Race Weekend Central

Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Pocono Spring Race Recap

2015 Pocono I Cup Martin Truex Jr Wins Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Editor’s Note: Mike Neff, who usually writes these things these days, was called away by an important assignment at the last minute and asked if I could fill in. (OK, so actually I dragged him out of bed in the middle of the night, stuffed him in a closet, nailed it shut and asked if …

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Kickin’ the Tires: With Martin Truex Jr. a Winner, Who Else is Worthy of a Chase Berth?

2015 Dover I Cup Martin Truex Jr Ii Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

The takeaway from last week’s column was: It really didn’t matter if Martin Truex Jr. made it to the winner’s circle because his performance should ensure him a spot in the Chase for the Championship. Well, that is a moot point now. While not quite the same feeling as watching American Pharoah cross the stripe, …

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Martin Truex Jr.’s Popular Victory at Pocono Key to Championship Run

Martin Truex, Jr. in Victory Lane at Pocono Raceway after winning the Axalta 400

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Finally. It has been a while, almost two years in fact since Martin Truex Jr. won a race. In between that last one, at Sonoma in June 2013 and Sunday’s trip to Victory Lane at Pocono life has been filled with tough moments – both for he and his family. After being forced out of …

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Martin Truex Jr. Breaks 69-Race Winless Streak with Victory in 2015 Axalta 400 at Pocono

Martin Truex, Jr. in Victory Lane at Pocono Raceway after winning the Axalta 400

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

The wait is over and the furniture has been delivered. It has been a while since Martin Truex Jr. drove to Victory Lane. It’s been 69 races to be exact, dating back to Sonoma in 2013. Coming into the 2015 season with some kind of vengeance, the New Jersey native has been no worse than fifth in …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2015 Axalta We Paint Winners 400 at Pocono

2015 Pocono I Cup Carl Edwards Martin Truex Jr Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Looking for the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How behind Sunday’s race? Amy Henderson has you covered each week with the answers to six race-day questions, covering all five Ws and even the H… the Big Six. Who… gets my shoutout of the race? Sometimes, it’s about more than just your finishing position. For …

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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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Friday Faceoff: Analyzing Penalties, Johnson vs. Harvick & Pocono Setup

2015 Dover I Cup Trevor Bayne Crash Damage Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Welcome to Friday Faceoff, our weekly NASCAR roundtable where the Frontstretch experts give their take on major storylines surrounding the sport. Here’s a few major questions we’re trying to answer heading into Pocono this weekend. 1) Halfway through the regular season, two drivers stand out ahead of the pack in terms of victories and overall …

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Number Crunching: 2015 Axalta 400 at Pocono Fantasy Forecast

2014 Pocono I Cup Brad Keselowski Kevin Harvick Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Miles the Monster reached out and grabbed a few drivers at the end of the race last week, putting a spin on quite a few fantasy teams. But as we continue NASCAR’s Northeast swing this week, there’s a 1-2 punch of an organization who continues to stand out. The Kevin Harvick – Kurt Busch duo …

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Kurt Busch Earns Pole for 2015 Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 at Pocono

2015 Pocono I Cup Kurt Busch Austin Dillon Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

For the third time this season, Kurt Busch will lead the field to the green flag. The No. 41 car set the fastest time in qualifying at 50.676 seconds (177.599 mph) at Pocono Raceway for the Axalta ‘We Paint Winners 400.’ Edging out Coca-Cola 600 winner Carl Edwards, Busch is looking for his first win since …

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Martin Truex Jr. On Top of NASCAR Stats – Except the One that Counts

2015 Dover I Cup Martin Truex Jr Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Last weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway was the 13th of the 2015 season, marking the official halfway point to the start of Chase for the Championship. There have been nine different winners so far in the first 13 races, including now four-time victor Jimmie Johnson, who scored the win at …

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Beside the Rising Tide: Chasing the Blue Away

2014 Richmond Ii Cup Chevy Chase Drivers Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. © 2014)

All right gentle readers, huddle up. Today we’re going to talk about an unpleasant topic and one that will incite fear or loathing for many of you. But sometimes you just have to talk about awkward things. You need to have that chat with a potential new partner about your past intimate contacts, even if …

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NASCAR Driver Report Cards: Part III

2015 Dover I Cup Tony Stewart Car Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

So you might remember a few weeks ago when I graded the Sprint Cup full-timers through Driver Report Cards… and promptly stopped at the letter K. No, I don’t have a weird idea of what the alphabet should be, nor am I protesting the use of the letters L through Z. The third part just …

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