Race Weekend Central

5 Points to Ponder: Don’t Sleep On… Denny Hamlin?

2017 Darlington Cup Zach Catanzareti Denny Hamlin

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

ONE: Don’t Sleep On…. Denny Hamlin? 24/7 news cycles these days can cause storylines to be greatly exaggerated. So it’s no surprise everyone and their mother screamed, “Don’t sleep on Denny Hamlin!” seconds after his astounding Darlington comeback. It’s true Sunday’s Southern 500 was perhaps a stepping stone in Hamlin’s career. A driver who’s at times …

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Beside The Rising Tide: With Autumn Closing In

Darlington Cup 2017 Aric Almirola 2 Throwback Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

Ain’t it funny how the night moves? When you just don’t seem to have as much to lose, Ain’t it funny how the night moves? With autumn closing in…. -Bob Seger While it hasn’t quite reached the level of the Memorial Day weekend yet, Labor Day weekend offered race fans a full slate of action …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Throwback Edition

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Kevin Harvick Helmet Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Darlington had what is becoming its annual throwback weekend with NASCAR’s Cup and XFINITY series each having a number of cars with paint schemes resembling those from the past. But no matter how enjoyable it is to take a look back in time, there is no time like the present for many drivers as there is now just …

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Denny Hamlin Perfects Crossover Maneuver for Darlington XFINITY Win

Nascar Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts Vfw 200 Darlington Raceway, Darlington, Sc Usa Saturday 2 September 2017 Denny Hamlin, Sportsclips Toyota Camry World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Once again, a Darlington Raceway trophy came down to the last corner for the XFINITY Series. This time, it was Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, who made contact down the backstretch on the final lap of Saturday’s VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200. That set them each up for the hardest corner of the …

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Did You Notice?: 12 NASCAR 2017 Storylines With 12 Races Left

2017 Watkins Glen Cup Matin Truex Jr Car Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

Did You Notice? … The past few days marked the last off weekend of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season? Starting Sunday at Darlington, we’ve got 12 races in a row which culminates with the crowning of the champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. In a season filled with mixed reviews, there’s still plenty of …

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Entry List: Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200

After a weekend of road course racing from Wisconsin, the final right-turn race of the season for NASCAR’s XFINITY Series it’s time to head south. They’ll visit Darlington Raceway for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 on Saturday afternoon. There are 41 cars on the preliminary entry list for this throwback event. That means one team will be …

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5 Points to Ponder: The Sharp End of the 2017 NASCAR Season

2017 Indianapolis Cup Kyle Busch Pack Racing Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

ONE: 12 to go We’re exactly two thirds of the way through the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule. 24 races are in the books leaving just 12 to go before we crown a 2017 champion. Two unique tracks, Darlington Raceway and Richmond International Raceway, await us next before the playoffs begin. Given that for many drivers, …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch Look Best but Don’t Discount Jimmie Johnson

2017 Watkins Glen Cup Martin Truex Jr Woohoo Rusty Jarrett Nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Martin Truex Jr. has been the class of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2017. He has won four races, which is the most of any driver. Truex also has dominated the new playoff point system with 35 points scored. He is also the king of stage racing with …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After (Most Of) The Regular Season

2017 Cup Richmond Zach Catanzareti Martin Truex Jr. Kyle Busch

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

How… important are stage points? Assuming Martin Truex Jr. doesn’t completely under perform at Darlington Raceway or Richmond Raceway, the No. 78 team will enter the playoffs with at least 50 total playoff points. That’s 30 more than Kyle Busch, as he had 20 playoff points. That’s going to be a huge advantage for Truex …

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2017 Frontstretch Podcast Powered by DraftKings – Episode 24: Time’s Tickin’

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Mi Usa Sunday 13 August 2017 Erik Jones, Furniture Row Racing, 5 Hour Energy Extra Strength Toyota Camry And Joey Logano, Team Penske, Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion World Copyright: Rusty Jarrett Nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

Episode 24: Time’s Tickin’ Frontstretch Podcast with Dustin Albino, Joseph Wolkin and Zach Catanzareti In this week’s episode brought to you by DraftKings, Dustin, Joseph and Zach recap Kyle Busch’s Bristol Sweep, if Erik Jones and Joey Logano can win their way into the playoffs and how the manufacturers are shaping up with one-third of the season left to run.  We also …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: No Beating Around the Busch Edition

2017 Texas I Cup Erik Jones Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

The way Kyle Busch has been going this season, it’s not really hard to believe that he pulled of his second triple header career win week at Bristol. While it can be a bit frustrating and less interesting when he is dominating the Truck and XFINITY series races he enters, the question from here on out …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kyle Busch Busts Out Broom for Second National Tour Series Sweep at Bristol

2017 Bristol Ii Nxs Kyle Busch Celebrates Lesley Ann Miller Nkp

(Photo: Lesley Ann Miller / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – There have been multiple two-race sweeps in NASCAR history, but there have only been a pair of three-race sweeps. Both of them were accomplished by Kyle Busch and the second was this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch won the first stage, led the second most laps, including 93 of …

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