Race Weekend Central

Happiness Is: Matt Kenseth, Tears & Championships

2017 Kansas II CUP Dale Earnhardt Jr John K Harrelson NKP

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

There are a number of storylines that emerged from the Cup race at Phoenix – pardon me, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix.  The one that seemed to garner the most attention, rather than Matt Kenseth’s win, looked to be the on-track equivalent of a slap-fight between Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin. …

Read more

Did You Notice?: An Entire Generation Of NASCAR Bids Farewell

2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series, Daytona

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Did You Notice? … How quickly NASCAR has undergone a changing of the guard? Two more of the sport’s full-time drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth, bid farewell to the sport this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. They’ll be the cherries on top of what has been a mountainous shift towards NASCAR’s youth movement. Here’s a …

Read more

The Frontstretch 5: Thoughts at the White Flag

2017 Kansas II CUP Dale Earnhardt Jr helmet Russell LaBounty NKP

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

1. One more time around It doesn’t seem so terribly long ago that we were a few days out from Daytona, with a whole year of promise ahead. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t terribly far in the past, but suddenly, irreversibly, the days have grown cold as autumn blends into winter with …

Read more

5 Points to Ponder: Martin Truex Jr.’s Moment of Truth

2017 Michigan II CUP Cole Pearn Martin Truex Jr Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

ONE: Martin Truex Jr.’s Moment of Truth All year long Martin Truex, Jr. has been the car to beat. Now, with just one race and 400 miles to go the question becomes can he finish it out and take the big prize his form has suggested all season long? By the numbers, the driver of …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Homestead-Miami Edition

2017 Chicago CUP Matt Kenseth Russell LaBounty NKP

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Who’s hot in NASCAR this week? How about NASCAR itself. As the final laps wound down in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix late Sunday afternoon, the drama heated up. There were all kinds of scenarios in play to determine just which driver would be the last to race for the title …

Read more

Couch Potato Tuesday: NBC Pulls No Punches With NASCAR Rivalries

2017 Phoenix II CUP pack racing Matthew T Thacker NKP

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Phoenix Raceway is a unique venue for NASCAR, one that is only going to become more unusual once ongoing renovations are complete.  Honestly, for the kind of money ISC is spending, I wish they came up with a setup where every seat had a cover over it.  With the sport traveling to Homestead-Miami Speedway this …

Read more

The Big 6: Questions Answered After the 2017 Can-Am 500

2017 Kansas II CUP Denny Hamlin Barry Cantrell NKP

(Photo: Barry Cantrell NKP)

Who… gets my shout-out of the race? With Matt Kenseth’s final NASCAR Cup Series start potentially coming next week, his win Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway puts the exclamation point on an outstanding career. Kenseth’s late surge snatched victory from the hands of title contender Chase Elliott, a consolation prize after last year’s wreck in …

Read more

Thinkin’ Out Loud: Matt Kenseth Wins One More While Brad Keselowski Survives and Advances

2017 Phoenix II CUP Matt Kenseth celebrates Logan Whitton NKP

Who’s in the headline – The cutoff race before Homestead-Miami Speedway was bitter for Matt Kenseth last year. This season, it is extra sweet for him, as he scored his 39th victory in what could be the penultimate NASCAR race of his career. Kenseth ran down Chase Elliott with 10 laps to go to position …

Read more

Up to Speed: One More Win for Matty Ice

2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series, Martinsville

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

In a racing career that has spanned more than 20 years, Matt Kenseth has accrued his fair share of nicknames. While racing on the short tracks of the Midwest as a teenager, he became known as “Matt the Brat” by defeating his older competition.  NASCAR fans dubbed him “The Robot” after watching several years of …

Read more

Matt Kenseth Soaks Up Return to Victory Lane in Phoenix

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am 500 Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, AZ USA Sunday 12 November 2017 Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing, Circle K Toyota Camry World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

In a day of comers and goers, Matt Kenseth came when it counted Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway. Taking the lead from Chase Elliott with nine laps to go in the Can-Am 500, Kenseth pulled away to score his first win of 2017. The victory, his 39th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, was …

Read more

2017 Frontstretch Podcast Powered by DraftKings – Episode 35: Desert Delight

11-13 March, 2016, Avondale, Arizona USA Phoenix International Speedway Overhead ©2016, Matthew T. Thacker NKP

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Episode 35: Desert Delight Frontstretch Podcast with Dustin Albino, Zach Catanzareti and Joseph Wolkin In this week’s episode brought to you by DraftKings, Dustin and Zach are joined this week by Joe as they recap the triple header race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, breaking down Kevin Harvick’s surprising pass and the difficulties faced in the XFINITY Series on …

Read more

Did You Notice?: Matt Kenseth, In Retirement, Makes His Point

2017 Chicago CUP Matt Kenseth Russell LaBounty NKP

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Did You Notice? … Matt Kenseth wanted to make his own decision on retirement? As Silly Season winds down, the 2003 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion finds himself without a chair. Without bringing sponsorship to the table, the future NASCAR Hall of Famer was left with two choices for 2018. Choice A: Drive for a …

Read more

Sign up for the Frontstretch Newsletter

A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com