Race Weekend Central

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2020 All-Star Race

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who…should you be talking about after the race? Chase Elliott said after the race he and his team had to hit the reset button after a couple of difficult weeks. If that’s the case, they need to hit it before every race, because it worked. Elliott did everything right, his team did everything right and …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2020 Quaker State 400

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who… should you be talking about after the race? Cole Custer showed he had the chops to do what it took to win at the Cup level. For Custer, equipment has never been an issue, but his mostly lackluster start to the year raised questions. He put those to rest with an aggressive move to …

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The Frontstretch 5: Drivers Who Might Make a Splash in Top Equipment

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(Photo: NKP)

Silly Season 2020 hasn’t really heated up yet. (You could argue that everything about 2020 is Silly Season, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.) It’s a given that at least one top ride will be up for grabs, as Jimmie Johnson said last week he has informed Hendrick Motorsports that he will not …

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Holding a Pretty Wheel: How Can NASCAR Maximize Race Weekends for Everyone?

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series The Advance Auto Parts Clash Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fl Usa Sunday 11 February 2018 Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Fedex Express Toyota Camry And Erik Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing, Circle K Toyota Camry World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Race weekends have looked very different in 2020. Since the sport returned in mid-May, most races have been without fans. The first race to host a significant number in the stands will be the All-Star Race at Bristol later this month. But we’ve also seen some other changes as the sport works to keep cars …

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The Frontstretch 5: Closest NASCAR Finishes at Indianapolis

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(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has produced some great finishes over its more than 100-year history. NASCAR’s history at the track is much shorter, beginning in 1994 when Indiana transplant Jeff Gordon won the inaugural event. Since that race, the finish of a NASCAR race at the track has only been less than half a second five …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2020 Pocono 350

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who… should you be talking about after the race? Denny Hamlin is pretty good at Pocono Raceway for a guy who had only raced the track on video games before his first Cup race there. He finished second to Kevin Harvick Saturday, and on Sunday, he did one better. Hamlin had a fast car but found …

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The Frontstretch 5: Positive Changes NASCAR Could Make for 2021 and Beyond

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

1. No practice, no qualifying? No problem? Until NASCAR was forced to rethink race weekends, nobody thought much about practice and qualifying. They’d been done forever, and nothing about either seemed to be broken. And about 99% of the time, NASCAR should leave things that aren’t broken alone. That’s how we got the playoffs, after …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2020 GEICO 500 at Talladega

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who … should you be talking about after the race? It’s hard to win at Talladega Superspeedway, and it’s even harder to go back-to-back. Entering Monday’s rain-delayed race, nobody had achieved that feat since 2007. That ended on Monday, though, as Ryan Blaney powered his way to the front, surviving a fuel mileage battle and a …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2020 Dixie Vodka 400

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(Photo: NASCAR Media/Getty Images)

Who… should you be talking about after the race? Denny Hamlin might not have won the top starting spot by virtue of speed but he certainly had plenty of speed to stay there. With crew chief Chris Gabehart back in action after a four-race suspension for a weight violation, Hamlin dominated the race, leading 137 …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2020 Blue Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500

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(Photo: NASCAR Media/Getty Images)

Who…should you be talking about after the race? Martin Truex Jr. wasn’t happy with the No. 19 early on at Martinsville Speedway, but as the night wore on, it got better, and better … and better. And once he got to the lead in the final stage of the race, it was lights out for …

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The Big Six: Questions Answered After the 2020 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

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(Photo: NASCAR Media/Getty Images)

Who… should you be talking about after the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500? Kevin Harvick won his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2001. The triumph came just weeks after being called into the Cup Series a year ahead of schedule following the death of Dale Earnhardt, and he won it by …

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Driver vs. Driver Hall of Famers: Lee Petty vs. Junior Johnson

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(Graphic: Jared Haas)

Over 50 wins on NASCAR’s top circuit will put a driver into the Hall of Fame — every eligible driver to ever achieve that mark has already been enshrined, and there’s no doubt that the three active drivers who have achieved that number will be first-ballot locks. This month, we look closer at the drivers …

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