Race Weekend Central

The Underdog House: Small NASCAR Teams Stand Their Ground in Bristol

#37: Chris Buescher, Jtg Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Bush's Beans And #17: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Roush Fenway Racing, Ford Fusion Fastenal Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Think Small When you race at Bristol Motor Speedway, whether in Monster Energy Cup, XFINITY or Camping World Trucks, you learn quick how easily that place can take the best out of you. It can make you do things you wish you didn’t and can define or destroy weeks of momentum as the regular season …

Read more

The Underdog House: A Slow Descend Down the Irish Hills of Michigan

#37: Chris Buescher, Jtg Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Slim Jim, #47: A.j. Allmendinger, Jtg Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Kroger Clicklist, And #43: Darrell Wallace Jr., Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Medallion Bank / Petty's Garage Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Think Small Perhaps Michigan International Speedway is the only place you can graze 200 mph and be considered “off the pace” from the front-runners. That’s right. This weekend, if you weren’t hitting 200 mph average around the 2-mile track in qualifying, you were barely in the top 20. Darrell Wallace Jr. was the top Monster …

Read more

Kevin Harvick Earns 7th Cup Win of 2018 at Michigan

#4: Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing, Ford Fusion Busch Light / Mobil 1 Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It had been eight years, but Kevin Harvick has won again at Michigan International Speedway. Leading 108 of the 200 laps in the Consumers Energy 400, Harvick scored the victory ahead of Brad Keselowski. The win, his first at Michigan since 2010, was his seventh in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Harvick …

Read more

The Underdog House: Hoping For More at Watkins Glen

2018 Cup Watkins Glen Zach Catanzareti Aj Allmendinger

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Think Small Watkins Glen International offered small teams perhaps their last chance to race for a win in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The plate tracks are done in this regular season, and after Sunday’s [Aug. 5] Go Bowling at The Glen, the road courses are, too. And unfortunately for the underdogs, …

Read more

William Byron Notches Top 10 at Watkins Glen

2018 Watkins Glen Cup Zach Catanzareti William Byron

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

For the first time in his career, William Byron has consecutive top-10 finishes in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Last week at Pocono Raceway, it was a streak-breaker result, scoring his first top 10 in nearly three months from the sixth spot, also a career-best finish. This week at Watkins Glen International, it was …

Read more

AJ Allmendinger Rebounds for 2nd at Rain-Soaked Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen Xfinity Zach Catanzareti Aj Allmendinger Rain Rain Tires

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Saturday’s (Aug. 4) Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International had it all for the drivers, teams and fans of the NASCAR XFINITY Series. And AJ Allmendinger was loving it all. Starting the 82-lapper for GMS Racing, the road course veteran would make his first series start since 2013. And it started well, qualifying fourth in …

Read more

Josh Bilicki Looking to Pounce in XFINITY Road Courses

2018 New Hampshire Xfinity Zach Catanzareti Josh Bilicki

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

 2018 was the start of a new chapter for driver Josh Bilicki. For the first time, he would have a steady home, his own NASCAR race seat at JP Motorsports in the XFINITY Series. Sponsor Prevagen jumped onboard his No. 45 Toyota entry and the year was a go just two weeks out from Daytona …

Read more

The Underdog House: Strong Pocono Performances All Weekend

2018 Cup Pocono Zach Catanzareti Michael Mcdowell

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Think Small The two-day weekend got interesting fast for anyone who fielded a car for Sunday’s (July 29) Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono Raceway. Once qualifying ended for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series the starting grid nearly flipped by thirds. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch were bumped from the front row after failing post-qualifying …

Read more

Alex Bowman Relieved with Career-High 3rd Place in Pocono

2018 Cup Pocono Zach Catanzareti Alex Bowman

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Flying the Philadelphia Eagles on the corner panels of his No. 88 Chevrolet in Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania, the pressure was a little higher than usual for Alex Bowman. Join that with his Hendrick Motorsports spot recently piloted by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Sunday’s [July 29] Gander Outdoors 400 was full of eyeballs for Bowman. …

Read more

Joe Nemechek With Top 10 in Pocono: ‘I Still Love This So Much’

2018 Trucks Pocono Zach Catanzareti Joe Nemechek

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Joe Nemechek made his 10th Camping World Truck Series start of 2018 Saturday at Pocono Raceway. However, it was only the fourth time he drove the self-owned No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet instead of the No. 87. The difference? The No. 87 is a start-and-park truck, the No. 8 is not. Additionally, the No. 8 …

Read more

Did You Notice?: Bumping is Racing in 2018

2018 Cup New Hampshire Kevin Harvick Kyle Busch Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Did You Notice? … That racing is getting serious lately? In a sport that is regularly placed in a shadow of its past (then again, what isn’t?) it is always important to have a solid show on the racetrack each week. And though we have arguably seen that more times than not in 2018, nobody will …

Read more

The Underdog House: A Day At The Not-So-Magic Mile

2018 Cup New Hampshire Zach Catanzareti Aj Allmendinger

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Think Small It was a day we thought wasn’t going to happen. The rain was making its debut on Sunday morning in Loudon, New Hampshire, and the odds of July 22 turning into a race day seemed next to impossible. Nevertheless, NASCAR rallied forward to keep the track dry, quickly adapted its schedule and eventually …

Read more