DOVER, DE – SEPTEMBER 30: Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 Mountain Dew Chevrolet, speaks with the media prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Citizen Solider 400 at Dover International Speedway on September 30, 2016 in Dover, Delaware. Photo by Sean Gardner/NASCAR via Getty Images
As a Sunoco rookie in his first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Chase Elliott has found the first two playoff races surprisingly “normal.”
Elliott comes to the elimination at Dover tied for ninth in the standings, 16 points ahead of Jamie McMurray and Austin Dillon, the first two drivers below the cut line.
But Elliott expects that, as the rounds of the Chase progress, the intensity will ratchet up significantly. Continue reading →
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, sits in his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Citizen Solider 400 at Dover International Speedway on September 30, 2016 in Dover, Delaware. Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images
On a rainy morning at Dover International Speedway, Jimmie Johnson was hopeful lightning wouldn’t strike twice—figuratively speaking, of course.
A year ago, in the third race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the failure of a rear-axle seal eliminated the six-time series champion from NASCAR’s ten-race playoff.
Never mind that Johnson has owned the Monster Mile with ten victories in 29 starts. Last year’s 41st-place finish in the Chase race reminded the Dover dominator that freakish bad luck can strike at any time and dramatically change the course of a season. Continue reading →
After leading the NASCAR XFINITY Series point standings for most of the season, Erik Jones now finds himself ninth in the point standings after the first race in the series’ inaugural Chase and outside the cutoff of the top-eight Chase qualifiers to advance to the next round. Jones is just three points behind Blake Koch on the cutoff line after a late wreck at Kentucky relegated him to a 28th-place finish, The good news is that Jones will have two chances to advance his position before this round ends at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, October 7th.
Starting with the Drive Sober 200 at Dover International Speedway on Saturday, October 1st, Jones and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team have some confidence because of their win earlier this season at the same track. Jones has enjoyed his season up to this point and knows he has a team that can deliver. Continue reading →
LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 25: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, leads Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 25, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images
There’s no statistical category for “saves” in NASCAR racing, but if there were, Joey Logano would be the clear leader at New Hampshire.
With perseverance, Logano and the No. 22 Team Penske outfit turned a potentially disastrous day into a respectable finish and gave themselves a modicum of breathing room in the Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.
After a so-so qualifying effort, Logano started 15th in Sunday’s Bad Boy Off Road 300 and quickly went backwards. On lap 114 of a long green-flag run to start the race, leader Martin Truex Jr. passed Logano to put the No. 22 Ford a lap down. Continue reading →