Race Weekend Central

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Speed . . . I Am Speed Edition

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, Michigan

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Michigan International Speedway is one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit (and that includes the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega). So maybe we shouldn’t be surprised the driver running a design for a racing movie won on Sunday. Kyle Larson isn’t a superstar just yet, but with a few more days like Michigan, he …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Everybody Loves A Winner Edition

2017 Kansas I Cup Ryan Blaney Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

With maybe an exception or two, most everyone cheers for the winner of a NASCAR race. But Sunday at Pocono was different. It was last week when the iconic No. 3 reached victory lane with Austin Dillon winning his first Cup race. Now another iconic number and team reached victory lane with Ryan Blaney winning …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Crossing The Overtime Line Edition

2016 Indianapolis Cup Jimmie Johnson Hat Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

The NASCAR Cup race at Dover seemed to go pretty smoothly for most of the day, then everything turned into a mess at the end, including a really big mess in the race to the finish line, where some made it and some didn’t. The key here is getting the end game right and while …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: The Thrillin’ & Grillin’ Edition

Austin Dillon Crew Celebration Charlotte Cup 2017 Yvonne Leonard

(Photo: Yvonne Leonard)

The Sunday before Memorial Day is a long, yet a great day for auto racing fans. Whether it is breakfast while watching Monaco, lunch before taking in the thrilling Indy 500 or doing some grilling and then staying up late (in this case real late) to watch NASCAR’s 600-miler from Charlotte, there’s something for nearly …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Edition

2017 Kansas I Cup Ryan Blaney Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Martin Truex, Jr. didn’t think Kansas Speedway owed him one. Danica Patrick thinks Lady Luck owes her one, or two, or maybe more, but maybe not. Aric Almirola certainly knows now that he was pretty lucky, but just maybe the fact he didn’t suffer a catastrophic injury wasn’t all just because of luck. Nonetheless, the …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not: Feels Like The First Time Edition

2016 Las Vegas Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

Every time the Cup Series goes to a restrictor plate track, we often hear it will be the typical kind of plate race: close packs, a big wreck or two or three and a down-to-the-wire finish. Well, all in all, that’s not the worst formula I’ve heard for exciting racing and you know, it’s probably no …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Does Etiquette Matter Edition

2017 Fontana Cup Kyle Larson Jamie Mcmurray Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

This season’s low down force package may have had its best results yet with Sunday afternoon’s race at Richmond. There were multiple grooves early in the race and yes, tires were a big factor, too. So when what turned out to the final caution came out, some teams gambled and stayed out while others took …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not: The Jimmie Johnson is Freaky Fast Edition

2017 Bristol I Cup Jimmie Johnson Checkered Flag Kohn K Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

It took an extra day and some long-awaited, not-so-rainy weather, but for Jimmie Johnson the winning was worth the wait. Not that Johnson needs to do anything to be considered one of the top three or four NASCAR drivers of all time, but now he is just one win short of matching Cale Yarborough’s 83 …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Never Count Him Out Edition

2017 Fontana Cup Ryan Blaney Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

It almost seems like an annual rite of passage in these early stages of the Cup Series season. What’s wrong with the No. 48 team? Is Jimmie Johnson finally past his prime? Is this the year the now-seven time champion becomes an also ran as he winds down his career? Well, we got the answer …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Short Track, Shorter Tempers Edition

NASCAR Brad Keselowski Kyle Busch

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Sunday we got a reminder of what it is like to see racing at a non-cookie cutter track, one that has personality like Martinsville does. And what happens when you race at a track with an attitude, is that you get to see the attitudes of the drivers due to many circumstances. It seems the …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Second Chance Edition

2017 Las Vegas Cup Clint Bowyer Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

We saw a lot of Kyle Larson and Martin Truex, Jr. up front during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at California’s Auto Club Speedway. But what we had not seen this year, and only once before, was Larson finishing up front. Larson’s second career victory put to rest a series of oh-so-close second-place finishes to …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: The Desert Fox Edition

2017 Cup Charlotte Media Tour Zach Catanzareti Ryan Newman

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

As has been the case in more than one NASCAR race already this season, what appeared to be the fastest car didn’t win. That reminds us once again how difficult it is to win a race, and especially how difficult it is to get the end game right when it comes to late pit stop …

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