Race Weekend Central

Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off: All Around NASCAR’s Chosen Ones

Like it or not (and I think I’ve made it pretty clear which side of the fence I stand on over the last five years) NASCAR’s all-singing, all-dancing, usually disappointing Chase for the Championship is now underway. 12 finalists have been anointed possible titlists and, barring the sudden addition of a swimsuit and talent competition, …

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Frontstretch Fantasy Insider: Lighting the Way to Your Own Chase Success at Loudon

And so beginneth the creation that Brian calls the Chase. For 12 select drivers, Sunday’s green flag will mark the start of a 10-race pursuit of a dream; but for 31 others, it’s a chance to end 2009 on a high note. So as the title contenders continue to stroke the points in their made-for-TV …

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Voice of Vito: Pugliese the Prognosticator – A Comprehensive Guide to the 2009 Chase for the Cup

Following weeks of speculation, rationalization and wild-assed guesses, the field for the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship is now set. This week, the Dirty Dozen has been performing the requisite New York City media stops, making appearances on just about any talk show or television program you care to mention before the first …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond

The final weekend in the race for the Chase saw plenty of playoff-worthy drivers put their best foot forward at Richmond. Brian Vickers slipped in, Kyle Busch fell just short… and there were a slew of others in between who made it clear they’ll spend this fall fighting for a season championship. The shuffling of …

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Voice of Vito: Limpin’ Ain’t Easy – Roush Fenway Trio Stumbling Into Richmond on Carl Edwards’s Broken Foot

Oscar Wilde is quoted as saying, “Life imitates art more than art imitates life.” That came to mind Sunday night following the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. As the race concluded, with the most up-to-date points standings being posted as driver interviews followed, the thought of Carl Edwards and his broken foot …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta

The aged surface of Atlanta Motor Speedway offered up multi-groove racing from the drop of the green flag that also yielded some bizarre events, with Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards both having freak problems that knocked them out of contention. Tony Stewart also had another off weekend, which cost him some of his first-place votes …

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What’s Vexing Vito: Driver Introduction Music at Bristol – How to Turn a Good Idea Up to 11

This past weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, the night race that was the Sharpie 500 was host once again to one of NASCAR’s most anticipated races of the year. As NASCAR continues its effort to elevate itself to something that resembles a cross between an NFL game, Wrestlemania and a rock concert, it featured personalized …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Sharpie 500 at Bristol

The new banking at Bristol, along with the new car, has bred a new form of racing at the old bullring. Single-file bump-and-runs have been replaced by side-by-side competition, with wrecks at the finish line replaced by the type of winning maneuvers you’d be more likely to see at a track like Atlanta or even …

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2 to Go: 5 Points to Ponder Ahead of NASCAR’s Last Off Weekend

With the last of four off weekends for the Sprint Cup Series ahead of us this weekend, here are five points to ponder ahead of the stretch run of 12 races in 12 weeks. Just How Good is Marcos Ambrose Going to Get? Following a tremendous third place finish at Thunder Valley, Ambrose played the …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Sharpie 500 at Bristol Edition

Welcome back Bristol – we missed you! Or maybe you never left and we just had to get used to a few less shoving matches in the Thunder Valley bullring. Nonetheless, the Sprint Cup Series capped off an exciting week of racing at Bristol Motor Speedway by seeing Kyle Busch break out of both a …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 CARFAX 400 at Michigan

A fuel-mileage race at Michigan? Who would have guessed it? Seriously, as expected Sunday’s 400-mile affair in the Irish Hills left us counting drops of Sunoco gasoline to see who was going to make it to the finish line first. And just like any stock car event decided by fuel strategy, those final few laps …

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