Race Weekend Central

Friday Faceoff: Will the Summer Showdown At Daytona Be Mild or Wild?

Kenseth Leading Daytona

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL USA Saturday 1 July 2017 Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing, DEWALT Flexvolt Toyota Camry World Copyright: Matthew T. Thacker NKP

The traditional-style plate races so far this year in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series have been varied from wild (Daytona International Speedway) to tame (Talladega Superspeedway). What scenario is more likely this week? Frank Velat: Talladega became notorious for having one crash-marred race after another to the point that drivers now seem to go …

Read more

Regan Smith Returning To JR Motorsports For Road Courses

2018 Cup Zach Catanzareti Dover Regan Smith

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Regan Smith is returning to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and JR Motorsports, the team announced via a Twitter video late Wednesday afternoon (June 19). Smith will pilot the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for two races: the B&L Transport 170 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Aug. 10 and the CTECH Manufacturing 180 at Road …

Read more

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hid Smoking Habit for Years, Shares Intimate Details of Quitting

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nicorette

(Photo: Nicorette)

Cigarettes and video games. That’s all Dale Earnhardt Jr. knew for quite some time. NASCAR’s most popular driver at the time couldn’t do one without the other. He would try to quit the habit he hid from the public, but he couldn’t cut it out of his daily routine. That changed when he met his …

Read more

2-Headed Monster: Should Retired Drivers Make Comebacks?

2016 Phoenix I Cup Matt Kenseth Greg Biffle Russell Labounty Nkp

Greg Biffle will return to racing in Friday’s (June 7) NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, driving Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 51 Toyota Tundra in the Speedycash.com 400. Biffle practiced Busch’s truck earlier this year, also at Texas, in preparation. Biffle, who retired from full-time racing at the end of the …

Read more

NASCAR 101: NASCAR’s Current Owner-Drivers

2019 Daytona I Nxs Jeremy Clements Car Nkp

(Photo: NKP)

Where have all the owner-drivers gone? Well, it certainly ain’t the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Which is probably a different story from when many who read this first started following NASCAR. The story of the owner-driver — the do-it-all wheelman who can balance a checkbook just as well as he can drive a car …

Read more

NASCAR 101: NASCAR’s Most-Followed Drivers on Twitter

2019 Bristol Zach Catanzareti Jimmie Johnson

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Being a NASCAR fan over the last decade or more has brought plenty of changes, few more prominent than the integration of social media into the sport (and, well, pretty much all things). Getting to know NASCAR’s personalities on a personal level used to be left to in-person meetings at the racetrack or other appearances; …

Read more

The Frontstretch 5: NASCAR Feel-Good Stories

2006 Daytona I Cup Joe Nemechek John Hunter Nemechek Nkp

(Photo: NKP)

1. A silver lining On a Sunday in March 1997, the Truck Series raced at Homestead Miami Speedway. Late in the event, John Nemechek, the younger brother of Cup driver Joe Nemechek, spun in the first corner and slammed into the wall with the driver’s side. He was taken to the hospital with severe injuries. …

Read more

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Mother, Brenda Jackson, Passes Away At Age 65

2017 Hendrick Motorsports Cup Zach Catanzareti Dale Earnhardt Jr.

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

JR Motorsports announced Monday afternoon (April 22) that Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s mother, Brenda Jackson, has passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was 65 years old. Brenda and Dale Earnhardt Sr. married in 1972 and had two kids – Kelley and Dale Jr. – during the time they were together. The duo ended …

Read more

The Frontstretch 5: Really Bad Racing Calls

Bahrain Grand Prix Practice

1. Well, yeah, we messed up, but, just deal, OK? Former journeyman driver Brett Bodine is the current lead pace car driver for NASCAR. Ironic, considering his only Cup Series victory came about because of a pace car miscue. In a race at North Wilkesboro in 1990, Bodine had led 63 laps at one point …

Read more

Frontstretch Podcast: Ryan Preece on Richmond, Full Throttle Weekend in New Hampshire, Future

Nascar Xfinity Series Ryan Preece

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It’s a busy Frontstretch Podcast this week, as the trio of Dustin Albino, Mike Neff, Zach Catanzareti join NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Ryan Preece break down a busy weekend of racing at Richmond Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Preece finished 18th at Richmond in Friday’s XFINITY Series race before driving north to New Hampshire, where he competed in the Whelen Modified Series race. …

Read more

5 Points to Ponder: A NASCAR Unknown (For Once)

2018 Las Vegas I Cup Denny Hamlin Rusty Jarrett Nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

ONE: The Roval Awaits Despite all the week to week drama inherent in NASCAR, the truth is not much really — and I mean, really — changes. But this weekend, we truly have a difference maker: a brand-new track, a first-time road course in the post season and as the final race of the first …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: What Did Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Return to Racing Do For NBCSN?

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400

(Photo: Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Richmond Raceway is quite different these days as compared to 15 years ago.  The cars don’t seem quite as fast as they once did there and passing is more difficult.  Races tend to have long green-flag runs.  But, that doesn’t mean you can’t have good racing. Federated Auto Parts 400 Saturday night brought the Monster …

Read more