Race Weekend Central

The Underdog House: Monday Blues in Martinsville

2018 Cup Martinsville Zach Catanzareti Dj Kennington

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Think Small Martinsville Speedway is known to be full of history, and each time we visit the last remaining original track on the circuit, we seem to add another layer. Sometimes those new layers include an underdog story. The spring weekend of 2018 will be remembered as the snow day, as both the Monster Energy …

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The Underdog House: The Other End Of The Neon NASCAR Garage

Think Small As NASCAR moved to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, we were treated to a triple-header of the top three national touring series for the third consecutive week. Vegas has the feel of a town where the underdog can rise. Your last dime could turn into millions with a roll of the …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Kevin Harvick… and Everyone Else

2016 Chicago Cup Kevin Harvick Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Kevin Harvick was in his own zip code during Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leading 214 laps and winning both stages en route to his 39th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his 16th for Stewart-Haas Racing. The win, his second in two weeks, also ushered him …

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The Underdog House: Small NASCAR Teams Finding Relief – Sort of – Approaching Daytona 500

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fl Usa Sunday 11 February 2018 Matt Dibenedetto, Go Fas Racing, The Hurricane Heist Ford Fusion World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Think Small While most of the sport’s television time goes directly toward big teams with great speed and large personalities — and rightfully so, to an extent — Sunday’s 60th running of the Daytona 500 will have a heavy populous of tiny organizations. Many of these small NASCAR teams, despite being huge underdogs can actually …

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David Ragan, Front Row Witnessing Positives & Negatives of Sponsorship Search

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Aaa 400 Drive For Autism Dover International Speedway, Dover, De Usa Friday 2 June 2017 Landon Cassill, Front Row Motorsports, Love's Travel Stops Ford Fusion And David Ragan, Front Row Motorsports, Overton's Ford Fusion World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

David Ragan is back with Front Row Motorsports for 2018, starting what will be his second season with the Ford organization in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Picking up a few returning sponsors like 1000 bulbs and Shriner’s Children’s Hospital for his No. 38 ride, the Georgian is in fairly solid shape for the …

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Love’s Travel Stops, K-LOVE to Sponsor Michael McDowell in 2018

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series 2018 Nascar Media Tour Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, Nc Usa Tuesday 23 January 2018 Michael Mcdowell World Copyright: Matthew T. Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Veteran Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Michael McDowell will pilot the No. 34 Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports in 2018, and recently, the sponsorship picture for the team has gotten clearer. Longtime FRM partner Love’s Travel Stops will sponsor 18 races, including the Daytona 500, both events at Texas Motor Speedway, the Bristol …

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2017 NASCAR Cup Team Review: Leavine Family Racing

2017 Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series, Michigan

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

In 2017, Leavine Family Racing stepped up with Michael McDowell, who finally competed in his first full-time season with the organization in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. McDowell had one of the most consistent years of his career, ultimately finishing 26th in points. McDowell had a number of breakthroughs, from his first career top-five …

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David Ragan, Michael McDowell Fill Front Row Motorsports 2018 Driver Lineup

2017 Texas I Cup David Ragan Car John K Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

David Ragan will be returning for his fifth season at Front Row Motorsports in 2018, while Michael McDowell will replace Landon Cassill as the team’s second driver. McDowell, 32, joins FRM after spending the last four seasons with Leavine Family Racing, finishing a career-high 26th in the championship standings in 2017. In 2013, McDowell finished …

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The Underdog House: Small NASCAR Teams Still Fighting Hard

2017 Kansas I Cup Aric Almirola Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Think Small With just one race to go in 2017, it’s been a mixed bag of a season for the sport’s smaller teams.  Furniture Row Racing has set the gold standard for them. It’s taken a one-car, outsider organization to the top echelon of NASCAR’s elite teams within five years. That’s a model others can …

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The Underdog House: Small NASCAR Teams Thrive At Short Tracks

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, New Hampshire

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/ NKP)

Cup Series racing at Martinsville is about survival and persistence. The on-track action always ruffles some feathers, best evidenced by the late-race incident between alpha dogs Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott. What was happening between Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney served as the consolation sideshow. PETERS: What Happens Now For Hamlin & Elliott? But at Underdog …

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The Underdog House: Where was the Outrage… For Corey Lajoie?

2017 Kansas Ii Cup Corey Lajoie Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Think Small Checking out social media on Monday, there were a lot of posts expressing outrage at Matt Kenseth being parked Sunday at Kansas for having too many crewmen working on his car after damage put him on the five-minute clock.  Kenseth’s disqualification took him out of the playoffs in what may be his last …

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The Underdog House: Surviving NASCAR Talladega… Sort Of

2017 Talladega Ii Cup Michael Mcdowell Brad Keselowski Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Think Small One thing that struck me when I first started in NASCAR was that if you spent enough time looking, you could see fans at a race who supported every driver in the field.  T-shirts, hats, and bumper stickers were among the ways they proclaimed their loyalty. Fast forward a couple of decades, and …

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