Race Weekend Central

Happiness Is: Stage Racing At Its Finest

2017 Pocono Cup Zach Catanzareti Kyle Busch

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

This past weekend was chock-full o’ racing, with NASCAR hosting three events, IndyCar in action accompanying the Trucks in Texas and Formula 1 making its annual appearance in Canada.  That meant there should have been something for everyone.  And if not, well what are you doing hanging around a motorsport site? Each race had its …

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Happiness Is: Criticism, Arguments & Mettle

2017 Dover I Cup Jimmie Johnson Happy Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

This past weekend at Dover International Speedway was a crash course in, well, crashing.  Sheet metal suppliers must have been in love with the races, if that’s what you want to call them, because for much of each event they resembled demolition derbies rather than examples of racing par excellence.   Blame it on whatever …

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Happiness Is…: Moving On from the Best Day in Motorsport

Austin Dillon Crew Celebration Charlotte Cup 2017 Yvonne Leonard

(Photo: Yvonne Leonard)

This past Sunday marked a wonderful day in motorsport with Formula 1, IndyCar, and NASCAR all putting on varied shows.  In many ways, the culmination of all three races and 1200+ miles of racing showed that everything can happen, from the seemingly mundane to the incredibly fortunate.  The race leading the day turned out to …

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Happiness Is…: The Best Day in Motorsports

2017 Charlotte All Star Cup Kevin Harvick Kyle Busch Pack Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

This weekend marks the annual best day in motorsports.  Sunday features three crown jewel events, beginning with the Monaco Grand Prix, followed by the Indianapolis 500 and capped by the Coca-Cola 600.  That’s a full, long and storied day of racing, yet according to people at Nielsen, only two percent of U.S. viewers will bother …

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Happiness Is: Testing, Trucks & Bricks

2017 Texas I Cup Aric Almirola Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

The wreck that overshadowed the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway highlighted a topic this column addressed the previous week regarding safety.  As Aric Almirola is still with us and able to walk should not be ignored by any stretch – and his appearance at the Martin Truex Jr. Charity function on …

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Happiness Is: A Safe, Long, Enjoyable Weekend

2017 Atlanta Cup Danica Patrick Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

The NASCAR traveling circus is moving on from the carnival known as Talladega and parking itself in Kansas this weekend.  To some fans, that means a return to what may be considered more traditional racing.   To others? The weekend at Kansas Speedway will represent a return to boring 1.5-mile, cookie-cutter, follow-the-leader lameness that has brought …

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Happiness Is… Crossing Boundaries & Changes

2017 Fontana Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Trevor Bayne Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

The races at Richmond International Raceway this past weekend featured some enjoyable competition.  It’s what many fans have clamored for over the past few years and serves as a reminder that the 1.5-mile and over tracks may bring fast cars but not always the best racing.  And now it’s on to Talladega, just about as …

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Happiness Is…Sponsorship, Technology & Barber

2016 Nascar Sprint Cup Series, Bristol

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade NKP)

The news is light this week as NASCAR heads to Bristol Motor Speedway.  This event, once a jewel of the schedule, has now fallen alongside many of the other races on the schedule.  Though it may not hold the prestige it once did, it is still short-track racing, which means that it is sure to …

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Happiness Is… Interesting Things

fernando alonso (credit: McLaren)

(Photo Credit: McLaren)

Order has been restored to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.  With Jimmie Johnson earning his 81st victory this past weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, all the pundits can breathe a sigh of relief in discovering that all of the words used to question or doubt Hendrick Motorsports have been for naught.  The empire has …

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Happiness Is… How Things Look In NASCAR

2017 Atlanta Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Looks like a rather slow news week happening in the NASCAR world.  Sure, there’s little bits of stuff here and there but nothing that causes one’s ears to perk up.  The 2018 Cup schedule is supposedly reaching finality, for example without many of the major changes fans were looking for.  Already leaking out is that there …

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Happiness Is… Maintaining the Positive View

2017 Fontana Cup Kyle Larson Martin Truex Jr Racing Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell / NKP)

Happiness Is…Holding.  One of the things that continues to be a big discussion point surrounding NASCAR are the TV ratings.  These numbers point to viewership numbers but are also the key component for gauging fan interest and the sport’s overall ‘health’.  Once again, the Cup race this past weekend at Auto Club Speedway set a …

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