Race Weekend Central

Toyotas Fast While Johnson Encounters Engine Problems During Kansas Speedway Practice

2016 Martinsville I Cup Martin Truex Jr Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Once again, it looks like Joe Gibbs Racing and the Toyotas are going to be a force to be reckoned with. There were two daytime practice sessions at Kansas Speedway on Friday for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, even though the race will commence on Saturday evening. While Toyota was not the fastest overall in …

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Up To Speed: Kenseth v. Logano Apparently Isn’t Over

2016 Las Vegas Cup Matt Kenseth Joey Logano Racing John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

This rivalry just won’t die. Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano once again left the race perturbed, annoyed and overall exasperated with one another after a long day in the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. With about 15 laps to go, Logano and Kenseth were both running in or near the top five (the …

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Up To Speed: Drivers Weigh In On Last Lap Edwards, Busch Incident

Nascar Sprint Cup Series Toyota Owners 400

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

The length of races varies throughout the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. 400 laps, sometimes 500 miles. Heck, there are even some races measured in kilometers. Really, though, in those hundreds of laps run in any given race, the only one we really care about is the last one. Carl Edwards led 151 of 400 …

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Up To Speed: Carl Edwards, Dave Rogers Cite Team Cohesiveness As Reason For Success

Nascar Sprint Cup Series Food City 500

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Carl Edwards had to win eventually. In the first seven races of the season, they finished in the top five three times and six times in the top 10. Leading laps and running up front were common traits of the No. 19 team during almost every race and it seemed like the biggest competition for …

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Up To Speed: JGR Shines Again in Texas, but Hendrick Motorsports Not Far Behind

Dale Earnhardt Jr Martinsville Cup 2016 Mike Neff

The team that has been in the headlines of late has most certainly been Joe Gibbs Racing, especially considering that Kyle Busch has won every national touring series race over the past two weekends. Every discussion of the favorites for next week includes the JGR drivers and every race seems to include at least one …

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Up To Speed: Martinsville Win Part of Bigger Picture for Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch Burnout Martinsville 2016 Cup Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

It was pretty obvious Kyle Busch was going to win a race eventually this season. The reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion’s worst finish in the first four races of the season was fourth. A 25th-place finish at Fontana was not indicative of his day considering he would finish in the top five (and possibly win) …

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Up To Speed: 2015 Winners Who Are Still Looking for First Win of 2016

2016 Fontana Cup Matt Kenseth Car Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist / NKP)

With this now the third year of the elimination Chase-style format, it’s easy to forget how early we still are in the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Four winners in five races (Jimmie Johnson has managed to notch two victories) means that there are four drivers who are all but locked into the Chase once …

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Up To Speed: Tempers Flare and Insults Fly Following Action-Packed Auto Club 400

2016 Phoenix I Cup Joey Logano Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

I’ve said before that it’s rare that fans and competitors alike agree on anything, let alone nearly unanimous on the quality of a product. However, this is becoming more the case week in and week out. With few exceptions, the drivers are happy with the new package, the fans enjoy the racing it produces, and …

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Up To Speed: Team Penske Back On Top After Rough Start To Season

2016 Las Vegas Motor Speedway Nscs Brad Keselowski Checkered Flag Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Just a few short weeks ago, when people were making predictions on who would make the Chase, win the championship and win the most races, it wasn’t uncommon to see the Team Penske duo of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano on top of most of those columns. After all, Logano won six races last season and …

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Up To Speed: Despite Long Green-Flag Runs, Lower Downforce Still Largely Positive

Though only the second race of the season, Atlanta Motor Speedway was thought to be the initial race where we would see what the new (or at least new for 2016) low-downforce package would mean for the racing this season. After rave reviews from competitors and fans alike at Kentucky Speedway and Darlington Raceway with …

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Up To Speed: Denny Hamlin Credits Teammates for Daytona 500 Win

“It was a total team effort.” Generally, when the winning driver makes such a statement in Victory Lane, they are referring to their own team. It’s their crew chief, pit crew, over-the-wall members who made the difference in getting them over the hump. Yes, there is gratitude expressed to the organization as a whole, but really …

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