Race Weekend Central

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2019 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301

2019 Loudon Mencs Matt Dibenedetto Car Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who…should you be talking about after the race? Kevin Harvick won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway a year ago, making it his sixth victory of 2018.  He’d go on to win twice more, at Michigan and Texas. But he hadn’t seen the winner’s circle since. That changed on Sunday, when he repeated last year’s feat, outdueling …

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Frontstretch Podcast: Bob Leavine Hopes to Run Second Car ‘One of These Days’

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In a special edition of the Frontstretch Podcast, Dustin Albino chats with Bob Leavine, owner of Leavine Family Racing about the state of his team. Leavine says his driver Matt DiBenedetto has been bitten by bad luck this season, but the No. 95 has shown improvement in speed since joining Toyota. He says the alliance with …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400

2019 Daytona I Cup Erik Jones Nkp

(Photo: NKP)

Fireworks are sure to be on display in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway Saturday night (July 6). This may be the second trip to the track this year, but the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams will use a different package than at the season opener. This rules package, used at …

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Did You Notice?: Daytona’s Diversity & NASCAR’s Playoff Grid That Actually Works

2018 Daytona Mencs Field Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? … Daytona International Speedway has had a different winner for its Coke Zero 400 summer race every year this decade? Three of those were first-timers, while a fourth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., earned his second career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. COKE ZERO 400 WINNERS SINCE 2010 2010: Kevin Harvick 2011: David Ragan* 2012: Tony Stewart …

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Frontstretch Podcast: Todd Gilliland Talks Runner-Up Finish at Gateway, Lackluster Sonoma

Nascar Gander Outdoors Truck Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In this week’s edition of the Frontstretch Podcast, Dustin Albino and Mike Neff discuss a lackluster road course race at Sonoma Raceway, which saw Martin Truex Jr. win in dominating fashion. At the end of the race, it was a two-car battle with Truex and Kyle Busch. Both now have 21 and 20 wins, respectively, over the past three-and-a-half-years. …

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2-Headed Monster: Should Matt DiBenedetto Get A 2nd Year In The No. 95?

2019 Sonoma Mencs Matt Dibenedetto Cup Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

This past Sunday (June 23) was a milestone day for Matt DiBenedetto when he finished fourth at Sonoma Raceway — his first career top five in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Despite the result, Leavine Family Racing’s No. 95 holds a worse average finish than each of the past two seasons when it didn’t …

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Odds & Ends Around the Track: NASCAR Fans Love Crashes Edition

2019 Daytona Clash Cup Big One Ii Nkp

Thank you FOX Sports for such touching tributes to Darrell Waltrip. After last week’s article, I know I am in the minority who already misses DW. Whether you love or hate the man, there are not many opinions in the middle on old DW. If you weren’t moved by Stevie Waltrip’s “Letter to DW” segment, …

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Did You Notice?: NASCAR’s Playoff Parity Limited To A Select Few

#24: William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Unifirst, #6: Ryan Newman, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford Mustang Performance Plus Motor Oil An D #48: Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Ally Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? … How the sport’s upper class has thinned out over the course of the past two seasons in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series? This year, the Big Three has become the Big Two ownership groups as Team Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing have combined to win 15 out of 16 Cup …

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The Frontstretch 5: Ways to Improve a Driver’s Performance

2019 Michigan I Nxs Noah Gragson Michael Annett Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

1. Team Personnel Changes Sometimes all it takes is a new perspective for the team to help improve on areas they’ve been missing. A new (or reunited) crew chief can aid the driver by making adjustments on his car and strategizing a different way to win races. Take Michael Annett, for example. While he wasn’t …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: FOX Sports Bids Farewell to Darrell Waltrip

2019 Bristol Zach Catanzareti Cup Darrell Waltrip

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

For FOX Sports, last weekend was the swan song for Darrell Waltrip on television. Beyond Sunday (June 23), Waltrip’s future is unclear. All we know is that he’s going to back to Franklin, Tenn. with his wife Stevie (“the Redhead”) and relaxing for now. Naturally, the focus for Sunday’s broadcast was on Waltrip’s final broadcast …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Seasons Change

Sonoma Kyle Busch

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

It’s the end of a chapter in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and also the end of an era, as the Fox/Fox Sports 1 coverage shifts to NBC and the NBC Sports Network for the latter half of the season (except for the Gander Outdoors Truck Series). It’s also the end of …

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The Underdog House: The Carousel Of Progress

2019 Sonoma Mencs Matt Dibenedetto

Photo: Danny Peters

Top of The Class Matt DiBenedetto may not be a name that comes to mind when you think of talented road racers, but the 27-year-old from Grass Valley, CA is doing his best to change that. DiBenedetto earned his first career top-five finish at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday (June 23), coming home in the fourth …

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