Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kyle Busch Triumphs In Texas For First 2018 Win

2018 kyle busch Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who’s in the headline After three seconds and a third in the last four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, Kyle Busch finally put it all together Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Holding off a hard-charging Kevin Harvick down the stretch, Busch became the fifth MENCS winner of 2018 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Racing in Kevin Harvick’s Playground

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series TicketGuardian 500 ISM Raceway, Phoenix, AZ USA Sunday 11 March 2018 Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Fusion Jimmy John's and Joey Logano, Team Penske, Ford Fusion Pennzoil World Copyright: Russell LaBounty NKP

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

Kyle Busch won the opening stage of the TicketGuardian 500 and led a race-high 128 laps at the newly-renamed ISM Raceway (formerly Phoenix International Raceway), but Kevin Harvick earned his third straight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, and ninth overall at the track, which tied him with Mark Martin at 40 MENCS wins. Harvick …

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5 Points To Ponder: Dominant Harvick Tremendous… Or Tiresome For NASCAR?

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor Quik Trip 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, GA USA Sunday 25 February 2018 Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Jimmy John's Ford Fusion wins World Copyright: Rusty Jarrett NKP

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

ONE: Harvick On Pace For Record-Setting Start Slaughter, rinse, repeat. For a second straight week, Kevin Harvick laid waste to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series field driving a car levels above the competition. Speed, handling, restarts – you name it, Harvick had the edge. Only pit road kept him from leading 240-250 laps; if not for …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Kevin Harvick Beats the Field into Submission at Atlanta

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor Quik Trip 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, GA USA Sunday 25 February 2018 Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Jimmy John's Ford Fusion wins World Copyright: Rusty Jarrett NKP

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

Who’s in the headline? While Mother Nature tried hard, she failed to win on Sunday. The race started late, but once it got rolling, it went the distance. Shocking absolutely no one, Kevin Harvick took the lead early in the race and dominated the first stage. Harvick rebounded from a pit lane malfunction to lead …

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Friday Faceoff: Butt Tattoos, Anyone?

Austin-Dillon-Burnout-2018-Daytona-500-Bruce-Nuttleman-FS

(Photo: Bruce Nuttleman)

Austin Dillon’s Daytona 500 triumph was his second in his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career, but some people have said he hasn’t won a real race, as his 2017 Coca-Cola 600 win was on fuel mileage and this past weekend was a restrictor plate event. Does he have to win a so-called normal Cup race …

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Frontstretch Podcast: What’s New is Old

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

In the latest episode of the 2018 Frontstretch Podcast, we do a full Daytona 500 review with Dustin Albino, Mike Neff and Zach Catanzareti, while also previewing the weekend ahead at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The trio gives an in-depth look at how Austin Dillon claimed the Great American Race, while also discussing the significance of Darrell Wallace Jr. running well …

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Did You Notice?: The New Dale Earnhardt, Debunking NASCAR’s Decline

2018 daytona cup daytona 500 zach catanzareti austin dillon

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Did You Notice? … The way fans reacted to Austin Dillon’s last-lap punt of Aric Almirola to win the Daytona 500? I ran a poll after the race on Twitter and 67 percent of fans surveyed thought Dillon was over the line. It didn’t matter what Almirola said after the fact (he doesn’t blame Dillon at …

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NASCAR Mailbox: Will Darrell Wallace Jr. Start to Get More Sponsorship?

2018 daytona cup zach catanzareti darrell wallace jr bubba wallace

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Darrell Wallace Jr. took the NASCAR world by storm this past Sunday. The Alabama native followed up his impressive run in last week’s Can-Am Duel to earn a runner-up finish in the Daytona 500, setting off plenty of mixed emotions for him and his family. After the race, team co-owner and seven-time NASCAR champion Richard …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Daytona Serves as a FOX Showcase

2018 chevrolet daytona xfinity zach catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Last weekend in Daytona was quite ridiculous.  Lots of on-track action and lots of wrecking.  That said, my guess is that a lot of my readers were up and down on the broadcasts themselves. Daytona 500 We can’t start off the column without talking about the overnight ratings for the race.  Quite simply, they stink.  …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2018 Daytona 500

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

Who’s in the headline The clash on Sunday last week had the world abuzz with how uneventful the racing would be at Daytona for the 500. Apparently, someone forgot to tell the drivers. 24 lead changes, seven caution flags for on-track incidents, 14 leaders and the three winningest car numbers in the sport on the …

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Up to Speed: Wild & Young Racers Steal the Show at Daytona

2018 daytona cup zach catanzareti erik jones

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

If the Daytona 500 is any indication, the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season could be one of the wildest in years. Granted, making any predictions about an entire season based only on the first race is a dangerous game.  The Daytona 500 is unlike any other race on the NASCAR schedule, and restrictor plate …

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Darrell Wallace Jr. And Family Emotional After Runner-Up Finish in Daytona 500

2018 daytona cup bruce nuttleman darrell wallace jr.

(Photo: Bruce Nuttleman)

At first, Darrell Wallace Jr. was all smiles, entering the Daytona International Speedway media center joking around. But a few seconds later, his mom ran up to him, crying out of joy for her son. “I waited so long for this, baby,” Desiree Wallace, his mom, shouted in his arms.” “It feels like I won,” …

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