Race Weekend Central

NASCAR Stat Sheet: Kyle Larson Earns the Most Important Stat of the Year: Champion

Kyle Larson celebrates his 2021 NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Despite being a force to be reckoned with in nearly every race in 2021, Kyle Larson entered the finale at Phoenix Raceway on a level even with the other three championship-eligible drivers.

NASCAR Stat Sheet: Martinsville Top-Dog Alex Bowman Sizzles, Denny Hamlin Left Feeling Burnt

Alex Bowman at 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Michigan race

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It was only five years ago but my how the landscape of NASCAR has changed. It has arguably changed more for no single individual than it has for Alex Bowman.

NASCAR Stat Sheet: Kyle Larson Still Shredding the Record Books With Kansas Win

Kyle Larson

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Larson scores another trifecta Here we are again. Another race weekend is in the books, and while the track was different and the playoff drivers having good or bad days may have rotated a bit, one thing remains strikingly constant: the winner. Kyle freaking Larson has run off with another trophy, his ninth of the …

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Friday Faceoff: Does an Underperforming Team Deserve to Lose Its Charter?

Cody Ware No. 51 Rick Ware Racing car at Texas Motor Speedway NASCAR All-Star Open, NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

With Kyle Larson locked into the Championship 4, should the No. 5 car help to get teammate and defending champion Chase Elliott in? Stephen Stumpf: Absolutely not. The two may be teammates, but Kyle Larson is having one of the most dominant seasons in the 21st century and should have his eyes focused on his first …

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NASCAR Stat Sheet: Larson Two-Steps All Over the Competition in Texas

Kyle Larson leads a pack cars at Texas Motor Speedway, October 2021. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Larson closing in on first Cup title Remember when Kyle Larson did something dumb and many wondered if his opportunity to compete in the Cup Series (or any NASCAR series for that matter) was gone? It seems like ages ago, and in some ways, it was. The world has changed a lot since then, as …

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Title Fight Between Kevin Harvick & Chase Elliott Ends in a Knockout at the Charlotte ROVAL

Chase Elliott ROVAL 2021 NASCAR

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

After a very obvious disagreement over their respective roles in the finish of the Bristol playoff race last month, neither Chase Elliott nor Kevin Harvick conceded that the spat was over. After another go-round at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL on Sunday (Oct. 10), it might still not be. Contact between the front bumper of …

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Best Seat at the Track: Frank Velat Joins From Charlotte Roval

BSATTFrankVelat

Graphic: Jared Haas

On this week’s episode of Best Seat at the Track, Jared Haas is joined by Frank Velat to preview NASCAR Cup Series racing action at the Bank of America Roval 400 (Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, Oct. 10). The pair dance around the rain topic as weather is an issue this weekend. After a disappointing week …

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Friday Faceoff: Has Time Run Out for NASCAR’s Damaged Vehicle Policy?

#5: Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Cincinnati on pit road at Talladega fall NASCAR Cup playoff race 2021

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Kyle Larson wound up crashing during a feverish attempt to record a fast enough lap to avoid being parked by the NASCAR damaged vehicle policy in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Does the current rule need any tweaking? Josh Roller: I’ve noticed when crews are repairing a car while under the clock, they …

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NASCAR Stat Sheet: 1 Isn’t The Loneliest Number At Talladega

2021 Talladega II Cup Bubba Wallace celebrating in victory lane NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Talladega brings maiden victories for Fogleman, Brown and Wallace It was certainly a good weekend to be a driver seeking their first career win in a NASCAR national touring series race. That’s because, for the first time ever, all three were won by first timers during the same weekend at the same track. Tate Fogleman …

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NASCAR Stat Sheet: Hamlin Goes All in for Vegas Win

Denny Hamlin leads a pack of NASCAR race cars in the 2021 South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, September 2021. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Joe Gibbs Racing driver clinches spot in Round of Eight With 30 races in the books, the championship is in sight and we have a good idea who will probably be fighting for it at Phoenix. But it takes so much going right and not just piling up stats. Kyle Larson essentially rolled snake eyes …

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NASCAR Stat Sheet: Kyle Larson’s Pick-Six Intercepts Potential Harvick Win

A pack, including Kyle Larson, of NASCAR Cup Series drivers racing at Bristol Motor Speedway, September 2021. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Larson Headlines Bristol Weekend Renaissance Bristol Motor Speedway has a rich history of, shall we say, drivers seeing things from a different perspective. The track marketed these dust-ups with remarkable success and became a fan favorite for the same reason crowds throughout history loved the guillotine: It was a macabre spectacle. The blade had dulled …

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NASCAR Stat Sheet: Truex Back on the Radar After Richmond Win

Martin Truex Jr. is often a NASCAR DraftKings pick on road courses, seen here at Circuit of the Americas. (Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Much of the championship talk has centered around Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson, the most dominant duo in the Cup Series this season. Larson has been a winning machine and Hamlin mind-bogglingly consistent. But while those two are at the forefront of most minds as they pursue their first Cup crown, a former champion reminded …

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