Race Weekend Central

Couch Potato Tuesday: ESPN Erases “Everyone” At ‘Dega For Chasers

2014 Talladega Ii Cup Terry Labonte Brad Keselowski Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Race weekends at Talladega Superspeedway make my stomach churn. I’m nervous the whole weekend, just hoping that nothing terrible happens. The sad truth is, terrible things have been happening at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega with an increasing frequency in recent years. It’s truly sad, and since almost all of the bad things happen in …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not: Talladega – Martinsville Edition

2014 Michigan Ii Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Some of NASCAR’s best drivers from the regular season were left out of the Eliminator Round after falling flat at Talladega Superspeedway. Three former champions entered Talladega weekend on the outside of the bubble looking in, and one of them didn’t advance. Only three remain along with five drivers who have never lifted the Sprint …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2014 GEICO 500 at Talladega

2014 Talladega Ii Cup Green Flag Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

Credit: NASCAR via Getty Images

Looking for the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How behind Sunday’s race? Amy Henderson has you covered each week with the answers to six race-day questions, covering all five Ws and even the H… the Big Six. Who… gets my shoutout of the race? His run wasn’t perfect, and an ill-timed move late may …

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Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch Lead Practices at Talladega

2014 Chicago Cup Kyle Busch Cia

Credit: CIA Stock Photography

The Sprint Cup Series took to Talladega Superspeedway on Friday for two practice sessions on Friday in preparation for Sunday afternoon’s GEICO 500. The first session lasted 60 minutes, and the second and final practice was only 50 minutes. Clint Bowyer topped the first session with a fast lap of 200.385 mph. Meanwhile, only 21 cars ran …

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Friday Faceoff: Penalties, Fireworks, and Momentum

2014 Charlotte Ii Kurt Busch Brad Keselowski Racing Credit Yvonne Leonard

Credit: Yvonne Leonard

Welcome to Friday Faceoff! What do you get when you take some hot-button NASCAR topics and hand them over to our dedicated and… er, opinionated staff? A little disagreement and a whole lot of thought-provoking insight! Check out this week’s edition to see what everyone is arguing… um, we mean, discussing this week! 1. The …

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Fantasy Insider: Taking The Talladega Gamble

2014 Chicago Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Car Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

It’s a race that real NASCAR teams and fantasy NASCAR owners as well have been anticipating and dreading at the same time. The restrictor plate race at Talladega Sunday could likely be the best of times and worst of times for teams. With such significant drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski …

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Charlotte

2014 Charlotte Ii Cup Kevin Harvick Burnout Credit Yvonne Leonard

Credit: Yvonne Leonard

Kevin Harvick exorcised his demons Saturday night, winning his third race of the season, but more importantly locking himself into the eight-driver Eliminator Round. Harvick won the pole and led the most laps, as usual.  This time, however, he was able to survive a late-race caution which set up a two-lap shootout to win the …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Charlotte – Talladega Edition

2014 Michigan Ii Cup David Ragan Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

With one race remaining in the Contender Round, some of 2014’s biggest names still aren’t contending. Two former champions left Charlotte Motor Speedway unfulfilled and another rides the wrong side of the bubble. Next, a return trip to Talladega Superspeedway does nothing to clear up a complicated Chase picture. The six drivers inside the cutoff …

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Pace Laps: KyBu Riding Steady, NHRA Week, F1 Sochi, and More

Nhra 2014 4 Wides Pro Stock Race From Roof

Sprint Cup Series: Busch Hanging Tough – With all the drama that unfolded after the race at Charlotte, the storylines seem to overlook one of the more intriguing aspects developing during the Chase, that being Kyle Busch.  If there had been odds in Las Vegas on who might be involved in such postrace nuttiness, KyBu’s name …

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Four Burning Questions in Charlotte: Must-Win Races and A Surging JGR Team

2014 Kansas Ii Cup Steve Letarte Dale Earnhardt Jr Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Well… that was interesting. What I’m referring to of course is last week’s Sprint Cup race at Kansas, an event that could potentially go down as the turning point in this year’s Chase for the Championship. Three pre-Chase favorites, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., encountered disaster-level problems at Kansas, and with only two …

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Kyle Busch Wins Pole for Bank of America 500

2014 Michigan I Cup Kyle Busch Car Cia

2014 Michigan I CUP Kyle Busch car (CIA)

The sun set, the temperatures went down and the speeds went up. In the first of three qualifying rounds, 21 drivers eclipsed the old track qualifying record. In the end, Kyle Busch posted the fastest time in the third and final qualifying round to claim the pole for Saturday night’s Bank of America 500, the …

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Kansas

2014 Kansas Ii Cup Joey Logano Confetti Cia

Credit - CIA Stock Photography

Team Penske continued their dominating performance during the Chase as Joey Logano captured his fifth win of the season, second in the Chase and locked himself into the eight driver Eliminator Round. The Penske duo of Logano and Brad Keselowski have combined to win three of the first four Chase races. Many thought Talladega would …

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