Cole Pearn: No Points, No Problem in Straight-Up Championship Race

Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Crew chief Cole Pearn spent the first 35 races of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season watching driver Martin Truex Jr. amass a bevy of insurance through playoff and stage points with his series-high seven victories. Continue reading

Pressure Builds as Playoff Round of 16 Concludes Sunday at Dover

Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

As the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series travels to the Dover International Speedway for Sunday’s running of the Apache Warrior 400, several teams are feeling intense pressure to advance into the next round of the playoffs. Following the first two playoff races at Chicagoland and New Hampshire, only 12 drivers will advance to the next round following playoff race number three at Dover this Sunday, meaning four teams are in jeopardy of eliminationĀ from playoff contention. Continue reading

Harvick Sweeps Sonoma Weekend with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Win

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Kevin Harvick won Saturday afternoonā€™s NASCAR K&N Pro Series West event at Sonoma Raceway. That was like taking candy from babies.

But Harvick mixed it up with the big boys in Sundayā€™s Toyota/Save Mart 350, and the outcome was the same. Continue reading

Kevin Harvick: New Race Formats will Impact Strategy

Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s Ford, stands on the grid during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Chris Graythen/Getty Images

If thereā€™s a consensus among NASCAR drivers, itā€™s that dividing races into stages, with points available at the end of each stage, will further tax the cunning of their crew chiefs. Continue reading

Struggling Pit Crew Keeps Kevin Harvick from Victory Lane at Darlington Raceway

Photo - Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Kevin Harvick had to be gutted as he watched Martin Truex Jr. pull away in the closing laps in Sunday nightā€™s Bojanglesā€™ Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway to win his second race of the season.

But, it wasnā€™t an ill-handling car or contact with the ā€œLady in Blackā€ that kept the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) champion from his third win of the season, it was a growing evolution of slow pit stops from the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team that cost Harvick 17 positions overall during the course of 367-laps at the track dubbed ā€œToo Tough To Tame.ā€ Continue reading