Race Weekend Central

Pace Laps: When the Open Outshines the All-Star Race

Participants in the 2017 NASCAR All-Star race. Photo: NKP

(Photo: John K. Harrelson / NKP)

Cup Series: The Open Shines Again in All-Star Week – As three of the sport’s brightest young stars threatened to go three-wide across the start-finish in the closing laps of Saturday’s Monster Energy Open, we knew the proceeding All-Star Race had quite the act to follow. Rookie Daniel Suarez may have not been a top …

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2017 Frontstretch Cup: Monster Energy All-Star Race Predictions

2016 Charlotte All Star Showdown Cup Green Flag Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Welcome to our tenth year of staff predictions! Each week, our experts attempt to tell you who the winner of each Cup race will be. Take a look to see who your favorite writers think will win it all (or at least score some points) this week! Think you can out-prognosticate our staff?  Leave your …

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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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