Race Weekend Central

Up to Speed: The Pressure to Win in NASCAR 2021 is Already On

Nascar Cup Series

#21: Matt DiBenedetto, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford Mustang Motorcraft/Quick Lane

Raise your hand if you thought that, two races into the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, the two race winners would be Michael McDowell and Christopher Bell.  If you made that prediction a few weeks ago, a fellow race fan might have assumed that you’d spent too much time around the gasoline fumes on pit …

Read more

Up to Speed: Can Denny Hamlin Finally Win a Championship in 2021?

Denny Hamlin car on track (Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Denny Hamlin set out to do something nobody else has done before: win three consecutive Daytona 500s. Despite leading six times for a race-high 98 laps, the three-peat was denied with a fifth-place finish. But the story of Hamlin’s 2021 season goes far beyond the Great American Race. He will get to experience the highs …

Read more

Up to Speed: Will Clint Bowyer Stay Candid in the Broadcast Booth?

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Lost in the conclusion of the 2020 NASCAR season was the rather abrupt departure of Clint Bowyer from the driver’s seat.  Bowyer, who was wrapping up his 15th full-time season as a Cup Series racer, faced an uncertain future with Stewart-Haas Racing.  Despite some speculation that SHR’s driver lineup would not change for 2021, Bowyer …

Read more

Up to Speed: The Future Is Bright For Hendrick Motorsports

Nascar Cup Series Season Finale 500

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

It wasn’t long ago that Hendrick Motorsports had one of the oldest driver lineups in NASCAR.  Five years ago, at the time of Jeff Gordon’s final race in his famed No. 24 car, the organization’s youngest driver was Kasey Kahne at 35 years old.  With Gordon’s career wrapping up amid a bourgeoning youth movement in …

Read more

Up to Speed: 2020 Is Another Black Mark Against The NASCAR Playoffs

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

As usual, Martinsville Speedway provided no shortage of entertainment.  Sunday’s race, the penultimate event of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, offered up plenty of close quarters short track racing.  It also featured a tighter battle among the playoff drivers than most fans would have foreseen, given the points among the drivers.  But the biggest …

Read more

Up to Speed: How Will 23XI Racing Perform in 2021?

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

As NASCAR’s 2021 Cup Series lineup slowly comes into focus, the new team owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin is beginning to take shape. Several weeks ago, Jordan and Hamlin announced their organization would debut next season with driver Bubba Wallace. We also learned last week that the team, as previously speculated, will be …

Read more

Up to Speed: Chip Ganassi Racing Wastes Its 2020 Potential

2020 Kansas Ii Cup Matt Kenseth Matt Dibenedetto Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Back in the spring of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to heat up, Chip Ganassi Racing had a mess on its hands.  While participating in an iRacing event on Easter Sunday, Kyle Larson uttered a racial slur over what he thought was a private communication line.  Unfortunately for him, the line wasn’t private.  Within …

Read more

Up to Speed: Alex Bowman’s Title Hopes Saved Again by the ROVAL

2020 Charlotte Road Cup Alex Bowman Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

For the first time in his NASCAR career, Alex Bowman has made it to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.  Entering Sunday’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, Bowman was seventh in points, holding a 22-point advantage over the cutline.  Like most of the playoff contenders, he fought through an …

Read more

Up to Speed: Time to Eliminate the Double Yellow Line Rule

2020 Talladega Ii Cup Denny Hamlin Pack Racing Finish Nkp

Sunday’s (Oct. 4) NASCAR Cup Series playoff race was a typical Talladega Superspeedway thriller.  But once the dust had settled on its photo finish, the YellaWood 500 looked more like the yellow line 500. Following a chaotic last-lap ending, Denny Hamlin walked away with the checkered flag.  Behind him, drivers who appeared to score top-10 …

Read more

Up to Speed: The Parallel Careers of Jimmie Johnson & Matt Kenseth

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

With the 2020 season entering its final stage, NASCAR is beginning to look toward next year.  This last week in September brought considerable news regarding driver lineups for 2021.  There have also been rumors that major changes could be in store for the Cup Series schedule.  But even as more news trickles out about the …

Read more

Up to Speed: Tough Decisions Ahead for Ford’s NASCAR Teams

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The more things change for Matt DiBenedetto, the more they stay the same.  Returning to Bristol Motor Speedway for the 2020 Bass Pro Shops/NRA Night Race, he was in need of an outstanding performance.  For the first time, DiBenedetto came to Thunder Valley as a NASCAR playoff driver.  But a pair of lackluster results in …

Read more

Up to Speed: Is Austin Dillon’s Playoff Run for Real?

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

For the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, Austin Dillon has scored back-to-back top-five finishes.  Last week at Darlington Raceway, Dillon pulled off a surprising second-place result.  He followed that performance up with an even stronger run at Richmond Raceway Saturday night (Sept. 12).  Although Dillon finished fourth, he led 55 laps and …

Read more