Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: A Monstrous Matt Kenseth Comeback

2016 Dover I Cup Matt Kenseth Jason Ratcliff Trophy Matthew T Thacker Nkp

Who’s in the headline – The 2016 season has been anything but stellar for Matt Kenseth. After a near miss at Daytona he’s only managed one top 5 finish before Sunday, and that as a fourth last weekend at Kansas. Sunday Kenseth was in the mix but didn’t look like he’d be in contention for …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kyle Busch Kills His Kansas Curse

Kansas Green

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Who’s in the headline – Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch is doing his best to put himself in position to repeat. Busch started the race in sixth Saturday night and was a top-10 mainstay outside of green-flag pit cycles. Busch moved into the second spot on lap 175 after a restart and was inside the top …

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Tech Talk: Splitters & Airborne Cars with Matt McCall

Matt Mccall Martinsville 2015 Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

Matt McCall notched his first top 5 of the season with Jamie McMurray at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend, leading his team through repairs from the lone crash they were caught up in and repairing the car successfully enough to compete for the win. As he and his team prepare to head to Kansas Speedway, he …

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Friday Faceoff: Should Lapped Cars Get Off the Track?

2016 Talladega I Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Edwards Crash Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

After Sunday’s race at Talladega saw 35 of 40 cars involved in on-track incidents, does NASCAR need to reevaluate restrictor plate racing with the current rules? Vito Pugliese, Senior Writer: This kind of hand-wringing happens every few years when there is a big wreck. They’ve been launching them into the air since 1973, and had …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Brad Keselowski Drops Malachi Crunch on the Talladega Demo Derby for Second Win of the Season

2016 Talladega I Cup Brad Keselowski Champagne John Harrleson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrleson / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Brad Keselowski won his first Cup race at Talladega in 2009. While he isn’t mentioned in the same breaths with Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt or Tony Stewart when plate racing prowess is discussed, the bottom line is he won his fourth plate race at Talladega on Sunday. Even though the …

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Tech Talk: Jason Ratcliff on the New Lug Nut Rule

Jason Ratcliff Daytona 500 Cup 2.15 Mike Neff 147

(Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

The season has been a challenge for Jason Ratcliff and Matt Kenseth‘s No. 20 team: Part failures, officiating calls and plain bad luck have resulted in many races ending with finishes worse than that of which the team was capable. While that might have some questioning where their team is headed and what needs to …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud – Carl Edwards Lays Down a Colossal Beat Down at Bristol

2016 Bristol I Cup Carl Edwards Woohoo John Harrelson Nkp

Who’s in the headline – It was pointed out last week, and it was reinforced this weekend, that Joe Gibbs Racing is right at the top of the board in the Cup series. It was Carl Edwards turn this weekend as he dominated the race. Edwards led 276 laps en route to capturing his first …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud – Kyle Busch’s Late Push Snatches Victory in Texas

Who’s in the headline – The early leader in 2016 Cup season is Joe Gibbs Racing. The organization started the season with Denny Hamlin‘s win at Daytona and now has back-to-back wins with Kyle Busch. Busch’s recent success, coupled with his impressive consistency over the first seven races (six finishes of fourth or better) has him …

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Friday Faceoff: Who Has Turned a Corner in 2016?

After strong performances to start the season, AJ Allmendinger is currently 12th in driver points, in position to make the Chase if he can maintain.  Is JTG Daugherty Racing poised to repeat the success of fellow single-car team Furniture Row Racing? Sean Fesko, Staff Writer: The team very well could make the Chase on consistency. …

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Tech Talk: Talking Rebound & Multi-Zone Camber with Matt McCall

Matt Mccall Martinsville Cup 2016 Mike Neff

Photo Credit : Mike Neff

Six races into the season, and the teams are getting their hands around the new aerodynamic package. Sunday will be the first time it is tested at night. The aged track surface at Texas Motor Speedway, along with multi-zone tires that will wear out quickly, are going to be a stiff challenge for the teams …

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