Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service

1223 posts

Kyle Busch Explains Toyota’s Early Reversal of Fortune

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 11, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Early in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, Fords have dominated the headlines.

Kurt Busch won the season Daytona 500 in a Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. Brad Keselowski won the following week at Atlanta. Kevin Harvick has won three of the four preliminary stages contested under NASCAR’s enhanced three-stage race format. Continue reading

Kasey Kahne Recovers from Early Issues to Run Fourth

Kasey Kahne, driver of the #5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet, looks on during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 3, 2017 in Hampton, Georgia.
Photo – Daniel Shirey/Getty Images

Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track that has given Kasey Kahne three of his 17 career victories, but the start of Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 was anything but auspicious for the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Kahne started 29th, and early handling problems caused him to lose a lap to race leader Kevin Harvick. But astute adjustments to the car by crew chief Keith Rodden enabled Kahne to regain the lost lap, and a lightning-fast pit stop late in the race put him in position to claim a fourth-place finish. Continue reading

Another Strong Run for Chase Elliott Comes Up Short

Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 NAPA Chevrolet, races during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 5, 2017 in Hampton, Georgia.
Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Chase Elliott spent much of Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 running in Kevin Harvick’s shadow.

Elliott had a fast Chevrolet, as he proved conclusively after incurring a pit road speeding penalty on lap 212. Despite serving a pass-through for the infraction, Elliott stayed on the lead lap and was running faster lap times than Harvick when a debris caution on lap 240 slowed the field and gave Elliott a chance to regain track position. Continue reading

Sneaky-Fast Matt Kenseth Salvages Third-Place Run

Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 DeWalt Flexvolt Toyota, races during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 5, 2017 in Hampton, Georgia.
Photo – Daniel Shirey/Getty Images

Matt Kenseth overcame a double whammy to post an unlikely third-place finish in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

On a green-flag pit stop on lap 36, Kenseth was flagged for speeding while entering pit road. Under caution at the end of Stage 1 on lap 89, NASCAR nailed him again for going too fast while exiting pit lane and kept him a lap down. Continue reading