Race Weekend Central

The Underdog House: Michael McDowell Proves Every Dog Has His Day

Michael McDowell wins 2021 Daytona 500, Chase Elliott close second, Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Top Dog 10 years after the unthinkable happened when Trevor Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500, the unthinkable happened again. After 14 years and 358 starts driving for underfunded teams in the NASCAR Cup Series, 36-year-old Michael McDowell is a Daytona 500 champion with Front Row Motorsports. McDowell had been caught up in a 16-car …

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Xfinity Series 2020 Year in Review

Nascar Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Believe it or not, nearly two months have passed since the NASCAR Xfinity Series was in action. Yes, the offseason is more than half over. Woo! Before you know it, cars will be on track for the 2021 season opener at Daytona International Speedway, where teams will spend two weeks as the series will run …

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Xfinity Breakdown: Chase Briscoe Cruises to Victory Again, Other Playoff Contenders Stumble

Nascar Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

You can now eliminate the word “worry” and all synonyms related to the word from Chase Briscoe’s vocabulary because in Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, he was simply dominant – and all synonyms related to the word too.

 Briscoe won both stages, much like he did at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and he …

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Late-Race Crash at Kansas Sends Anthony Alfredo Rolling, Involves Playoff Contenders

Nascar Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

With just 28 laps remaining in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Kansas Lottery 300, all hell broke loose on a restart and Anthony Alfredo wound up on his lid. The rare non-superspeedway flip occurred when Alfredo, Justin Allgaier and Brandon Brown were side-by-side near the apron heading into the first turn. Alfredo and Brown were back …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NBC Splashes About in Charlotte

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Charlotte was … drier than expected. I was convinced that it was going to rain all day Saturday and all day Sunday. We ended up with two races in the rain Saturday and the Cup race starting on a drying track. It made for some interesting television, to say the least. Bank of America ROVAL …

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Title Hopes End for Brandon Brown, Harrison Burton, Michael Annett & Riley Herbst

Nascar Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The NASCAR Xfinity Series finished up its Round of 12 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL on Oct. 10. When the checkered flag flew, eight drivers’ hopes of reaching glory in Phoenix Raceway survived, while another four had theirs collapse. Brandon Brown, Harrison Burton, Michael Annett and Riley Herbst were on the wrong side of the …

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Fire on Fridays: Must-Win Teams That Should Use Road Course Experts to Advance in NASCAR Playoffs

Austin Cindric, Kentucky

(Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and heading into an elimination race below the cutline means a team must pull out all the stops to try to advance. It’s Hail Mary time, and sometimes an unconventional approach, such as using a road-course racing expert rather than your regular driver, might just work. This weekend, the …

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The Underdog House: Ty Dillon Best in Class as Underdogs Run Wild at Talladega

2020 Talladega Ii Cup Ty Dillon Pack Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Top Dog As usual, a NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway resulted in a “Big One.” No, not just a big crash, though there were plenty of those. I’m referring to a big group of underdog teams scattered throughout the top half of the finishing order. Leading the line both literally and figuratively was …

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The Underdog House: John Hunter Nemechek Loses Pit Strategy Gamble in Las Vegas

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Top Dog There hasn’t been much to get excited about for our Cup Series underdogs lately. We’ve primarily talked about the best in the category barely making the top 20 by the end of each race. Las Vegas Motor Speedway and its surrounding environment may have inspired you to bet the farm on a long …

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Xfinity Breakdown: Chase Briscoe Cashes in for Las Vegas Sweep, Ryan Sieg Shows Hidden Playoff Strength

Nascar Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The green flag waved at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to kick off the Xfinity Series playoffs. The 12 playoff drivers got their first chance to show what they’ve got in this first round. Some rolled the dice and came out lucky, while others rolled snake eyes and lost out on valuable points. The driver who …

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Chase Briscoe Wins at Las Vegas, Advances Into Next Round of the Playoffs

Nascar Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Chase Briscoe hit the jackpot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff opener. He swept the first two stages en route to win the Alsco 300, thereby clinching a berth into the next round. Briscoe added his eighth winner’s sticker to his No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford with his victory at …

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Eyes on Xfinity: Previewing the 2020 Playoffs

Nascar Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In the midst of one of the most bizarre NASCAR seasons, the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season is finally complete. No practice, no qualifying, new racetracks and a great aerodynamic package have all led to an entertaining racing. Now it’s time for a seven-week grind to crown a champion come Nov. 7 at Phoenix Raceway. …

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