Race Weekend Central

NASCAR 101: Your Cheat Sheet to Cup Series’ Team & Driver Changes

Clint Bowyer 2017 Daytona

(Photo: John Harrelson/NKP)

Good lord, is it really that time of year again? Despite an offseason that frankly felt like a four-week break, it is indeed true: NASCAR racing is back, and even though you just now figured out who Kaulig Racing is and finally learned how to spell half the new Camping World Truck Series drivers’ names, too bad, …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not: Bring On NASCAR 2017

Johnson Larson Patrick Daytona

It’s true NASCAR has the shortest offseason of any major sport. But really, why does it seem like forever between the season finale at Homestead and the start of Daytona Speedweeks? It’s just 90 days, far shorter than the end of the Super Bowl and the start of NFL Training Camps midsummer. For me, the …

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Ty Dillon: ‘It’s Nice to Have My Own Identity’ with Germain Racing

2017 Cup Charlotte Media Tour Zach Catanzareti Ty Dillon

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Though Germain Racing has a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, the No. 13 team is still a single-car operation. Incoming rookie Ty Dillon replaces veteran Casey Mears in the GEICO Chevrolet for 2017 and will attack his first full-time season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Dillon, coming off three years of XFINITY Series …

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Friday Faceoff: Who’s the Top NASCAR Rookie For 2017?

2016 Xfinity Iowa

(Photo: Russell LaBounty / NKP)

Carl Edwards pulled off a move that shocked the racing community, announcing he’ll step away from NASCAR competition full-time.  If Edwards has really hung ’em up for good, what is his legacy in the sport?  Is he a future Hall of Famer? Amy Henderson, Senior Editor: I think he goes down as one of the …

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Friday Faceoff: What’s on NASCAR’s Horizon?

Nascar Champions Portraits

(Photo: NASCAR via Getty Images)

NASCAR announced Monster Energy as the new entitlement sponsor in its premier series, replacing Sprint.  Will Monster be a good fit for the series moving forward? Mark Howell, Senior Writer: Based on Monster’s (pardon the pun) track record in motorsports, the affiliation with NASCAR’s premier series will be a successful one. Based on sight of …

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Ty Dillon Moves to Germain Racing for 2017

2016 Chicago Nxs Ty Dillon Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Ty Dillon has found a home for his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie season in 2017. The driver, younger brother of current Cup Series regular Austin Dillon, will pilot Germain Racing’s No. 13 in the series beginning in 2017, the team announced in a press release Monday, Nov. 28. Dillon will replace Casey Mears, who …

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Who’s Hot and Who’s Not: NASCAR Championship Edition

2016 Indianapolis Cup Jimmie Johnson Hat Russell Labounty Nkp

(Photo: Russell LaBounty/NKP)

The final race of the season ended with the kind of drama that NASCAR could only hope for when it devised the Chase system, and especially this current Chase system. There was no ceremonial ride around for 267 laps for the champion as there had been at times when the championship was all but won …

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The Underdog House: Putting A Wrap On 2016

2016 Charlotte All Star Showdown Cup Michael Mcdowell Casey Mears Racing Nigel Kinrade Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade/NKP)

Think Small It’s hard to believe the 2016 season is over—it seems like just yesterday that it began, full of promise and hope.  For some of the teams on this page, it’s been, by all counts, a good season—one of accomplishment and improvement.  For others it’s been a struggle, financial or performance, often both as …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: Sudden Shift Hands Johnson Record-Tying Title

Jimmie Johnson

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

Who’s in the headline – The elite level of NASCAR has increased by 50%. There are many gauges to judge the greats but championships are a huge differentiator. Jimmie Johnson took advantage of circumstances that fell his way, led the final three laps, and notched his seventh career title. Johnson shares the headline with Tony …

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NASCAR Penalizes Nearly Two Dozen Teams in Texas

2016 Cup Texas Joey Logano Car Rick Lunkenheimer

(Photo: Rick Lunkenheimer)

On Wednesday, NASCAR released the weekly penalty report stemming from Texas.  Compared to recent weeks, this one was quite the doozy. In the Sprint Cup Series, Joey Logano‘s No. 22 Ford that finished second Sunday night was found to have one loose lugnut.  As a result, the No. 22 has been hit with a P2 …

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NASCAR Mailbox: Tommy Baldwin Racing Rumors Surface

2016 Pocono Cup Regan Smith Zach Catanzareti

(Photo: Zach Catanzareti)

The charter system in NASCAR’s premier division is forcing owners to examine the way they operate. With the charters in place, several owners are re-evaluating their programs for 2017. Obviously owners take a long look at their teams at this point every year, but charters have changed the significance. Given only 36 teams can have a …

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Friday Faceoff: Does NASCAR Need a Shakeup at the Top?

2016 Kentucky Cup Ty Dillon Helmet Logan Whitton Nkp

(Photo: Logan Whitton/NKP)

Austin Wayne Self is the second driver to feature Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on his truck. Should NASCAR make a rule about drivers using sponsorless entries to support a political campaign? If so, would it violate freedom of speech? Amy Henderson, Senior Editor: It isn’t a First Amendment violation.  NASCAR isn’t a government entity, …

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