Race Weekend Central

Odds & Ends Around the Track: ROVAL Time

2018 Cup Charlotte Roval Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

This weekend’s race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL separates the old-school fans from the newer NASCAR fans quicker than anything else does in the sport. Most of the old-school fans like me look at the ROVAL as a gimmick. I have no problem with including a road course in the NASCAR playoffs, but this …

Read more

2-Headed Monster: Is Chris Buescher Better Off at Roush Fenway Racing?

2019 Phoenix I Cup Chris Buescher Nkp

(Photo: NKP)

Wednesday (Sept. 25) brought the announcement that Chris Buescher will make the move to Roush Fenway Racing, taking over its No. 17 Ford Mustang and displacing Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for the 2020 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Buescher won a NASCAR Xfinity Series title in the team’s No. 60 machine in 2015, making the …

Read more

Chris Buescher Will Join Roush Fenway Racing in 2020, Replacing Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Chris Buescher

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Roush Fenway Racing has announced that Chris Buescher will join the team in No. 17 car for the 2020 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. Buescher will replace Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who is parting with the team at the end of the current campaign. NEWS: Buescher to Take Wheel of Roush Fenway’s No. 17 in …

Read more

Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond

2019 Richmond Mencs Green Flag Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): Capitalizing on long-run speed and an ability to run both high and low like no other car in the field, Martin Truex Jr. passed teammate Kyle Busch with help from a pick from Austin Theriault’s lapped car on lap 374, riding off into the sunset to score his second consecutive win, sixth of …

Read more

Martin Truex Jr. Wins Richmond, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishes 1-2-3

2019 Richmond Mencs Martin Truex, Jr. Victory Lane Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Martin Truex Jr. triumphed at Richmond Raceway in a one-two-three finish for Joe Gibbs Racing — which was nearly just the second top-four team sweep in the 71-year history of NASCAR until Erik Jones failed post-race inspection. Saturday’s (Sept. 21) Federated Auto Parts 400 was also a second straight chance for Truex to flex his …

Read more

The Frontstretch 5: Different Strategies You’ll See in the Playoffs

2019 Loudon Mencs Kurt Busch Face Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

During NASCAR’s regular season, most teams are on more or less the same strategy of winning races and accumulating points in an attempt to qualify for the playoffs.  Those strategies vary from week to week, of course, depending on the track, how good the cars are off the truck or whether they’ve already got the …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Desert Racing

2019 Las Vegas Mencs Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The South Point 400 was held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday night (Sept. 15), the opening race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. It was somewhat of a tame race, though the scheduling was a bit curious. The desert heat in the summer killed most of the Gander Outdoors Truck …

Read more

Daily Fantasy NASCAR FanDuel Forecast: South Point 400

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: NKP)

The 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will begin this Sunday with the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race will be covered by NBCSN beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET; the green flag is scheduled to fly at 7:16. This 1.5-mile oval traditionally has been known for long green-flag runs. In …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Blast From the Past

2019 Darlington throwback Cup weekend pack racing Photo NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Tradition. That’s the theme of the Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway with the Bojangles Southern 500, and despite a start at 10 p.m. ET and not finishing until around 2 a.m., the full race distance was run before Hurricane Dorian could arrive. That commitment, whether in the stands or on the couch at home, deserves …

Read more

Kurt Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Pace Cup Practices at Darlington

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Monster Energy Cup Series drivers took to the track in a pair of practices preparing for Sunday’s (Sept. 1) Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Kurt Busch led opening practice with a fast single-lap speed of 171.261 mph, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. topped the final session, going 168.845 mph. First Practice Busch was over …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: Start the Dominoes

2019 Mencs Bristol Matt Dibenedetto Racing Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Silly Season has finally officially kicked into gear for 2020 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, as last week it was announced that Front Row Motorsports’ David Ragan would be stepping back from full-time racing at season’s end, leaving the No. 38 open, and that Matt DiBenedetto would be one-and-done in the No. 95. …

Read more

Beside the Rising Ride: Man at the Top 2

2019 Phoenix I Cup Ricky Stenhouse Jr Nkp

(Photo: NKP)

The Peter principle is a longtime cautionary career warning. It states that within a hierarchy, men or women will tend to rise to their level of incompetence. Thus, a hotshot entry level management new hire might do a bang-up job drawing notice and praise from his superiors. As such, he gets a promotion further up …

Read more