Race Weekend Central

2017 Frontstretch Podcast Powered by DraftKings – Episode 34: Big Doings in Texas

2017 Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series O'reilly Auto Parts 500 Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Tx Usa Sunday 9 April 2017 Ryan Blaney Martin Truex Jr, Bass Pro Shops/tracker Boats Toyota Camry World Copyright: Matthew T. Thacker/nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Episode 34: Big Doings in Texas Frontstretch Podcast with Dustin Albino, Zach Catanzareti and Phil Allaway In this week’s episode brought to you by DraftKings, Dustin and Zach are joined this week by Phil as they recap the hot night at Martinsville Speedway. After dissecting the final laps with Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, Texas Motor Speedway …

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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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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Halloween Trick or Treat Edition

2017 Nascar Monster Energy Cup Series, New Hampshire

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade / NKP)

Halloween came a couple of days early for drivers and teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Sunday. It seemed once the new lights at the half-mile paperclip oval turned on, so did the intensity as the laps began to wind down. Whether it was a trick, a treat, or somewhere …

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Ryan Blaney Salvages Top 10 at Martinsville

2017 Martinsville Cup Zach Catanzareti Ryan Blaney

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

His best friend, Darrell Wallace Jr., said earlier in the week that Ryan Blaney used to hate racing at Martinsville Speedway. After seeing the carnage and tempers that Blaney survived en route to an eighth-place finish in the First Data 500 on Sunday, it’s easy to see why. The race weekend started with good times …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not In NASCAR: Elimination and Advancement Edition

2017 Kansas Ii Cup Martin Truex Jr Woohoo John K Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

Maybe Sunday’s race at Kansas is an example of why NASCAR shifted its schedule to make this an elimination race. The normally snoozish 1.5-miler at least had the added drama of seeing drivers eliminated, or advancing, into the final eight of the playoff rounds. Unfortunately, NASCAR can’t do this at all of its 1.5-milers, but …

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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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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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