Race Weekend Central

4 Burning Questions: Will Focus Be on Pit Road or the Racetrack in Vegas?

2015 Nascar Fontana Jennifer Coleman Nkp Pit Road

(Photo: Jennifer Coleman NKP)

Will Focus Be on Pit Road or the Racetrack in Las Vegas? AJ Allmendinger officially scored negative 24 points last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. None of us enjoy seeing penalties on the forefront of weekly discussion, but it is there again. From the Camping World Truck Series to XFINITY to Cup, Atlanta kept us …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR’s Intermediate Track Blues

2017 Atlanta Cup Matt Dibenedetto Car

Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP

Think Small It can be said that the real NASCAR season starts at Atlanta. The Intermediate track season kicked off last weekend and the results were fairly predictable of the small teams this week.  In general at a 1.5 to 2-mile track, these teams struggle to keep up.  You might see a couple of teams …

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Ty Dillon: ‘It was Frustrating that I Was Not Getting the Opportunity with My Family Team’

2017 Cup Charlotte Media Tour Zach Catanzareti Ty Dillon

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Growing up around fast cars and burning rubber, Ty Dillon has finally made it full-time to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, yet it didn’t come without some adversity. Entering his rookie campaign, Dillon already had a half-year of experience in the Cup Series, giving him a leg up on Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones, his …

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The Underdog House: Small Teams Thriving and Surviving in Daytona

2017 Daytona Cup Zach Catanzareti Joey Gase Bk Racing Corey Lajoie

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Think Small Well, Daytona is in the rearview mirror. Depending on who you ask, that’s either a real bummer or can’t come too soon, depending on how the race went. The thing about plate tracks is that they’re such an opportunity for teams to compete—if they’re lucky and avoid trouble.  They can also become exercises …

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Kyle Busch Cut Tire Causes Melee in Daytona 500

Kyle Busch Erik Jones Matt Kenseth Daytona

(Photo: Bruce Nuttleman)

The first half of the Daytona 500 avoided the big wreck. The second half? It took just four laps. On Lap 104 in the 59th Great American Race, Kyle Busch‘s right rear tire went down right in front of a crowd of racecars. Busch, winner of the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stage had no warning …

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4 Burning Questions: Will Hendrick Motorsports Keep It Straight in Daytona 500?

2016 Daytona Ii Cup Jimmie Johnson Dale Earnhardt Jr Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade NKP)

Will Hendrick Motorsports Keep It Straight in Daytona 500? The dubious tone from Dale Earnhardt Jr. during Sunday (Feb. 19)’s Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway spoke volumes about how the rest of Speedweeks may go for Hendrick Motorsports. Despite sweeping the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500, single-car speed doesn’t seem to …

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NASCAR 101: Your Cheat Sheet to Cup Series’ Team & Driver Changes

Clint Bowyer 2017 Daytona

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

Good lord, is it really that time of year again? Despite an offseason that frankly felt like a four-week break, it is indeed true: NASCAR racing is back, and even though you just now figured out who Kaulig Racing is and finally learned how to spell half the new Camping World Truck Series drivers’ names, too bad, …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not: Bring On NASCAR 2017

Johnson Larson Patrick Daytona

It’s true NASCAR has the shortest offseason of any major sport. But really, why does it seem like forever between the season finale at Homestead and the start of Daytona Speedweeks? It’s just 90 days, far shorter than the end of the Super Bowl and the start of NFL Training Camps midsummer. For me, the …

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Ty Dillon: ‘It’s Nice to Have My Own Identity’ with Germain Racing

2017 Cup Charlotte Media Tour Zach Catanzareti Ty Dillon

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Though Germain Racing has a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, the No. 13 team is still a single-car operation. Incoming rookie Ty Dillon replaces veteran Casey Mears in the GEICO Chevrolet for 2017 and will attack his first full-time season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Dillon, coming off three years of XFINITY Series …

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Friday Faceoff: Who’s the Top NASCAR Rookie For 2017?

2016 Xfinity Iowa

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Carl Edwards pulled off a move that shocked the racing community, announcing he’ll step away from NASCAR competition full-time.  If Edwards has really hung ’em up for good, what is his legacy in the sport?  Is he a future Hall of Famer? Amy Henderson, Senior Editor: I think he goes down as one of the …

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Friday Faceoff: What’s on NASCAR’s Horizon?

Nascar Champions Portraits

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

NASCAR announced Monster Energy as the new entitlement sponsor in its premier series, replacing Sprint.  Will Monster be a good fit for the series moving forward? Mark Howell, Senior Writer: Based on Monster’s (pardon the pun) track record in motorsports, the affiliation with NASCAR’s premier series will be a successful one. Based on sight of …

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Ty Dillon Moves to Germain Racing for 2017

2016 Chicago Nxs Ty Dillon Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Ty Dillon has found a home for his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie season in 2017. The driver, younger brother of current Cup Series regular Austin Dillon, will pilot Germain Racing’s No. 13 in the series beginning in 2017, the team announced in a press release Monday, Nov. 28. Dillon will replace Casey Mears, who …

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