Race Weekend Central

The Underdog House: Small NASCAR Teams Still Fighting Hard

2017 Kansas I CUP Aric Almirola Russell LaBounty NKP

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Think Small With just one race to go in 2017, it’s been a mixed bag of a season for the sport’s smaller teams.  Furniture Row Racing has set the gold standard for them. It’s taken a one-car, outsider organization to the top echelon of NASCAR’s elite teams within five years. That’s a model others can …

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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Entry List: Can-Am 500

2017 Kansas II CUP Kyle Busch John K Harrelson NKP

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads west this weekend to Phoenix International Raceway for the 30th annual Can-Am 500. It’s an elimination race in the Round of 8 as this event sets the Championship 4 for Homestead-Miami Speedway. Coming off last weekend’s late-race pass of Martin Truex Jr. at Texas Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick has …

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NASCAR XFINITY Series Entry List: Ticket Galaxy 200

2017 Texas II NXS Daniel Hemric Christopher Bell Jared C Tilton getty images for texas motor speedway

(Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

The NASCAR XFINITY Series heads west this weekend to Phoenix International Raceway for the 19th annual Ticket Galaxy 200. It’s their final playoff race in the Round of 8 before the Championship 4 is set to battle for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway. There are 40 cars on the penultimate preliminary entry list, meaning the …

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The Underdog House: Small NASCAR Teams Thrive At Short Tracks

2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series, New Hampshire

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/ NKP)

Cup Series racing at Martinsville is about survival and persistence. The on-track action always ruffles some feathers, best evidenced by the late-race incident between alpha dogs Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott. What was happening between Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney served as the consolation sideshow. PETERS: What Happens Now For Hamlin & Elliott? But at Underdog …

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The Underdog House: Where was the Outrage… For Corey Lajoie?

2017 Kansas II CUP Corey LaJoie Barry Cantrell NKP

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Think Small Checking out social media on Monday, there were a lot of posts expressing outrage at Matt Kenseth being parked Sunday at Kansas for having too many crewmen working on his car after damage put him on the five-minute clock.  Kenseth’s disqualification took him out of the playoffs in what may be his last …

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XFINITY Breakdown: Drive for the Cure 300

Alex Bowman- INDY

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

Since being announced as the replacement for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88, Alex Bowman has earned his share of detractors. Entering the Drive for the Cure 300, the knock has been Bowman’s winless resume in all three of NASCAR’s top national touring series. Time to go ahead and cross that criticism off the list. Bowman …

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NASCAR XFINITY Series Entry List: Drive for the Cure 300

joey-logano-ryan-sieg-xfinity-charlotte-2016-mike-neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

After a weekend on the high-banked concrete surface at Dover International Speedway, the NASCAR XFINITY Series heads home to Charlotte Motor Speedway. They’ll be running the Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. There are 40 cars on the preliminary entry list for the event and 40 spots …

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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Entry List: Bank of America 500

2017 Charlotte All Star CUP Jimmie Johnson racing Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

And then… there were 12. NASCAR’s playoff field has been trimmed in advance of Sunday’s Bank of America 500 from Charlotte Motor Speedway. This weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads home to Charlotte, N.C. for the first race of playoff round two. Those 12 drivers will once again resume their championship battle, this …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR Must ‘Cope’ With Slow Cars On Track

2017 Las Vegas CUP Landon Cassill Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Think Small After last weekend’s race at Richmond Raceway, where Derrike Cope brought out a late caution while racing several laps down, fans and some media suggested Cope should have been removed from the track by NASCAR long before the incident. That group, which included regular season champion Martin Truex Jr., claimed Cope was so far in …

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The Underdog House: The Invisible NASCAR Season

2017 Richmond II CUP Corey Lajoie pack Racing John K Harrelson Harrelson photography Inc

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/Harrelson Photography Inc.)

Think Small Ah, fall.  Race fans can welcome cooler temperatures, cheer for their favorites in the playoffs…and kiss the chance of seeing the smaller teams mentioned during the broadcast goodbye. With the exception of Ryan Blaney, who made the postseason, all other underdogs will fade into the background of championship talk. That goes for any …

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Rookie Roundtable: The Class of 2017 On Racing NASCAR’s Top Series

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, IN USA Sunday 23 July 2017 Daniel Suarez, Joe Gibbs Racing, STANLEY Toyota Camry, Michael McDowell, Leavine Family Racing, WRL General Contractors Chevrolet SS and Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Dow Molykote Smart Lubrication Chevrolet SS World Copyright: Russell LaBounty NKP

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

How bright is the future in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series?  Judging by this year’s rookie class, you might want to invest in some good sunglasses.  The Cup Series features five rookie drivers this season, racing for some of the sport’s bigeest teams as well as some smaller organizations.  While Erik Jones and Daniel …

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The Underdog House: Curbing Spending Would Be Good For NASCAR

2017 Watkins Glen CUP Michael McDowell Aric Almirola racing John K Harrelson NKP

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

Think Small Dale Earnhardt Jr. was addressing the media at Watkins Glen last weekend when the subject turned to driver contracts and salaries.  The NASCAR economic climate, as everyone knows has changed drastically in recent years.  When the NASCAR fad was at its height almost 20 years ago, corporate interest and driver income skyrocketed. For a while, that …

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