Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wanted to Step Away on his Own Terms, Announces 2017 will be Final Season

Dale Earnhardt Jr. answers questions from the media during a press conference to announce his retirement from NASCAR after the 2017 season at the Hendrick Motorsports Team Center on April 25, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo – Mike Comer/Getty Images

More than anything, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted to be the master of his own destiny.

In announcing his retirement from Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing on Tuesday at the Hendrick Motorsports campus in Charlotte, North Carolina, Earnhardt described his primary motivation during months of physically and emotionally exhausting rehabilitation from a concussion that sidelined him from the final 18 races of the 2016 season. Continue reading

Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Retire following 2017 Season

Dale Earnhardt Jr. gives a statement announcing his retirement from NASCAR after the 2017 season at the Hendrick Motorsports Team Center on April 25, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo – Mike Comer/Getty Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. today announced that he will retire following the 2017 NASCAR season.

This morning, NASCAR’s 14-time Most Popular Driver broke the news to his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports race team, followed shortly thereafter by a press release from Hendrick Motorsports to publicly announce the retirement. According to the release, Earnhardt and team owner Rick Hendrick first met about the driver’s decision on March 29. Continue reading

Pit Road Speeding Penalty Costly to Truex, Too.

Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota, pits along with others during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 24, 2017 in Bristol, Tennessee. Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

No one at Bristol could run the bottom of the track better than Martin Truex Jr., who led 116 laps in Monday’s rain-delayed Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Truex lost some of his advantage when the potency of the VHT track sealer, which added grip to the bottom lane, began to fade as the race progressed. But the real whammy for Truex was a penalty for speeding on pit road incurred under the final caution on lap 465. Continue reading

Pit Road Penalty Quashes Kyle Larson’s Winning Chances

Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet, leads a pack of car during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 24, 2017 in Bristol, Tennessee. Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Kyle Larson broke a record, in a race that ran like … well, a broken record.

Starting from the pole in Monday’s rain-delayed Food City 500 at Bristol motor Speedway, Larson led the first 202 laps of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. Never before had a driver for Chip Ganassi Racing led that many laps in a single race in NASCAR’s premier series. Continue reading

Jimmie Johnson Stays Hot with Monday Victory at Bristol

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A week off and an extra day at Bristol did nothing to break Jimmie Johnson’s momentum.

Grabbing the lead from Kevin Harvick on lap 480 of 500 in Monday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Johnson stayed out front for the final 21 laps and beat Clint Bowyer to the finish line by 1.199 seconds. Continue reading