Race Weekend Central

NASCAR 101: Euro Series Drivers Who Have Raced in America

Myatt Snider stands by his car before Homestead Xfinity race 2021 Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In the late 2000s, NASCAR was seeking a new international audience for its world-class racing product. The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series was formed to give the open wheel-saturated European continent some stock car flavor. Since 2009, the Euro Series has crisscrossed the continent showcasing dazzling driving talent and a brand new style of racing on …

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NASCAR 101: Former Toyota Development Drivers in Other Rides

2020 Daytona NCS Joey Logano Face NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Hendrick Motorsports may have finally found the final piece to the puzzle that returns the NASCAR Cup Series organization to its past dominance. With William Byron‘s statement win in last Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400, some have begun to sing team owner Rick Hendrick’s praises for scooping up such an anticipated generational talent. Byron’s journey to …

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NASCAR 101: States That Have Never Produced a Cup Winner

Christopher Bell poses with trophy after winning 2021 Daytona road Photo NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

After conquering the Daytona International Speedway road course last weekend, Christopher Bell became the first driver from Oklahoma to win a NASCAR Cup Series race. Now, 35 U.S. states can boast that they have produced a Cup winner, a far cry from NASCAR’s early years when nearly every driver hailed from the Southeast. NASCAR has …

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NASCAR 101: Longest Active Winless Streaks

2021 Daytona 500 Cup Matt DiBenedetto car Photo Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

You may have heard that Michael McDowell was the Cinderella story in last weekend’s Daytona 500. You might also have heard that he had a lengthy history of losing (as in, the absence of winning) that spanned nearly 15 years. In fact, prior to his putting on his glass slipper, the Arizona driver had started …

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NASCAR 101: Meet the 40 Starters of the Daytona 500

Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick, Matt DiBenedetto racing at Daytona 2021 Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The biggest day in stock car racing is right around the corner. This Sunday (Feb. 14), 40 of the world’s best drivers will strap into their respective racing machines as they prepare to tackle the 63rd running of the Daytona 500. But who exactly are these 40 NASCAR Cup Series competitors who will hit the …

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NASCAR 101: Our Storylines of 2020, Revisited

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

For the fourth year in a row, the final NASCAR 101 before the NASCAR season finale takes a look back at the columns written here throughout the year to see if any updates to the storylines tackled are warranted. It’s a bit of an odd one this year, given the lack of columns for a multi-week …

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NASCAR 101: Who Didn’t Return to NASCAR in 2020?

2019 Michigan I NXS Paul Menard NKP

(Photo:Nigel Kinrade Photography)

This is the sixth year this column has tackled the roster of drivers who didn’t race in at least one of NASCAR’s three national series in 2020, and somehow the list seems longer this year. That’s probably due in part to the ever-present elephant in the room, the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only were multiple drivers’ …

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NASCAR 101: The Youngest Active Owners in NASCAR

NASCAR Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

We finally know the name of Michael Jordan’s long-anticipated team: 23XI Racing. Of course, Jordan won’t be the first superstar athlete to make the plunge into NASCAR ownership, nor will he be the first multi-billionaire. However, at age 57, Jordan will be a significantly younger face than many of his counterparts competing in the NASCAR …

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NASCAR 101: NASCAR’s Racing Women of the Last Decade

2019 Madison ARCA Hailie Deegan Face Jay Alley

(Photo: Jay Alley)

In this weekend’s NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway, Hailie Deegan becomes the latest in a line of women to race in NASCAR’s national series. Deegan, a full-time competitor in the ARCA Menards Series in 2020 for DGR-Crosley, will strap into DGR’s No. 17, making her Truck debut. She’s not …

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NASCAR 101: Xfinity, Truck Debuts May End Up the Worst They’ve Ever Been in 2020

NASCAR Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The day is March 6, 2020. This column posits that the NASCAR Xfinity Series is off to its best start in six years when it comes to debuting drivers, thanks to an influx of newcomers that saw six racers make their first Xfinity starts in the first four races of the 2020 season. “…it’s a …

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NASCAR 101: Here’s What Changes on the 2021 Cup Schedule

NASCAR action at Chicagoland Speedway, 2019. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The NASCAR Cup Series’ 2021 schedule is here, and if you’ve been a vocal advocate for change in the series the last few years, you should check this one out. Is it a wholesale upending of the status quo? No. Are there still some problems folks are probably debating on social media as we speak? …

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