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Nov 26, 2024 | 
frontstretch.com | Andrew F Stoddard
The 2024 NASCAR season featured several fresh faces across the three national series. From sons of past NASCAR drivers to grandchildren of the sport’s legends, relative newcomers to American motorsports to drivers finally getting a shot at the NASCAR Cup Series level, the sport was chock full of drivers new to their respective series. And in many respects, the Rookie of the Year battles did not disappoint.
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Nov 3, 2024 | 
frontstretch.com | Andrew F Stoddard
Ryan Blaney has done it again. For the second season in a row, Blaney piloted his No. 12 Team Penske Ford to victory in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway to make the Championship 4. After a messy and controversial finish, William Byron usurped Christopher Bell for the final Championship 4 spot on points. Though the biggest storylines took place on the track, there was a fair share of pit road drama for both playoff and non-playoff drivers.
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Oct 27, 2024 | 
frontstretch.com | Andrew F Stoddard
In an instant classic finish, Tyler Reddick ripped the top side in turns 3 and 4 of the final lap to get by Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin and win the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. With the victory, Reddick clinches a spot in the Championship 4 for the first time in his Cup Series career. It is also the first Championship 4 appearance for 23XI Racing. Reddick was in a position to make that last lap pass due in large part to a bold strategy decision.
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Oct 1, 2024 | 
frontstretch.com | Andrew F Stoddard
In a career-defining last lap move, Parker White emerged from an epic championship battle to add his name to the list of eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series champions. White also won the season finale race at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway for his second career eNCCiS victory.
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Sep 29, 2024 | 
frontstretch.com | Andrew F Stoddard
Ross Chastain crashed the playoff party at Kansas Speedway on Sunday (Sept. 29), winning the Hollywood Casino 400 for his first victory of 2024 and the fifth of his NASCAR Cup Series career. Many of the 12 remaining playoff drivers had a rough go of it in the Heartland, with six of them finishing outside the top 10 and four championship contenders placing outside the top 20. Poor execution on pits stops played a contributing role to the struggles of some playoff teams.
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Sep 23, 2024 | 
frontstretch.com | Andrew F Stoddard
Kyle Larson gave the NASCAR Cup Series field a good old-fashioned beatdown, leading 462 out of 500 laps and winning the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night (Sept. 21). With few cautions and green flag passes hard to come by, the normally chaotic Bristol played out as a straightforward race. But for a couple of Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, miscues on pit road spelled the end of their playoff runs.
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Sep 15, 2024 | 
frontstretch.com | Andrew F Stoddard
Watkins Glen International has produced some great NASCAR Cup Series finishes over the years, and this past Sunday (Sept. 15) was no different. Chris Buescher made a dramatic last-lap pass on Shane van Gisbergen to win The Go Bowling at The Glen, a consolation prize for the No. 17 team not making the playoffs. Sunday marked the first time Watkins Glen was a part of the Cup Series playoffs, and numerous playoff drivers had issues that shook things up around the cut line.
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Sep 10, 2024 | 
frontstretch.com | Andrew F Stoddard
After coming close so many times, Parker White is finally a winner in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, and it could not have come at a better time. White dominated late and stayed ahead of numerous wrecks to win at the virtual Phoenix Raceway and punch his ticket to the Championship 4. Donovan Strauss, his Williams eSports teammate, finished right behind him in second.
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Sep 8, 2024 | 
frontstretch.com | Andrew F Stoddard
In a display of Team Penske dominance, Joey Logano continued his run of success in even-numbered years, winning the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway to open the Cup Series Playoffs on Sunday (Sept. 8). Logano advances to the Round of 12, a huge boost to his bid to become a three-time Cup Series champion. While one Penske driver celebrated in victory lane, another Penske playoff team rued a potential missed opportunity to make the next round, a chance that was lost on pit road.
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Sep 5, 2024 | 
frontstretch.com | Andrew F Stoddard |Luken Glover |James Krause |Vito Pugliese
Luken Glover: I’m fully prepared to come back to this and see how poorly my picks aged, but that’s part of the fun. Harrison Burton shouldn’t be completely ruled out given that the playoffs start on a drafting track, but if he doesn’t cash in, he is very likely on his way to a quick exit. And while Austin Cindric has a little more stability by running more consistently as of late, the pace just isn’t there for him to be a sleeper.
