Race Weekend Central

Ryan Reed Victorious in XFINITY Daytona Thriller

2017 Daytona Xfinity Zach Catanzareti Ryan Reed

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

He did it again. For the second time in the last three years, Ryan Reed has won at Daytona International Speedway in the XFINITY Series. Holding off Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series talents Kasey Kahne and Austin Dillon, Reed earned his second career win after starting from the front row. “I tried to apply everything …

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5 Cup Series Drivers Who Need to Win in 2017

2015 Chicago Cup Clint Bowyer Danica Patrick Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)­­

When NASCAR announced changes to the race format late last month, it made consistency relevant again. Winning is still going to have its virtues, including an automatic playoff berth, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not the end-all, be-all it often has been. Like other changes NASCAR has made in the past, the best …

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2016 NASCAR Review: Kasey Kahne

2016 Pocono I Cup Kasey Kahne Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Moved to the hot seat. 2016 season was one of Kasey Kahne‘s toughest seasons of his 13-year NASCAR career. To start, he was coming off a 2015 season in which he led a career-low 66 laps. That number, however, was higher than this year’s total of zero, which was the amount of times the No. …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Sudden Shift Hands Johnson Record-Tying Title

Jimmie Johnson

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Who’s in the headline – The elite level of NASCAR has increased by 50%. There are many gauges to judge the greats but championships are a huge differentiator. Jimmie Johnson took advantage of circumstances that fell his way, led the final three laps, and notched his seventh career title. Johnson shares the headline with Tony …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Carl Edwards Saves Best for Last to Win at Texas

2016 Nascar Sprint Cup Series, Texas

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – While Carl Edwards will garner most of the headlines for the weekend, it was Mother Nature who took most of the attention. The race was delayed by five-and-a-half hours due to track drying efforts that seemed to make progress at a snail’s pace. Once the race began, the sun had …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2016 AAA Texas 500

2016 Nascar Sprint Cup Series, Texas

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? When the season has been a struggle almost from day one and the best qualifying effort a driver can muster is 31st, it would be easy to write the weekend off as a lost cause.  But for Kasey Kahne at least, the day-to-night switch at Texas worked out well. …

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Did You Notice? … The Chase Where Nobody Wrecked

2016 Charlotte All Star Cup Tony Stewart Crash Damage Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Did You Notice? … This Chase has been the one where nobody wrecked? We’re on pace for the fewest cautions in the history of NASCAR’s playoff, races decided through a handful of restarts and pit strategy spread out over long green-flag runs. Think back to last year and the title’s defining moments. Joey Logano spins …

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Hendrick Motorsports, Furniture Row Racing Announce New Sponsors

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Martin Truex Jr Helmet Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton / NKP)

A pair of NASCAR Sprint Cup teams announced new sponsorship deals on Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway ahead of Saturday night’s Bank of America 500. Hendrick Motorsports added uniform service company UniFirst to its No. 5 car.  The 8-year deal covers two races in 2016 and 2017, with the first at Talladega in two weeks, …

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2-Headed Monster: Can a Non-Chaser Play Spoiler at Dover?

2016 Cup Richmond Kasey Kahne Jeff Gordon Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

This weekend’s race at Dover is a much bigger race than it was three years ago. Then, it was the third race of the Chase, an important part of a 10-race stretch of events that would lead to the Sprint Cup championship. Today, it is still the third race of the Chase, but serves as …

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Kasey Kahne Scores Fourth Consecutive Top-10 Finish

2016 Nascar New Hampshire

(Photo: Matthew Thacker / NKP)

Kasey Kahne had to overcome adversity from the wave of the initial green flag Sunday in New Hampshire. After qualifying ninth, the No. 5 team had to start from the rear for unapproved adjustments. During a 125-lap green flag run to start the race, Kahne worked his way up inside the top 15. From then, …

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NASCAR Mailbox: The Future of Hendrick Motorsports Continues to be Uncertain

2016 Loudon I Cup Alex Bowman Greg Ives Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Jimmie Johnson soared to the lead at Chicagoland Speedway this past Sunday, showcasing speed that hasn’t been present with the No. 48 car in nearly a year. While some speculate that Johnson has lost his magic touch with the new Chase format, he was bringing his Hendrick Motorsports car to the front of the pack …

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Great Clips Extends Contract with Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports

2016 Cup Richmond Kasey Kahne Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Hendrick Motorsports announced today sponsor Great Clips has extended its contract through 2018 with the organization and Kasey Kahne. Great Clips will be the primary sponsor of Kahne’s No. 5 for ten races in both 2017 and 2018, continuing a five-year relationship. When the partnership originated, Great Clips was on board for three races each …

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