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Significant Changes in NASCAR XFINITY Series

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Photo – Getty Images

For 2017, NASCAR has taken away downforce from XFINITY Series race cars while adding spice to the Dash 4 Cash program.

Following a trend established in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR has made significant changes to the XFINITY cars that should produce a net downforce reduction to roughly 2,000 pounds, down from 2,800.

The spoiler height has been reduced from six inches to 3.5 inches. The outboard region of the splitter has been reduced by four inches, with the splitter leading edge reduced to .25 inches. Continue reading →

As Season Begins, Bubba Wallace is Under Pressure to Perform

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NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Darrell Wallace Jr. poses for a photo during the NASCAR 2017 Media Tour at the Charlotte Convention Center on January 25, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. is under pressure this season—and not just the sort of natural butterflies a driver feels when he suits up and climbs into the cockpit before a race.

Wallace is racing in the face of unknowns, trusting that a strong performance in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing NASCAR XFINITY Series Ford will prolong his tenure in the car. Continue reading →

Late-Season Progress Leaves Kasey Kahne Optimistic

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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne poses for a photo during the NASCAR 2017 Media Tour at the Charlotte Convention Center on January 25, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

Four years into his tenure at Hendrick Motorsports, Kasey Kahne is still looking for the sorts of results both he and team owner Rick Hendrick expected when Kahne signed on with the organization in 2010—and then waited a year to take the seat of the No. 5 Chevrolet.

Kahne hasn’t won a race since he triumphed at Atlanta on Aug. 31, 2014. In each of the last three seasons, he has posted three top-five finishes compared with 23 in his first two years with Hendrick combined (2012-2013). Continue reading →

Mr. Menard Meet Mr. Borland

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Photo – Getty Images

In a late-season move in early November, Richard Childress Racing hired veteran Matt Borland as crew chief of the No. 27 Chevrolet driven by Paul Menard.

Though Borland had worked extensively with Menard’s teammate, Ryan Newman, dating to Newman’s days at Team Penske, Menard and Borland didn’t know each other, but that’s a situation both driver and crew chief have been working hard to correct. Continue reading →