Race Weekend Central

2016 Frontstretch Podcast Episode 4: Good Sam 500

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam 500

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Welcome to the Fronstretch Podcast! Racing expert Matt Stallknecht and his rotating panel of guests have you covered from now until the end of the season with all of the main storylines from the motorsports week that was. This week’s podcast covered the following topics… Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards‘ photo finish in the Phoenix Sprint Cup race How NASCAR …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud – Kevin Harvick Beats His Way to Eighth Career Phoenix Victory

2016 Phoenix I CUP Kevin Harvick team celebration Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – There are two things in life that are certain: death and taxes. Closely behind that is Kevin Harvick winning at Phoenix International Raceway. For the eighth time in his career and the sixth time in the last eight races, Harvick was the first car under the checkered flag. What happened – …

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Kevin Harvick Wins in Photo Finish for 8th Phoenix Victory

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam 500

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Well, it happened again. Much like the 58th Daytona 500 to start the Sprint Cup Series season three weeks ago, the victory came down to inches. This time, it was Kevin Harvick edging Carl Edwards to the line by 0.010 seconds to win at Phoenix International Raceway for the eighth time in his career and …

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Martin Truex, Jr. Receives Another Warning from NASCAR

2016 Las Vegas CUP Martin Truex Jr Cole Pearn Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Third time’s the charm didn’t hold true for Martin Truex, Jr. and Furniture Row Racing. NASCAR penalized three teams and suspended one crew member on Wednesday for infractions that occurred during last weekend’s Sprint Cup and XFINITY events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The No. 19 and 78 teams of Carl Edwards and Truex were …

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The 10: Power Rankings Leaders Find Luck, Dust in Vegas

2016 Las Vegas CUP Kurt Busch pack racing Matthew T Thacker NKP

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

Typically, the phrase “eat my dust” is a joke when it comes to racing. However, on a wild Sunday in Las Vegas, the phrase was all too real. After 400 miles of rainy, dusty, windy madness at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Brad Keselowski and the Blue Deuce rolled back in to Victory Lane for the first …

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Four Burning Questions: Who Will Extend 2016 Top-10 Streaks in Las Vegas?

Kobalt 400

(Photo: Getty Images)

HOW WILL RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING FARE IN VEGAS? Whether we were heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend or not, Richard Childress Racing was always bound to have a solid run. Following the first two races of the 2016 Sprint Cup Series season at Daytona and Atlanta, Austin Dillon has a ninth and 11th while …

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Up To Speed: Despite Long Green-Flag Runs, Lower Downforce Still Largely Positive

Though only the second race of the season, Atlanta Motor Speedway was thought to be the initial race where we would see what the new (or at least new for 2016) low-downforce package would mean for the racing this season. After rave reviews from competitors and fans alike at Kentucky Speedway and Darlington Raceway with …

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Up To Speed: Denny Hamlin Credits Teammates for Daytona 500 Win

“It was a total team effort.” Generally, when the winning driver makes such a statement in Victory Lane, they are referring to their own team. It’s their crew chief, pit crew, over-the-wall members who made the difference in getting them over the hump. Yes, there is gratitude expressed to the organization as a whole, but really …

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The Big Six: Questions Answered After the 2016 Daytona 500

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? After narrowly avoiding one crash and getting enough damage in another that his car was held together with spare pieces and duct tape, it would have been easy for Carl Edwards to settle for a mid-pack finish, riding to avoid more trouble.  But that’s not the racer that Edwards …

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The Frontstretch 5: Unrestricted Plate Track Musings

1. Do we really need these restrictor plates? Define need. Do the cars need to be slowed down? Absolutely. A few years back, Rusty Wallace tested an unrestricted Cup car at Talladega and ran speeds of almost 240 mph. That’s too fast. But do they have to do it with plates? Technically, no. It could …

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Joe Gibbs Racing Wins Exhibitions, Loses Points Races at Daytona

For the fourth time in the last five years, Joe Gibbs Racing rose to the top of the NASCAR world with a season-opening victory at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. Unfortunately for Toyota’s top organization, the win came in the Sprint Unlimited, not the Daytona 500. In all, JGR has now won the year-opening exhibition …

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Team Penske Paces Second Daytona 500 Practice

2014 Indianapolis CUP Brad Keselowski Joey Logano CIA

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

It’s a good day to be a part of Team Penske. Teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski topped the final Daytona 500 practice of the day Saturday, with laps of 195.933 mph and 195.848, respectively. Ryan Blaney, whose Wood Brothers Racing Ford shares a technical alliance with Penske, slotted in third with a lap of …

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