Race Weekend Central

IndyCar Techbench Tuesday: Texas Motor Speedway

Scott Dixon pitting at the 2020 Genesys 300 at Texas

(Photo by Joe Skibinski/INDYCAR)

The NTT IndyCar Series’s first oval visit of the 2021 season is a doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) with the Genesys 300 on Saturday (May 1) and the XPEL 375 on Sunday (May 2). This is the first doubleheader Texas has hosted since the twin races in 2011 and since then, a lot has …

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Beyond the Cockpit: Patrick Carpentier on Danger, Success & Why He Races

Patrick Carpentier, racing the Indianapolis 500 in 2005, starting from pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and winning five times in CART during one of its darkest times, is quite appreciative of his time in the spotlight. Growing up in Quebec, Canada, the now-44- year-old made an unlikely return to the Sprint Cup stage …

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The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR’s Small Teams From Indy to Pocono

2016 Indianapolis Cup Patrick Carpentier Car Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Indianapolis represented a mixed bag for the small teams this week, with finishes ranging from 14th for rookie Chris Buescher to 40th for Matt DiBenedetto, thanks to an untimely engine expiration.  Indy is a tough track for teams that are a step or two behind the elite teams in both handling and horsepower, and next …

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NASCAR 101: Recent Road Ringers Who Actually Made An Impact

2015 Sonoma Cup Pack Racing Credit Danny Peters

(Photo: Danny Peters, Frontstretch)

It’s been a slow descent for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series from having bona fide, competitive road course ringers entered in its events at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International, to continuing to buy into the illusion that said ringers still had a shot at a top five, let alone a win, at one of …

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Patrick Carpentier to Return to Sprint Cup with Go FAS Racing

2016 Las Vegas Cup Jeffrey Earnhardt Car Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Patrick Carpentier will return to Sprint Cup Series competition this season at Sonoma Raceway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Go FAS Racing and its  No. 32 Ford. The 44-year-old Canadian last made a Sprint Cup start in 2011 at Kansas Speedway, finishing 30th for Frank Stoddard. “Even if I say that I’m retired, I could not …

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Bubble Breakdown: Who’s In & Who’s Out of Top 35 Entering Uncertain 2010 NASCAR Offseason

With the bubble points battle all but locked up, it was time for NASCAR teams to let it all hang out and end their 2010 campaigns on a high note.

Bubble Breakdown: Elliott Sadler Bounces Back After Brutal Pocono Wreck, Top-35 Notes

This week’s big gainer was Elliott Sadler, who finally picked up his first top-10 finish of 2010, ending a drought that extended back to last fall at Talladega.