Race Weekend Central

Friday Faceoff: Is This Hendrick Lineup Its Best Ever?

Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman Racing at Martinsville fall 2021, NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Is this the most competitive Hendrick Motorsports has ever been? Luken Glover: One can certainly make that argument. It isn’t a head-and-shoulders advantage, but this NASCAR Cup Series season is right there as one of the best. If a HMS car wins this week, it will tie its 2007 record for the most single-season wins …

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Frontstretch 5: Top Predictions for NASCAR Championship Weekend at Phoenix

Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin talk on pit road before the 2021 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)

(Photo: Logan Riely/Getty Images)

This is it. No more messing around. Twelve drivers. Three champions. Nine losers. Every fan and every NASCAR Camping World Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series team has waited for this weekend to come since February. We’ve seen the good, bad, ugly and everything in between happen from then until now. Some drivers have met our …

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Dropping the Hammer: Kyle Larson’s Big Championship ‘What If?’

Kyle Larson at Kansas Speedway

(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images for NASCAR Media)

It could happen. I know it. You know it. Kyle Larson knows it. Larson has won nine of 35 races this year, five more than his previous best in 2017. He’s led 2,474 laps, the most in a season since Jeff Gordon totaled 2,320 during his 2001 title run. He’s won three races in a …

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NASCAR Stat Sheet: Martinsville Top-Dog Alex Bowman Sizzles, Denny Hamlin Left Feeling Burnt

Alex Bowman at 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Michigan race

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It was only five years ago but my how the landscape of NASCAR has changed. It has arguably changed more for no single individual than it has for Alex Bowman.

Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2021 Martinsville NASCAR Playoff Race

#48: Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Ally celebrates winning the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville.

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

What happened? Alex Bowman won the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Sunday (Oct. 31) after bumping Denny Hamlin out of the way and surviving an overtime restart. Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and William Byron rounded out the top-five finishers. RETWEET to congratulate @Alex_Bowman on his WIN at @MartinsvilleSwy! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/qNd6DVbKpO — NASCAR on …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2021 Xfinity 500

Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin talk on pit road before the 2021 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)

(Photo: Logan Riely/Getty Images)

Who … should you be talking about after the Xfinity 500? 2021 has been a breakout year for Alex Bowman. The 28-year-old posted three early wins and advanced to the Round of 12 in this year’s playoffs before stumbling a bit. At Martinsville Speedway, he put an exclamation point on the deal after a late-race …

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Up to Speed: Denny Hamlin Needs to Let it Go

Denny Hamlin scratches his head on pit road at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Photo: NKP)

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Denny Hamlin doesn’t have to be happy.  He doesn’t have to like getting spun by Alex Bowman in the closing laps at Martinsville Speedway.  He doesn’t have to celebrate missing out on a potential win during a 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season where he has enjoyed plenty of strong runs, but few victories. No, Hamlin …

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Alex Bowman Bumps Denny Hamlin From Lead at Martinsville, Claims 4th Win of 2021

#11: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry FedEx Ground confronts race winner #48: Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Ally after the checkered flag

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

On Halloween afternoon at Martinsville Speedway, Alex Bowman bumped Denny Hamlin late in the race to set up an overtime restart and his fourth win of the season in the NASCAR Cup Series. Spooky vibes didn’t pervade the Xfinity 500 Sunday (Oct. 31) until late, when cautions started flying faster than the cars were running …

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Frontstretch 2-Minute Drill: Xfinity 500 at Martinsville

2019 Martinsville Mencs Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The penultimate race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway is upon us, and pretty much everything is still up in the air. Kyle Larson has won three straight races, including sweeping both events in the Round of 8 thus far at Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. He’s led a combined 386 …

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Stock Car Scoop: Which Drivers Will Move On at Martinsville?

2021 Martinsville I Cup Denny Hamlin Pack Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for the penultimate race of the season. Kyle Larson has won the last three races and swept the Round of 8 so far, which sets up three available playoff spots for seven drivers. How chaotic will Sunday (Oct. 31)’s Halloween elimination race be? Which drivers will secure …

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New Year, Same Story, Different Result? Kyle Larson Hopes So

Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson make contact in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, September 2021 televised on NBCSN. Photo: NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

2020 was a difficult year for everyone. NASCAR led the charge back from the initial COVID craziness and the fans were thrilled. As the year unfolded for the sport, Kevin Harvick was clearly the cream of the crop. In the playoffs, the Round of 8 saw his team stumble, fall and fail, resulting in him …

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Kyle Larson Once Again on Pole for Martinsville Cup Race

Kyle Larson smiles before Texas fall 2021 NASCAR Cup Series race, NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

For the third consecutive week Kyle Larson will start from the pole, this time in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver is on a hot streak as he’s won the past three playoff races. His win at Texas Motor Speedway secured his spot in the Championship 4 …

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