Race Weekend Central

Up to Speed: Hendrick Motorsports Teammates in a Tight Spot

2019 Atlanta CUP William Byron Alex Bowman NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman and William Byron began their playoff runs with good finishes.  Bowman cruised to a sixth-place result, his best finish since winning at Chicagoland Speedway.  Byron spun out with less than 100 laps to go in the race but fought back to finish ninth.  Combined with Chase …

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Alex Bowman Finishes 23rd at Richmond, Takes Shot At Austin Dillon After Rough Night

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: NKP)

Alex Bowman never quite overcame early contact with Austin Dillon at Richmond Raceway in Saturday night’s (Sept. 21) Federated Auto Parts 400. He nursed his No. 88 to a 23rd-place finish, putting his hopes to advance to the Round of 12 in critical condition. After a pit stop cycle at the conclusion of stage one, …

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Alex Bowman, Cincinnati Inc. Announce Sponsorship

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: NKP)

Cincinnati Inc. has joined Hendrick Motorsports as an official partner with a 10-year agreement that will begin in 2019 and run through the 2028 racing season, Hendrick announced Friday, Sept. 20. The company will be on Alex Bowman‘s No. 88 car in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starting at Dover International Speedway on Oct. …

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4 Burning Questions: Is Daniel Hemric About to Replace Chris Buescher?

2019 Talladega Cup Daniel Hemric Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What’s the latest Silly Season development? More Silly Season dominoes fell into place this week, with Richard Childress Racing announcing the departure of Daniel Hemric from the team. NEWS pic.twitter.com/t8qkuqrZl2 — RCR (@RCRracing) September 17, 2019 It has been a fairly rough Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rookie season for Hemric. The 28-year-old from Kannapolis, …

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5 Points to Ponder: Impending Fireworks

2019 Las Vegas MENCS Alex Bowman Racing NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

ONE: Impending Fireworks Like the format or not — and I realize plenty who will read this column absolutely and definitively do not — one thing is for sure: the tension ratchets up incrementally as soon the playoffs get underway. Each minor on-track mistake, each pit-road miscue, each missed shift or poorly executed strategy is …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 South Point 400 at Las Vegas

2019 Las Vegas MENCS Martin Truex, Jr. Victory Lane NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): Surviving two mid-race scrapes on a night that multiple playoff drivers found trouble with tire rubs, Martin Truex, Jr. blew past Kevin Harvick with 18 laps to go on a green flag run to score the South Point 400 win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It’s his fifth victory of 2019, 24th career …

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Up to Speed: Has the Tide Turned in the Championship Battle?

2019 MENCS Sonoma Denny Hamlin Martin Truex Jr. Kyle Busch Ryan Blaney

(Photo: Danny Peters)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers and teams got a rare break this weekend.  The sport’s premier division enjoyed its first off-weekend since mid-June.  At that time, the Cup Series ran 15 races of the 2019 season. The nine races following the June break have produced some exciting finishes, fresh story lines and new faces …

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Testing Spring Takeaways With Fall Drawing Near

2019 Pocono MENCS Kyle Busch Face Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Five months, 1,000 podcasts and one qualifying format change ago, I came to write this monthly column and found my mind wandering to multiple different things. NASCAR’s 2019 rules package was fresh on everyone’s mind, a few standout teams were dominating the series and others were quietly establishing themselves as contenders. I commemorated the occasion …

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Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott Top Watkins Glen Practices

2019 Michigan I CUP Chase Elliott NKP

(Photo: NKP)

It was all Hendrick Motorsports at the top of the charts in the pair of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practices on Saturday (Aug. 3). Alex Bowman was fastest in the opening session with a speed of 125.888 miles per hour. He passed Kyle Busch (125.786 mph) late in the session, who finished the session in …

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Friday Faceoff: Should Drivers Go Toe To Toe On Social Media?

brad keselowski phone

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

For the second time in less than a year, Jimmie Johnson will have a new crew chief. Was the move necessary and will it help their results? Mark Kristl: The move felt like a Hail Mary from Hendrick Motorsports. In his first year with Ally as his sponsor, Johnson has underperformed. Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman …

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Frontstretch Podcast: Alex Bowman Discusses 2019 Season, Previews Playoffs, Dogs

2019 Pocono MENCS Alex Bowman Face Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In this week’s edition of the Frontstretch Podcast, Dustin Albino and Mike Neff discuss an interesting weekend of racing at Pocono Raceway, which saw Denny Hamlin record his third victory of the season. What’s led to the recent hot streak of the No. 11 team? With three consecutive top-three finishes, is Erik Jones fighting for his ride? Did the …

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NASCAR 101: Longest Cup Streaks Without a Pole

2019 Loudon MENCS Brad Keselowski Pole Award Getty Images NASCAR Media

(Photo: Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Entering the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, Brad Keselowski had 14 poles to his credit — by no means a deplorable number. However, it came with a caveat. In 2018, Keselowski won no poles, and his last one before then came at the second Michigan International Speedway race of the season in 2017. …

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