Race Weekend Central

Michael McDowell, Leavine Family Racing: Small Team that Could

2017 Las Vegas CUP Michael McDowell helmet John Harrelson NKP

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

With less than a handful of laps remaining in Sunday’s Brickyard 400, Michael McDowell was in prime position to improve a career-best effort of fourth, coming earlier this month at Daytona International Speedway. Getting involved in one of the cautions that caused the final 10 laps of the event to last more than an hour, …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Darkness On The Edge Edition

2017 Fontana CUP Kasey Kahne Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

NASCAR had rain, sunshine and wild racing while flirting with the darkness at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. It also had wrecks, a lot of wrecks. Which brings the question of if there are a lot of wrecks, does that make it good racing? That’s sure to be a hot topic this week. HOT I had …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 2, Joe Gibbs 0 Edition

2017 Daytona II NXS Ricky Stenhouse Jr Rusty Jarrett NKP

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

Daytona International Speedway brought the usual excitement, accidents along with underdogs competing for the win at a restrictor plate track on a Saturday night. And you know what? It was riveting television. Any time you go into the last lap of a race and Michael McDowell has a legitimate shot at winning, well, that’s a …

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5 Points to Ponder: NASCAR Approaching Halfway Home

2017 Daytona II CUP pack racing from behind Matthew T Thacker NKP

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

ONE: Halfway Home Hard to believe it, if I’m honest, but with Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway we’ll be half way home. For such a long series, the half way point always somewhat surprises me. You would have thought by now it wouldn’t be the case; given I’ve written this column for …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Survives the Daytona Pandemonium For Second Career Victory

rfr leading daytona

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – It took Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 157 races to visit Victory Lane for the first time. It only took eight more to make a return trip. Stenhouse made a late-race pass coming to the white flag and held off the competition to lead the final two laps to score the victory. …

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Michael McDowell Records First Career Top-Five Finish at Daytona

2017 Las Vegas CUP Michael McDowell helmet John Harrelson NKP

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

Entering Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, Michael McDowell and Leavine Family Racing was on a hot streak of six consecutive top-25 finishes, a career-long for the Arizona native. McDowell started the event from 23rd, quickly moving up the scoring pylon. By the conclusion of Stage 1, the No. 95 sat sixth, picking …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR About to Get Silly?

2017 Kansas I CUP Michael McDowell car Barry Cantrell NKP

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Think Small Track surfaces aren’t the inly thing heating up as summertime hits full swing.  NASCAR’s Silly Season is coming, and while so far, it’s been confined to rumblings and rumors, there’s potential for things to blow up.  While most of the speculation concerns the bigger teams in the sport, including who will fill the …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kevin Harvick Finally Tastes Well Aged Victory at Sonoma

harvick sonoma win 1

(Photo: Lesley Ann Miller/ NKP)

Who’s in the headline: In a race that saw strategies all over the board, 10 different leaders exchanged the lead 13 times, and questions about leaders having enough fuel to the make the finish emerged to make the Toyota/Save Mart 350 one of the most compelling races of the season. When the checkered flag flew, it …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Speed . . . I Am Speed Edition

2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series, Michigan

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Michigan International Speedway is one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit (and that includes the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega). So maybe we shouldn’t be surprised the driver running a design for a racing movie won on Sunday. Kyle Larson isn’t a superstar just yet, but with a few more days like Michigan, he …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR’s Vicious Cycle

2017 Dover I CUP AJ Allmendinger pack racing Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Think Small It’s hard for small teams to get noticed.  This is something that’s been discussed over and over  and continues to create a vicious cycle for these teams: Lack of money leads to lack of performance, and lack of performance makes sponsors shy away, leading to a lack of money…you see the problem here? …

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4 Burning Questions: Will Michigan Produce Another Fuel Mileage Finish?

2016 Michigan II CUP Kyle Larson Chase Elliott racing Matthew T Thacker NKP

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

By Michael Finley & Tom Bowles 1. What will Happen to the Wood Brothers Going Forward? If you’re a NASCAR fan, you have to be a fan of Wood Brothers Racing. The oldest team still in operation has won in six different decades in NASCAR competition, amassing 99 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins over …

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The Frontstretch 5: Next Drivers to Find Victory Lane

2017 Texas I CUP Chase Elliott Logan Whitton NKP

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Chase Elliott It’s actually a bit surprising that Elliott hasn’t gotten a win yet.  He’s come close quite a few times, leading multiple laps at Phoenix and Martinsville as well as in the Daytona 500. May was difficult for the 21-year-old second-generation driver, with a best finish of 24th, but June kicked off with a …

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