Race Weekend Central

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Wins First Career Cup Series Race on Last Lap Pass

2016 Daytona Ii Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Car Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Beginning from the pole of the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led the opening 13 laps before getting shuffled out of line. With 29 laps to go, he got into the rear of Ryan Blaney, sending the No. 21 car around. But then he charged to the front. On a green-white-checkered finish …

Read more

Stenhouse Takes Cup Series Pole at Talladega

2016 Pocono I Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: NIgel Kinrade/NKP)

It’s been a long time, but Roush Fenway Racing and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are climbing up the Cup Series ladder once again. Stenhouse earned just his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career pole and first since his rookie season of 2013 Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. In qualifying late Saturday afternoon, he positioned a surging RFR to …

Read more

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 …

Read more

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 …

Read more

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Rebounds from Early Crash, Earns Top-Five Finish

2017 Cup Richmond Zach Catanzareti Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. started off the weekend at Richmond International Raceway about as best as he could, qualifying fourth on Friday. It didn’t take long into the 400-lap race, that he knew the No. 17 car was one of the best machines he had all season. On Lap 67, the weekend took a turn for …

Read more

Matt Kenseth Gets His Season on the Right Track, Wins Pole at Richmond

2017 Atlanta Cup Matt Kenseth Vertical Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/ NKP)

Entering the ninth race of the 2017 season, Matt Kenseth sits 20th in the championship standings, recording four top 10 finishes, but also having three finishes of 36th or worse. During qualifying at Richmond International Raceway on Friday, Kenseth won the pole, with a lap of 121.076 mph, hoping it can kick start his year. …

Read more

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 …

Read more

Up to Speed: Opportunity Knocks for Roush-Fenway Racing

2017 Fontana Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Trevor Bayne Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Five years ago, seven races into the 2012 season, Roush-Fenway Racing looked like the team to beat for the championship. Greg Biffle had just captured his first win of the season at Texas Motor Speedway, breaking a 49-race winless streak and allowing him to extend his points lead. Matt Kenseth was Biffle’s closest pursuer in points …

Read more

Friday Faceoff: Will Pre-Race Fights Bring Fans to the Stands?

2015 Texas Motor Speedway Cup Nascar Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Kurt Busch started the year with the biggest win in his career. But ever since, he’s been struggling. What is going on with the No. 41 team? Vito Pugliese: Either a Daytona 500 hangover, or going headfirst into R&D mode having made a change from Chevrolet to Ford in the offseason. Having back to back …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Short Track, Shorter Tempers Edition

NASCAR Brad Keselowski Kyle Busch

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Sunday we got a reminder of what it is like to see racing at a non-cookie cutter track, one that has personality like Martinsville does. And what happens when you race at a track with an attitude, is that you get to see the attitudes of the drivers due to many circumstances. It seems the …

Read more

Pace Laps: Martinsville Madness, NHRA Rookies and Fernando Alonso’s Frustration

2017 Martinsville Cup Zach Catanzareti Brad Keselowski

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: It’s just how we like it – Sunday’s STP 500 somehow was able to give us every aspect, challenge, up, down and turnaround that makes Martinsville Speedway what it is. As fans sat with their hot dogs in hand, the 38-driver Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race put on a show in …

Read more

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 …

Read more