Race Weekend Central

Toyotas Top Both 2015 Toyota/Save Mart 350 Practices at Sonoma

2015 Sonoma Cup Kyle Busch Car Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Friday afternoon saw the 44 cars entered in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 take to the 1.99-mile road course to dial their cars in. With more combined practice time than the race is likely to last Sunday, teams had plenty of time to get an idea of where they needed to be. With the long practices, …

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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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The Frontstretch 5: Drivers Who Can Still Win Their Way Into the Chase

2015 Michigan I Cup Tony Stewart Car Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Welcome to the Frontstretch Five! Each week, Amy Henderson takes a look at the racing, the drivers and the storylines that drive NASCAR and produces a list of five people, places, things and ideas that define the current state of our sport. This week, with 11 races to go before the Chase, Amy looks at …

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5 Points to Ponder: Gordon’s Strife & The Worst Words In NASCAR

2015 Michigan I Cup Jimmie Johnson Helmet Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

ONE: A Week Off 15 races of the 2015 Sprint Cup Series are in the books as we head into a rare weekend off. Just 11 races shy of the start of this year’s playoffs, Jimmie Johnson has the most wins with four in total, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch have two apiece and seven …

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Did You Notice? Optical Illusions For NASCAR, Appeals & Michael Waltrip

2015 Pocono I Cup Jimmie Johnson Helmet Vertical Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Did You Notice? Any specific reasons why Jimmie Johnson’s team failed pre-qualifying inspection at Charlotte? No, I don’t have them either. That’s ultimately the reason why a NASCAR appeals panel Tuesday threw out the most hotly debated P1 penalty since the sport developed a new system. It’s also left many fans in a state of confusion, …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: FOX Can’t Fix Boredom

2015 Dover I Cup Jimmie Johnson Confetti Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Welcome back, race fans. After the insanity of Memorial Day weekend, last weekend brought a tripleheader at Dover. We saw wrecking, track surface issues and Jimmie Johnson winning again. In other words, it was just like last year. Things never change. Due to time constraints, Saturday’s running of the Buckle Up 200 will be covered …

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NASCAR Driver Report Cards: Part I

Clint Bowyer Martin Truex Jr Kyle Larson Cup Sprint Showdown 2015 Charlotte Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

Since I’ve been away for a while, there’s a whole lot of writing to do on how each Sprint Cup driver has been performing in 2015. In this day and age of the “new” Chase, looking at the point standings to gauge a driver’s performance is often an optical illusion; once someone wins, scoring points …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte

Denny Hamlin All Star Victory Lane Charlotte 2015 Yvonne Leonard

Credit: Yvonne Leonard, Frontstretch

Who’s in the headline – While most of the stories will be written about Denny Hamlin winning the race, it is his pit crew that really should be in the spotlight. On the mandatory stop before the final 10-lap segment, Hamlin’s crew threw down a 10.4-second pit stop. DJ Copp told Frontstretch in 2013 that …

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5 Points to Ponder: Coming Home, 5 More Years & A Shifting Fanbase

2015 Bristol I Cup Aj Allmendinger Helmet Credit Amy Henderson

(Photo: Amy Henderson, Frontstretch)

Truex’s win is just around the corner It wasn’t to be for Martin Truex Jr. on Saturday night under the lights at Kansas Speedway, but if his performance tells us anything it is that his win is just around the corner. And what a celebration it will be when it finally does come. Truex has …

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AJ Allmendinger Secures 5-Year Deal with JTG Daugherty Racing

2015 Bristol I Cup Aj Allmendinger Car Credit Amy Henderson

Photo Credit: Amy Henderson, Frontstretch

AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 47 car for JTG Daugherty Racing in the Sprint Cup Series, will not have to worry about finding a ride for quite some time. Announced Saturday at Kansas Speedway, Allmendinger has agreed to a five-year extension of his contract, putting him in the No. 47 car until the 2020 …

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Kroger Signs Multi-Year Extension with JTG Daugherty Racing and AJ Allmendinger

Aj Allmendinger Martinsville 2015 Mike Neff 031

(Photo Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

The No. 47 Chevrolet will feature a fresh coat of paint starting this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Kroger, which has sponsored the team during the Daytona 500 for six years, has signed a multi-year deal to be the primary sponsor of AJ Allmendinger‘s car in at least 24 races. Last year, JTG Daugherty Racing qualified …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond

2015 Richmond I Cup Kurt Busch Confetti Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Who’s in the headline – Kurt Busch started off the year watching the Daytona 500 from his couch thanks to a NASCAR suspension. After getting back in the car at Phoenix, he was fast from the drop of the green flag. He had a win stolen by a questionable caution at Fontana but now has …

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