To Honor Service Members, NASCAR Salutes Returns, Refreshed By Coca-Cola

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Photo – Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

‘600 Miles of Remembrance’ Windshield Tribute at Coca-Cola 600 Launches Industry Platform

For the third consecutive year, windshield headers on all 40 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ cars will be replaced with the names of fallen military service members during Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), NASCAR announced today. Continue reading

Ryan Blaney Wins First Career Pole by a Whisker

Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, signs a backdrop during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 12, 2017 in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Improving in each round of knockout qualifying in relation to other cars, Ryan Blaney won the pole for Saturday night’s Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1), claiming his first career pole by a mere 0.009 seconds over Joey Logano.

During a Friday qualifying session in which 11 cars failed to make it to the grid because of inspection issues, Blaney toured the 1.5-mile speedway in 28.481 seconds (189.600 mph) in the final round to earn the first Coors Light Pole Award for the No. 21 Woods Brothers Ford since Ricky Rudd earned the top starting spot at Talladega in April 2004. Continue reading

Kansas Speedway Proves Challenging with 2017 Package

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The combination of a maturing Kansas Speedway and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ lower-downforce aerodynamic package made negotiating the 1.5-mile intermediate track a formidable challenge—even in practice.

Incidents affected both Friday practice sessions. Dale Earnhardt Jr. barely kept his No. 88 Chevrolet off the turn four wall in opening practice, with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson fighting for control behind him. Continue reading

NASCAR’s Longest Race is on Earnhardt’s Bucket List

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Mountain Dew DEW-S-A Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 12, 2017 in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

In Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s case, familiarity breeds desire.

Asked which race he’d most like to win in his final season of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing, Earnhardt immediately thought of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the track closest to his Mooresville, NC, home. Continue reading

Loose Wheel Dashes Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Hopes at Talladega

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 7, 2017 in Talladega, Alabama. Photo – Tom Bradbury/Getty Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. lined up third for a restart on lap 174 of Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, after a massive 18-car wreck on the backstretch thinned the field.

The anticipation in the air was palpable, as Earnhardt rolled through the tri-oval toward the start / finish line, but what happened next had fans in the front grandstands ripping the radio headphones off their heads and throwing them to the ground.

As the field came up to speed, Earnhardt pulled out of line and moved to the top of the track, coming perilously close to the outside wall. As the pack sped away, Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet slowed and rolled gingerly to pit road. Continue reading