Race Weekend Central

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: It’s Clobberin’ Time

2019 Watkins Glen MENCS Kyle Busch Wreck NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The theme of this weekend’s NASCAR action was “payback.” It started with the Gander Outdoors Truck Series on Thursday night (August 1) in the Eldora Dirt Derby, as Tyler Dippel got into Ben Rhodes after the checkered flag in return for being shoved into the wall in the final laps. Then in the Xfinity Series …

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Entry List: Consumers Energy 400

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series makes its second and final trip of the season to Michigan International Speedway this weekend for the 2019 Consumers Energy 400. The initial entry list has 38 competitors, and with 40 spots on the grid, that means all drivers will qualify, barring any entry list changes. Ross Chastain will …

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Up to Speed: Road Course Racing on the Rise

2019 Watkins Glen MENCS Brad Keselowski Car NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

NASCAR often seems to be in a constant state of change. Many of those changes have been hotly debated among fans, especially when it comes to the future of the sport.  But there is one change in the last decade that often gets overlooked and may well impact NASCAR’s direction into the 2020s.  Road course …

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Pace Laps: Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric Take Over Watkins Glen, Friesen Finally Wins

NASCAR Xfinity Series

(Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Chase Elliott Wins As Playoff Race Heats Up Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. We’ve seen them battle mano-e-mano in western New York before and the 2019 Go Bowling At The Glen was round two. This time, Elliott hung on with pure speed, putting on the most dominant performance of …

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Xfinity Breakdown: Another Week, Another New Winner at Watkins Glen

2019 Watkins Glen NXS Austin Cindric Victory Lane NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is starting to take on the feel of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series campaign. It’s had a Big Three that dominated early, claiming an outsized share of the race wins. But as spring has turned to summer, other drivers have started loosening up their stranglehold, and Watkins …

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Justin Allgaier, Ross Chastain ‘Rocky Relationship’ Comes to a Peak at Watkins Glen

NASCAR Xfinity Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Heading into Saturday’s (August 3) Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International, Justin Allgaier was one of the favorites, winning two of the four road courses last season. But that came to a crashing halt on lap 15. After pitting early in the first stage to get track position at the end of the stage, Allgaier …

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Tracking the Trucks: Stewart Friesen Snags 1st Career Win at Eldora Speedway

2019 Eldora NGOTS Stewart Friesen Victory Lane NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In a Nutshell: After finishing runner-up six times in his career, Stewart Friesen finally scored his first career win Thursday night at Eldora Speedway. “Oh man, thank you to all the race fans that stuck with us,” Friesen said in victory lane. “Today, this is the day. This is the week. Thanks to everybody. This …

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Frontstretch Podcast: Alex Bowman Discusses 2019 Season, Previews Playoffs, Dogs

2019 Pocono MENCS Alex Bowman Face Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In this week’s edition of the Frontstretch Podcast, Dustin Albino and Mike Neff discuss an interesting weekend of racing at Pocono Raceway, which saw Denny Hamlin record his third victory of the season. What’s led to the recent hot streak of the No. 11 team? With three consecutive top-three finishes, is Erik Jones fighting for his ride? Did the …

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The Frontstretch 5: Unlikely NASCAR Storylines Unfolding in 2019

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

If fans’ main gripe with NASCAR in recent years is that it’s too predictable, this year is providing some relief. There are some unexpected storylines floating around out there that weren’t predicted prior to the start of the season. With the year just past the halfway mark, the stories are still unfolding, and what could …

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The Underdog House: A Different (Tri)Angle

2019 Pocono MENCS Chris Buescher Car NKP

(PHOTO: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Top of the Class The majority of the battles for supremacy in terms of underdogs in 2019 have been between Chris Buescher and Matt DiBenedetto. Sunday (July 28) at Pocono Raceway was just more of the same. Buescher and the No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevy took top dog honors, but not by much. His …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: A Tale of 2 Tracks

2019 Pocono MENCS William Byron Car Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Gander Outdoors Truck Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series took on the Tricky Triangle, all 2.5 flat miles of Pocono Raceway, while the Xfinity Series returned just east of Des Moines at the 7/8-mile Iowa Speedway. Ross Chastain won easily Saturday afternoon, and not even an overtime finish on Sunday could enliven the …

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Pace Laps: Denny Hamlin, Ross Chastain Pick Up Pocono Wins

2019 Pocono NGOTS Ross Chastain Watermelon Getty Images NASCAR Media

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Denny Hamlin Wins Strategy Filled Race Pocono Raceway is known for a variety of different strategies. That’s exactly what we saw in Sunday’s Gander RV 400, with Denny Hamlin stretching the fuel tank to earn his third victory of 2019. Hamlin didn’t have the best car but was a definite …

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