Race Weekend Central

Did You Notice? A Peek Into NASCAR Purses & A Monster Decision Ahead

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Folds Of Honor Quik Trip 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Ga Usa Sunday 25 February 2018 Kurt Busch, Stewart Haas Racing, Monster Energy/haas Automation Ford Fusion And Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing, Jimmy John's Ford Fusion World Copyright: Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Did You Notice? … The money flowing from BK Racing’s bankruptcy case gives us insight to NASCAR purses under the charter agreement? Per Bob Pockrass of ESPN.com, court documents show the team earned $450,000 for finishing 20th in this year’s Daytona 500. That’s a strong improvement from 2015, the last year purses were officially released by …

Read more

Did You Notice?: The New Dale Earnhardt, Debunking NASCAR’s Decline

2018 Daytona Cup Daytona 500 Zach Catanzareti Austin Dillon

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Did You Notice? … The way fans reacted to Austin Dillon’s last-lap punt of Aric Almirola to win the Daytona 500? I ran a poll after the race on Twitter and 67 percent of fans surveyed thought Dillon was over the line. It didn’t matter what Almirola said after the fact (he doesn’t blame Dillon at …

Read more

Did You Notice?: NASCAR’s Business Model in Focus

Did You Notice? … NASCAR’s business model is the center of Speedweeks conversation? The sport enters 2018 with only 40 entries competing for 40 spots in its Super Bowl, Sunday’s Daytona 500 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It’ll be the first time since 1969 that every car that showed up to make the 500 …

Read more

Did You Notice?: An Entire Generation Of NASCAR Bids Farewell

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, Daytona

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Did You Notice? … How quickly NASCAR has undergone a changing of the guard? Two more of the sport’s full-time drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth, bid farewell to the sport this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. They’ll be the cherries on top of what has been a mountainous shift towards NASCAR’s youth movement. Here’s a …

Read more

Did You Notice?: Matt Kenseth, In Retirement, Makes His Point

2017 Chicago Cup Matt Kenseth Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Did You Notice? … Matt Kenseth wanted to make his own decision on retirement? As Silly Season winds down, the 2003 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion finds himself without a chair. Without bringing sponsorship to the table, the future NASCAR Hall of Famer was left with two choices for 2018. Choice A: Drive for a …

Read more

Did You Notice?: “Chase”ing NASCAR’s Next Popularity Spike

2017 Talladega Ii Cup Chase Elliott Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Did You Notice? … The chorus of cheers as Chase Elliott emerged from his vehicle at Martinsville Speedway Sunday night? The way the crowd erupted when he took the lead at Talladega Superspeedway a few weeks back? If you weren’t looking, you might have assumed Dale Earnhardt Jr. was pushing his way toward the front. He’s not. But his …

Read more

Did You Notice?: Matt Kenseth’s Missed Opportunities?

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series I Love New York 355 At The Glen Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, Ny Usa Sunday 6 August 2017 Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Care Toyota Camry And Jason Ratcliff World Copyright: Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Did You Notice? … Matt Kenseth’s missed opportunities? Kenseth’s five-year tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing will end without a Cup Series championship. Despite at least 14 wins and five playoff appearances, the final nail in that coffin came the second an extra man jumped over the Kansas Speedway wall Sunday afternoon. It’s a rule we’ve struggled to understand …

Read more

Did You Notice?: When Does a NASCAR DNF Start to Matter?

2017 Talladega Ii Cwts Cody Coughlin Chris Fontaine Crash Rusty Jarrett Nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

Did You Notice? … The way NASCAR’s damaged vehicle policy has affected drivers running at the end of races? Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway set an all-time high for DNFs in the sport’s playoff era (2004-present) as 26 drivers failed to finish. Only a dozen cars wound up on the lead lap. The rate of carnage also …

Read more

Did You Notice?: Tackling The Unpredictability of Talladega And NASCAR Silly Season

2017 Talladega I Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Pack Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

Did You Notice? …. Talladega is truly the Russian Roulette of the NASCAR playoffs? This race has now had a green-white-checkered finish three years running. Last fall, two top title contenders (Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr.) failed to finish in surprising fashion (engine failure). Later in that race, a driver who would soon announce his retirement (Brian Scott) …

Read more

Did You Notice?: 7 NASCAR Storylines Still Worth Watching

2017 Richmond Ii Cup Kyle Busch Martin Truex Jr Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Did You Notice?… It’s been a difficult, controversial start to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. In the last three weeks, we’ve seen a 25-point penalty by a potential title contender (Chase Elliott). There’s been controversy surrounding the national anthem, forcing NASCAR PR to take a stance. Toyota has been dominating races, leading 299 of …

Read more

Did You Notice?: Toyota Trouncing The NASCAR Playoff Field

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, New Hampshire

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/ NKP)

Did You Notice? … The first two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff races have seen Toyota run away from the field? Chicagoland saw a motivated Martin Truex Jr. win the race by over seven seconds. Then, at New Hampshire Sunday Truex combined with Kyle Busch to lead 299 of 300 laps. The duo would have …

Read more

Did You Notice?: The Legend Of Allstate Kasey Kahne Lives On

Mcdowell Daytona

(Photo: John K Harrelson / NKP)

Did You Notice? … The powerful resume of Kasey Kahne? This year’s Brickyard 400 victory, combined with years of wooing major sponsorship, tipped the scales for single-car Leavine Family Racing. Despite a major leap forward with Michael McDowell this season, on-track potential wasn’t enough to keep the ride. “We look at this as an opportunity for …

Read more