Race Weekend Central

Ty Dillon Proud of Effort Despite Late Dover Crash

2017 Dover Cup Zach Catanzareti Ty Dillon

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Could we have seen back-to-back victories for the Dillon brothers in 2017? We will never know after the Big One swallowed up front-runner Ty Dillon and others during NASCAR Overtime in Sunday’s AAA 400 from Dover International Speedway. Restarting fourth, Dillon was in prime contention to grab his first career top-five finish in the Monster Energy NASCAR …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: The Thrillin’ & Grillin’ Edition

Austin Dillon Crew Celebration Charlotte Cup 2017 Yvonne Leonard

(Photo: Yvonne Leonard)

The Sunday before Memorial Day is a long, yet a great day for auto racing fans. Whether it is breakfast while watching Monaco, lunch before taking in the thrilling Indy 500 or doing some grilling and then staying up late (in this case real late) to watch NASCAR’s 600-miler from Charlotte, there’s something for nearly …

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The Underdog House: Small Teams Impress at Talladega

2017 Talladega I Cup Cole Whitt Car John K Harrrelson Nkp

(Photo: John K. Harrelson/NKP)

Think Small This past weekend’s action at Talladega illustrated again what can happen when the racing is more in the hands of the drivers. There were several different names at the top eager to display their talent.  Aric Almirola nearly pulled off the weekend double, and David Ragan overcame crash damage to finish in the …

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The Underdog House: Changes in the NASCAR Ranks

2017 Richmond I Cup Michael Mcdowell Pack Racing Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

Think Small The 2017 season is at the quarter mark after nine races, and some trends are taking shape.  Wood Brothers Racing has established itself at the top of the class, which was to be expected after the team increased its alliance with Team Penske this year. Even within the group, the haves and have …

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Up to Speed: Rules Overshadow Racing in Richmond

2017 Richmond I Nxs Darrell Wallace Jr Pack Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew Thacker / NKP)

NASCAR fans at Richmond International Raceway saw some great racing this weekend.  However, they also saw two races with wacky endings.  Both the XFINITY Series race on Saturday and Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event had twist endings that were bought about by rule violations.  NASCAR made good calls in some instances, bad calls …

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The Underdog House: The Great Equalizer

2017 Bristol I Cup Jeffrey Earnhardt Car Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker/NKP)

Think Small Short tracks are popular with race fans because there is almost always some action somewhere in the field.  Cars are close together, tempers flare and drivers are aggressive.  Another reason to enjoy this type of racing is that short tracks (Bristol and Martinsville more so than Richmond) usually level out the playing field …

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Friday Faceoff: Which Rookie Is Top of the Class?

2017 Phoenix I Cup Erik Jones Jimmie Johnson Racing Matthew T Thacker Nkp

(Photo: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP)

In the days leading up to Matt Kenseth’s announcement of a six-race sponsorship deal with Circle K Wednesday, some speculated that the announcement would concern the driver’s imminent retirement. He may not be stepping aside any time soon, but realistically, how much time does Kenseth have? Matteo Marcheschi: Matt Kenseth doesn’t have long. While he has earned …

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The Underdog House: NASCAR’s Best-Kept Secret

2017 Texas I Cup Cole Whitt Matt Dibenedetto Racing Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Think Small It feels like NASCAR’s small teams get a bad rap right from the start from some fans and even media.  Too often, they’re lumped into a “backmarkers” category, often mocked for their poor performance compared to rivals.  To hear some people talk, you’d think they went out every week and ran in the 20’s …

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Ty Dillon, Darrell Wallace Jr. Lead Texas XFINITY Practices

2017 Fontana Nxs Ty Dillon Barry Cantrell Nkp

(Photo: Barry Cantrell/NKP)

A parade of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series full-timers led opening practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Texas Motor Speedway Friday (April 7), but it was the series regulars that paced practice two later in the day, led by Darrell Wallace Jr. In practice one, Ty Dillon led the way in Richard Childress Racing’s …

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The Underdog House: No Margin For Error With NASCAR’s Small Teams

2017 Las Vegas Cup Ryan Blaney Timmy Hill Racing John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

No Margin For Error Last week, we looked at the importance of improvement for small teams.  For those that realistically just can’t compete with their powerhouse rivals on a weekly basis, it’s a better measure than finishes alone. It’s also an important step for those teams a step ahead of the game, ones in position to one …

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Eyes on XFINITY: NASCAR, Please Come Up With Another Solution

Ty Dillon Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2014 Nationwide Series Mike Neff

Coming on the heels of NASCAR’s new renovation taking place at Phoenix International Raceway, the sanctioning body has confirmed that the series is looking to add restrictor plates to the XFINITY Series event held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 22. The main reason for the drastic change is simply because NASCAR officials were satisfied with an …

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No Penalties for Joey Logano or Kyle Busch after Las Vegas

In the days since Joey Logano and Kyle Busch came to blows on pit lane at Las Vegas, everyone in the NASCAR realm waited with baited breath to see if the parties involved would be subject to fines or penalties from NASCAR. Instead, what we got were small infractions and no mention of the Logano-Busch incident. …

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