Race Weekend Central

Did You Notice?: 2021 NASCAR Midseason Awards

2021 Martinsville I Cup Martin Truex Jr Celebrates In Victory Lane Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It’s hard to believe, but we’re already over halfway through NASCAR’s 26-race regular season in the Cup Series. 2021 has given us a little bit of everything: Cinderella stories (Michael McDowell’s Daytona 500 win), parity at the top (11 winners in 14 races) and a whole lot of Mother Nature raining on NASCAR’s parade (see: …

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Did You Notice?: Winners & Losers If Brad Keselowski Buys Into Roush Fenway Racing

Brad Keselowski stands by his No. 2 Team Penske Ford at Kansas Speedway (May 2021). (Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? … Brad Keselowski will reportedly purchase an interest in Roush Fenway Racing? First reported by Motorsport’s Jim Utter, the deal would make the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion part owner and driver of the No. 6 Ford in 2022. The rumor has been around for a few weeks but public support of the story has …

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Did You Notice?: 3 Things That Will Make or Break NASCAR Next Gen

2022 Next Gen cars Chevrolet Ford Toyota Jared C Tilton Getty

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

Did You Notice? … The NASCAR Next Gen car was revealed last week? Now that the dust has settled a bit, let’s go back and take a look at the changes in store for stock car racing in 2022. Of course, hype from all around the industry is that this car, over two years in the …

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Did You Notice?: Matt Mills Is No Jennifer Jo Cobb, NASCAR Says

Jennifer Jo Cobb races in the Camping World Truck Series Mudsummer Classic. (Photo: Mike Neff)

(Photo: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

Did You Notice? … Matt Mills got approved to run his first NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday (May 1) at Kansas Speedway? The decision to enter Mills in the No. 55 for BJ McLeod Motorsports comes days after officials denied Jennifer Jo Cobb her first Cup start at Talladega Superspeedway. Mills, a NASCAR Xfinity Series regular, …

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Did You Notice?: Denny Hamlin Letting Dominant NASCAR Season Slip Through His Fingers

2021 Cup Richmond Denny Hamlin Headshot (Credit: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? … Denny Hamlin has had the best start to a season statistically in his NASCAR career? Hamlin currently leads the points by 81 over teammate Martin Truex Jr., over a full race’s worth, while piling up eight top-five finishes in nine starts. His average finish of 4.2 is less than half the total …

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Did You Notice?: Are NASCAR Charters Going to Be Available for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2022?

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fl Usa Sunday 18 February 2018 Dale Earnhardt Jr On The Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro Pit Box World Copyright: Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Did You Notice? … Dale Earnhardt Jr. casually mentioned he and sister Kelley have had conversations about moving JR Motorsports to the NASCAR Cup Series? Earnhardt spoke after Josh Berry’s NASCAR Xfinity Series win Sunday (April 11) and said it would be “irresponsible” not to consider a climb up the ladder with the introduction of the …

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Did You Notice? 7 NASCAR Drivers on the Hot Seat 7 Weeks Into 2021

Matt DiBenedetto stands next to car before 2021 spring Las Vegas Cup race NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? … Crazy enough, the 2021 NASCAR season is already two months old headed to Saturday night’s (April 10) race at Martinsville Speedway. The sport’s top three series are all at least 20% through their regular season schedules; the Camping World Truck Series is a third of the way there. It’s a large …

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Did You Notice?: Joey Logano Has a History of Aggression? Or Does He?

2019 Phoenix Mencs Joey Logano Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? … Joey Logano has a history of aggressive on-track behavior? That’s what Denny Hamlin thinks anyway, after being asked why he didn’t knock the No. 22 Ford out of the way in the closing laps of Monday’s (March 29) Food City Dirt Race. “I think me and the No. 22 race differently,” Hamlin …

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Did You Notice?: NASCAR Team Orders Creeping Into 2021

2021 Trucks Atlanta Kyle Busch, No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota, Burnout (Credit: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? … The way in which teammates helped each other out at Atlanta Motor Speedway last weekend (March 20-21)? The most obvious example came in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where Kyle Busch twice slowed down in the final laps of a stage to let John Hunter Nemechek pass by and win. In …

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Did You Notice?: NASCAR Track Rotation Not the Worst Idea

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Folds Of Honor Quik Trip 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Ga Usa Sunday 25 February 2018 Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing, Jimmy John's Ford Fusion, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Roush Fenway Racing, Ford Ford Fusion, And Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta Chevrolet Camaro World Copyright: Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Did You Notice?… Atlanta Motor Speedway is one of a handful of tracks to gain back a second NASCAR date in the modern era after losing it? AMS will run its first NASCAR Cup Series race of 2021 this weekend (March 21) before the sport makes a return trip on July 11. There’s a lot of …

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Did You Notice?: NASCAR Stage Points Keeping Big Names Afloat In 2021

Did You Notice?… The weird start to the 2021 NASCAR season, made even weirder by stage points? Let me explain. We’ve talked to death about four surprise winners in the first four races, only one of whom earned a victory in 2020. Michael McDowell is the sport’s Cinderella story, capturing the Daytona 500 while names like …

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Did You Notice?: Hendrick Motorsports is the New Face of NASCAR Youth Movement

Alex Bowman talks with Rick Hendrick before 2021 NASCAR Cup Race at Homestead Photo NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice?… NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon retired in November 2015 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a shot at the Cup Series championship. He was 44 years old. Just five years later, William Byron trounced the field at that same track Sunday (Feb. 28) to take Gordon’s former No. 24 car to victory lane at …

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