Race Weekend Central

The Underdog House: Finding Easter Eggs at 1/6th Mark of 2018

Aj Allmendinger 2018 Cup Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Think Small At the one-sixth mark of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, perhaps there was no better time for a holiday break. For some, at least. As we exited Daytona Speedweeks, drifted through the West Coast Swing and plowed through white Martinsville, the true stature of the underdogs for 2018 have taken …

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Tech Talk: Trent Owens on New Camaros, Early Season Disappointments

Trent Owens Martinsville Cup 2018 Mike Neff

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series survived Snowmaggedon 2018 at Martinsville Speedway and is now on Easter vacation — and with the season six races old, we’re taking a little different look at the season through the eyes of a crew chief. In this edition, Chris Buescher’s crew chief Trent Owens looks back at the …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kevin Harvick Vindicates Team With 3rd Consecutive Win of 2018 at Phoenix

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Ticketguardian 500 Ism Raceway, Phoenix, Az Usa Sunday 11 March 2018 Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing, Ford Fusion Jimmy John's Wins World Copyright: Rusty Jarrett Nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

Who’s in the headline Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Kevin Harvick wins at Phoenix. For the ninth time in his career, Harvick was the first to take the checkered flag. The Bakersfield, Ca. native wins for the third time in a row this season. The Busch brothers, Kyle and Kurt, took the stage wins …

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The Underdog House: The Other End Of The Neon NASCAR Garage

Think Small As NASCAR moved to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, we were treated to a triple-header of the top three national touring series for the third consecutive week. Vegas has the feel of a town where the underdog can rise. Your last dime could turn into millions with a roll of the …

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Chris Buescher Survives for a Daytona 500 Top 5

2018 Daytona Cup Zach Catanzareti Chris Buescher

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Chris Buescher is not a guy that a lot of people thought would contend for the Daytona 500 win. Despite being the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion and winning a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway two years ago, Buescher has not had the best results the last few years. Buescher did …

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The Underdog House: Small NASCAR Teams Finding Relief – Sort of – Approaching Daytona 500

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fl Usa Sunday 11 February 2018 Matt Dibenedetto, Go Fas Racing, The Hurricane Heist Ford Fusion World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Think Small While most of the sport’s television time goes directly toward big teams with great speed and large personalities — and rightfully so, to an extent — Sunday’s 60th running of the Daytona 500 will have a heavy populous of tiny organizations. Many of these small NASCAR teams, despite being huge underdogs can actually …

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2017 NASCAR Cup Team Review: JTG-Daugherty Racing

2017 Cup Richmond Zach Catanzareti Jtg Daugherty Racing Aj Allmendinger Chris Buescher

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

It is no easy feat for a NASCAR team to add an additional entry to its lineup. But that was the challenge JTG-Daugherty Racing signed up for when it hired 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Chris Buescher to pilot its second Chevrolet. The acquisition of a second charter took place prior to the season, and …

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NASCAR Mailbox: Can JTG Daugherty Racing Improve with Hendrick Data?

2017 Cup New Hampshire Zach Catanzareti Jtg Daugherty Racing Chris Buescher Aj Allmendinger

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

We’re hurtling towards the end of the NASCAR season, and this weekend, three champions will be crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Despite what it seems to be on television, not everything in NASCAR at the moment revolves around the playoffs. There are plenty of other stories in the sport at the moment. Obviously, the biggie is …

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The Underdog House: Small NASCAR Teams Still Fighting Hard

2017 Kansas I Cup Aric Almirola Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Think Small With just one race to go in 2017, it’s been a mixed bag of a season for the sport’s smaller teams.  Furniture Row Racing has set the gold standard for them. It’s taken a one-car, outsider organization to the top echelon of NASCAR’s elite teams within five years. That’s a model others can …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NBC Pulls No Punches With NASCAR Rivalries

2017 Phoenix Ii Cup Pack Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Phoenix Raceway is a unique venue for NASCAR, one that is only going to become more unusual once ongoing renovations are complete.  Honestly, for the kind of money ISC is spending, I wish they came up with a setup where every seat had a cover over it.  With the sport traveling to Homestead-Miami Speedway this …

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Tech Talk: Sun, Sand & Spring Rates with Trent Owens

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Overton’s 301 New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, Nh Usa Friday 14 July 2017 Chris Buescher, Jtg Daugherty Racing, Liberty Tax Service Chevrolet Ss And Trent Owens World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

As the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season winds down, there are eight teams that still have a chance to win the title. Other teams, meanwhile, have different priorities, whether it is trying to finish fifth, 17th or 25th in points. As a result, some teams are already experimenting to try and gain advantages …

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