NASCAR Phoenix International Raceway

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Hall of Famer Tony La Russa Sees Parallels between Baseball and Racing

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Honorary No. 22 Pit Crew Member – Tony LaRussa with driver Joey Logano at Phoenix International Raceway. Photo – Joey Logano Facebook page

There was a decided bounce in the step of 72-year-old Tony La Russa as he walked from the drivers’ meeting to the No. 22 Team Penske transporter parked in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage at Phoenix International Raceway.

The baseball Hall of Famer was in uniform, but not the sort of uniform you’d expect. On this Sunday, two weeks before opening day for Major League Baseball, the three-time World Series champion manager was decked out in the bright Shell/Pennzoil colors of Team Penske driver Joey Logano. Continue reading →

Kyle Busch: Parity in NASCAR Racing is a Good Thing

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Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, stands in the garage during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on April 1, 2017 in Martinsville, Virginia. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

Joe Gibbs Racing, which dominated the first half of the 2016 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, is winless in five races to start the current season.

So is Hendrick Motorsports, the juggernaut that carried Jimmie Johnson to his record-tying seventh championship last year. Continue reading →

Larson Attempts to Extend Points Lead at Auto Club, Notch First Win

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Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Camping World 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 18, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Kyle Larson achieved a couple of “firsts” when he notched his third straight runner-up in last weekend’s race at Phoenix. He became the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity alum to top the points standings, as well as the first Chip Ganassi Racing driver to lead the standings this late in the season since 2002.

On Sunday, he’ll attempt to notch his first win of the season in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California at 3:30 pm ET on FOX – the third and final stop of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ “NASCAR Goes West.” Continue reading →

Allgaier Goes for Second Straight Win after Ending Drought

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Justin Allgaier, driver of the #7 BRANDT Chevrolet, poses with the winners sticker in victory lane after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series DC Solar 200 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 18, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona.
Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Justin Allgaier ended an 80-race winless drought by visiting Victory Lane in last Saturday’s DC Solar 200 at Phoenix.

It was his first checkered flag in the NASCAR XFINITY Series since Aug. 18, 2012 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Continue reading →