Race Weekend Central

Tony Stewart to Return to Racing This Weekend

2014 Michigan I Cup Tony Stewart Laughing Cia

Credit: CIA Editorial Photography

Tony Stewart hasn’t been at or near a race track following an Aug. 9 sprint car racing accident that claimed the life of Kevin Ward, Jr., but all that’s set to change this weekend. Stewart-Haas Racing announced today (Aug. 28) that the three-time Cup Series champion will return to competition this weekend at Atlanta Motor …

Read more

Fantasy Insider: Gauging NASCAR “Bubble” Brilliance At Atlanta

2014 Pocono Ii Cup Matt Kenseth Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Playoff scenarios. You may be bored with all the “what ifs” but when it comes to your fantasy roster, they’re a “what launches” you above your competition. Just what drivers may or may not do with a Chase spot on the line could well factor into how your fantasy team does these next couple of …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: ESPN Sidesteps Stewart Bristol Salute

2014 Loudon I Nns Race Fans Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography. Copyright 2014)

This past weekend, the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series were all in action at Bristol Motor Speedway, but don’t be looking for the latter here. I will be covering the Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 presented by Zloop later this week in the Critic’s Annex, along with the ARCA race from …

Read more

Voices from the Cheap Seats: At Bristol, The More Things Change…

2014 Bristol Ii Cup Paul Menard Kyle Larson Joey Logano Racing Cia

(Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Well, the weekend has come and gone and all that is left is memories – albeit some a bit foggy – of a handful of soldiers who made it home alive along with the task of cleaning out (and repairing) the camper. I did not attend the NASCAR races as a member of the media …

Read more

The Big 6: Questions Answered After then 2014 Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol

2014 Loudon I Cup Jamie Mcmurray Car Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Looking for the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How behind Saturday’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? Many fans watched the race from Bristol Motor Speedway with …

Read more

Report: Tony Stewart to sit out Bristol; Jeff Burton in for second straight weekend

2014 Indianapolis Cup Tony Stewart Crabby Cia

(Credit: CIA)

According to Sirius XM NASCAR Radio’s Dave Moody, Tony Stewart will miss his third straight Sprint Cup Series race in a row following the August 9th tragedy at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park that resulted in the death of 20-year-old driver Kevin Ward Jr.    https://twitter.com/DGodfatherMoody/status/501806594590789632/   Moody added on SiriusXM Speedway with Dave Moody on SiriusXM Radio today that …

Read more

Voices from the Cheap Seats: NASCAR Only Goes Halfway with New Rule

2014 Daytona Ii Cup Landon Cassill Crash Damage Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

Last week, I put out there that, while tragic, the death of Kevin Ward, Jr. was totally avoidable on two separate fronts. First, don’t do insanely stupid things like Ward did; and second, a sanctioning body could have had a rule that makes enraged drivers think twice about doing insanely stupid things when it is …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: ESPN Makes A Few Michigan Mistakes

2014 Michigan Ii Cup Joey Logano Jeff Gordon Racing Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

All three NASCAR national series took to the track last weekend, just a mere state border – and then some – away from each other. The Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck series battled at Michigan International Speedway while the Nationwide Series took its second trip to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Unfortunately, having everything in …

Read more

Four Burning Questions in Michigan: Stewart’s Absence and High Speed Perils

2014 Indianapolis Cup Joey Logano Smiling Cia

Credit: CIA

Racing is a dangerous sport. That is something that will never change for as long as cars are competitively raced against each other on circuit tracks. But over the years, we seem to have lost sight of this fact. When drivers crash into walls at over 200 mph and jump out of the car without a …

Read more

Happiness Is… Napping, the Fight for the Chase & Cheese and Beer

2014 Watkins Glen Cup Tony Stewart Phone Cia

Ugh. Yep, that’s the best opener that Happiness Is could deliver to start the column. The tenor of the past week has been deflating.  The Tony Stewart–Kevin Ward, Jr. incident has loomed large over auto racing, finding itself a continual headline in the news outlets.  Even Yahoo had coverage of Ward’s funeral on its homepage …

Read more

Cracking the Case: NASCAR Star Involvement in Racing’s Proving Grounds an Extremely Tricky Situation

2014 Indianapolis Cup Tony Stewart Crabby Cia

(Credit: CIA)

On a Wednesday evening in Kalamazoo, Mich., a packed house of fans watched NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Kyle Busch race twice in one night. David Ragan was also in the field for the CRA Super Series race and has been known to dabble quite a bit with his Super Late Model. This trend is …

Read more

Tony Stewart Sitting Out at Michigan, Jeff Burton to Drive No. 14

2014 Michigan I Cup Tony Stewart Laughing Cia

Credit: CIA Editorial Photography

Tony Stewart will again be absent when the Sprint Cup Series takes the green flag this Sunday. Stewart-Haas Racing has announced that Stewart, who was involved in a fatal sprint car accident in upstate New York state last weekend, will not compete in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Sprint Cup Series veteran …

Read more