Race Weekend Central

Couch Potato Tuesday: NBCSN Reaches NASCAR Cutoff Weekend

2017 Richmond Ii Cup Kyle Busch Pack Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Ah yes, cutoff weekend.  Where some drivers jump for joy while others kick the can.  Last weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was in action at Richmond International Raceway for the last race of the regular season.  You had long runs and short runs.  Stretches of constant side-by-side racing and times where not much was …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Leading Laps Edition

2017 Richmond Ii Cup Martin Truex Jr Kyle Larson Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

NASCAR’s version of the playoffs is here starting this week at Chicagoland Speedway. But the playoffs for some were this past Saturday night in Richmond. None of on the outside of the playoff picture were able to photobomb that picture and steal a little attention to those already in at the start of the night. …

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Pace Laps: Kyle Larson Steals Victory in Bizarre Richmond Ending & RPM’s Uncertain Future

2017 Richmond Ii Cup Matt Kenseth Pack Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew Thacker / NKP)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Screwed by the Pooch? Spending some time in the land of if’s for a moment here, Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 could’ve ended a whole lot differently. Some misfortune for others changed the game in a race that was ultimately won by Kyle Larson. Let’s start with one of the …

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The Big 6: Questions Answered After The Federated Auto Parts 400

2017 Richmond Ii Cup Kyle Larson Woohoo Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew Thacker / NKP)

Who… gets my shout-out of the race? After a terrible qualifying day for Richard Childress Racing, where all three Chevrolets didn’t make it out of the first round, the organization wasn’t expected to perform well during the race. But in spite of only having an average running position of 14th throughout the night and an early …

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Up to Speed: An Ambulance of Infamy

Matt Kenseth Richmond Cup Series Ambulence

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

There are certain NASCAR races that will forever live in infamy. While there is no shortage of races in which the competitors were responsible for the controversy, NASCAR and its partners have, from time-to-time, caused confusion among the fan base for poor officiating and ill preparedness. Nobody will soon forget the tire debacle during the …

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Matt Kenseth Makes The Playoffs Despite Freak Accident

2017 Richmond Cup Zach Catanzareti Matt Kenseth

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Roller coaster of a race isn’t the worst way to describe Matt Kenseth’s evening at the Richmond Raceway. Kenseth came into the weekend in a strange predicament. If one of the 13 drivers already in the playoffs won, Kenseth would be in the playoffs. If a new playoff eligble driver won the race, however, it …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR Hot-Starts: Federated Auto Parts 400

2016 Indianapolis Cup Ryan Newman Brett Moist Nkp

(Photo: Brett Moist/NKP)

DraftKings’ daily fantasy NASCAR contest is back at Richmond Raceway. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wraps up the regular season Saturday night. The green flag flies for the Federated Auto Parts 400 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The DraftKings strategy for short tracks is much different than any other type of oval. A …

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Matt Kenseth Qualifies On Pole At Richmond

2017 Fontana Cup Matt Kenseth Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell / NKP)

Not many thought that Matt Kenseth would win the Federated Auto Parts 400 pole, least of all himself; “I didn’t think that was a fast enough lap time to win the pole,” Kenseth told NBCSN following qualifying. The No. 20 Toyota finished the final practice fifth, behind the No. 78 Toyota and the No. 42 …

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Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth Tie in Opening Richmond Practice

2017 Cup Richmond Zach Catanzareti Matt Kenseth

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Fresh off of clinching the regular season championship last weekend at Darlington, Martin Truex Jr. tied with Matt Kenseth as the fastest two cars in the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Richmond Raceway. Truex and Kenseth both ran identical laps of 22.333 seconds (120.897 mph) early in the session and held the …

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2017 Frontstretch Podcast Powered by DraftKings – Episode 26: Bump in the Night

9 10 September, 2016, Richmond, Virginia Usa Four Wide Lap ©2016, Matthew T. Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Episode 26: Bump in the Night Frontstretch Podcast with Dustin Albino, Joseph Wolkin and Zach Catanzareti In this week’s episode brought to you by DraftKings, Dustin, Joseph and Zach debate the use of bumping for a race win, the odds of us seeing similar aggression this weekend at Richmond Raceway and what effect an encumbered win should have on a race …

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NASCAR 101: The 5 Drivers Most Likely to Win Their Way Into Cup Playoffs

2017 Richmond I Cup Dale Earnhardt Jr Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

The race to the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs ends up a bit more one-dimensional this year than in select past seasons in that there’s really only one story to follow: the race-winning spoiler. Entering the final regular season race of 2017 at Richmond Raceway, 13 drivers have punched their ticket into the …

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5 Points to Ponder: Don’t Sleep On… Denny Hamlin?

2017 Darlington Cup Zach Catanzareti Denny Hamlin

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

ONE: Don’t Sleep On…. Denny Hamlin? 24/7 news cycles these days can cause storylines to be greatly exaggerated. So it’s no surprise everyone and their mother screamed, “Don’t sleep on Denny Hamlin!” seconds after his astounding Darlington comeback. It’s true Sunday’s Southern 500 was perhaps a stepping stone in Hamlin’s career. A driver who’s at times …

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