Race Weekend Central

Bubble Breakdown: Michael Waltrip Bounces Back With Strong 17th to Solidify Spot in Top 35

If you make the long and winding drive down Long Pond Drive you’ll come upon the speedway in the woods known as Pocono Raceway. In 2008, this track was nothing short of disaster for the bubble teams and 2009 wasn’t much kinder to them. It started Friday when qualifying was rained out, meaning that the …

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Tony Stewart Brings Home Maiden Victory for His Own Team, Wins 2009 Pocono 500

In the Sprint Cup Series, it has become incredibly rare for owner-drivers to win. In fact, it had been over 10 years since the last time it had happened (Note: Dale Earnhardt does not count here because he was not driving one of his own cars). On Sunday, Tony Stewart achieved the feat. Despite having …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Pocono 500

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? When racing gets down to fuel mileage, there is the potential for a shakeup in the finishing order, and this week was no exception. That’s not a knock on mileage racing; it’s part of the game and the drivers that finish well still had to race all day …

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Holding a Pretty Wheel: The Wheel Files – Conspiracy Theories Alive & Well in NASCAR

Did you hear? NASCAR wants Kyle Busch to win the championship and will do anything to make sure he does. NASCAR doesn’t want Hendrick Motorsports to win another title, either. And the reason they don’t publish the rulebook or specific punishments is so they can punish based on who they want to win and who …

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Happy Hour’s Best Drivers in NASCAR, Part 1: Drivers #15-11

Being the Official Columnist of NASCAR is not an easy job. It’s not a matter of simply handing over a few million to NASCAR, as with most “official” entities. It takes effort. Column topics must be selected with care as opposed to just hitting the escape key and writing something about Dale Earnhardt Jr. when …

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Voices From the Heartland: Studies Have Shown NASCAR is ‘Full Of It’

Over the last couple of weeks, ever since the rumors started flying about the demise of Tony Eury Jr. as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief, the ‘media’ has reported several times, in various ways, that “studies have shown that when Jr. isn’t running well, NASCAR’s ratings are down.” NASCAR of course, actually likes to hear …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Jeremy Mayfield Hearing Delayed & the Whole Mess Could Have Been Avoided

It has been almost a month since the suspension of Sprint Cup owner/driver Jeremy Mayfield and the matter is no closer to resolution. Wednesday’s scheduled hearing before a North Carolina Superior Court Judge in Mecklenburg County, N.C. was cancelled due to an 11th-hour move on the part of NASCAR to have the case heard in …

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Fanning the Flames: Carl Long, Brad Keselowski & Other Issues of the Week

Carl Long, we are with you bud. Just so you know, there are a lot of longtime fans of the sport out here that are appalled by the situation you find yourself in. Thank you for fighting the good fight and speaking frankly on the subject. We don’t get that a lot, but whether out …

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Frontstretch Fantasy Insider: Trying to Overcome the Pythagorean Theorem of Racing at Pocono

The weekend’s trip to Pocono Raceway is about as far away from the Monster Mile as one can get. An enormous (and enormously wide) 2.5-mile triangle, Pocono is truly a one of a kind racetrack. With long straightaways and three unique corners, both handling and horsepower will be at a premium this coming weekend. And …

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What’s Vexing Vito: Carl Long Penalty Further Proof That the Little Guy No Longer Is Welcome in NASCAR

Much like Lloyd Christmas in Dumb & Dumber, just when you didn’t think NASCAR could do anything more asinine than they have as of late, “they go out of their way and totally redeem themselves!” – i.e., out do even themselves yet again. Carl Long, who two weeks ago was the recipient of one of …

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Full Throttle: If Carl Long Has Been Wronged, Fans Should Speak With Their Wallets

The National Stock Car Racing Commission listened to Carl Long’s appeal of his fines and suspensions that stemmed from the All-Star weekend and issued a ruling yesterday. While the Commission acknowledged that Long’s testimony was “genuine and heartfelt” and “expressed a strong love of racing and a desire to compete at the highest levels of …

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