Race Weekend Central

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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The Frontstretch 5: Unrestricted Plate Track Musings

1. Do we really need these restrictor plates? Define need. Do the cars need to be slowed down? Absolutely. A few years back, Rusty Wallace tested an unrestricted Cup car at Talladega and ran speeds of almost 240 mph. That’s too fast. But do they have to do it with plates? Technically, no. It could …

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Joe Gibbs Racing Wins Exhibitions, Loses Points Races at Daytona

For the fourth time in the last five years, Joe Gibbs Racing rose to the top of the NASCAR world with a season-opening victory at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. Unfortunately for Toyota’s top organization, the win came in the Sprint Unlimited, not the Daytona 500. In all, JGR has now won the year-opening exhibition …

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Team Penske Paces Second Daytona 500 Practice

2014 Indianapolis Cup Brad Keselowski Joey Logano Cia

(Credit: CIA Stock Photography)

It’s a good day to be a part of Team Penske. Teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski topped the final Daytona 500 practice of the day Saturday, with laps of 195.933 mph and 195.848, respectively. Ryan Blaney, whose Wood Brothers Racing Ford shares a technical alliance with Penske, slotted in third with a lap of …

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Tops First 500 Practice

Dale Earnhardt Jr Bank Of America 500 2015 Charlotte Cup Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

Some things never change: An Earnhardt led Daytona practice. Dale Earnhardt Jr. paced the first Sprint Cup practice for the Daytona 500 on Saturday morning with a fast lap of 194.116 mph. Joining Earnhardt in the top 5 were defending 500 champion Joey Logano (193.853), 2009 and 2012 race winner Matt Kenseth (193.782), rookie Chase …

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Joe Gibbs Racing Prepping for the Future with Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez

Coming off of a championship-winning season with Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing has an obvious goal: to win another title. However, building for the future, even with secure funding for each of its four drivers for multiple seasons, has become the objective. Adding a plethora of drivers to its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR …

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NASCAR Announces Eligible Drivers for Sprint Unlimited

Sprint Unlimited Daytona

(Credit: NASCAR)

On Monday, NASCAR announced the eligibility criteria for this year’s Sprint Unlimited, scheduled for Feb. 13.  While winning a pole during the previous season will get you into the race, it’s not the only way into the 75-lap show.  Regardless of circumstances, 25 cars will start the 187.5-mile race. The first criteria to qualify for …

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2015 NASCAR Rewind: Carl Edwards

Edwards, Carl 2015 Bank Of America 500 Charlotte

Photo Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch

Adversity struck Carl Edwards during the latter stages of his time with Roush Fenway Racing, the team that gave him his big break. However, in the NASCAR realm, tough decisions need to be made, especially when an organization is struggling. Joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015, expectations were high as Edwards joined former teammate Matt Kenseth into …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2015 Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead

Buescher, Chris, Kyle Busch And Erik Jones 2015 Nascar Champions Portraits

(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/NASCAR via Getty Images)

And that’s a wrap for the 2015 season. Kyle Busch made potentially the most amazing comeback in NASCAR history. After missing the first 11 races, Busch grabbed four consecutive checkered flags and earned enough points to make himself Chase eligible. Once he secured his spot, Busch kept his nose clean and was able to advance to …

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Carl Edwards Leads Opening 2015 Ford EcoBoost 400 Practice at Homestead

2015 Pocono Cup Carl Edwards Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Winning the opening Sprint Cup Series practice session at Homestead-Miami Speedway may not heal the blow of missing the Championship foursome by five points, but it may be a sign of positive things to come for Carl Edwards. Ripping around the 1.5-mile oval at 175.143 mph (30.832 seconds), Edwards topped the charts in what could …

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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2015 Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix

2015 Phoenix Ii Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Trophy Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

And then there were four. After waiting all afternoon and into the evening for weather to clear, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the rain-shortened race at Phoenix. It was Junior’s third win of the season, keeping a potential Chase driver from winning his way into the championship race at Homestead. The final four drivers heading into …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Phoenix a Tiring Challenge for NASCAR on NBC

2015 Phoenix International Raceway Nscs Dale Earnahrdt Jr. Pit Road Rain Victory Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Normally, Sprint Cup races at Phoenix International Raceway are some of the shortest of the year. Sunday was clearly an exception to that rule, as there was over 10 hours of coverage on NBC and NBCSN from Avondale. We’ll get to the desert in a moment. On Monday, NBC Sports announced a special ramping up …

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