Elliott, Sunday afternoon at Richmond International raceway was his second-career Sprint Cup Series start – the first he will like to remember after a troublesome Martinsville debut in March. Advancing to Round 2 of Coors Light qualifying on Friday afternoon, Elliott …

Read more