Race Weekend Central

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Championship Edition

2017 Kansas I Cup Danica Patrick Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

As often happens in all levels of different sports, the team (and in this case the driver) that was the best for the whole season ended up winning the title. Martin Truex, Jr. capped off a truly storybook season on the track with his eighth victory of the season Sunday at Miami-Homestead. He was a …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Homestead-Miami Edition

2017 Chicago Cup Matt Kenseth Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Who’s hot in NASCAR this week? How about NASCAR itself. As the final laps wound down in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix late Sunday afternoon, the drama heated up. There were all kinds of scenarios in play to determine just which driver would be the last to race for the title …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: The Closer Returns Edition

9 10 September, 2016, Richmond, Virginia Usa Kevin Harvick And Rodney Childers © 2016, Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

While what happened in the final laps of Sunday’s race at Texas was plenty interesting, the actual race to make the championship four got a bit less interesting heading into the next and final elimination race at Phoenix this coming Sunday. While anything can happen in racing, the chances of high drama in Arizona will …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Halloween Trick or Treat Edition

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, New Hampshire

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Halloween came a couple of days early for drivers and teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Sunday. It seemed once the new lights at the half-mile paperclip oval turned on, so did the intensity as the laps began to wind down. Whether it was a trick, a treat, or somewhere …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Elimination and Advancement Edition

2017 Kansas Ii Cup Martin Truex Jr Woohoo John K Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

Maybe Sunday’s race at Kansas is an example of why NASCAR shifted its schedule to make this an elimination race. The normally snoozish 1.5-miler at least had the added drama of seeing drivers eliminated, or advancing, into the final eight of the playoff rounds. Unfortunately, NASCAR can’t do this at all of its 1.5-milers, but …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Talladega Demolition Derby Edition

2017 Talladega Cup Kyle Busch Brad Keselowski Pack Racing John K Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

If you were looking for a wild and crazy restrictor plate race at Talladega Superspeedway sometime Sunday afternoon/early evening, you got it. If it wasn’t quite the type of racing you were hoping for … well, you’ll just have to deal with it, just like many drivers and teams are doing. Though Talladega is no …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Charlotte Edition

Chase Elliot Charlotte Cup Fall 2017 Yvonne Leonard

(Photo: Yvonne Leonard)

The rain may have stayed away from Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon, but Martin Truex Jr. couldn’t stay away from Victory Lane. Truex just reinforced the idea of what most in NASCAR already know: He is a virtual lock to be one of the Championship 4 in the final race at Homestead. That’s not to say …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Dover Edition

Chase Elliott Dover

(Photo: John K Harrelson / NKP)

Just when it looked like Dover might produce something historic, like a young driver’s first win, Miles The Monster let someone else ruin the fun on Sunday. It was Kyle Busch who pulled an epic robbery, passing Chase Elliott . Well, “ruin” might be a strong word as Busch was just doing his job of trying …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not: The Late Edition

2017 Loudon Cup Erik Jones Car Phil Allaway

(Photo: Phil Allaway)

Sometimes circumstances happen that are completely out of your control that prevents you from doing something you enjoy. That’s the case with the late version of this week’s column and that was the case with a few drivers during Sunday’s race at Hampshire, who would’ve much rather finished up front rather than in the back. …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Blues Brothers Edition

2017 Watkins Glen Cup Martin Truex Jr Cole Pearn Celebrating Rusty Jarrett Nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

NASCAR’s version of the playoffs began Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. But if you were looking for some kind of markedly different outcome than what you have seen for much of the season, you came away feeling a little blue. That’s unless you are a Martin Truex Jr. fan, of course. In that case, there are plenty …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Leading Laps Edition

2017 Richmond Ii Cup Martin Truex Jr Kyle Larson Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

NASCAR’s version of the playoffs is here starting this week at Chicagoland Speedway. But the playoffs for some were this past Saturday night in Richmond. None of on the outside of the playoff picture were able to photobomb that picture and steal a little attention to those already in at the start of the night. …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Throwback Edition

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Kevin Harvick Helmet Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Darlington had what is becoming its annual throwback weekend with NASCAR’s Cup and XFINITY series each having a number of cars with paint schemes resembling those from the past. But no matter how enjoyable it is to take a look back in time, there is no time like the present for many drivers as there is now just …

Read more