Race Weekend Central

Sprint Cup Rookie Report: “Rookies” Joey Logano, Marcos Ambrose Take Advantage of a Late-Race Shootout – Chicago Style

Joey Logano Start: 24th; Finish: 18th Summary: Logano started the Lifelock.com 400 with hopes of completing the weekend sweep after pulling off a surprise victory on old tires the night before in the Nationwide race (July 10). His quest to go two-for-two certainly got off to a slow start, however, due to a very loose-handling racecar …

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Bubble Breakdown: Late-Race Trouble Negates Good Efforts from Paul Menard & Brad Keselowski

News from the bubble this past week was dominated by the announcement from Michael Waltrip Racing, who not only re-signed primary sponsor NAPA to a multi-year deal but also upgraded the cockpit of the car by signing two-time Busch Series champion and one-time Chase participant Martin Truex Jr. for 2010. Waltrip will drive up to …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 LifeLock 400 at Chicagoland

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? It’s a tough week to have to choose this one, but I’m going with a driver who, a year ago, was labeled as just another open-wheel convert who couldn’t figure out stock cars. Fast forward to the present, though, and Juan Pablo Montoya seems to have it figured …

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Holding a Pretty Wheel: Life Is a Team Sport, But Is NASCAR?

We’ve all heard it: the winning driver in victory lane thanking his teammates, without whom he surely could not have prevailed. Well, OK, maybe not in those exact words, because he’d sound like a dork, but you know the drill. Thank those teammates! So, how important are those teammates, really? In a perfect world, of …

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Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off: NASCAR Hall’In Class

I’ve gotten a lot of email from readers asking me which five people I hope, or think, will make up the first set of inductees into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame. I’ve debated the topic with more than a few fans and have to agree that narrowing the group down to just five individuals is a …

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Fanning the Flames: Jeremy Mayfield’s “Dangerous Precedent” May Serve to Benefit the Sport

Anyone see where former U.S. Figure Skating champion Nicole Bobek was charged in a New Jersey court with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine? (Anyone care?) Wonder if she’ll “follow the dangerous precedent” set forth by Jeremy Mayfield, his appeal and the court’s subsequent injunction? Considering she’s been retired for a while and already in jail, I …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Blocking – It’s Just NASCAR Racing!

Following last Saturday night’s exciting final lap of the Coke Zero 400 from Daytona International Speedway, there has been a renewed call for NASCAR to “do something” to prevent what some view as the just too dangerous practice of ‘blocking’ – a driving maneuver as much a part of stock car racing as rubbing door …

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Frontstretch Fantasy Insider: Cookie-Cuttering, Chicagoland Style

There are few, if any, tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit as sterile as the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway. The epitome of a cookie-cutter oval, there will likely be few, if any, surprises at the front this Saturday night, so make sure you leave your underdog drivers sitting on the bench. Indeed, the big names of …

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What’s Vexing Vito: Daytona Destruction Slices & Dices Chase Field – Who Will Be In & Who Will Be out Come September?

Last Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (July 4) could very well prove to be lynch pin in the 2009 Sprint Cup season for several drivers. For all of the talk about how Bristol is a wildcard leading up to the Chase, or how Talladega is unpredictable and could single handedly determine the champion, Daytona …

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Voice of Vito: Michael Waltrip, Motorsports Motormouth Finally Focusing Full-Time on Owner Role for 2010

While the majority of news media yesterday were trained on the Michael Jackson memorial, there was another announcement being made on the opposite side of the country in Cornelius, N.C., at Michael Waltrip Racing. A new driver is joining the MWR stable in 2010, as Martin Truex Jr. was officially announced as the new full-time …

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