Race Weekend Central

4 Burning Questions: Charters & More Charters

Daniel Suarez Nashville Cup 2021 NASCAR race NKP (Tootsies sponsor)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What is the future of NASCAR doubleheaders? The ratings that were pulled from this past weekend’s doubleheader event at Pocono Raceway were not great. With the networks spending eight figures to broadcast each NASCAR Cup Series race, a 0.9 is not a good result whatsoever. They were on at the dead time of Saturday afternoon, …

Read more

Tony Stewart Wins 2nd Straight SRX Race After Late-Race Battle With Kody Swanson

2021 SRX Knoxville Tony Stewart car (Credit: Tom Bowles)

Photo: Tom Bowles

Tony Stewart has now swept the two Superstar Racing Experience dirt features in the inaugural season, winning at his own Eldora Speedway for his second-straight overall win in his own series. Stewart defeated five-time USAC Silver Crown Series champion Kody Swanson for the win at Eldora after a restart with five laps remaining. Helio Castroneves …

Read more

4 Burning Questions: Welcome to the Sam Mayer Era

2019 Dover Nkpse Sam Mayer Championship Trophy Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Can anybody stop Sam Mayer? This weekend, Sam Mayer turns 18 and will spend his second day as an adult making his first start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The son of former part-time IndyCar Series driver Scott Mayer, Mayer has found success in everything he has strapped into. In 2018, after a successful preteen …

Read more

4 Burning Questions: Should NASCAR Take Cues From SRX?

2021 SRX Stafford Trophy L-R Greg Biffle, Doug Coby, and Tony Stewart (Credit: Tom Morris Racing Photography)

Photo: Tom Morris Racing Photography

How was the first week of SRX? The first week of the Superstar Racing Experience was a critical success, despite some hiccups. One thing I really liked about the broadcast of the event is that they never seemed full of themselves. While FOX Sports spent the weekend patting itself on the back for its NASCAR …

Read more

4 Burning Questions: Definitely An Xperience

Tony Stewart Return Press Conference Atlanta Motor Speedway 2014 Chris Owens

(Credit: Chris Owens)

Where will Kurt Busch end up? This week, Kurt Busch confirmed to Sirius XM that he has been contact by both 23XI Racing and Trackhouse Racing Team for the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022. 23XI was known about, but Trackhouse being mentioned is very interesting. Team owner Justin Marks said later that day that he …

Read more

4 Burning Questions: Is Kurt Busch Going to 23XI?

Kurt Busch looks on at 2021 Cup Circuit of the Americas. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Is Kurt Busch coming to 23XI Racing? Last weekend, The Athletic reported that 23XI Racing will be expanding in 2022 and that Kurt Busch is believed to be the main candidate for the organization’s second car, with Bubba Wallace staying put in the No. 23 Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series. While I trust The …

Read more

4 Burning Questions: 1,100 Miles & 600 Laps

Chase Elliott and crew chief Alan Gustafson sit on pit road wall. Photo NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

How will NASCAR handle the Eddie D’Hondt situation? On May 27, news broke that Eddie D’Hondt, longtime spotter for Hendrick Motorsports, had been arrested two weeks ago on misdemeanor charges of assaulting a woman and battery against an unborn child. The incident in question happened on Labor Day 2020. The first affidavit was filed in …

Read more

Kyle Busch Qualifies on Pole for Inaugural Xfinity Race at COTA

Kyle Busch car at Xfinity practice at COTA

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Kyle Busch, the all time leader in NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at 97, won the pole for the Pit Boss Grills 200 at Circuit of the Americas. This is the 69th pole in Busch’s career in the series. COTA marks the first of five starts for the two-time Cup Series champion in NXS competition this …

Read more

4 Burning Questions: Finally, the Rock Has Come Back?

2012 Nascar Camping World Truck Series Rockingham

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Are two dead racetracks returning to NASCAR? This week, it was revealed by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper that a portion of the American Relief Plan allocated to the state, $30 million in total, would be awarded to three racetracks located in the state: Rockingham Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and, surprisingly, North Wilkesboro Speedway. There …

Read more

NASCAR Stat Sheet: 103 Checkered Flags at Dover

Kyle Larson leads the field in the Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway, May 2021.

(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Hendrick Motorsports was able to achieve something that only Roush Fenway Racing had achieved in 60 years of NASCAR Cup racing: field the first four finishers in a race. Some fans, however, may remember another team in recent years almost marking the same accomplishment. In September 2019, Joe Gibbs Racing entered Richmond Raceway having won …

Read more

4 Burning Questions: Should NASCAR Limit Cup Organizations to 2 Teams?

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch talk before 2021 Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Should NASCAR further limit an organization’s car count? Last year, I wrote a column about what my vision for NASCAR would be in 10 years’ time. One of what I feel were one of the more interesting things I wrote about at the time was the idea of NASCAR going to more of a rigid …

Read more

NASCAR 101: The 5 Best — & 5 Worst — Throwback Paint Schemes

2020 Darlington III fall Reed Sorensen throwback car NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It’s throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway. The concept seems to be starting to wear out just a bit. In fact, the vast majority of Cup throwbacks this year are either bad or just average. All of the truly great NASCAR schemes have been done to death, and very few sponsors want to actually throwback to …

Read more