Race Weekend Central

Happy Hour: It May Be Time to Panic for Michael Waltrip

A year and a half ago, Michael Waltrip was successfully wooing employees, a very eager foreign auto manufacturer, and several high profile sponsors to sign onto his new racing team. The pundits predicted that with the backing of both Toyota and cash-rich sponsorship, Michael Waltrip Racing was going to be a contender in Sprint Cup …

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Voices From the Heartland: UPS Could Deliver My NASCAR Fantasy

As a motorsports journalist, I am repeatedly told by my editors that I must remain impartial. Well, as a motorsports commentary journalist, I am repeatedly telling my editors don’t worry about it! In my way of thinking, being a writer of a commentary piece provides me a few loopholes. They are, after all, paying me …

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The Yellow Stripe: 8 Thoughts After 8 NASCAR Races in 2008

Technically speaking, we’ll be at the quarter pole mark following the conclusion of the rollercoaster ride at Talladega this Sunday; but, with a brief pause in the relentless slog that is the Sprint Cup schedule, it’s a good time to put out eight thoughts and questions with eight races of the 2008 season in the …

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Top 10 Roush Fenway “Proprietary” Items Found in the Possession of “A” Toyota Team

10. A Roush Fenway internal memo titled “How To Get Into And Stay In The Top 35” in Michael Waltrip‘s back pocket. 9. Carl Edwards‘s golden ceremonial Gillette Young Guns shaver. Found next to the sink in Tony Stewart‘s motor coach, full of hair and right next to a torn-up coupon for a free waxing …

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David Reutimann Driver Diary: Major Improvements & Big Changes

I’m definitely feeling a lot better about our performance in the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine so far in 2008, especially compared to where we were at this time last year. Michael Waltrip Racing as a whole has made a lot of changes in the offseason and we are a different team this year, and …

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Thompson in Turn 5: NASCAR Drivers’ Union Probably Not a Good Idea

After Tony Stewart‘s verbal assault on Goodyear gained support amongst a number of high-profile fellow drivers (albeit not quite as aggressively as Stewart), some journalists suggested that the time just may be ripe for the formation of a drivers’ union. Unions are great! I come from a long line of union guys that have walked …

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10 Points To Ponder… After the 2008 Food City 500 at Bristol

1) Can’t Get Much Simpler – Last Friday’s rainout of qualifying for the Food City 500 required NASCAR to fall back to its rulebook for determining the lineup. It’s one of the more complex plans ever created, so let’s see if we can work through it together… OK, let’s begin. The first rule’s easy; the …

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Bowles-Eye View: Jeff Burton’s Win Combined With Dale Jarrett’s Departure Leaves Him With More Than Just the Trophy

As the sun set over Bristol Sunday, Dale Jarrett took off his driver’s helmet for the final time. The dimming sunlight was a fitting backdrop for a career coming to a halt; for at 51, one of the most respected drivers the NASCAR garage has ever had was ready to pass the torch of elder …

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Bubble Breakdown: On Groundbreaking Weekend, Teams on NASCAR’s Top-35 Bubble Attempt Breaking Away From the Pack

The Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta may have made history at the front of the field – with Toyota claiming the first victory for a foreign-born manufacturer since 1954 – but it also featured a number of drivers trying to prevent history of a different sort at the rear. With just one race remaining before …

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