Race Weekend Central

The 10: The Best of New Hampshire

2016 Loudon I Cup Matt Kenseth Pack Racing Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

New Hampshire Motor Speedway was, as always, interesting. For much of the race, it appeared that Kyle Busch and Martin Truex, Jr. were going to be the ones to beat, but everything changed over the race’s last 100 laps. Suddenly, a flurry of cautions began to fall, and with them, the race began to see …

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The Frontstretch 5: Cool Things About Indianapolis Motor Speedway

2014 Indianapolis Cup Jeff Gordon Brick Kiss Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

1. Ride-along mechanics Can you imagine what it would be like if the crew chiefs had to ride in the car with their driver for 400 miles this weekend?  In the early days of open-wheel racing, including at Indianapolis, each car had a mechanic who rode along with the driver. The riding mechanic was there to help …

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Beyond The Cockpit: Paul Menard Taking More Risks in Unknown Future

Paul Menard

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Known to the world as one of the quietest guys in NASCAR, Paul Menard sits in an interesting spot in his career. He is in the midst of his sixth full season with Richard Childress Racing, a team that has won 11 races since 2011, nine of which came with Kevin Harvick, who hasn’t raced …

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Beside the Rising Tide: Busch-Whackers Part Deux

2016 Phoenix I Nxs Kyle Busch Celebrates Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

It’s not a new problem but it’s a perplexing one. How do we promote NASCAR’s AAA system (once Grand National, then Busch, Nationwide for six years and now the NASCAR XFINITY Series) as a developmental series where newer (and usually younger) drivers hone their craft while looking for an opportunity in the “Bigs” while still …

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5 Points to Ponder: Familiar NASCAR Faces Power Up

2106 Sonoma Cup Tony Stewart Helmet Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

ONE: Gordon Returns? Just in case you’ve been living under a rock — at least in a NASCAR context — Dale Earnhardt, Jr. sat out of the New Hampshire race weekend due to concussion-related symptoms from crashes at Kentucky and Daytona. Alex Bowman, who drives the JR Motorsports No. 88 car on a partial schedule in …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NASCAR TV Creates Dale Jr. Sub Narrative

Sometimes, you have to sit back and think about things.  Today’s critique marks the 600th combined TV critique for Frontstretch between Couch Potato Tuesday (and its former title, Talking NASCAR TV) and The Critic’s Annex.  Where does the time go?  Crikey. New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosted a Joe Gibbs Racing benefit last week.  It says …

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The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR’s Small Teams from Loudon to Indy

2016 Loudon I Cup Michael Annett Reed Sorenson Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

NASCAR has a few tracks that are fairly unique in layout.  Among those are both new Hampshire Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway-a flat one-mile oval with long straights and tight turns – think big Martinsville – and a huge, flat, rectangular behemoth with four separate corners and four straights to match.  These tracks are …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Indianapolis Edition

2016 Loudon I Cup Matt Kenseth Burnout Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

A big part of what happened at New Hampshire during the Sprint Cup race on Sunday had to do with location. Yes, location, location, location. Mainly, if you were on the top lane on a restart that was a good location. If you got stuck on the bottom, not so much. HOT One driver who …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Matt Kenseth New Hampshire Win Tainted By Failed Inspection?

2016 Loudon I Cup Mattkneseth Woohoo Matthew T Thacker Nkp

Who’s in the headline: The old adage of only having to lead one lap seems to be the way Matt Kenseth does business. It rang true again this weekend as Kenseth started 18th and took over 250 laps to get to the point. Once there, he endured three restarts over the final 31 circuits and strolled to victory in a …

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Will Power Claims Third Victory in Four Races at Toronto

2016 Ics Will Power Toronto Win Woohoo Photo Shawn Gritzmacher Indycar

(Photo: Shawn Gritzmacher / IndyCar)

Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good. However, in Will Power‘s case during Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto, it took a combination of the two to get to Victory Lane and firmly inside the championship battle. Power became the key benefactor after pitting before a late caution, earning him track position. He then held the …

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Smoke Rises Into Championship Contender

2016 Loudon I Cup Tony Stewart Nigelkinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

After his runner-up finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, it’s time to admit it. Tony Stewart is turning into a legitimate championship contender. After completing the last three seasons with equal parts mediocre runs and missed races for a litany of circumstances – all sad or tragic – the 45-year-old appears to have regained his confidence …

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Up To Speed: Toyota Racing Drivers Returned to Form in Loudon

2016 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Kyle Busch Photo Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

After winning eight of the first 13 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, observers were asking the same question: Can anyone beat Toyota? Joe Gibbs Racing captured seven of those trophies while Furniture Row Racing (who has an alliance with JGR) captured one with Martin Truex, Jr. Suddenly, though the manufacturer went on their version of …

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