Race Weekend Central

The Big 6: Questions Answered After The 2017 Coke Zero 400

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, Daytona

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Who… gets the shoutout of the race? Brendan Gaughan had another great showing at Daytona International Speedway for Beard Motorsports, backing up his 11th-place finish in February with a seventh on Saturday night. Gaughan had an up-and-down night, running in the top 10 at various points, but also having a single-car incident in Turn 2 on …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Survives the Daytona Pandemonium For Second Career Victory

Rfr Leading Daytona

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – It took Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 157 races to visit Victory Lane for the first time. It only took eight more to make a return trip. Stenhouse made a late-race pass coming to the white flag and held off the competition to lead the final two laps to score the victory. …

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NASCAR Opportunity Lost: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. With The Steal

Stenhouse Daytona Win

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

As the laps wound down at Daytona International Speedway Saturday night, the leaderboard of NASCAR’s Coke Zero 400 read like a Who’s Who of Cinderella stories. You had David Ragan in the lead, running for a Front Row Motorsports team that struggles to crack the top 25 most weeks. Other names in contention included rookie Ty Dillon, Paul …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR Forecast Powered by DraftKings: Coke Zero 400 Preview

2017 Daytona Cup Zach Catanzareti Dale Earnhardt Jr.

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The daily fantasy NASCAR train is heading down south to Daytona this week. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400 this Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. ET. Cars hit the track today at 3:00 p.m. for first practice while Coors Light Pole Qualifying takes place Friday …

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NASCAR Mailbox: The Sport’s New Generation is Starting to Win Everything

2017 Pocono Cup Zach Catanzareti Ryan Blaney Erik Jones

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Three of the last five races in NASCAR’s premier division have witnessed first-time winners pulling into Victory Lane. As remarkable of an accomplishment as that is, it marks the start of what senior NASCAR executives have been waiting for. The newest generation of the sport is arriving at the right time. As Dale Earnhardt Jr. …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Looking Back On FOX’s Drivers Only Broadcast

2017 Kansas I Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Greetings, race fans.  Last weekend was a very interesting and tiring time at Pocono Raceway.  As you can imagine, the primary source of discussion in TV land was the drivers-only broadcast of Saturday’s Pocono Green 250. Since this event was such a big deal, I will be focusing solely on that broadcast.  Don’t worry, I …

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Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Big Names Out Early At Dover

2017 Dover Cup Zach Catanzareti Brad Keselowski

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The Monster Mile reached out and bit early and often in the AAA 400. Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race saw Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Brad Keselowski head to the garage after less than 70 laps. Stenhouse was the victim of tire problems; he clobbered the wall not once, but twice. It’s the second DNF …

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Daily Fantasy Forecast Powered by DraftKings: Coca-Cola 600 Preview

2017 Fontana Cup Martin Truex Jr Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

This week’s daily fantasy tackles the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series as they head to Charlotte Motor Speedway. One of the sport’s crown jewels, the Coca-Cola 600, will run Sunday night at 6 p.m. Cars hit the track on Thursday at 2 p.m. for first practice; Coors Light Pole Qualifying begins at 7:15. Here are nine drivers to …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: FOX Struggles to Find All-Star Feel

2017 Charlotte All Star Cup Kevin Harvick Kyle Busch Pack Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Last weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series descended onto Charlotte Motor Speedway for the annual All-Star festivities.  New gimmicks were in play and they did next to nothing to change the action.  More on that a little later. Before we get into the races themselves, I have to talk about …

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FOX Sports Announces Drivers-Only Broadcast at Pocono XFINITY Race

2017 Las Vegas Cup Kevin Harvick Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Your favorite Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers are coming to the broadcast booth. And pit road, for that matter. On Friday (May 19), FOX Sports announced that the broadcast of the XFINITY Series Pocono Green 250 at Pocono Raceway on June 10 will be a special drivers-only broadcast.  That means all aspects of on-air …

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The 10: NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings After Kansas

2017 Kansas I Cup Martin Turex Jr Burnout Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series invaded the heartland this weekend to run the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway. For Martin Truex Jr., the visit finally gave him the win that had so mercilessly eluded the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota team the prior two years. Truex tore through the …

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4 Burning Questions: Will Clint Bowyer End Winless Drought at Home Track?

Clint Bowyer

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Will Clint Bowyer End Winless Drought at Home? Bad news: Kansas Speedway lost one of its home track racers in Carl Edwards. Good news: Clint Bowyer isn’t going anywhere any time soon. They call him Kansas Clint because his hometown of Emporia, Kansas, is about 100 miles south of the speedway. The 37-year-old is known as …

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