Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: The Magic Mile Puts on a Show as Kevin Harvick Scores 6th Win

#4: Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing, Ford Fusion Busch Beer Celebrates After Winning Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who’s in the headline Momma, there is that man again. For the sixth time this season, Kevin Harvick made the right moves down the stretch to garner him the track position that he needed. He capitalized on that good fortune to make a late race bump and run to move from deep in the field …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NBCSN’s Kentucky NASCAR Broadcasts Earn Mixed Reviews, Ratings Decline

#78: Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing, Toyota Camry Auto Owners Insurance, #12: Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Ford Fusion Dex Imaging Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Kentucky Speedway, the spot of the latest NBCSN NASCAR telecast, has been an enigma for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.  The track was in heavy demand to be added to the Cup schedule for much of the first 10 years it was open.  Then, once they finally got a date, there was the traffic …

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Martin Truex Jr. Secures 19th Career Cup Series Pole at Kentucky

2017 Kansas I Cup Martin Truex Jr Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Defending race winner Martin Truex Jr. is off to a solid start in his quest to earn a second straight win at the Quaker State 400. Truex was fastest in the final round of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Friday (July 13) to secure his 19th career pole. It’s the fourth for him this …

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Validates Stage Racing at Daytona

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, Richmond

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Driving home from work this winter soon after agreeing to come back to Frontstretch, Tom Bowles, owner of the website, and I spent some time on the phone catching up on all the racing happenings that had elapsed between my last column with the site in 2012 and my return this season. Right at the …

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Friday Faceoff: Are Restrictor Plate Wins More Impressive Than Other Victories?

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Ricky Stenhouse Jr was vilified by a handful of other drivers for his aggressive moves in Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400. Was Stenhouse deserving of the backlash or was their anger misguided? Christian Koelle: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was really deserving of the backlash that he got. Listen I understand people saying “oh, he was just aggressively …

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Happiness Is: Numbers

2018 Pocono Cup Zach Catanzareti Martin Truex Jr

Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The major motorsport shows were all on stage this past weekend as NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar all played around, made some noise and laid some rubber — with a little bit of carnage included. Combined, all three provided an interesting, disparate and engaging display of racing and culture. That seems like a pretty good …

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Frontstretch Podcast: JJ Yeley on What Makes an Underdog

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In the latest episode of the 2018 Frontstretch Podcast, we review the weekend of demolition derby style of racing at Daytona International Speedway with Dustin Albino, Mike Neff, Zach Catanzareti and JJ Yeley, who had a pair of top-20 finishes in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series races. Erik Jones picked up his first Cup Series …

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The 10: NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings After Daytona

#34: Michael Mcdowell, Front Row Motorsports, Ford Fusion K Love Radio Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series raced the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway Saturday night. Wait, did I say race? I meant competed in a demolition derby. It had at one point seemed as if all four of the big four were going to make their way up front, but one by …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NBC, Earnhardt Do Well With Daytona Coverage

#20: Erik Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Buyatoyota.com Celebrates His Win Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Daytona International Speedway is always intriguing, no matter what happens; it’s a crown jewel for TV broadcasters.  Typically, the Coke Zero Sugar 400 starts the NBC portion of their second-half coverage.  However, due to schedule changes, it is now the second NBC race and the first on broadcast television. The biggest story Saturday night was …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Erik Jones Dips & Dives to 1st Career Victory at Daytona

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who’s in the headline Erik Jones survived the carnage Saturday night (July 7) at Daytona International Speedway. That included eight cautions in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 which involved incidents, including one that gave him damage. But Jones came back from a lap down, breezing through the draft and scored his first career win. Ricky …

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Up to Speed: Drivers go from Hero to Zero at Daytona

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: AP)

Daytona International Speedway has been a fixture in NASCAR for 60 years.  Its towering banks and high speeds have held the power to humble drivers from the very beginning. This weekend continued a long tradition at the World Center of Racing.  Drivers arrive in Daytona expressing optimism about their chances to reach Victory Lane.  While …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the Coke Zero Sugar 400

#20: Erik Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Buyatoyota.com, Celebrates In Victory Lane. Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? One of the cool things about superspeedway racing is that restrictor plates allow the cream to rise to the top when it comes to driving skill. Yes, plate racing is a skill, and sometimes drivers who struggle at other tracks shine at these events, and vice versa (yeah, …

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