Race Weekend Central

Entry List: 2018 STP 500

2017 Martinsville Cup Zach Catanzareti Denny Hamlin

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

After the three-race “West Coast Swing,” the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads back east this weekend to Martinsville Speedway. The first short track race of the season, the STP 500, has a preliminary entry list of 38 cars this week. That’s the most for MENCS since the season-opening Daytona 500. Jeffrey Earnhardt is listed …

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Entry List: 2018 Auto Club 400

2017 Fontana Cup Kyle Larson Martin Truex Jr Racing Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell / NKP)

This weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California for the final race of the “West Coast Swing.” 37 cars make up this week’s entry list, meaning once again, everyone who shows up will qualify for the race. Not much has changed on this week’s list. The …

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JD Motorsports Plans on Running 4 Full-Time Teams in 2018

2017 Richmond I Nxs Ross Chastain Car John Harrelson Harrelson Photography Inc

(Photo: John Harrelson / Harrelson Photography Inc.)

Johnny Davis has been in the NASCAR realm for over three decades. In 2018, though, he plans on expanding JD Motorsports, running four full-time NASCAR XFINITY Series entries for the first time. JD Motorsports is coming off a season in which Ross Chastain finished 13th in the championship standings, picking up back-to-back finishes of sixth …

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The Underdog House: Small NASCAR Teams Thrive At Short Tracks

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, New Hampshire

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/ NKP)

Cup Series racing at Martinsville is about survival and persistence. The on-track action always ruffles some feathers, best evidenced by the late-race incident between alpha dogs Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott. What was happening between Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney served as the consolation sideshow. PETERS: What Happens Now For Hamlin & Elliott? But at Underdog …

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The Underdog House: Where was the Outrage… For Corey Lajoie?

2017 Kansas Ii Cup Corey Lajoie Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Think Small Checking out social media on Monday, there were a lot of posts expressing outrage at Matt Kenseth being parked Sunday at Kansas for having too many crewmen working on his car after damage put him on the five-minute clock.  Kenseth’s disqualification took him out of the playoffs in what may be his last …

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NASCAR XFINITY Series Entry List: Drive for the Cure 300

Joey Logano Ryan Sieg Xfinity Charlotte 2016 Mike Neff

(Photo: Mike Neff)

After a weekend on the high-banked concrete surface at Dover International Speedway, the NASCAR XFINITY Series heads home to Charlotte Motor Speedway. They’ll be running the Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. There are 40 cars on the preliminary entry list for the event and 40 spots …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR Must ‘Cope’ With Slow Cars On Track

2017 Las Vegas Cup Landon Cassill Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Think Small After last weekend’s race at Richmond Raceway, where Derrike Cope brought out a late caution while racing several laps down, fans and some media suggested Cope should have been removed from the track by NASCAR long before the incident. That group, which included regular season champion Martin Truex Jr., claimed Cope was so far in …

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The Underdog House: The Invisible NASCAR Season

2017 Richmond Ii Cup Corey Lajoie Pack Racing John K Harrelson Harrelson Photography Inc

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/Harrelson Photography Inc.)

Think Small Ah, fall.  Race fans can welcome cooler temperatures, cheer for their favorites in the playoffs…and kiss the chance of seeing the smaller teams mentioned during the broadcast goodbye. With the exception of Ryan Blaney, who made the postseason, all other underdogs will fade into the background of championship talk. That goes for any …

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Entry List: Bojangles Southern 500

Darlington Raceway

After a rare off weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway for the Bojangles Southern 500 and its annual throwback weekend. There are 40 cars on the preliminary entry list for the event, meaning all cars will make the race barring any last-minute adjustments. It’s just the tenth time in 25 races the Cup race …

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Entry List: Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200

After a weekend of road course racing from Wisconsin, the final right-turn race of the season for NASCAR’s XFINITY Series it’s time to head south. They’ll visit Darlington Raceway for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 on Saturday afternoon. There are 41 cars on the preliminary entry list for this throwback event. That means one team will be …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Survives the Daytona Pandemonium For Second Career Victory

Rfr Leading Daytona

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – It took Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 157 races to visit Victory Lane for the first time. It only took eight more to make a return trip. Stenhouse made a late-race pass coming to the white flag and held off the competition to lead the final two laps to score the victory. …

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Entry List: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero 400

Elliott Leads Daytona 500

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Daytona this weekend for the Coke Zero 400. The entry list for the race has been released and there’s a number of notable changes after the road course event at Sonoma last weekend. A full field of 40 cars will contest the 160-lap, 400-mile race that’ll be broadcast …

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