Race Weekend Central

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not: The ROVAL Struck

2019 Roval Mencs Chase Elliott Victory Lane Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Charlotte ROVAL did its best to resemble The Lady in Black during the race weekend. Ten caution flags flew during the Bank of America ROVAL 400. But when the checkered flag flew, Chase Elliott was victorious and four drivers saw their championship hopes end as the Round of 16 concluded. Bubba Wallace and Alex …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte

2019 Roval Mencs Chase Elliott Victory Lane Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): Conquering the ugliest race Charlotte Motor Speedway has seen since the 2005 “Levigation 600,” Chase Elliott rebounded from a lap 65 wreck into the turn 1 barrier. He passed Kevin Harvick entering turn 1 of the CMS oval on lap 104 to score his third win of 2019. The race marked Elliott’s sixth …

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Up to Speed: The Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL Delivers, Again

2019 Roval Mencs Start Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Two years ago, when Charlotte Motor Speedway announced that its fall race would be held on something called a “ROVAL,” the decision was met with a fair amount of skepticism.  Would big, bulky stock cars put on a good show at an infield road course?  And was it really a good idea to have such …

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Chase Elliott Wrecks, Then Wins in Wild One at Charlotte Roval

2019 Roval Mencs Chase Elliott Victory Celebration Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Chase Elliott bounced back from a mistake at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL to take home the victory and lock himself into the next round of the playoffs. The elimination race for the first round of the postseason had its share of game-changing moments, among them race leader Elliott locking the brakes and sliding into …

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Up to Speed: Hendrick Motorsports Teammates in a Tight Spot

2019 Atlanta Cup William Byron Alex Bowman Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman and William Byron began their playoff runs with good finishes.  Bowman cruised to a sixth-place result, his best finish since winning at Chicagoland Speedway.  Byron spun out with less than 100 laps to go in the race but fought back to finish ninth.  Combined with Chase …

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Did You Notice?: Daniel Hemric Never Won? Plus… Contact Leaves NASCAR In Critical Condition

2019 Talladega Cup Daniel Hemric Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? …. Daniel Hemric never won a NASCAR race? That’s the tough answer for critics crying foul over Richard Childress Racing’s decision Tuesday (Sept. 17) to release Hemric from his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ride at the end of the season. That’s a hard pill to swallow for a personable, energetic 28-year-old driver …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Desert Racing

2019 Las Vegas Mencs Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The South Point 400 was held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday night (Sept. 15), the opening race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. It was somewhat of a tame race, though the scheduling was a bit curious. The desert heat in the summer killed most of the Gander Outdoors Truck …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: The Cup Playoffs Start With Mediocre Action & Distractions

2019 Las Vegas Mencs Clint Bowyer Start Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Schedule-wise, this weekend was a terrible idea.  A 7:15 p.m. Sunday night green flag on a non-holiday weekend really doesn’t work well.  Especially when the race is in Las Vegas and the only reason it started that late is the fact that it was 101 degrees at the time the green flag dropped.  The thing …

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Martin Truex Jr. Wins 2019 NASCAR Playoff Opener At Las Vegas

2019 Las Vegas Mencs Martin Truex, Jr. Victory Lane Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

13th. 15th. 27th. Martin Truex Jr. ended the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season with three straight runs outside the top 10. But when it came to the playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it didn’t matter. Truex passed Kevin Harvick for the lead with 20 laps remaining and went on to …

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Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch Pace Cup Practice Sessions at Las Vegas

2019 Las Vegas Kurt Busch Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams prepared their vehicles in a pair of practices for Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Clint Bowyer took the top speed of 178.059 mph in the first session, while Kurt Busch snagged the highest spot in the closing minutes of final practice. He went 177.276 …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Racing’s Hallowed Mausoleum

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the great cathedrals of auto racing, with over a century’s worth of events run there. One of the overlooked aspects of cathedrals, aside from their beauty, is that they are a little creepy at the same time. In the history of IMS, many racers have died while competing, making …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Blast From the Past

2019 Darlington throwback Cup weekend pack racing Photo NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Tradition. That’s the theme of the Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway with the Bojangles Southern 500, and despite a start at 10 p.m. ET and not finishing until around 2 a.m., the full race distance was run before Hurricane Dorian could arrive. That commitment, whether in the stands or on the couch at home, deserves …

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