Race Weekend Central

10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville

1. Talking About Times Getting Hard! – Johnny Benson took command of the Craftsman Truck Series championship points battle, at least temporarily, by winning the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Saturday afternoon. Benson, driver of the Bill Davis Racing No. 23 Toyota Tundra, left the track with a 65-point lead in the CTS drivers’ championship. He …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte

1. Unrest in Detroit – It is being heavily rumored that talks have taken place between Chrysler and General Motors involving GM acquiring Chrysler’s automotive manufacturing business. Also, the Wall Street Journal has reported that the idea of a Ford/GM merger has likewise been bandied about. If the deal goes through, there’s no telling what …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Amp Energy 500 at Talladega

1. Change in Direction – Joey Logano, heir to the No. 20 Toyota presently driven by Sunday’s race winner Tony Stewart, will not compete in any further races this season in the No. 96 Hall of Fame Toyota. The 18-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing phenom had been scheduled to fill the driver’s seat in the HoF …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Camping World RV 400 at Kansas

1. Naturally Good – The Chase for the Sprint Cup point format initiated in 2004 is designed to narrow the point gap amongst the top-12 drivers and aid in creating a more exciting and suspenseful 10-race climax to the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Following Sunday’s Camping World RV 400 from Kansas, Jimmie Johnson now leads …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Camping World RV 400 at Dover

1. Drive It Like You Stole It! – According to police in Mooresville, N.C., thieves broke into the Roush/Yates engine shop last week, loading three race motors into a stolen Penske rental truck. The Ford engines taken were specially prepared for the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series. Don’t you just know that there is some …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Sylvania 300 at Loudon

1. Not Keepin’ Up With the Times – This past week, Kyle Petty took on NASCAR for not being able to control the number of teams an owner operates, as well as keeping a level playing field for smaller organizations. Petty cited the recent alliance of Stewart-Haas Racing with Hendrick Motorsports as an example, nicknaming …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond

1. How Low? – “When times are tough, there are certain things that are lower on the priority list than others,” said Dodge Motorsports senior manager Mike Delahanty in announcing that the company would not support any Craftsman Truck Series teams beginning next year. Actually, the only truck team that the manufacturer still funds was …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Pepsi 500 at Fontana

1. Thanks for the Memories – Felix Sabates, co-owner of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, never one to mince words, took a potshot at sponsor of the No. 42 Texaco Dodge driven by Juan Pablo Montoya. Texaco, after 20 years of sponsoring a NASCAR Cup team, has announced that they have made a business …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Bristol Night Race

1. A Little Communication – New team owner for 2009 Tony Stewart has had a change of heart on acquiring the No. 4 for next year’s teammate Ryan Newman; instead, Stewart’s fellow Indiana driver will race the No. 39. Though NASCAR agreed to transfer the number, used by Morgan-McClure Motorsports for 25 years, the sanctioning …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 3M Performance 400 at Michigan

1. Give Backs – After five years on the sideline, the Southern 500 is back! Well, sort of. Track officials have announced that next year’s Mother’s Day weekend race will be renamed the Southern 500 – replacing the Dodge Avenger 500. The track lost the traditional Southern 500 date to the Fontana, Calif. racetrack in …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Centurion Boats at the Glen

1. Artifacts – Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s. driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, Martin Truex Jr., has agreed to contract terms with his current employer that will keep him with the organization and his team at least through 2009. Last week, rumors had Truex Jr. agreeing in principal to resigning with DEI, leading …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono

1. Midget Money – Frequent NASCAR “bad boy” Tony Stewart was fined $10,000 after reportedly becoming angry at officials during a USAC midget race when they made a competition-related decision that adversely affected Tracy Hines, who drives for Stewart’s open-wheel team. Witnesses said that Stewart charged a USAC official – knocking his headset off – …

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