Race Weekend Central

The Big 6: Questions Answered After (Most Of) The Regular Season

2017 Cup Richmond Zach Catanzareti Martin Truex Jr. Kyle Busch

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

How… important are stage points? Assuming Martin Truex Jr. doesn’t completely under perform at Darlington Raceway or Richmond Raceway, the No. 78 team will enter the playoffs with at least 50 total playoff points. That’s 30 more than Kyle Busch, as he had 20 playoff points. That’s going to be a huge advantage for Truex …

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Ryan Blaney Fastest in Final Cup Practice at Bristol Motor Speedway

2017 Watkins Glen Cup Ryan Blaney Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Wood Brothers Racing’s Ryan Blaney set the fastest lap in the final NASCAR Cup Series practice session at Bristol Motor Speedway Friday afternoon. The No. 21 Ford driver put in 46 laps with a fastest time of 14.926 seconds at 128.554 mph, 0.057 of a second faster than runner-up Kyle Larson (128.065mph). Larson led the …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Michigan Brings Adolescence, Middling Coverage From NBCSN

2017 Michigan Ii Cup Kyle Larson Racing Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Races at Michigan International Speedway can be a mixed bag.  They can be runaways at times.  For fans, whether they enjoy that would ultimately depend on who their favorite driver is.  They can be action-packed affairs that pleasure everyone.  Or, they could be a combination of both.  Last weekend, we got a combination. Pure Michigan …

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Ryan Blaney Tops the Charts in Opening Cup Practice at Michigan

2017 Fontana Cup Ryan Blaney Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Ryan Blaney craftily motored his way to the top of the scoring pylon in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series opening practice for the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Friday (Aug. 11). Blaney posted a lap of 35.365 seconds with a speed of 203.591 miles per hour in the 90-minute practice. The …

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The Underdog House: Curbing Spending Would Be Good For NASCAR

2017 Watkins Glen Cup Michael Mcdowell Aric Almirola Racing John K Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

Think Small Dale Earnhardt Jr. was addressing the media at Watkins Glen last weekend when the subject turned to driver contracts and salaries.  The NASCAR economic climate, as everyone knows has changed drastically in recent years.  When the NASCAR fad was at its height almost 20 years ago, corporate interest and driver income skyrocketed. For a while, that …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Easy On The Gas Edition

2017 Watkins Glen Cup Martin Truex Jr Cole Pearn Celebrating Rusty Jarrett Nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

It’s not often that a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race turns into a fuel mileage affair, but that was case on Sunday at Watkins Glen. The difficult thing about fuel mileage races for these drivers is that they have spent their entire careers being told and trying to figure out how to go as …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martin Truex Jr Slows Down Just Enough to Win Watkins Glen

2017 Watkins Glen Cup Martin Truex Jr Woohoo Rusty Jarrett Nkp

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Martin Truex Jr. won four races in 2016, but admitted in post-race interviews that they learned a lot more about winning during that season. He feels like they have everyone doing better jobs this year, and the result is a championship caliber team that has the most wins in the …

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The Frontstretch 5: Under-the-Radar Silly Season Moves You Need to Watch

2017 Cup Pocono Zach Catanzareti Ty Dillon

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

1. Ryan Blaney to Team Penske This move wasn’t really a surprise since Blaney was already under contract with Team Penske, and the team was just biding its time with sponorship before pulling the trigger on a third car. It was a huge domino because if sets off a potential chain reaction of changes that could …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 22 Down, One to Go as Kyle Busch Knocks Pocono Off of Winless List

2017 Cup Pocono Zach Catanzareti Kyle Busch

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Who’s in the headline – There are 23 racetracks on the Cup schedule. After Kyle Busch’s win at Pocono Raceway this weekend, he has a points-paying victory at every track on the current schedule except for Charlotte Motor Speedway. It had been 36 races since Busch won a Cup race but the much-maligned slump is finally …

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Ryan Blaney Excited for Next Chapter with Team Penske, But Will Miss Racing for Wood Brothers

2017 Kansas I Cup Ryan Blaney Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Ryan Blaney’s throwback style is continuing as he makes the move to Team Penske, whether owner Roger Penske wants him to shy away from white polo shirts or not. Not many 23-year-old racecar drivers can get away with wearing a rooster shirt. But thanks to Wood Brothers Racing, Blaney rocked a team shirt with a …

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Pocono Fan Fest Success from All Sides

2017 Cup Pocono Fan Fest Zach Catanzareti Kurt Busch

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Pocono Raceway held it’s first annual NASCAR Fan Fest Friday evening, with several top names in the sport coming out and interacting with the fans. From signing autographs to taking pictures and even pretending to be rap star Eminem, it was a positive experience for most folks in attendance. At the Fest, held at the Infield Block …

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2017 Frontstretch Podcast Powered by DraftKings – Episode 20: Mid-Season Chaos

2017 Pocono Cup Zach Catanzareti Kasey Kahne

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Episode 20: Mid-Season Chaos Frontstretch Podcast with Dustin Albino, Joseph Wolkin and Zach Catanzareti. In this week’s episode brought to you by DraftKings, Dustin, Joe, and Zach sit down to preview this weekend’s race at Pocono, analyze NASCAR Silly Season drama, speculate on William Byron’s future and more. This week’s episode was brought to you by DraftKings, the No. …

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