Erik Jones Scores First Top-Ten in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Erik Jones, driver of the #77 5-hour Energy Extra Strength Toyota, stands in the garage during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Camping World 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 18, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Erik Jones’ No. 77 Furniture Row Racing team did everything right in Sunday’s Camping World 500 at Phoenix International Raceway—except for predicting how many cars would take two tires versus four on the final pit stop before overtime.

Jones was running fifth when a melted bead caused Joey Logano’s right front tire to explode and sent the No. 22 Ford of the polesitter into the turn one wall on lap 307 of a scheduled 312. Jones took four tires under the ensuing caution and restarted 14th. Continue reading

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Camping World 500 at Phoenix Preview

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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams will race the Camping World 500 at Phoenix Raceway this Sunday, March 19th. FOX is providing television coverage at 3:30 pm ET with radio coverage also available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Drivers will race 312 miles over 312 laps with Stage 1 ending on lap 75 and Stage 2 ending on lap 150. Continue reading

Kyle Busch Hits Points Pressure Limit at Las Vegas

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, is escorted away by a NASCAR official after an incident on pit road with Joey Logano (not pictured), driver of the #22 Pennzoil Ford, after the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Busch and Logano made contact on the track during the last lap of the race leading to the incident on pit road
Photo – Chris Graythen/Getty Images

With so much discussion about the scuffle this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano one point that comes clearly into focus is that Busch hit his points pressure limit with the on track mishap between the two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers.

The pressure point actually started at the end of last season, if you recall the last four drivers competing for the championship title were eventual 2016 champion Jimmie Johnson from Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards from Joe Gibbs Racing and Joey Logano from Team Penske.  In the point standings after Homestead, Logano who finished fourth came in second in the point standings. Kyle Busch finished the race in sixth-place making him third in the point standings while his teammate Carl Edwards finished 34th at Homestead after an accident on the track.  Continue reading

Kyle Busch Explains Toyota’s Early Reversal of Fortune

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 11, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Early in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, Fords have dominated the headlines.

Kurt Busch won the season Daytona 500 in a Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. Brad Keselowski won the following week at Atlanta. Kevin Harvick has won three of the four preliminary stages contested under NASCAR’s enhanced three-stage race format. Continue reading

Toyota has a New Camry, but Teams Plan Similar Strategy in Daytona 500

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, leads Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER BOATS Toyota, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am Duel 1 at Daytona International Speedway on February 23, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

A new, sleek Camry race car isn’t likely to change the Toyota teams’ approach to the Daytona 500.

Neither is the success Fords had in breaking up the Toyota monopoly in last Saturday’s Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona.

Last year, Camry drivers dominated the Great American Race, with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin edging Furniture Row’s Martin Truex Jr. for the win by 0.010 seconds, roughly six inches. Toyotas swept all three podium positions and put four cars in the top-five. Continue reading