Jimmie Johnson Triumphs at Charlotte as Five Chase Drivers Fall on Hard Times

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After Sunday’s victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Jimmie Johnson can proclaim justifiably ‘The Boys are Back in Town.’

But for five other Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, all of whom finished 30th or worse in the rain-delayed Bank of America 500, the race ended in a medley of dire straits.

Taking the lead from Matt Kenseth after a restart on lap 317 of 334, Johnson pulled away to win by 1.474 seconds over the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Johnson put his No. 48 Chevrolet in Victory Lane for the third time this season, the eighth time at Charlotte – the third since the repaving of the track in March 2006 – and the 78th time in his career. Continue reading

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams are preparing for racing 501 miles over 334 laps in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday October 9th. NBC coverage begins at noon ET with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

What to Watch For: Martin Truex Jr. tries to defend his spring Charlotte victory. He has won three of the last five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races and led the most laps in the two he didn’t win.

Joey Logano attempts to repeat as the Charlotte fall winner.

Jimmie Johnson looks to add to his track-record seven wins. Continue reading

Kevin Harvick Edges Alex Bowman for Charlotte pole

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 06: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Hunting Chevrolet, poses with a trophy after winning the pole position during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 6, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

CHARLOTTE, NC – OCTOBER 06: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Hunting Chevrolet, poses with a trophy after winning the pole position during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 6, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Kevin Harvick may have won the pole for Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (7 pm ET on NBC), but Alex Bowman continued to open eyes as a substitute driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Touring the 1.5-mile speedway in 27.547 seconds (196.029 mph), Harvick knocked Bowman (196.000 mph) off the pole by a scant 0.004 seconds in the final round of Thursday evening’s knockout qualifying.

The pole was Harvick’s first at Charlotte, his first of the 2016 season and the 16th of his career. Continue reading

Harvick Gets Stress-Relieving Chase Victory at New Hampshire

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Remember last week, when Kevin Harvick was trapped a lap down at Chicagoland Speedway, finished 20th and fell out of the top-12 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings?

Remember last year, when Harvick crashed at Chicagoland and ran out of fuel while leading at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and had to win at Dover to advance in the Chase?

That’s all moot, now that Harvick redeemed himself with a victory in Sunday’s Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire, the second race in the Chase. Continue reading

Carl Edwards Wins Pole at New Hampshire, his Sixth this season

LOUDON, NH - SEPTEMBER 23:  Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Comcast Business Toyota, poses with the Coors Light Pole board after qualifying for the pole position for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 23, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire.   Photo by Chris Trotman/NASCAR via Getty Images

LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 23: Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Comcast Business Toyota, poses with the Coors Light Pole board after qualifying for the pole position for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bad Boy Off Road 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 23, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire.
Photo by Chris Trotman/NASCAR via Getty Images

Carl Edwards never had the reputation as a spectacular qualifier – until this year.

On Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Edwards ran 135.453 mph (28.119 seconds) in the money round of knockout qualifying to earn the top start spot in Sunday’s Bad Boy Off Road 300 (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN), the second race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Continue reading