XFINITY Champion Suarez Promoted to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

HUNTERSVILLE, NC – JANUARY 11: NASCAR driver Daniel Suarez talks about his future driving at NASCAR’s highest level during a press conference at Joe Gibbs Racing on January 11, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photo by Bob Leverone/ Getty Images

The phone call interrupted Daniel Suarez’s lunch. He didn’t mind.

Team owner Joe Gibbs was calling with the surprising news that Suarez, winner of the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship last season, would be promoted to drive the team’s No. 19 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota in 2017 as a replacement for Carl Edwards.

Edwards had told Gibbs about his decision to leave racing during the Christmas holidays. Continue reading

Edwards Steps Away from Full-Time NASCAR Racing

HUNTERSVILLE, NC – JANUARY 11: NASCAR driver Carl Edwards talks about his career in a stock car during a press conference to announce his retirement at Joe Gibbs Racing on January 11, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photo by Bob Leverone/Getty Images

Calling at least a temporary halt to a career he described as “living a dream,” Carl Edwards confirmed Wednesday his decision to step away from driving race cars to pursue what he described as other adventures.

In a decision that shocked the NASCAR world, Edwards, 37, said he was leaving the Joe Gibbs Racing team and one of the best rides in stock car racing “because I’ve always followed my gut. All the signs point to this being the right thing to do.”

Daniel Suarez will be elevated from the NASCAR XFINITY Series operation at JGR to replace Edwards in the No. 19 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota.

Edwards would not rule out returning to racing in the future, but, during a 37-minute news conference in which he was near tears, he emphasized that many other things – at this point not identified – have his attention.

He said he is satisfied with his driving career, which includes 28 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup victories and an XFINITY Series championship. He barely missed a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup title twice. Continue reading

Summary of Five NASCAR Off Season Storylines

Fan4Racing has taken a break since the NASCAR season finale at Homestead-Miami, but now it’s time to compile a summary from five of the biggest NASCAR news stories during the off-season as we gear up for the 2017 season to begin.

Also coming soon is our first 2017 Fan4Racing Radio show next Monday night starting at 8:30 pm ET with myself and co-host Sal Sigala on Fan4Racing NASCAR & Race Talk. Watch for more details about this show on Monday, January 16th.

Now let’s get started with a summary of the five biggest off-season NASCAR news count down. Continue reading

Logano, Busch Fall Short to ‘Superman’ on Race’s Final Restart

Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, greets team owner Rick Hendrick in Victory Lane after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo - Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, greets team owner Rick Hendrick in Victory Lane after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Joey Logano and Kyle Busch raced toward the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship late into the evening Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and both saw their shots disappear in the closing laps.

Logano took the hardest hit – literally. On a restart with ten laps to go, Logano chased Carl Edwards, who then was the leader of the Championship 4, with all the finesse that Logano has shown on restarts throughout the season. He shot to the inside with the idea of beating Edwards into the first turn and perhaps taking the lead for the final time. Instead, Edwards dropped low to block. They collided, causing Edwards to crash hard. Continue reading

Jimmie Johnson Wins at Homestead to Claim Record-Tying Seventh Title

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Call him Seven-Time.

Jimmie Johnson joined NASCAR’s most exclusive club on Sunday, winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to claim his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, putting the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on par with icons Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

“You’re a good man, you’re a great champion, and now you’re a seven-time champion,” crew chief Chad Knaus radioed to Johnson, who grabbed the lead from Kyle Larson through turns one and two during the first and only attempt at a two-lap overtime.

Continue reading