Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): Martin Truex, Jr. quipped that he did his best work after 10 p.m., and that proved to be the case during a marathon Coca-Cola 600. Capping a dominant performance over the last 150 laps of Sunday’s race and capitalizing on a controversial pit cycle that saw Truex dump backmarker Bayley Currey only to …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): Kyle Larson is a million dollars richer. The California native won the Monster Energy Open, then raced his way up from 18th to win the Monster Energy All-Star Race on Saturday night (May 18) at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He became just the fourth driver all-time to win the All-Star Race after transferring from the …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 Digital Ally 400 at Kansas

#4: Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Busch Beer, #17: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Roush Fenway Racing, Ford Mustang SunnyD and #14: Clint Bowyer, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Haas Automation Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): It took 245 laps for the No. 2 team to get its car handling right, but Brad Keselowski made the last 26 count, catching a strong Alex Bowman for the lead on lap 262 and holding it in overtime after Matt DiBenedetto blew an engine inside of five laps from the checkered flag. …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 Gander RV 400 at Dover

Martin Truex Jr. - Dover spring 2019

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): 12 years after scoring his first Career Monster Energy Cup Series win at the same track in a rain-delayed race in 2007, Martin Truex Jr. ran away from the field during the final stage of Monday’s Gander RV 400 to easily score his second win of the 2019 season and 34th career NASCAR …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 GEICO 500 at Talladega

2019 talladega cup mencs zach catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The Headline(s): On the heels of a manufacturer meeting that stressed teamwork, fan favorite Chase Elliott led Chevrolet’s strongest showing of NASCAR 2019. At Talladega Superspeedway, he worked with teammate Alex Bowman to best Joey Logano and Kyle Busch on a late restart and win the 2019 GEICO 500. Elliott’s, and Chevrolet’s, win snapped a …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond

2019 Cup Richmond zach catanzareti martin truex jr.

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The Headline(s): Martin Truex Jr. weathered two strong challenges in the closing 25 laps of Saturday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway, holding off both Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano to score his first career Cup win on a short track, first Cup win of 2019, 20th career Cup win, and his 33rd career NASCAR …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 Food City 500 at Bristol

2019 bristol zach catanzareti cup kurt busch kyle busch

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The Headline(s): Though far from a dominant performance, Kyle Busch stayed out on old tires, capitalized on a cluster of a restart and drove away from brother Kurt Busch to score the 2019 Food City 500 win. It was Busch’s third Cup victory of 2019, 54th of his career and 204th NASCAR national series win. …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas

2019 cup texas zach catanzareti erik jones

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The Headline(s): Denny Hamlin overcame a characteristic pair of pit road penalties and missing a pit road approach under green with a stellar late-race pit stop. That got him out front, where he beat Clint Bowyer by more than two seconds. Hamlin scored his second win of 2019 and the 52nd NASCAR national series win …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 STP 500 at Martinsville

#2: Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, Ford Mustang Reese/DrawTite Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): Brad Keselowski put what Larry Mac dubbed a “Southern tail kickin’” on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series field. He led 446 of 500 laps Sunday (March 24) and held off a late charge from Chase Elliott to score his second win of 2019, his second career win at Martinsville, his 29th career …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 Auto Club 400 at Fontana

#22: Joey Logano, Team Penske, Ford Mustang AAA Southern California, #18: Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Interstate Batteries, #10: Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Farmer John, #4: Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Jimmy John's, #3: Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet Dow Coatings go five wide on the pace laps Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): Kyle Busch recovered from a mid-race speeding penalty to cap off a dominant west coast swing, winning the Auto Club 400 after race leaders Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski lost momentum battling each other side-by-side with about 25 laps to go.  For Busch, the win marked the 53rd Cup win of his career, …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 TicketGuardian 500k at ISM

#18: Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry SKITTLES Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): After a protracted green flag run, Kyle Busch’s four tires proved better over a long run than Ryan Blaney’s two, allowing the No. 18 to take the lead for good on lap 296 and drive off into the Arizona sunset at ISM Raceway. https://twitter.com/DrunkBrianF/status/1104877779697451008 Busch is the fourth different winner in four Monster …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas

#22: Joey Logano, Team Penske, Ford Mustang Pennzoil celebrates his win with a burnout

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): Two-thousand miles away, on newer asphalt with open aero ducts, the same 500 miles that played out in Atlanta repeated themselves in Las Vegas, with the Team Penske Fords managing a lead and holding off a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for the win. This time, Joey Logano held off Brad Keselowski and a …

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