Race Weekend Central

Two-Headed Monster: Is a Move to Ford the Right Move for Stewart-Haas?

2014 Phoenix Ii Cup Tony Stewart Danica Patrick Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2014)

No one saw it coming. Shocked is the reaction that immediately came to mind as the NASCAR collective woke up on Wednesday morning to news that Stewart-Haas Racing would no longer be fielding Chevrolets, and beginning in 2017, Fords. What were team co-owners Gene Haas Tony Stewart thinking? Why would he abort a partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, …

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Did You Notice? … Ford’s Future Prospects, Experience Helps & NASCAR Quick Hits

Did You Notice? … Ford’s future prospects were hanging on 70-something-aged owners? That’s the backbone to me of Thursday’s surprise announcement Stewart-Haas Racing would be switching to Ford in 2017. The four-car team will finally break away from its partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, shifting over to the Blue Oval camp while receiving engines from Roush Yates. The …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2016 Daytona 500

Who’s in the headline – Denny Hamlin put a stamp on his Daytona Speedweeks with his second triumph in three races Sunday. Hamlin beat Martin Truex Jr. to the line with a scintillating run that resulted in the closest finish in the history of the Daytona 500. Hamlin was the dominant car for much of …

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4 Burning Questions: With Tony Stewart Out, Who Is Daytona’s Sentimental Favorite?

Zach Catanzareti takes a look at the four most important storylines entering Sunday’s Daytona 500: 1. WHAT TEAM WILL GEL BEST ON SUNDAY? Contrary to some popular beliefs, you must have friends to compete in plate racing. Without them – as seen in Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited – you’ll go nowhere. Approaching 2016, the big …

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Ty Dillon in Talks to Sub for Tony Stewart

Could Ty Dillon be the replacement driver for Tony Stewart in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series while the three-time champion recovers from injury? Though Dillon’s name has been bandied about as a potential fill-in driving the No. 14 after the Daytona 500, an official announcement has not been made — though Dillon confirmed Tuesday at …

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NASCAR’s Changing Of The Guard Is Near

2015 Bank Of America 500 Kyle Larson Charlotte Cup Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

Your 30s are an interesting time. Marriage, kids, and moving up in the working world all put increasing demands on the need to become an adult but there’s also a yearning to stay young. Suddenly, you want that guy at the bar to check your ID and think it’s fake. Those Saturday nights your group …

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Beside the Rising Tide: There’s a Rule to Every Exception

Hopefully over the next few days the busiest guy in Daytona will get a few hours off to catch his breath. No I’m not talking about Alan Gustafson, who prepped Chase Elliott’s car well enough to claim the pole with a rookie driver at the helm. Nor am I talking about the various team’s body-men …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2016 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona

Who’s in the headline – After being involved in an early caution Denny Hamlin played pit strategy to get to the front of the pack and stretched his fuel to the end of a green-white-checkered finish to take his third Sprint Unlimited victory. The vast majority of cars had damage during the evening but Hamlin’s …

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It Takes More Than a Superstar to Keep a NASCAR Sponsor

It was reported Tuesday that the Home Depot will be leaving Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 20 Toyota at the end of the 2014 season. Color me unsurprised. Is it because JGR is an unsuccessful stable and the Home Depot never gets air time?  No. Not in the least.  Just about every week Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin …

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It’s Time to Make Better Decisions About What We Know to Be True

“Make no judgments where you have no compassion.”–Anne McCaffrey That was a great race on Sunday!  It certainly made my day, what with Jeff Gordon notching his 91st win.  Wow, can you believe his career? Of course you can.  You, my friends, are NASCAR fans–as am I.  You know that JJ and Newman had words …

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