Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2021 Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona

2021 Daytona I Duel Ii Dillon Winner Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What happened? Aric Almirola won the first Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday (Feb. 11), while Austin Dillon won the second. Christopher Bell, Ryan Newman, Joey Logano and Ryan Preece rounded out the top five in the first race. Bubba Wallace, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott finished top five in …

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Aric Almirola Wins First Duel, Austin Cindric Makes Daytona 500

Aric Almirola won the first qualifying race for the 2021 Daytona 500 Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Aric Almirola used a shove from Christopher Bell to snag the victory in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel No. 1 at Daytona International Speedway. Almirola will start the 2021 Daytona 500 in third, seeking his first Daytona 500 victory and his second NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona. “All these guys on this team built me …

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2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings No. 12: Aric Almirola

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In three seasons at Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, Aric Almirola has proven his ability to be a contender for the playoffs.  He has also shown an affinity for strong runs, including wins, at restrictor plate tracks. Almirola’s performances have earned him the loyalty of primary sponsor Smithfield.  But the 2021 season could …

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2020 NASCAR Team Reviews: Stewart-Haas Racing

2020 Review Shr

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The 2020 season saw Stewart-Haas Racing being pulled in multiple directions in the NASCAR Cup Series. Kevin Harvick was trying to capitalize on his prime to score his second championship.  Cole Custer was coming into his rookie season in Cup and wanted to do the best he could.  Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola were both in …

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Reel Racing: The Best (& Worst) Movie Paint Schemes of the 2010s, Pt. 1

Martinsville Cup 2019 Mike Neff Aric Almirola

In June, I undertook a project to dig up every single movie-themed paint scheme that ever ran across NASCAR’s three touring series and, eventually, rank them. The weeks-long search yielded that exactly 100 films have been represented on stock cars throughout the years, ranging from The Wizard of Oz to Shazam. Unfortunately, 2020 became the …

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Power Rankings: Chase Went to Chase Edition

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Oftentimes, NASCAR gets the short end of the deal — faces a lot of criticism, but they deserve a tip of the old Frontstretch hat for managing to get a full season in during trying times. No other major American sport was able to accomplish this feat. There is no hiding the fact that I’m …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR FanDuel Forecast: 2020 Season Finale 500

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It’s the final stop on a chaotic and bizarre NASCAR Cup Series season, as 40 drivers head to Phoenix Raceway for one last race. This race will decide a championship. The top finishing driver between Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin will win the Bill France Cup. I have my own pick …

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5 Points to Ponder: Chase Elliott Comes of Age

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

ONE: Chase Elliott Comes Of Age So much happened at Martinsville Speedway Sunday (Nov. 1) it’s easy to forget just how important Chase Elliott‘s win was for his NASCAR Cup Series career. For the first time in five years, Elliott came into the Round of 8 finale needing to cash in on a must-win situation …

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Kyle Busch Wins Rain-Delayed 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Texas

2020 Kansas Ii Cup Kyle Busch Car Nkp

(Photo: NKP)

After a 72-hour rain and mist delay, Kyle Busch came back from the dead, so to speak, to win the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway Wednesday night (Oct. 28). Though he was close on fuel, Busch saved as much as he could and held on to continue his yearly race-winning streak. ”I …

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Power Rankings: Someone Woke Up Joey Logano Edition

2020 Kansas Ii Cup Joey Logano Celebrates Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season has been a weird one for Joey Logano. He managed to win two of the first four races this season, but those were also his only top-10 finishes, too. Sliced Bread has been either very good or very average all season.  As he often does, Logano managed to irritate …

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Power Rankings: Ridiculous ROVAL Edition

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Last week, King Richard Petty caused a bit of a ruckus calling dirt racing “unprofessional.” Do you know what is really unprofessional? Having turn 1 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL contribute to the outcome of the NASCAR playoffs. Speaking of unprofessional, how about racing on a wet track not because of rain but because …

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Frontstretch Podcast: Racing in the Rain, AJ Allmendinger Chats Xfinity Victory at ROVAL

Nascar Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Subscribe: iTunes In this week’s edition of the Frontstretch Podcast, Dustin Albino and Mike Neff discuss rain racing at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, as it played a factor in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity series races.Chase Elliott scored the victory in the Cup race, his fourth straight win on a road course. The duo chats his road …

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