Race Weekend Central

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2020 O’Reilly Auto Parts 500

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who… should you be talking about after the race? Sometimes it’s all about being in the right position. Austin Dillon took two tires on his final pit stop, setting him up in second on the first of three late restarts. The two tires were enough to get the jump on teammate Tyler Reddick, who had inherited …

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Texas 2-Step: Austin Dillon leads 1-2 finish for RCR in O’Reilly Auto Parts 500

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

On a scorching hot Texas afternoon, Austin Dillon and Richard Childress Racing rode off into the sunset with a victory to savor in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500.  Following a caution with 28 laps to go, Dillon’s crew chief Justin Alexander opted for two tires and teammate Tyler Reddick took none. The two RCR teammates …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headlines: It was the first All-Star race since 1986 that was run outside of Charlotte Motor Speedway. Bill Elliott won at Atlanta that afternoon, and on Wednesday (July 15) it was his son Chase Elliott taking home the checkered flag at Bristol and winning $1 million in the 2020 event. Elliott won the final …

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Chase Elliott Shines Under the Lights at Bristol, Wins $1 Million at All-Star Race

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It was a tame race compared to the All-Star Open, but for Chase Elliott, it was the biggest night of his life. Elliott took the lead over Kevin Harvick in stage two and held off a determined Kyle Busch to win the All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway and the $1 million prize. “I can’t …

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Did You Notice?: That Summertime NASCAR Spark At Stewart-Haas Racing?

2017 Kansas I Cup Tony Stewart Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? … How quickly Stewart-Haas Racing has gotten its act together this summer? While Kevin Harvick has been a title contender all season long in the NASCAR Cup Series, his trio of teammates spent the first half of 2020 mired in midpack. Here’s where all four drivers stood through the Martinsville Speedway race June …

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Power Rankings: 4-Wide for the Win Edition

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The folks at NASCAR got very lucky this weekend with an epic finish that was great enough to get the fans to forget that the first 390 miles were a snoozefest of clean air being king after restarts at Kentucky Speedway. The late, great Dan Gurney used to preach about the best racing coming with …

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Frontstretch Podcast: Lackluster Racing in Kentucky, Michael McDowell Chats Career Year

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Subscribe: iTunes In this week’s edition of the Frontstretch Podcast, Dustin Albino and Mike Neff discuss the lackluster racing at Kentucky Speedway across the top three national touring series, even though the Cup Series race had an incredible finish.  Cole Custer clinched a playoff spot by making a four-wide pass on Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney on …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2020 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): A relatively tame race ended in a chaotic final two laps, a four-wide battle for the lead and a Cup Series triumph for rookie Cole Custer, as NASCAR concluded its four-race stretch (five, including the ARCA Menards Series) over four days in the Bluegrass State. One of the wildest late-lap battles for the …

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Up to Speed: Does a Great Finish Save a Bad Race?

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

For the second season in a row, Kentucky Speedway produced a thrilling finish to its annual Cup Series race.  Last year was the battle of the Busch brothers, a side by side battle between Kurt and Kyle that went all the way to the checkered flag before Kurt emerged victorious.  This year’s finish included a …

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Cole Custer Goes 4-Wide, Earns 1st Cup Series Win at Kentucky

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

With one lap to go in the Quaker State 400 and a three-way race for the lead in front of him, an opportunity was in front of NASCAR Cup Series rookie Cole Custer at Kentucky Speedway.   Custer took it and turned it into his first career win in NASCAR’s top series, getting past Kevin Harvick, …

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Did You Notice?: NASCAR PPP Loans a Reminder of Potential COVID-19 Catastrophe

2019 Phoenix I Cup Ty Dillon Richard Childress Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? … The number of NASCAR teams approved for a loan under the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program? The NASCAR PPP loans numbered in the millions and involved one-third of the teams on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit. For now, let’s focus on the Cup programs alone. Richard Childress Racing: $5-$10 million (2 teams) Chip …

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Power Rankings: Back Home Again in Rain Delay Mode Edition

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The folks at NASCAR are really quick to point out that their television partners get to pick the window that the race gets broadcast in. But maybe it’s time for the “experts” on holding a race to have a little talk with the television people. Through most of its history, NASCAR never got a race …

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