Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: A Monstrous Matt Kenseth Comeback

2016 Dover I CUP Matt Kenseth Jason Ratcliff trophy Matthew T Thacker NKP

Who’s in the headline – The 2016 season has been anything but stellar for Matt Kenseth. After a near miss at Daytona he’s only managed one top 5 finish before Sunday, and that as a fourth last weekend at Kansas. Sunday Kenseth was in the mix but didn’t look like he’d be in contention for …

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NASCAR Reveals Current Top 5 in Sprint Fan Vote

2016 Kansas I CUP Matt DiBenedetto Brett Moist NKP

(Photo: Brett Moist / NKP)

If you’re curious about which drivers are most likely to snag this year’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race fan vote, you can now know the top five, at least. NASCAR has released the names of the top five vote-getters in the fan vote so far for the race, which will be held May 20, through May 11. …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Brad Keselowski Drops Malachi Crunch on the Talladega Demo Derby for Second Win of the Season

2016 Talladega I CUP Brad Keselowski champagne John Harrleson NKP

(Photo: John Harrleson / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Brad Keselowski won his first Cup race at Talladega in 2009. While he isn’t mentioned in the same breaths with Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt or Tony Stewart when plate racing prowess is discussed, the bottom line is he won his fourth plate race at Talladega on Sunday. Even though the …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Are FOX’s Poor NASCAR Ratings Fixable With Better Coverage?

2016 Richmond I CUP Regan Smith Carl Edwards Jimmie Johnson racing Russell LaBounty NKP

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Welcome back.  Sunday had a great finish, eh?  Not too often that someone executes the bump n’ run on their own teammate.  I’ll fully admit that I was surprised that Carl Edwards was willing to do it. Also, there was a bit of an uproar surrounding Samantha Busch cussing at the finish after the aforementioned …

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More Short Tracks, Please

2016 Martinsville I CUP overhead view Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

These past few weeks at short tracks sure have been fun, haven’t they? It’s a shame we won’t see another one until August. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series put on another thrilling race – and finally another scheduled day race – at Richmond International Raceway with Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400. The 400-mile thriller was the …

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NASCAR 101: Shades of Rich Bickle

Another driver came to mind when Matt DiBenedetto finished sixth at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last weekend, and that was even before his post-race interview. To recap, although chances are you’ve seen the stories or read the interviews by now: DiBenedetto, driver of the No. 83 for BK Racing, managed …

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The Frontstretch 5: Items That Should Be on the Collective NASCAR Mind This Week

2016-Bristol-I-CUP-Matt-DiBenedetto-racing-John-Harrelson-NKP

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

1. Fans need to know who the drivers are The finish at Bristol featured something you don’t see very often: a pair of top-10 runs by a couple of the smallest teams in the sport.  Matt DiBenedetto and Clint Bowyer proved that at a track where the price of the equipment takes a back seat, …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Richmond Edition

2016-Bristol-I-CUP-Carl-Edwards-Checkered-Flag-Matthew-T-Thacker-NKP

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

This one goes to out to your inner gymnast, the lover of the underdogs and the days and the days of heat and last chance races after what took place during the Sprint Cup race at Bristol on Sunday and the Xfinity race Saturday. HOT Someone other than Kyle Busch won a NASCAR race for …

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Five Points to Ponder: Barren Stands at Bristol

2016 Bristol Motor Speedway NSCS Matt Kenseth leads pack credit NASCAR via getty images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

ONE: Barren Bristol There isn’t a cameraman skilled enough anywhere in the world that could have made the Bristol Motor Speedway stands look any better than half-full this past Sunday. And the truth is, it’s a really sad sign of the gradual but continual malaise that has plagued the Sprint Cup Series these past few …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NASCAR’s Thunder Valley Brings Thunderous FOX Dynamic

2016-Bristol-I-CUP-Dale-Eanrhardt-Jr-car-John-Harrelson-NKP

(Photo: John Harelson/NKP)

Well, last weekend was quite interesting.  I noted on Twitter that the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series races were the races where the officials affected the race the least.  Pirelli World Challenge and the World Endurance Championship saw the winner get stripped of their trophy afterwards.  The Verizon IndyCar Series muffed a penalty call that …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud – Carl Edwards Lays Down a Colossal Beat Down at Bristol

2016-Bristol-I-CUP-CArl-Edwards-woohoo-John-Harrelson-NKP

Who’s in the headline – It was pointed out last week, and it was reinforced this weekend, that Joe Gibbs Racing is right at the top of the board in the Cup series. It was Carl Edwards turn this weekend as he dominated the race. Edwards led 276 laps en route to capturing his first …

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