Race Weekend Central

Ryan Blaney Sweeps XFINITY Practices at Dover

2017 Dover I Nxs Ryan Blaney Car Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Just hours after putting up the quickest time in the opening XFINITY Series practice of the weekend at Dover International Speedway, Ryan Blaney was fast again in the final session. Blaney’s hot lap was 152.672 mph, narrowly edging out William Byron (152.665 mph) by .001 seconds. The top nine speeds were separated by less than one-tenth …

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Ryan Blaney Paces Opening XFINITY Series Practice at Dover

2017 Dover Xfinity Zach Catanzareti Ryan Blaney

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

NASCAR Cup Series regulars led the way in opening XFINITY Series practice at Dover International Speedway, paced by Ryan Blaney at 154.275 mph, 0.022 seconds ahead of 2016 spring winner Erik Jones (154.129 mph). William Byron was the highest XFINITY Series regular in third (153.951 mph) with Justin Allgaier (153.616 mph) and Ty Dillon (153.472 …

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The 10: NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings After New Hampshire

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Overton’s 301 New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, Nh Usa Sunday 16 July 2017 Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing, Busch Beer Ford Fusion And Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Fedex Office Toyota Camry World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returned to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the second event of the 2017 playoffs. Alas, it was likely the final time that the track will host a playoff event, as the race date moves to Las Vegas next season. Regardless of your opinion of the change, it’s always tough to …

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5 Points to Ponder: A Sluggish Start to the NASCAR Playoffs — Why?

2017 Michigan Ii Cup Jimmie Johnson Helmet Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

ONE: Sluggish Start to NASCAR’s 10-Race Playoff It’s fair to say for NASCAR that it hasn’t been the compelling start to the 2017 playoffs the powers that be at Daytona Beach, Fla.,  would have wanted. We’ve had two poor races with limited-to-no excitement. There hasn’t been a great deal of passing, not really any it seems …

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Ryan Blaney Content with Average Result at New Hampshire, Feels Good on Points

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, New Hampshire

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/ NKP)

During the three practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, Ryan Blaney looked to have one of the best cars at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. However, the ISM Connect 300 turned into an average day for The Wood Brothers. Blaney started the event fourth, his best qualifying effort since his victory at Pocono Raceway in June. …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR Must ‘Cope’ With Slow Cars On Track

2017 Las Vegas Cup Landon Cassill Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Think Small After last weekend’s race at Richmond Raceway, where Derrike Cope brought out a late caution while racing several laps down, fans and some media suggested Cope should have been removed from the track by NASCAR long before the incident. That group, which included regular season champion Martin Truex Jr., claimed Cope was so far in …

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NASCAR 101: 5 Drivers Who Will Stand Out in the Cup Playoffs

2017 Dover Cup Zach Catanzareti Ryan Blaney

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Last weekend at Richmond Raceway, NASCAR set the field for the annual Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with a lineup of drivers that consisted of 2017 race winners and three drivers who pointed their way in. All 16 drivers had a regular season that made them worthy of making the playoffs, but only one …

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The Underdog House: The Invisible NASCAR Season

2017 Richmond Ii Cup Corey Lajoie Pack Racing John K Harrelson Harrelson Photography Inc

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/Harrelson Photography Inc.)

Think Small Ah, fall.  Race fans can welcome cooler temperatures, cheer for their favorites in the playoffs…and kiss the chance of seeing the smaller teams mentioned during the broadcast goodbye. With the exception of Ryan Blaney, who made the postseason, all other underdogs will fade into the background of championship talk. That goes for any …

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5 Points to Ponder: Don’t Sleep On… Denny Hamlin?

2017 Darlington Cup Zach Catanzareti Denny Hamlin

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

ONE: Don’t Sleep On…. Denny Hamlin? 24/7 news cycles these days can cause storylines to be greatly exaggerated. So it’s no surprise everyone and their mother screamed, “Don’t sleep on Denny Hamlin!” seconds after his astounding Darlington comeback. It’s true Sunday’s Southern 500 was perhaps a stepping stone in Hamlin’s career. A driver who’s at times …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Throwback Edition

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Kevin Harvick Helmet Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Darlington had what is becoming its annual throwback weekend with NASCAR’s Cup and XFINITY series each having a number of cars with paint schemes resembling those from the past. But no matter how enjoyable it is to take a look back in time, there is no time like the present for many drivers as there is now just …

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Did You Notice?: 12 NASCAR 2017 Storylines With 12 Races Left

2017 Watkins Glen Cup Matin Truex Jr Car Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

Did You Notice? … The past few days marked the last off weekend of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season? Starting Sunday at Darlington, we’ve got 12 races in a row which culminates with the crowning of the champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. In a season filled with mixed reviews, there’s still plenty of …

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Ryan Blaney Adds Menards Sponsorship for 2018

2017 Watkins Glen Cup Ryan Blaney Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Menards is adding some sponsorship to its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series campaign for 2018: Team Penske’s No. 12 and Ryan Blaney. Penske and Menards announced Wednesday (Aug. 30) that the company will adorn Blaney’s No. 12 for 14 races in 2018 while continuing its sponsorship of Paul Menard, who moves to Blaney’s old ride, …

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