Race Weekend Central

Friday Faceoff: Crunched Cars Crunched for Time

2016 Charlotte All Star Cup Tony Stewart Crash Damage Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

NASCAR announced Wednesday that teams that suffer crash damage during a race will have five minutes to fix it on pit road, and if they can’t get the car back on track, they must park for the day.  Good move? John Douglas, Contributor: I am actually a fan of this rule. It’s a complex variation …

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5 Cup Series Drivers Who Need to Win in 2017

2015 Chicago Cup Clint Bowyer Danica Patrick Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)­­

When NASCAR announced changes to the race format late last month, it made consistency relevant again. Winning is still going to have its virtues, including an automatic playoff berth, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not the end-all, be-all it often has been. Like other changes NASCAR has made in the past, the best …

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2016 NASCAR Rewind: Danica Patrick

2016 Indianapolis Cup Danica Patrick Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist/NKP)

One thing is glaringly evident in observing Danica Patrick’s 2016- she’s running out of time. The 34 year old driver just finished her fourth season at stock car racing’s highest level. Many drivers who have the opportunity to drive in Stewart Haas level equipment have at least shown flashes of brilliance. But in 2016, Patrick …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Sudden Shift Hands Johnson Record-Tying Title

Jimmie Johnson

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Who’s in the headline – The elite level of NASCAR has increased by 50%. There are many gauges to judge the greats but championships are a huge differentiator. Jimmie Johnson took advantage of circumstances that fell his way, led the final three laps, and notched his seventh career title. Johnson shares the headline with Tony …

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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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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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Aric Almirola, Greg Biffle Hit with P3 Penalties for Lugnuts

Aric Almirola Indianapolis 2016 Cup Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

NASCAR’s weekly penalty report was delayed on Wednesday (Sept. 21) after the decision to hold an impromptu teleconference with less than a half- hour’s notice to announce changes to post-race inspection penalties.  Despite that, there were still a number of teams to be penalized. Aric Almirola and Greg Biffle‘s cars were found to have loose …

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NASCAR’s Youth Finally Break Through in the Irish Hills

2016 Nscs Kyle Larson Chase Elliott Restart Michigan Photo Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/ NKP)

For much of 2016 — and 2015, 2014 and 2013 for some drivers — fans, teams and critics alike have waited for one of NASCAR’s upcoming stars to soar above the field for a breakthrough win. While we were all treated to one with Chris Buescher’s weather-shortened win at Pocono Raceway, the wait continued for one …

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Pace Laps: The Motorsports World Remembers Bryan Clauson

2016 Nxs Joey Logano Watkins Glen 2016 Photo Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Sprint Cup: Drivers Honor Bryan Clauson: Though this weekend has seen more fish caught than laps turned for the Sprint Cup Series – who wrapped up their final off-weekend of 2016 – a few drivers spent some special time at one of the premier dirt tracks in the United States. Just three days following the …

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Daily NASCAR Fantasy: Drafting Your Watkins Glen Lineup

2016 Pocono Cup Aj Allmendinger Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Watkins Glen on August 7th for the Cheeze-It 355. Watkins Glen is the second of two road courses the series travels to in 2016. The weekend was headlined by the return of Dale Earnhardt Jr., but not to competition. Junior will miss the next two races with continuing …

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4 Burning Questions: Will Pocono See Another Stewart-Haas Winner?

2016 Daytona Ii Cup Kevin Harvick Logan Whitton Nkp

Is Pocono Raceway the Site of Stewart-Haas Racing’s Next Win? Pocono Raceway has been a solid home for Stewart-Haas Racing success. Kurt Busch is the most recent track winner, while Kevin Harvick and Danica Patrick have shown their respective speed at the sport’s triangle circuit. As for team co-owner Tony Stewart, he called the June Pocono race …

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Matt Kenseth Docked 15 Points Following Loudon Win

2016 Loudon I Cup Mattkneseth Woohoo Matthew T Thacker Nkp

The race-winning team from Loudon was penalized following post-race inspection. Matt Kenseth’s No. 20 team was docked 15 points and crew chief Jason Ratcliff was fined $25,000 for failing laser inspection following the New Hampshire 301. Multiple teams were warned for failing pre-qualifying inspection. The No. 1 of Jamie McMurray, No. 3 of Austin Dillon, …

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