Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: NASCAR Pocono Doubleheader Weekend

2021 Pocono II Cup Kyle Busch bow wins second race of 2021 Pocono doubleheader James Gilbert Getty

(Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images via NASCAR Media)

What happened? Alex Bowman won the Pocono Organics CBD 325 at Pocono Raceway on Saturday (June 26). Then, Kyle Busch won the Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 on Sunday (June 27) in the second race of the Pocono doubleheader. ????? pic.twitter.com/TMoq6OIkJr — NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 26, 2021 Rowdy Nation, this one's for you! ? Retweet …

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Bubba Wallace Grabs 1st Top 5 for 23XI Racing at Pocono

2021 Pocono II Cup Bubba Wallace car NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Bubba Wallace managed to execute a fuel-saving strategy to perfection. Crew chief Mike Wheeler asked Wallace to save two laps of fuel at Pocono Raceway on Sunday (June 27) and he nailed the assignment, finishing fifth in the Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 for 23XI Racing’s first top five and first top 10 in the …

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Kyle Busch Saves Just Enough Fuel, Wins Pocono Stuck in 4th Gear

2021 Pocono II Cup Kyle Busch win NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Halfway through the Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday (June 27), Kyle Busch‘s day took what seemed like a downward turn. Busch suffered transmission problems and his car wouldn’t go up through the gears properly, forcing driver and team to stick the car in fourth gear for the remainder of the …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2021 Ally 400 at Nashville

Kyle Larson holds up the Ally 400 trophy at Nashville Superspeedway. (Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What happened? Kyle Larson won the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday (June 20) after another incredible performance for his third consecutive points-race win (fourth counting the All-Star Race).  Ross Chastain, William Byron, Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-five finishers. Charlotte: Kyle LarsonSonoma: Kyle Larson All-Star Race: Kyle Larson@NashvilleSuperS: Kyle Larson@KyleLarsonRacin …

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The Underdog House: Sweet Music for Daniel Suarez, NASCAR Underdogs in Nashville

Daniel Suarez Nashville Cup 2021 NASCAR race NKP (Tootsies sponsor)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Setting The excitement, energy and enthusiasm of the NASCAR Cup Series heading to Nashville Superspeedway was felt all week across NASCAR Nation. For the first time in 37 years, the Cup tour was stopping in Music City to race the 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway on Father’s Day. (I’d like to wish all the Dads out …

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Kyle Larson Wins 3rd Straight Points Race, Triumphs in NASCAR’s Debut in Nashville

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Sunday (June 20) marked the first time the NASCAR’s Cup Series visited Nashville Superspeedway, holding the Ally 400 on a sunny, hot afternoon in the Music City. It might’ve been a new venue, but in the words of Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime,” it was the “same as it ever was” with Kyle Larson …

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Denny Hamlin: NASCAR Cup Series Charter Market in a ‘Bubble’

Denny Hamlin talks to Bubba Wallace at COTA Photo NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Lebanon, Tennessee – If you ask Brad Keselowski, Matt Kaulig executed a “boss move” on Friday (June 18). Kaulig, the owner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series team Kaulig Racing, announced he had purchased two charters from Spire Motorsports with the intent of fielding two full-time NASCAR Cup Series entries in 2022. Linked to reports that …

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NASCAR and #BlackLivesMatter, 1 Year Later: Brandon Thompson

Brandon Thompson, NASCAR VP of diversity and inclusion

Brandon Thompson, NASCAR VP of diversity and inclusion (via NASCAR)

This week will be a “surreal” one for Brandon Thompson. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Thompson will get a “NASCAR homecoming” when he and family attend Sunday’s (June 20) inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. The 1.3-mile track, which hosted the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series from 2001-11, is where Thompson received …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas

2021 Texas all Star Race Kyle Larson Burnout NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What happened? Kyle Larson won the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas on Sunday (June 13) after a bold pass for the lead in the final round. Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-five finishers. YUNG MONEY LARSON.@KyleLarsonRacin wins for the third week in a row, winning the #AllStarRace for …

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The Underdog House: Numerous All-Star Aspirations Fade in Open

Michael McDowell

Michael McDowell on track at Texas for the All Star Race (Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Setting All three NASCAR series headed to the Lone Star State for dates at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. This time, however, things felt different. TMS has typically held the first weekend in April, but this year NASCAR shifted the schedule around. While the track’s fall playoff date remained intact, the usual spring points …

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Frontstretch 2-Minute Drill: All-Star Open & All-Star Race at Texas

2020 Texas Cup Michael Mcdowell Kevin Harvick Pack Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Texas may have lost one of its points-paying dates, but it gained one of NASCAR’s landmark events for 2021 in the form of the June 13 All-Star festivities. Eligibility for the annual race, long held at Charlotte Motor Speedway before moving to Bristol Motor Speedway in 2020 and then to the Lone Star State, is …

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NASCAR and #BlackLivesMatter, 1 Year Later: Part 5

Nascar Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301

Fans hold a sign in support of Bubba Wallace, driver of the #43 Cash App Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on August 02, 2020 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Was it worth it? A year later, was NASCAR’s condemnation and banishment of the Confederate flag on June 10, 2020 worth the short-term controversies, confusion and the “Defund NASCAR” banner seen flying over Talladega Superspeedway? Was it worth alienating hard core fans in an effort to invite an audience of minorities that previously wouldn’t have …

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