The 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season marked Michael McDowell‘s second with Front Row Motorsports. The veteran driver has been plugging away, steadily improving in his effort to be known for more than a jarring demonstration of the safety improvements of the Car of Tomorrow more than a decade ago. The …

Did Kyle Busch have a championship-caliber Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season? Matt McLaughlin: Yes; his second title was more legitimate than the first one. I’m still a fan of a champion being crowned for a full season’s worth of points, but that’s not how the rulebook reads anymore. Kyle Busch‘s …

Top of the Class When the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series turned its final lap of 2019 on Sunday, it was fitting that the highest underdog was Chris Buescher. One could have their pick of a multitude of reasons why it was appropriate that his 16th-place finish made him the …

Is moving the NASCAR championship races from Homestead-Miami Speedway to ISM Raceway beginning in 2020 an improvement, downgrade or lateral move? Adam Cheek: Lateral move. I preferred the championship being at a track the series only visits once per year, but I enjoy ISM and think it’s a decent venue for …

Top of the Class For the second week in a row, Matt DiBenedetto is the top underdog in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. This time, it was his 13th-place finish at ISM Raceway that earned him the highest spot on our underfunded pedestal. As the season winds down, …

Kyle Larson was adamant that Bubba Wallace’s spin in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway was intentional. How prevalent do you think such occurrences are, and what, if anything, needs to be done? Adam Cheek: They aren’t massively common, but something should be done when it’s …

Top of the Class Matt DiBenedetto has shown flashes of brilliance this year, but it is the steady mid-pack results that really highlight how 2019 has been a year of improvement for the California native. The No. 95 Leavine Family Racing driver was again the top underdog at Texas Motor …

The Martinsville Speedway races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this year were completely dominated in a manner never seen before. What, if anything, should NASCAR do to alleviate the dominance? Brian Keith: NASCAR’s intent was sound in keeping packages as uniform as possible, given that the Gen-6 car is …

Top of the Class David Ragan announced earlier this year that he would be stepping away from the role of full-time NASCAR driver to focus on the role he plays within his family. He got a solid sendoff from Martinsville Speedway on Sunday (Oct. 27). Ragan, a two-time winner at …

The Race Team Alliance purchased media outlet Speed51.com last week. What do you think will come from this acquisition, and will it help the sport? Frank Velat: Initially, this looks like a great way to connect the grassroots level of racing with top level NASCAR. If that is one of the …