Matt Kenseth Cruises to Dominant Sprint Cup Victory at Michigan

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From Matt Kenseth’s point of view, the competition package NASCAR used at Michigan International Speedway could well have had a big, bright bow on it.

The Coors Light Polesitter for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, Kenseth quickly exhibited his mastery of the high-drag aerodynamic package, leading 146 of 200 laps in winning for the third time this season, the third time at Michigan and the 34th time in his career.

The 2003 premier series champion had to survive a restart with 13 laps left, after Jimmie Johnson spun off turn four to cause the eighth and last caution of the race. With a push from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, Kenseth cleared Kevin Harvick after the lap 187 restart and went on to win by 1.722 seconds. Continue reading

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: Pure Michigan 400

The Place: Michigan International Speedway

The Date: Sunday, Aug. 16

The Time: 2:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 2 p.m. (ET)

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 400 miles (200 laps)

‘Top-30 for No. 18’: A Kyle Busch Production

A mere 11 races after returning from a broken leg and foot suffered in February, Kyle Busch has cracked the top-30 in the point standings and is now eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Busch will qualify for NASCAR’s playoffs if he can stay in the top-30 at the end of next month’s Richmond race.

Busch currently mans the 30th spot in the driver standings, six points ahead of 31st-place Cole Whitt and one point behind 29th-place Justin Allgaier.

The No. 18 Toyota driver started off slow with just one top-ten finish in his first four races back (Pocono), but has been on an absolute tear since, winning four of the last seven races along with a runner-up.

Over the last seven races Busch has dominated most of the statistical categories, leading the series in wins (4), driver rating (116.3), laps led (317) and points (283). No other driver has multiple wins during the span. Brad Keselowski’s 209 laps led marks the next-best total, while Kevin Harvick’s 107.5 driver rating is the second highest. The 283 points are 22 more than Joey Logano’s second-best total (261).

Busch’s run of wins has overshadowed the consistency of some other drivers in the Sprint Cup Series. Harvick and Joey Logano rank tied with Busch with five top-five finishes over the seven-race span.

Furthermore, Harvick and Kurt Busch lead with six top-tens each in the last seven races compared to Busch’s five. Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth also claim five top-tens. Continue reading

Sprint Cup Series, Coke Zero 400 at Daytona Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola

The Place: Daytona International Speedway

The Date: Sunday, July 5

The Time: 7:45 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBC, 7 p.m. (ET)

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 400 miles (160 laps)

 

NBC You On Sunday:

NASCAR Debuts On NBC With The Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its triumphant return to NBC on Sunday, July 5 with the broadcast of the Coke Zero 400 presented by Coca-Cola.

Coverage starts with the pre-race show at 7 p.m. ET and the race broadcast begins at 7:45 p.m. ET.

Rick Allen (play-by-play), 21-time NSCS winner Jeff Burton (analyst) and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte (analyst) are commentators from the booth, while Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast will report from pit road. Continue reading

NASCAR XFINITY Series Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona Preview

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NASCAR XFINITY Series

Next Race: Subway Firecracker 250

The Place: Daytona International Speedway

The Date: Saturday, July 4

The Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBC Sports Network, 6:30 p.m. (ET)

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 250 miles (100 laps)

Crew Chief Swap Is Expected To Turn Season Around For RCR

Starting this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, the crew chiefs for Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 and 33 cars will look a little different. That’s because they are switching between the teams; a good old-fashioned swap. Now Danny Stockman Jr. will lead the No. 33 Chevrolet team with driver Austin Dillon, and Nick Harrison will now serve as crew chief for the No. 3 team with driver Ty Dillon.  Continue reading

Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: Quicken Loans 400

The Place: Michigan International Speedway

The Date: Sunday, June 14

The Time: 1 p.m. (ET)

TV: FOX Sports 1, 11:30 a.m. (ET)

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 400 miles (200 laps)

Truex Triumphs At Pocono, Carries Momentum To Michigan

Martin Truex Jr. finally closed the deal.

The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing driver led the most laps for the fourth consecutive race in last weekend’s Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 at Pocono Raceway and fended off defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick for his first win of the season. Continue reading