Race Weekend Central

Fire on Fridays: Inability to Secure Nashville Fairgrounds Points to No New Short Tracks … Again

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway racetrack NASCAR

(Photo: Christian Koelle)

When a Nashville Fair Board commissioner said during a meeting this week that “there’s not going to be a NASCAR race at the [Nashville Fairgrounds] Speedway in 2022,” it essentially confirmed that the NASCAR Cup Series will not add a new short track to its schedule for the 52nd consecutive season. I realized I’m pounding …

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Teammates James Davison, Cody Ware Have Lengthy Path to Mend Relationship After Martinsville Feud

Teammates James Davison and Cody Ware race at 2021 spring Martinsville Cup Photo NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Despite its best outing of the NASCAR Cup Series 2021 season Sunday (April 11) at Martinsville Speedway, Rick Ware Racing left the track with inner turmoil due to a feud between drivers James Davison and Cody Ware. RWR placed all four of its cars in the top 30 for the first time since Talladega Superspeedway …

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Sky Is Limit for North Wilkesboro After Newfound Hope

Virtual NASCAR cars race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2020. Photo: NASCAR Media

(Photo: NASCAR Media)

Following the 1996 season, one of the original NASCAR Cup Series tracks was shut down. Now, there’s hope it could be saved. North Wilkesboro Speedway was a fixture in NASCAR for 47 years. The half-mile in Wilkes County, N.C., was where Red Byron was crowned the first ever Cup champion. It was Hall of Famer …

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Fire on Fridays: It’s Time for Another ‘1st Time in 51 Years’

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Cup Series did something it had not done since 1970 when it raced on a dirt surface. Now it’s time for the top national touring series to do something else for the first time in 51 years: add a short track to the schedule. Yes, that’s right. …

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The Rocket Returns: Ryan Newman Scores 1st Top 5 Since 2019

2021 Cup Bristol Dirt Ryan Newman, No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford (Credit: NKP)

Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography

The struggles for Ryan Newman in the past year and a half have been plentiful, but the Rocket Man finally looked like his old self in the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race. Newman finished fifth on Monday, March 29, scoring his first top five since losing to Ryan Blaney by .007 seconds at Talladega Superspeedway …

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Timmy Hill & MBM Motorsports Expected to Skip NASCAR Cup Races After No Pro Invitational Invite

Timmy Hill does a virtual burnout after Texas win on iRacing Pro Invitational Series

(Photo: NASCAR Media)

Throughout the early days of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, many NASCAR fans learned the name Timmy Hill after he showed off his skills in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. This year, he wasn’t invited. When the entry list for the season-opening Pro Invitational race at the virtual dirt Bristol Motor Speedway was announced, Hill’s …

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Fire on Fridays: Despite the Hype, NASCAR Is Going to Atlanta This Weekend, Not Bristol

2019 Atlanta CUP Ricky Stenhouse Jr pack racing NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did you know that NASCAR is having a dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway? If you’ve paid attention to any form of NASCAR media this whole week (and really longer than that), you’ve been beaten over the head by that news. Every day, there’s new news about that race weekend, whether it’s about the conditions …

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Stewart Friesen to Make NASCAR Cup Debut for Spire in Bristol Dirt Race

Stewart Friesen

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What was already going to be a big weekend for Stewart Friesen just got even bigger. Friesen, a Camping World Truck Series regular who spends his free time racing at dirt tracks across the country, announced on Tuesday evening (March 16) that he would be making his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the Bristol Motor …

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Grant Enfinger, Parker Kligerman Capitalize on Marcus Lemonis’ Trucks Bonus at Las Vegas

2021 Trucks Las Vegas Camping World-sponsored Parker Kligerman, No. 75 Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet, and Jesse Iwuji, No. 33 Reaume Brothers Racing Chevrolet (Credit: NKP)

Credit: NKP

With finishes of seventh and eighth in Friday night’s (March 5) NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Grant Enfinger and Parker Kligerman were the only drivers to collect more than $15,000 from Marcus Lemonis. Lemonis, the chairman and CEO of Truck Series title sponsor Camping World, stepped up in a …

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Fire on Fridays: 7 NASCAR Cup Drivers Who Have to Win in 2021

Kyle Larson talks with Matt DiBenedetto 2021 Daytona 500 Photo NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Entering August 2020, if you’d asked me which drivers were on the hot seat and might lose their ride if they didn’t produce soon, William Byron would’ve been near the top of my list. Sure, Byron signed an extension with Hendrick Motorsports that month, but contracts aren’t always fulfilled in sports. Plus, Rick Hendrick doesn’t …

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Fire on Fridays: FOX & NBC, Get Your Heads Out of Your…

2020 Daytona NCS Air Titans Rain NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What FOX has labeled as NASCAR’s “Best Season Ever” started out with a record low — ratings, that is. And while there are many factors as to why, no one should shoulder more blame than the television partners, FOX and NBC. Sports Business Journal reported Feb. 17 that the Daytona 500 on FOX only had …

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Noah Gragson Facing Extra Pressure, Motivation in Daytona

2020TexasNXSNoahGragsonFaceNKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Noah Gragson is entering his third season driving JR Motorsports’ No. 9 car after winning two races and finishing fifth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings in 2020. One of those wins came in the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, something he’ll try to defend this Saturday (Feb. 13) when the NXS schedule kicks …

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