Race Weekend Central

What Ganassi Selling to Trackhouse Means for Each Party Involved

2021 Homestead Cup Ross Chastain Tyler Reddick racing NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

A news bomb was dropped on the NASCAR world Wednesday afternoon (June 30), when Justin Marks and Chip Ganassi announced that Trackhouse Racing had purchased the charters and assets of Chip Ganassi Racing. Ganassi will leave the series after 21 years as an owner, while Marks’ team he co-owns with Pitbull, Trackhouse, is just getting …

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Massie’s Minute: Why the Empty Threats in Cup Playoffs?

2019 Mencs Bristol Aric Almirola Face Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Kyle Busch was cruising to the victory and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. He had a large lead in the closing laps at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday evening (Nov. 17) when he approached what was supposed to be the biggest threat to his title hopes: Aric Almirola. Busch and Almirola had collided with …

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Massie’s Minute: Brad Keselowski Deserves to Be Added to Round of 8 (9)

2019 Dover Mencs Brad Keselowski Face Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Last Sunday (Oct. 20) at Kansas Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, a few late cautions completely altered the playoff picture and royally screwed Brad Keselowski in the process. This chain of events started on lap 254 of 267, when the caution flag flew for debris. Ryan Blaney had a tire go down …

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Massie’s Minute: It’s Time to Reduce the 4-Car Teams, Like Bill France Sr. Would Want

2019 Las Vegas I Cup Kyle Busch Adam Stevens Martin Truex Jr Cole Pearn Nkp

Last Saturday night (Sept. 21), Joe Gibbs Racing finished Richmond Raceway in positions one through four in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Yes, Erik Jones was disqualified after, but still, what everyone saw was one team completely stink up the show. No offense to Coach Joe Gibbs or any of his drivers, but no …

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Massie’s Minute: Was Removing Matt DiBenedetto the Right Move?

2019 Phoenix I Cup Matt Dibenedetto Nkp

(Photo: NKP)

The business side of racing sucks sometimes, and that was certainly the case on Thursday morning (Aug. 15) when Matt DiBenedetto announced Leavine Family Racing was not bringing him back for a second season. It was an unpopular move, as DiBenedetto is loved by many fans. But it was an equally impossible situation, as there …

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Massie’s Minute: One Year Into the Post-Brian France Era, Is NASCAR Better Off?

Friday, Aug. 2, is the 57th birthday for former NASCAR CEO and Chairman Brian Z. France, and Monday, Aug. 5, marks the one-year anniversary of France’s arrest for a DUI and possession of a controlled substance. The latter date has also come to be known as France’s last day as head of NASCAR and the …

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Massie’s Minute: Did Winning Save Alex Bowman’s Career?

2019 Chicagoland Mencs Alex Bowman Victory Celebration Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Winning at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday night (June 30) was huge for Alex Bowman in that it gave him his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win, qualified him for next year’s All-Star Race and locked him into the 2019 playoffs. But the win might’ve had long-term implications as well. Having a long career in …

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Massie’s Minute: Greg Biffle, Bring Back the Truck Series of Old

On Friday night (June 7), Greg Biffle makes his long-awaited return to NASCAR, piloting the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 51 Toyota Tundra in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. What I hope to see in that race is Biffle battling it out with Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton, Grant Enfinger and …

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Massie’s Minute: 19 Years Later, If We Hadn’t Lost Adam Petty…

2005 Pocono Cup Kyle Petty Nkp Adam Petty

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

May 12 marks the 19th anniversary of perhaps the most horrific day in NASCAR history — the day we lost Adam Petty. The fourth-generation driver, already deemed the future of NASCAR, crashed in a practice session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2000 after his throttle hung wide open, and he went head on into …

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Massie’s Minute: NASCAR Owners, Stop Giving Rides to 20-Year-Olds

2019 Atlanta Cup Erik Jones Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

After Joe Gibbs affirmed that he has long term plans in place for both Christopher Bell and Erik Jones, there’s been widespread talk about which Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver at Joe Gibbs Racing Bell will replace. If it’s not going to be Jones on the way out, then who would it be? There’s …

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Massie’s Minute: The NASCAR Hall of Mediocrity Taints Its Famous Inductees

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, Darlington

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

The NASCAR Hall of Fame has spent a decade enshrining some of the sport’s best inside its building. But as the 2020 nominating class revealed this week, an honor designed for a select few now finds itself mired in mediocrity. From the moment one of the top-five greatest drivers — maybe even the best ever …

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