Race Weekend Central

The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR’s Small Teams from Pocono to Watkins Glen

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Chris Buescher Champagne Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Tommy Badwin Racing Regan Smith, No. 7 APC Chevrolet Looking back: Chris Buescher wasn’t the only small-team driver who scored a top finish Monday. Smith’s third-place run ties his organization’s best finish ever and marks TBR’s top finish not on a restrictor-plate track.  Sound strategy played into the team’s hands and Smith walked away with his …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the Pennsylvania 400

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Chris Buescher Bob Osborne Trophy Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? Repeat after me: there are no cheap wins in NASCAR.  A top finish is hard to come by, no matter what the circumstances.  The great thing about racing is that it’s about more than just a fast car—it’s about strategy and making things work under the rules.  Chris …

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Regan Smith Plays the Strategy Game to Give Tommy Baldwin Racing a Top 5

2016 Pocono Cup Regan Smith Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Tommy Baldwin Racing isn’t used to competing in the top 5. Or the top 10. Or the top 20. The No. 7 car has been soaked with seven different primary sponsors this year. With an average finish of 28.2, it hasn’t had much exposure in 2016 besides having an eighth-place finish during the season-opener at …

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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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The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR’s Small Teams from Loudon to Indy

2016 Loudon I Cup Michael Annett Reed Sorenson Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

NASCAR has a few tracks that are fairly unique in layout.  Among those are both new Hampshire Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway-a flat one-mile oval with long straights and tight turns – think big Martinsville – and a huge, flat, rectangular behemoth with four separate corners and four straights to match.  These tracks are …

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The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR’s Small Teams from Kentucky to New Hampshire

2016 Pocono I Cup Ty Dillon Car Anthony Lumbis Sr.

(Photo: Tony Lumbis Sr.)

So… what makes a small team? Yep, I addressed this last week, but again, we’ll give it one more time for those race fans who missed the last edition. I’m frequently asked how I categorize NASCAR’s teams, and I’m sure lots of people have a different definition, but I look at a couple of things …

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The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR’s Small Teams from Daytona to Kentucky

2016 Daytona Ii Cup Michael Mcdowell Michael Annett Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

What makes a small team? I’m frequently asked how to categorize NASCAR’s teams. I look at a couple of things when I make the list each spring: budget and performance.  Small teams simply don’t have the budgets of the larger ones, even middle-tier organizations.  They may have alliances with bigger teams, but that doesn’t mean everything gets handed …

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Kyle Larson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Fastest In Cup Practices At Sonoma

Dale Earnhardt Jr

[Photo: Zach Catanzareti]

Friday saw the only two Sprint Cup Series practices of the Sonoma Raceway weekend, featuring Kyle Larson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. as the fastest in the first and second respectively. Larson, whose hometown of Elk Grove, Calif., is roughly two hours away from Sonoma, is riding off a lot of momentum in the past month. …

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Kyle Larson’s Crew Chief Suspended for Lug Nut Violation

2016 Pocono I Cup Kyle Larson Chad Johnston Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Another lug nut penalty was issued this week following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono. Chad Johnston, who crew chiefs the No. 42 car of Kyle Larson, was hit with a P3 penalty for failing to have all lug nuts properly installed on the car following the race. He was suspended for the …

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Kasey Kahne, Others Penalized After Dover

2016 Dover I Cup Kasey Kahne Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Wednesday was a busy day for NASCAR penalties. The biggest penalty was levied to the No. 5 team of Kasey Kahne, who received a P3 penalty for illegal truck arms found following the race weekend at Dover. Crew chief Keith Rodden was fined $25,000 and the team lost both 15 drivers and owners points. Kahne …

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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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