Race Weekend Central

Did You Notice?: 4 NASCAR Winless Drivers With 4 Races Left in 2021

Greg Zipadelli and Kevin Harvick at 2019 Michigan NASCAR Cup race, NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? … With four races left, there’s a handful of NASCAR drivers who won a race in 2020 that have yet to win in 2021? Just three are in the Cup Series, where a wave of parity and some upsets have produced 16 winners in the first 33 races, the most at this point …

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Up to Speed: Mind Games for Chase Elliott & Kevin Harvick at the ROVAL

2021 Charlotte Road Roval Cup Chase Elliott Pack Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It is no surprise to see Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL dish out a healthy dose of chaos.  But for the 2021 playoff race, a day at the ROVAL came with more mind games than usual.  The feud between Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick that began at Bristol Motor Speedway flared up once again, with Harvick …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2021 YellaWood 500 at Talladega

#2: Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, Ford Mustang MoneyLion, #37: Ryan Preece, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Kroger/Reese’s, #4: Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Busch Dog Brew, #10: Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Smithfield, #23: Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, Toyota Camry DoorDash

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who’s ready for a thrilling NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway? Let’s set your daily fantasy NASCAR DraftKings lineups for the YellaWood 500, airing on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC. This isn’t the first go-around of the season for these drivers at the Alabama racetrack, but if you aren’t familiar …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After NASCAR Playoffs in Las Vegas

2021 Cup Las Vegas Denny Hamlin, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Wins NASCAR Playoffs race (Credit: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images via NASCAR Media)

Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images via NASCAR Media

Who … should you be talking about after the NASCAR Playoffs Race in Las Vegas? Denny Hamlin once again showed Sunday night (Sept. 26) why he was a championship contender one year ago. For only the second time this season, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver earned a NASCAR Cup Series win. It was a fairly …

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Dropping The Hammer: NASCAR Cup Drivers React to Largest Next Gen Car Test Yet

NASCAR Next Gen Car at Daytona

(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Five months before its official debut, the club of NASCAR Cup Series drivers who have gotten a crack at the Next Gen car grew last week. For two days at Daytona International Speedway, eight drivers took part in what was primarily a Goodyear Tire test at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. The group was a combination of …

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Did You Notice?: Have NASCAR Playoffs Changed Perception 17 Years In?

Alex Bowman pack racing at Phoenix

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice?… The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs have flipped the script on two of its biggest teams? Stewart-Haas Racing has struggled through the worst year of its existence. SHR has just one win, a darkness-shortened New Hampshire Motor Speedway upset by Aric Almirola. Marquee driver Kevin Harvick sits winless a year after setting a …

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5 Points to Ponder: Does Momentum Make Ryan Blaney a Championship Contender?

2021 Cup Daytona Ii Ryan Blaney Wins Nkp

Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography

1. How much does momentum matter going into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs? Asking for a friend named Ryan Blaney. (Note: Blaney and I are not actually friends, having spoken exactly once, but he is a likable gent.) The 27-year-old Team Penske wheelman entered the 2021 season never having won more than one race in …

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Fire on Fridays: Who’s Actually Got a Shot at the Cup Playoffs?

Matt DiBenedetto Tyler Reddick talk Watkins Glen

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It’s somewhat fitting that this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway has an elimination factor. After all, that’s usually the case at the season-opening Daytona 500, when the pre-race Duels set the lineup and a certain number of cars (four in 2021) are left on the sidelines come the big race on …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2021 Ally 400 at Nashville

Kyle Larson holds up the Ally 400 trophy at Nashville Superspeedway. (Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What happened? Kyle Larson won the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday (June 20) after another incredible performance for his third consecutive points-race win (fourth counting the All-Star Race).  Ross Chastain, William Byron, Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-five finishers. Charlotte: Kyle LarsonSonoma: Kyle Larson All-Star Race: Kyle Larson@NashvilleSuperS: Kyle Larson@KyleLarsonRacin …

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Cole Custer Adds Autodesk Sponsorship for 6 Cup Races

Cole Custer car in 2021 cup Daytona 500 Photo NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Autodesk is coming aboard Cole Custer’s No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford for six NASCAR Cup Series events this season, the team announced Wednesday (June 2). The company is on its fourth year of partnership with SHR and joins Custer for this weekend’s event at Sonoma Raceway. It will also be on board at the Indianapolis …

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5 Points to Ponder: Do You Need to See Where You’re Going to Race in NASCAR?

Kurt Busch races in the rain during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas (May 2021). (Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

1. COTA was pretty fun … except when no NASCAR driver could see anything It’s not clear how anyone at NASCAR can make a solid determination about whether the national series should return to Circuit of the Americas in 2021. On paper, COTA seemed like it would make for an amazing addition to the NASCAR …

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Zach’s Turn: Why Did NASCAR Allow Such Dangerous Conditions at COTA?

NASCAR Wet

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

By now, everyone knows how miserably wet the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural event at Circuit of the Americas was. The looming question, though, is why NASCAR allowed Sunday’s (May 23) EchoPark Texas Grand Prix to be marred by such treacherous conditions. Before we delve into the calamity that took place around the 20-turn course, a …

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