Race Weekend Central

Happiness Is… Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson & Shrinking

2016 Darlington Cup Chris Buescher Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

This Sunday will bring about the first round of eliminations in the the Cup Chase.  That means that the feel-good story of Chris Buescher and his appearance in the Chase will come to end when the checkered flag flies.  That seems like an easy statement to make as Buescher sits in 16th place and is …

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Happiness Is…New Hampshire, Ratings & Big Money

2016 Nscs Jimmie Johnson Chicagoland Photo Russel Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

Well that was fast.  For a racing series, speed is usually a good thing.  In this case, well, maybe the speed that NASCAR showed this week is maybe not such a good thing.  The matter here is NASCAR’s decision to change how it adjudicates penalties for the laser inspections and lug nuts.  This move is …

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Happiness Is… Chase, Clarity & Champion

2016 Kentucky Cup Tony Stewart Helmet Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell Labounty/NKP)

This past week has brought the Tony Stewart defenders out in force.  Between his dust-up (punting) of Brian Scott and his on-track pugilism with Ryan Newman, Stewart has been an interesting presence for the past couple weeks.  Matt McLaughlin covered the story, and the goal here is not to rehash it.  This also won’t be …

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Happiness Is… Richmond Excitement to Finalize the Chase Field

2016 Nascar Darlington

(Photo: Brett Moist/ NKP)

The ratings are in for the Southern 500 and, well, thy’re a bit on the disappointing side.  That’s right, the much-ballyhooed throwback extravaganza didn’t quite pull the numbers that the wonks in Daytona may have expected.  Last year the race held a 3.7 share of viewership, while this year it fell all the way down …

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Happiness Is…Marketing, PR & the Weekend

2016 Pocono I Cup Kyle Larson Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Check Kyle Larson’s name off the list.  He is, depending on how you group drivers, the first of the latest generation of  take the checkered flag in the Cup series.  His win last Sunday at Michigan validated what everyone has seemingly said about him – that he’s got all the talent and that his break …

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Happiness Is… Chris Buescher, Sponsorship & Power

2016 Watkins Glen Cup Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

This upcoming Sprint Cup race at Michigan will mark the sixth straight that Dale Earnhardt Jr has missed due to his concussion.  All he can do is watch as Alex Bowman takes over his car for the second time this season.  Earnhardt will also miss his seventh race next weekend, when Jeff Gordon returns to …

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Happiness Is… Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Sitting Out

2016 Charlotte All Star Showdown Cup Matt Kenseth John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

What to do, what to do?  One of the things that Bill France decried when shepherding the sport of NASCAR was that the fans should walk away knowing who won the race.  Apparently that meant that the fans knowing something equated to cementing the results and tinkering with infractions later.   Matt Kenseth failing laser …

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Happiness Is… NBC’s Return

2106 Sonoma Cup Pack Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Road course racing has gained in popularity over the past few years.  One of the reasons for this shift is that the races have supplanted the smaller tracks as the place for action, or more specifically, the proverbial beatin’ and bangin’ that so many fans enjoy.  When Bruton Smith tinkered with Bristol Motor Speedway (over …

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