David C. posted an article on - Dec 6, 2010, 8:34 am
  It's been a hoot, but we gotta scoot.   NASCAR This Week is ending operations on Monday, December 6, and will go offline on Dec. 17. While traffic to the site has continued to grow since April 2008 when we came online, ...
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David C. posted an article on - Dec 4, 2010, 7:43 am
  Ah, the NASCAR season's over, but I'm still busy. I've been on a bunch of radio shows, co-hosting three shows (last Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday) on Sirius XM's NASCAR Channel 128. I put together a post-season wrap-up and have been finishing some NASCAR-related ...
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David C. posted an article on - Dec 2, 2010, 12:00 am
  “We’ve got a lot of racing left, but when we’re winning at places we’re not supposed to, you better watch out.” – Jimmie Johnson, after winning the Food City 500 at Bristol. “I like Jimmie as good as anybody, but for the sake of the ...
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David C. posted an article on - Dec 1, 2010, 8:11 am
Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson (C), his daughter Genevieve Marie, his wife Chandra (R), crew chief Chad Knaus (2R) and Lisa Rockelmann (R) pose outside the Bellagio Hotel and Casino Resort during Day 1 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champions Week on...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 30, 2010, 8:21 am
  Mark Martin has another year in his Hendrick Motorsports contract; Kasey Kahne waits a year for his Hendrick slot, racing in 2011 with Team Red Bull. (photos: Getty Images)   - The shuffling of three Hendrick Motorsports teams is real...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 29, 2010, 8:28 am
Most improved driver: “Flame On” Harvick. Least improved auto manufacturer: Ford.   HIGH: Jimmie Johnson won a record fifth consecutive Sprint Cup championship, which is even more impressive in that no one else in the sport’s history as won mo...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 29, 2010, 8:25 am
  Jimmie Johnson is starting to be more monarch than champion. The Sprint Cup championship seems to be his by divine right, even though it’s actually determined by points. Five in a row? Richard Petty never did that. Dale Earnhardt never did that. ...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 26, 2010, 2:50 pm
Snoopy trumps Lions-Pats.   Wonder of wonders. I found myself watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I watched it as a kid, back before Al Roker walked right down the middle of a marching band and I found myself hoping he bumped...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 26, 2010, 7:52 am
  Team owner Rick Hendrick and drivers with swapped crew chiefs: Mark Martin (who now has Lance McGrew), Dale Earnhardt (Steve Letarte), and Jeff Gordon (Alan Gustafson).   First, a preface. On Monday night, I was on Mojo Nixon’s Sir...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 24, 2010, 10:17 am
  Monday was just a great day. I worked all morning, as is the case with every Monday, then just did little things all afternoon. I read. I went out back of the motel, where the water laps up to a sandy area walled off from the water, and played my guitar...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 24, 2010, 7:50 am
It was a good day at Homestead-Miami Speedway for Carl Edwards on Nov. 21, who won his second consecutive race, leading 190 of 267 laps and becoming the sixth Ford driver in the past seven years to win the race. (Photos: Getty Images)   - It took Jim...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 24, 2010, 7:33 am
  In the end, it was -- again -- all about Jimmie Johnson. But what mattered most in winning his fifth consecutive  championship? And what is rawest and newest challenge that he faces? These questions imagined by Ovalscream's imagination in his post today. 
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 23, 2010, 8:14 am
(photo: Getty Images)   HOMESTEAD, Fla. – As the country singer noted, “It’s all over … but the crying.” Today, perhaps Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick are reasoning, as Charley Pride sang, “Come up the hard way, fought a goo...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 22, 2010, 9:46 am
Jimmie Johnson crosses the finish line in second place in the Ford 400 to clinch his fifth consecutive Sprint Cup championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. (Photo: Getty Images)   HOMESTEAD, Fla. – A guy wins his first championship, and i...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 22, 2010, 8:21 am
  Carl Edwards celebrates his second win of the season after taking the checkered flag at Sunday’s Ford 400 while Jimmie Johnson has his own reason to celebrate – his place in history with five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships. (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR) &...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 22, 2010, 8:16 am
Denny Hamlin pits after sustaining damage to the front right splitter after a spin on the 24th lap of the Ford 400 on Sunday. (Photo: Getty Images)   HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Martin Truex had a solid shot to win the Ford 400 until a right-rear tire cost h...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 22, 2010, 8:12 am
photo: Getty Images   Ford 400 Homestead-Miami Speedway   Same old same old:Jimmie Johnson didn’t just win the championship. He won it for the fifth consecutive year, which is unprecedented, just as four straigh...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 21, 2010, 5:00 pm
  Jimmie Johnson won his record fifth consecutive Cup Series championship by making the fewest mistakes in the season finale a Homestead on Nov. 21. He finished second in the race behind winner Carl Edwards. Johnson trailed by 15 points at the start...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 21, 2010, 1:40 pm
  Every track has its detractors, but as I drove up from Key Largo this morning, I couldn’t help but be happy that the Sprint Cup Series ends its season in Homestead, Fla. What better time to be at the bottom of the United States? Hurricane season...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 21, 2010, 1:21 pm
  Well, there is one on the front row: Ford 400. Nice area to know Spanish: Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway. Too close for comfort: This is the final Sprint Cup race. Denny Hamlin leads Jimmie Johnson by only 15 points. Kevin Harvick t...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 21, 2010, 7:02 am
Chase contenders Denny Hamlin, Jimmy Johnson and Kevin Harvick during a Champions press conference on Friday. (Photo: Getty Images)   HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Let the best man win. Let the fastest car win. Here’s hoping they’re the same. ...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 18, 2010, 8:52 am
  Great idea #4: Sprint Cup racin' on dirt tracks.   Dear NASCAR This Week, I read your newspaper offerings weekly, and enjoy them, especially the comments from NASCAR fans. I've been a race fan for 65-plus years and enjoy...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 17, 2010, 8:27 am
    Kurt Busch won the 2004 Chase with Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon literally on his tail. The first Chase (for the then Nextel Cup) was as dramatic as this one figures to be. In the final race, then as now in Homestead, Fla., Jimmie J...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 17, 2010, 8:15 am
  photos: Getty Images   Ford, crew chief if point leader Denny Hamlin, and Knaus, leading the team of reigning champ Jimmie Johnson, have developed a rivalry as fierce as their drivers. After Hamlin’s Texas victory, Ford suggested Jo...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 16, 2010, 8:22 am
  It’s a simple case of the Cinderella story versus the truth of who has the best damn car on the track.   AVONDALE, Ariz. – This Chase race is a bouncing ball. Each week. Back and forth. Intangibles run rampant. Let’s see....
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 16, 2010, 8:18 am
A day late and a dollar short: Though he failed to make the Chase, Joey logano (has finished in the top 10 in eight straight races, finishing third at Phoenix last weekend. (Photo: Getty Images)   - What goes around comes around. A week after pulling...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 15, 2010, 8:59 am
Jumpin’ “Jack” Edwards discovers Phoenix is a gas, gas, gas. (photo: Getty Images)   AVONDALE, Ariz. – On rare occasions, a man can win a Sprint Cup race by being slower than everyone else, though it’s not a winning strategy for the whole r...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 15, 2010, 8:56 am
Jimmie Johnson – Underdog? What might that do for the popularity of NASCAR?   AVONDALE, Ariz. – Just what does Brian France want to change? The NASCAR monarch – after all, stock car racing has a clearly defined royal family and or...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 15, 2010, 8:47 am
  Kobalt Tools 500 Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz.   My, what a long time:Carl Edwards, who won nine races in 2008, hadn’t won any since until his victory at Phoenix International Raceway. ...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 15, 2010, 8:43 am
Kevin Harvick had a loose lugnut on his last pit stop forcing him to pit a second time. The mistake worked in Harvick's favor, however, as he was able to top off his gas allowing him to finish the race without pitting again. (photo : Getty Images)   ...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 14, 2010, 10:59 am
 Phoenix International Raceway. (Photo: Monte Dutton)   Affiliated with the reigning champion: Kobalt Tools 500k (312 laps/miles). Complete with a rugged desert backdrop:Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Ariz. Adva...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 14, 2010, 10:47 am
  Jeff Burton wrecked at ‘Dega, and he wrecked again at Texas … (photo: Getty Images)   AVONDALE, Ariz. – Have at it, boys. Those words, spoken back in January by NASCAR’s Robin Pemberton, might as well have been the slogan of t...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 8, 2010, 1:33 pm
  photo: Getty Images   FORT WORTH, Texas – Denny Hamlin has won two more races than Jimmie Johnson this year, has 33 more points in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and his crew chief, Mike Ford, left Texas Motor Speedway talking more ...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 8, 2010, 8:45 am
  Denny Hamlin passed Matt Kenseth on the final restart and drove on to win the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. (Photo: Associated Press)   FORT WORTH, Texas – Denny Hamlin won the Chase for the Sprint Cup’s eighth race an...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 8, 2010, 8:42 am
  NASCAR officials break up a fight between Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton  as seen on the Sprint Vision screen in the infield after an incident in the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. (Photo:Getty Images for NASCAR)   FOR...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 8, 2010, 8:38 am
  Denny Hamlin celebrates winning the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. (Photo: Getty Images)   AAA Texas 500 Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth   Flip a coin: Denny Hamlin outdue...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 8, 2010, 8:34 am
  One of the morning moments of enlightenment was riding past Junior’s Tacos (or maybe JR’s Tacos) this morning on Farm Road 156, which runs behind the Texas Motor Speedway front straight. Junior (or JR) offers “economy tacos,” 10 for $8.99. I thought it ...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 7, 2010, 10:19 am
  Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick in the garage at Dover last September. Jimmie Johnson says that the pressure is less, knowing that he’s has to switch to offense against Hamlin and Harvick in winning the title this year. (Photo: Getty Images)   &#...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 7, 2010, 10:10 am
  FORT WORTH, Texas – Think the Chase for the Sprint Cup commands attention? Jamie McMurray won the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 16. Since the day after that race, how many stories have you seen about McMurray? A few, maybe, but you had to loo...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 7, 2010, 7:03 am
  Jeff Gordon at Texas Motor Speedway in 2009. Gordon reflected on his own championship domination in the 1990s as he looked on Jimmie Johnson’s in the  past decade. (photo Getty Images).   FORT WORTH, Texas – Nowadays it’s easy to forg...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 6, 2010, 8:16 am
FORT WORTH, Texas – It’s not unusual for NASCAR drivers to act in press conferences as if they were trained monkeys, but Texas Motor Speedway don Eddie “the Ego” Gossage took the simile to its literal limit on Friday. To make this Mafia imagery work better, I wish I coul...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 6, 2010, 8:05 am
  FORT WORTH, Texas – It’s a world-weary Tony Stewart who conducts press conferences this year. Let’s just say his tone is snappy. Asked if his peers had “learned how to race in the Chase,” Stewart said at Texas Motor Speedway, “That’s...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 2, 2010, 7:35 am
The morning after the Amp Energy Juice 500 was as muddled as the race. It required a long drive home to get the old thoughts in order. This race featured 87 lead changes. It ended in a side-by-side finish, though, oddly, not at the finish line. The last-place driv...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 2, 2010, 7:31 am
  The Talladega race featured 26 leaders and 87 lead changes. (Photo: Getty Images)   - Gosh forbid that a race be run at Talladega without at least one car skidding upside down. A.J. Allmendinger’s Ford did “the honors” in a multi-car c...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 1, 2010, 12:23 pm
  A frustrated Jeff Burton kicks the No. 31 Cat Financial Chevrolet after contact with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and hitting the wall in Sunday’s AMP Energy Juice 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. After being released from the infield care center, Burton said of the inci...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 1, 2010, 7:57 am
Teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer shake hands at the end of the Series AMP Energy Juice 500 on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. TALLADEGA, Ala. – Halloween at Talladega Superspeedway – Hallowdega, if you will – was supposed to be full of smoke and mi...
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David C. posted an article on - Nov 1, 2010, 7:52 am
  Clint Bowyer, who led the race nine times for 19 laps, battles with teammate Kevin Harvick (also a lap leader eight times for 12) during the final laps of Sunday’s AMP Energy Juice 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Bowyer won by a nose after a white-flag caution was thrown. (photo: G...
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David C. posted an article on - Oct 31, 2010, 1:14 pm
  Laidback, with my mind on my money and my money on my mind: Amp Energy Juice 500. A coiled rattlesnake of a track: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Convergence? A Martinsville victory enabled Denny Hamlin to pull to within six points of Jimmie Johnson in the Chase for the Spr...
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David C. posted an article on - Oct 31, 2010, 8:06 am
  NASCAR fans put out Halloween decorations in the Talladega infield. Although Kyle was beware'd, he won the Saturday truck race by a black cat's whisker over Aric Almirola. (photo: Associated Press)   TALLADEGA, Ala. – In one sense, the Amp Energy 500 figure...
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David C. posted an article on - Oct 31, 2010, 7:59 am
  photo: Jim Hunter, NASCAR communications exec who died last Friday of cancer at age 71.   TALLADEGA, Ala. – It’s Halloween at Talladega, and neither Jim Hunter nor Ed Shull is here. Where are the grown-ups going to get thei...
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