Race Weekend Central

Martin Truex Jr. Scores Cup Pole in Kansas

2017 Cup Kansas Martin Truex Jr On Track Credit Rick Lunkenheimer 2

(Photo: Rick Lunkenheimer)

Martin Truex Jr. scored his third Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole of the season and his 15th in his career Friday evening at Kansas Speedway, posting a lap at 188.029 mph. Truex will lead the field to the green in Sunday afternoon’s Hollywood Casino 400 with Kevin Harvick  starting on the outside pole. Ryan Blaney …

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5 Points To Ponder: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Falls Just Short At Talladega

2017 Bristol Ii Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Nigel Kinrad Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

ONE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Falls Just Short In the end, on a day dedicated in his honor and the 17th anniversary of his late father’s last win, it was not to be for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished seventh at the end of an insane race at Talladega. “I would have loved to have won …

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Playoff Driver Jamie McMurray Crashes Out Early in Talladega

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Alabama 500 Talladega Superspeedway Talladega, Al Usa Friday 13 October 2017 Jamie Mcmurray, Chip Ganassi Racing, Cessna Chevrolet Ss World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Talladega Superspeedway’s first hit on the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs occurred early and violently Sunday on lap 25 of the Alabama 500. Jamie McMurray, who slowed to enter pit road under green, got hit from behind by Erik Jones, spinning into the path of Jeffrey Earnhardt. The Nos. 1 and 33 made …

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Did You Notice?: Tackling The Unpredictability of Talladega And NASCAR Silly Season

2017 Talladega I Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Pack Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

Did You Notice? …. Talladega is truly the Russian Roulette of the NASCAR playoffs? This race has now had a green-white-checkered finish three years running. Last fall, two top title contenders (Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr.) failed to finish in surprising fashion (engine failure). Later in that race, a driver who would soon announce his retirement (Brian Scott) …

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The 10: NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings After Charlotte

2017 Loudon Cup Martin Truex Jr. Car Phil Allaway

(Photo: Phil Allaway)

Throughout the history of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, there are numerous examples of a driver dominating at a certain track or type of track. What is unique about what we’ve seen at the mile-and-a-half speedways this year is that the dominant driver seemed destined for a career as an also-ran for nearly a …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: The Season of Truex Continues

Martin Truex Jr. Victory Lanecharlotte Cup Fall 2017 Yvonne Leonard

Who’s in the headline – The 2017 season has been Martin Truex Jr.’s year of domination. Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway wasn’t a typical Truex race, but when it came time for the big check, it was his world and everyone else was just a squirrel trying to get a nut. The victory was Truex’s sixth …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR Forecast Powered by DraftKings: Bank of America 500 Preview

2017 Cup New Hampshire Zach Catanzareti Kevin Harvick

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

DraftKings’ daily fantasy NASCAR game heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend for the Bank of America 500. This race marks the first event of the second round in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The green flag flies Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC. Cars will hit the track on Friday …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Late Pass Gives Kyle Busch Victory Over Chase Elliott at Dover

Dover

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Who’s in the headline – We’ve seen it happen multiple times at Dover International Speedway as the No. 48 team makes a late-race charge to lead a handful of laps and win the race. It wasn’t the No. 48 car Sunday, but it was the No. 18 team. Kyle Busch dropped like a stone in …

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Double Take: 8 Key Stats for the Rest of 2017

2017 Chicago Cup Martin Truex Jr Confetti Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Writers don’t like to admit it, but every once in a while a topic will completely and utterly elude them. It shouldn’t be a concern in a sport as fast-paced as NASCAR — between the travels of the weekly circuit and all the crazy moves teams make to put themselves in a better position down …

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Jamie McMurray Recovers From Chicagoland Spin for a Top-10 Finish

Jamie Mac Chicago

(Photo: Brett Moist NKP)

Jamie McMurray didn’t pull the “spin and win” feat, but he was able to salvage a day that at one point looked grim into another top-10 finish. On lap 169 of 267, McMurray spun out on his own coming off Turn 2 at Chicagoland Speedway after getting loose, but was able to keep his No. …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kyle Larson Survives Smoke, Safety Vehicles & Overtime to Win Richmond

2017 Richmond Ii Cup Kyle Larson Checkered Flag Nigel Kinrade Nkp

Who’s in the headline – It had to happen eventually. Kyle Larson is too good of a racecar driver to only win on two-mile racetracks. Richmond Raceway is a track that will highlight a drivers ability more than most any other one, so it would make sense that someone with Larson’s talent would shine there. In …

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Jamie McMurray Enjoying Consistent Season

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, Richmond

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

While Kyle Larson soaked in the champagne and confetti in Victory Lane on Saturday evening at Richmond Raceway, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Jamie McMurray was upset after running outside the top 10 for the entire 400 lap event. Despite having an eventful night and never getting the balance of the No. 1 machine right, …

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