Tag Archives: Matt Kenseth

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 →

Carl Edwards Expects JGR Cars to Close the Gap on Martin Truex Jr.

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Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Carl Edwards and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates have high expectations in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – if only they can catch a certain “rabbit.”

The hare in question is Martin Truex Jr., who drives the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota, which maintains a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, and like JGR, gets its engines from Toyota Racing Development (TRD).

Truex won two of the three races in the Chase’s Round of 16 and, appropriately, has earned the designation as favorite for this year’s championship. Even though Truex finished 7.527 seconds ahead of JGR’s Kyle Busch last Sunday at Dover, Edwards says the JGR cars aren’t far behind. Continue reading →

Kevin Harvick Edges Alex Bowman for Charlotte pole

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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 →

Martin Truex Jr. Makes Statement in Dover Elimination Race

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It was a Martin Truex Jr. blowout, a Jamie McMurray blow-up and a Jimmie Johnson…

“We blew it again.”

Truex cruised to a decisive victory in Sunday’s Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway, a race that pared the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field from 16 drivers to 12.

Winning for a fourth time this season, a second time at Dover and the seventh time in his career, Truex was without peer after a pit road snafu on lap 279 of 400 knocked Johnson off the lead lap and out of contention for the win. Continue reading →