Race Weekend Central

Double Take: Cup Championship Trends Heading Into Homestead

Truex And Kyle Busch

(Photo: Lesley Ann Miller /NKP)

Well, folks, this is it. There’s just one more weekend of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing, and this is the most important weekend of the season for the four drivers still in contention for the championship. For Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, this marks the third time in four years they have a chance …

Read more

Double Take: As One Plate King Retires, Another Steps Up

Brad Keselowski Restart Talladega

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/ NKP)

For a while there last Sunday (Oct. 15) at Talladega Superspeedway, it looked like Dale Earnhardt Jr. was going to do it. In his final start at his best track, in front of the strongest crowd in years at the 2.66-mile superspeedway in Talladega, Ala., Earnhardt dodged wreck after wreck, barely unscathed but ready for …

Read more

Double Take: 8 Key Stats for the Rest of 2017

2017 Chicago Cup Martin Truex Jr Confetti Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Writers don’t like to admit it, but every once in a while a topic will completely and utterly elude them. It shouldn’t be a concern in a sport as fast-paced as NASCAR — between the travels of the weekly circuit and all the crazy moves teams make to put themselves in a better position down …

Read more

Double Take: What a Difference 12 Races Make

Truex And Kyle Busch

(Photo: Lesley Ann Miller /NKP)

Remember way back when, following the Coca-Cola 600, when Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. were single-handedly running the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series? A combined 10 top fives, 13 top-10 finishes, eight stage wins. There was no one close to them in the points; Brad Keselowski was 77 points behind in third. At that point, …

Read more

Double Take: Ryan Preece Defies History, Looks to the Future

Nascar Xfinity Series U.s. Cellular 250 Iowa Speedway, Newton, Ia Usa Saturday 29 July 2017 Ryan Preece, Mohawk Northeast Inc. Toyota Camry World Copyright: Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist/NKP)

Relegation is a big part of most stick and ball sports. Do poorly and move back to the minors. Finish with a losing record, get knocked back a league. But in NASCAR, where driver performance varies year to year, relegation isn’t as common. You might move from team to team, but moving down a level …

Read more

Double Take: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Authentic Until the End

2017 Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Sonoma (photo: Rusty Jarrett / Nkp)

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett / NKP)

“Some of your accomplishments on the track sort of get forgotten. Who you are as a person never gets forgotten. I hope people thought I was good, honest, represented the sport well.” Those words, spoken by Dale Earnhardt Jr. following his final race at Sonoma Raceway last weekend, sum up the 42-year old’s career in …

Read more

Double Take: More Memorial Day Weekend Doubles, Please

2017 Indianapolis Fernando Alonso Indycar Alexander Rossi

(Photo: Mike Harding)

The greatest weekend of racing has passed, and boy, were fans treated to an awesome trifecta of events. Fans started off the day by seeing Sebastian Vettel win the Monaco Grand Prix, his third win of 2017 and 45th overall in Formula 1; he’s now won 50 percent of the races contested this season, only …

Read more

Double Take: Ford’s Fiery Start Comes at Toyota’s Expense

2017 Richmond I Cup Pack Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Ford has been on fire in 2017. With Joey Logano picking up his first win of the season at Richmond International Raceway last weekend, the Blue Oval now has four victories through the first nine races of the season, including the sport’s crown-jewel event at Daytona International Speedway in February. The fact these four wins …

Read more

Double Take: The Arrival, Rise & Potential of Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson Win

2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA USA Sunday 26 March 2017 Kyle Larson celebrates his win in Victory Lane World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade/NKP

Kyle Larson has arrived. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to race fans — after all, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver came into the sport much heralded, being possibly the most hyped driver since Joey Logano’s entry into Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing a half-decade or so back. Despite only a handful of years …

Read more

Double Take: 17 Years in the Blink of an Eye

Rusty Wallace With Sterling Marlin 2004

(Photo: Sheryl Creekmore/NASCAR)

Seventeen years. That’s how long I’ve been a NASCAR fan. I watched a few races as late as 2000, even lived near Daytona International Speedway for a couple of years in the late 1990s, but only when I moved away did I really start to get into the sport that has grown to consume my life. …

Read more

3-Headed Monster: Which Championship Race Will Put on the Best Show?

2016 Xfinity Phoenix

11-12 November, 2016, Avondale, Arizona USA Kyle Busch, NOS Energy Drink Toyota Camry and Erik Jones, Hisense Toyota Camry ©2016, Lesley Ann Miller LAT Photo USA

Three races. Twelve drivers. Three championships up for grabs. Who will win? That’s the big question heading into the NASCAR finale weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway: Who will win? For the Sprint Cup Series, it’s a question that’s been asked the past two years as four drivers have come into the finale with a shot at …

Read more

2-Headed Monster: Which Joe Gibbs Racing Driver Has the Best Shot at the Final Four?

Cup Martinsville Denny Hamlin Kyle Busch Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Martinsville Speedway

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

It wasn’t quite the World Series finale between the Cubs and Indians, but last Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway had some Game 7 moments that would be familiar to Bill Murray and company. Team seemingly out of the title hunt heading in? Check. Rain delay? Check. Breaking a playoff drought? Check. Sort …

Read more