Race Weekend Central

Friday Faceoff: Which Rookie Is Top of the Class?

2017 Phoenix I Cup Erik Jones Jimmie Johnson Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

In the days leading up to Matt Kenseth’s announcement of a six-race sponsorship deal with Circle K Wednesday, some speculated that the announcement would concern the driver’s imminent retirement. He may not be stepping aside any time soon, but realistically, how much time does Kenseth have? Matteo Marcheschi: Matt Kenseth doesn’t have long. While he has earned …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR’s Best-Kept Secret

2017 Texas I Cup Cole Whitt Matt Dibenedetto Racing Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Think Small It feels like NASCAR’s small teams get a bad rap right from the start from some fans and even media.  Too often, they’re lumped into a “backmarkers” category, often mocked for their poor performance compared to rivals.  To hear some people talk, you’d think they went out every week and ran in the 20’s …

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Ty Dillon, Darrell Wallace Jr. Lead Texas XFINITY Practices

2017 Fontana Nxs Ty Dillon Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

A parade of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series full-timers led opening practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Texas Motor Speedway Friday (April 7), but it was the series regulars that paced practice two later in the day, led by Darrell Wallace Jr. In practice one, Ty Dillon led the way in Richard Childress Racing’s …

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The Underdog House: No Margin For Error With NASCAR’s Small Teams

2017 Las Vegas Cup Ryan Blaney Timmy Hill Racing John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

No Margin For Error Last week, we looked at the importance of improvement for small teams.  For those that realistically just can’t compete with their powerhouse rivals on a weekly basis, it’s a better measure than finishes alone. It’s also an important step for those teams a step ahead of the game, ones in position to one …

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Eyes on XFINITY: NASCAR, Please Come Up With Another Solution

Ty Dillon Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2014 Nationwide Series Mike Neff

Coming on the heels of NASCAR’s new renovation taking place at Phoenix International Raceway, the sanctioning body has confirmed that the series is looking to add restrictor plates to the XFINITY Series event held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 22. The main reason for the drastic change is simply because NASCAR officials were satisfied with an …

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No Penalties for Joey Logano or Kyle Busch after Las Vegas

In the days since Joey Logano and Kyle Busch came to blows on pit lane at Las Vegas, everyone in the NASCAR realm waited with baited breath to see if the parties involved would be subject to fines or penalties from NASCAR. Instead, what we got were small infractions and no mention of the Logano-Busch incident. …

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4 Burning Questions: Will Focus Be on Pit Road or the Racetrack in Vegas?

2015 Nascar Fontana Jennifer Coleman Nkp Pit Road

(Photo: Jennifer Coleman NKP)

Will Focus Be on Pit Road or the Racetrack in Las Vegas? AJ Allmendinger officially scored negative 24 points last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. None of us enjoy seeing penalties on the forefront of weekly discussion, but it is there again. From the Camping World Truck Series to XFINITY to Cup, Atlanta kept us …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR’s Intermediate Track Blues

2017 Atlanta Cup Matt Dibenedetto Car

Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP

Think Small It can be said that the real NASCAR season starts at Atlanta. The Intermediate track season kicked off last weekend and the results were fairly predictable of the small teams this week.  In general at a 1.5 to 2-mile track, these teams struggle to keep up.  You might see a couple of teams …

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Ty Dillon: ‘It was Frustrating that I Was Not Getting the Opportunity with My Family Team’

2017 Cup Charlotte Media Tour Zach Catanzareti Ty Dillon

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Growing up around fast cars and burning rubber, Ty Dillon has finally made it full-time to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, yet it didn’t come without some adversity. Entering his rookie campaign, Dillon already had a half-year of experience in the Cup Series, giving him a leg up on Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones, his …

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The Underdog House: Small Teams Thriving and Surviving in Daytona

2017 Daytona Cup Zach Catanzareti Joey Gase Bk Racing Corey Lajoie

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Think Small Well, Daytona is in the rearview mirror. Depending on who you ask, that’s either a real bummer or can’t come too soon, depending on how the race went. The thing about plate tracks is that they’re such an opportunity for teams to compete—if they’re lucky and avoid trouble.  They can also become exercises …

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Kyle Busch Cut Tire Causes Melee in Daytona 500

Kyle Busch Erik Jones Matt Kenseth Daytona

(Photo: Bruce Nuttleman)

The first half of the Daytona 500 avoided the big wreck. The second half? It took just four laps. On Lap 104 in the 59th Great American Race, Kyle Busch‘s right rear tire went down right in front of a crowd of racecars. Busch, winner of the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stage had no warning …

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4 Burning Questions: Will Hendrick Motorsports Keep It Straight in Daytona 500?

2016 Daytona Ii Cup Jimmie Johnson Dale Earnhardt Jr Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade NKP)

Will Hendrick Motorsports Keep It Straight in Daytona 500? The dubious tone from Dale Earnhardt Jr. during Sunday (Feb. 19)’s Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway spoke volumes about how the rest of Speedweeks may go for Hendrick Motorsports. Despite sweeping the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500, single-car speed doesn’t seem to …

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