More Pit Road Issues Ruin Martin Truex Jr.’s Day

Photo - Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Sunday brought an all-too-familiar story for Martin Truex Jr.

Fast car. Glitch on pit road. Disappointing finish.

On lap 58, Truex passed Kevin Harvick for the lead after advancing briskly from his 20th-place starting position. During a green-flag pit stop on lap 65, however, the jack dropped before the rear tire changed had tightened the lug nuts, forcing Truex’s car to jack the car back up and finish the job. Continue reading

Jimmie Johnson Encouraged Despite Pit Road Snafu

Photo - Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Despite a pit road problem that ruined his winning chances, Jimmie Johnson was surprisingly chipper after his sixth-place run in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan Speedway.

Johnson led 37 laps, four fewer than race winner Kyle Larson, but the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion lost ten seconds on pit road when his second can of fuel failed to engage properly with the intake during a green-flag stop from the lead on lap 108 of 200. Continue reading

Popular Kyle Larson Win Allows Focus Toward First Sprint Cup Title

Photo - Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Kyle Larson celebrated his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway with a celebratory burn out from the asphalt through the grass and directly into Victory Lane.

And while the victory was sugar sweet for the Elk Grove, California native ending a 99-race winless streak for Chip Ganassi Racing, Larson now doesn’t have to worry about points or where he finishes the next two weeks at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway or Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, although knowing Larson’s ethic winning next week is just as important as winning Sunday in the Irish Hills. Continue reading

Strong Weekend for Ryan Blaney and Wood Brothers Racing at Michigan

Photo - Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

After a few frustrating weeks for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie Ryan Blaney and his Wood Brothers Racing team, Michigan International Speedway brought the team a much welcomed fourth place finish in the Pure Michigan 400.

But, that fourth place finish wasn’t easily earned.

Blaney in his No. 21 Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Fusion reported a flat right-front tire going into turn one on lap 62. Thankfully, the problem occurred during a round of green-flag pit stops which sent the driver to pit road for service. Continue reading

Diversity Graduate Kyle Larson Scores First NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Victory

Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 28, 2016 in Brooklyn, Michigan. Photo - Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 28, 2016 in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Photo – Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Californian Becomes First D4D, NASCAR Next Grad To Win In Sport’s Premier Series

Kyle Larson won Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway to become the first graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity and the NASCAR Next programs to win at the sanctioning body’s top level.

Larson, the 24-year-old Elk Grove, California, native of Japanese-American heritage, has already won in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. His first win came in 2013 at Rockingham Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He has since won another NASCAR Camping World Truck race, as well as four NASCAR XFINITY Series races. Continue reading