Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martin Truex, Jr. Overcomes Adversity With Late Charge to Win at Chicagoland

2016 Chicago Cup Martin Truex Jr Woohoo Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

  Who’s in the headline – Martin Truex, Jr. overcame a tire issue under green flag conditions to put himself in position to make a run at the race win. A late-race caution and a strong pit stop resulted in Truex restarting outside the second row. An aggressive move to the outside allowed him to …

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Michael McDowell Rejoicing in Opportunity with Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Michael Mcdowell John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

Moments before the green flag waves on any given Sprint Cup race weekend, Michael McDowell patiently sits in the pre-race prayer service with approximately two to three dozen of his fellow competitors, crew chiefs and team owners. His head bowed down, he focuses all of his attention on prayer, listening intently to a chaplain telling Bible …

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The Underdog House: Would-Be Winners and Hangers-On

(We’re changing things up a little this week; instead of focusing on races past, we’ll take a look ahead at our small teams and the outlook down the stretch.  Hate it and want to see more on how they fared in the races? Let me know.  Want to see more like this? Let me know!  …

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The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR’s Small Teams From Darlington to Richmond

2016 Darlington Cup Chris Buescher Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Tommy Baldwin Racing Regan Smith, No. 7 Nikko RC Road Rippers Chevrolet Looking back: Smith is a former Darlington winner, and he raced the track very well on Sunday night and netted a top-20 finish to show for it.  It was exactly the kind of race TBR needs to have: smart, clean, and driver getting …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not: The First Time Edition

2016 Michigan Ii Cup Kyle Larson Burnout John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

If you never think anything good can happen to you… or maybe if that good thing is close to happening, but you think it might not… or maybe if you’re afraid to take the one chance to make that good thing happen — then all three of NASCAR’s major races this weekend were for you, …

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The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR’s Small Teams from Michigan to Darlington

2016 Pocono I Cup Ryan Blaney John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

Tommy Baldwin Racing Regan Smith, No. 7 APC Chevrolet Looking back: Michigan International Speedway was one of Smith’s better runs on a 1.5-to-2-mile speedway this year, with a 26th-place finish and a lap led on his tally. Smith said afterward that he feels like his team is learning some things that will help them in …

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XFINITY Breakdown: Michael McDowell Finally Masters Road America

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Michael Mcdowell John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

Michael McDowell had been close to winning at Road America before, but he had always come away empty-handed.  On Saturday, McDowell got his first chance since 2013 to tackle the four-mile road course in Wisconsin.  This time, McDowell was the one in victory lane.  Driving for Richard Childress Racing, he put together a solid race, …

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4 Burning Questions: New Rules, New Faces and Potential Upset Victors

2016 Bristol Ii Cup Ryan Blaney Pack Racing Rainier Ehrhardt Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: Ranier Ehrhardt / NASCAR via Getty Images)

How will the new rules package affect the racing this weekend at Michigan? NASCAR has ruled that all teams will be running with the 2017 rules package this weekend at Michigan. It is not the first race for the new, even lower downforce package however; the tiny spoiler has been used in the All-Star race, in …

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The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR’s Small Teams From Bristol to Michigan

2016 Pocono I Cup Landon Cassill Anthony Lumbis Sr.

(Photo: Anthony Lumbis, Sr.)

Tommy Baldwin Racing Regan Smith, No. 7 APC Chevrolet Looking back: Smith had a brush with the wall just past the quarter mark of the race, bringing out the first caution of the day after the restart Sunday following the earlier competition yellow.  Even so, he managed to avoid further trouble while others couldn’t do the …

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Daily NASCAR Fantasy: Drafting Your Watkins Glen Lineup

2016 Pocono Cup Aj Allmendinger Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Watkins Glen on August 7th for the Cheeze-It 355. Watkins Glen is the second of two road courses the series travels to in 2016. The weekend was headlined by the return of Dale Earnhardt Jr., but not to competition. Junior will miss the next two races with continuing …

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AJ Allmendinger Tops Final Practice

2016 Watkins Glen Cup Aj Allmendinger Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

After struggling in the opening practice session, AJ Allmendinger found himself on top of the leaderboard for the final practice at Watkins Glen International, with a speed of 127.551 mph, .038 mph faster than Martin Truex, Jr. (127.481 mph) who paced the first practice. Final practice wasn’t all fine and dandy for the No. 47 …

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The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR’s Small Teams From Indy to Pocono

2016 Indianapolis Cup Patrick Carpentier Car Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Indianapolis represented a mixed bag for the small teams this week, with finishes ranging from 14th for rookie Chris Buescher to 40th for Matt DiBenedetto, thanks to an untimely engine expiration.  Indy is a tough track for teams that are a step or two behind the elite teams in both handling and horsepower, and next …

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