Race Weekend Central

The 12: NASCAR Power Rankings Pennzoil 400 Edition

2019 Las Vegas I Cup Ryan Blaney Joey Logano Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Defending champion Joey Logano held off his Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski to claim the win in the Pennzoil 400. Is the duo of Logano and Keselowski the ones to beat as NASCAR transitions to the new aero package era? After another spectacular weekend which included the capture of two checkered flags, is Kyle Busch …

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The Frontstretch 5: ISM Numbers to Watch & Why They’re Important

#4: Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Jimmy John's Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

1. It’s been Kevin Harvick’s personal playground, but… Harvick has a whopping nine wins in Phoenix. Wins are, of course, the name of the game, so they’re important. He’s is the all-time win leader at ISM Raceway; next on the list is Jimmie Johnson with four, less than half of Harvick’s total. You can look …

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5 Points to Ponder: Penske Acing NASCAR’s Season-Long Experiment

2019 Las Vegas I Cup Ryan Blaney Joey Logano Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Everything is Different, But Not in the Same Way Remember back to your high school science class (or college courses, if you majored in something science-related in college)? You undoubtedly learned about the scientific method, and how the best way to figure out if a change in one variable led to a desired outcome was …

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Beside The Rising Tide: NASCAR’s Great Expectations

2019 Las Vegas I Cup Joey Logano Pack Racing Nkp

Joey Logano had a reason to feel good about the 2019 aero package (credit: Nigel Kinraid)

Some weeks a topic for my weekly column is self-evident and screams for attention. Some weeks (Hell, most weeks) I hear more of a whisper….or the sounds of silence. Thus this week I present some random notes based on topics I scribbled down in my notebook over the course of the weekend. In Summation: The …

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Up to Speed: New Aero Package Produces Old Results

#20: Erik Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Sportclips, #19: Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Bass Pro Shops, #18: Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry M&m's Chocolate Bar And #11: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Fedex Office Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

If Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is any indication, what is new is old again.  After an offseason of making plans, running tests and speculating what the future might hold, NASCAR used the full version of its new Cup Series aero package for the Pennzoil 400. The cars …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2019 Pennzoil 400

2019 Atlanta Cup Joey Logano Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who… should you be talking about after the race? Defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano made it two for two in intermediate track races for Team Penske this year. He followed up last week’s win by teammate Brad Keselowski, putting the No. 22 car in Victory Lane for the first time in 2019 …

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Pace Laps: Penske’s Power & The Kyle Busch Show In Las Vegas

#51: Kyle Busch, Kyle Busch Motorsports, Toyota Tundra Cessna Celebrates His Win

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Penske Powerhouse Las Vegas Motor Speedway showed us NASCAR still has kinks to work out with its new handling package. Cars struggled to pass each other on long runs, the field spread out considerably and slower speeds resulted in a caution free race aside from stage breaks. The racing up …

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Joey Logano Holds Off Teammate for Las Vegas Win

#22: Joey Logano, Team Penske, Ford Mustang Pennzoil

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Brad Keselowski was the hunter and Joey Logano was the hunted Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. And in this hunt, it was Logano who survived the fight to score victory in Sunday’s (Mar. 3) Pennzoil 400. The Team Penske teammates jumped to the top two positions and held them for a 40-lap run to …

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Odds & Ends: Las Vegas

2019 Atlanta Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Pack Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Jon Bon Jovi and Jennifer Nettles were wrong — sometimes you can come home! Mister Peabody and his boy Sherman will take you on a magical journey in their way-back machine to the year 2000, when NASCAR wise guy writers Butch Bellah, Ren Jonsin and Dennis Michelsen launched Frontstretch. The site has grown a lot …

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The 12: NASCAR Power Rankings Folds of Honor Quik Trip 500 Edition

Aric Almirola Rodney Childers Kevin Harvick Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Brad Keselowski found some Atlanta magic as he was able to use the new highly anticipated aero package to his advantage. While there are still many unknowns to figure out with the new package, does Keselowski’s victory suggest he is the favorite with the new rules? After earning his first pole in six years, is …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2019 Folds of Honor Quiktrip 500

2019 Atlanta Cup Zach Catanzareti Daniel Hemric

Atlanta Motor Speedway, February 2019. (Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Who…should you be talking about after the race? Brad Keselowski battled a stomach bug all weekend, giving up the No. 2 car to Team Penske’s Xfinity Series driver Austin Cindric for the majority of a Saturday practice session after qualifying 19th on Friday. Keselowski was feeling up to the task early on, in part thanks to …

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Up to Speed: Winning is the Best Medicine For Brad Keselowski

Keselowski Atlanta 2019

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Professional auto racing is about the excellence of man and machine. Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway served as the first in-race trial of NASCAR’s newest aero package.  For most of the afternoon, the focus was on the machines.  But the race featured a pretty spectacular human triumph by Brad …

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