Race Weekend Central

Pace Laps: Southern 500 Success, Denny Hamlin’s Dominance and the Busy NHRA Weekend

2015 Darlington Cup Carl Edwards Celebrates Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Cup Series: Darlington Lives Up to the Hype – All of the hype leading up to Sunday night’s Southern 500 put NASCAR in a win or lose situation. With so much excitement brewing for the throwback weekend theme, the action on the track, desperately needed to entertain, and entertain it did. Leading up to the race …

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Pace Laps: Racers Rally Around Justin Wilson

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(Photo: Chris Jones/INDYCAR)

IndyCar: Racing Community Rallies in Support Following Wilson Injury – The racing community is as vast and all-encompassing as any organization in the world, but few groups are as close in times of controversy. Following Justin Wilson’s accident at Pocono Raceway, one that left him hospitalized in a coma, as announced by INDYCAR, racers worldwide …

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Happiness Is… A Green Light, Overload & Pocono

2015 Charlotte I Cup David Ragan Crew Guy Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Well, that sucks.   With Rob Kauffman’s decision to take his ball and go play with the cooler kids on the playground, what once was a decent NASCAR Sprint Cup organization is left in shambles. But as Michael Waltrip Racing becomes another team left in the haze of exhaust and burnt rubber as the sport …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen

Joey Logano poses with the trophy after winning the Cheez-It 355 at the Glen at Watkins Glen International

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)­­

Who’s in the headline – Weekend sweeps seem to happen quite frequently these days, with some of the winning drivers from the Cup Series running the companion races that are scheduled on many race weekends. Surprisingly, this weekend featured the first time such a sweep took place at Watkins Glen. Joey Logano had never run a …

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Happiness Is… Kyle Busch, Lewis Hamilton, Safety & The Glen

2015 Pocono Ii Cup Kyle Busch Kurt Busch Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

As usual, everything is wrong with the sport of NASCAR. The best race of this past weekend happened at Iowa on Saturday night at a time when no one was watching. The truck race got besieged by the Cuppers, with Kyle Busch stealing another win from the little guys. And the headline of the weekend, …

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Slipstream Saturday: Changes Are Coming; Silverstone Up Next

Nico_Rosberg_austria (credit: Getty Images)

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Two weeks ago, Nico Rosberg scored a surprising win at the Austrian Grand Prix, making a statement after his teammate Lewis Hamilton had cruised to victory in Canada. The surrounding sense in the sport pushed the notion that with Hamilton’s win, his recovery from losing at Monaco was complete and that he would begin to …

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Slipstream Saturday: F1 Heading to the Mountains

Lewis Hamilton Spanish F1 Grand Prix Practice Getty Images

Photo Credit: Getty Images

The last race, the Canadian Grand Prix, showcased what in many ways is the current status of Formula 1. Such a statement is no shock. Lewis Hamilton earning another win, his 37th, was in no way a surprise, nor was having his teammate, Nico Rosberg, finish second. The Mercedes duo is the class of the …

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Pace Laps: Finally, Milestones, Big Home Track Wins & Rainy Days

2015 Pocono I Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Austin Dillon Pack Racing Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Sprint Cup Series: Fourth Time’s The Charm – Finally. Martin Truex Jr. took his next step toward title contention this season by doing what race winners do: close the deal. Three straight times, Truex had led the most laps in a Cup Series race only to come up short. At Kansas, it was pit strategy and a …

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Slipstream Saturday: Monaco in the Rear View, 2015 Canadian GP Up Next

Nico Rosberg 2014 F1 Monaco Getty Images

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Two weeks ago, the Monaco Grand Prix featured one of the all-time best examples of the fastest car not winning the race.  Lewis Hamilton raced out from P1 and never looked back, gapping his teammate, and essentially making the rest of the field look like they were doing something completely different, like racing big wheels. …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: 2015 FedEx 400 at Dover Edition

Carl Edwards Charlotte Motor Speedway Coca Cola 600 2015 Yvonne Leonard 002

(Photo: Yvonne Leonard, Frontstretch)

Since Sunday was such a great day for auto racing fans, I’m going to bounce around between series a bit for just this week. So here goes: Burnouts (Hot) First, you have to give kudos to Carl Edwards and crew chief Darian Grubb for their win in NASCAR’s 600-miler at Charlotte Sunday night. Grubb, knowing …

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Pace Laps: The Greatest Day In Racing

Indycar 2015 Indy Charlie Kimball Credit Shawn Gritzmacher

(Photo: Shawn Grtitzmacher)

IndyCar: Charlie Kimball Shows His Worth – Going into the 99th Indianapolis 500, all eyes were on Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) to compete for the win. While Penske ultimately got the upper hand in the battle, one CGR driver came out smiling. Charlie Kimball entered Sunday’s running of “The Greatest Spectacle in …

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Slipstream Saturday: The Jewel of the Calendar; and News

After a week off to get manicures, stylish haircuts, and have their tailors dress them in the latest haute couture, the drivers of Formula 1 are set to return this weekend. While making fun on the erudite aspect of the series is one thing, it belies the fact that the drivers and teams are just …

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