Race Weekend Central

The Underdog House: Dillon Makes It a Ty Game in Phoenix

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(Photo: Randy Lanning)

Top Dog Ty Dillon keeps popping up at the top of this list, much in the way that Matt DiBenedetto and Chris Buescher have in recent years. The difference between those drivers and Dillon is that Ty seems to be interested in building a long-term future at his current team. Both are getting better together, …

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The Underdog House: Lights, Camera, Action (or a Lack Thereof) in Fontana

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Top Dog I’m not good at predicting the future. But last week, I wrote that I anticipated our underdogs faced a tough task if they wanted to steal the spotlight in southern California. Unfortunately, this time my outlook couldn’t have been more accurate. Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway was a disappointment for the underfunded …

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The Underdog House: Ty Dillon Leaves Vegas On a Heater

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Top Dog Ty Dillon has been on a roll of late. Granted, underdog teams don’t necessarily see the type of eyebrow-raising streaks that other teams with extensive resources put together in terms of wins and top-five finishes. But Dillon continues to be instrumental in helping the long-time backmarker wind up a little closer to the …

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The Underdog House: David Ragan Unretires To Finish 4th at Daytona

2020 Daytona Ncs David Ragan Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Top Dog David Ragan said that he was looking forward to spending more time at home when he announced his retirement from full-time racing last fall. While he certainly didn’t mention running the Daytona 500, it remained a possibility. He’s probably glad it did, because Ragan scored his 16th career top-five finish in the NASCAR …

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The Underdog House: 2020 Vision

2020 Daytona Ncs Brendan Gaughan Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Unusual Suspects Like every other team, NASCAR underdog operations across all three national touring series have made the trek to the Florida coast for another Speedweeks. The Xfinity and Truck teams still have some time to shake the sand out of their boots, but Cup crews have already been shaking down their cars for …

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The Underdog House: Buescher Going Home Again

2019 Daytona Cup Zach Catanzareti Chris Buescher

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

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 top dog. First, no underdog …

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The Underdog House: DiBenedetto of the Desert

Denny Hamlin and Matt DiBenedetto are solid picks for the 2021 Busch Clash Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

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, it’s easy to forget just …

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The Underdog House: Messin With Texas

2019 Texas Mencs Matt Dibenedetto Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

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 Speedway on Sunday (Nov. 3) …

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The Underdog House: David Ragan Going Out On A High Note

2019 Martinsville Mencs David Ragan Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

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 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup …

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The Underdog House: When a Fire Becomes Fuel

2019 Dover Mencs Ryan Preece Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Top of the Class Ryan Preece always seems to be in a good mood, and he had plenty of reason to be following the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday (Oct. 20). Preece was the top finishing underdog with his 12th-place finish, marking the third time he has been such in 2019. It …

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The Underdog House: Flipping the Script

2019 Talladega Mencs Underdogs Cck

(Photo: Christian Koelle)

Top of the Class As is often the case for superspeedway races, the top of the finishing order from the 1000bulbs.com 500 was overrun with underfunded teams. It’s always interesting to see which meek teams survive the carnage to turn the tables on the mighty. It took a while, but Michael McDowell finally earned his …

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The Underdog House: Another Monster of a Day

2019 Dover Mencs Matt Dibenedetto Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Top of the Class Matt DiBenedetto is going to lose his underdog status next year when he moves to the Team Penske-supported No. 21 car for the Wood Brothers team. At this rate, we could probably pull his card now. The No. 95 Leavine Family Racing driver was again one of the frontrunners at Dover …

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