Race Weekend Central

Slipstream Saturday: Rosberg Holding On, the Mexican Grand Prix & More

nico rosberg mexican grand prix 2016

Nico Rosberg at the Mexican Grand Prix

The drivers championship is getting all of the attention and rightly so – especially as Mercedes has already taken the constructor’s championship.  It has been a while since the title has come down to the last few races.  Last year, Lewis Hamilton wrapped up the championship at the U.S. Grand Prix, leaving the rest of …

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Happiness Is… A Tame Talladega, Surprises & Martinsville

2016 Nascar Talladega

21-23 October, 2016, Talladega, Alabama USA Joey Logano, Brian Scott, Greg Biffle, and Alex Bowman ©2016, Barry Cantrell / NKP

That’s it, with the feared Talladega Superspeedway in the rear-view mirror, the remaining drivers can breathe easy and plot their way to a championship.  In a way, that seems simple, as easy as: go fast.  But things are never quite that simple and the remaining drivers offer a myriad of different ways to wonder about …

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Slipstream Saturday: Rosberg Rolling, The U.S. Grand Prix & More

Nico Rosberg during practice for the Formula One Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 21, 2015 in Spa, Belgium. (Credit: Getty Images)

(Credit: Getty Images)

Four races remain in the 2016 Formula 1 season, and Nico Rosberg holds a 33 point lead over his teammate Lewis Hamilton.  Last year, Hamilton was in the process of wrapping up his third championship when the series visited the U.S. Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.  His victory, however, looks to have …

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Happiness Is… Messy Charlotte, Lewis Hamilton & Lights

Jimmie Johnson Checkered Flag Celebration Charlotte Cup 2016 Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

This past Sunday Jimmie Johnson locked himself into the next round of the Chase, avoiding any kind of pratfall that might befall him at the super scary, oh no, Talladega, the roulette-wheel track.  For Johnson and Co. the move is exactly the one they needed to make to progress in the current Chase format.  Points …

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Slipstream Saturday: Mercedes Conspiracy & More, Ahead of the Japanese GP

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Lewis Hamilton (credit: Getty Images)

Last Sunday, at the Malaysian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton looked to have race victory in hand.  After starting from the pole, Hamilton made a clean getaway and put the field in his rear view.  His teammate became the victim of Sebastian Vettel dive-bombing he first turn, putting Vettel out of the race and Nico Rosberg …

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Slipstream Saturday: Malaysian Grand Prix Preview And Formula 1 News

Nico Rosberg Gp Bahrain 2016

Nico Rosberg at the Bahrain GP (credit: Getty Images)

After having a week off to digest the Singapore Grand Prix, Formula 1 returns to action this weekend and the newly repaved Sepang International Circuit for the Malaysian Grand Prix.  With Nico Rosberg having won the last three races and now taking the lead in the championship by eight points, the driver’s battle remains close. …

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Happiness Is… Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson & Shrinking

2016 Darlington Cup Chris Buescher Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

This Sunday will bring about the first round of eliminations in the the Cup Chase.  That means that the feel-good story of Chris Buescher and his appearance in the Chase will come to end when the checkered flag flies.  That seems like an easy statement to make as Buescher sits in 16th place and is …

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Happiness Is…New Hampshire, Ratings & Big Money

2016 Nscs Jimmie Johnson Chicagoland Photo Russel Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

Well that was fast.  For a racing series, speed is usually a good thing.  In this case, well, maybe the speed that NASCAR showed this week is maybe not such a good thing.  The matter here is NASCAR’s decision to change how it adjudicates penalties for the laser inspections and lug nuts.  This move is …

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Slipstream Saturday: F1 Changes & the Singapore GP

Alonso Halo

This weekend marks what is loosely the Asian swing of the Formula 1 schedule as the series races at night in Singapore.  With seven races remaining this season, this race sits as an interesting one for the all the teams.  It’s a situation of having one foot in the room and one foot out the …

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Happiness Is… Chase, Clarity & Champion

2016 Kentucky Cup Tony Stewart Helmet Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell Labounty/NKP)

This past week has brought the Tony Stewart defenders out in force.  Between his dust-up (punting) of Brian Scott and his on-track pugilism with Ryan Newman, Stewart has been an interesting presence for the past couple weeks.  Matt McLaughlin covered the story, and the goal here is not to rehash it.  This also won’t be …

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Happiness Is… Richmond Excitement to Finalize the Chase Field

2016 Nascar Darlington

(Photo: Brett Moist/ NKP)

The ratings are in for the Southern 500 and, well, thy’re a bit on the disappointing side.  That’s right, the much-ballyhooed throwback extravaganza didn’t quite pull the numbers that the wonks in Daytona may have expected.  Last year the race held a 3.7 share of viewership, while this year it fell all the way down …

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