Race Weekend Central

Chasing the Chase Will Influence How Teams Hit the Bricks

Indy 2009

What is the most memorable Brickyard 400 moment of all time? Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

The Sprint Cup Series returns to action at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday after its final week off of the season. The question now with the Chase spots being on the line,  will they be racing the same way by being worried about nothing but wins, or concerned about points? Clearly, there are going to …

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The Calm Before The Storm

2014 Loudon I Cup Joey Logano Brad Keselowski Racing Cia

If nothing else, NASCAR enters this particular Monday morning well rested. Fresh off its last Sprint Cup off weekend, the news cycle slowed to a crawl last week as most participants were busy enjoying life elsewhere, away from the cameras on some Caribbean island. Even those who stayed at home would rather relax, mowing their …

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Four Burning Questions in New Hampshire: Deja Vu for Keselowski’s #2?

2014 Michigan I Cup Kyle Busch Car Cia

2014 Michigan I CUP Kyle Busch car (CIA)

New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the site of today’s round of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series action, round 18 to be exact. The race marks the halfway point in a season that has been filled with drama and surprises…much like last week’s cluster of a race in Daytona.  Aric Almirola found himself in a rain soaked Victory …

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Going By the Numbers: The Sprint Cup Series at Halfway

2014 Kentucky Cup Kevin Harvick Racing Cia

(Credit: CIA)

It’s been what seems like a quick, whirlwind journey for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series so far, and now the season’s hump has been traversed — the halfway point of 2014 has been reached. With 18 races completed in the Sprint Cup season, the same amount remains before a champion is crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway …

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Fantasy Insider: Laying it On The Line in Loudon

2014 Sonoma Cup Brian Vickers Car Cia

For some NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, these are now desperate times. With a win needed to be guaranteed a spot in the Chase for the Championship, and 11 winners so far after 18 races, that means points don’t mean much at all to some drivers. Part of the issue is that of the 11 winners, …

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Who’s Hot / Who’s Not: Daytona-New Hampshire Edition

2014 Sonoma Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Face Cia

(Credit: CIA)

Remember when you were a kid at the beach — Daytona Beach, perhaps, and went into the surf only to have a huge wave rock everyone? Well, that happened at Daytona International Speedway this weekend in many ways. Rain forced officials to move the race back to Sunday, but precipitation continued to come into play …

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Central Florida Weather, Uncertainity Breeds Aggressiveness

2014 Daytona Sprint Cup Rain Credit Phil Allaway

(Photo: Phil Allaway)

In NASCAR, restrictor plate races, even under ideal circumstances, are quite unpredictable. The draft allows almost anyone that can spark their engine and afford tires ($2000 a set these days) a chance to win if they can play their cards right. But, all plate races are not the same. Even with the repave prior to the …

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Fantasy insider:Daytona Puts Plenty of Unpredictability On the Plate

2014 Michigan I Cup Ryan Newman Kevin Harvick Cia

The Sprint Cuppers head to Daytona for the third of four restrictor plate races Saturday night. And the one thing about these races, as you may well know, is that you don’t know with any certainty what is going to happen. Sure there are some guys who have a knack for this kind of racing, …

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The Frontstretch Five: Things That Would Make Fans Happy at Daytona

2014 Daytona Duels Cup Trevor Bayne Justin Allgaier Kurt Busch Landon Cassill Cia 430

(Photo: CIA Stock Photography)

Welcome to the Frontstretch Five, a brand-new column for 2014! Each week, Amy Henderson takes a look at the racing, the drivers, and the storylines that drive NASCAR and produces a list of five people, places, things, and ideas that define the current state of our sport. In the latest edition, has five things that …

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Fantasy Insider: Road to Rebound Runs Through Sonoma

2014 Dover I Cup Martin Truex Jr Car Cia

Can Martin Truex, Jr. win a second straight race at Sonoma - this time with Furniture Row Racing? (Credit: CIA)

It’s a totally different ballgame this week when the NASCAR Sprint Cup series visits Sonoma for the first of two road-course races on the roster. Yes, we’ve got right turns, and left turns, and more right turns and just knowing who to pick this week could very well turn your season around if you have …

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Top 15 Power Rankings After Michigan

2014 Michigan I Cup Jimmie Johnson Woohoo Cia

Credit - CIA Stock Photography

Remember when all anyone could talk about was the fact Jimmie Johnson hadn’t won a race yet in 2014, and he kept saying over and over again not to worry? Looks like he was right. Johnson played the late-race pit strategy perfectly en route to his first career win at Michigan and third overall in …

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