After Daytona Disappointment, Elliott Still Waiting for his Day to Come

Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 NAPA Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 4, 2017 in Hampton, Georgia.
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Chase Elliott had seen that movie before.

Having qualified for the playoff as a Sunoco rookie last year, Elliott was leading the first postseason race at Chicagoland Speedway when Michael McDowell’s spin in turn four brought out the fourth and final caution on lap 263 of a scheduled 267.

Elliott lost the lead on pit road and lost the race in overtime to Martin Truex Jr. Continue reading

Truex Triumphs in Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Opener at Chicagoland

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You could see it coming from a mile-and-a-half away.

On new tires, Martin Truex Jr. rocketed around the outside lane after a restart in overtime at Chicagoland Speedway and pulled away to win Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400, the opening race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

With the victory—his first at the 1.5-mile track, his third of the season and the sixth of his career—Truex also rocketed into the Chase’s Round of 12. But Truex wasn’t satisfied with a ticket into the next round and the prospect of racing stress-free at New Hampshire and Dover, the final two Round of 16 events. Continue reading

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will race 400.5 miles over 267 laps in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 on Sunday, September 18th at Chicagoland Speedway. Television coverage begins at 2 pm ET on NBC Sports Network with a green flag around 2:30 pm ET. Radio coverage is on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Cowabunga!

The Chase Kicks Off At Chicagoland With Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400

The field is set and the drivers are ready to compete in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which kicks off with Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Continue reading

Kyle Larson Captures Emotional First Victory at Michigan

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In the last few laps of Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway, tears began to well up in Kyle Larson’s eyes.

When Larson subsequently took the checkered flag to win the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of his career, the emotion was all but overwhelming—and for good reason.

The victory came in Larson’s 99th start in the series, long after most observers expected Larson to record his first win. It also broke a 99-race drought for Chip Ganassi Racing, dating to Jamie McMurray’s victory at Talladega in October 2013. Continue reading

McDowell Gets First NASCAR Win at Road America

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Michael McDowell’s Twitter handle is @Mc_Driver.

After Saturday, he may want to consider changing it — to something like @Mc_Winner. 

McDowell led 24 of the final 25 laps of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville for his first victory in 94 series races.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular finished .534 seconds ahead of his Richard Childress Racing teammate Brendan Gaughan after two late restarts, including a green-while-checkered that pushed the race to 48 laps from its scheduled 45.
Continue reading