Race Weekend Central

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not: NASCAR’s Kansas Clutch Edition

2016 Kansas Ii Cup Kevin Harvick Confetti Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

When you think about how a clutch works for a vehicle, when a driver pushes it down, while at the same time shifting gears and accelerating, most of the time it means it’s go time. That’s the case at this point in the season for the Sprint Cup Series. It’s go time and the teams …

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Kevin Harvick Comes in Clutch, Wins at Kansas Speedway

2016 Nascar Kansas

(Photo: Matthew Thacker / NKP)

Heading into Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400, Kevin Harvick sat eight points below the Chase cutoff after having a problem with his ECU unit last weekend in Charlotte, finishing 38th. At Kansas, the driver of the No. 4 car rebounded to lead 74 laps en route to his fourth victory of 2016. It was a late-race …

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4 Burning Questions: Is Kansas a Question-Mark Track in Its Own Right?

2016 Kansas Denny Hamlin Crash Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Kansas: Getting in Good Position for Talladega or a Question Mark in Its Own Right? As shown last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, just about any race in each round of the Chase can become the survivor race. Knowing that, will this weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway simply be a platform …

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Carl Edwards: ‘[The Chase] Is Only Going to Get Wilder’

Cup 2016 Charlotte Carl Edwards Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Following a rather pleasant, straightforward opening round of the 2016 Sprint Cup Series Chase for the Championship, Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway simply flipped the tables. Standing as the opening race of the Round of 12, the 500-miler saw more than half the Chase field suffer some sort of issue, putting drivers like Kevin Harvick, …

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NASCAR Mailbox: The Next Breed of XFINITY Series Racers Is Coming

2016 Charlotte Cwts Daniel Hemrick William Byron Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

As the 2016 NASCAR season comes to a close, the driver line-ups for each of the top three divisions are falling into place. For the XFINITY Series, 2017 will feature plenty of changes, including a handful of rookies advancing from the Camping World Truck Series. Among the new names in the will be Cole Custer …

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The Frontstretch 5: Drivers You Need to Watch in the Chase

2016 Chicago Cup Brad Keselowski Helmet Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist/NKP)

1. Joe Gibbs Racing This group has been so strong in 2016, and not just any one of them. When one is having an off day, another is dominating. The JGR Toyotas have a bit more speed than the competition this year, and all four drivers—defending champ Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Denny …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kevin Harvick Nets Loudon Victory With Late Restart Pass

2016 Nascar New Hampshire

23-25 September, 2016, Loudon, New Hampshire USA Kevin Harvick celebrates in victory lane ©2016, Logan Whitton/NKP

Who’s in the headline – While Joe Gibbs Racing cars dominated the event, it was Kevin Harvick who parked it in Victory Lane on Sunday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The JGR crew and affiliate led 280 of the 300 laps. Harvick took advantage of a late race, front row restart to wrest the …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2016 Bad Boy Off Road 300

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? It’s never easy to drive in a fill-in role.  Four-time champion Jeff Gordon can attest to that after a stint filling in for former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  With the Chase underway, teams outside the championship picture rarely get much airtime. But over the last couple …

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Carl Edwards Captures New Hampshire Cup Pole, 6th of 2016

2016 Darlington Cup Carl Edwards Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Carl Edwards added another pole to his resume on Friday when he turned the fastest lap in the final round of qualifying in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, at 135.453 mph. The No. 19 has started atop the scoring pylon six times in 2016, the most in a single season of …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not: NASCAR Implications Edition

2016 Chicago Cup Martin Truex Jr Burnout Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Sunday brought us our first Chase race and for some drivers, the first race that had real implications for them since a win earlier this season. Due to some upcoming penalties that will likely be announced Wednesday, we don’t even know what all of those implications will be. HOT It remains to be seen if …

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2-Headed Monster: Is Joe Gibbs Racing Still the Championship Favorite?

2016 Indianapolis Cup Matt Kenseth Kyle Busch Matthre T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T Thacker/NKP)

Joe Gibbs Racing has been on a tear since midway through the 2015 Sprint Cup Series season. Winners of 21 of the last 45 races – including 11 this season – the four-driver crew of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards has been nearly unstoppable. Add in Furniture Row Racing pseudo-teammate Martin …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2016 Bojangles Southern 500

2016 Darlington Raceway Martin Truex Jr Nscs Photo Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? In the “where did he come from” department, the best finish in the Hendrick Motorsports stable came from Kasey Kahne.  Kahne has been strong at Darlington in the past, so his seventh-place run shouldn’t be a surprise. But given the season Kahne’s had and how he took the stealth approach, the …

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