Amy Henderson

1 week ago | frontstretch.com | Amy Henderson

Once upon a time, short tracks reigned supreme in NASCAR. As the racecars became more aerodynamically dependent and clean air ruled the roost, fans looked to the short tracks to provide more authentic racing. Tracks of a mile or more, with a few exceptions, had become predictable at best. From the late fourth-generation car through the Car of Tomorrow and Gen Six, passing was a rarity, particularly at the 1.5- to two-mile tracks that had slowly taken over the bulk of the schedule.

1 week ago | frontstretch.com | Amy Henderson

After seeing tire wear rule the day in Saturday’s (April 12) practice and qualifying sessions, teams tiptoed into Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. They tackled the opening laps tentatively, knowing they had to make the tires last beyond the 30 or 40 laps they seemed capable of. But by the time that 40 laps was up, drivers weren’t having the issues they’d feared. And on that lap, Kyle Larson threw caution to the wind and took the lead from polesitter and teammate Alex Bowman.

2 weeks ago | frontstretch.com | Amy Henderson

When Denny Hamlin drove into victory lane at Darlington Raceway after winning Sunday’s (April 6) Goodyear 400, he moved past NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace into sole possession of 11th on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list with 56 victories to his name. That’s a huge accomplishment for the 44-year-old driver, dropping his name among NASCAR’s elite. But the truth is, Hamlin’s legacy was cemented a long time ago.

2 weeks ago | frontstretch.com | Amy Henderson

Winning at Darlington Raceway is as much about racing the racetrack as it is outrunning the competition. The track is known as the Lady in Black for the tantalizing high line around the track, where cars run so close to the wall that they often brush it coming off the corners, leaving a black “Darlington stripe” on the back fender. Stripes were earned.

1 month ago | frontstretch.com | William D. Byron |Amy Henderson

He dominated (and won) Friday night’s (March 21) Craftsman Truck Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He dominated Saturday’s (March 22) Xfinity Series race, too, but finished fourth after a late caution allowed Justin Allgaier to sneak past on the final restart. He didn’t dominate Sunday, but it didn’t matter. Homestead-Miami has been Kyle Larson’s personal playground in recent years, and on Sunday (March 23), he got the Cup trophy to show for it.