Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 5-hour ENERGY/Bass Pro DShops Toyota, talks to the media following qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 23, 2018, in Sonoma, California. Photo – Chris Graythen/Getty Images
When Kurt Busch won the Toyota/Save mart 350 in 2011, he did so by conserving fuel and finishing the race with two pit stops, one less than the other drivers he was racing for the win. Continue reading
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
Denny Hamlin, the driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, signs autographs for fans during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 22, 2018, in Sonoma, California. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images
Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota hasn’t had the speed this season to match the Stewart-Haas Racing Fords, but Hamlin expects that to change as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season winds toward the Playoffs.
It’s not that Hamlin hasn’t been consistently fast this year. After all, he has six top-five finishes in 15 races and currently is eighth in the series standings. But Hamlin hasn’t had the race-winning speed to match the Stewart-Haas cars – or teammate Kyle Busch, for that matter.
“I think, at worst any weekend, we’ve been an eighth-place car and at best, we’ve been a second-or-third-place car,” said Hamlin, who was second fastest to Stewart-Haas driver Kurt Busch in Friday’s final practice at Sonoma Raceway. “Certainly, the results I don’t think show the speed we actually do have.
“I’m pretty confident the second half of the year we’re going to be pretty strong. I feel like we’ve really made gains over the last month or so. I’d like to get inside the top-five in points before the end of the regular season and win a couple races – that’s a goal that we have that is achievable in the next ten weeks or so.”
Clint Bowyer, the driver of the #14 Haas 30 Years of the VF1 Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 10, 2018, in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Photo – Daniel Shirey/Getty Images
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series went to the Irish Hills of Michigan Sunday to race at Michigan International Speedway. As NASCAR’s fastest track on the circuit, cars can enter the corners at nearly 220 miles per hour and slow down to 180 to make it through the corner and this can lead to some exciting racing. The track requires that drivers have perfect timing between braking and getting back on the throttle. Continue reading
Clint Bowyer, the driver of the #14 Haas 30 Years of the VF1 Ford, celebrates with the trophy after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 10, 2018, in Brooklyn, Michigan. Photo – Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
BROOKLYN, Mich. – Clint Bowyer gambled.
Then he made sure he cashed the winning ticket with a determined charge on two new tires as rain threatened Michigan International Speedway. Continue reading