Kevin Harvick Edges Alex Bowman for Charlotte pole

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 06: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Hunting Chevrolet, poses with a trophy after winning the pole position during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 6, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

CHARLOTTE, NC – OCTOBER 06: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Hunting Chevrolet, poses with a trophy after winning the pole position during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 6, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Kevin Harvick may have won the pole for Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (7 pm ET on NBC), but Alex Bowman continued to open eyes as a substitute driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Touring the 1.5-mile speedway in 27.547 seconds (196.029 mph), Harvick knocked Bowman (196.000 mph) off the pole by a scant 0.004 seconds in the final round of Thursday evening’s knockout qualifying.

The pole was Harvick’s first at Charlotte, his first of the 2016 season and the 16th of his career. Continue reading

Martin Truex Jr. Makes Statement in Dover Elimination Race

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It was a Martin Truex Jr. blowout, a Jamie McMurray blow-up and a Jimmie Johnson…

“We blew it again.”

Truex cruised to a decisive victory in Sunday’s Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway, a race that pared the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field from 16 drivers to 12.

Winning for a fourth time this season, a second time at Dover and the seventh time in his career, Truex was without peer after a pit road snafu on lap 279 of 400 knocked Johnson off the lead lap and out of contention for the win. Continue reading

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will race 400 miles in 400 laps in the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, October 2nd at 2 pm ET. Television coverage is on NBC Sports Network with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

What to Watch For: Sunday marks the cutoff race for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup’s Round of 16. Right now, Jamie McMurray (five points below Kyle Larson on the cutoff line), Austin Dillon (-5), Tony Stewart (-11) and Chris Buescher (-30) will all be eliminated from the Chase if they can’t improve their positions.

Kevin Harvick goes for his second straight win after visiting Victory Lane at New Hampshire. He is the defending fall Dover winner. Continue reading

Harvick Gets Stress-Relieving Chase Victory at New Hampshire

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Remember last week, when Kevin Harvick was trapped a lap down at Chicagoland Speedway, finished 20th and fell out of the top-12 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings?

Remember last year, when Harvick crashed at Chicagoland and ran out of fuel while leading at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and had to win at Dover to advance in the Chase?

That’s all moot, now that Harvick redeemed himself with a victory in Sunday’s Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire, the second race in the Chase. Continue reading

Carl Edwards Wins Pole at New Hampshire, his Sixth this season

LOUDON, NH - SEPTEMBER 23:  Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Comcast Business Toyota, poses with the Coors Light Pole board after qualifying for the pole position for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 23, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire.   Photo by Chris Trotman/NASCAR via Getty Images

LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 23: Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Comcast Business Toyota, poses with the Coors Light Pole board after qualifying for the pole position for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 23, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire.
Photo by Chris Trotman/NASCAR via Getty Images

Carl Edwards never had the reputation as a spectacular qualifier – until this year.

On Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Edwards ran 135.453 mph (28.119 seconds) in the money round of knockout qualifying to earn the top start spot in Sunday’s Bad Boy Off Road 300 (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN), the second race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Continue reading