Race Weekend Central

Friday Faceoff: How Far Is Too Far?

2017 Texas I CUP Aric Almirola car John K Harrelson NKP

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race is coming up Saturday (May 20), and as usual, the format is a little different from last year’s.  What does your perfect All-Star Race format look like? Michael Massie: NASCAR can’t go around calling this an All-Star Race when it contains half of the drivers in Cup. …

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Pace Laps: Aric Almirola’s Wreck Changes the Game, Ben Rhodes Comes up Shy of First Victory

2017 Kansas I CUP AJ Allmendinger Aric Almirola pack racing Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Almirola Crash Changed The Game – Just one week ago, Aric Almirola stood inside Victory Lane at Talladega Superspeedway. He’d won his second XFINITY Series race in his last three restrictor plate attempts, following that up with a fourth-place effort in the Cup race. A season-long goal of making the playoffs suddenly …

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Friday Faceoff: How Much Wrecking Is Too Much?

2015-Daytona-II-Austin-Dillon-crash-Nigel-Kinrade-NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Aric Almirola and the No. 43 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team received penalties for failing laser inspection following the race at Talladega Superspeedway, including a loss of points for Almirola and owner Richard Petty and a three-race suspension and fine for crew chief Drew Blickensderfer.  Did NASCAR do the right thing, staying in line …

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Pace Laps: Stenhouse Jr. Cashes In, Aric Almirola Surprises And Thomas Curley Passes On

2017 Talladega I CUP Ricky Stenhouse Jr pole Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Career Weekend for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  It’s been a long time coming. There was a time it didn’t even look possible. But Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finally crossed the finish line first Sunday, capturing his first Cup victory in 158 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway. Stenhouse started the day out front, pacing …

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Friday Faceoff: Who’s in Kyle Busch’s Head?

2017 Las Vegas CUP Kyle Busch John HArrelson NKP

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

Richmond offered us one of the best short track races we have seen there in ages. So why were the stands half full? And is it fixable in the short-term? Mark Howell: Richmond was, indeed, one of the better short track races we’ve seen in recent memory. The low attendance issue is endemic of a …

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The Frontstretch 5: Talladega Videos You’ve Gotta Watch

2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Talladega

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

When newer fans hear people lament about the old days when there weren’t restrictor plates at Talladega and Daytona, this is what we’re talking about – the 1984 Talladega 500. Dale Earnhardt and Buddy Baker battling for a win, notchback Monte Carlo SS and Ford Thunderbirds, and Ken Squier calling the action with one of …

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Pace Laps: Parity at Richmond, Justin Allgaier Comes Up Short & 4-Wide Nationals Take Over Charlotte

2017 xfinity richmond zach catanzareti justin allgaier

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Multiple Contenders Take over Richmond -Don’t you love the races where you don’t know who’ll win? Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 had more than one driver who seemed to be unstoppable, and then they would ultimately be stopped. Leading the opening 164 laps, Matt Kenseth’s pole-winning car looked to be on rails …

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Courtney Force Leads The Way For Four-Wide Nationals Today

NHRA 2014 4 Wides Courtney Force intros

(Photo: Toni Montgomery)

NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force collected her third top qualifier of the season and re-wrote the track record book after topping the qualifying sessions for Sunday’s 8th-annual NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in Concord, N.C. Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock …

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Friday Face-off: Who’ll Fill These Ginormous Shoes?

2017 Atlanta CUP Dale Earnhardt Jr car NIgel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced this week that he’ll retire at the end of the 2017 season, the fourth very popular driver to step away since 2015.  What impact will his retirement have on the sport as a whole, and is there a driver out there who can have the impact he’s had on and off …

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NASCAR Drivers Experience NHRA Horsepower at zMax Dragway

zMax_FourWide_Gragson

(Photo: Mike Mercurio)

It was straight-line-meets-circle-track Thursday morning (April 27) at Charlotte Motor Speedway and zMax Dragway in Concord, N.C., as the star drivers of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series got a chance to swap seats with some of the ace pilots from the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and get themselves a taste of nitromethane. Truck …

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