Race Weekend Central

Sprint Cup Crystal Ball: A Potential Path To 17 Winners?

The third year of Sprint Cup’s current “Win And You’re (Basically) In” Chase format appears on paper to be on pace with past seasons. There have been 10 different winners in the first 15 races, equal to the pace we saw last year and down nine percent from 2014. The breakdown of those victories is …

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5 Points to Ponder: Another Winless Streak Falls

Kurt Busch

[Photo: Zach Catanzareti]

ONE: The Outlaw Back in Victory Lane Kurt Busch took his 28th career victory Monday in the rain-delayed Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400, leading 32 laps before taking his third career victory at the Tricky Triangle. It was Busch’s first trophy earned there in nine years, a key moment in a season that had been quietly building …

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The Frontstretch 5: Drivers Who Need a Good Night In The Coca-Cola 600

2016 Fontana Cup Kasey Kahne Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist/NKP)

Roush Fenway Racing (Plus 1) RFR has left little doubt they’re turning things around in 2016; why not continue that in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600?  Once one of NASCAR’s biggest power players, RFR has fallen from grace in recent years and the last couple of seasons have been defined by struggle.  It makes this team’s turnaround …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud – Joey Logano Makes Late-Race Pass to Claim First All-Star Victory

2016 Charlotte All Star Cup Joey Logano Champagne John Harrelson Nkp

Who’s in the headline – The No. 22 of Joey Logano was festooned with a myriad of pictures from the 50 years of Team Penske. On a full moon Saturday night, the collective spirits of all of the drivers who have piloted a car for “The Captain” rode along with Logano as he navigated the …

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Bayne, Biffle, Larson Shine in Instant Classic Sprint Showdown

2016 Charlotte Showdown Chase Elliott Kyle Larson Racing Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Bold moves were the name of the came in Saturday’s Sprint Showdown, and fans were given what’s perhaps a glimpse into the future of NASCAR as young guns took center stage for much of the day.  After a slight delay due to persistent moisture on the track, Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney battled for most …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Brad Keselowski Drops Malachi Crunch on the Talladega Demo Derby for Second Win of the Season

2016 Talladega I Cup Brad Keselowski Champagne John Harrleson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrleson / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Brad Keselowski won his first Cup race at Talladega in 2009. While he isn’t mentioned in the same breaths with Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt or Tony Stewart when plate racing prowess is discussed, the bottom line is he won his fourth plate race at Talladega on Sunday. Even though the …

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Friday Faceoff: Is the Bump-and-Run Acceptable?

Nascar Sprint Cup Series Toyota Owners 400

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

The spring short track season ended with a bump-and-run move at Richmond International Raceway when Carl Edwards moved teammate Kyle Busch out of his way en route to the win.  Is the bump and run for the win a legit move, or does it sink into the waters of dirty driving? Amy Henderson, Senior Editor: …

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The Frontstretch 5: Pictures that Say More Than Words Alone

2016 Fontana Nxs Darrell Wallace Jr Laughing Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist/NKP)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  If that’s true, the pictures here speak volumes, far more than I could possibly convey in mere paragraphs. Racing, at its heart, is about people. Here, some of the people show a myriad of emotions. Photography is intimacy at its raw core; it sees people as …

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Carl Edwards Warned Following Bristol Victory

Nascar Sprint Cup Series Food City 500

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

For the third week in a row, the race-winning team in the Sprint Cup Series received a warning for an infraction that occurred during the weekend. Carl Edwards’ No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team was warned for failing pre-qualifying inspection twice. The warning was his third of the season and with one more the team will …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud – Carl Edwards Lays Down a Colossal Beat Down at Bristol

2016 Bristol I Cup Carl Edwards Woohoo John Harrelson Nkp

Who’s in the headline – It was pointed out last week, and it was reinforced this weekend, that Joe Gibbs Racing is right at the top of the board in the Cup series. It was Carl Edwards turn this weekend as he dominated the race. Edwards led 276 laps en route to capturing his first …

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Best Race of 2016? It’s Bristol, Baby

2016 Bristol Motor Speedway Nscs Matt Kenseth Leads Pack Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

What’s been the best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of 2016? Easy. It’s Bristol, baby. Sunday’s Food City 500 was wild, unconventional, and by all means a bit strange, but it also played out as arguably the most exciting race of the young 2016 season, despite a dominant performance from Carl Edwards to take the …

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Carl Edwards Dominates Toward Wild Bristol Win

2016 Bristol I Cup Carl Edwards Car Amy Henderson

(Photo: Amy Henderson)

While the race shuffled, spread and scrambled behind him, Carl Edwards drove to victory from the pole at Bristol Motor Speedway, leading 276 of 500 laps in the Food City 500. For Edwards, the win is the first of his 2016 season and fourth at Bristol. “There was so many different things happening out there, …

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