Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2021 Texas NASCAR Playoff Race

Kyle Larson celebrates his victory in the 2021 Texas NASCAR playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway. (Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What happened in the 2021 Texas NASCAR Playoff Race? Kyle Larson won the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas NASCAR playoff race on Sunday (Oct. 17) after leading the final 218 laps to clinch a spot in the Championship 4.  William Byron, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-five finishers. RETWEET …

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Up to Speed: Can Joey Logano & Martin Truex Jr. Recover?

Joey Logano focuses before the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin. (Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

On a day at Texas Motor Speedway when most NASCAR playoff drivers avoided serious trouble, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. were not so lucky.  Both drivers looked to be on their way to top-10 finishes but dropped out of the race in the last 50 miles.  Logano’s engine failed on lap 300, relegating him …

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Up in Smoke: Joey Logano Suffers 1st Blown Engine Since 2014

Joey Logano in the Texas Motor Speedway garage with a blown motor. Photo by Beth Lunkenheimer

(Photo: Beth Lunkenheimer)

Joey Logano saw his hopes of pointing his way into the Championship 4 go up in smoke at Texas Motor Speedway Sunday (Oct. 17) … literally. Right as the field approached lap 300, the No. 22 AAA Insurance Ford suffered an engine failure and billowed smoke as the caution flew for the fluid left on …

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Contenders Set to Emerge in NASCAR’s Round of 8

NASCAR Kyle Larson

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Just past the halfway point of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, the focus of the postseason is finally shifting. The first two rounds are all about who falls out. Now comes the time to focus on those who managed to advance. It’s a mixture of drivers you would expect and a few who might …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2021 YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway

Bubba Wallace lead a pack cars in the 2021 Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What happened? Bubba Wallace won the weather-shortened YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday (Oct. 4) after rain halted the race, 117 laps into the 188-lap event. Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and Christopher Bell rounded out the top five finishers. FIRST WIN for @BubbaWallace! Taking that hardware home from @Talladega! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/VbefdK4h5X — …

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Jonathan Hassler to Be Ryan Blaney’s Crew Chief in 2022

Ryan Blaney celebrating after winning the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, 8/22/2021 (Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Ryan Blaney will have a new NASCAR Cup Series crew chief in 2022. Jonathan Hassler will be atop the No. 12 Team Penske pit box starting next year, the team announced Wednesday (Sept. 29). Hassler currently serves as Matt DiBenedetto’s crew chief for Wood Brothers Racing after taking over for Greg Erwin. He led the …

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NASCAR Stat Sheet: Hamlin Goes All in for Vegas Win

Denny Hamlin leads a pack of NASCAR race cars in the 2021 South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, September 2021. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Joe Gibbs Racing driver clinches spot in Round of Eight With 30 races in the books, the championship is in sight and we have a good idea who will probably be fighting for it at Phoenix. But it takes so much going right and not just piling up stats. Kyle Larson essentially rolled snake eyes …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After NASCAR Playoffs in Las Vegas

2021 Cup Las Vegas Denny Hamlin, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Wins NASCAR Playoffs race (Credit: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images via NASCAR Media)

Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images via NASCAR Media

Who … should you be talking about after the NASCAR Playoffs Race in Las Vegas? Denny Hamlin once again showed Sunday night (Sept. 26) why he was a championship contender one year ago. For only the second time this season, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver earned a NASCAR Cup Series win. It was a fairly …

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4 Burning Questions: Rookie Report Card

Chase Briscoe at Charlotte, NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

How have the two NASCAR Cup Series rookies performed? Now that all three NASCAR national touring series have headed into the playoffs, it’s a good time to take a look at the rookies in each series and how they did this season, especially with just two of them actually in the playoffs. Unlike traditional classes, …

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Bristol Scuffle Headlines New Round of NASCAR Playoff Unpredictability

Kevin Harvick fights with Chase Elliott at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It’s been a while since the NASCAR Cup Series has had the makings of a big feud, hasn’t it? Let alone the playoffs, it’s been a quiet past couple years as a whole for the Cup Series. In fairness, drivers couldn’t exactly get near one another in 2020 (Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton would beg …

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NASCAR Stat Sheet: Kyle Larson’s Pick-Six Intercepts Potential Harvick Win

A pack, including Kyle Larson, of NASCAR Cup Series drivers racing at Bristol Motor Speedway, September 2021. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Larson Headlines Bristol Weekend Renaissance Bristol Motor Speedway has a rich history of, shall we say, drivers seeing things from a different perspective. The track marketed these dust-ups with remarkable success and became a fan favorite for the same reason crowds throughout history loved the guillotine: It was a macabre spectacle. The blade had dulled …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the Bristol Night Race

Kyle Larson leads the pack in the 2021 Bristol Bass Pro Shops Night Race. (Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Kyle Larson took the lead away from Kevin Harvick in the closing laps and held on to win at Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday (Sept. 18). Lapped traffic was a factor all night, allowing cars in second place to close in on the leader. Such was the case near the end of the race; Larson went to the bottom and then back up the track, squeezing Harvick a bit. The No. 5 of Hendrick Motorsports then slid up in front of Harvick, preventing the No. 4 from getting another run on Larson.