Race Weekend Central

NASCAR Stat Sheet: Larson-y in Sonoma As the No. 5 Team Steals Another Trophy

Kyle Larson celebrates his NASCAR Cup Series victory at Sonoma raceway, June 2021. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Kyle Larson is one of the more naturally capable drivers in motorsports today. Since landing on one of the best teams in NASCAR prior to the start of the year, he’s made the most of his second chance. Along the way, Larson has been racking up the stats. Leading laps, winning stages, and finishing well …

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Up to Speed: Will a Teammate Battle Decide the 2021 NASCAR Championship?

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Teammates in NASCAR often have to walk a fine line.  Drivers who compete for the same multi-car organization usually show a certain level of on-track courtesy to each other.  However, racing in NASCAR does not have the same level of comprehensive cooperation among teammates that you sometimes see in other motorsports.  Racers are expected, and …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2021 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma

Kyle Larson celebrates at Sonoma with HANS device on Photo NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What happened? Kyle Larson won the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at his hometown track, Sonoma Raceway, on Sunday (June 6) after holding off two of the sport’s best road racers on two late restarts.  Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five finishers. Winning in NorCal makes today even sweeter …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2021 Toyota/Save Mart 350

Kyle Larson in victory lane at Sonoma's Toyota/Save Mart 350 (June 2021). (Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who … should you be talking about after the Toyota/Save Mart 350? Is Kyle Larson finally living up to his potential? He’s always had the talent to win but has struggled to close. For the second week in a row, Larson left no doubt whether he could finish out races, dominating the Toyota/Save Mart 350 …

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Kyle Larson Leads 57 Laps, Survives Late-Race Carnage to Win at Sonoma

2021 Sonoma Cup Kyle Larson Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

With 30 laps to go at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday (June 6), the trio of Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott had gapped the rest of the field by at least 10 seconds, and Larson led fourth-place Joey Logano by almost 18. Then the cautions started flying. A mostly tame return to Northern …

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Frontstretch 2-Minute Drill: Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The NASCAR Cup Series will spend its Sunday (June 6) afternoon winding its way through wine country in the hills of California. It’s the first time in two years that Sonoma Raceway has hosted a series race, with COVID-19-related travel restrictions and concerns preventing NASCAR from venturing out to the track in 2020. Martin Truex …

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Did You Notice?: Reimagining A NASCAR Winston Million

2001 Cup Darlington Jeff Gordon Winston Million (Credit: Nigel Kinrade NKP)

Photo: Nigel Kinrade, NKP

Did You Notice? … One of NASCAR’s former crown jewel events, part of the old Winston Million, continues to decline? The 2021 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway averaged 4.06 million viewers last Sunday (May 30), posting a 2.3 Nielsen rating that’s tied for its smallest audience since 1997. Compare that to the Indy 500, …

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James Davison Puts on Perfect Performance on Virtual Chicago Street Circuit

James Davison driving on the virtual Chicago Street Course eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Justin Melillo

(Photo: Justin Melillo via iRacing/NASCAR Media)

In the final eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event for NASCAR on FOX, James Davison took home the victory at the fictional (for now) Chicago Street Course, the first time any cars have been on this brand new circuit on Wednesday night (June 2). The race also featured the Next Gen Car for the second …

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Chase Elliott Competing for GMS at Texas Truck Race

Chase Elliott 2021

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Chase Elliott will drive the No. 24 for GMS Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, the team announced Wednesday, June 2. He’ll have sponsorship from A SHOC. Elliott competed for the team in three events in 2020, earning a win at Charlotte Motor Speedway and a fourth place …

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Zach’s Turn: Does NASCAR Need to Address Minimum-Speed Issues?

NASCAR Cody Ware Ryan Preece 2021 Coca-Cola 600

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The discrepancy between NASCAR’s fastest and its slowest appeared to be on full display during Sunday’s (May 30) Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. As leaders like Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott stormed around the 1.5-mile racetrack, lapped cars like David Starr and Josh Bilicki seemed to be on screen getting passed — or used …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2021 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

2021 Cup Charlotte Kyle Larson Woo-hoo celebration after Coca-Cola 600 (Credit: NKP)

Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography

What happened? Kyle Larson won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday (May 30) after a downright dominant performance where he led a career-high 327 laps.  Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, William Byron and Alex Bowman rounded out the top-five finishers. Soaking in the crown jewel W. ?@KyleLarsonRacin | #CocaCola600 pic.twitter.com/QFjnnEplxX — NASCAR (@NASCAR) …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2021 Coca-Cola 600

2021 Cup Charlotte Pack Racing - Erik Jones, No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet (Credit: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who… should you be talking about after the Coca-Cola 600? Kyle Larson cruised to his second win of the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday (May 30) with a whopping 10-second lead on second place. With Larson’s victory, Hendrick Motorsports passed Richard Petty Motorsports to set a NASCAR record with 269 wins as an organization. …

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