Tag Archives: Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

Hamlin Wins at Richmond, as Two Rookies Advance to the Chase

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Denny Hamlin won a wild race at his home track, and the top-four Chase hopefuls entering Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 all held serve at Richmond International Raceway in an event that ended in overtime after a record 16 cautions.

Jamie McMurray locked up a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with a seventh-place finish, and Austin Dillon did likewise with a 13th-place run.

Sunoco rookies Chase Elliott and Chris Buescher both weathered some tense moments to qualify for NASCAR’s ten-race playoff, the first time two rookies have ever been included in the Chase field—and the first time any rookie has made the Chase since Hamlin accomplished the feat in 2006. Continue reading →

Opportunistic Truex Gets Coveted Win in Bojangles’ Southern 500

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Martin Truex Jr.’s luck changed. Kevin Harvick’s didn’t.

And that was the difference in Truex’s unexpected victory in Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Truex led 28 laps, all after passing Ryan Newman for the top spot on lap 339 of 367.

Harvick led a race-high 214 laps, bringing his career total to 10,068. But where Truex’s much-maligned pit crew performed its finest stop when it counted most—under caution on lap 351—Harvick’s crew experienced the sorts of problems that have become chronic this season.
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Kyle Larson Captures Emotional First Victory at Michigan

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In the last few laps of Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway, tears began to well up in Kyle Larson’s eyes.

When Larson subsequently took the checkered flag to win the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of his career, the emotion was all but overwhelming—and for good reason.

The victory came in Larson’s 99th start in the series, long after most observers expected Larson to record his first win. It also broke a 99-race drought for Chip Ganassi Racing, dating to Jamie McMurray’s victory at Talladega in October 2013. Continue reading →

NASCAR Updates Sprint Cup Series Race Eligibility

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Photo - Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Photo – Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Chase Provisional Implemented for Open Teams 

NASCAR has announced updated procedures for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race eligibility and new provisional starting guidelines for races during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Starting with Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway (7:45 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), current year owner points will replace practice speeds for determining race eligibility and starting position in the event adverse conditions prevent Coors Light Pole qualifying from taking place. Starting in 2017, for the second and third events of the season, practice speeds for Open teams will remain the criteria used to determine race eligibility. Continue reading →

Brian France on a Cup Sponsor, Weekday Races, a Road Course in the Chase and More

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At Sonoma Raceway, NASCAR Chairman Brian France was on FOX Sports 1’s ‘Race Day’ show before Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race. He addressed some of the biggest questions on the minds of fans about the future of the sport.

Addressing the hunt for a title sponsor in the Cup Series, with Sprint leaving at the end of the 2016 season, France says, Continue reading →