Logano Holds Off Harvick to Defend Bristol Night Race Title

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With Kevin Harvick hounding him mercilessly for 63 laps, Joey Logano kept his No. 22 Team Penske Ford out front after taking the lead on a lap 438 restart and held on to win Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Successfully defending last year’s victory at Thunder Valley, Logano won his third race of the season, his second at the .533-mile short track and the 11th of his career.

Harvick recovered from two pit road speeding penalties to finish second, a mere 0.220 seconds behind Logano. Polesitter Denny Hamlin ran third, and Clint Bowyer got a much-needed fourth place result in his No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota. Continue reading

Sprint Cup Series IRWIN Night Tools Race at Bristol Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: IRWIN Tools Night Race

The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway

The Date: Saturday, Aug. 22

The Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 7 p.m. (ET)

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 266.5 miles (500 laps)

 

Straight Outta Michigan: Kenseth Shows He’s Championship Contender

Matt Kenseth is showing the speed of bona fide Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship contender.

The No. 20 Toyota driver notched his second win in the last three races after visiting Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway. On Kenseth’s way to the win – he led 146 of 200 laps – the most led on a track longer than a mile since Jimmie Johnson paced the field for 255 go-arounds at Texas on November 3, 2013. Kenseth’s three victories are the third-most in the Sprint Cup Series. He has nine bonus points for the Challenger Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup (one for each win) and ranks third on the Chase Grid. 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

Joey Logano Completes Weekend Sweep with Sprint Cup Win at Watkins Glen

 

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A week after running out of fuel while leading with three laps left at Pocono, Joey Logano finished off an unprecedented weekend sweep at Watkins Glen International with his first road course victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Pressuring race leader Kevin Harvick over a 30-lap green-flag run to the finish of Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen, Logano made the winning pass through the last two corners at the 2.45-mile road course as Harvick ran out of fuel in turn six. Continue reading

Sprint Cup Series, Coke Zero 400 at Daytona Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola

The Place: Daytona International Speedway

The Date: Sunday, July 5

The Time: 7:45 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBC, 7 p.m. (ET)

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 400 miles (160 laps)

 

NBC You On Sunday:

NASCAR Debuts On NBC With The Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its triumphant return to NBC on Sunday, July 5 with the broadcast of the Coke Zero 400 presented by Coca-Cola.

Coverage starts with the pre-race show at 7 p.m. ET and the race broadcast begins at 7:45 p.m. ET.

Rick Allen (play-by-play), 21-time NSCS winner Jeff Burton (analyst) and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte (analyst) are commentators from the booth, while Dave Burns, Mike Massaro, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast will report from pit road. Continue reading