Race Weekend Central

Matt McLaughlin’s Driver Handicaps: 2007 Lifelock 400 at Kansas Edition

Jeff Gordon – Gordon won the first two Cup races at Kansas and finished fifth in his third start at the track. He hasn’t had a top five here since then, though, and last year suffered a mechanical DNF. Tony Stewart – Stewart won this race last year, coasting to the finish line out of …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2007 Lifelock 400 at Kansas Edition

Week three of the Chase finds the traveling road show in the Heartland of America at Kansas Speedway, the newest of the “cookie-cutter” tracks that have come to dominate the schedule in recent years. The first of five intermediate events on the rest of this year’s schedule, the race should give fantasy team owners a …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not: Outside the Chase After the 2007 Dodge Dealers 400 at Dover

NASCAR’s playoffs may be full steam ahead – but that doesn’t mean the other 31 drivers stop racing each week. Whether they’re busy building momentum for 2008, out there fighting for a job, or just infused with the plain ol’ desire to win, each driver has something to strive for as the races wind down. …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Driver Handicaps: 2007 Dover Fall Race

Jimmie Johnson – Johnson won both Cup races at Dover in 2002, as well as this event in 2005. He has top-10 finishes in seven of 11 Cup starts here – but has missed the mark the last two times out. Jeff Gordon – It’s a tale of two tracks for Gordon. On the plus side, …

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Bowles-Eye View: Perfection Causing NASCAR Perfect Hell

So often in life, our ultimate pursuit is perfection. One parts failure on a car is one too many, one loss for our favorite sports team ruins the dream of a season unblemished, and one point off on a test simply makes us agonizingly short of a mythical 100%. Caught in the details of minor …

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Driver Handicaps: 2007 Sylvania 300 at NHIS

Jimmie Johnson – The top seed in the Chase with six wins, Johnson won both NHIS Cup races in 2003 and is averaging an 11th-place finish here after 11 starts. Jeff Gordon – Gordon has won three times at New Hampshire. He’s also finished second here three times, including his runner-up result here this summer …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2007 Sylvania 300 at Loudon Edition

And then… there were 12. Now that the field for the Chase has been decided and headed for Loudon, all the questions of who will make it in and who will fall out have been answered. But plenty of questions still remain ahead, especially for fantasy team owners. Normally, there are a few drivers who …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Driver Handicaps: 2007 Richmond Fall Race Edition

Jeff Gordon – Gordon has won here twice and has top-10 finishes in 17 of 29 starts… but his track record lately at Richmond is worrisome. His fourth-place finish in the spring arrested a streak of four straight finishes of 30th or worse, including a disastrous performance in 2005 that locked him out of NASCAR’s …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2007 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond Edition

For 12 drivers, it all comes down to this. OK, that’s overstating the drama heading into this Saturday’s race at Richmond; but by the end of the night, the remaining positions in the Chase will be filled before the points are reset for the top 12. Unfortunately, for most fantasy owners, there isn’t a redo …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Driver Handicaps: 2007 Fontana Summer Race Edition

Jeff Gordon – Gordon won the inaugural race at Fontana in 1997 and has won two additional Cup races here. He finished second at the track this spring and has top-five finishes in half of his 14 Cup starts. Denny Hamlin – Hamlin has been lukewarm to mildly hot at Fontana. In three Cup starts, …

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Fantasy Picks ‘N’ Pans: 2007 Sharp Aquos 500 at Fontana Edition

After the bullring that was Bristol, the series heads out to the West Coast for another race on the wide-open California Speedway in Fontana. Your fantasy team could be taxed, as the race to the Chase winds down to its inevitable conclusion. No question about it, the pressure’s on. Drivers on the bubble will be …

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