Race Weekend Central

Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Mad Max, Marcos Ambrose Sip the Sonoma Wine While It’s Sour Grapes for Others

Max Papis Start: 33rd; Finish: 12th Summary: Papis had high hopes coming into the wine country of Sonoma, the site of his Sprint Cup debut in 2008. However, it did not start out very well for the Italian road-racing vet. His No. 13 GEICO Camry fell a lap down very early in the race and it …

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Bubble Breakdown: Despite Early Off-Road Adventure, AJ Allmendinger Posts Top-10 Finish

Had you watched qualifying on Friday, you may have been asking yourself, “why did Scott Speed have to qualify on time while John Andretti had a guaranteed spot? NASCAR’s website has Speed in the 35th spot in points and Andretti in 36th.” The answer is simple; you were looking at the wrong standings. The Top-35 …

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Kasey Kahne Wins a Wild 2009 Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma

In the Sprint Cup Series, road racing is a rarity. Since 1988, the series has only held two road races a season. Some fans claim that Sprint Cup cars are not designed for road courses, and thus, should not race on them. Sunday’s race might have proved those fans wrong. The new rules brought double-file …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? Running on a smaller budget is usually not indicative of a great finish, but someone forgot to give Marcos Ambrose that memo. Ambrose once again showed his considerable road-racing skill as he was alternately patient and aggressive in his march from the back of the field (where he …

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Happy Hour’s Best 5 Drivers in NASCAR

As is often said, there are lies, damned lies, and statistics. But in the past two weeks, I couldn’t rely simply on my own judgment in deciding who should be ranked as the 15th through 11th and then the 10th through sixth drivers in the sport. I had ideas that I thought were worthy for …

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Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off: NASCAR Notes While Adrift in the Doldrums of June

Editor’s Note: For this week, Matt put together a few random notes on some of the major NASCAR storylines heading into this weekend. Let’s get right to it: Wow, no wonder TNT was able to outbid ABC and FOX for this stretch of the Cup schedule. Last week’s Michigan race was perhaps the most tepid …

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Fanning the Flames: Trucks, Catch Cans & Racing in Kentucky

A few random thoughts while running through the DVR’d version of last Sunday’s LifeLock 400 from Michigan just prior to jumping up and down like a maniac on the white-flag lap: A “Through the Field” segment is not a “through the field” segment when you only run through the top 10, TNT. I’m just clarifying. …

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Frontstretch Fantasy Insider: Plucking the Sweetest Fantasy Grapes at Infineon

For the first time this season, the stars of the Sprint Cup Series leave the ovals behind for the twisty confines of a road course. The more technical of the two courses tackled by the Cup circuit, Infineon Raceway is full of tight quarters and few passing zones, making track position… and staying on the …

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What’s Vexing Vito: Invading the Infield – Gauging Fan Reaction to the Effects of the Economy & the State of NASCAR

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Perched atop pit road in the media viewing area at Michigan International Speedway this weekend, I had the perfect vantage point from where to view the Lifelock 400. The addition of a Sprint FanView device courtesy of Sprint’s Chris Hannigan made all the difference in the world, having a television feed, MRN’s …

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Did You Notice? How to Make a Profit in NASCAR Without Racing 2 Laps & Gant’s Record in Peril

Did You Notice? The start-and-park charade hitting a crescendo this weekend? No less than 23 drivers in NASCAR’s top-three divisions pulled it in early, including a record 11 in the financially troubled Camping World Truck Series. But while the topic of field-filling has been hotly debated, for weeks those arguments have centered around a great …

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