NASCAR Cole Whitt

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Preview

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In honor of Luke Wilson as honorary pace car driver for Sunday’s Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, this week’s Sprint Cup preview celebrates some of the top quotes and moments from Wilson’s hit comedy, ‘Old School.’ Check it out, and bring your green hat.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams return this week to race 218.9 miles in 110 laps on the road course of Sonoma Raceway in the Toyota Save Mart 350 on Sunday, June 26th. FOX Sports 1 will begin their coverage at 1:30 pm ET with a green flag around 3 pm ET. Radio coverage is available on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

We’re Going Racing! NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Returns after Off Weekend

After having the weekend off, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads west to Sonoma Raceway for its first road-course race of the season – Sunday’s Toyota / Save Mart 350.

Kyle Busch is the defending winner of the event that has had ten different drivers visit Victory Lane the last 11 years it’s been held: Kyle Busch in 2015, Carl Edwards in 2014, Martin Truex Jr. in 2013, Clint Bowyer in 2012, Kurt Busch in 2011, Jimmie Johnson in 2010, Kasey Kahne in 2009, Kyle Busch in 2008, Juan Pablo Montoya in 2007, Jeff Gordon in 2006 and Tony Stewart in 2005. Continue reading

Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kyle Busch Prevail in Can-Am Duel at Daytona

Retaking the lead with five laps left in the first of Thursday night’s Can-Am Duel 150-mile qualifying races, Dale Earnhardt Jr. cruised to a dominating victory and grabbed the third staring spot for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

In the second Duel, reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch took the checkered flag under caution after a wild last-lap wreck took out the cars of Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth, AJ Allmendinger and Danica Patrick and damaged the No. 41 Chevrolet of Kurt Busch.

Kenseth will go to a backup car and start from the rear in the Daytona 500, surrendering the second starting spot he earned during last Sunday’s time trials. Continue reading

Matt Kenseth Cruises to Dominant Sprint Cup Victory at Michigan

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