Race Weekend Central

David Ragan, Matt DiBenedetto to Drive for BK Racing in 2016

2015 Matt Dibenedetto Bank Of America 500 Charlotte Cup Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

Following his first full-time season in NASCAR’s premier division, Matt DiBenedetto will be back with BK Racing in 2016. Returning to the wheel of the No. 83 Toyota Camry, the 24-year-old will be paired with crew chief Gene Nead, who sat atop the pit box for DiBenedetto for eight races last year. Along with the …

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Friday Faceoff: How Many More Wins for Jimmie Johnson?

2015 Texas Ii Cup Jimmie Johnson Trophy Cia

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)

Jimmie Johnson will become the active win leader after Homestead-Miami Speedway (and a certain champion’s retirement) with 75.  Can Johnson surpass Jeff Gordon‘s 93 Cup wins for third all-time?  Where should we expect him to end up for a career total? Mike Neff, Short Track Coordinator: That will depend on how long Johnson chooses to …

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Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth Among Drivers and Teams Penalized After Bristol

Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin compare notes before the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway

(Photo: CIA Stock Photo, Inc. ©2015)­­

NASCAR issued warnings to 11 teams following the 2015 Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth will lose 15 minutes of practice time for next Sunday’s race due to multiple infractions during inspection. Busch’s team failed pre-race inspection four times and Kenseth’s team failed pre-race inspection …

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Couch Potato Tuesday: NBC Doesn’t Give the Heat Its Proper Due

2015 Loudon I Cup Michael Annett Car Cia

Photo Credit: CIA Stock Photography

Last weekend, the Sprint Cup and Xfinity series returned to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for 501 laps of action. High temperatures on Sunday and dew points in the low 70s created rather taxing conditions for the drivers. Later on, the weather taxed NBC Sports as well. 5-hour Energy 301 Sunday afternoon brought the Sprint Cup …

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Off the Wall With: Matt DiBenedetto

Matt Dibenedetto on track durng practice at Martinsville Speedway.

(Photo: Amy Henderson, Frontstretch)

Welcome to Off the Wall With…, where we ask your favorite drivers five questions that are… well, off the wall! We’ll check in with a different driver each week to get a peek into life outside the racecar. This week NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie Matt DiBenedetto sets the record straight. What’s fun besides racing? Matt …

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The Frontstretch 5: NASCAR Drivers You Should be Watching

Brett Moffit waits to climb into the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford prior to the 2015 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway

(Photo: Amy Henderson, Frontstretch)

Welcome to the Frontstretch Five! Each week, Amy Henderson takes a look at the racing, the drivers and the storylines that drive NASCAR and produces a list of five people, places, things and ideas that define the current state of our sport. This week, Amy has a group of drivers fans may not see very …

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Beyond the Cockpit: Matt DiBenedetto on Growing, Improving & What’s Next

2015 Charlotte I Cup Matt Dibenedetto Vertical Credit Amy Henderson

Photo Credit: Amy Henderson, Frontstretch

Driving in the Sprint Cup ranks isn’t easy, especially for a rookie driver on a smaller team, but Matt DiBenedetto is making the most of his opportunity with the No. 83 car at BK Racing.  He sat down with Amy Henderson at Charlotte Motor Speedway before the Coca-Cola 600 and talked about his latest opportunity, …

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Did You Notice? Driver Report Cards, Part II & Quick Hits

2015 Kansas I Cup Jimmie Johnson Winner Sticker Credit Nascar Via Getty Images

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Did You Notice? It’s time to grade the drivers on their 2015 season? For the first part of Driver Report Cards, as well as the guidelines on how each driver’s being graded please check on yesterday’s article. Part III will be posted overnight tonight. Jeb Burton Stats: 9 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 …

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NASCAR Driver Report Cards: Part I

Clint Bowyer Martin Truex Jr Kyle Larson Cup Sprint Showdown 2015 Charlotte Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff, Frontstretch)

Since I’ve been away for a while, there’s a whole lot of writing to do on how each Sprint Cup driver has been performing in 2015. In this day and age of the “new” Chase, looking at the point standings to gauge a driver’s performance is often an optical illusion; once someone wins, scoring points …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not: 2015 Spongebob Squarepants 400 at Kansas Edition

2015 Bristol I Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Vertical Credit Amy Henderson

Photo Credit: Amy Henderson, Frontstretch

Burnouts (Hot) It’s no surprise that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is leading this column this week. Yes, he won the race, but it was about so much more than winning for Junior. First, there was a question of whether crew chief Greg Ives might have to go home when finding out his daughter broke her arm. She …

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Matt Kenseth Wins 2015 Food City 500 Pole at Bristol

2015 Bristol I Cup Matt Kenseth Vertical Credit Amy Henderson

(Photo: Amy Henderson, Frontstretch)

For the 14th time in his career, Matt Kenseth will lead the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series field to the green flag. Kenseth won the pole award at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500 with a time of 14.917 on Friday afternoon. Edging out Brad Keselowski by .022 seconds, Kenseth will start from the …

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Matt DiBenedetto Joins Growing BK Racing

2014 Cup Bk Racing 83 Car Credit Rick Lunkenheimer

(Photo: Rick Lunkenheimer)

Add Matt DiBenedetto to the growing list of BK Racing drivers. Following the press conference to announce the acquisition of Jeb Burton by the team, DiBenedetto announced the news through Twitter. He will drive the No. 83 Toyota on a part-time basis, sharing the car with Camping World Truck Series veteran Johnny Sauter. BK Racing …

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