Daniel Suárez: Promoted Earlier than Expected – But Not Too Soon

Photo – Getty Images

Don’t worry about Daniel Suárez.

And don’t buy into the assumption that, in promoting Suárez to fill the seat of departing Carl Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing is making the same mistake it made in 2009 when the organization threw then-18-year-old Joey Logano into the deep end of the pool.

Laboring under the weight of replacing Tony Stewart in the No. 20 Toyota, Logano never blossomed at JGR. It took four years of seasoning and a move to Team Penske for Logano to realize his enormous potential in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car.

Suárez, on the other hand, is already 25, and possesses a ferocious work ethic matched only by his desire to learn – and learn quickly. Continue reading

NASCAR Announces 2017 Schedule for NASCAR K&N Pro Series

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Photo - Getty Images

Photo – Getty Images

27 Showcase Events Slated To Test Sport’s Top Young Talent

NASCAR fans have been thrilled in recent years by the achievements of the sport’s rising stars – from Joey Logano’s DAYTONA 500 win in 2015 to Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson joining him in the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Daniel Suarez won the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship this year and William Byron led the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in wins.

They all have one thing in common. They cut their teeth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series before breaking into NASCAR’s national series.

With the announcement by NASCAR of the 2017 schedules for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West, fans across the United States will get to see up close the next wave of young drivers looking to make their impact. Continue reading

Logano, Busch Fall Short to ‘Superman’ on Race’s Final Restart

Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, greets team owner Rick Hendrick in Victory Lane after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo - Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, greets team owner Rick Hendrick in Victory Lane after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Joey Logano and Kyle Busch raced toward the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship late into the evening Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and both saw their shots disappear in the closing laps.

Logano took the hardest hit – literally. On a restart with ten laps to go, Logano chased Carl Edwards, who then was the leader of the Championship 4, with all the finesse that Logano has shown on restarts throughout the season. He shot to the inside with the idea of beating Edwards into the first turn and perhaps taking the lead for the final time. Instead, Edwards dropped low to block. They collided, causing Edwards to crash hard. Continue reading

Jimmie Johnson Wins at Homestead to Claim Record-Tying Seventh Title

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Call him Seven-Time.

Jimmie Johnson joined NASCAR’s most exclusive club on Sunday, winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to claim his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, putting the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on par with icons Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

“You’re a good man, you’re a great champion, and now you’re a seven-time champion,” crew chief Chad Knaus radioed to Johnson, who grabbed the lead from Kyle Larson through turns one and two during the first and only attempt at a two-lap overtime.

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Edwards’ Championship Dreams End Following Restart Wreck

HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 20:  Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 ARRIS Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida.  Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 20: Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 ARRIS Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images

In his rear-view mirror, Carl Edwards saw his shot at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship dissolving.

On a restart with ten laps to go in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with the title on the line, Joey Logano shot deep to the inside in an attempt to pass Edwards for the lead among the championship contenders. Edwards reacted quickly and decisively, turning his car to the left in an attempt to block Logano.

Logano didn’t lift, and chaos ensued. Continue reading