Race Weekend Central

Kurt Busch Earns Pole for 2015 Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 at Pocono

2015 Pocono I Cup Kurt Busch Austin Dillon Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

For the third time this season, Kurt Busch will lead the field to the green flag. The No. 41 car set the fastest time in qualifying at 50.676 seconds (177.599 mph) at Pocono Raceway for the Axalta ‘We Paint Winners 400.’ Edging out Coca-Cola 600 winner Carl Edwards, Busch is looking for his first win since …

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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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Did You Notice? The Key to Qualifying, Sophomore Slumps & Quick Hits

2015 Dover I Cup Jimmie Johnson Wins Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Did You Notice? Qualifying has become a point of emphasis for top teams? None other than Dover winner Jimmie Johnson spoke about his struggles in that department, one of only three drivers this season to win a race after starting outside the top 10. “Raw speed hasn’t been our strong suit,” he admitted in the …

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NASCAR Driver Report Cards: Part III

2015 Dover I Cup Tony Stewart Car Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

So you might remember a few weeks ago when I graded the Sprint Cup full-timers through Driver Report Cards… and promptly stopped at the letter K. No, I don’t have a weird idea of what the alphabet should be, nor am I protesting the use of the letters L through Z. The third part just …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: 2015 Axalta We Paint Winners 400 at Pocono Edition

2015 Dover I Cup Aric Almirola Sam Hornish Jr Racing Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Burnouts (Hot) It’s one thing to be fast for most of the race, but it’s quite another to be the fastest at the end of a race. Figuring out just how to work the end game of a race can be pretty tricky. But that’s what championship teams do, and the No. 48 team got …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2015 FedEx 400 at Dover

2015 Dover I Cup Jimmie Johnson Trophy Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Who’s in the headline – There is domination, and then there is total domination. There have only been four drivers in the history of the sport who won 10 or more races at a single track. After Sunday that number increased by one as Jimmie Johnson rode to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway for the …

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Jimmie Johnson Extends Record with 10th Dover Victory in 2015 FedEx 400

2015 Dover I Cup Jimmie Johnson Woohoo Vertical Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Jimmie Johnson may not have had the quickest car in the FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway, a rarity based on his past success here. Instead? He proved to be the smartest, staying out during a final pit stop with 25 laps to go and out-dueling Kevin Harvick to emerge a rare “unlikely” winner at …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: 2015 FedEx 400 at Dover Edition

Carl Edwards Charlotte Motor Speedway Coca Cola 600 2015 Yvonne Leonard 002

(Photo: Yvonne Leonard, Frontstretch)

Since Sunday was such a great day for auto racing fans, I’m going to bounce around between series a bit for just this week. So here goes: Burnouts (Hot) First, you have to give kudos to Carl Edwards and crew chief Darian Grubb for their win in NASCAR’s 600-miler at Charlotte Sunday night. Grubb, knowing …

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Xfinity Series Breakdown: 2015 Hisense 300 at Charlotte

2015 Charlotte I Nxs Austin Dillon Celebrates Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

How good was Austin Dillon‘s car in Saturday’s Hisense 300? After the race, Dillon said he didn’t want to get out. He started the race on the pole and dominated from there, leading 163 of 200 laps and making a perfect driver rating of 150.0 en route to his victory. Denny Hamlin tried to make a …

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Happiness Is… Rules, Bewilderment & the Next Big Hotness

2015 Atlanta Cup Kyle Larson Vertical Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Credit: Getty Images)

Hip hip hooray, the Sprint All-Star Race is here. Forgive Happiness Is for starting this week’s column in a rather negative way, but seriously, the All-Star Race. This race may once have been interesting but now looks like another example of NASCAR’s desire to milk the fans for everything they’re worth (hello, two-day format) while …

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Kyle Larson Reuniting with ParkerStore in Xfinity Series

2014 Homestead Nns Kyle Larson Racing Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Kyle Larson snagged another Xfinity Series sponsor on Wednesday. HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi and Parker Hannifin Corporation are partnering for two races — Michigan in June and Texas in Novembe r— to put ParkerStore on the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro. ParkerStore has had a longstanding relationship with Larson, having sponsored him during his outlaw …

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Bowles-Eye View: Rediscovering NASCAR’s Missing Piece, Passion

2015 Kansas I Cup Green Flag Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

Photo Credit: NASCAR via Getty Images

For a sportswriter, even in this age of social media, I find myself a pretty private person. As I see it, you’re here for me to write about why Tony Stewart’s a little off this year, not about what I did on my off weekend. You want pictures of Kyle Larson’s Target car, not me …

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