Race Weekend Central

Kyle Busch Cut Tire Causes Melee in Daytona 500

Kyle Busch Erik Jones Matt Kenseth Daytona

(Photo: Bruce Nuttleman)

The first half of the Daytona 500 avoided the big wreck. The second half? It took just four laps. On Lap 104 in the 59th Great American Race, Kyle Busch‘s right rear tire went down right in front of a crowd of racecars. Busch, winner of the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stage had no warning …

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Tops Daytona 500 Final Practice

2017 Cup Charlotte Media Tour Zach Catanzareti Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Ford, who’s had success throughout Speedweeks, teamed up to form a six-car parade Saturday morning. Their raw speed made a statement, taking the top six spots in Daytona 500 final practice as teams made their last preparations for tomorrow’s Great American Race. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led the way at 198.452 mph, more than three-tenths of a second quicker than …

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.: ‘My Brain is Working Just The Way I Want it to’

2017 Daytona Cup Zach Catanzareti Dale Earnhardt Jr.

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back, and he sure let the field know it Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway. Starting from pole in the Can-Am Duel No. 2, Earnhardt raced like he never left, leading 53 of 60 laps in his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Despite the resurgence of the pied piper, it didn’t cap …

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Denny Hamlin Brushes Past Dale Earnhardt Jr. Block, Wins Second Daytona Duel

2016 Cup Homestead Miami Speedway Denny Hamlin Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

For a majority of the first 59 laps, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in control atop the field at Daytona International Speedway. Blocking all comers, it looked like his first race back from a concussion would wind up with another Can-Am Duel trophy. But it’s too bad for him that Denny Hamlin had other plans. Hamlin, using a push by …

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Happiness Is… Getting Back to Green

Da1q7614

No need to get into anything heady with yet another critique or defense of NASCAR and all of its wonders and ills.  Let’s just get things going. Happiness Is…Newness. Back in 1971, R.J. Reynolds took over the naming rights for NASCAR’s top division of racing, bringing about what became known as the Winston Cup Series. …

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wouldn’t Rule Out Retiring If He Won a Cup Title

2016 Darlington Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr. Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

If Dale Earnhardt Jr. happened to be the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, you might not see him much in the series after that. During Wednesday’s NASCAR Media Day at Daytona International Speedway, Earnhardt was asked during his formal interview session if he had considered his future after a possible championship. In his …

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Did You Notice? … Whether Change Can Keep NASCAR Afloat?

Da1q6665

(Photo: Bruce Nuttleman)

Did You Notice? … Just a NASCAR change or two has descended upon us since we last came together? Since November, the sport has taken on a new title sponsor in Monster Energy, adopted a flurry of new rules designed to spice up competition, and split with tradition by chopping even the Daytona 500 into …

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NASCAR Mailbox: Dodging the Dodge Return in NASCAR?

2009 Nascar Sprint Cup Series, Texas

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

NASCAR is back, but there is something that isn’t. Hint: Legendary crew chief Ray Evernham helped spearhead its last foray into the sport in the early-2000s. Yeah, Dodge. Remember the days of the Intrepid and the Charger? Well, and of course, the Avenger that never happened. Sometimes, if you look really close at the XFINITY …

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Five Points: Pondering An Avalanche Of NASCAR Change In 2017

Clash Daytona Action

ONE: All Change There is an old adage that states “the only constant in life is change.” It’s a quote widely attributed to Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher who lived five hundred years before the birth of Jesus — 535 BC to 475 BC, if you want the exact numbers. And despite the quote being several …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not: Bring On NASCAR 2017

Johnson Larson Patrick Daytona

It’s true NASCAR has the shortest offseason of any major sport. But really, why does it seem like forever between the season finale at Homestead and the start of Daytona Speedweeks? It’s just 90 days, far shorter than the end of the Super Bowl and the start of NFL Training Camps midsummer. For me, the …

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Talking NASCAR TV: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Takes Center Stage For FOX

Clash

Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP

Welcome back to Couch Potato Tuesday (also known as Talking NASCAR TV).  I’m back for my ninth year of TV commentary, suggestions, complaints and more.  It should be a fairly interesting year, although there will be several changes in the personalities that you’ll see.  This week already showed off plenty of them. First off, reporter and NASCAR …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2017 Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona

Joey Logano Clash Victory Lane

(Photo: Lesley Ann Miller/NKP)

Who’s in the headline – The 2017 season took an extra day to kick off thanks to rain on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, but The Clash did not disappoint. Joey Logano has proven to be a strong plate racer since joining Team Penske, and it showed again on Sunday. Avoiding the spinning cars …

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