Race Weekend Central

NASCAR Mailbox: Could Short Fields Hurt NASCAR?

2016 Las Vegas CUP Ryan Blaney pack racing Matthew T Thacker NKP

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

The start of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season has been a roller coaster ride. Some teams have struggled, while others have sky-rocketed to the front of the field. However, the charter system that NASCAR and its team owners implemented prior to the season has shaken things up quite a bit. Originally, the starting …

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Five Points to Ponder: Rain and Wind and Dust, Oh My!

2016 Las Vegas CUP Brad Keseloski Joey Logano packe Racing MAtthew T Thacker NKP

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Team Penske Open West Coast Swing with a Bang Last season, the West Coast stretch of Las Vegas, Phoenix and Auto Club belonged to Stewart-Haas Racing. Kevin Harvick won both Vegas and Phoenix, and Kurt Busch looked like he’d take the win at Auto Club until a late-race caution bunched the field up and allowed …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not: Phoenix Edition

2016 Las Vegas CUP Austin Dillon car John Harrelson NKP

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

NASCAR blew through Las Vegas this past weekend, and we mean that in a literal just as much as a figurative sense. If you correctly predicted that Brad Keselowski was going to be the winner, you might have said the answer was blowin’ in the wind. Before and during the race, with flag poles bending …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud – Brad Keselowski Cashes in With Late-Race Pass to Win at Las Vegas

2016 Las Vegas CUP Brad Keselowski burnout Matthew T Thacker NKP

(Photo: Matthew T Thacker / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – It had been 33 races since Brad Keselowski visited Victory Lane. Keselowski took the checkered flag first in Fontana last year in the fifth race of the season. On Sunday, he led the race three times but only led a total of 24 laps. The win put a third different manufacturer in …

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Pace Laps: Rookies Impress at Las Vegas, Daniel Suarez’s Hot Start and Trans-Am Getting into Gear

2016 Las Vegas CUP Ryan Blaney pack racing Matthew T Thacker NKP

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Sprint Cup Series: NASCAR’s Top Rookies Continue Promising 2016 Start – If Atlanta was the coming out party for the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie class, then Las Vegas showed their staying power. Both Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott looked like legitimate contenders throughout a wild Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Elliott rose …

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The Big Six: Questions Answered After the 2016 Kobalt 400

Brad Keselowski Joey Logano Las Vegas NASCAR via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? One race does not a championship threat make, and it’s a long way from Las Vegas to the Chase, but Austin Dillon looked strong on Sunday.  Dillon was strong in qualifying, starting fifth and finishing there as well.  There were moments that Dillon showed lingering immaturity, berating his …

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The Frontstretch 5: Things to Keep an Eye on in 2016

1. This new package It’s still too early in the season to say for sure what the racing will look like when everyone figures out the low-downforce package.  Drastic changes generally do produce a period of enhanced competition because some teams figure things out faster and get in the mix while others lag. But the …

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Kurt Busch on Pole in Atlanta, Kyle Busch Time Disallowed

UPDATE: Kyle Busch’s qualifying time was disallowed after he failed post-qualifying inspection for an issue with the rear end of the car, rewarding Kurt Busch the pole and moving everyone forward one position. The defending champion will start 40th on Sunday; no further penalties are expected. Kyle Busch captured his first career pole at the Atlanta …

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The Big Six: Questions Answered After the 2016 Daytona 500

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? After narrowly avoiding one crash and getting enough damage in another that his car was held together with spare pieces and duct tape, it would have been easy for Carl Edwards to settle for a mid-pack finish, riding to avoid more trouble.  But that’s not the racer that Edwards …

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4 Burning Questions: With Tony Stewart Out, Who Is Daytona’s Sentimental Favorite?

Zach Catanzareti takes a look at the four most important storylines entering Sunday’s Daytona 500: 1. WHAT TEAM WILL GEL BEST ON SUNDAY? Contrary to some popular beliefs, you must have friends to compete in plate racing. Without them – as seen in Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited – you’ll go nowhere. Approaching 2016, the big …

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The Big Six: Questions Answered After the 2016 Can-Am Duels at Daytona

Who…gets my shoutout of the race? Duel 1: Sure, he’s running for the team who took the big teams to school in the Daytona 500 in 2011, but Ryan Blaney only has a handful of Cup races under his belt, and he’s been impressive in most of them.  Despite making two pit stops in his …

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Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Wins Can-Am Duel No. 1 in Daytona

“Amelia” flew to another victory at Daytona International Speedway as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. held off Joey Logano to bring his No. 88 to victory lane in Thursday’s Can-Am Duel No. 1. “We knew it was a really good car,” Earnhardt said. “This car, actually a lot of people don’t talk about it, but it won …

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