Race Weekend Central

Friday Faceoff: Crime and Punishment, Chapters 2, 3 & 4

2017 Phoenix I Cup Brad Keselowski Car Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

1. NASCAR announced heavy penalties for Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 teams this week, including a 35-point deduction and a three-week suspension for crew chief Paul Wolfe,  after the car failed post-race weights and measures at Phoenix International Raceway. The No. 4 team of Kevin Harvick also got hit with a one-race suspension for crew …

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The Underdog House: Assessing The I-Word For Small NASCAR Teams

2017 Atlanta Cup Michael Mcdowell Car Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Think Small One of the words you’ll see a lot of in this column is improvement.  It’s really the name of the game for most of these teams.  For some (Wood Brothers Racing, Germain Racing, JTG Daugherty Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports come to mind), there’s potential to improve performance to at least the level …

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Holding A Pretty Wheel: 2 Decades and That Day

It’s hard for me to believe it will be 20 years this summer since the day that irrevocably changed me, but there it is. Almost half my life, though I’d like to fib and say it’s been most of it, or something, because otherwise I feel old. I was a couple years out of school …

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Friday Faceoff: NASCAR Surprises and Disappointments

Chris Buescher Jimmie Johnson Trevor Bayne Daytona Cup 2017 Bruce Nuttleman

(Photo: Bruce Nuttleman)

NASCAR did not issue any penalties to Kyle Busch, Joey Logano or the crewmen involved in Sunday’s post-race pit road brawl.  Was this the right call, or should there have been some form of punishment? Amy Henderson: There should have been penalties in the form of fines and probation for Busch and suspensions for the …

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Frontstretch 5: Questions To Ask for NASCAR 2017… So Far

1. Is the guard changing before our eyes? Brad Keselowski is on top of the point standings three races into 2017, and there are some other veterans in the top 10 as well: Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray have been around the track a few times. But take …

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The Underdog House: 5 Small Teams to Watch in 2017

Think Small For the teams in this group, there is a bit of a race within the race each weekend, with bragging rights among their true peers on the line. It’s also a better gauge of how they’re doing to compare themselves with others on similar budgets than to compare numbers with Hendrick Motorsports or …

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Friday Faceoff: Is NASCAR Letting Cheaters Prosper?

2017 Atlanta Nxs Kyle Busch Checkered Flag Matthew T Thacker Nkp

AJ Allmendinger was hit hard with penalties from having three loose lug nuts in Atlanta, with a loss of 35 points, fines, and a three-race suspension for crew chief Randall Burnett.  Too much or in line? Frank Velat, Staff Writer: It’s spelled out very clearly what will happen when lug nut violations are discovered. Whether …

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Frontstretch 5: 2017 NASCAR Rules that Need a Closer Look

2016 Kansas Ii Cup Matt Kenseth Kyle Busch Racing Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Streamlined penalties with immediate consequences NASCAR cut its tiered penalty system to two levels and, in general, clarified several points, drawing clear lines in the sand for things like loose lugnuts depending on the number left loose.  There are also now more immediate weekend penalties for inspection issues.  Teams that fail one station now have to …

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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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Friday Face-off: What Was to Blame for Daytona Carnage?

Kyle Busch Erik Jones Matt Kenseth Daytona

(Photo: Bruce Nuttleman)

This year’s Daytona 500 saw 15 drivers fail to finish due to wrecks. Is that the result of plate racing, the segments, simply coincidence or… what? Is the damage clock the right length or do you think that was also the culprit? Amy Henderson, Senior Editor: In the 500, it was plate racing more than …

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The Frontstretch 5: Memorable Moments from Atlanta

1992 Hooters 500 – the 500 stands for compelling stories How could this race not end up on top?  There were so many storylines that day: Richard Petty’s last race, Jeff Gordon’s first and six drivers with a mathematical chance at the ’92 Cup title, including what amounted to a David vs. Goliath showdown for all …

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