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Neil Paine on Muck Rack

Neil Paine

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Stathead/sportswriter/editor. neilpaine.substack.com neil.paine_at_gmail.com Formerly The Messenger, @FiveThirtyEight, @sports_ref, @ATLHawks, @GeorgiaTech

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Articles

Analysis: Part-time Heim leading historic young-driver class Original

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By Neil Paine Verified
| NASCAR
For those of us NASCAR fans and industry observers wondering earlier this season when the future of the sport might arrive, well, the answer is apparently right now. Granted, when it wasn’t riding the wave of separate long winning streaks by Tyler Reddick (age 30) and Denny Hamlin (age 45), the 2026 season has seen three different green flags captured by first-time winners Ty Gibbs, Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim – each of whom also happens to be age 23 or younger this season.
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SVG’s oval breakthrough is historic — and it’s changing The Chase race Original

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By Neil Paine Verified
| NASCAR
Because of how spectacularly dominant Shane van Gisbergen’s early successes were on road and street courses — literally earning him the title of NASCAR’s road-course GOAT after roughly a dozen starts on the twisty tracks (of which he won half!) — it made his less-stellar results on the ovals stand out more. From 2023 through 2025, SVG made 12 starts on road courses and 38 everywhere else.
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Analysis: How Blaney forced his way into the Hamlin-Reddick title fight Original

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By Neil Paine Verified
| NASCAR
At first, the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season looked destined to be the Tyler Reddick show — after all, Reddick won three straight races to begin the schedule and later tied or challenged records for the most wins in the first six and nine races of a season. Then, as Reddick faltered in June, Denny Hamlin stepped into the breach and threatened to take the regular-season title from his star employee with a hot streak of his own.
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