Race Weekend Central

5 Points to Ponder: 9 Races Into NASCAR 2019

2016 Cup Homestead Miami Speedway Joe Gibbs Roger Penske Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

ONE: NASCAR 2019 = 2-Team Tandem At The Top Forget NASCAR’s Big Three. This year, it’s the Big Two (owners, that is) leading the way in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske have flat out dominated the first nine races of the season. Ryan Blaney (Penske) and Erik Jones …

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Martin Truex Jr. Earns First NASCAR Short Track Victory in 2019 Toyota Owners 400

2019 Las Vegas I Cup Martin Truex Jr Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

On his 81st short track start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Martin Truex Jr. would not be denied. Truex held off three challengers beating on his rear bumper to score the victory Saturday (April 13) in the 2019 Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. “The short track win, everyone kept asking me when …

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Did You Notice?: The 2019 NASCAR Playoffs Are Already Coming Into Focus?

2018 Homestead Cup Zach Catanzareti Joey Logano

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Did You Notice? … The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture is taking shape? It’s hard to believe but we’re already eight races into 2019. If the regular season was just one big race, stage one would be wrapping up sometime during the middle of Saturday night’s showdown at Richmond Raceway. What do we know …

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Kyle Busch Recovers From Early Wreck, Bests Brother To Win 2019 Food City 500

2019 Bristol Zach Catanzareti Cup Kyle Busch

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

A wreck one lap into the Food City 500. A crushed rear bumper. Fighting nearly 500 laps to gain track position. None of that tough luck could deter Kyle Busch at Bristol Motor Speedway from another Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. Busch took control after the final restart on Sunday (April 7) at Bristol …

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Did You Notice?: 2019 NASCAR Parity Is Here… It’s Just Misplaced

#22: Joey Logano, Team Penske, Ford Mustang Pennzoil, #2: Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, Ford Mustang Discount Tire And #12: Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Ford Mustang Menards/pennzoil Ford Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, March 2019. (Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice?… NASCAR’s parity problem? The new, low-horsepower handling package at intermediate tracks combined with several new 2019 rules have been designed to bring the field closer together. In many ways, the field is tighter than ever. But that parity has occurred within teams rather than the full 40-car field itself. Seven races in, just two organizations have won …

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Denny Hamlin Surges Ahead, Wins 2019 O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 When Busch Breaks Loose

2019 Cup Texas Denny Hamlin Victory Lane Rick Lunkenheimer

(Photo: Rick Lunkenheimer)

Pit road speeding. Uncontrolled tire. Two pit road penalties couldn’t stop Denny Hamlin from ending Sunday with two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins after the 2019 O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. Hamlin took control after the final pit stops at Texas Motor Speedway and cruised to a 2.7-second victory over Clint Bowyer. The No. 11 …

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Did You Notice?: A NASCAR 2020 Schedule Shakeup That’s a Precursor of What’s to Come

2019 Phoenix I Cup Ryan Blaney Pack Racing Nkp

Did You Notice? … The 2020 NASCAR schedule brings with it real, meaningful change? It’s just the tip of the iceberg for an overhaul that could be even larger come 2021. For now, the 36-race schedule kept all tracks signed under the current five-year sanctioning agreement that expires at the end of the 2020 season. But …

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Did You Notice?: NASCAR’s 2019 Daytona Dreams Realized… Or Forgotten?

2019 Phoenix I Cup Matt Dibenedetto Nkp

(Photo: NKP)

Did You Notice? … We’re now five races into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season? The sport’s new handling package, qualifying debacles and Kyle Busch’s 200 have stolen the headlines since Daytona Speedweeks. It seems like a lifetime ago Denny Hamlin was celebrating in Victory Lane for the Daytona 500. But Hamlin has taken a …

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200 & Counting: Kyle Busch Ties Richard Petty, Dominates Auto Club 400

#18: Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Interstate Batteries

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Kyle Busch and Richard Petty are from two different NASCAR eras. Their accomplishments can be awkward to compare. But after Sunday’s (March 17) Auto Club 400, they now stand alone as the only drivers with 200 career victories in the sport’s top three series. Busch reached the milestone with a dominant Monster Energy NASCAR Cup …

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Did You Notice?: NASCAR 2019 Sees Cream Rise To The Top As Championship 4 Still In Control

2019 Cup Daytona Zach Catanzareti Joey Logano

2019 Advance Auto Parts Clash, Daytona International Speedway. (Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Did You Notice? … Four races into the 2019 season, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has the same four drivers in position to repeat. The sport’s reigning champion Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. remain the best positioned to get back to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and compete for …

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Kyle Busch Completes NASCAR Phoenix Sweep with TicketGuardian 500 Win

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Ticketguardian 500 Ism Raceway, Phoenix, Az Usa Friday 9 March 2018 Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Skittles Sweet Heat World Copyright: Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

Kyle Busch is one win away from making history. Busch captured his 199th race in NASCAR’s top three series, finishing off a weekend sweep with a 1.2-second win in Sunday’s (March 10) TicketGuardian 500. Busch took control during the final stretch at ISM Raceway, passing Ryan Blaney with 17 laps remaining. He then went into …

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Did You Notice?: NASCAR Pit Road Penalties Making An Impact Early In 2019

Pit Road, Pre Race, Sonoma 2018

PC: Danny Peters

Did You Notice? … How NASCAR officials have made a big impact thus far in 2019 with calling pit road violations? You could argue in the past two races speeding penalties have cost the two fastest cars in those events, Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch, a trip to Victory Lane. A simple touch of the ground …

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