Race Weekend Central

Zach’s Turn: Stop Trying to Predict NASCAR’s Next Gen Era

2022 Next Gen cars Chevrolet Ford Toyota Jared C Tilton Getty

(Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images via NASCAR Media)

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season is over halfway complete, which means the Next Gen car is closer to its competitive debut than ever. That doesn’t mean we are any closer to knowing what NASCAR will look like past 2021, though. The top tier of stock-car racing is about to undergo a massive shift in …

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Zach’s Turn: Corey LaJoie Holding Out Hope for a Teammate in 2022

Corey Lajoie Pocono 2021

Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography

Corey LaJoie knew 2022 would bring a lot of change. How much change, though, remains to be determined. On June 18, Spire Motorsports announced it had sold two of its three charters to Kaulig Racing as the Matt Kaulig-owned team ventures into the NASCAR Cup Series full-time next season. The charters acquired are currently operated …

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Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2021 Pocono Doubleheader

2021 Pocono I Cup Denny Hamlin pack racing Pocono Doubleheader weekend James Gilbert Getty

(Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images via NASCAR Media)

Who … should you be talking about after the Pocono Doubleheader? Kyle Busch finally put an end to Hendrick Motorsports’ absurd dominance, finding a way to overcome a transmission that was stuck in fourth gear while saving enough gas to win the Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 on Sunday (June 27). Busch had an exceptional …

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Bubba Wallace Grabs 1st Top 5 for 23XI Racing at Pocono

2021 Pocono II Cup Bubba Wallace car NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Bubba Wallace managed to execute a fuel-saving strategy to perfection. Crew chief Mike Wheeler asked Wallace to save two laps of fuel at Pocono Raceway on Sunday (June 27) and he nailed the assignment, finishing fifth in the Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 for 23XI Racing’s first top five and first top 10 in the …

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Myatt Snider Hopes Luck Turns Around with Pocono Top 10

2021 Pocono NXS Myatt Snider Justin Allgaier racing Sean Gardner Getty

(Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images via NASCAR Media)

Myatt Snider has had a miserable season. Since winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway in February, Snider had tallied only one top 10, a ninth at Talladega Superspeedway back in April. Snider and Richard Childress Racing’s luck finally turned for the better on Sunday (June 27) by finishing 10th in the Pocono Green 225 at Pocono Raceway. …

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Denny Hamlin Fights for Top-5 Finish at Pocono

2021 Pocono Denny Hamlin

(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images via NASCAR Media)

Denny Hamlin returned to form in the NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway in Saturday’s (June 26) Pocono Organics CBD 325. Tied with Jeff Gordon for most wins at Pocono, Hamlin led 11 laps before eventually finishing fourth to pick up his first top-five finish since finishing fifth at Darlington Raceway on May 9. “We …

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Ryan Preece Backs Nashville Win with Top 10 at Pocono

Ryan Preece Truck Series Pocono 2021

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Ryan Preece is 2-for-2 with top 10s in the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. A ninth-place finish Saturday (June 26) at Pocono Raceway didn’t quite compare to the win he claimed at Nashville Superspeedway one week ago, but the results are a solid start to his Truck Series career. Preece, who drives the No. …

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Sam Mayer, Others Frustrated as Debris Ruins Day at Pocono

2021 ARCA Pocono Sam Mayer, No. 23 Bret Holmes Racing Chevrolet (Credit: Zach Sturniolo)

(Photo: Zach Sturniolo)

Sam Mayer’s first ARCA Menards Series start at Pocono Raceway went up in smoke after just 19 laps. By the time he was towed into the garage on Friday (June 25), his car wasn’t the only thing fuming. Mayer and team owner Bret Holmes were furious after reports of debris were ignored for four laps, …

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Zach’s Turn: Stewart-Haas Racing Earns Much-Needed Boost in Nashville

2021 Nashville Cup Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing pack racing NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

That Stewart-Haas Racing has had a dismal year is no breaking news. Perhaps, though, the organization’s run at Nashville Superspeedway finally provided a turning point. Aric Almirola‘s miserable season had a sizeable uptick in performance by claiming pole position in a rare qualifying session and managed to translate that into a fourth-place finish. Meanwhile, teammate …

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Zach’s Turn: Erik Jones Capitalizing on Opportunity at Richard Petty Motorsports

Erik Jones 2021 Kansas

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Erik Jones is in a situation he’s never faced in the NASCAR Cup Series. Jones, 25, always had top-tier equipment at Joe Gibbs Racing, all the way from Kyle Busch Motorsports equipment in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series through the Xfinity and Cup series with JGR. Now driving the No. 43 Chevrolet for Richard …

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Zach’s Turn: Austin Dillon Earning Success As Richard Childress Finds More Speed

Austin Dillon Sonoma 2021

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Austin Dillon has faced a lot of criticism since he hit the NASCAR scene full time in 2010. Eleven years, two lower-tier championships and a couple of crown-jewel NASCAR Cup Series victories later, Dillon is earning success on a regular basis behind the wheel of the famed No. 3 Chevrolet. Dillon has an average finish …

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Truckin’ Thursdays: Ben Rhodes Talks Cup Debut at Sonoma, Truck Success

Ben Rhodes 2021 Charlotte trucks NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Ben Rhodes is having a damn good 2021. With two wins already this season, Rhodes sits second in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points with an average start of 6.2 and an average finish of 6.3 in the No. 99 Toyota for ThorSport Racing. He’s finished outside the top 10 only once, a 16th-place effort …

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