Race Weekend Central

Friday Faceoff: Which Rookie Is Top of the Class?

2017 Phoenix I Cup Erik Jones Jimmie Johnson Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

In the days leading up to Matt Kenseth’s announcement of a six-race sponsorship deal with Circle K Wednesday, some speculated that the announcement would concern the driver’s imminent retirement. He may not be stepping aside any time soon, but realistically, how much time does Kenseth have? Matteo Marcheschi: Matt Kenseth doesn’t have long. While he has earned …

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Joe Gibbs Racing Announces Primary Sponsor Circle K for Matt Kenseth

2017 Fontana Cup Matt Kenseth Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

In a much anticipated announcement on Wednesday, Joe Gibbs Racing revealed a new sponsor for driver Matt Kenseth and the No. 20 Toyota team. Circle K, one of the nation’s largest convenience and fuel retailers, will make the leap into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for the first time in the primary sponsorship role. …

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5 Points to Ponder: NASCAR Seven Races Into 2017

2016 Indianapolis Cup Danica Patrick Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist/NKP)

ONE: Toyota’s Tough Start Toyota, coming off its first NASCAR Cup manufacturer’s title, has tumbled out of the gate in 2017. Just two drivers – Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch – sit inside the top 10 in points, and only Truex has earned a victory thus far this season. Joe Gibbs Racing in particular has …

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NASCAR Mailbox: Is Matt Kenseth Washed Up?

2016 Chicago Cup Matt Kenseth Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Happy holiday season! This week, whether it’s Passover, Easter or simply Spring Break for you non-religious folk, everyone seems to be enjoying some hard-earned time off. Just take a look at Twitter and you can see many NASCAR faithful vacationing on some beach somewhere. The Easter bunny provides an opportunity not just for chocolate eggs …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Never Count Him Out Edition

2017 Fontana Cup Ryan Blaney Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

It almost seems like an annual rite of passage in these early stages of the Cup Series season. What’s wrong with the No. 48 team? Is Jimmie Johnson finally past his prime? Is this the year the now-seven time champion becomes an also ran as he winds down his career? Well, we got the answer …

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Tech Talk: Tires, Shocks & Unknowns with Jason Ratcliff

Nascar 2017 Cup Jason Ratcliff Matt Kenseth Nascar (photo: Nigel Kinrade / Nkp)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Coming off a challenging weekend at Martinsville Speedway, where qualifying was canceled and teams had to start on points, Jason Ratcliff and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team for Matt Kenseth had to battle hard but managed to overcome that initial deficit to come home in ninth. The outside groove came in and made …

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Daily Fantasy Forecast: O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Preview

2016 Loudon I Cup Jimmie Johnson Helmet Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

The seventh stop on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit comes Sunday in Fort Worth. The green flag rolls off after 1:30 p.m. ET at Texas Motor Speedway for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. MENCS teams hit the track Friday at noon ET for practice and then 6:15 p.m. ET for Coors Light Pole …

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Frontstretch Podcast – 2017 Episode 6: NASCAR Millennials

2017 Martinsville Cup Zach Catanzareti Kyle Larson

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Episode 6: NASCAR Millennials with Matt Stallknecht, Tom Bowles, and Danny Peters This week’s topics include: Evaluating “what went right” in a successful Martinsville weekend for NASCAR First-quarter look at NASCAR’s health through six races Discussing why Martinsville has faced attendance struggles Getting to the bottom of why millennials are flocking to NASCAR Preview of …

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4 Burning Questions: Will Kyle Larson Bring Dominance to Martinsville?

2017 Auto Club Kyle Larson Cup Russell Labounty / Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

1. Kyle Larson: Will the Kid Keep It Going? Kyle Larson is in a special place as a racecar driver. He can win every week. We all know anything can happen on Sunday, but this guy was only a few close breaks away from having six consecutive wins in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. …

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Did You Notice? … NASCAR’s Old Dogs Not Learning New Tricks

2016 Cup Homestead Miami Speedway Zach Catanzareti Jimmie Johnson Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Did You Notice? … The sport’s oldest drivers are the ones having the hardest transition into NASCAR’s new point system? Matt Kenseth (45), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (42), and Jimmie Johnson (41) are the three oldest competing full-time. (Sorry, Derrike Cope. 1990 was a loooong time ago.) The trio, despite being competitive at times has come up …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Second Chance Edition

2017 Las Vegas Cup Clint Bowyer Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

We saw a lot of Kyle Larson and Martin Truex, Jr. up front during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at California’s Auto Club Speedway. But what we had not seen this year, and only once before, was Larson finishing up front. Larson’s second career victory put to rest a series of oh-so-close second-place finishes to …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kyle Larson Takes Final Step to Second Career Victory at Fontana

Kyle Larson Win

2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA USA Sunday 26 March 2017 Kyle Larson celebrates his win in Victory Lane World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade/NKP

Who’s in the headline – Kyle Larson had been knocking on the door of a second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win all season with three consecutive second-place finishes. He took the final step Sunday after winning the pole on Friday. Larson won the first stage, finished second in the second stage, led the most …

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