Race Weekend Central

Austin Cindric Wins Phoenix, Clinches 2020 Xfinity Series Championship

2020 Kansas Ii Nxs Austin Cindric Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Austin Cindric survived an overtime restart, hard racing and challenges from his fellow title contenders to win the Desert Diamond Valley Casino 200 at Phoenix Raceway and, in doing so, clinch the NASCAR Xfinity Series title. The crown is Cindric’s first after a stellar season in which he scored six victories; his sixth win and …

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Friday Faceoff: Who Are the Championship Favorites?

2020 Martinsville Ii Cup Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Looking back at the Martinsville Speedway race in the NASCAR Cup Series, would you have officiated anything that happened there any differently? Or did the race play out as it should have? Luken Glover: Chase Elliott asked the question, “What more could you ask for?” in his post-race interview. He was exactly right. That race …

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Eyes on Xfinity: Previewing the Championship Race at Phoenix

Nascar Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Thirty-two races and 5,383 laps are in the book. Now it’s time to crown the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion. For the first time, Phoenix Raceway is host of the championship race. Odds are, the four championship drivers – Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, Justin Allgaier and Justin Haley – are going to run towards the …

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Austin Cindric Nabs Xfinity Pole at Martinsville

2020 Kansas Ii Nxs Austin Cindric Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Austin Cindric will control the start when the NASCAR Xfinity Series take on Martinsville Speedway in the final race before the championship. The Team Penske driver claimed the pole after finishing fourth last week at Texas Motor Speedway. His team is ranked second in owner points, though, which gave him a boost in the metric …

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Xfinity Breakdown: Chase Briscoe Cruises to Victory Again, Other Playoff Contenders Stumble

Nascar Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

You can now eliminate the word “worry” and all synonyms related to the word from Chase Briscoe’s vocabulary because in Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, he was simply dominant – and all synonyms related to the word too.

 Briscoe won both stages, much like he did at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and he …

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4 Burning Questions: Are the NASCAR Playoffs Too Long?

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(Credit: Christian Koelle, Frontstretch)

Are the NASCAR playoffs too long? The NASCAR playoffs truly begin this weekend; the past six weeks have been more-or-less preliminary events. The NASCAR playoffs in general have always been too long. 10 weeks just makes the playoffs drag way too long. If I didn’t have to watch them for this column, I’m probably not …

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NASCAR Mailbox: Was 2020 a Fluke Year for Kyle Busch?

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Arguably, 2020 has been the worst season of Kyle Busch‘s NASCAR Cup Series career. While his rookie season in 2005 is statistically his worst to date, he has yet to win through 32 races, and that would be a first for driver No. 18. Busch turned 35 years old earlier this year, and while we …

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Stock Car Scoop: Clint Bowyer Announces 2021 Plans

Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Clint Bowyer announced his plans for the 2021 season on Twitter on Thursday, Oct. 8. What will the Emporia, Kan., native be doing? Find out in the latest edition of Stock Car Scoop.  Frontstretch‘s newest podcast focused on the motorsports news of the week also has news on Matt DiBenedetto and where he will be …

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Fire on Fridays: Must-Win Teams That Should Use Road Course Experts to Advance in NASCAR Playoffs

Austin Cindric, Kentucky

(Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and heading into an elimination race below the cutline means a team must pull out all the stops to try to advance. It’s Hail Mary time, and sometimes an unconventional approach, such as using a road-course racing expert rather than your regular driver, might just work. This weekend, the …

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Austin Cindric Returning to Xfinity in 2021, Running Cup for Wood Brothers in 2022

Nascar 2020: Xfinity Series Alsco 300 July 10

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Austin Cindric knows his plans for both 2021 and 2022, as Team Penske announced today (Oct. 8) he will remain in Team Penske’s NASCAR Xfinity Series No. 22 in 2021, followed by a move to the NASCAR Cup Series. Cindric will compete full time for Wood Brothers Racing in its No. 21 Ford in 2022 …

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Xfinity Breakdown: Justin Haley Stays Perfect on Superspeedways

2020 Talladega Ii Nxs Justin Haley Burnout Nkp

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR realigned the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to Talladega Superspeedway. The venue change benefitted Justin Haley most as he led the final two laps en route to winning the 2020 Ag-Pro 300 on Saturday (Oct. 3). It is Haley’s third straight win on a superspeedway as …

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The Frontstretch 5: NASCAR Xfinity Drivers Who Could Move to Cup in 2021

Nascar Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

We are in the midst of that time of year again: silly season. While many moves have been made between NASCAR Cup Series drivers, there is always the underlying presence of Xfinity Series drivers making the big leap. The 2020 season saw four successful drivers from NASCAR’s lower divisions, specifically the Xfinity Series, move up: …

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