Race Weekend Central

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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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Martin Truex Jr. Overcomes All Obstacles to Hit Kansas Jackpot

Martin Truex Jr Kansas Burnout

(Photo: John K Harrelson / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – Martin Truex Jr. continues his march to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. What happens when he gets there is anyone’s guess, but he has dominated the series this season, including a series -high seven victories. Truex overcame a restart penalty early in the race and a tire vibration to …

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Ryan Blaney Finishes 3rd After Qualifying Time Disallowed in Kansas

2017 Cup Kansas Ryan Blaney Pit Road Credit Rick Lunkenheimer

(Photo: Rick Lunkenheimer)

Ryan Blaney entered Kansas Speedway with a nine-point cushion ahead of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff cut line and a fast car to help move him into the Round of 8 and keep the Wood Brothers’ championship hopes alive. He ran no worse than sixth in all three practice sessions through the weekend. …

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Pace Laps: Ryan Blaney Beats 3 Cup Champions to Advance & Christopher Bell Sparks Controversy

Christopher Bell Kansas Victory XFINITY

(Photo: Barry Cantrell / NKP)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Ryan Blaney Delivers in Kansas – Ryan Blaney was put to the test Sunday at Kansas Speedway. The second-year driver required a fast hot rod and a strong finish entering the Hollywood Casino 400, the elimination race from the Round of 12, only eight points to the good. Hey, he …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR Hot-Starts: Hollywood Casino 400

2017 Talladega II CUP Ryan Blaney John K Harrelson NKP

(Photo: John K Harrelson / NKP)

DraftKings’ daily fantasy NASCAR heads to Kansas Speedway this weekend for the Hollywood Casino 400. This is the final event in round two of the Monster Energy Series playoffs. The green flag flies Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The DraftKings strategy for intermediate tracks is all about finding dominators for your roster. …

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Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney Lead Pair of Cup Practices Saturday in Kansas

2017 Talladega II CUP Ryan Blaney John K Harrelson NKP

(Photo: John K Harrelson / NKP)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams took to Kansas Speedway Saturday for two practices ahead of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400. The first session ran from 11 – 11:50 a.m. ET and Kyle Larson topped the charts with a top speed of 181.671 mph (29.724 sec). By comparison, the pole speed set by Martin Truex Jr. …

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4 Burning Questions: Will Consistency Be Enough for Playoff Bubble Drivers in Kansas?

2017 cup new hampshire zach catanzareti ryan blaney jimmie johnson

Jimmie Johson and Ryan Blaney (Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Will Consistency Be Enough for Playoff Bubble Drivers in Kansas? There seems to be no time for these poor drivers to relax this time of the season. We’re less than two weeks removed from one of the most humid races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, followed by the insanity of Talladega Superspeedway. Now? Elimination at Kansas …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR Forecast Powered by DraftKings: Hollywood Casino 400 Preview

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, NC USA Thursday 25 May 2017 Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, M&M's Red, White & Blue Toyota Camry World Copyright: Nigel Kinrade NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

DraftKings’ daily fantasy NASCAR heads to Kansas Speedway this weekend for the Hollywood Casino 400. This race marks the third and final event of the second round in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The green flag flies Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Cars will hit the track on Friday at …

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Did You Notice?: When Does a NASCAR DNF Start to Matter?

2017 Talladega II CWTS Cody Coughlin Chris Fontaine crash Rusty Jarrett NKP

(Photo: Rusty Jarrett/NKP)

Did You Notice? … The way NASCAR’s damaged vehicle policy has affected drivers running at the end of races? Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway set an all-time high for DNFs in the sport’s playoff era (2004-present) as 26 drivers failed to finish. Only a dozen cars wound up on the lead lap. The rate of carnage also …

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The Underdog House: Surviving NASCAR Talladega… Sort Of

2017 Talladega II CUP Michael McDowell Brad Keselowski racing Matthew T Thacker NKP

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Think Small One thing that struck me when I first started in NASCAR was that if you spent enough time looking, you could see fans at a race who supported every driver in the field.  T-shirts, hats, and bumper stickers were among the ways they proclaimed their loyalty. Fast forward a couple of decades, and …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Talladega Demolition Derby Edition

2017 Talladega Cup Kyle Busch Brad Keselowski Pack Racing John K Harrelson NKP

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

If you were looking for a wild and crazy restrictor plate race at Talladega Superspeedway sometime Sunday afternoon/early evening, you got it. If it wasn’t quite the type of racing you were hoping for … well, you’ll just have to deal with it, just like many drivers and teams are doing. Though Talladega is no …

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Did You Notice?: Tackling The Unpredictability of Talladega And NASCAR Silly Season

2017 Talladega I CUP Ricky Stenhouse Jr pack racing MAtthew T Thacker NKP

(Photo Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

Did You Notice? …. Talladega is truly the Russian Roulette of the NASCAR playoffs? This race has now had a green-white-checkered finish three years running. Last fall, two top title contenders (Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr.) failed to finish in surprising fashion (engine failure). Later in that race, a driver who would soon announce his retirement (Brian Scott) …

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