Martin Truex Jr., the driver of the #78 5-hour ENERGY/Bass Pro Shops Toyota, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 22, 2018, in Sonoma, California. Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images
SONOMA, Calif. – Martin Truex Jr.’s 2013 victory at Sonoma Raceway holds a special place among the 17 wins the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion has accumulated since his full-time debut in 2006. Continue reading
Photo – IMS
INDIANAPOLIS, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018 – A statement from Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles on the death Sunday, Jan. 14 of legendary American race driver, team owner and car constructor Dan Gurney, who finished three times in the top three during his nine Indianapolis 500 starts from 1962-70. Gurney is one of only three drivers to win races in IndyCar, Formula One, NASCAR Cup and elite sports car competition, along with Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya.
“When we talk about legendary American drivers, owners and car constructors on an international stage, Dan Gurney is one of the all-time greats. His skill in all three areas helped him make an indelible mark and serve as a huge influence in this sport. Dan was a giant in the racing world, in every sense. Our sincere condolences and prayers are with his wife, Evi, and the entire Gurney family. Godspeed, Dan Gurney.”
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will race the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 18th at 3 pm ET. Coverage begins at 2 pm ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Drivers will race 400 miles over 200 laps with Stage 1 ending on lap 60, Stage 2 on lap 120 and the last Stage ending on the last lap 200. Continue reading
Photo – IndyCar Media
Juan Pablo Montoya got a warm welcome on his return to Bristol Motor Speedway, even if it was just to announce his sponsor for the upcoming Indianapolis 500.
Montoya will compete for Team Penske in the May spectacle with Fitzgerald Glider Kits as his sponsor, the same company that holds the entitlement for Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Bristol.
But when asked about his first trio around BMS in a stock car, Montoya waxed nostalgic.
“I love this place,” Montoya told the NASCAR Wire Service. “Because for me, the biggest problem I had with a stock car was it had no grip. Here, with the banking, it made up a lot of grip. I always ran really well here. This was a fun place for me.”
Asked whether the relationship with Penske and Fitzgerald Glider Kits might lead to a return to NASCAR racing in a one-off situation, Montoya shrugged and smiled.
“I don’t know,” he said. “They tell me go here, I go there. I mean they say, ‘Jump,’ I say ‘How high?’”
In general, however, Montoya thinks cross-pollination between racing series is a good thing. In the Indy 500 he’ll compete against Fernando Alonso, a rival in Formula One from 2001 through 2006.
“I think it would be nice for motorsports to do a little more of that, because it’s just going to create a little more interest overall,” said Montoya, who doesn’t have a full-time IndyCar ride this season. “It is something that it would be nice to see all motorsports to be able to see top drivers jump from one to the other just for one race.
“I was lucky enough to be in all the top series in the world, and being able to win in all of them and everything. I’ve been very blessed in that point of view.”
Montoya, however, wasn’t immune from some good-natured ribbing that also recalled his NASCAR days. Fitzgerald Glider Kits founder Tom Fitzgerald Sr. introduced Montoya as “Mr. Jet Dryer,” a reference to the driver’s fiery collision with track-drying equipment under caution during the 2012 Daytona 500.
“I wasn’t going to do that,” quipped Fitzgerald, “but I couldn’t resist.”
In honor of Luke Wilson as honorary pace car driver for Sunday’s Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, this week’s Sprint Cup preview celebrates some of the top quotes and moments from Wilson’s hit comedy, ‘Old School.’ Check it out, and bring your green hat.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams return this week to race 218.9 miles in 110 laps on the road course of Sonoma Raceway in the Toyota Save Mart 350 on Sunday, June 26th. FOX Sports 1 will begin their coverage at 1:30 pm ET with a green flag around 3 pm ET. Radio coverage is available on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
We’re Going Racing! NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Returns after Off Weekend
After having the weekend off, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads west to Sonoma Raceway for its first road-course race of the season – Sunday’s Toyota / Save Mart 350.
Kyle Busch is the defending winner of the event that has had ten different drivers visit Victory Lane the last 11 years it’s been held: Kyle Busch in 2015, Carl Edwards in 2014, Martin Truex Jr. in 2013, Clint Bowyer in 2012, Kurt Busch in 2011, Jimmie Johnson in 2010, Kasey Kahne in 2009, Kyle Busch in 2008, Juan Pablo Montoya in 2007, Jeff Gordon in 2006 and Tony Stewart in 2005. Continue reading