Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: Sudden Shift Hands Johnson Record-Tying Title

Jimmie Johnson

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Who’s in the headline – The elite level of NASCAR has increased by 50%. There are many gauges to judge the greats but championships are a huge differentiator. Jimmie Johnson took advantage of circumstances that fell his way, led the final three laps, and notched his seventh career title. Johnson shares the headline with Tony …

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The Frontstretch 5: Underrated NASCAR Drivers

1. Landon Cassill, nice. Landon Cassill by far. The kid deserves a chance with a larger team. Time and time again, he impresses with his ability to not only compete in a clean fashion, but is able to get the most out of mediocre equipment. If his time with JD Motorsports in the XFINITY Series doesn’t …

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NASCAR Penalizes Nearly Two Dozen Teams in Texas

2016 Cup Texas Joey Logano Car Rick Lunkenheimer

(Photo: Rick Lunkenheimer)

On Wednesday, NASCAR released the weekly penalty report stemming from Texas.  Compared to recent weeks, this one was quite the doozy. In the Sprint Cup Series, Joey Logano‘s No. 22 Ford that finished second Sunday night was found to have one loose lugnut.  As a result, the No. 22 has been hit with a P2 …

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The Underdog House: A Texas Curveball

2016 Nascar Sprint Cup Series, Texas

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Think Small Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, with its shift from day to night after an hours-long rain delay, did do one thing well: it showed a clear disparity between the elite teams and those striving to reach that mark one day. The intermediate tracks are plentiful on the Cup schedule …

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Beside The Rising Tide: NASCAR’s Tidal Wave-Around Rule

It was a late October day in Virginia, paired with temperatures that felt more like Memorial Day and not a cloud in the sky. There was a race that actually started prior to 1:30 at Martinsville, the scenic and historic half-mile short track nestled in a historic area ablaze in autumnal foliage. Good ol’ short track racing, side-by-side, …

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The Underdog House: Are Small-Time NASCAR Drivers Damaged Goods?

Cup Martinsville Martinsville Speedway Aj Allmendinger

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Think Small It’s an easy mistake to make: falling into the trap of thinking most of the drivers racing for NASCAR’s smaller teams are damaged goods.  Sadly, it’s one that even team owners often fall into.  How often have young, talented drivers taken rides in this group hoping for some exposure only to be overlooked?  …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Jimmie Johnson Sets the Table for a Run at Title Seven with Victory at Martinsville

Jimmie Johnson Sunlight Burnout Martinsville Cup 2016 Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

Who’s in the headline – Jimmie Johnson had eight wins at Martinsville Speedway entering this weekend’s activities. While that is an impressive number, he had gone six races without a win and had not finished better than ninth in the last four. The race wasn’t a dominating effort by the No. 48 team, but they …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not: Waiting For The Big One Edition

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Joey Logano John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

When it comes to restrictor place races at Talladega and Daytona, the big question is, when will the big one happen? As in, when will we see a big crash with at least seven or eight cars involved. If you were waiting on that to happen during Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Talladega, then you …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR’s House of Cards Falling Down?

Think Small The news that’s trickled in through the last week should be making everyone in the sport take pause and think about the health of several of its teams.  The snowball got rolling last week when it was reported that Tommy Baldwin Racing was in the process of selling its charter to Leavine Family …

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The Underdog House: Smaller NASCAR Teams Could Use Factory Support

2016 Kansas Ii Cup Pack Racing Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

Think Small It’s a given that NASCAR’s small teams don’t have the money and equipment that the bigger ones do. But a closer look reveals there is another piece of the puzzle missing many people don’t think about: factory support. While several of the smaller teams do have alliances with larger ones, manufacturer funding is generally reserved …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2016 Hollywood Casino 400

2016 Kansas Speedway Nscs Kevin Harvick Checkered Flag Photo Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Who… gets my shoutout of the race? Intermediate tracks like Kansas are rarely kind to lesser-funded single-car teams, but this week, one of those teams broke up the party at the front for much of the weekend, including late in the race. AJ Allmendinger had a fast car, as evidenced by his 10th-place start, and …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR Success Doesn’t Happen Overnight

Cole Whitt Reed Sorenson Charlotte Cup 2016 Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

Think Small Smaller NASCAR teams are constantly talking about improvement, and it’s something for which there is always room.  However, improvement goals vary, and that is necessary because teams in the group are all at different stages of development as teams. One team’s goal of top-20 finishes may be totally unrealistic for another. There is …

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