NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will take to the track on Sunday, October 23rd at 2 pm ET to race 500.8 miles over 188 laps in the Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. NBC Sports Network begins their coverage at 1:30 pm ET and radio coverage is on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

What to Watch For: Heading into Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500 cutoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, Austin Dillon (ninth, tiebreaker), Denny Hamlin (tenth, -6 points below Joey Logano on the cutoff line), Brad Keselowski (11th, -7) and Chase Elliott (12th, -25) are on the outside looking in for advancement to the Round of 8.

Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski can break their tie for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins lead by getting a fifth victory. Continue reading

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will race 400.5 miles over 267 laps in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 on Sunday, September 18th at Chicagoland Speedway. Television coverage begins at 2 pm ET on NBC Sports Network with a green flag around 2:30 pm ET. Radio coverage is on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Cowabunga!

The Chase Kicks Off At Chicagoland With Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400

The field is set and the drivers are ready to compete in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which kicks off with Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Continue reading

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