Race Weekend Central

NASCAR 101: With 13 Down, Who Can Win with 13 to Go?

2015 Dover I Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Jeff Gordon Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Joey Logano. Jimmie Johnson. Kevin Harvick. Carl Edwards. Brad Keselowski. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kurt Busch. Matt Kenseth. Denny Hamlin. With 13 races run in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, these are the drivers who have punched a ticket to the Chase when it begins come September. A blistering pace when it comes to …

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Tech Talk: Rubber, Fuel Strategy & Rough Rides with Matt Puccia

Matt Puccia Daytona 500 Cup 2.15 Mike Neff 092

Photo Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch

Matt Puccia has been working hard to get Greg Biffle back up to the front of the pack. The Roush Fenway Racing No. 16 camp has been struggling to race for wins, but last weekend it was right in the mix and came home in second place. The strides the team has made over the …

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Did You Notice? Indy Takes a Bite Out of NASCAR

Indycar 2015 Indy Montoya And Team Victory Credit Chris Owens

(Photo: Chris Owens)

Did You Notice? Two races headed in two markedly different directions? While the Indianapolis 500 went through its third straight ratings increase, reaching Nielsen numbers it hasn’t touched since 2008, NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 hit a new low. The Sunday overnight of 3.6 was the worst since FOX started covering the event in 2001; it was …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2015 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

Charlotte Coca Cola 600 Carl Edwards Flip Highlighted 2015 Mike Neff

Photo Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch

Carl Edwards took advantage of fuel strategy to win his first race of 2015 and first driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. Edwards led only 25 laps but put himself in the lead by pitting with 62 laps to go and conserving fuel to the end, while the dominant cars were forced to pit. Meanwhile, Martin …

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5 Points to Ponder: Tapered Spacer Tapering Off NASCAR Competition

2015 Charlotte I Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Racing Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

ONE: The Horrific Tapered Spacer at Intermediate Tracks After seeing the horrendous racing during the All-Star Race, the Coca-Cola 600 was a pleasant surprise. There were nine leaders and 14 lead changes within the first 100 laps, which is seemingly impressive. However, besides the twist of a few cautions and fuel strategy coming into play, …

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Bowles-Eye View: The New NASCAR, From Shaky To Saved In Just 1 Day

Carl Edwards Charlotte Motor Speedway Coca Cola 600 2015 Yvonne Leonard 010

(Credit: Yvonne Leonard, Frontstretch)

Carl Edwards entered Charlotte buried under the weight of high expectations. Adding mental pounds of his own pressure simply left him digging a deeper hole through Sunday’s first 500 miles. A Sprint Cup veteran and former championship contender found himself struggling at Charlotte, like most weeks this season just hoping to escape with a top-10 …

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Up To Speed: Mixed Emotions for Greg Biffle Following 2nd-Place Finish at Charlotte

2015 Charlotte I Cup Greg Biffle Car Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Eventual Coca-Cola 600 champ Carl Edwards really needed to win a race. He had just moved over to a brand new car at Joe Gibbs Racing from Roush Fenway Racing at the beginning of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, giving him optimism for a new beginning in his career but also applying some pressure …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

2015 Charlotte I Cup Carl Edwards Checkered Flag Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Who’s in the headline – Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch dominated the race, leading almost 250 of the 400 laps. The eighth and final caution of the race flew with 62 laps to go, and five cars chose to roll the dice and try and stretch their fuel mileage for all of those laps. In …

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Matt Kenseth Wins the Pole for the 2015 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

2015 Charlotte I Cup Matt Kenseth Smiling Vertical Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

As the sun set on Charlotte Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series hit the track for qualifying in preparation of the sport’s longest race. Matt Kenseth took the top position during the final round of qualifying with a time of 27.799 seconds (194.252 mph), which has earned him the Coors Light Pole Award for …

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NASCAR Driver Report Cards: Part I

Clint Bowyer Martin Truex Jr Kyle Larson Cup Sprint Showdown 2015 Charlotte Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

Since I’ve been away for a while, there’s a whole lot of writing to do on how each Sprint Cup driver has been performing in 2015. In this day and age of the “new” Chase, looking at the point standings to gauge a driver’s performance is often an optical illusion; once someone wins, scoring points …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte

Denny Hamlin All Star Victory Lane Charlotte 2015 Yvonne Leonard

Credit: Yvonne Leonard, Frontstretch

Who’s in the headline – While most of the stories will be written about Denny Hamlin winning the race, it is his pit crew that really should be in the spotlight. On the mandatory stop before the final 10-lap segment, Hamlin’s crew threw down a 10.4-second pit stop. DJ Copp told Frontstretch in 2013 that …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2015 Sprint Showdown at Charlotte

2015 Charlotte Showdown Greg Biffle Danica Patrick Clint Bowyer Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Credit: Getty Images)

Looking for the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How behind Friday night’s race? Amy Henderson has you covered with each week with the answers to six race-day questions, covering all five Ws and even the H with the Big Six. Who… gets my shoutout of the race? Most people wouldn’t be surprised if the …

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