Race Weekend Central

5 Points to Ponder: And Then, There Were 12

2016 Chicago Cup Martin Truex Jr Woohoo Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

ONE: And Then, There Were 12 The drop of the checkered flag at Dover ended the championship hopes of four drivers, while 12 others remain standing, headed into the (mostly) hometown race for them. Advancing to the Round of 12! #TheChase pic.twitter.com/eTcSv6Z59b — NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 3, 2016 Chris Buescher, whose No. 34 Front Row …

Read more

5 Points to Ponder: Who’s Getting Cut?

2016 Chicago Nxs Pack Racing Nighel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Who’s Getting Cut: After Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway, the series will make the first cuts of the 2016 Chase. As things stand, it’s Jamie McMurray, Austin Dillon, Tony Stewart and Chris Buescher who make up the bottom four and will be out of contention should all remain constant. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson is …

Read more

5 Points to Ponder: “Chase”-ing The Chase at Hendrick Motorsports

2016 Loudon I Cup Chase Elliott Jimmie Johnson Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

ONE: Cape Fear For Jimmie Johnson, the comparison to Superman has been made many times over and for most of the first half of Sunday’s race that seemed an apt appraisal as the six-time champion dominated the early proceedings leading a race-best 118 circuits. But then a speeding penalty on pit road in a round …

Read more

5 Points To Ponder: Was Cole Custer, John Hunter Nemechek Aggression Too Much?

2016 Atlanta Cwts Cole Custer Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

ONE: A Look At Those Locked In With Darlington in the books, the Chase field for the Sprint Cup Series has gotten substantially clearer. Of the 16 Chase spots, 12 have been tentatively filled by race winners who have clinched finishing the regular season in the top 30. These 12 drivers include, by order of …

Read more

5 Points to Ponder: Clint Bowyer Struggles On

2016 Phoenix I Cup Clint Bowyer Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Two-Thirds Down: With the conclusion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, we’re now exactly two thirds through the longest season in all of professional sports. Just a pair of races remain (Darlington Raceway and Richmond International Raceway) before the circuit gets down to the serious business of the playoffs. And …

Read more

5 Points to Ponder: NASCAR’s Title Sponsor Question Marks

2016 Bristol Ii Cup Ryan Blaney Pack Racing Rainier Ehrhardt Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: Ranier Ehrhardt / NASCAR via Getty Images)

ONE: Bristol Horror Show About an hour before the race finally resumed, nearly a full day after the green flag initially waved on the proceedings, a great friend of mine texted me asking whether or not a divine power hates NASCAR. Now this friend was a former die-hard, never-miss-a-race NASCAR fan of many years. But …

Read more

5 Points to Ponder: Milestones, Memories and Way Back When

2016 Bristol Motor Speedway Nscs Matt Kenseth Leads Pack Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

ONE: Four To Go We have just four races to go before the start of the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. We begin at Bristol Motor Speedway (more on this below) before the second trip of the season to Michigan International Speedway. Then it’s Darlington Raceway for a second successive throwback weekend before we …

Read more

5 Points to Ponder: Familiar NASCAR Faces Power Up

2106 Sonoma Cup Tony Stewart Helmet Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

ONE: Gordon Returns? Just in case you’ve been living under a rock — at least in a NASCAR context — Dale Earnhardt, Jr. sat out of the New Hampshire race weekend due to concussion-related symptoms from crashes at Kentucky and Daytona. Alex Bowman, who drives the JR Motorsports No. 88 car on a partial schedule in …

Read more

5 Points to Ponder: Tony Stewart’s Milestone and Chase Favorites

2016 Kentucky Cup Pack Racing Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/ NKP)

ONE: 600 up for Tony Stewart It was a good evening this past Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway for Tony Stewart who finished fifth in what was a landmark 600th Cup start for the 18-year veteran. The top-5 effort was enough to move him safely into the top 30 in overall points meaning he has …

Read more

5 Points to Ponder: Three Time’s The Charm For Clint Bowyer

2016 Daytona Ii Cup Kevin Harvick Cole Whitt Racing John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

ONE: Halfway Home When the Sprint Cup circus takes to the track this Saturday night under the lights at Kentucky Speedway, it will mark the end of the first half of racing in the 2016 season with 18 races in the books and 18 races still to run. So far this year, we’ve had eleven …

Read more