Race Weekend Central

What’s Vexing Vito: Driver Introduction Music at Bristol – How to Turn a Good Idea Up to 11

This past weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, the night race that was the Sharpie 500 was host once again to one of NASCAR’s most anticipated races of the year. As NASCAR continues its effort to elevate itself to something that resembles a cross between an NFL game, Wrestlemania and a rock concert, it featured personalized …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Patience & Perseverance Pay Off for Speed at Bristol

Scott Speed Start: 3rd; Finish: 15th Summary: Scott Speed recorded his best starting position since Chicago in July when he qualified on the inside of row two for the Sharpie 500. The Californian would not remain there for long however as he quickly faded outside of the top 15 by the lap 100 mark, eventually …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Joey Logano – No One Is Better Than Joe Gibbs at Picking a Winner

If it appears that the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota driven by rookie Joey Logano has become increasingly more visible in recent weeks, it is because he’s begun to emerge from the back of the pack and become more of a weekly contender. Perhaps no driver entered the country’s top stock car series with higher …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Joey Logano’s Inadvertent Pit Call Leads to a Top-10 Finish

It was a day where Joey Logano reminded us that he was still a rookie and then demonstrated how much he has grown as a driver by recovering from it. After running in the top 15 for most of the race, miscommunication put the driver in the precarious position of being up front but having to pit off sequence.

Fanning the Flames: Penalties & Robby Gordon a NASCAR Tradition Since 1991!

The only thing that makes me cringe more than sponsor plugs during the pre-race invocation is when the sponsor being plugged is Heluva! Good Sour Cream Dip. It’s just not right. But to prove that I can be a glass half-full type guy, I am thankful that the ACLU hasn’t seen to it that the …

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Did You Notice? Harvick’s Plea to NASCAR, Martin’s Right Turn Gone Wrong & “Toasty” Bread

Did You Notice? Something during the rain-delayed ESPN broadcast that caught my attention? Kevin Harvick was being interviewed in the studio, and while the group was chatting the topic changed to driver development. All of a sudden, Harvick took a serious tone and started talking about defunct series like NASCAR’s Winter Heat, offseason racing televised …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Yellow Tail & Lambrusco Pace the Rookie Field at NASCAR’s Wine & Cheese Event

Well, once again we were forced to wait until Monday for the race because for some reason NASCAR feels that it is absolutely necessary to get the entire pre-race show in. I remember back in the day, flipping the race on at 12:30 p.m., expecting to see the pre-race show, and instead found the pace laps in progress because weather was threatening. Guess we’ll never see that kind of common sense anymore… but I digress.

Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen

Marcos Ambrose’s aggression, especially on the road courses, is no secret. Still, it was apparently news to Kyle Busch. Busch, who was leading with less than 20 laps to go, was chugging along the backstretch towards the “bus stop” chicane, only to have Ambrose divebomb the entry to the turn. Ambrose’s perfectly executed move left …

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Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Scott Speed Finds His Lucky Charms in the Pocono Mountains

Scott Speed Start: 37th; Finish: 23rd Summary: It became apparent in the first quarter of the Pennsylvania 500 that Scott Speed was going to have a good day when he progressed forward from his 37th qualifying position instead of falling back as has been the case several times this year. The No. 82 broke into …

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Frontstretch Fantasy Insider: Saving Fantasy Lives 1 Pint at a Time in Pocono

After a three-hour snoozer at Indianapolis, the tricky triangle that is Pocono Raceway isn’t exactly the best follow-up venue; however, like it or not, we’re racing there Sunday and so is your fantasy team. The race for the Chase is heating up, and with the Cup Series returning to Pocono for the second time this …

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