Race Weekend Central

Cole Whitt Building Confidence with TriStar Motorsports

2017 Talladega I Cup Cole Whitt Car John K Harrrelson Nkp

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

Late into last offseason, Cole Whitt had no intention on competing in NASCAR during the 2017 season. No ride and no opportunity meant that it could be the first time the California native wouldn’t compete in a racing series of any type since 2009. But Mark Smith, owner of TriStar Motorsports, called Whitt up, notifying the …

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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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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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The Underdog House: Curbing Spending Would Be Good For NASCAR

2017 Watkins Glen Cup Michael Mcdowell Aric Almirola Racing John K Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

Think Small Dale Earnhardt Jr. was addressing the media at Watkins Glen last weekend when the subject turned to driver contracts and salaries.  The NASCAR economic climate, as everyone knows has changed drastically in recent years.  When the NASCAR fad was at its height almost 20 years ago, corporate interest and driver income skyrocketed. For a while, that …

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Gray Gaulding, BK Racing Deal Up in Smoke: How Their Futures Impact NASCAR

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Go Bowling 400 Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Ks Usa Saturday 13 May 2017 Gray Gaulding, Bk Racing, Dr Pepper Toyota Camry World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade NKP)

On paper, BK Racing is a small, underfunded Toyota team, and Gray Gaulding is a teenager many NASCAR fans had never heard of before this season. But in their quest for survival, a closer look at their deal turned sour opens a Pandora’s Box of financial questions for modern-day stock car racing. It’s a different type of …

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The Underdog House: Sponsorship Changes on the Horizon?

2017 Richmond I Cup Michael Mcdowell Pack Racing Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

Think Small With Target pulling out of motorsports after this year, it leaves just two NASCAR teams on the circuit using a single primary sponsor for all 36 races. Jimmie Johnson‘s No. 48 has backing from Lowe’s (and Kobalt Tools, manufactured and sold by the store) while the No. 11 run by Denny Hamlin has FedEx.  That leaves …

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Cole Whitt, TriStar Motorsports Find Morale Boost After Loss of Team Owner

2017 Cup Pocono Zach Catanzareti Cole Whitt

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

A 24th-place finish Sunday at Pocono Raceway may not have been a headline story this week, but the day ended on a high note for Cole Whitt. Crossing the start-finish line to complete the Overton’s 400, the memory of Mark Smith rang loud after the team owner lost his life last week after a long …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR Hot-Starts: Coke Zero 400

2017 Talladega I Cup Cole Whitt Car John K Harrrelson Nkp

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is back at Daytona International Speedway Saturday night for the Coke Zero 400. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on the pole for what could potentially be his last race at Daytona in the Cup Series. Alongside him on the front row is Hendrick Motorsports teammate, and fan favorite Chase Elliott. Conventional …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR About to Get Silly?

2017 Kansas I Cup Michael Mcdowell Car Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Think Small Track surfaces aren’t the inly thing heating up as summertime hits full swing.  NASCAR’s Silly Season is coming, and while so far, it’s been confined to rumblings and rumors, there’s potential for things to blow up.  While most of the speculation concerns the bigger teams in the sport, including who will fill the …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR’s Vicious Cycle

2017 Dover I Cup Aj Allmendinger Pack Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Think Small It’s hard for small teams to get noticed.  This is something that’s been discussed over and over  and continues to create a vicious cycle for these teams: Lack of money leads to lack of performance, and lack of performance makes sponsors shy away, leading to a lack of money…you see the problem here? …

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The Underdog House: Small Teams Impress at Talladega

2017 Talladega I Cup Cole Whitt Car John K Harrrelson Nkp

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

Think Small This past weekend’s action at Talladega illustrated again what can happen when the racing is more in the hands of the drivers. There were several different names at the top eager to display their talent.  Aric Almirola nearly pulled off the weekend double, and David Ragan overcame crash damage to finish in the …

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