Race Weekend Central

Frontstretch 2-Minute Drill: Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona

Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup 2021 pack racing NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Daytona International Speedway looms large in the windshields of NASCAR Cup Series drivers on Saturday night (Aug. 28). The track will host the 26th and final race of the regular season. 2021 marks the second time the superspeedway has held the cutoff race for the playoff field, and the final spot is down to the …

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Slipstream Saturday: Max Verstappen Surpasses George Russell to Take Pole at Spa

Max Verstappen celebrates winning the pole in Spa, Belgium; Formula 1 2021, rainy and wet conditions. Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

(Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images, via Red Bull Content Pool)

In changeable conditions, Max Verstappen excelled to take pole position for Sunday’s (Aug. 29) 2021 Belgian Grand Prix for Formula 1 with a lap time of 1:59.765. However, it wasn’t Lewis Hamilton that the Red Bull driver had to beat to pole but George Russell, with the Williams driving looking incredibly comfortable in the wet. …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400

Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon battle for position in 2021 Daytona 500 Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

After 25 points-paying races and six months of competition, we’ve reached the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway. Let’s get your daily fantasy NASCAR DraftKings lineups prepped for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. The race will air on Saturday night (Aug. 28) at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, so be …

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4 Burning Questions: The Train Wreck That Is ARCA

2021 ARCA Springfield Pack Racing Taylor Gray, No. 46 David Gilliland Racing Ford (Credit: Jeff Curry/ARCA Racing used with permission)

Photo: Jeff Curry/ARCA Racing used with permission

Why is the ARCA Menards Series a train wreck? So to be clear, the ARCA Menards Series has always been a bit of a train wreck. Long the little brother to NASCAR and now a subsidiary of the sanctioning body, it cannot be said enough that ARCA is in a crisis on multiple fronts right …

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Fire on Fridays: Who’s Actually Got a Shot at the Cup Playoffs?

Matt DiBenedetto Tyler Reddick talk Watkins Glen

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It’s somewhat fitting that this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway has an elimination factor. After all, that’s usually the case at the season-opening Daytona 500, when the pre-race Duels set the lineup and a certain number of cars (four in 2021) are left on the sidelines come the big race on …

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Friday Faceoff: Should NASCAR Require COVID-19 Vaccines for Garage Access?

2019 New Hampshire Nxs Bj Mcleod Motorsports Garage Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

With the FDA approving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, should NASCAR require vaccinations for garage access? Luken Glover: No, it is not needed. Some drivers have voiced that a negative test should be all that is needed, and I agree with that. While I want the virus to be eradicated as much as the next person, it …

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Podcast: Chase Purdy on Re-Learning How to Race, Contracting COVID & His College Football Conundrum

Chasepurdy Podcast

Graphic: Jared Haas

After a two-year sabbatical of sorts away from racing, Chase Purdy is still getting his feet under him as he’s returned to the seat on a full-time basis with GMS Racing in the Camping World Truck Series this year. He joins Davey Segal this week to discuss his season to date, contracting COVID-19 and how …

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Eyes On Xfinity: AJ Allmendinger Making Series His Fun Factory

AJ Allmendinger Michigan NASCAR Xfinity Series

(Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Routine can at times be a bad thing. The more you get used to something, the more common it can be. The novelty wears off.  The initial newfound excitement can fade. Drivers aren’t immune to this. If you get used to winning, some competitors come to expect it and the emotion becomes nearly robotic at …

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ARCA Preview: 2021 Sprecher 150 at Milwaukee Mile

2021 ARCA Michigan Ty Gibbs Burnout (Credit: NKP)

Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography

Dead even. With five races left in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series season, Ty Gibbs and Corey Heim are tied for the points lead. After 15 races this season, the two Toyota drivers have won every series race except for one, giving both of them at least a 201-point lead over third-place driver Thad Moffitt. This year’s ARCA …

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2-Headed Monster: Is 2021 a Career-Defining Year for Ryan Blaney?

2021 Michigan Cup Ryan Blaney Woohoo Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

At Michigan International Speedway on Sunday (Aug. 22), it was a Ford vs. Chevrolet duel to the finish, as you would expect it to be an hour outside of The Motor City. Perhaps more telling, it was perhaps a glimpse into the future of what rivalries will look like in the sport, with Ryan Blaney …

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Truckin’ Thursdays: Dylan Lupton’s Golden Opportunity With Kyle Busch Motorsports

2019 Chicagoland Ngots Dylan Lupton Face Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

While the Camping World Truck Series sits quietly this weekend, teams will be preparing for next week’s (Sept. 5) trip to Darlington Raceway in place of what was originally scheduled to be a visit to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. But scheduling logistics due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced the schedule to be altered once again. …

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