Race Weekend Central

NASCAR XFINITY Series Entry List: Ticket Galaxy 200

2017 Texas Ii Nxs Daniel Hemric Christopher Bell Jared C Tilton Getty Images For Texas Motor Speedway

(Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

The NASCAR XFINITY Series heads west this weekend to Phoenix International Raceway for the 19th annual Ticket Galaxy 200. It’s their final playoff race in the Round of 8 before the Championship 4 is set to battle for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway. There are 40 cars on the penultimate preliminary entry list, meaning the …

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The Underdog House: Small NASCAR Teams Thrive At Short Tracks

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, New Hampshire

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/ NKP)

Cup Series racing at Martinsville is about survival and persistence. The on-track action always ruffles some feathers, best evidenced by the late-race incident between alpha dogs Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott. What was happening between Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney served as the consolation sideshow. PETERS: What Happens Now For Hamlin & Elliott? But at Underdog …

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The Underdog House: Where was the Outrage… For Corey Lajoie?

2017 Kansas Ii Cup Corey Lajoie Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Think Small Checking out social media on Monday, there were a lot of posts expressing outrage at Matt Kenseth being parked Sunday at Kansas for having too many crewmen working on his car after damage put him on the five-minute clock.  Kenseth’s disqualification took him out of the playoffs in what may be his last …

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2017 Frontstretch Podcast Powered by DraftKings – Episode 32: Kansas Kickin’

2017 Kansas I Cup Ryan Blaney Pack Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Episode 32: Kansas Kickin’ Frontstretch Podcast with Dustin Albino, Tom Bowles and Zach Catanzareti In this week’s episode brought to you by DraftKings, Dustin, Tom and Zach wrap up the craziness from Talladega Superspeedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final plate run and what the victory means for Brad Keselowski. Next, we turn our heads to Kansas Speedway for another round …

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The Underdog House: Surviving NASCAR Talladega… Sort Of

2017 Talladega Ii Cup Michael Mcdowell Brad Keselowski Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Think Small One thing that struck me when I first started in NASCAR was that if you spent enough time looking, you could see fans at a race who supported every driver in the field.  T-shirts, hats, and bumper stickers were among the ways they proclaimed their loyalty. Fast forward a couple of decades, and …

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5 Points To Ponder: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Falls Just Short At Talladega

2017 Bristol Ii Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Nigel Kinrad Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

ONE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Falls Just Short In the end, on a day dedicated in his honor and the 17th anniversary of his late father’s last win, it was not to be for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished seventh at the end of an insane race at Talladega. “I would have loved to have won …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2017 Alabama 500

2017 Talladega Ii Cup Brad Keselowski American Flag John K Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? On a day where many playoff drivers found Talladega Superspeedway trouble, only four of 12 championship-eligible drivers finished the 500-mile wreckfest. There was a golden opportunity for someone outside the postseason like Dale Earnhardt Jr. to steal the victory. But in the end, Brad Keselowski fought off the Earnhardt nostalgia …

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Gray Gaulding Blown Away by First Top-10 Finish at Talladega

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Bojangles' Southern 500 Darlington Raceway, Darlington, Sc Usa Friday 1 September 2017 Gray Gaulding, Bk Racing, Champion Machinery Toyota Camry World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Many stories may have ended in the garage Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, but one prevailed. Gray Gaulding may have crossed the finish line with more tape than visible sponsor logos, but a finish was enough to earn the 19-year-old his first top 10 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, ending the day ninth. “We …

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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Entry List: Bank of America 500

2017 Charlotte All Star Cup Jimmie Johnson Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

And then… there were 12. NASCAR’s playoff field has been trimmed in advance of Sunday’s Bank of America 500 from Charlotte Motor Speedway. This weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads home to Charlotte, N.C. for the first race of playoff round two. Those 12 drivers will once again resume their championship battle, this …

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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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Entry List: Bojangles Southern 500

Darlington Raceway

After a rare off weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway for the Bojangles Southern 500 and its annual throwback weekend. There are 40 cars on the preliminary entry list for the event, meaning all cars will make the race barring any last-minute adjustments. It’s just the tenth time in 25 races the Cup race …

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