Race Weekend Central

4 Burning Questions at Darlington: Can NASCAR Deliver on Important Weekend?

2014 Darlington Cup Pack Racing Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

1. Will the low-downforce package work once more? Forget the throwback paint schemes, forget the pomp and circumstance: the biggest story this weekend revolves around the return of the low-downforce package to the Sprint Cup cars this weekend. The last time we saw the low-downforce package was back in June at Kentucky Speedway, and the …

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4 Burning Questions: Which Road Course Will Put On the Better Show?

2014 Road America Nns Brendan Gaughan Sam Hornish Jr Racing Credit Jonathan Daniel Getty Images

Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

1. WHICH ROAD RACE — XFINITY OR TRUCKS — WILL PUT ON A BETTER SHOW? It used to be that fans decried tracks that had cars turning right, saying stock cars didn’t belong on the twisting turns of Riverside, Watkins Glen and Sears Point. After a decade of great races on these types of tracks, …

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4 Burning Questions at Bristol: Will Bristol Live Up to Its Lofty Reputation?

2015 Bristol I Cup Kurt Busch Spin Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

1. Will Bristol be its usual wild-card self? The Bristol Motor Speedway night race has a long-standing reputation as being an event where anything can happen. For the most part, anyone can win at Bristol. The combination of large attrition rates, slow speeds, passing difficulties and lack of aerodynamic necessities make Bristol an equalizer of …

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4 Burning Questions at Michigan: With New Package, Will Race Be a Stinker?

2014 Michigan Ii Cup Joey Logano Jeff Gordon Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads back to Michigan International Speedway this weekend, and all everybody can talk about is the high-drag package – but the race will be remembered for so much more than that. It’s one of a final few chances for drivers not already locked into the Chase to punch their ticket. …

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4 Burning Questions in Watkins Glen: Can Tony Stewart Find Redemption?

2015 Sonoma Cup Tony Stewart Car Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Right-hand turns are on tap for this Sunday as the traveling circus that is the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads north to Watkins Glen International. The world-famous 11-turn road course has been a lightning rod of drama for the series over the past half-decade, and as such, there is a higher-than-normal buzz for the race …

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4 Burning Questions at Pocono: Is This MWR’s Last Chance at Survival?

2014 Richmond Ii Cup Clint Bowyer Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

The winds of change are beginning to overtake the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as the circuit edges closer to the end of the regular season. Rules changes, team changes, ownership changes: no matter what form it takes, novelty has dominated the news cycle in recent weeks.  And now, news of Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner Rob …

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4 Burning Questions: Will Indy Be a Race to Remember?

2014 Indianapolis Cup Marcos Ambrose Cole Whitt Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Eldora has come and gone, and with its passing, we hit the back half of NASCAR’s summer stretch before autumn rolls around and the Chase begins. The dirt race was once again a show to remember, and it serves as a bright spot in the overall NASCAR schedule, sandwiched in between two Sprint Cup races …

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4 Burning Questions at New Hampshire: Rowdy’s Rise & Smoke’s Struggles

Tony Stewart waves to race fans during driver introductions at Kentucky Speedway.

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)­­

After the wild success of the low-downforce rules package at Kentucky the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to normalcy this Sunday as the series rolls north to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. New Hampshire will see the return of the original 2015 intermediate-track rules package; with it will come another shuffle of the competitive deck. As …

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4 Burning Questions at Kentucky: Can New Rules Package Inject Life Into Cup Series?

2014 Kentucky Cup Pack Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Well, this is the one we’ve been waiting for. After months of anticipation, the much-ballyhooed low-downforce rules package will be making its long awaited debut at this Saturday’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. Yes, you read that correctly: there is actually a buzz around a race at Kentucky. Shocking, I know. No other story …

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4 Burning Questions: Will NBC Deliver in Its Return to NASCAR Coverage?

2001 Nascar Winston Series, Daytona

(Photo Credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

One of the biggest weekends for the sport of NASCAR in recent memory is upon us, Coke Zero 400. The Daytona night race stands as one of the most prestigious and important races on the calendar, but this year, it’s even bigger. This weekend marks the return of NBC Sports to the NASCAR world, a …

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4 Burning Questions: Can a Non-traditional Winner Steal One in Sonoma?

2014 Sonoma Cup Pack Racing Ii Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014)

Right turns? The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series doesn’t usually do many of them, but this weekend’s round of stock car action will be an exception. The twisty, 11-turn Sonoma Raceway is the next track on deck for NASCAR’s top series, a track that is likely to inject some life into what has been a rather …

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4 Burning Questions: Will the New Rules Package Work Out for NASCAR?

2015 Pocono I Cup Martin Truex Jr Kevin Harvick Racing Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

A rare off-weekend is on tap for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and as the stars of NASCAR’s premier series enjoy some much-needed time off, observers of the sport have time to reflect on the season that’s been and make some predictions about what is still to come. 2015 has been a turbulent year for …

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