Race Weekend Central

Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 Sonoma Race Recap

The Key Moment: Kasey Kahne held off Tony Stewart on no less than four restarts at the end of the race to claim his first victory in over a year at Sonoma. In a Nutshell: Everything some fans love and other fans hate about road-course racing was featured in a single event. Dramatic Moment: Those …

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

The Key Moment: Tony Stewart’s guys got him out on the track first after the last caution-flag pit stop on lap 159. Stewart then nursed an incredible 41 laps out of a tank of fuel to hold on to the victory. In a Nutshell: I guess it’s a matter of semantics. An “exciting” finish is …

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

The Key Moment: Coming up on two laps left to race, Jimmie Johnson powered around the outside of Tony Stewart to retake the lead at Dover. In a Nutshell: Ever hear of a cow-patty sandwich on whole wheat bread? The top and the bottom of the race weren’t bad… but everything in the middle was …

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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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Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 All-Star Race Recap

The Key Moment: With two laps left, Tony Stewart powered by Matt Kenseth to take the race lead, then drove off into the sunset. Or he would have… but it was already dark out. In a Nutshell: Prior to the final 10-lap segment, the racing featured all the intensity and drama of a typical Brady …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 Darlington Race Recap

The Key Moment: Mark Martin was able to gap Jimmie Johnson on the final restart with an old-school approach of braking early and accelerating hard out of the corners… a lesson I’d guess Johnson isn’t going to forget anytime soon. In a Nutshell: New car, new tires, new track surface… same old Darlington. Dramatic Moment: …

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

The Key Moment: Kyle Busch battled his way past Jeff Gordon on the 14th restart. After a couple tense laps battling the No. 24 and lapped cars, he drove off from the field to score his 15th career win in the Cup Series. In a Nutshell: Happy Birthday to Boos. Dramatic Moment: There were about …

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

The Key Moment: Carl Edwards had the lead when Brad Keselowski got a fender inside of him off turn 4 on the final lap. Edwards moved to block the No. 09 a little too late, going for a terrifying ride into the catchfence off of Ryan Newman’s car while Keselowski drove to victory lane. In …

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

The Key Moment: Jimmie Johnson ran down Denny Hamlin with 15 laps to go. He then moved the No. 11 car aside, with both cars getting sideways and smoking the tires before Johnson pulled ahead to take the lead. In a Nutshell: There’s nothing so wrong with the new NASCAR racing the sport’s oldest racetrack …

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