Race Weekend Central

Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Does Etiquette Matter Edition

2017 Fontana Cup Kyle Larson Jamie Mcmurray Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

This season’s low down force package may have had its best results yet with Sunday afternoon’s race at Richmond. There were multiple grooves early in the race and yes, tires were a big factor, too. So when what turned out to the final caution came out, some teams gambled and stayed out while others took …

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The Big 6: Questions After 2017 Toyota Owners 400

2017 Richmond I Cup Pack Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? Kurt Busch, the 2017 Daytona 500 champion, has struggled with consistency since winning the biggest race in NASCAR two months ago. Busch hasn’t had a top 5 since, and has only four top 10s in the first nine races of the season. On Sunday, Busch had a much …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Logano Pulls Richmond Robbery From Keselowski, Kenseth

2017 Richmond I Cup Joey Logano Confetti Rusty Jarrett Nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett / NKP)

Who’s In The Headline It took pit strategy to get Joey Logano up front at Richmond International Raceway, but no one on the No. 22 team is complaining this Monday morning. Not when you have a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series trophy on your mantle. After a late caution, while restarting behind cars that stayed on …

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Joey Logano Wins a Hot One at Richmond

2017 Cup Richmond Zach Catanzareti Joey Logano

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Following the green flag, Joey Logano wasn’t the Team Penske car expected to take the win Sunday at Richmond International Raceway. With teammate Brad Keselowski leading 109 laps in the Toyota Owners 400, Logano, instead took the victory after pit strategy mixed up the top runners. For Logano, the win is the first of 2017, …

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NASCAR’s Top Talent Scouts: Who’s Got the No. 1 Draft Pick?

2016 Daytona Ii Cup Brad Keselowski Joey Logano Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. news cycle finally got trumped in the sporting world by Thursday night’s NFL draft. As you read this, stories are popping up over names like Mitch Trubisky, Jabrill Peppers and I-can’t-remember-his-name-but-god-he-better-help-my-team. It’s a reminder for all that life must go on. At Hendrick Motorsports, those words ring truer than ever as it …

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The 10: NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings After Bristol

2017 Bristol I Cup Joey Logano Pack Racing John K Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series hit the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday for the Food City 500. Or at least, that was the plan initially. But April showers brought Monday horsepower, as the race was washed out for the weekend and postponed to Monday afternoon. It was disappointing for those race …

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The 10: NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings After Texas

2017 Texas I Cup Jimmie Johnson Burnout Lagan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Lagan Whitton / NKP)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series two-stepped into the wide open spaces of Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Or, shall we say, the wider open spaces. The track was repaved since the tour last visited the 1.5-mile quad-oval, and, among other enhancements, the racing surface in Turns 1 and 2 was widened by about 20 …

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Five Points to Ponder: Millennials, Champions and Ninja Warriors

2017 Texas I Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Matt Kenseth Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

ONE: Next Up, Easter After seven straight weeks of competition in the 2017 Cup Series season, we hit the first off weekend of the season a little later than last year as we celebrate Easter. So what have we learned so far? First things first, the Penske Fords are fast – lightning. Joey Logano might …

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The 10: NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings After Martinsville

2017 Martinsville Cup Zach Catanzareti Brad Keselowski

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams rolled into Martinsville Speedway last weekend for the first short track race of 2017. As is always the case, a field of pristine, hand built cars started the race. Then, their drivers promptly beat against, leaned on and slammed into each other until nearly all of them looked …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Brad Keselowski Survives Beating, Banging and Trading Paint to Win Martinsville

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Who’s in the headline – Rusty Wallace won at Martinsville Speedway six times drivng for Roger Penske. He last won a grandfather clock for Penske in 2004. Since then, it had been an agonizing drought for Team Penske. Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski have both come very close in Southern Virginia, but failed to seal …

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The 10: NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings After Fontana

2017 Fontana Nxs Kyle Larson Woohoo Rusty Jarrett Nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett / NKP)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series went Hollywood this weekend for its annual visit to Fontana, CA. The stars were were out and the red carpet dazzled with NASCAR’s best. But it was California’s own Kyle Larson who stole the show. Larson stuck to his script and delivered an award-winning performance. The Chip Ganassi Racing …

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Beside the Rising Tide: NASCAR Goes West, Ratings Head South

2016 Fontana Nxs Pack Racing Ii Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Go west young man, haven’t you been told? California’s full of whiskey, women and gold -Toby Keith (Should’ve Been a Cowboy) It had to be tempting to a young man back in the mid-19th century. For those who worked as a longshoreman, apprentice, mucking stables or endless hours at the family store, tales of streams …

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