Race Weekend Central

Dropping the Hammer: Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Catch-22

NASCAR at Atlanta Motor Speeday

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

I hold these three truths to be self-evident. (It’s still 4th of July week, cut me some slack). First, Atlanta Motor Speedway should have been repaved a long time ago. When Speedway Motorsports Inc., chickened out of giving the 1.54-mile track a makeover in 2017,  at the behest of a multitude of NASCAR drivers, it …

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Justin Marks: ‘I Don’t Want to Get Over My Skis’ After Chip Ganassi Acquisition

2021 Cup Charlotte Daniel Suarez, No. 99 TrackHouse Racing Chevrolet (Credit: NKP)

Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography

It may be hard to believe, but Justin Marks believes the growth of Trackhouse Racing “needs to be managed.” The timing of his own statement Wednesday (June 30) wasn’t lost on Marks. It came roughly half an hour after his team announced it had purchased all of Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR assets, effective at the …

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Dropping the Hammer: Road America’s 65-Year Cup Series Drought Ends

NASCAR at Road America

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

After decades of waiting, Road America’s time has arrived. The four-mile road course in Elkhart Lake, Wis., will finally be graced by the presence of the top racing circuit in North America: the NASCAR Cup Series. Sunday, July 4’s inaugural … Hold on. *touches ear* We’re just receiving some new information into the newsroom. Sunday …

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Why Pride Month Matters to Alex Bowman’s Sponsor, Ally Financial

Alex Bowman at Nashville

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

When Alex Bowman‘s No. 48 Chevrolet took to Sonoma Raceway on June 6, it did so with a special decal, one that sponsor Ally Financial shared on Twitter. With a rainbow-colored “a” above the phrase “better together,” the emblem commemorated Pride Month. Frontstretch asked Andrea Brimmer, Ally’s chief marketing and public relations officer, Saturday (June …

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Dropping the Hammer: The 100(ish) Xfinity Bows of Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch bows after winning 2021 Kansas spring Cup race James Gilbert Getty

(Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images via NASCAR Media)

Not taking into account what could happen next month at Road America and Atlanta Motor Speedway, one thing is finally clear: The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ long national Kyle Busch nightmare is over. Definitely. Probably. Let’s play it by ear? Four years ago after a win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (his 89th in the Xfinity …

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Ross Chastain Earns ‘Humbling’ Top 5 at Nashville

Ross Chastain at Nashville

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Owner Chip Ganassi has a saying: “Do the obvious things right.” The saying was on the mind of crew chief Phil Surgen Sunday (June 20) with about 73 laps left in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. That’s when he called Ross Chastain to pit road from third under caution. He was …

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Denny Hamlin: NASCAR Cup Series Charter Market in a ‘Bubble’

Denny Hamlin talks to Bubba Wallace at COTA Photo NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Lebanon, Tennessee – If you ask Brad Keselowski, Matt Kaulig executed a “boss move” on Friday (June 18). Kaulig, the owner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series team Kaulig Racing, announced he had purchased two charters from Spire Motorsports with the intent of fielding two full-time NASCAR Cup Series entries in 2022. Linked to reports that …

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Josh Berry: Time With JR Motorsports ‘Solidified Me as a Racecar Driver’

Josh Berry at Nashville

Josh Berry embraces his family after his final Xfinity start with JR Motorsports (Daniel McFadin)

Josh Berry was a man on a mission at Nashville Superspeedway. In front of his home state crowd and making his 12th and final scheduled Xfinity Series start for JR Motorsports, Berry charged through the field twice on the way to a top-five finish in Saturday’s (June 19) race. A bad starting spot (22nd) and …

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GMS Racing Plans to Compete in NASCAR Cup Series in 2022

Sheldon Creed races in 2021 NASCAR Truck Series GMS No. 2 Lift Kits 4 Less, Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

GMS Racing announced Thursday (June 17) it is planning to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022. The announcement did not include details on how many races it would enter or who would drive for the team. GMS, owned by Maury Gallagher, currently races full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with multiple …

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NASCAR and #BlackLivesMatter, 1 Year Later: Brandon Thompson

Brandon Thompson, NASCAR VP of diversity and inclusion

Brandon Thompson, NASCAR VP of diversity and inclusion (via NASCAR)

This week will be a “surreal” one for Brandon Thompson. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Thompson will get a “NASCAR homecoming” when he and family attend Sunday’s (June 20) inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. The 1.3-mile track, which hosted the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series from 2001-11, is where Thompson received …

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NASCAR and #BlackLivesMatter, 1 Year Later: Part 5

Nascar Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301

Fans hold a sign in support of Bubba Wallace, driver of the #43 Cash App Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on August 02, 2020 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Was it worth it? A year later, was NASCAR’s condemnation and banishment of the Confederate flag on June 10, 2020 worth the short-term controversies, confusion and the “Defund NASCAR” banner seen flying over Talladega Superspeedway? Was it worth alienating hard core fans in an effort to invite an audience of minorities that previously wouldn’t have …

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NASCAR and #BlackLivesMatter, 1 Year Later: Part 4

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Vivian and RIta pose in front of the 23XI Racing merchandise hauler at Phoenix Raceway.

What comes to mind when you see the Confederate flag? Is it the Civil War that tore the United States of America in two for five years? Is it Southern pride? Do you see the General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard? Or are you reminded of the NASCAR races Darlington Raceway held under the “Rebel” …

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