Race Weekend Central

Fan’s View: Wondering “Where Does Ask.com Get These Ideas”?

I’ve always maintained the opinion that it’s important to be able to laugh at yourself. Especially if you’re obsessed with something. Anything. One of my addictions is NASCAR and growing up in the Northeast, where automotive sports are often put in the same basket with punkin’ chunkin’ and mud bogging (not that there’s anything wrong …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 Phoenix Spring Race Recap

The Key Moment: Mark Martin was able to quickly dispatch Ryan Newman on the race’s final restart, and Tony Stewart never generated the steam to catch him. In a Nutshell: Martin’s victory is a feel good story, but it doesn’t hide the fact Phoenix wasn’t much of a race. Dramatic Moment: With passing so hard …

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Bowles-Eye View: Mark Martin’s Rise Leaves Dale Earnhardt Jr. Flat on His Face

This is a story about two men’s historic rise and fall from grace. As Mark Martin took the checkered flag Saturday night, the desert night lit up with thousands of smiling faces. Sentimentality was in the air again at Phoenix International Raceway, a mere two minutes after a 50-year-old won his first race since ‘05 …

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5 Points to Ponder: 2009 Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix Edition

Good finish For all the talk of anti-climactic races this season, NASCAR was fortunate to have an exciting finish this weekend at Phoenix. Sure, there were long green-flag runs throughout the race, and clean air provided such an advantage that Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn’t compete without it – but there were several moments that made …

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Bubble Breakdown: Sam Hornish Jr. Rips Off 1st Top 10 of 2009, Solidifies Locked-In Spot

Bad news has hit one of our bubble teams since the last race at Texas. After several patchwork sponsorship deals to keep the team afloat through March, the No. 8 Chevrolet driven by Aric Almirola has been shut down due to a lack of funding. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing plans to bring everyone back once sponsorship …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Out With the New & In With the Old for Phoenix Freshmen

Joey Logano Start: 31st; Finish: 21st Summary: Last Friday, Joe Gibbs Racing president JD Gibbs put to rest the rumors that had his team’s rookie driver out of a job before the end of his first season. But it looked like even a vote of confidence from the boss wasn’t going to be enough to …

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Mark Martin Breaks His Winless Streak, Wins 2009 Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix

Starting on the front row this season had been a mixed bag for Mark Martin. At Bristol, he ran up front for most of the race and finished sixth. At Daytona, he got caught back in traffic and the rains prohibited him from moving up higher than 16th before the rains came and ended the …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? It might have been the most unnoticed top-10 finish of the night, but Sam Hornish Jr. grabbed his career-best finish at Phoenix with his unheralded ninth-place result. It was Hornish’s first top-10 finish in Sprint Cup competition and the second top 10 in this race for owner Roger …

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Happy Hour: Why We Don’t See as Much Emotion as We’d Like

I play in a fairly competitive but unofficial softball league. During a game last season while playing first base, I squatted and reached to my left to try to catch a low and wide throw from third. The runner ran into me, knocking me over. The ball got away. Instead of going after the ball, …

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