Race Weekend Central

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Daytona Summer Speedweeks Edition

The July 4 bash at Daytona International Speedway literally ended with a bang, as Kyle Busch’s attempt at blocking Tony Stewart from taking the race win sent him bouncing off the frontstretch wall. While the finish stole the headlines, the plights of Chase-contending drivers permeated other post-race storylines. Drivers Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne, Mark …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at Loudon

Mother Nature interfered in yet another race this season, causing some drivers who don’t normally run in the top 15 to come home with quality finishes in Loudon, N.H. Joey Logano was perhaps the happiest of all to see the raindrops, becoming the youngest driver ever to win a Cup race at just 19 years …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma

The twists and turns of Sonoma, Calif. resulted in several twists to our rankings. One twist that got even tighter once again was Tony Stewart’s death grip on the top spot in our Power Rankings. This week’s winner was one of the three big movers up this week in the rankings, actually moving into the …

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Frontstretch Fantasy Insider: Plucking the Sweetest Fantasy Grapes at Infineon

For the first time this season, the stars of the Sprint Cup Series leave the ovals behind for the twisty confines of a road course. The more technical of the two courses tackled by the Cup circuit, Infineon Raceway is full of tight quarters and few passing zones, making track position… and staying on the …

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

The 2-mile oval in the Irish Hills of Michigan brought us a fuel-mileage race for the second straight week on the Cup tour. In the end, it was Mark Martin who had a little extra gas in his tank… but was it enough to move all the way to the top of our chart? Meanwhile, …

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The Yellow Stripe: Crucial Weeks Approach for Chase Hopeful Juan Pablo Montoya

Lost in the pack behind the failed fuel gambles of Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle and a series-equaling best third win for NASCAR’s very own Peter Pan, Mark Martin, was the sixth-place finish for the No. 42 car of Juan Pablo Montoya this week at Michigan. But for a man who’d never been better than …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Lifelock 400 at Michigan Edition

“Give me fuel, give me fire, give me that which I desire,” may very well have been the lyrics Jimmie Johnson was banging his head to as his dominant No. 48 Chevy sputtered to the finish of Sunday’s LifeLock 400. The three-time champ absolutely dominated at Michigan, only surrendering the lead after the final pit …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Pocono 500

The tricky triangle in Pocono threw everything at the drivers but the kitchen sink. There was rain, a new double-file restart procedure and even a late-race fuel-mileage gamble thrown in for good measure. As you might expect, with that many variables the final running order was turned upside down after 500 miles of competition. But …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Edition

The conclusion of the Anti-Climatic 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Monday leaves the NASCAR fanbase wondering exactly which driver should have won. Since the race began in the middle of the day on Monday instead of early in the evening on Sunday, drivers did not have to encounter as many changes in track conditions as …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Coca-Cola 600

While racing was supposed to be the focus at Charlotte, rain wound up being the headline. Since the Coca-Cola 600 was called short due to weather, the final standings were a jumbled mess of drivers who took a risk on the final pit stop to steal a good finish – leaving the fastest cars in …

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