Race Weekend Central

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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5 Points to Ponder: The Future of Richard Petty Motorsports

2017 Richmond I CUP Aric Almirola racing Russell LABounty NKP

(Photo: Russell Labounty/NKP)

ONE: Smithfield’s Shifting Gears Away From Richard Petty Motorsports Tuesday morning (Sept. 12), Smithfield announced it’s leaving Richard Petty Motorsports to join one of the Stewart-Haas Racing Fords. After six years partnering with the No. 43, the strength of SHR’s multi-car organization (which has two of its four cars in the playoffs) became too good to …

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Beside the Rising Tide: The Butterfly Effect

2017 Richmond II NXS sunset Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

In a NASCAR season full of bizarre incidents and happenstance, the incident at the entrance to pit road on lap 258 Saturday night at Richmond Raceway might have been the most unlikely. Even as race control opened pit road for a crucial series of stops, a wayward ambulance pulled to a stop, almost completely blocking …

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Leaves Richmond Winless, Happy

2017 richmond cup zach catanzareti dale earnhardt jr.

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

When top-five speed is as irrelevant in your season as race wins, a night like Saturday can do some good. That’s the story for Dale Earnhardt Jr., the driver on his final 11 races of his Monster Energy Cup Series career, who ran top five before finishing 13th in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at …

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Kyle Larson Scores Richmond Win; Playoff Grid Set

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 Richmond Raceway, Richmond, VA USA Saturday 9 September 2017 Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing, Target Chevrolet SS World Copyright: Matthew T. Thacker NKP

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

As the man in charge, Martin Truex Jr., pounded the Turn 1 wall on the last lap, it was a smooth sail to victory for Kyle Larson, who held off Joey Logano to score the victory in Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway. The win, his fourth of the 2017 Monster Energy …

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NASCAR 101: The 5 Drivers Most Likely to Win Their Way Into Cup Playoffs

2017 Richmond I CUP Dale Earnhardt Jr Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

The race to the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs ends up a bit more one-dimensional this year than in select past seasons in that there’s really only one story to follow: the race-winning spoiler. Entering the final regular season race of 2017 at Richmond Raceway, 13 drivers have punched their ticket into the …

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Denny Hamlin Penalized Following Darlington Victory

Darlington Cup 2017 Denny Hamlin Yvonne Leonard (3)

(Photo: Yvonne Leonard)

NASCAR announced Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 6) that the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team has been handed an L1-level penalty following the race last weekend at Darlington Raceway. The team violated sections 20.14.2 (rear suspension) of the NASCAR rule book, which states that “I-4 f Truck Trailing Arm Spacers/Pinion Angle Shims. Spacers/pinion angle shims must conform …

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Did You Notice?: The Fine Line Of NASCAR Drivers’ Personal Lives & Where It All Went Wrong

Jeremy Mayfield Credit LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Credit: LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Did You Notice? … The taboo subject of an athlete’s personal life? The topic came up Sunday night after Cody Ware went off on Twitter following a wreck involving fellow Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series underdog Matt DiBenedetto. The point here isn’t to delve into what was said or whether it was even true. It’s if that …

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5 Points to Ponder: Don’t Sleep On… Denny Hamlin?

2017 darlington cup zach catanzareti denny hamlin

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

ONE: Don’t Sleep On…. Denny Hamlin? 24/7 news cycles these days can cause storylines to be greatly exaggerated. So it’s no surprise everyone and their mother screamed, “Don’t sleep on Denny Hamlin!” seconds after his astounding Darlington comeback. It’s true Sunday’s Southern 500 was perhaps a stepping stone in Hamlin’s career. A driver who’s at times …

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Beside The Rising Tide: With Autumn Closing In

Darlington Cup 2017 Aric Almirola 2 Throwback Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

Ain’t it funny how the night moves? When you just don’t seem to have as much to lose, Ain’t it funny how the night moves? With autumn closing in…. -Bob Seger While it hasn’t quite reached the level of the Memorial Day weekend yet, Labor Day weekend offered race fans a full slate of action …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Throwback Edition

2016 Pocono II CUP Kevin Harvick helmet Logan Whitton NKP

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Darlington had what is becoming its annual throwback weekend with NASCAR’s Cup and XFINITY series each having a number of cars with paint schemes resembling those from the past. But no matter how enjoyable it is to take a look back in time, there is no time like the present for many drivers as there is now just …

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Did You Notice?: 12 NASCAR 2017 Storylines With 12 Races Left

2017 Watkins Glen CUP Matin Truex Jr car Russell LaBounty NKP

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

Did You Notice? … The past few days marked the last off weekend of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season? Starting Sunday at Darlington, we’ve got 12 races in a row which culminates with the crowning of the champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. In a season filled with mixed reviews, there’s still plenty of …

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