Race Weekend Central

Martin Truex, Jr. Scores Coca-Cola 600 Pole

2016 Kansas I Cup Martin Truex Jr Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist/NKP)

The sparks were flying during Sprint Cup qualifying Thursday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but when the smoke cleared, Martin Truex, Jr. stood alone atop the scoring pylon. Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski will complete the top 5 to take the green flag for Sunday’s 57th running of the Coca-Cola …

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Dover Surprises with a ‘Monster’ Race Weekend

Stands

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Half-filled grandstands and mediocre racing have usually been the theme surrounding Dover International Speedway since the recession. Ticket prices for a day of XFINITY Series racing in the fall will be $47, on top of $65 for Sunday’s Sprint Cup matinee. Yeah, that’s what it has been like for several years, and things have not changed. The …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: A Monstrous Matt Kenseth Comeback

2016 Dover I Cup Matt Kenseth Jason Ratcliff Trophy Matthew T Thacker Nkp

Who’s in the headline – The 2016 season has been anything but stellar for Matt Kenseth. After a near miss at Daytona he’s only managed one top 5 finish before Sunday, and that as a fourth last weekend at Kansas. Sunday Kenseth was in the mix but didn’t look like he’d be in contention for …

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Double Take: Martin Truex, Jr.’s May Déjà Vu

2016 Texas I Cup Martin Truex Jr Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

It’s déjà vu all over again. Martin Truex, Jr. is no stranger to adversity. He spent his formative years in the Sprint Cup in the now defunct Dale Earnhardt, Inc., winning only once while seeing teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr., assumed heir to the team, jump to Hendrick Motorsports instead. Then, Truex moved to Michael Waltrip Racing, …

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Kyle Busch Penalized, Crew Chief Suspended Following Kansas

2016 Phoenix I Cup Kyle Busch Adam Stevens Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

The race-winning team of Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing) was penalized on Wednesday for infractions found during the Kansas Speedway race weekend. The No. 18 team, which scored its third win of the season at Kansas last Saturday night, was found to be in violation of the section in the NASCAR rule book pertaining to …

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NASCAR Mailbox: Gauging Tony Stewart’s Chase Chances

Tony Stewart Bank Of America 500 2015 Charlotte Cup Mike Neff

(Photo Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

Another week and another win for Joe Gibbs Racing. It’s more clear than ever that JGR has become the elite team in NASCAR in 2016. Every week we go to the racetrack and it seems as though a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is the class of the field. At Kansas, it was Martin Truex Jr.’s …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: FOX NASCAR Schedule Shifting

2016 Kansas I Cup Pack Racing Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist / NKP)

As much as the action this season has improved in the Sprint Cup Series, places like Kansas (and specifically, this race) are key to how the aerodynamic package performs.  So far, it’s not so hot at night but pretty good during the daytime.  Broadcasts have to adjust to that reality and step up to the …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Dover Edition

2016 Kansas I Cup Kyle Busch Burnout Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

NASCAR’s annual Mother’s Day Eve race gave us a mixed bag Saturday night. The low downforce package seemed to help the overall action at Kansas but as Kyle Busch and Martin Truex, Jr. proved throughout the night at this 1.5-mile oval the leader was hard to catch and even more difficult to pass. HOT Kyle Busch returned to …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2016 GoBowling.com 400

2016 Texas I Cup Martin Truex Jr Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? From the “where did he come from?” department—Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon put together another strong finish, and he was certainly quiet about it.  Dillon wasn’t talked about much during a race that was dominated by the Joe Gibbs Racing group and affiliate Furniture Row Racing, and …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kyle Busch Kills His Kansas Curse

Kansas Green

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Who’s in the headline – Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch is doing his best to put himself in position to repeat. Busch started the race in sixth Saturday night and was a top-10 mainstay outside of green-flag pit cycles. Busch moved into the second spot on lap 175 after a restart and was inside the top …

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Toyotas Fast While Johnson Encounters Engine Problems During Kansas Speedway Practice

2016 Martinsville I Cup Martin Truex Jr Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Once again, it looks like Joe Gibbs Racing and the Toyotas are going to be a force to be reckoned with. There were two daytime practice sessions at Kansas Speedway on Friday for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, even though the race will commence on Saturday evening. While Toyota was not the fastest overall in …

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