Race Weekend Central

Fanning the Flames: Drivers, Not NASCAR, Biggest Obstacle to Driver Union

The rain is wearing on me. Seriously, you all, I’ve had it up to my speedometer with rain. Literally. As if Daytona and the 600 getting washed out wasn’t enough to put a damper on my spirits, the flash flood I mentioned last week – you know, the one that submerged my Murray lawnmower – …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Edition

The conclusion of the Anti-Climatic 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Monday leaves the NASCAR fanbase wondering exactly which driver should have won. Since the race began in the middle of the day on Monday instead of early in the evening on Sunday, drivers did not have to encounter as many changes in track conditions as …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Time for NASCAR to Re-think the Re-starts

The scheduled NASCAR powwow between the organization’s top executives, owners and drivers took place Tuesday, just a day after the excruciating conclusion to the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The official line being toted for the get-together at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. was to afford competitors a forum to …

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Frontstretch Fantasy Insider: Bristol on the Juice… How to Survive Dover’s Monster Mile

Leaving the Beast of the Southeast behind in a flood of rain, the Cup circuit heads to the aptly titled “Monster Mile” that is Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile high-banked concrete oval that lives up to its reputation as a Bristol on steroids. The high-speed facility is one of the more treacherous circuits on the …

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What’s Vexing Vito: Tough Love – Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Tony Eury Jr. Rip Off the Band-Aid & Start the Healing

Well, here we go again – the rumor mill is at Def-Con 2 this week, with talk of Tony Eury Jr.’s imminent demise and departure as crew chief for cousin Dale Earnhardt Jr. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost one year since Earnhardt Jr. last won a race, on Father’s Day weekend at Michigan …

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Did You Notice? NASCAR’s Vague Meeting, Eury’s Imminent Departure & the Poor Become Penniless

Did You Notice? All the wholesale changes that took place after NASCAR’s meeting with teams and owners Tuesday? No, I didn’t notice them either… and whether any happen at all is what’s really going to make or break this “town hall” affair a longtime source explained was “nothing more than a PR move” after debriefing …

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The Yellow Stripe: So Near & Yet So Far – The Story of RCR’s Struggles in 2009

The trouble with great expectations is that when you fall even just a little short, the disappointment is exponentially greater. In the case of Richard Childress Racing, falling short is very much the story of its season so far. And nowhere was that more evident than at Lowe’s Motor Speedway this past weekend where the …

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Voice of Vito: The Curious Case of Helio Castroneves, David Reutimann & Jenson Button

With the running of the 50th Coca-Cola 600, the biggest weekend of racing has mercifully come to an end… finally. And with Monday’s running of NASCAR’s longest race of the season nearly being a washout as well, another first-time winner wound up getting crowned in victory lane. David Reutimann embodied the old racing adage of …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Coca-Cola 600

While racing was supposed to be the focus at Charlotte, rain wound up being the headline. Since the Coca-Cola 600 was called short due to weather, the final standings were a jumbled mess of drivers who took a risk on the final pit stop to steal a good finish – leaving the fastest cars in …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 World 600 at Charlotte

The Key Moment: David Reutimann stayed out when a caution flew for rain. The precipitation never stopped and Reutimann reigned at Charlotte. In a Nutshell: After 24 hours plus at Charlotte, Mother Nature turned a stock car race into a high-dollar game of musical chairs. Dramatic Moment: Waiting to see if the weather would relent …

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