Race Weekend Central

Kyle Larson’s Crew Chief Suspended for Lug Nut Violation

2016 Pocono I Cup Kyle Larson Chad Johnston Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Another lug nut penalty was issued this week following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono. Chad Johnston, who crew chiefs the No. 42 car of Kyle Larson, was hit with a P3 penalty for failing to have all lug nuts properly installed on the car following the race. He was suspended for the …

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Beyond the Cockpit: Matt DiBenedetto’s Career-Saving Moment

2016 Kansas I Cup Matt Dibenedetto Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist / NKP)

Tears flowed down 24-year-old Matt DiBenedetto’s face just seconds after crossing the finish line at Bristol Motor Speedway in mid-April. Competing for a team that considers a top-20 finish a victory, finishing sixth during the Food City 500 helped the young man realize that dreams can indeed come true. DiBenedetto landed a part-time slot with …

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5 Points to Ponder: Great Expectations

What to Expect: It’s hard to know what exactly will to expect this Saturday night with the new format for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The revised rules will certainly make for some interesting strategy in the second set of fifty laps before we finish up with the 13-lap sprint to …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: A Monstrous Matt Kenseth Comeback

2016 Dover I Cup Matt Kenseth Jason Ratcliff Trophy Matthew T Thacker Nkp

Who’s in the headline – The 2016 season has been anything but stellar for Matt Kenseth. After a near miss at Daytona he’s only managed one top 5 finish before Sunday, and that as a fourth last weekend at Kansas. Sunday Kenseth was in the mix but didn’t look like he’d be in contention for …

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NASCAR Reveals Current Top 5 in Sprint Fan Vote

2016 Kansas I Cup Matt Dibenedetto Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist / NKP)

If you’re curious about which drivers are most likely to snag this year’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race fan vote, you can now know the top five, at least. NASCAR has released the names of the top five vote-getters in the fan vote so far for the race, which will be held May 20, through May 11. …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Brad Keselowski Drops Malachi Crunch on the Talladega Demo Derby for Second Win of the Season

2016 Talladega I Cup Brad Keselowski Champagne John Harrleson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrleson / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Brad Keselowski won his first Cup race at Talladega in 2009. While he isn’t mentioned in the same breaths with Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt or Tony Stewart when plate racing prowess is discussed, the bottom line is he won his fourth plate race at Talladega on Sunday. Even though the …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: Are FOX’s Poor NASCAR Ratings Fixable With Better Coverage?

2016 Richmond I Cup Regan Smith Carl Edwards Jimmie Johnson Racing Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Welcome back.  Sunday had a great finish, eh?  Not too often that someone executes the bump n’ run on their own teammate.  I’ll fully admit that I was surprised that Carl Edwards was willing to do it. Also, there was a bit of an uproar surrounding Samantha Busch cussing at the finish after the aforementioned …

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More Short Tracks, Please

2016 Martinsville I Cup Overhead View Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

These past few weeks at short tracks sure have been fun, haven’t they? It’s a shame we won’t see another one until August. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series put on another thrilling race – and finally another scheduled day race – at Richmond International Raceway with Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400. The 400-mile thriller was the …

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NASCAR 101: Shades of Rich Bickle

Another driver came to mind when Matt DiBenedetto finished sixth at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last weekend, and that was even before his post-race interview. To recap, although chances are you’ve seen the stories or read the interviews by now: DiBenedetto, driver of the No. 83 for BK Racing, managed …

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The Frontstretch 5: Items That Should Be on the Collective NASCAR Mind This Week

2016 Bristol I Cup Matt Dibenedetto Racing John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

1. Fans need to know who the drivers are The finish at Bristol featured something you don’t see very often: a pair of top-10 runs by a couple of the smallest teams in the sport.  Matt DiBenedetto and Clint Bowyer proved that at a track where the price of the equipment takes a back seat, …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in NASCAR: Richmond Edition

2016 Bristol I Cup Carl Edwards Checkered Flag Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

This one goes to out to your inner gymnast, the lover of the underdogs and the days and the days of heat and last chance races after what took place during the Sprint Cup race at Bristol on Sunday and the Xfinity race Saturday. HOT Someone other than Kyle Busch won a NASCAR race for …

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