Race Weekend Central

Did You Notice?: Even Hendrick Motorsports Navigating NASCAR’s Sponsor Challenges

2016 Charlotte All Star Cup Rick Hendrick Nigel Kinrade Nkp

How Did Hendrick Do in Comparison to Kyle Busch? (Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Did You Notice? … The number of races where major NASCAR teams have needed primary sponsorship this year? A glance at several of the top programs shows that even some of the most valuable NASCAR ownership groups, according to Forbes have used either manufacturer backing or their own businesses as major sponsors. Perhaps the most notable example is Stewart-Haas …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martin Truex Jr Slows Down Just Enough to Win Watkins Glen

2017 Watkins Glen Cup Martin Truex Jr Woohoo Rusty Jarrett Nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Martin Truex Jr. won four races in 2016, but admitted in post-race interviews that they learned a lot more about winning during that season. He feels like they have everyone doing better jobs this year, and the result is a championship caliber team that has the most wins in the …

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Danica Patrick Earns Career-Best Fourth Straight Top-15 Finish

2017 Cup Pocono Zach Catanzareti Danica Patrick

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Danica Patrick is in the midst a mid-summer heat wave, and Pocono Raceway is the latest sight of her consistent runs. The No. 10 car crossed the finish line in 15th, earning the team’s fourth straight top-15 result. This is her longest top-15 streak in her Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career after making her series debut in 2012. …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Darkness On The Edge Edition

2017 Fontana Cup Kasey Kahne Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

NASCAR had rain, sunshine and wild racing while flirting with the darkness at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. It also had wrecks, a lot of wrecks. Which brings the question of if there are a lot of wrecks, does that make it good racing? That’s sure to be a hot topic this week. HOT I had …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Denny Hamlin Overcomes Crustacean Fear for First Win of 2017 at Loudon

Hamlin Nhms Win

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/ NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Joe Gibbs Racing went past the halfway point of the season without a victory. That changed in the first race of the second half as Denny Hamlin took advantage of some strategy calls and track conditions at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to score his first win of the season. Hamlin …

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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Entry List: Quaker State 400

Brad Keselowski

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

After a weekend of restrictor plate racing on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kentucky Speedway for Saturday night’s Quaker State 400. The trip to Sparta, Ky. marks the only trip there for the MENCS field this season. There are 40 cars on the preliminary entry list, …

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Captures Pole in Farewell Race at Daytona

2017 Daytona Cup Zach Catanzareti Dale Earnhardt Jr.

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

During final practice on Thursday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. set the bar in regard to single car speeds. During Friday’s qualifying session the No. 88 Chevrolet backed it up by winning his third career pole at the famed track. Earnhardt’s lap of  47.127 seconds (190.973 mph) was .044 seconds quicker than Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott (190.795 …

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Did You Notice?: NASCAR Daytona Races Can Be Deceiving

Kurt Busch And Wife

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

Did You Notice? … NASCAR races at Daytona can be deceiving? The sport’s Super Bowl, February’s Daytona 500 is known as a race whose winner rarely competes for the series title. Only Jimmie Johnson (2006 & 2013) has accomplished the feat since 1998. There’s a lot of reasons Daytona winds up so different than the rest …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Left, Right, Left, Right Edition

2017 Las Vegas Cup Kevin Harvick Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

NASCAR drivers had one of those rare weekends, not because they were in California, but because it was their chance to make some right turns this weekend. While they did make a lot of right turns, still along with some left ones, things didn’t go right a lot of times. Unless of course, you’re Kevin …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kevin Harvick Finally Tastes Well Aged Victory at Sonoma

Harvick Sonoma Win 1

(Photo: Lesley Ann Miller/ NKP)

Who’s in the headline: In a race that saw strategies all over the board, 10 different leaders exchanged the lead 13 times, and questions about leaders having enough fuel to the make the finish emerged to make the Toyota/Save Mart 350 one of the most compelling races of the season. When the checkered flag flew, it …

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Did You Notice?: Danica Patrick’s Tough Luck

2017 Kansas I Cup Danica Patrick Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Did You Notice? … Danica Patrick’s disproportionate amount of bad luck? Some have been critical of Patrick’s attitude in recent weeks, from her Kansas post-race comments to the well-publicized Pocono video in which she reacted to fans booing her. That’s not the only problem she’s had off the track this season. There’s the small matter of primary …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Speed . . . I Am Speed Edition

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, Michigan

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Michigan International Speedway is one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit (and that includes the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega). So maybe we shouldn’t be surprised the driver running a design for a racing movie won on Sunday. Kyle Larson isn’t a superstar just yet, but with a few more days like Michigan, he …

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