Race Weekend Central

Matt DiBenedetto Signs with Go FAS Racing for 2017

Matt DiBenedetto will remain in NASCAR’s premier series in 2017, albeit with a different team. After announcing earlier this month that he was departing BK Racing, DiBenedetto revealed Thursday (Dec. 15) that he will pilot Go FAS Racing’s No. 32 in the series full-time in 2017, according to a team release. “I am very excited …

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David Ragan, Matt DiBenedetto Leaving BK Racing

Two more NASCAR premier series seats have opened up for 2017. Neither David Ragan nor Matt DiBenedetto will return to BK Racing in 2017 after driving for the organization full-time in 2016, it was reported this week. Motorsport.com initially reported the news Friday (Dec. 9) of Ragan’s departure, while DiBenedetto announced he would no longer be …

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The Underdog House: Putting A Wrap On 2016

2016 Charlotte All Star Showdown CUP Michael McDowell Casey Mears racing Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Think Small It’s hard to believe the 2016 season is over—it seems like just yesterday that it began, full of promise and hope.  For some of the teams on this page, it’s been, by all counts, a good season—one of accomplishment and improvement.  For others it’s been a struggle, financial or performance, often both as …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Joey Logano Steals Victory From the Jaws of Defeat at Phoenix

2016 NASCAR Phoenix

(Photo: Matthew Thacker / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – In the final elimination race of the season, Joey Logano looked like he was about to slip out of contention for a transfer position. Fortunately for him, a caution flag flew, which bunched the field up and afforded him a final shot to reclaim a spot in the final four. …

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NASCAR Penalizes Nearly Two Dozen Teams in Texas

2016-cup-texas-joey-logano-car-rick-lunkenheimer

(Photo: Rick Lunkenheimer)

On Wednesday, NASCAR released the weekly penalty report stemming from Texas.  Compared to recent weeks, this one was quite the doozy. In the Sprint Cup Series, Joey Logano‘s No. 22 Ford that finished second Sunday night was found to have one loose lugnut.  As a result, the No. 22 has been hit with a P2 …

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NASCAR Mailbox: The Importance of Matt DiBenedetto Missing Texas

2016 NASCAR Dover

(Photo: Matthew Thacker / NKP)

A false diagnosis in any health situation is eerie. The seriousness of a patient being given a false diagnosis could be a life or death situation, forcing a person to undergo medical treatments that aren’t necessary. When this occurs in the sports realm, it sparks major debates. This time, it is BK Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto, who …

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The Underdog House: A Texas Curveball

2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Texas

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Think Small Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, with its shift from day to night after an hours-long rain delay, did do one thing well: it showed a clear disparity between the elite teams and those striving to reach that mark one day. The intermediate tracks are plentiful on the Cup schedule …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NBC Decent Despite Dearth of Texas Racing

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

All three of NASCAR’s national series visited Texas Motor Speedway last weekend, with two races run under the lights, which wouldn’t be out of the ordinary, except only one — the Camping World Truck Series event on Friday — was actually planned to be. But rain threatened the running of the AAA Texas 500 in …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Carl Edwards Saves Best for Last to Win at Texas

2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Texas

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – While Carl Edwards will garner most of the headlines for the weekend, it was Mother Nature who took most of the attention. The race was delayed by five-and-a-half hours due to track drying efforts that seemed to make progress at a snail’s pace. Once the race began, the sun had …

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Matt DiBenedetto Out After Wreck, Jeffrey Earnhardt to Sub

2016 Kansas I CUP Matt DiBenedetto Brett Moist NKP

(Photo: Brett Moist / NKP)

On Saturday afternoon, Matt DiBenedetto had a hard crash during the XFINITY Series’ O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway.  The No. 14 Toyota went hard into the turn 3 wall on lap 134 unassisted.  He dropped his window net shortly after coming to a stop, signaling to safety crews that he was alright. “I’m …

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Hamlin Receives Written Warning at Martinsville

Cup Martinsville denny hamlin Martinsville Speedway

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The list of infractions NASCAR had to deal with during the Martinsville weekend was one of the shortest of the season to date. Denny Hamlin‘s No. 11 FedEx team was issued a written warning for failing template inspection twice prior to qualifying. This was the team’s third written warning, but will not result in any …

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The Underdog House: Are Small-Time NASCAR Drivers Damaged Goods?

Cup Martinsville Martinsville Speedway aj allmendinger

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Think Small It’s an easy mistake to make: falling into the trap of thinking most of the drivers racing for NASCAR’s smaller teams are damaged goods.  Sadly, it’s one that even team owners often fall into.  How often have young, talented drivers taken rides in this group hoping for some exposure only to be overlooked?  …

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