Race Weekend Central

Did You Notice? Jamie McMurray vs. Casey Mears, the Woods Shedding Tears & More

Did You Notice? There’s a difference between the problems faced by Casey Mears and Jamie McMurray, both of whom have had disastrous seasons. Mears’s issues have been partially based on over-aggression. He crashed at Daytona making the wrong move at the wrong time going for the lead, then again at Bristol when he smashed into …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2008 Food City 500 at Bristol

After four weeks of high-speed racing, beating and banging will be the name of the game this week as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Bristol for the Food City 500. At a track where people are often taken out through no fault of their own, this is definitely a wild-card weekend for fantasy owners. …

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Mirror Driving: Toyota Triumphs, Penalties Confuse & Hendrick Heartache?

Toyota broke through with their first Sprint Cup win as a manufacturer on Sunday. What else can we expect from them throughout 2008?

Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2008 Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta

After a weekend in Sin City, there are always those select few who fly home happy after hitting the jackpot… and just as many who wind up empty handed after going bust. Case in point: if your fantasy team last week had Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth on it, you’re probably feeling a bit …

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The Yellow Stripe: Managing NASCAR Expectations & Fending Off Disappointment

Trying to predict how the 2008 NASCAR season will finish after just three races – and with less than 10% of the full schedule accounted for – is just short of madness. But NASCAR is nothing if not a brutally honest sport. Yes, you can be the victim of bad racing luck; witness Casey Mears …

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Bubble Breakdown: Blown Tires Lead to Blown Opportunities for Several on the Top-35 Bubble at Las Vegas

Right-front tires and unstable grip were the talk of the town Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, variables which led to increasing instability as the Top-35 standings continue to fluctuate early in 2008. The mix of a new track configuration, a new car and wind gusts up to 40 mph all led to an unpredictable …

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Holding a Pretty Wheel: An Open Letter to the Unsung Heroes of NASCAR

To the emergency workers and officials at California Speedway: I don’t envy your jobs. You (and hundreds like you at tracks big and small, across the country and back) work in anonymity, but you have an awesome responsibility placed on your shoulders. You don’t know, when you get to that next car, what you are …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2008 UAW-Dodge 400 at Las Vegas

Round three of the Cup Series will take place in the desert West as the circuit heads to Las Vegas for the UAW-Dodge 400. The reconfigured Las Vegas Motor Speedway is set to offer up some very intense racing with its variable banking. As the teams continue to figure out this new car configuration, the …

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The Yellow Stripe: From Snake Eyes To Box Cars, Sizing Up NASCAR Odds In Vegas

With the old adage that the “bookies never lose” notwithstanding, and NASCAR’s annual date with Sin City just a couple days away, now seems as good a time as ever to put up some odds you might (or might not) see throughout the 2008 NASCAR season. — All bets are off: Juan Pablo Montoya employing …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Nextel Cup: 2008 Auto Club 500 at Fontana Edition

The warm, sunny, and beautiful weather conditions commonly associated with California were replaced this weekend by rain, rain and well, more rain. After little practice time and a washed out qualifying session, NASCAR made a number of futile attempts to run the Cup race on Sunday before finally – at 2 a.m. ET – postponing …

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Mirror Driving: Too Much Rain, Too Many NASCAR Penalties & Too Little Parity?

NASCAR did everything possible to get the Auto Club 500 off as scheduled Sunday. But they came up short thanks to Mother Nature and a host of other issues.