Race Weekend Central

Thompson in Turn 5: Jeff Burton Flying Under the Radar

For those that haven’t noticed, Jeff Burton is presently second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers’ championship. It sounds like a fact that’s hard to miss; but really, it’s easy to overlook a man sandwiched in the standings between media darlings Kyle Busch – leading the points race due to his phenomenal on-track performances – …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Win Gave NASCAR What It Needed – Putting the Focus Back On Racing

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s first win in over two years could not have come at a better time for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. The sanctioning body desperately needed something positive to transpire for the sport after a week in which it found itself in the forefront of the national news – and …

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Thompson in Turn 5: The Future of DEI & Why Mark Martin is the Answer

Last season, two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart predicted that Dale Earnhardt Inc. would become “a museum” without their star driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. As we approach one year after Junior’s official announcement he’d signed with Hendrick Motorsports, it’s a prophecy that looks like it may be coming to fruition. A look at the driver …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Jamie McMurray, Unfulfilled Expectations

The news this past week that Jamie McMurray is job hunting probably does not come as a great surprise to many. Though McMurray has denied such speculation, critics have had him with one foot out the door of his Roush Fenway ride ever since the beginning of 2008. Currently 22nd in the Cup standings with …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Kyle Busch vs. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Junior is Still the Better Deal

There is no end in sight to the comparisons between the racing careers of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch, the driver he replaced this season at what has been NASCAR’s premier racing organization: Hendrick Motorsports. And replace Busch at HMS, Junior absolutely did. Make no mistake about it; had Rick Hendrick not had an …

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Thompson in Turn 5: The 2008 Sprint All-Star Challenge a Dud!

You would think that after 23 previous All-Star Races under NASCAR’s belt they would pretty much have a formula in place that guaranteed an exciting and fun evening of racing entertainment. But last Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Challenge demonstrated just how little it is possible to learn in almost a quarter century. The truth is, …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Richard Childress Rightfully a Hall of Famer

What do sports greats Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Sonny Jurgensen, Arnold Palmer, Gaylord Perry and NASCAR team owner Richard Childress have in common? Well, at least after Thursday evening’s induction ceremony at the Raleigh, North Carolina Hilton in which Childress will be honored; all will be members of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Childress’s …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Darlington Fans “Too Tough To Surrender”

Well, Richmond’s Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 last Saturday night provided just about all the excitement and intrigue any stock car fan could possibly have hoped for: exciting speed, door-rubbing passes, controversy and a surprise ending to boot. As I wrote last week, fans aren’t going to find better stock car entertainment than …

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Thompson in Turn 5: A Successful Female NASCAR Driver Would Be… Oprah-Like

I would love to have a financial stake in the first woman driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series that performs at the high level of skill that IRL driver Danica Patrick does. There is no secret that the nation’s top automobile racing series is sponsor driven, and a successful female driver would have a …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Random Drug Testing – Harvick, Earnhardt, Stewart & Granny! Form a Line Over Here!

Recent shocking revelations that former Craftsman Truck and Nationwide series driver Aaron Fike not only concealed a painkiller addiction from NASCAR officials, but competed in CTS events after using heroin on race day has renewed criticism of the sanctioning body’s present drug-testing policies. At the moment, NASCAR does not have a random drug-screening policy like …

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Thompson in Turn 5: The Verdict Is in – NASCAR Scores Big With the CoT

Michael McDowell‘s terrifying near-head on collision with the SAFER barrier and subsequent barrel-rolling down the track at Texas Motor Speedway Friday was the most serious real-life test yet of NASCAR’s new car, known during its developmental period as the Car of Tomorrow (CoT). But the five-year project by NASCAR’s Research And Development division had been …

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