Race Weekend Central

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Shelby 427 at Las Vegas

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? How about former champion and fan favorite Bobby Labonte? Labonte looked like he might be able to challenge for a win before a pit-stop shuffle relegated him to racing for fifth place instead. If this is a preview of coming attractions for the No. 96, Labonte could be …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Auto Club 500 at Fontana Edition

Curtains have fallen on the first “real” race of the season, as NASCAR’s 2009 debut on the west coast proceeded as many Fontana races have before. Long green-flag runs and a strung out field are the best ways to describe an event where the majority of the cars struggled with handling, leaving only a select …

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Bubble Breakdown: Team Penske Rebounds From Poor Daytona 500 Performances

NASCAR’s top series headed out west to start a two-race stint on the left coast beginning with the first stop of the year at the Auto Club Speedway in California. With this just the second race of the season, the race to get into the Top 35 is a complete mess, with teams jumping way …

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Bubble Breakdown: AJ Allmendinger Sticks the Landing While Joey Logano Sticks It in the Wall

The 2009 Sprint Cup season officially kicked off Sunday afternoon with the running of the Daytona 500; and with that, the battle for the Top 35 is on. For those of you new to the sport, the Top 35 teams in owner points are locked into the starting grid each week. For the first five races …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? New readers, don’t expect to see the race winner here – he already gets a trophy and a check for his effort! Instead, this weekly shoutout goes to a driver who didn’t win, but impresses me all the way through with his effort from beginning to end. This …

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Bubble Breakdown Review: Yates Racing Biggest Surprise in Avoiding Top-35 Trouble

2008 Bubble Review The 2008 Sprint Cup tour is now officially in the books. And as with all sports, there were many surprises as well as disappointment throughout the year. So, as the holiday season descends upon us and the thundering of NASCAR’s engines fades away for another offseason, let’s take a moment and look …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2008 NASCAR Season Breakdown

The checkered flag has flown over the field at Homestead marking the end of a historic 2008 NASCAR season. We saw controversial and exciting finishes, scary crashes and a historic third consecutive championship for the dynasty that is Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team. The season also featured three consistently …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Amp Energy 500 at Talladega

1. Change in Direction – Joey Logano, heir to the No. 20 Toyota presently driven by Sunday’s race winner Tony Stewart, will not compete in any further races this season in the No. 96 Hall of Fame Toyota. The 18-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing phenom had been scheduled to fill the driver’s seat in the HoF …

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Thompson in Turn 5: Paul Menard’s Departure to Yates Leaves DEI in Need of Help

News that driver Paul Menard and his father’s sponsor dollars will soon part ways with Dale Earnhardt Inc. seems to lend credence to the prediction by many that the company’s demise was inevitable. Old prophecies spurred by DEI owner Teresa Earnhardt’s failure to come to contract terms with her stepson have returned, with observers saying …

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10 Points to Ponder… After the 2008 Centurion Boats at the Glen

1. Artifacts – Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s. driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, Martin Truex Jr., has agreed to contract terms with his current employer that will keep him with the organization and his team at least through 2009. Last week, rumors had Truex Jr. agreeing in principal to resigning with DEI, leading …

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