Race Weekend Central

Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 Pocono Spring Race Recap

The Key Moment: Tony Stewart’s guys got him out on the track first after the last caution-flag pit stop on lap 159. Stewart then nursed an incredible 41 laps out of a tank of fuel to hold on to the victory. In a Nutshell: I guess it’s a matter of semantics. An “exciting” finish is …

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Bubble Breakdown: Michael Waltrip Bounces Back With Strong 17th to Solidify Spot in Top 35

If you make the long and winding drive down Long Pond Drive you’ll come upon the speedway in the woods known as Pocono Raceway. In 2008, this track was nothing short of disaster for the bubble teams and 2009 wasn’t much kinder to them. It started Friday when qualifying was rained out, meaning that the …

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Bubble Breakdown: 2-Tire Pit Stop Has Sam Hornish Jr. Driving Away From Top 35

News from the bubble this week primarily dealt with Robby Gordon’s rear end and whether NASCAR’s method of handing out penalties is fair or not. Gordon was docked 50 owner and driver points and crew chief Kirk Almquist was fined $50,000 this week after post-race inspection at Lowe’s found their rear axle housing exceeded the …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Some Thoughts About in-Car Cameras in Between Spotty Darlington Coverage

Hello, race fans. Hope you enjoyed this weekend’s racing from Darlington Raceway. I thought it was pretty good as well. Maybe a few too many cautions for my taste, but that’s OK. I cannot control that facet of races. I’m still kind of surprised that Sam Hornish Jr.’s spin late in the race did not …

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Voice of Vito: Talladega Flights – Massive Crash Highlights Superspeedway’s Continued Conflicts

As you may have noticed, much of the action that many have become accustomed to in NASCAR has been absent over the last few weeks. Matt Kenseth winning back-to-back races was nice, and it surely did many good to see Mark Martin back in victory lane. For the most part, however, this has been a …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 Talladega Spring Race Recap

The Key Moment: Carl Edwards had the lead when Brad Keselowski got a fender inside of him off turn 4 on the final lap. Edwards moved to block the No. 09 a little too late, going for a terrifying ride into the catchfence off of Ryan Newman’s car while Keselowski drove to victory lane. In …

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Did You Notice? Restrictor Plate 1-Hit Wonders & the New Precedent of “Probation”

Did You Notice? Just probation for Casey Mears and Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Did you really expect the sanctioning body to do anything more after their little post-race altercation at Phoenix? We already have the U.S. Army spread out in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere across the globe… there’s no need to dispatch an additional battalion to …

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Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix Edition

Another one bit the dust in the sands out west at Phoenix Saturday night. But as the smoke cleared from the Cup Series’ eighth race of the season, we’re left with plenty of storylines from a weekend’s worth of action at PIR. Mark Martin became one of the oldest drivers ever to win a NASCAR …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2009 Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? It might have been the most unnoticed top-10 finish of the night, but Sam Hornish Jr. grabbed his career-best finish at Phoenix with his unheralded ninth-place result. It was Hornish’s first top-10 finish in Sprint Cup competition and the second top 10 in this race for owner Roger …

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Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 Bristol Spring Race Recap

The Key Moment: Kyle Busch was able to hold off teammate Denny Hamlin in the final two-lap shootout that decided the race. In a Nutshell: Geographically, it’s in the same place, but this joint just doesn’t seem like Bristol anymore, does it? Dramatic Moment: Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya actually got annoyed with each …

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Fanning the Flames: NASCAR Drivers Weigh In on Test Ban & Crew Chiefs Weigh In on a Driver

A few random reflections while “watching” (read: daydreaming during) America’s Best Dance Crew with my fiancé. Yeah I know, you can let me have it… Anytime Richard Childress wants to deliver the punchline to his team-swap joke, I’ll be ready. Clint Bowyer doesn’t belong in a Cheerios driver suit any more than Casey Mears belongs …

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