Race Weekend Central

Beside the Rising Tide: Ready, Set, 2020…

2019 Daytona Clash Cup Track Overhead Nkp

(Photo: NKP)

I fear calling this time of year “late winter” might be overly optimistic when it comes to continued cold snaps and snow, but I have it on expert what remains of winter will be brief. If you can’t trust a groundhog, who can you trust? Let’s just say we’re in that brief period of time …

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2019 NASCAR Top Storylines: Cup’s Latest Rules Package Change

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

#4: Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Busch Beer / Ducks Unlimited and #10: Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Smithfield

Heading into the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, the series was in a transitional period. Big changes laid ahead, with new series sponsorship (since canceled due to lack of interest), the new Next Gen cars, the new hybrid engine packages, a heavily revamped schedule, and the new lower profile tire package all due in 2021 …

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Beside the Rising Tide: Closing Time

2019homesteadmencskylebuschvictorylapcck

(Photo: Christian Koelle)

Exactly nine months after it left port with the Daytona 500, the 2019 Cup season came to its end with a very displeasing sneezing and wheezing as the calliope crashed to the ground — trailing smoke, clanking loudly, a bit rusted in some places and busted in others. As I watched the screen fade to …

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Beside the Rising Tide: They Don’t Make Rookies Like They Used To 

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

As the NASCAR season winds down, the tension becomes even more palpable. After all, the point standings for the coveted award are even closer than the battle for top spot in the Cup Series In fact, as this is written, Ryan Preece and Daniel Hemric are separated by just 10 points for top spot atop …

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Beside the Rising Tide: 4790 W 16th Street, Indianapolis IN

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pagoda

(Photo: Mike Harding/IndyCar Media)

I live in somewhat of an alternate universe most of the time. Automobile racing dominates my interest, time and attention to a far larger extent than the general public. Thus, sometimes breaking news in the realm of motorsport that I find fascinating or even shocking that I share with friends who aren’t race fans is …

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Beside the Rising Tide: The Finish You Didn’t See and Other Non-Observations

2019 Martinsville Ngots Todd Gilliland Checkers Cck

(Photo: Christian Koelle)

The Best Finish to a Stock Car Race You Never Saw There were plenty of last lap dramatics in Saturday’s truck series race at Martinsville. But if you were watching the race at home you never saw any of it … not live anyway.  With two laps left to run and a three truck battle …

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Beside the Rising Tide: Closer to the End

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(Photo: Matt McLaughlin)

It happens every year and I’ve been around a lot of years now, but it still manages to surprise me every time. Thursday and Friday were picture postcard perfect days here in the Keystone State. Apparently a cold front snuck in through the mountains after I turned in Friday night. I tend to wake up …

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Beside the Rising Tide: Over the Rainbow

2017 Kansas Ii Cup More Pack Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

Kansas Speedway was added to the Cup Series schedule in 2001, perhaps the pinnacle of NASCAR’s financial success if certainly not its peak of on-track competitiveness. Back then, new race tracks patterned after the 1.5 mile tri-oval at Charlotte were popping up coast to coast like crabgrass on a springtime suburban lawn. Most long-time fans …

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Beside The Rising Tide: Once Upon a Time, NASCAR Could Be Fixed. Now.

2019 Daytona Nxs Restart Frontstretch Christian Koelle

(Photo: Christian Koelle)

Once upon a time far, far away but not all that long ago, at least in the grand scheme of things, a bunch of men with big plans sat down at the racing round table to hatch a scheme to take over the world. (Or at the very least, make a whole lot of money.) …

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Beside the Rising Tide: The Time of the Season

2017 Dover Xfinity Zach Catanzareti Jack Roush Ryan Reed

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

It seems like the only inalterable rule in life is that change is inevitable — and I very much doubt that will ever change. Though if in fact change is inalterable inevitably, then someday that must in fact change as well. Only some of you were around this grand blue marble we share back in …

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Beside the Rising Tide: Sometimes It Ain’t Even Over When It’s Over

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

#20: Erik Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry STANLEY

Whatever your tastes and temperament are when it comes to racing, this weekend was a virtual smorgasbord of racing around what Jim McKay used to call “The Wide World of Sports.” Below are some random ruminations on the highlights.  A goodly percentage of NASCAR fans went to bed shortly before midnight Saturday believing they had …

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Beside the Rising Tide: Was It Good For You?  

2019 Las Vegas Nxs Tyler Reddick Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

One primary problem when race fans get together to debate (OK, argue) whether a race was “good” or not, is defining what makes for a “good” race. Plenty of passing? An unexpected outcome? And if the last three laps are nailbiters that have the majority of the crowd on their feet make up for three …

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