Race Weekend Central

The Frontstretch 5: Closest NASCAR Finishes at Indianapolis

2019 Indianapolis MENCS Kevin Harvick Restart NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has produced some great finishes over its more than 100-year history. NASCAR’s history at the track is much shorter, beginning in 1994 when Indiana transplant Jeff Gordon won the inaugural event. Since that race, the finish of a NASCAR race at the track has only been less than half a second five …

Read more

Power Rankings: Twice as Much What Edition

2020MartinsvilleNCSKevinHarvickFaceNASCARMedia

(Photo: NASCAR Media/Getty Images)

The old joke about Pocono Raceway was easy to make, “Why are the races just six weeks apart? So once you clear traffic and make it onto the interstate, you can turn around and head back for the second race!” Thankfully due to great management improvements and coordination between the track and local police over …

Read more

Up to Speed: Can Kevin Harvick Win at Every Track?

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It took Kevin Harvick 39 tries, but he finally won at Pocono Raceway.  Harvick held off a late charge by Denny Hamlin to win the first of two Cup Series races at the triangular track in the Pennsylvania mountains this past weekend.  As a three-time winner in the 2020 season, Harvick continues to build a …

Read more

5 Points to Ponder: Double Trouble at Pocono Raceway

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

ONE: Double Trouble It’s another big weekend for our sport with a doubleheader scheduled for picturesque Pocono Raceway. This will be the first time in the modern era of NASCAR that a track has hosted back-to-back Cup races on consecutive days in keeping, perhaps, with this year of unprecedented change. We start out on Saturday …

Read more

Power Rankings: Dega Worth the Wait Edition

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It was yet another long week for NASCAR, but this time it was not only weather that was the culprit. A case of mistaken identity when a knot wasn’t just a knot and was thought to be a noose led to an emotional Sunday (June 21) which was quickly doused by rain. The next day …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: FOX, NASCAR Come Face-to-Face With a Social Crisis

A pack of NASCAR Cup race cars at Talladega, June 2020. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Last weekend was … something else. NASCAR found itself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Thankfully, the noose in the garage was found not to have been intentionally planted there for intimidation purposes. That said, it was there. I checked my photos from last October in Talladega to see if I noticed anything. …

Read more

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2020 GEICO 500 at Talladega

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Who … should you be talking about after the race? It’s hard to win at Talladega Superspeedway, and it’s even harder to go back-to-back. Entering Monday’s rain-delayed race, nobody had achieved that feat since 2007. That ended on Monday, though, as Ryan Blaney powered his way to the front, surviving a fuel mileage battle and a …

Read more

Power Rankings: 7 Hours of Miami Edition

2020HomesteadNCSRacingNASCARMedia(2)

(Photo: NASCAR Media/Getty Images)

It was a long week for NASCAR, but can someone tell me how an organization that makes Florida its home can think that scheduling a race at 3:30 p.m. ET in the middle of June is going to work in South Florida? I understand that television partners often make the call, but even they should …

Read more

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2020 Dixie Vodka 400

2020HomesteadNCSRacingNASCARMedia(2)

(Photo: NASCAR Media/Getty Images)

Who… should you be talking about after the race? Denny Hamlin might not have won the top starting spot by virtue of speed but he certainly had plenty of speed to stay there. With crew chief Chris Gabehart back in action after a four-race suspension for a weight violation, Hamlin dominated the race, leading 137 …

Read more

Up to Speed: Is the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Field Already Set?

2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Field of 16 NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Given how the 2020 NASCAR season has played out so far, the Cup Series playoff has felt like almost an afterthought.  Nevertheless, the Cup Series regular season is almost halfway complete.  Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway was the 12th event of the revised Cup schedule in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Only 14 races …

Read more

Daily Fantasy NASCAR FanDuel Forecast: 2020 Dixie Vodka 400

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Homestead-Miami Speedway, long home to the season finale to NASCAR’s season, will instead be just the 12th stop of the year for the NASCAR Cup Series. This is going to be a very bizarre race as far as who can be competitive. A lot of teams have notes for this track for November. Take a …

Read more

NASCAR Stat Sheet: Martin Truex Jr. Continues Short Track Dominance

2020MartinsvilleNCSMartinTruexJrFaceNASCARMedia

(Photo: NASCAR Media/Getty Images)

NASCAR’s oldest track on the calendar, Martinsville Speedway, never disappoints. Beatin’ and bangin’, fenders rubbing, good short track racing. Entering Wednesday night’s race (June 10), the 2020 short track aerodynamic package was batting 100% on entertainment at Phoenix Raceway at Bristol Motor Speedway. While it was challenging to pass for the lead at Martinsville, racing …

Read more