Race Weekend Central

2017 Frontstretch Cup: Pocono 400 Predictions

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Kyle Larson Racing Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Welcome to our 10th year of staff predictions! Each week, our experts attempt to tell you who the winner of each Cup race will be. Take a look to see who your favorite writers think will win it all (or at least score some points) this week in the Pocono 400! Think you can out-prognosticate …

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Stewart-Haas Racing Fitting Right into Ford

2017 Kansas I Cup Kurt Busch Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist / NKP)

One of the biggest questions going into 2017 was how would Stewart-Haas Racing fit into the Ford camp, after spending it’s first eight years in NASCAR under the Chevrolet banner. Since Kurt Busch kicked off the campaign winning the Daytona 500, it’s safe to say it started well. Since then, it’s been an up-and-down season …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR Forecast Powered by DraftKings: Axalta 400 Preview

2017 Martinsville Cup Zach Catanzareti Brad Keselowski

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

DraftKings daily fantasy NASCAR turns toward the Tricky Triangle in northeast Pennsylvania this weekend. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway for the Pocono 400 Presented by Axalta this Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Cars hit the track on Friday at 11 a.m. for first practice; Coors Light Pole Qualifying follows at …

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Double Take: More Memorial Day Weekend Doubles, Please

2017 Indianapolis Fernando Alonso Indycar Alexander Rossi

(Photo: Mike Harding)

The greatest weekend of racing has passed, and boy, were fans treated to an awesome trifecta of events. Fans started off the day by seeing Sebastian Vettel win the Monaco Grand Prix, his third win of 2017 and 45th overall in Formula 1; he’s now won 50 percent of the races contested this season, only …

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Did You Notice?: NASCAR Listening To Its Fans? With One Exception

2016 Charlotte I Cup Martin Truex Jr Jimmie Johnson Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Did You Notice? … The 2018 NASCAR Cup Series schedule features real change? The sport keeps saying they’re actively listening to fan feedback. Well, this time they’ve finally backed up those words with real action. I see some great long-term positives here that are hard to criticize after several years of nothing but the status quo. By switching around the …

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Tech Talk: Laser Inspection Failure & Alternate Tire Compounds with Tony Gibson

Tony Gibson Indianapolis Cup 2015 Mike Neff

Photo Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch

Tony Gibson and the No. 41 crew of Kurt Busch have been trying to find speed in their non-restrictor plate cars since their season-opening victory in the Daytona 500. This past weekend at Kansas Speedway, it appeared as though they, along with the No. 4 car of Kevin Harvick and the No. 10 team of …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martin Truex Jr. Shakes Kansas Monkey As Aric Almirola Sustains Serious Injury

2017 Kansas I Cup Aric Almirola Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Handicapping Cup Series races is very difficult. With 40 cars in a full field, and 20 capable of winning on the right day, it can be like throwing darts to figure out a favorite. The odds at the drop of the green flag Saturday night had Ryan Blaney and Martin …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Does Etiquette Matter Edition

2017 Fontana Cup Kyle Larson Jamie Mcmurray Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

This season’s low down force package may have had its best results yet with Sunday afternoon’s race at Richmond. There were multiple grooves early in the race and yes, tires were a big factor, too. So when what turned out to the final caution came out, some teams gambled and stayed out while others took …

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The Big 6: Questions After 2017 Toyota Owners 400

2017 Richmond I Cup Pack Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? Kurt Busch, the 2017 Daytona 500 champion, has struggled with consistency since winning the biggest race in NASCAR two months ago. Busch hasn’t had a top 5 since, and has only four top 10s in the first nine races of the season. On Sunday, Busch had a much …

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Tech Talk: Aerodynamics & Vertical Loads with Tony Gibson

2017 Fontana Auto Club Tony Gibson Cup Rusty Jarrett/nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

Teams do a lot of different things during an off-week. Tony Gibson, crew chief for Kurt Busch in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, went to the mountains of Tennessee and ran around for most of the week in side-by-sides. He was able to do that peacefully because his team is prepared for the next …

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Five Points to Ponder: Millennials, Champions and Ninja Warriors

2017 Texas I Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Matt Kenseth Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

ONE: Next Up, Easter After seven straight weeks of competition in the 2017 Cup Series season, we hit the first off weekend of the season a little later than last year as we celebrate Easter. So what have we learned so far? First things first, the Penske Fords are fast – lightning. Joey Logano might …

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