Race Weekend Central

The Yellow Stripe: Sizing Up the Standings, What’s Left to Decide in 2008 for NASCAR’s Top-3 Series

And then there were five. There are just 33 days left (and 14 races across all three series) in the 2008 NASCAR season, and we’re getting inexorably closer to the time of year the prizes are handed out. So, with a little over a month left in the season, let’s take a look at where …

Read more

Mirror Driving: Kicking Talladega Out of the Chase, How Regan Lost the Race & Do DNFs Matter?

Welcome to Mirror Driving. Every week, your favorite columnists sit down and give their opinion about the latest NASCAR news and rumors. Love us or hate us, make a comment below and tell us how you feel about what we’ve said! This Week’s Participants: Tom Bowles (Editor-In-Chief; Mondays/Bowles-Eye View & Wednesdays/Did You Notice?) Vito Pugliese (Tuesdays/Voice of …

Read more

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 …

Read more

Tracking the Trucks: 2008 Mountain Dew 250 at Talladega

In a Nutshell: Todd Bodine took the checkered flag 0.074 seconds ahead of Ron Hornaday Jr. to win the Mountain Dew 250 presented by Toyota Saturday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway. Bodine took the lead in the final turn on the last lap to win his third consecutive superspeedway race. Kyle Busch, Colin Braun and Mike Wallace …

Read more

Tearing Apart the Trucks: Joey Logano Set to Debut at Talladega

After taking a weekend off, the Craftsman Truck Series returns to action Saturday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway. Joey Logano will be making his Truck Series debut in the No. 59 Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota. Logano takes the place of Ted Musgrave, who resigned from HT Motorsports after being accused of intentionally wrecking his truck in …

Read more

Rick Crawford Driver Diary: What Happens in Vegas…?

Rick Crawford drives the No. 14 Circle Bar Racing Ford in the Craftsman Truck Series. In his 12th full season, he’s currently sixth in the standings with six top fives and 11 top-10 finishes to show for his efforts in 2008. Every four weeks, he’ll also write a diary for Frontstretch to show how his …

Read more

Mirror Driving: Who’s Losing a Date to Kansas, Who’s Already Lost the Chase & Judging Lame Ducks

Welcome to Mirror Driving. Every week, your favorite columnists sit down and give their opinion about the latest NASCAR news and rumors. Love us or hate us, make a comment below and tell us how you feel about what we’ve said! This Week’s Participants: Tom Bowles (Editor-in-Chief; Mondays/Bowles-Eye View & Wednesdays/Did You Notice?) Doug Turnbull (Tuesdays/Talking NASCAR …

Read more

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 …

Read more

Voice of Vito: Food for Thought – What’s Broken & What Works in NASCAR

The popular saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” applies to many things in life — especially in racing. As we’ve seen the last few years, sometimes NASCAR tends to tinker with things that don’t need to be messed with, while ignoring problems that badly need to be solved. So, on the heels of …

Read more

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 …

Read more

Tracking the Trucks: 2008 Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350

In a Nutshell: Mike Skinner took the checkered flag 0.020 seconds ahead of Erik Darnell to win the Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350 Saturday night. Several cautions set up the green-white-checkered finish that allowed Skinner to pull past Darnell at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Matt Crafton, John Andretti and Ron Hornaday Jr. rounded out the …

Read more

Holding a Pretty Wheel: When Is a Fight Not a Fight? Only When It’s Between NASCAR Cup Drivers

Fight! There’s one word that’s sure to send people flocking to a scene, and last Saturday, they flocked to pit road at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, specifically to the immediate vicinity of David Starr’s truck. There were several reasons for the sudden congregation. Todd Bodine’s team hurried to the scene to… well, start the fight. …

Read more