Race Weekend Central

Friday Faceoff: Who’s the Next First-Time Winner?

2016 Dover I Cup Cahse Elliott Kyle Larson Racing Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

The new aero package seemed to work fantastically at Dover while it was not very successful at Kansas. NASCAR is continuing to work on the downforce on these cars. Should NASCAR keep making small adjustments or is it time for a big swing at change? Sean Fesko, Staff Writer: If NASCAR takes a big swing, …

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2-Headed Monster: Should Kyle Larson Have Turned Matt Kenseth to Win?

2016 Dover I Cup Matt Kenseth Kyle Larson Chase Elliott Racing Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

Dun dun. Dun dun. Dun dun. It was like the scene from Jaws on Sunday, Matt Kenseth leading as the laps wound down at Dover, looking to shake off his gremlins and take a well-earned first victory of the 2016 season. Behind him, however, was Kyle Larson, slowly stalking the Joe Gibbs Racing driver and …

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Kasey Kahne, Others Penalized After Dover

2016 Dover I Cup Kasey Kahne Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Wednesday was a busy day for NASCAR penalties. The biggest penalty was levied to the No. 5 team of Kasey Kahne, who received a P3 penalty for illegal truck arms found following the race weekend at Dover. Crew chief Keith Rodden was fined $25,000 and the team lost both 15 drivers and owners points. Kahne …

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Double Take: Martin Truex, Jr.’s May Déjà Vu

2016 Texas I Cup Martin Truex Jr Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

It’s déjà vu all over again. Martin Truex, Jr. is no stranger to adversity. He spent his formative years in the Sprint Cup in the now defunct Dale Earnhardt, Inc., winning only once while seeing teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr., assumed heir to the team, jump to Hendrick Motorsports instead. Then, Truex moved to Michael Waltrip Racing, …

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Friday Faceoff: Should Excessive Burnouts Put Teams on the Hot Seat?

2016 Kansas I Cup Kevin Harvick Racing Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist/NKP)

Three races into his return, Tony Stewart is making up some ground on 30th in points, the Chase cut-off for a driver with a win.  How likely does that win look for Stewart in the next 15 races? Clayton Caldwell, Contributor: I hate to say it, but not very likely. I think Stewart-Haas Racing/Hendrick Motorsports …

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2-Headed Monster: Who Wins at Every Track First, Kyle Busch or Jimmie Johnson?

2016 Texas I Cup Jimmie Johnson Kyle Busch Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Jimmie Johnson is Superman, Kyle Busch is the Shrub. Based on nicknames alone, you’d think that Johnson is leagues ahead of Busch, right? After all, Johnson has 77 wins to Busch’s 37, 212 top-5 finishes to Busch’s 139. Johnson owns 16 more poles than last year’s Sprint Cup champion, and has an average finish of …

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Kyle Busch Penalized, Crew Chief Suspended Following Kansas

2016 Phoenix I Cup Kyle Busch Adam Stevens Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

The race-winning team of Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing) was penalized on Wednesday for infractions found during the Kansas Speedway race weekend. The No. 18 team, which scored its third win of the season at Kansas last Saturday night, was found to be in violation of the section in the NASCAR rule book pertaining to …

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2-Headed Monster: Has the Logano/Kenseth Feud Run Its Course?

2016 Las Vegas Cup Matt Kenseth Joey Logano Racing John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

Richard Petty and David Pearson.  Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. Kurt Busch and Jimmy Spencer. Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski. Over the years, these have been some of the more famous rivalries in NASCAR, and whether they resulted in drivers coming to blows or just good-natured competition on the race track, they kept fans engaged and …

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10 Teams Warned After Talladega

2016 Talladega I Cup Pack Racing Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton / NKP)

10 teams between the Sprint Cup and XFINITY series were warned for failing pre-race inspection multiple times during the Talladega race weekend, including the No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson. Johnson’s team failed template inspection three times and in addition to his warning he will lose 15 minutes of practice time this weekend at Kansas Speedway. …

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Friday Faceoff: Is the Bump-and-Run Acceptable?

Nascar Sprint Cup Series Toyota Owners 400

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

The spring short track season ended with a bump-and-run move at Richmond International Raceway when Carl Edwards moved teammate Kyle Busch out of his way en route to the win.  Is the bump and run for the win a legit move, or does it sink into the waters of dirty driving? Amy Henderson, Senior Editor: …

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2-Headed Monster: Heat Races … Are They Worth It?

2016 Richmond I Nxs Erik Jones Car Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russel LaBounty/NKP)

NASCAR is in the midst of a brand-new experiment this season: heat races in the XFINITY Series. NASCAR has used heat races before in the Camping World Truck Series at Eldora, using multiple races to set the starting lineup for the main event, but until 2016 the NXS ran full-length events, lap one to lap …

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