Race Weekend Central

The Underdog House: Daniel Suarez Bounces Back From Coca-Cola 600 Adversity

Daniel Suarez races around the track at Homestead-Miami Speedway (March 2021) (Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Top Dog: Daniel Suarez Before we jump into the house and talk about Suarez, I would like to thank all of our veterans and those currently serving in the U.S. military. To the families of those who have sacrificed their lives for our country, we owe a large debt of gratitude to your loved ones …

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The Virtual Frontstretch: Issue 12

iRacing Virtual Frontstretch

Photo by Justin Melillo via iRacing.com

It was a pretty big week in the iRacing community. There was a surprise NASCAR Next Gen release on Wednesday night (May 5) during the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series race at Darlington Raceway as they were trying it out for the first time. Erik Jones took that victory in a wild pass with two laps …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: FOX Sports 1 Dodges Rain in Martinsville

Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin lead the NASCAR field at Martinsville Speedway, April 2021. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Once again, rain put a damper on a NASCAR race weekend. The sad truth is that everyone saw it coming. The rain that postponed the races to Sunday was predicted three to four days in advance. It just bites. All three races, including Thursday night’s Whelen Modified Tour opener, were affected by rain. At least …

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The Virtual Frontstretch: Issue 7

Melillo Virtual Frontstretch 7 No2

Photo by Justin Melillo via iRacing.com

With the Easter holiday upon the motorsports world, there’s not a lot happening this weekend in the real world. Some sim racing leagues are also taking off as well, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about this past week on iRacing, full of its share of short track racing on both the asphalt and …

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Frontstretch Podcast: Ryan Vargas On Scoring His Full-Time Xfinity Ride, MTJ Snaps Streak in Phoenix

Nascar Xfinity Series

#6: Ryan Vargas, JD Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Swann Communications

Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year contender Ryan Vargas has clawed tooth and nail for a full-time ride in NASCAR, and he got it with JD Motorsports for 2021. He joins Davey Segal this week to discuss how he’s learning on a weekly basis in the series, the opportunities he’s been presented with in his …

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The Virtual Frontstretch: Issue 4

Melillo Virtual Frontstretch 4

Photo by Justin Melillo via iRacing.com

The iRacing Season 2 build is finally here. With Week 13 currently in progress, the community news is fairly light as compared to previous weeks.  On Tuesday (March 9), the service went down for a couple of hours in the early parts of the morning. When the service resumed, many virtual drivers wanted to test …

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The Virtual Frontstretch: Issue 2

Melillo Virtual Frontstretch 2

Photo by Justin Melillo via iRacing.com

Another week of virtual racing is in the books. The eRacr.gg Carnomaly 500 qualifying races dominated social media headlines once again this week, but there was plenty of racing to go around the sim racing community. FTF RACING LEAGUE: Rancho Cucamonga 400k, Feb. 21 The second race of the 2021 season at Auto Club Speedway …

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The Virtual Frontstretch: Issue 1

Melillo Virtual Frontstretch 1

Photo by Justin Melillo via iRacing.com

It’s been a wild start to the year in the world of motor-eSports across the iRacing and NASCAR Heat platforms. With the offseason coming to a close and the Daytona 500 kicking off the NASCAR racing season, many special events and league seasons have sprung up across the sim racing world; some of them are …

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Ryan Vargas Snags Big Squeezy Sponsorship for Daytona Road Course

2019 Iowa Nxs Ryan Vargas Face Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Big Squeezy is sponsoring Ryan Vargas in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the Daytona International Speedway road course, JD Motorsports with Gary Keller announced Feb. 17. The company is owned by National Football League star running back Alvin Kamara, who replied to Vargas’ Twitter post about needing a primary sponsor. “Having the opportunity …

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Ryan Vargas Running Full Time for JDM in 2021

Ryan Vargas Jdm

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Ryan Vargas will run full time for JD Motorsports with Gary Keller in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021, the team announced Jan. 25. He’ll drive the No. 6, a team for which he competed in a part-time schedule in 2020. 2021 will mark Vargas’ first full-time season in a NASCAR national series. He’s competed …

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Eyes on Xfinity: Ryan Vargas Grinding Away at JD Motorsports

Ryan Vargas Jdm

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Last Thursday (Sept. 24) was one of the biggest days of Ryan Vargas‘ life. It was announced that day that TikTok would be sponsoring him for the final six races of the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Vargas, who turned 20 years old one day prior to the announcement, is an avid TikTok user with …

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Ryan Vargas, TikTok Team Up for Rest of Xfinity Season

2019 Iowa Nxs Ryan Vargas Face Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Ryan Vargas will be sponsored by TikTok for the rest of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season, JD Motorsports with Gary Keller announced Sept. 24. Vargas will drive the No. 6 Chevrolet in the remaining six races following this weekend, beginning at Talladega Superspeedway. “TikTok has provided me with an incredible outlet to reach new fans …

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