Race Weekend Central

Friday Faceoff: TMI from Dale Earnhardt, Jr.?

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Jeff Gordon Tony Stewart Racing Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Chris Buescher and Front Row Motorsports grabbed the checkers after a rain-shortened race at Pocono Raceway.  Is a win for an underdog driver and/or team good for the sport/Chase or not?  Amy Henderson, Senior Editor: Absolutely it’s good for the sport.  I think people like to pull for an underdog, and a winner like Chris Buescher …

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2016 Frontstretch Podcast – Episode 17: Rainy Underdogs and A Foggy Chase Picture

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Pack Racing Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

On this week’s podcast, Matt Stallknecht is joined by weekly guest Aaron Bearden to discuss a number of topics before this weekend’s Brickyard 400, including… Breakdown/Recap of the this weekend’s weather-marred events in Pocono The legitimacy of Chris Buescher’s win Buescher’s effect on the Chase picture Night racing at Pocono Analysis of weather’s effect on NASCAR …

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Out for Next Two Races, Jeff Gordon Remains Behind the Wheel

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Jeff Gordon Tony Stewart Racing Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Hendrick Motorsports announced on Tuesday afternoon that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will not compete in the next two Sprint Cup Series races at Watkins Glen International and Bristol Motor Speedway as he continues to recover from concussion-like symptoms. He underwent further evaluation on Tuesday at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program, and his physicians …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Pennsylvania 400

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Pack Racing Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Chris Buescher took one of the biggest Sprint Cup underdog victories ever seen in Monday’s Pennsylvania 400 from Pocono Raceway. Buescher played the fuel game to perfection as impending weather hit the “Tricky Triangle.” Leading the first laps of his Cup career when the leaders took to pit road, the rookie …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: IMS Gives NBCSN Little to Work With

2016 Indianapolis Cup Greg Biffle Carl Edwards Racing Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton / NKP)

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has plenty of history in regards to open wheel racing.  100 Indianapolis 500s have been run.  These races have ranged from the boring to the exciting, from the safe to the tragic.  Today, the Indianapolis 500 is one of the must-watch races of the year.  There’s a reason why 350,000 people showed …

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Daily NASCAR Fantasy: Drafting Your Indianapolis Lineup

Tony Stewart

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday, July 24th for the Combat Wounded Coalition 400. This Sunday, one of the greatest of all time returns to the world’s most famous racetrack. Jeff Gordon returns to action as he fills in for Dale Earnhardt Jr for the next two races. Junior is …

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Double Take: 22 Hendrick Drivers Played Part in Getting to 1,000 Top 5s

2016 Loudon I Cup Chase Elliott Jimmie Johnson Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

You may have heard that Hendrick Motorsports is just one top 5 away from 1,000 in the Sprint Cup. Just take a moment and let that sink in: Hendrick Motorsports has placed a driver in the top 12.5 percent of the field on 999 occasions. Its most-accomplished driver, Jeff Gordon, has only raced 797 races in …

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2016 Frontstretch Podcast – Episode 15: Brickyard Blues, Junior’s Health and the Return of a Legend

2014 Indianapolis Cup Jeff Gordon Leads Cia

Could Jeff Gordon's triumph at the Brickyard launch him toward the 2014 title?

On this week’s podcast, Matt Stallknecht is joined by weekly guest Aaron Bearden to discuss a number of topics before this weekend’s Brickyard 400, including… An update on Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s health, and an assessment of when he may return to racing Breaking down the impact of Junior’s absence on the Chase picture Discussing who could fill …

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Friday Faceoff: Is NASCAR at Indianapolis Motor Speedway In Trouble?

Kevin Harvick leads a pack of cars in the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

The 100th edition of the Indianapolis 500 sold out, but the Brickyard 400 this Sunday might get 20 percent of the fan base. How low will attendance need to go for either Indianapolis Motor Speedway or NASCAR to ever consider pulling this race? Do you see stock cars racing at Indy in five years? Sean Fesko, …

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Happiness Is… Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Sitting Out

2016 Charlotte All Star Showdown Cup Matt Kenseth John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

What to do, what to do?  One of the things that Bill France decried when shepherding the sport of NASCAR was that the fans should walk away knowing who won the race.  Apparently that meant that the fans knowing something equated to cementing the results and tinkering with infractions later.   Matt Kenseth failing laser …

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Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Out At Least Another Two Weeks; Jeff Gordon to Sub

2014 Indianapolis Cup Jeff Gordon Brick Kiss Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

While one star won’t be racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend and Pocono Raceway the next, another star will be stepping out of retirement to fill in. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who missed Loudon last weekend due to concussion-like symptoms, will again miss the Sprint Cup shows this weekend at Indy and the following week …

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NASCAR Mailbox: Better Racing Leading to Higher Fan Engagement

2016 Pocono I Cup Pack Racing Turn 3 Anthony Lumbis Sr.

(Photo: Anthony Lumbis, Sr.)

One race past the halfway mark of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, the overall reception of competition has been quite positive. With closer competition and fewer negatives about the quality of the product, fans have been quite impressed with the majority of races in 2016. While the on-track product is still not where drivers …

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