Race Weekend Central

Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2009 All-Star Race Recap

The Key Moment: With two laps left, Tony Stewart powered by Matt Kenseth to take the race lead, then drove off into the sunset. Or he would have… but it was already dark out. In a Nutshell: Prior to the final 10-lap segment, the racing featured all the intensity and drama of a typical Brady …

Read more

Bowles-Eye View: Patience Equals Power for Tony Stewart as Both Owner & Driver

He that can have patience, can have what he will. – Benjamin Franklin For over a decade, Tony Stewart was never confused with being a patient man. After all, the driver nicknamed Smoke for his infamous temper tantrums on and off the track won his first Cup title while under probation for punching a track …

Read more

Happy Hour: NASCAR Should Reconsider the 4 Cars Per Team Rule

At Darlington this past weekend, three of the top-five finishing cars were from Hendrick Motorsports. The other two got their engines from Hendrick. A part-time Hendrick team finished seventh, making six out of the top seven either Hendrick or Hendrick-affiliated teams. It was domination from one team that has rarely been seen in a single …

Read more

Mirror Driving: Darlington on Steroids?, the Rookies Rally & NASCAR on Drugs

Welcome to Mirror Driving. Every week, your favorite columnists sit down and give their opinion about the latest NASCAR news and rumors. Love us or hate us, make a comment below and tell us how you feel about what we’ve said! This Week’s Participants: Tom Bowles (Editor-In-Chief; Mondays/Bowles-Eye View & Wednesdays/Did You Notice) Beth Lunkenheimer (Tuesdays/Running Your …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Southern 500

The Track Too Tough to Tame may have a new surface, but she’s that same old fickle girl. The rankings may not have taken a DNF at Darlington, but they certainly earned their stripe with the list all scrambled after 500 miles there Saturday night. Former champions are hogging the top of the charts, but …

Read more

Bowles-Eye View: The Dangers of Taking a Hendrick Dynasty to the Next Level

Dynasty (n.): A group that maintains power for a significant period of time. In America’s major sports, that word used to cause a sellout automatically – just mention it and a certain team in the same sentence. The Yankees, Red Wings, Packers and Celtics have given their stick ‘n’ ball brethren records that may never …

Read more

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2009 Crown Royal 400 at Richmond

Some retro short-track racing in Virginia provided a lot of high-powered action Saturday night, with the end result a record 15 caution flags and a late-race pit strategy that left the standings jumbled all the way up until the checkered flag. That unpredictability factored right into our own Power Rankings this week, as 14 out …

Read more

Who’s Hot/Who’s Not in Sprint Cup: 2009 Crown Royal 400 at Richmond Edition

Watching the running order during Saturday’s Richmond race was similar to watching a yoyo go up and down. Pit strategy, brake wear, copious amounts of cautions, timely adjustments and good ol’ fashioned hard-nosed racing worked in harmony to jostle both the running positions and the points standings all throughout Saturday night’s event. In comparison to …

Read more