Race Weekend Central

Did You Notice?: 2020 NASCAR Winless Droughts, How Jimmie Johnson’s Final Season Stacks Up & Anxiety Awareness

#18: Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Interstate Batteries #20: Erik Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry buyatoyota.com Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice?… With four races left in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, four drivers remain winless who won a race in 2019. That’s a relatively small number from year-to-year as the sport’s strongest teams and drivers have remained stable. Some of that could be due to the COVID-19 pandemic, limiting practice time for …

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5 Points to Ponder: Wet ‘N’ Wild Is Where It’s At in NASCAR

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

1. Parity Inside the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 And then there were eight. Four races remain in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, and we’re down to the semifinal round. Beginning with Sunday’s (Oct. 18) race at Kansas Speedway, drivers can start punching their tickets to this year’s Championship 4. So what stands …

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NASCAR Mailbox: What Can Be Done About Vicious Blocks at Daytona & Talladega?

2020 Las Vegas NCS Kyle Larson Face

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The rumors have flown for months now whether Kyle Larson will return to NASCAR and where he will go. With his return to the sport being imminent, the question arises about how he will perform after basically running a full year on the dirt side of things. While he has dominated, we all know NASCAR …

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Up to Speed: The Parallel Careers of Jimmie Johnson & Matt Kenseth

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

With the 2020 season entering its final stage, NASCAR is beginning to look toward next year.  This last week in September brought considerable news regarding driver lineups for 2021.  There have also been rumors that major changes could be in store for the Cup Series schedule.  But even as more news trickles out about the …

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The Frontstretch 5: Big 2020 NASCAR Silly Season Dominoes Yet to Fall

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The dominoes began falling in Silly Season 2020 early this year, and they certainly picked up steam this week, with the announcement that Bubba Wallace will join new team owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin in a new Toyota NASCAR Cup Series effort for 2021.  With that comes the announcement that Germain Racing will close …

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Friday Faceoff: Is Bristol a Good Place for a Cutoff Race?

2019 MENCS Bristol BMS Racing NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Does a race need naturally occurring cautions to make it more interesting? Luken Glover: There has to be a balance between too many cautions and no cautions. As a short track, Richmond Raceway is a place expected to provide a few cautions, but over the past couple of seasons we really haven’t seen that. It …

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Beside the Rising Tide: After the Boys of Summer Are Gone 

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

With Labor Day weekend marking the traditional (though not actual) end of the summer season, I fear other plans might have caused some of you to miss Saturday’s (Sept. 5) NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Darlington Raceway. If you did, that’s too bad, because it was arguably one of the best NASCAR-sanctioned races of this …

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Friday Faceoff: Which Cup Driver Is the Best Available Free Agent?

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

While there is little debate about which open NASCAR Cup Series ride is the best, which free agent driver do you think is the best long-term prospect? Luken Glover: There are a solid list of guys, such as Erik Jones, Corey LaJoie and Bubba Wallace. While Jones is a very desirable talent, LaJoie is someone to keep …

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Up to Speed: Kyle Busch Will Miss Having Playoff Points in 2020

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Kyle Busch experienced another frustrating finish to a promising race on Saturday night.  At Daytona International Speedway, in the last race of the regular season, Busch led for a total of 31 laps.  He was near the front of the pack late in the race and had a good shot at scoring a win.  But …

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Did You Notice?: Remaining NASCAR Silly Season Questions for 2021

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Did You Notice? … NASCAR Silly Season is heating up as the 2020 Cup Series regular season winds down? Corey LaJoie announced last week he won’t be returning to the No. 32 Go FAS Racing Ford, opening up another ride in a rapidly evolving NASCAR garage area. Let’s take a look at where each Cup team …

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4 Burning Questions: End of the Rainbow for Kyle Larson?

2019 Charlotte Cup Kyle Larson Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Has Kyle Larson changed? Kyle Larson has finally given an on-record interview concerning NASCAR and his time since departing from the sport. In it, conducted by the AP’s Jenna Fryer, Larson revealed that he had spent a substantial amount of time learning about the history of the great racial divide in this country. He had …

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Truckin’ Thursdays: Biggest Surprises of the 2020 Truck Series Season

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series

(Photo: NKP)

The 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series season started off just as many others in the past. The season-opener at Daytona International Speedway was the typical wreckfest with a thrilling finish that saw Grant Enfinger edge Jordan Anderson by just inches. The series went to Las Vegas Motor Speedway and then headed off …

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