Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: Carl Edwards Saves Best for Last to Win at Texas

2016 Nascar Sprint Cup Series, Texas

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Who’s in the headline ā€“ While Carl Edwards will garner most of the headlines for the weekend, it was Mother Nature who took most of the attention. The race was delayed by five-and-a-half hours due to track drying efforts that seemed to make progress at a snail’s pace. Once the race began, the sun had …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Jimmie Johnson Sets the Table for a Run at Title Seven with Victory at Martinsville

Jimmie Johnson Sunlight Burnout Martinsville Cup 2016 Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

Who’s in the headline ā€“ Jimmie Johnson had eight wins at Martinsville Speedway entering this weekend’s activities. While that is an impressive number, he had gone six races without a win and had not finished better than ninth in the last four. The race wasn’t a dominating effort by the No. 48 team, but they …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Joey Logano Carries Penske Banner to Win, Favorites Fall Below the Cut-Off at Talladega

2016 Nascar Talladega

(Photo: Barry Cantrell / NKP)

Who’s in the headline ā€“ Joey Logano dominated the second round of the Chase last year, winning all three races and leading most of Talladega en route to the win. This year the wins are much harder to come by. However, in a nearly must win scenario, Logano came to the fore when it was …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kevin Harvick Eliminates Deficit to Secure Invite to Round of Eight With Kansas Win

2016 Kansas Speedway Nscs Kevin Harvick Photo Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Who’s in the headline ā€“ Kevin Harvick knew that his misfortune at Charlotte was just a blip on the radar. Many other people were writing him off, but there is a reason heĀ has not been eliminated before Homestead since this elimination format was implemented. Harvick has figured out what he wants to feel in a …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Jimmie Johnson Puts His Foot Down, Advances to Round of Eight with Charlotte Win

Jimmie Johnson Checkered Flag Celebration Charlotte Cup 2016 Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

Who’s in the headline ā€“ After giving away two races in the first round of the Chase thanks to pit road miscues, Jimmie Johnson left nothing to chance at Charlotte on Sunday. After Hurricane Matthew pushed the racing action back to Sunday, heĀ took advantage of the tough track conditions to pull out an old-school butt …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martin Truex, Jr. Dominates at Dover

Who’s In The Headline Martin Truex, Jr. is on fire to start this Chase. Round 1 has been a showcase for he and the No. 78 team, who won the first race at Chicagoland, then came close in the second at New Hampshire before late restarts shuffled them back. At Dover, they had the second-fastest …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kevin Harvick Nets Loudon Victory With Late Restart Pass

2016 Nascar New Hampshire

23-25 September, 2016, Loudon, New Hampshire USA Kevin Harvick celebrates in victory lane Ā©2016, Logan Whitton/NKP

Who’s in the headline ā€“ While Joe Gibbs Racing cars dominated the event, it was Kevin Harvick who parked it in Victory Lane on Sunday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The JGR crew and affiliate led 280 of the 300 laps. Harvick took advantage of a late race, front row restart to wrest the …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martin Truex, Jr. Overcomes Adversity With Late Charge to Win at Chicagoland

2016 Chicago Cup Martin Truex Jr Woohoo Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

  Who’s in the headline ā€“ Martin Truex, Jr. overcame a tire issue under green flag conditions to put himself in position to make a run at the race win. A late-race caution and a strong pit stop resulted in Truex restarting outside the second row. An aggressive move to the outside allowed him to …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud ā€“ Denny Hamlin Takes Home Win at Richmond While Jamie McMurray Grabs Final Chase Berth

2016 Nascar Sprint Cup Series, Richmond

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

  Who’s in the headline ā€“ Denny Hamlin started the regular season with a win at Daytona. He ended it with a win at Richmond. Martin Truex Jr. managed to be penalized on pit road again and potentially kill a winning effort. Kyle Larson got out of pit sequence but almost got back to the …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martin Truex Jr. Claims Second NASCAR Crown Jewel of 2016

2016 Nascar Sprint Cup Series, Darlington

(Courtesy: NKP / Nigel Kinrade)

Who’s in the headline:Ā For the first time in his career, Martin Truex, Jr. has won multiple races in a single season. Kevin HarvickĀ was the dominant car for the vast majority of Sunday night’sĀ Southern 500, but pit road miscues put him behind in the final laps and he was unable to overcome the handicap. Truex, now …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud ā€“ Kyle Larson Comes Away with First Sprint Cup Win at Michigan

2016 Michigan Ii Cup Kyle Larson Woohoo Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Who’s in the headline ā€“ Shouldering the label of best not to do something can be a heavy burden. For 98 Cup races, Kyle Larson took the green flag but was not the first one to see the checkered. After eight top 5s and 17 top 10s as a rookie, it seemed inevitable that Larson …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud ā€“ Kevin Harvick Wins 24 Hours of Bristol

2016 Nscs Kevin Harvick Woohoo Bristol Night Race Photo John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

Who’s in the headline ā€“ A funny thing happened on the way to crowning one of the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers (or affiliate team) the 2016 Sprint Cup champion: the 2014 winner issued a statement at Bristol Motor Speedway. Kevin Harvick has had some strong cars this season, but the runs were derailed through a …

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