Race Weekend Central

NASCAR Mailbox: How Important Is Kansas for Stewart-Haas Racing?

Nascar Cup Series

#41: Cole Custer, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang HaasTooling.com, #14: Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Rush Truck Centers

Where does Brad Keselowski line up in the pantheon of superspeedway racers all-time? – Uriah O., Rochester Hills, Michigan He’s on the Mount Rushmore for me, that’s for sure. I never was able to see Dale Earnhardt Sr. work his Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway magic (10 and three wins, respectively), but I’ve seen …

Read more

Frontstretch 5: Most Memorable NASCAR Cup Finishes at Kansas Speedway

2015 Nascar Kansas

16-18 October, 2015, Kansas City, Kansas USA Joey Logano (22), Matt Kenseth, Dollar General Toyota Camry (20), Jimmie Johnson (48) ©2015 John Harrelson / NKP

After enduring a wild weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, the NASCAR Cup Series will be heading off to a place that has gained itself a wild reputation in recent years: Kansas Speedway. Since the speedway’s inception in 2001, it has provided us with many unforgettable moments, from crazy crashes to close finishes and everything in between. …

Read more

5 Points to Ponder: Spoiler SZN, Pushing It & The Path to 16+ Winners

2021 Talladega I Cup Denny Hamlin Martin Truex Jr Kaz Grala racing NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

1: Spoilers vs. drivers Talladega Superspeedway rightfully gets attention for its tendency to cause the Big One. But this particular trip to Alabama the weekend of April 24-25 managed to avoid the kind of multi-car mayhem that knocks a third of the field out in one fell swoop — in both the NASCAR Xfinity and …

Read more

Tyler Reddick Dishes on Early Inconsistency, Fatherhood & Playoffs

Tyler Reddick Richmond 2021

#8: Tyler Reddick, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Childress Vineyards

Tyler Reddick is trying to navigate his way through a bumpy start to 2021. Through 10 races, the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing sits 22nd in points with one top five and four top 10s, including a seventh-place effort at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday (April 25). While those four top …

Read more

Beside the Rising Tide: NASCAR Random Notes, Late April 2021

Chase Elliott leads a pack of NASCAR race cars at Daytona International Speedway, February 2021. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

If the lingering pandemic has done nothing else, it certainly has increased the amount of spare time I have on my hands Fridays and Saturdays. I’ve been at this NASCAR writing gig now for going on three decades, and it’s my strong preference to develop an outline for my Tuesday column by Saturday morning, start …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: FOX Sports Takes on Talladega

Xfinity Series race at Talladega, pack racing, stands, view from infield. Photo Sean Gardner/Getty

(Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images via NASCAR Media)

Talladega is a bizarre place, filled with some of the wildest and wooliest of NASCAR fans. Most of the time, they’re a great, knowledgeable bunch. Sometimes, they do things that make the whole fan base look bad. The clips shown of Jeff Gordon’s car being pelted with beer cans during the Put It Out! segment …

Read more

NASCAR Stat Sheet: Keselowski Leaves Talladega With a 6 Pack

#2: Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, Ford Mustang MoneyLion, #37: Ryan Preece, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Kroger/Reese’s, #4: Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Busch Dog Brew, #10: Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Smithfield, #23: Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, Toyota Camry DoorDash

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Talladega Superspeedway has always been a unique challenge, dating back to the first ever visit that NASCAR made to the 2.66-mile behemoth. The reasons that make it so have changed over the 52 years it’s been part of the sport’s racing schedule, but the hurdles between each competitor and victory still loom just as large. …

Read more

Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2021 GEICO 500 at Talladega

#2: Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, Ford Mustang MoneyLion, #37: Ryan Preece, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Kroger/Reese’s, #4: Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Busch Dog Brew, #10: Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Smithfield, #23: Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, Toyota Camry DoorDash

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What happened? Brad Keselowski won the GEICO 500 at Talladega on Sunday (April 25) after leading just one lap all day. William Byron, Michael McDowell, Kevin Harvick and Matt DiBenedetto rounded out the top-five finishers. No stopping @keselowski today! The No. 2 car is going back to Victory Lane at @TALLADEGA! pic.twitter.com/LlyRDphhNZ — NASCAR (@NASCAR) …

Read more

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2021 GEICO 500

A pack of NASCAR race cars running the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, April 2021. Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who … should you be talking about after the race? Brad Keselowski led exactly one of 191 laps on Sunday (April 25), but it was the only one that mattered. Keselowski passed Matt DiBenedetto as the white flag flew, leading the field to the checkers for his sixth Talladega Superspeedway victory, tying Jeff Gordon and …

Read more

Up to Speed: Remembering Bobby Hamilton’s 2001 Talladega Triumph

2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Daytona Bobby Hamilton car NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade NKP)

Most weekends when NASCAR comes to town, Talladega Superspeedway is an agent of chaos.  The success, or failure, of many a driver hinges on what happens whenever the Big One breaks out.  Talladega’s races often come down to who can avoid the seemingly inevitable carnage and survive to race for the win in the closing …

Read more

Zach’s Turn: Joey Logano’s Tumble Highlights Need for Change in Superspeedway Racing

Joey Logano Flip Talladega NASCAR

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday (April 25) was another superspeedway race producing an exciting finish. Joey Logano just wasn’t around to see it. That’s because this handling package sent another car airborne, leaving a NASCAR champion after another superspeedway race scared for his safety and clamoring for major changes. It’s the dichotomy …

Read more

The Underdog House: Michael McDowell Nearly Goes 2-For-2 on Superspeedways in 2021

Michael McDowell waves standing on pit road at Las Vegas. Photo NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Top Dog: Michael McDowell If a 2021 handbook were written on how to survive superspeedway racing, Michael McDowell would likely be the author thus far. February’s Daytona 500 Cinderella victor came just one push away from besting fellow Ford stablemate Brad Keselowski Sunday (April 25) for the win at Talladega Superspeedway. “It means a lot,” …

Read more