Photo – Matt DiBenedetto Racing
No, Matt DiBenedetto’s No. 83 BK Racing Toyota isn’t about to pull you over.
But the police-oriented paint scheme is no accident. DiBenedetto’s “Back the Blue” Toyota honors the Dallas Police Officers who lost their lives in a July 7 attack by a lone gunman and simultaneously embodies a fund-raising effort through the Assist the Officer Foundation. Continue reading
Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 Realtree/Bad Boy Chevrolet, poses with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying for the pole position during Salute to Veterans Qualifying Fueled by Texas Lottery for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 4, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Just because Austin Dillon is no longer in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, that doesn’t mean the driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet has forgotten how to go fast.
Dillon sped around 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway in 28.081 seconds (192.301 mph) in the final round of Friday’s knockout qualifying session to earn the pole for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at 2 pm ET on NBC, the second race in the Chase’s Round of 8. Continue reading
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 4, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo – Sarah Crabill/Getty Images
The suddenness of the accident took Kyle Busch by surprise.
And an hour later, with work complete on a backup car, the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team was still feeling the aftershock.
Busch hadn’t completed a lap in opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice when his Toyota chattered over the bumps in turn three at Texas Motor Speedway and smacked the outside wall. Continue reading
Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Sport Clips Toyota, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 4, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo – Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Count on Carl Edwards to find the silver lining in last Sunday’s hard crash at Martinsville.
The wreck left Edwards last in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, 32 points behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate in fourth place.
Realistically, Edwards must win either on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway or the following week at Phoenix to preserve a shot at the Sprint Cup championship. But Edwards found a source of optimism—namely the two tracks that chose out the Chase’s Round of 8. Continue reading
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota, looks on prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 30, 2016 in Martinsville, Virginia. Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images
No driver has swept a track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season.
Kyle Busch will attempt to become the first as he continues his championship defense in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway at 2 pm ET on NBC. Busch enters the race off a fifth-place finish in the Round of 8 opener at Martinsville last Sunday and is four points ahead of Joey Logano for the final advancement spot to the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He visited Victory Lane in the April Texas race by speeding away from the field on a restart with 33 laps left to break Jimmie Johnson’s three-race wins streak at the 1.5-mile track. A win on Sunday would mean an automatic berth in the Championship 4, and a chance for a repeat championship. Continue reading