Race Weekend Central

The Frontstretch 5: Most Recent 1st-Time Winners at Daytona

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

1. Erik Jones, July 2018 Not everyone loves a winner, but most fans love a first-time winner.  Erik Jones was the most recent driver to visit Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway, but he’s the latest in a long line of drivers to find their first wins at the World Center of Racing. What Jones …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Erik Jones Dips & Dives to 1st Career Victory at Daytona

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who’s in the headline Erik Jones survived the carnage Saturday night (July 7) at Daytona International Speedway. That included eight cautions in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 which involved incidents, including one that gave him damage. But Jones came back from a lap down, breezing through the draft and scored his first career win. Ricky …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Lots of Drama, Same Results

2018 Cup Bristol Zach Catanzareti Austin Dillon Ty Dillon

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Yeah, the names at the top of the leaderboard were the same as always, but that was still a race worth watching. For the second time this season, a race threatened by incoming rain was able to make the full distance, and that uncertainty amped up the tension. Like a sitcom, this episode of the …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Clint Bowyer Rides Strategy & Heavy Foot to Michigan Win

2018 Cup Richmond Clint Bowyer Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Who’s in the headline Mother Nature ran the show on Sunday (June 10) at Michigan International Speedway and, in the end, dropped the curtain early on the race. Clint Bowyer used a two-tire stop after stage two and then some valiant driving when the race resumed hanging onto the point. The rain came shortly after …

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The Underdog House: No Shortage of Trickery for Underdogs in Pocono

2018 Pocono Cup Zach Catanzareti David Ragan

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Think Small Pocono Raceway often brings out a little more than most ovals. First off, it’s not an oval per se, although it still leads to similar contenders up front. But it’s an animal in itself every year, offering shifting through its three distinct turns and unique pit strategy over 400 miles. The circumstances make …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR’s Small Teams Rise Amid Kansas Chaos

#1: Jamie Mcmurray, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Cessna, #38: David Ragan, Front Row Motorsports, Ford Fusion Mds Trucking And #3: Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Symbicort Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Think Small Kansas Speedway seems to have a knack for having some savage accidents in recent years: Erik Jones‘ near-flip last fall, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer in 2015, Brian Vickers in 2013, etc. Saturday night saw another hard one with William Byron landing on top of Ryan Newman, a wreck that swallowed a half-dozen cars …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kevin Harvick Slathers Competition in Kansas

#4: Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing, Ford Fusion Busch Light Celebrates His Win Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who’s in the headline Kevin Harvick continues to confirm the belief that Ford is the manufacturer to beat in 2018 in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. For the fifth time in 12 races, Harvick was in Victory Lane. He started the year with three wins in a row after the Daytona 500 and has now …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2018 KC Masterpiece 400

#4: Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing, Ford Fusion Busch Light Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? For a small team, finishing in the top 10 at Talladega Superspeedway is a great showing, but such performance is a lot more likely at a restrictor-plate track than at an intermediate, where aerodynamics rule the day and speed comes with a premium price tag. For a struggling …

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5 Points To Ponder: Talladega Teamwork Carries Joey Logano, Ford

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fl Usa Sunday 18 February 2018 Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Menards/peak Ford Fusion And Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, Discount Tire Ford Fusion World Copyright: Rusty Jarrett Nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

ONE: Fords Fight To The Front At A Plate Race… Again Joey Logano won the battle Sunday (April 29) at Talladega, but Fords won the war. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was a master class in a manufacturer sticking together in order to keep their place at the front. Team Penske was first …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Talladega Edition

Ryan Newman in the garage at Chicagoland Speedway, September 2017. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

What happened this weekend when the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series traveled to the largest track on the circuit for the GEICO 500? The short answer is that Joey Logano won at Talladega Superspeedway for the third time in his career. It was the first 2018 victory for Team Penske, and Logano became the sixth …

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The Underdog House: Walking The Fine Line at Talladega

2018 Talladega Cup Zach Catanzareti Matt Dibenedetto

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Think Small Sunday was Round No. 10 of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. For the underdogs, despite having a couple breakthrough runs here and there, it was Round No. 2 of races in which they could contend for a win. Talladega Superspeedway showed a few different cars from the start of the …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2018 GEICO 500

2018 Joey Logano Talladega Cup

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? While David Ragan was putting on a restrictor-plate driving clinic, he’s strong enough that it’s almost expected that he’ll run well. He finished sixth for a Front Row Motorsports team which rarely cracks the top 20. Less expected was the strong run of another driver, who, while his …

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