Race Weekend Central

The Underdog House: NASCAR’s Intermediate Track Blues

2017 Atlanta Cup Matt Dibenedetto Car

Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP

Think Small It can be said that the real NASCAR season starts at Atlanta. The Intermediate track season kicked off last weekend and the results were fairly predictable of the small teams this week.  In general at a 1.5 to 2-mile track, these teams struggle to keep up.  You might see a couple of teams …

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The Underdog House: Small Teams Thriving and Surviving in Daytona

2017 Daytona Cup Zach Catanzareti Joey Gase Bk Racing Corey Lajoie

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Think Small Well, Daytona is in the rearview mirror. Depending on who you ask, that’s either a real bummer or can’t come too soon, depending on how the race went. The thing about plate tracks is that they’re such an opportunity for teams to compete—if they’re lucky and avoid trouble.  They can also become exercises …

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4 Burning Questions: Will Hendrick Motorsports Keep It Straight in Daytona 500?

2016 Daytona Ii Cup Jimmie Johnson Dale Earnhardt Jr Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade NKP)

Will Hendrick Motorsports Keep It Straight in Daytona 500? The dubious tone from Dale Earnhardt Jr. during Sunday (Feb. 19)’s Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway spoke volumes about how the rest of Speedweeks may go for Hendrick Motorsports. Despite sweeping the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500, single-car speed doesn’t seem to …

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NASCAR 101: Your Cheat Sheet to Cup Series’ Team & Driver Changes

Clint Bowyer 2017 Daytona

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

Good lord, is it really that time of year again? Despite an offseason that frankly felt like a four-week break, it is indeed true: NASCAR racing is back, and even though you just now figured out who Kaulig Racing is and finally learned how to spell half the new Camping World Truck Series drivers’ names, too bad, …

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Beyond the Cockpit: Landon Cassill Would Rather Be Overrated Than Underrated

2016 Pocono I Cup Landon Cassill Looking Down Anthony Lumbis Sr.

(Photo: Anthony Lumbis Sr)

Prior to the end of the 2016 NASCAR season, Frontstretch ran an article discussing who we thought was the most underrated driver in the sport. One name continued to pop up: Landon Cassill. Perhaps 2017 is the year all that changes. A little while has passed since Front Row Motorsports formally announced that Cassill would be returning to the team …

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2016 NASCAR Rewind: Landon Cassill

2016 Cup Charlotte Landon Cassill Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Throughout a season, NASCAR teams will experience — like clockwork — the ups and downs of a racing season, and Landon Cassill’s 2016 season consisted of exactly that. Cassill and Front Row Motorsports showed both flashes of brilliance and rough days at the racetrack. However, the season also consisted of Cassill and his team showing their …

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Friday Faceoff: What’s on NASCAR’s Horizon?

Nascar Champions Portraits

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

NASCAR announced Monster Energy as the new entitlement sponsor in its premier series, replacing Sprint.  Will Monster be a good fit for the series moving forward? Mark Howell, Senior Writer: Based on Monster’s (pardon the pun) track record in motorsports, the affiliation with NASCAR’s premier series will be a successful one. Based on sight of …

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Landon Cassill Returning to Front Row Motorsports in 2017

Landon Cassill will return to the Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports in 2017, Frontstretch has learned. The 27-year-old has competed full-time in the Cup Series for the past six seasons, finishing a career-high 29th in the championship standings in 2016. At Bristol in the spring, the No. 38 car was out front for 20 …

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The Underdog House: Putting A Wrap On 2016

2016 Charlotte All Star Showdown Cup Michael Mcdowell Casey Mears Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Think Small It’s hard to believe the 2016 season is over—it seems like just yesterday that it began, full of promise and hope.  For some of the teams on this page, it’s been, by all counts, a good season—one of accomplishment and improvement.  For others it’s been a struggle, financial or performance, often both as …

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The Frontstretch 5: Underrated NASCAR Drivers

1. Landon Cassill, nice. Landon Cassill by far. The kid deserves a chance with a larger team. Time and time again, he impresses with his ability to not only compete in a clean fashion, but is able to get the most out of mediocre equipment. If his time with JD Motorsports in the XFINITY Series doesn’t …

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The Underdog House: Are Small-Time NASCAR Drivers Damaged Goods?

Cup Martinsville Martinsville Speedway Aj Allmendinger

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Think Small It’s an easy mistake to make: falling into the trap of thinking most of the drivers racing for NASCAR’s smaller teams are damaged goods.  Sadly, it’s one that even team owners often fall into.  How often have young, talented drivers taken rides in this group hoping for some exposure only to be overlooked?  …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR’s House of Cards Falling Down?

Think Small The news that’s trickled in through the last week should be making everyone in the sport take pause and think about the health of several of its teams.  The snowball got rolling last week when it was reported that Tommy Baldwin Racing was in the process of selling its charter to Leavine Family …

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