Race Weekend Central

Bubble Breakdown: Bill Davis In, Wood Brothers Out; Top 35 Locked in for 2008

We all but knew it coming into Miami. The Nextel Cup championship may have been up for grabs at the season’s final stop, but the top-35 teams in car owner points were all but locked in, with Dave Blaney and the No. 22 team holding a 136-point lead over the No. 21 Wood Brothers entry …

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Bubble Breakdown: 3 Straight Weeks of Misfortune Cripple Bill Elliott, Wood Brothers In Top-35 Quest

October has not been a good month for the Wood Brothers team. It all started back in Talladega, when Ken Schrader tagged the wall following a cut tire; it was a tragic set of circumstances that resulted in the No. 21 car falling out of the Top 35 in owner points. Sadly, that was only …

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Bubble Breakdown: Dave Blaney Continues Hot Streak, Carries Toyota Banner Back into Top 35

It’s been a difficult second half of the season for Dave Blaney and the No. 22 team; they’re busy jockeying for the 35th and final “locked-in” spot in car owner points with the No. 21 team and their driver combo of Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader. But last week, Blaney had his best finish of …

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Bowles-Eye View: Can Cup Drivers Bring Restrictor Plates to Their Knees?

For years, critics of restrictor plate racing have looked every which way to stop what they call “manufactured entertainment.” However, the racing at Talladega Superspeedway was always rallied by support from the stands – never unanimous, but just enough that it’s been next to impossible for NASCAR to appreciate both the danger and the destructiveness …

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Bubble Breakdown: Blaney Keeps Blood Pressure High for Petty, Schrader in Top 35 After Killer Kansas Performance

When it comes to the Top 35 nowadays, it’s really become more about separating the “3” out of that number than anything else. For the past month, the battle has stood amongst three teams within Petty Enterprises (No. 45), Wood Brothers/JTG Racing (No. 21) and Bill Davis Racing (No. 22). Whatever the driver behind the …

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Bubble Breakdown: Kyle Petty Fading, Feeling Pressure of Top 35

If you don’t think those drivers fighting to get – or remain – inside the Top 35 in car owner points are feeling any pressure with eight races remaining… think again. Kyle Petty‘s obvious frustration towards Denny Hamlin following a lap 204 crash was without a doubt the expression of a disappointed driver trying hard …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not OUTSIDE the Chase: 2007 Sylvania 300 at Loudon Edition

NASCAR’s playoffs may be full steam ahead after Loudon – but that doesn’t mean the other 31 drivers stop racing each week. Whether they’re building momentum for 2008, out there fighting for a job or just infused with the plain ol’ desire to win, each one has something to strive for as the races wind …

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Bubble Breakdown: The Chase is Here – But the Top-35 Battle is Closer Than Ever for Wood Brothers, BDR

The Chase may have just begun this week in New Hampshire, but the race for the 35th position in owner points has been in full swing all season long… and the gap is getting narrower. The difference between 34th and 36th now stands at just 82 points – and while the Top-35 battle does not …

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