Race Weekend Central

2-Headed Monster: Hendrick Motorsports vs. Petty Enterprises – Best Team in NASCAR History?

Hendrick Motorsports

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

With Kyle Larson‘s dominant performance in Sunday’s (May 30) Coca-Cola 600, Hendrick Motorsports eclipsed the 269-win record established by Petty Enterprises from 1949-1999. Both teams were the dominant forces of their respective eras, with HMS experiencing a bit of a resurgence as the team that all others have to beat each week in 2021. Two …

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2-Headed Monster: Is Ryan Newman Hall of Fame Worthy?

Ryan Newman in the garage at Chicagoland Speedway, September 2017. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

As we await the next round of NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees, it’s natural to look to the current active drivers who are nearing retirement age (for drivers not named Harry Gant or Mark Martin) and wonder who might be eligible for future nomination. Having made 700 career starts this past Sunday at Kansas Speedway, …

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2-Headed Monster: NASCAR Rain Tire Test a Long Time Coming or Recipe for Disaster?

2016 Nscs Bristol Kyle Busch Rain

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

This week’s race at Martinsville Speedway (on April 10) conjures up a number of memorable images: pink hot dogs, neighborhood trains, Denny Hamlin doing Joey Logano impressions, and racing in the rain. Hey, what was that last one? NASCAR’s recent tire test evaluating the feasibility of running a wet tire at an oval with limited …

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2-Headed Monster: Does Ty Gibbs’ Meteoric Rise Leave Kyle Busch Vulnerable at Joe Gibbs Racing?

Nascar Xfinity Series

#54: Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Supra Monster Energy, celebrates after winning the Super Start Batteries 188 at Daytona

Last weekend, the Daytona International Speedway road course had a lot of interesting storylines. Perhaps the biggest occurred during the NASCAR Xfinity Series event when 18-year-old Ty Gibbs took the checkered flag in his first career start in the series. Gibbs’ early success is not a fluke. He has dominated the ARCA Menards Series in …

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2020 NASCAR Team Reviews: Germain Racing

2020 Review Germain

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

2020 was Germain Racing’s 10th full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series – and ultimately its swan song. With long-time sponsor GEICO not returning for 2021 and presumably exiting the sport after being a fixture for over a decade, Bob Germain announced in September that the team would be shutting down and not returning for …

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2-Headed Monster: Does Jimmie Johnson’s Career Impact NASCAR like Petty, Earnhardt, or Gordon?

Jimmie Johnson 2018 Ford Ecoboost 400

(Photo: Christian Koelle)

One of the greatest career performances in motorsports drew to a close this past week at Phoenix Raceway as Jimmie Johnson exited from full-time NASCAR competition. Not wanting to apply the retirement tag, as that has proved to be a bit premature in a few instances over the last few years, Johnson will be competing …

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2-Headed Monster: Is Shortening Auto Club Speedway the Right Move?

2019 Auto Club Speedway Nxs Tyler Reddick Kyle Busch Photo Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Color us surprised. On Tuesday (Sept. 8), Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported that NASCAR plans to reconfigure the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California into a half-mile short track. There had been talks in the past about reconfiguring Auto Club Speedway, but it was nothing serious. This time, though, a plan has …

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Turn Back the Clock: 1993 NASCAR Season

Dale Earnhardt Sr. Tribute 2011

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

While the 1992 NASCAR season is seen as the most pivotal year in the modern era of NASCAR, what followed in 1993 set the stage for the next two decades of competition, thrusting the sport from burgeoning regional underground sport to one of national prominence. Key events, new tracks, personalities and accomplishments help define the …

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2-Headed Monster: Should NASCAR Reconsider Rescheduling Races?

2019 Dover Mencs Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

As the country turns its attention away from canceled sports to secure the bare necessities for living for the next two weeks as it nears a quarantine situation, NASCAR is planning on how to address those events that are being postponed. With each week that goes by, the logistics and feasibility become more challenging and …

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2019 NASCAR Driver Reviews: Ryan Newman

2019 Las Vegas Mencs Ryan Newman Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

When one thinks of teams and drivers that were an absolute force during the early-mid 2000s, one couldn’t name a more prominent pair than Roush Fenway Racing and Ryan Newman. Two entities that were once a fixture at the front of the field have seen the well gone dry in recent years. While he almost …

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2019 NASCAR Top Storylines: Toyota’s Triumphs Magnify Chevrolet’s Cup Shortcomings

The 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season saw the continuation of a trend that has been hard to ignore the past few years. While NASCAR has strives for parity between brands, the last few years in the premier series has been a bit of a lop-sided affair when it comes to the win disbursement. One of …

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2-Headed Monster: Are “Next Gen” Car Changes Needed?

2019 Roval Mencs Start Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In 2021, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will go to its seventh generation with the “Next Gen” car. This car will feature a number of changes that will allegedly get the cars closer to stock cars in addition to lower costs through use of spec chassis and bodies. That leads to this week’s question: …

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