Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service

1223 posts

Daniel Suarez’s Mentors have Something Else on their Minds

NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Track News Xfinity Series
Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 Arris Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida.Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 Arris Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo - Chris Trotman/Getty Images
Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 Arris Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida.Daniel Suarez, driver of the #19 Arris Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Throughout the 2016 season, Daniel Suarez has leaned heavily on the wisdom of fellow Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards.

Frequent phone conversations have been the norm as Suarez tries to learn the nuances of the various race tracks on the circuit—but not this week.

While Suarez has been preparing to race for a NASCAR XFINITY Series title on Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Busch and Edwards have been readying to compete for a bigger prize—the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Continue reading →

Christopher Bell is Carrying the Banner for Young Drivers

Camping World Truck Series NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Track News
MIAMI BEACH, FL - NOVEMBER 17: Christopher Bell, driver of the #4 JBL Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images
MIAMI BEACH, FL – NOVEMBER 17: Christopher Bell, driver of the #4 JBL Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Christopher Bell may respect his elders, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be trying his best to beat them.

The 21-year-old NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie is the sole representative of NASCAR’s youth movement still eligible for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title, which will be decided in Friday’s Ford EcoBoost 200.

Matt Crafton, 40, is a two-time series champion. Fellow Championship 4 competitors Johnny Sauter and Timothy Peters are 38 and 36, respectively. Continue reading →

Falling Short in 2011 Gives Carl Edwards Motivation for Title Run

NASCAR
MIAMI BEACH, FL - NOVEMBER 17: Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Arris Surfboard Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
MIAMI BEACH, FL – NOVEMBER 17: Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Arris Surfboard Toyota, talks to the media during media day for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 17, 2016 in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Five years have passed since Carl Edwards got his last shot at a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

And earlier this week, he got a painful-if-instructive reminder.

In 2011, Edwards came to Homestead-Miami Speedway with a three-point lead over Tony Stewart in what had evolved into a two-man battle for the series title.

Stewart won the race, and Edwards ran second, leaving the drivers tied for the points lead at the end of the Chase. But Stewart claimed the championship via tiebreaker, having won an unprecedented five of the Chase races. Continue reading →

Johnson, Knaus Can Cement Names atop NASCAR Record Books

NASCAR NASCAR Wire Service Sprint Cup Series Track News
Photo - Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Jimmie Johnson has been there before – more than any other driver in the past two decades.

But this trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway for Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at 2:30 pm ET is different. In the first place, Johnson has his first opportunity to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship under the 16-driver elimination format introduced by the sanctioning body in 2014.

Beyond that, in what is the transcendent story of this year’s Chase, Johnson has a chance to win a seventh series title, one that would tie him for the all-time lead with NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Continue reading →