Race Weekend Central

Thinkin’ Out Loud: NASCAR’s Tame Pocono 400 Turns Into Terrific Finish

2017 pocono cup zach catanzareti ryan blaney

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Who’s in the headline – For the third time this season, we have a first-time winner in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It’s Ryan Blaney, who drove to the lead after a late-race restart with fresher tires than a dominant Kyle Busch. He then held off Kevin Harvick in a thrilling finish after Harvick closed in while Busch and …

Read more

Big Days Shared Together For Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney At Pocono

2014 Mudsummer Classic Eldora Speedway Camping World Trucks Darrell Wallace Jr Ryan Blaney Mike Neff

Credit: Mike Neff

For Bubba Wallace, it couldn’t wait. Moments earlier, Wallace had fainted while answering questions for a throng of print and online media. The driver blamed it on anxiety over mistakes made in his first start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The reality might be dehydration on a hot, humid day at Pocono Raceway. Either way, …

Read more

The Big 6: Questions After the Axalta Presents the Pocono 400

2017 pocono cup zach catanzareti brad keselowski kyle busch

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Who… Gets the Shoutout of the Race? Here’s a hard and fast rule: If you earn your first career victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, you get Shoutout of the Race.  It should be obvious that this will go to Ryan Blaney. You can only win your first race once.  He earned that …

Read more

Pace Laps: Another NASCAR First-Time Winner in 2017

2017 pocono xfinity zach catanzareti brad keselowski

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Pocono, 2017 Deliver Another First-Time Winner – What a popular streak for both the sport and a racetrack to be on in 2017. After Chris Buescher’s fog-shortened victory at Pocono Raceway last August, many thought a win like that would never come again. In part, they were wrong, as Ryan Blaney …

Read more

Up to Speed: Ryan Blaney Wins the Hard Way

2017 dover cup zach catanzareti ryan blaney

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Winning does not come easily in NASCAR. It did not for Ryan Blaney at Pocono Raceway on Sunday.  It has not come easily for Wood Brothers Racing over the last decade or two.  Yet the newest winner in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series delivered NASCAR’s oldest team to Victory Lane one more time. Blaney’s victory …

Read more

Ryan Blaney, The Wood Brothers Back in Victory Lane at Pocono

2017 pocono cup zach catanzareti ryan blaney

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Ryan Blaney and the Wood Brothers finally had their breakthrough to Victory Lane, making it a memorable weekend for NASCAR at Pocono Raceway. Blaney outlasted a dominant Kyle Busch, passing him on fresh tires with 15 laps left. Pulling away from a fading No. 18 Toyota, Blaney then held off a hard-charging Kevin Harvick to earn his first career win …

Read more

Daily Fantasy NASCAR Forecast Powered by DraftKings: Axalta 400 Preview

2017 Martinsville cup zach catanzareti brad keselowski

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

DraftKings daily fantasy NASCAR turns toward the Tricky Triangle in northeast Pennsylvania this weekend. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway for the Pocono 400 Presented by Axalta this Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. Cars hit the track on Friday at 11 a.m. for first practice; Coors Light Pole Qualifying follows at …

Read more

2-Headed Monster: Should Ryan Blaney Stay or Should He Go?

2017 Kansas I CUP Ryan Blaney Barry Cantrell NKP

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

Ryan Blaney and Wood Brothers Racing have had a great thing going this season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The Wood Brothers have an alliance with Team Penske, but are a one-car operation that hasn’t won a race since Trevor Bayne’s triumphant 2011 Daytona 500 upset. Should Blaney remain with Wood Brothers Racing long-term, …

Read more

The Frontstretch 5: Next Drivers to Find Victory Lane

2017 Texas I CUP Chase Elliott Logan Whitton NKP

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Chase Elliott It’s actually a bit surprising that Elliott hasn’t gotten a win yet.  He’s come close quite a few times, leading multiple laps at Phoenix and Martinsville as well as in the Daytona 500. May was difficult for the 21-year-old second-generation driver, with a best finish of 24th, but June kicked off with a …

Read more

Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Crossing The Overtime Line Edition

2016 Indianapolis CUP Jimmie Johnson hat Russell LaBounty NKP

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

The NASCAR Cup race at Dover seemed to go pretty smoothly for most of the day, then everything turned into a mess at the end, including a really big mess in the race to the finish line, where some made it and some didn’t. The key here is getting the end game right and while …

Read more

Thinkin’ Out Loud: Jimmie Johnson Pulls Another Rabbit Out of His Hat With Dover Victory

2017 Dover I CUP Jimmie Johnson team selfie trophy Logan Whitton NKP

(Photo: Logan Whitton / NKP)

Who’s in the headline – There are horses for courses and some courses for horses. When it comes to Dover International Speedway and Jimmie Johnson, they are the perfect match. Johnson swept both Dover races in his rookie season, and after winning the race on Sunday, he now has 11 career wins at the track. …

Read more

He Didn’t Blink: Kyle Larson Tames Monster Mile with XFINITY Win

NASCAR XFINITY Series One Main Financial 200 Dover International Speedway, Dover, DE USA Saturday 3 June 2017 Kyle Larson, ParkerStore Chevrolet Camaro celebrates in victory lane World Copyright: Logan Whitton NKP

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Though Miles the Monster was a tough one in Saturday’s OneMain Financial 200 (with 10 cautions to boot, the most in 10 years) Kyle Larson did not blink. The Cup regular drove away from Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney to earn his eighth career XFINITY Series win and third of 2017. Starting from the pole, Larson went on …

Read more