Race Weekend Central

Frontstretch Fantasy Insider: Fuel Mileage in the Big 3’s Backyard… Whoda Thunk It?

The Sprint Cup Series heads from the road course of the Glen back to the ovals and the Irish Hills this weekend as the race to the Chase continues to take shape. For teams like Roush Fenway Racing and Richard Childress Racing, scoring a top-10 run this weekend is imperative, while those whose playoff berths …

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Mirror Driving: The Death of NASCAR Road Ringers, the Great Rain Debate & Truck Talk

Marcos Ambrose had two top-two finishes at Watkins Glen, but most of the top spots on Monday went to the usual suspects – the same drivers who run in the top 10 or close to it most weeks. Is the road-course ringer a dying breed?

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Heluva! Good Sour Cream Dips at the Glen Edition

Monday’s race at Watkins Glen did not provide many answers as far as the Chase is concerned. Most contenders finished well enough at Watkins Glen to keep the points race tight, despite many eyes trained on road-course ringers like Boris Said, Andy Lally and Ron Fellows to pull off some upsets. However, when push came to …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Heluva! Good Sour Cream Dips at the Glen

Turning right and turning left was good for some at Watkins Glen, but turned others into a knot they never wriggled out of. After his record-breaking fifth victory at the track, Tony Stewart was able to once again garner all of the first-place votes for this week, but the remainder of the spots in our …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 Heluva! Good Sour Cream Dips at the Glen

Editor’s Note: Matt McLaughlin is on vacation through the race at Michigan. For the next two weeks, Managing Editor Tom Bowles fills in. The Key Moment: Tony Stewart got the jump on Kyle Busch on a double-file restart with 23 laps to go. After that, it was his race to lose unless the No. 14 …

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5 Points to Ponder: 2009 Heluva! Good Sour Cream Dips at the Glen Edition

Like any NASCAR road-course rain delay, fans who actually wanted to see a race on a Sunday immediately called for rain tires and windshield wipers. We’d seen it before in the Nationwide Series in Montreal… and the results were mixed. But this is the way I see it: If you don’t have brake lights or headlights, how can you race in the rain? Would you want to see your favorite driver crash because his windows are fogging up and he can’t see the car in front of him? Looking back at a pretty good race Monday afternoon, I’m glad the series didn’t have rain tires on Sunday.

Sprint Cup Rookie Report: Yellow Tail & Lambrusco Pace the Rookie Field at NASCAR’s Wine & Cheese Event

Well, once again we were forced to wait until Monday for the race because for some reason NASCAR feels that it is absolutely necessary to get the entire pre-race show in. I remember back in the day, flipping the race on at 12:30 p.m., expecting to see the pre-race show, and instead found the pace laps in progress because weather was threatening. Guess we’ll never see that kind of common sense anymore… but I digress.

Running Their Mouth: 2009 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen

Each week, we’ll go through media reports, interviews, PR and all of our own stuff to find the best quotes from the Sprint Cup race, capturing the story of how the weekend unfolded. It’s the most original commentary you’ll ever find: the truth, coming straight out of the mouths of the drivers, crew members and car owners themselves. This week, here’s a peek at what the drivers were thinking following the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen.

Marcos Ambrose’s Pit Strategy Doomed His Chances at Watkins Glen

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Marcos Ambrose came into Watkins Glen International for Monday’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen (Aug. 3) as a legitimate favorite to win the event. His No. 47 had been the quickest in both practice sessions on Saturday, and he had a lot of confidence coming into the race. …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? Predictable? Probably. But how can you not be impressed with the run Marcos Ambrose put together at the Glen? After having the fastest car in final practice and winning the Nationwide Series race, Ambrose drove an underfunded, underpowered racecar to a second-place finish on Monday, showcasing his considerable …

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Nationwide Series Breakdown: 2009 Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen

Marcos Ambrose’s aggression, especially on the road courses, is no secret. Still, it was apparently news to Kyle Busch. Busch, who was leading with less than 20 laps to go, was chugging along the backstretch towards the “bus stop” chicane, only to have Ambrose divebomb the entry to the turn. Ambrose’s perfectly executed move left …

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Marcos Ambrose Successfully Defends His Crystal in the 2009 Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Marcos Ambrose is a forgetful person, apparently. As part of his prize last year for winning at Watkins Glen, he was presented with a golden lighter, courtesy of Zippo. He then proceeded to lose the lighter. It eventually popped up randomly a few months later. Now, he’s got a second one …

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