Race Weekend Central

Bobby Labonte Putting Years of iRacing Experience to Use in Fun, Non-Weird Return to Joe Gibbs

Bobby Labonte

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

After four years of retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series, Bobby Labonte is back. Well, kind of. Since the NASCAR season was suspended due to COVID-19, Labonte has been competing in the Pro Invitational Series on iRacing. “Well, my first thought was, whenever racing Atlanta [Motor Speedway] got shut down for the time being — …

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Frontstretch Podcast: Bobby Labonte Examines Career, Highs & Lows

Nascar Nextel Cup Series, Bristol.

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In this week’s edition of the Frontstretch Podcast, Dustin Albino and Mike Neff discuss the Monday matinee (June 10) at Michigan International Speedway where Joey Logano put a whippin’ on the field en route to his second victory of 2019. Spoiler alert, we didn’t like the action we saw, and neither did Kevin Harvick, who once again overcame pit …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Chase Elliott Fires Up the Siren a 2nd Time

2018 Cup Zach Catanzareti Dover Chase Elliott

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Who’s in the headline Chase Elliott lost a heartbreaking race at Dover in the fall of 2017 and blamed himself solely for the loss. Sunday was a complete team effort that vaulted Elliott to Victory Lane and a berth in the Round of 8. Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola both appeared headed to victory early …

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NASCAR 101: Who Didn’t Return to NASCAR in 2017?

15 February, 2016, Daytona Beach, Florida, Usa Brian Vickers (14) ©2016, John Harrelson / Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson /NKP)

Time for another game of sifting through the long list of NASCAR national series drivers who didn’t make an appearance in 2017! After beginning this series in 2015 and continuing in 2016, this space will again chronicle the list of competitors who ran in one of the three NASCAR national series (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup, …

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Up to Speed: The NASCAR Hall of Fame’s “Series Challenge”

Voting Day At The Nascar Hall Of Fame

(Photo: Getty Images)

Earlier this week, the NASCAR Hall of Fame announced the five members of its ninth class, to be inducted in January 2018.  The five inductees are Robert Yates, Red Byron, Ray Evernham, Ken Squier, and Ron Hornaday.  The 2018 class is typical in that it reflects some consensus picks and maybe one or two surprises, …

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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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Double Take: Jeffrey Earnhardt Not Only One Carrying on Legacy Sunday

2015 Daytona International Speedway Nscs Bobby Labonte Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

For a few months it looked like one of the most iconic names at Talladega Superspeedway would be absent from this weekend’s festivities. The Earnhardt name has a long and rich history at the facility, one that has won over 20 races in several different series over the past three decades. However, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s concussion …

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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 Underdog House: Why NASCAR’s Small Teams Matter

2016 Pocono Ii Cup Chris Buescher Bob Osborne Trophy Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

The teams covered in this article each week aren’t likely race winners (though many of them certainly can—and on occasion have—win if circumstances dictate). However, NASCAR is about more than winning.  Consider the amount of preparation that one of the sport’s elite teams has to put into bringing a racecar to the track, race ready, each week—it’s …

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The Underdog House: Tracking NASCAR’s Small Teams from Daytona to Kentucky

2016 Daytona Ii Cup Michael Mcdowell Michael Annett Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

What makes a small team? I’m frequently asked how to categorize NASCAR’s teams. I look at a couple of things when I make the list each spring: budget and performance.  Small teams simply don’t have the budgets of the larger ones, even middle-tier organizations.  They may have alliances with bigger teams, but that doesn’t mean everything gets handed …

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XFINITY Breakdown: Chase Elliott Chasing History At Daytona

Chase Elliott will start Sunday as the youngest pole winner in Daytona 500 history. Saturday, the 20-year-old proved why he’s ready to graduate to NASCAR’s top level full-time. Elliott drove a masterful race down the stretch in the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevy, taking the lead from Joey Logano on lap 107 and then using teammate …

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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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