Frontstretch.com: The best seat at the track... the best view on the net! Friday, November 20th 2009

On the verge of winning an unprecedented fourth straight Sprint Cup Series title, fans who want to see a new face hoisting the trophy can take heart that the dominance of Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports can't last forever.

What We Really Can Look Forward To In 2010

Kurt Smith · Friday November 20, 2009

The late David Poole was a fan of NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup, making him the only motorsports writer that I can think of that held a favorable opinion of NASCAR’s playoff who didn’t work for NASCAR.com or ESPN. (There may be a few others. I just can’t think of any.) Like the NASCAR and ESPN guys, however, I found his arguments for it to be rather weak—unusually so, given the strength of most of his diatribes—and I had learned secondhand that on his radio show he was pressed and finally admitted that he needed something to write about at the end of the season.

Well I think we can put that particular advantage of the Chase to bed, with Jimmie Johnson now in the do-or-die situation of having to best the start-and-parkers in the 2009 NASCAR season finale at Homestead. I’ve got nothing for that.

Where, Oh Where Has the Underdog Gone?

Holding A Pretty Wheel
Amy Henderson · Friday November 20, 2009

I thought it was the racing. There’s always something when the love affair is going south. So, I thought it was the racing. After all, that’s what everyone is saying, isn’t it? That the quality of racing just isn’t as good as it used to be. Whether it’s the cars, or the tracks, it’s just not as fun anymore, right? It had to be the racing.

Except, it’s not the racing.

Driven to the Past: Some Thoughts Before Going Into Hibernation...

John Potts · Friday November 20, 2009

Since I voiced the opinion a couple of weeks back that NASCAR should consider going back to stock bodied cars, I think it behooves me to comment on the introduction of the new Nationwide Series car.

They’ve definitely taken a step in the right direction. The cars they tested look much more like those you see on the street than their upscale CoT counterparts.

No doubt they were working on this long before I and others put forth the idea that the CoT’s chassis with all its safety modifications could be put under a stock-appearing body, but it makes me feel like they’re headed the right way.

A Look Back: The Top 10 NNS Performances of 2009

Nuts for Nationwide
Bryan Davis Keith · Friday November 20, 2009

Anyone that’s read my Nationwide Series coverage over the course of the 2009 season knows full well that it’s been hard for me to find positive things to say. And as hard as I have tried to come up with some insightful concluding words to head into the offseason by, I instead decided to let the action on the track speak for itself. Here are the 10 most impressive performances that the Nationwide regulars managed to muster, in my eyes at least, this season. While Kyle Busch celebrates a title he had wrapped up from the drop of the green flag at Daytona…and ESPN gushes all over it like he actually accomplished something, I hope this look back reminds NNS fans out there of some of the bright spots that were still to be found in 2009.

Tearing Apart the Trucks : Farewell 2009 Season...It's Been a Great Ride!

Beth Lunkenheimer · Friday November 20, 2009

As we close in on the final race of the 2009 Camping World Truck Series season, it’s hard to believe all that has happened over the last 24 races. We’ve first time winners, the defending champion finding himself without a ride, rule changes and more. So, in honor of the end of yet another exciting season, I wanted to take a look back at some of the biggest stories from the past ten months.

Sprint Cup | Nationwide Series | Camping World Trucks| Tracks PR | ARCA, IRL and more

Raybestos Rookie Johnny Sauter FIFTH in Lucas Oil 150

Friday Ford Phoenix Advance, Edwards

Max Papis top Raybestos Rookie in Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Qualifying

Friday Ford Phoenix Qulaifying Quotes

Raybestos Rookie Johnny Sauter WINS POLE for Lucas Oil 150

Friday Ford Phoenix Advance, Biffle

MIS RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FROM ENTREPRENEURIAL & BUSINESS EXCELLENCE HALL OF FAME

U.S. Army to Continue NHRA, NASCAR Team Partnerships

Raybestos Rookie Able Body Labor 200 Advance: Justin Allgaier

Raybestos Rookie Lucas Oil 150 Practice Day: Johnny Sauter and Ricky Carmichael

MIS NEWS: MIS' TIM BOOTH NAMED AS FINALIST FOR HOME DEPOT NMPA 2009 HUMANITARIAN AWARD

Pedigree Racing: Kyle Busch Fall Phoenix Advance

Petty's Garage Now Turning Out Custom Machines

Dodge Motorsports NSCS Race Advance - Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 - Phoenix International Raceway

Newman Reflects on Veterans Day, Army Sponsorship

Start and Park Doing Nothing for NASCAR: And It's Not Going Anywhere Anytime Soon

Frontstretch Special Report
Bryan Davis Keith · Thursday November 19, 2009

Q: Who’s the richest man in a NASCAR garage?
A: The last place driver in a Cup race.

That old adage has been around NASCAR’s garages since the 1970s, and has held true every time that start and park teams take to the track. For as long as anyone following racing can remember, there have been teams that have taken to the track with no intent of competing, but instead to collect a check. However, 2009 has seen the practice escalate from relative obscurity in the back of the field to a growing staple at all levels of NASCAR racing.

There are plenty out there that simply don’t care about it, or that dismiss the recent rash of start and park as a product of a down economy.

Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off: The Lights of Miami

Matt McLaughlin · Thursday November 19, 2009

Huddled together against the cold, their eyes scan the horizon for the lights of the Miami cityscape. It’s been a long and sometimes perilous journey they’ve endured, and it seems like it’s lasted forever across uncharted waters the likes of which they’ve never seen before. Dispirited and increasingly concerned, they keep looking for those bright neon lights. Some are on the verge of giving up; others already have. Still others refuse to give up hope. They’ve come so far, and they’ve waited so long. They’ve suffered cruelly under a mercurial dictator who refuses to listen to his people. Things have got to be better ahead, or their hopes and dreams will be shown to be a hoax.

NASCAR Scheduled To Throw Eight Cautions At Homestead

Voices From the Heartland
Jeff Meyer · Thursday November 19, 2009

Nearly two and a half years ago, I penned an article titled, Surprise! NASCAR’s Version of Reality Slightly Skewered.

What prompted that fine piece of writing, besides having a bit too much time on my hands that day, was a July 16th, 2007 press release by NASCAR telling us that we were, in fact, witnessing the “golden age of competition” at that very moment. The premise of the press release was… well, I’ll let you read a part of it for yourself, again.

“Present-day NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races offer closer competition than anytime in history, a new NASCAR statistical analysis has shown…

Fanning the Flames: Closing the Inbox on the 2009 Season

NASCAR Fan Q & A
Matt Taliaferro · Thursday November 19, 2009

Hey Matt! Finally, we have some entertainment! The Keselowski and Hamlin feud is the best one since Gordon and Rusty. I think it will last longer and make more fireworks, too! Thanks guys, there is not a season so bad that a good rivalry won’t fix.
— Jack Johnson, San Antonio, Tex.

A: I thought Denny Hamlin had the quote of the year when he said last weekend that, “There’s a lot of guys who owe him [Keselowski], there’s a lot of guys that have chips to cash in — I’m just going to be the first to the pay window.”

Fantasy Insider: How To Hit A Home Run At Homestead To Win It All

Bryan Davis Keith and Mike Neff · Thursday November 19, 2009

At long last, the final race of the season is here. And while, thanks to NASCAR’s Chase, we’ve got a snoozer of a points race headed into Sunday, there’s still a lot to look forward to on-track at Homestead. Be it drivers bidding farewell to their old teams or getting a head start with new ones, the 400-miler has often seen a number of unexpected drivers at the front, with title contenders often wondering where the speed they’ve had all season went amidst a shocking slide back into mediocrity. So don’t let complacency happen to your team when you’ve got just one more race to close out a championship. Who’s got what it takes to finish strong? The Frontstretch Fantasy Insider does… for your fantasy roster, anyway.

Did You Notice? ... Big Brother Gets To Keselowski, Marlin's "Sterling" Career, And No Championship Talk (Promise!)

Thomas Bowles · Wednesday November 18, 2009

Did You Notice? … Sterling Marlin was still racing competitively? Seriously, the poor guy hasn’t run the full distance in a Cup show since Homestead in November, 2008. So that’s why, at 52, it’s no surprise to see one of the sport’s unique characters finally sit back and call it a career, all but announcing his retirement to Larry Woody of Racin’ Today this week. He’s spent this year failing to finish all seven of his starts, starting and parking in six while DNQing in five others with James Finch’s No. 09 team.

Can Marlin still do it? Probably, if he had enough experience with the new car to adjust. But in a sport where technology and sponsor savvy trumps driver talent every time, the good ol’ Southern twang rings hollow in a sport Marlin claims “isn’t fun anymore.”

Top Ten Reasons Jimmie Johnson Might Not Win The Chase, Redux

Jeff Meyer · Wednesday November 18, 2009

10. Other drivers hire Tonya Harding to give Jimmie a good “knee whacking.” (But this year, they whack both knees and an elbow, too!)

9. Chad Knaus decides he is tired of “babysitting” Jimmie and lets him “keep on welding” … or pipefitting, or whatever else Jimmie is up to.

Mirror Driving: Judging History ... For Hornaday?, McGrew's McMess, And Fixing Feuds

Frontstretch Staff · Wednesday November 18, 2009

Jimmie Johnson is now on the cusp of history at Homestead, needing only to stroke it and post a 25th-place finish to clinch. Looking back over this year’s Chase, is there any type of format that would have guaranteed a closer finish during these playoffs?

Vito: Hah, yeah, the original format! It would be 13 and 51 points right now between Johnson, Stewart, and Gordon. That might be a tick more interesting than watching him run ninth all day this coming Sunday.
Amy: Ironically, Vito is right. Imagine that — NASCAR tried to fix something that wasn’t broken.
Jeff: The only format is to not have these “playoffs.”

Jimmie Johnson: Continuing To Dominate In Spite of a Dreaded Disease

The Voice Of Vito
Vito Pugliese · Wednesday November 18, 2009

With Jimmie Johnson on the brink of winning his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup Championship, one thing stands out as he and the No. 48 Lowe’s team prepare to make history this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway:

Nobody really cares.

That is, no one outside of Hendrick Motorsports, his fan base, or the media at large. Listen to any number of call-in shows, forum postings, or column comments on this site or any other, and the fan interest ranks somewhere up there with standing in line to jam your fist into a beehive. This select group may just be “the haters” that Jimmie dedicated his 2006 Daytona 500 victory to … but their membership is hitting record numbers.

Frontstretch Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Phoenix

Frontstretch Staff · Wednesday November 18, 2009

As the season winds down to its final weekend, Jimmie Johnson’s firm grip atop our poll mirrors his 108-point lead in the Sprint Cup standings. Barring some sort of catastrophe at Homestead this Sunday, a fourth straight title — and our 2009 Power Rankings championship — will be his.

But the No. 48 team’s commanding lead means nothing for the other 14 spots on our list. With just one week left to impress the pollsters, second through 15th is up for grabs, as both Chasers and non-Chasers alike look to build some serious momentum for 2010. Who’s best positioned to end the year with a bang? Check out what our experts think as the votes are in for this poll’s penultimate edition of ’09.

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