Race Weekend Central

Justin Allgaier Records Top 5 in Vegas, Ready To Challenge Big 3 in Playoffs

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(Photo: Davey Segal)

For the first half of Saturday night’s (Sept. 14) Rhino Pro Truck Outfitters 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Justin Allgaier looked to be a contender for the win. He proved to be the only one that could stay in the same stratosphere as a dominant Christopher Bell without pit strategy coming into play. SEGAL: …

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Christopher Bell Relegated to Runner-Up After Tyler Reddick Stretches Fuel in Vegas

2019 Las Vegas Nxs Christopher Bell Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

For the third time this season, Christopher Bell led the most laps, but didn’t wind up victorious. The six-time winner this season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series came up one spot short in Saturday (Sept. 14) night’s Rhino Pro Truck Outfitters 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Bell lost out to Tyler Reddick, who stretched …

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Ben Rhodes Escapes Engine Trouble, Leads ThorSport in Vegas

2019 Las Vegas Ngots Ben Rhodes Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

After Friday’s (Sept. 13) World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ben Rhodes was ThorSport Racing’s last man standing. After all three of the team’s NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series playoff trucks saw their nights go up in literal smoke, Rhodes’ No. 99 Havoline Ford F-150 was the only one from that stable …

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Tyler Ankrum Advances To Round of 6 Amid ThorSport Engine Woes

2019 Las Vegas Ngots Tyler Ankrum Truck Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Less than three months ago, Tyler Ankrum was starting-and-parking for NEMCO Motorsports. The up-and-coming teenager was hoping to keep his NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series playoff hopes alive simply by showing up to the racetrack. Who knew how well those efforts would pay off for the series’ most unlikely postseason participant? After Friday night’s (Sept. …

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Clint Bowyer Feeling No Pressure, Ready To Have Fun In Playoffs

Bowyer Media Day Vegas

(Photo: Davey Segal)

After 26 races of stress, Clint Bowyer is entering the 2019 playoffs ready to let loose and get back to what makes him, well, him. “Fun!” For the second year in a row, he’s ready for a much-needed mindset change, contrary to what most drivers’ thought process is heading into the final 10-race stretch. “I’ve …

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Fire on Fridays: Why Not Start All National Series Playoffs at Once?

2019 Michigan Nascar Gander Outdoors Truck Series Playoff Field Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Truck Series is two races into their postseason, the Cup Series is two weeks away from theirs and the Xfinity Series is three. Next week in Las Vegas, the Cup Series will begin their playoffs, the Trucks will cut their field from eight to six and the Xfinity Series will still have one more …

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Matt Tifft Learning From Teammates in Rookie Cup Season

2019 Sonoma Cup Matt Tifft Danny Peters

(Photo: Danny Peters)

Matt Tifft is perhaps one of the luckier drivers, heck people, in NASCAR. Just over three years removed from brain tumor surgery, he has been adjusting to his rookie season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with Front Row Motorsports. Tifft ran a handful of Gander Outdoors Truck Series races from 2014 through 2016, scoring …

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Fire on Fridays: We See a Lot of Matt DiBenedetto in Ourselves

2019 Mencs Bristol Matt Dibenedetto Face Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Denny Hamlin snatched the trophy and checkered flag on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but there’s no debating that Matt DiBenedetto snatched our hearts. It’s almost too Hollywood for the 28-year-old journeyman (what an oxymoron that is, by the way) to win his first career Cup race while …

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Fire on Fridays: It’s Time to Shrink the NASCAR Playoff Field

2018 Homestead Cup Zach Catanzareti Joey Logano

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

When NASCAR opted to go to a playoff system following Matt Kenseth’s 2003 title-winning season, there was mixed reaction. His one-win season, dubbed by some as “The Matt Kenseth Rule,” is a far cry from the win-and-you’re-in format we’ve had for the past few seasons. The current format is the fifth iteration of the playoff …

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Tyler Reddick Rebounds for Top 5 in Iowa: ‘Really Sucked at My Job’

2019 Iowa Nxs Tyler Reddick Car Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Despite a top-five finish in Saturday’s U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, defending series champion Tyler Reddick wasn’t pleased with himself. “We really didn’t have any struggles,” he bluntly told Frontstretch post-race. “I just took myself out of the race. That’s all there is to it.” His No. 2 Richard Childress …

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John Hunter Nemechek ‘Really Needed’ 3rd-Place Iowa Run

2019 Iowa Nxs John Hunter Nemechek Car Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

If it weren’t for strategy, nobody had anything for Christopher Bell in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Iowa Speedway. But one of the only cars that did once the race wound down was John Hunter Nemechek. The GMS Racing driver earned his second-best finish of the 2019 season with a third-place effort in Saturday’s U.S. …

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Christopher Bell Dominates, Falls Short in Iowa: ‘There’s Nothing We Could’ve Done Different’

2019 Iowa Nxs Christopher Bell Car Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Despite leading 234 of 250 laps in the NASCAR Xfinity Series from the pole on Saturday afternoon at Iowa Speedway, Christopher Bell left without a trophy. The five-time winner in 2019 was a victim of circumstance and competitors’ tire strategy, as race winner Chase Briscoe‘s fresher Goodyears wound up paying dividends with six laps to …

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