Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martin Truex Jr. Slimes His Way to First Win of the Playoffs

2017 Chicago CUP Martin truex jr slimed Logan Whitton NKP

(Photo: Logan Whitton / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – The best driver and team for the vast majority of 2017 has been Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 78. They made another statement in the first race of the playoffs with a dominating performance over the second half at Chicagoland Speedway. Truex already has the playoff points necessary to waltz …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kyle Larson Survives Smoke, Safety Vehicles & Overtime to Win Richmond

2017 Richmond II CUP Kyle Larson checkered flag Nigel Kinrade NKP

Who’s in the headline – It had to happen eventually. Kyle Larson is too good of a racecar driver to only win on two-mile racetracks. Richmond Raceway is a track that will highlight a drivers ability more than most any other one, so it would make sense that someone with Larson’s talent would shine there. In …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Denny Hamlin Sweeps Darlington Weekend With Late-Race Charge

denny hamlin darlington

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Who’s in the headline – Denny Hamlin was thrust into an alternate pit strategy when Martin Truex Jr. short pitted on his penultimate pit stop and then made his final stop with just over 50 laps to go. When the No. 11 driver attempted to hit pit road on lap 314, he missed the entrance …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch Look Best but Don’t Discount Jimmie Johnson

2017 Watkins Glen CUP Martin Truex Jr woohoo Rusty Jarrett NKP

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Martin Truex Jr. has been the class of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2017. He has won four races, which is the most of any driver. Truex also has dominated the new playoff point system with 35 points scored. He is also the king of stage racing with …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kyle Busch Busts Out Broom for Second National Tour Series Sweep at Bristol

2017 Bristol II NXS Kyle Busch celebrates LEsley Ann Miller NKP

(Photo: Lesley Ann Miller / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – There have been multiple two-race sweeps in NASCAR history, but there have only been a pair of three-race sweeps. Both of them were accomplished by Kyle Busch and the second was this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch won the first stage, led the second most laps, including 93 of …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kyle Larson Gets Dirty to Sweep Michigan

2017 Michigan II CUP Kyle Larson burnout Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – We often speak of horses for courses and interestingly, Kyle Larson has established that he is the horse to ride on two-mile racetracks. For the third time in a row, he was victorious at Michigan International Speedway, although during this race, he was not nearly as dominant as he’d been …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martin Truex Jr Slows Down Just Enough to Win Watkins Glen

2017 Watkins Glen CUP Martin Truex Jr woohoo Rusty Jarrett NKP

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Martin Truex Jr. won four races in 2016, but admitted in post-race interviews that they learned a lot more about winning during that season. He feels like they have everyone doing better jobs this year, and the result is a championship caliber team that has the most wins in the …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 22 Down, One to Go as Kyle Busch Knocks Pocono Off of Winless List

2017 cup pocono zach catanzareti kyle busch

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Who’s in the headline – There are 23 racetracks on the Cup schedule. After Kyle Busch’s win at Pocono Raceway this weekend, he has a points-paying victory at every track on the current schedule except for Charlotte Motor Speedway. It had been 36 races since Busch won a Cup race but the much-maligned slump is finally …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kasey Kahne Uses Beneficial Pit Call and Strong Restart to Capture Brickyard Victory

2017 Indianapolis CUP Kasey Kahne team kissing bricks Russell LaBounty NKP

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Kasey Kahne has been rumored to be out of his ride for two or three years. While the talk seems to be more intense of late, Kahne and his No. 5 team have kept their nose to the grindstone. A fortunate pit call on lap 148 in the Brickyard 400 …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Denny Hamlin Overcomes Crustacean Fear for First Win of 2017 at Loudon

hamlin nhms win

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/ NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Joe Gibbs Racing went past the halfway point of the season without a victory. That changed in the first race of the second half as Denny Hamlin took advantage of some strategy calls and track conditions at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to score his first win of the season. Hamlin …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kentucky was Martin Truex Jr.’s World; Everyone Else was Looking for a Nut

2017-Kentucky-Cup-Martin-Truex-Jr-burnout-Barry-Cantrell-NKP

(Photo: Barry Cantrell / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Just over a year ago, Martin Truex, Jr. turned the Coca-Cola 600 into his own personal playground. Saturday wasn’t that level of dominant, but it was close. Truex has been very strong on 1.5-mile tracks since the marriage of Joe Gibbs Racing and Furniture Row Racing at the beginning of 2016, …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Survives the Daytona Pandemonium For Second Career Victory

rfr leading daytona

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – It took Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 157 races to visit Victory Lane for the first time. It only took eight more to make a return trip. Stenhouse made a late-race pass coming to the white flag and held off the competition to lead the final two laps to score the victory. …

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