Martin Truex Jr. Expects Business as Usual in Approach to Sunday’s Race


Crew members push the No. 78 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota, driven by Martin Truex Jr., out to qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway on Friday. 
Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Martin Truex Jr. has two paths to the Championship 4.

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Joey Logano: A Win without Benefits is Still a Win

Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, stands on the grid during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 6, 2017 in Talladega, Alabama. Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Four days after Joey Logano took the checkered flag at Richmond International Raceway, his victory at the 0.75-mile short track lost much of its luster.

Disappointed by a penalty that took away the primary benefits of winning the race, Logano nevertheless was forthright in confronting the situation head-on when he talked to reporters on Friday morning at Talladega Superspeedway. Continue reading

Edwards’ Championship Dreams End Following Restart Wreck

HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 20:  Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 ARRIS Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida.  Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images

HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 20: Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 ARRIS Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images

In his rear-view mirror, Carl Edwards saw his shot at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship dissolving.

On a restart with ten laps to go in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with the title on the line, Joey Logano shot deep to the inside in an attempt to pass Edwards for the lead among the championship contenders. Edwards reacted quickly and decisively, turning his car to the left in an attempt to block Logano.

Logano didn’t lift, and chaos ensued. Continue reading

Johnson, Knaus Can Cement Names atop NASCAR Record Books

Photo - Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Jimmie Johnson has been there before – more than any other driver in the past two decades.

But this trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway for Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at 2:30 pm ET is different. In the first place, Johnson has his first opportunity to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship under the 16-driver elimination format introduced by the sanctioning body in 2014.

Beyond that, in what is the transcendent story of this year’s Chase, Johnson has a chance to win a seventh series title, one that would tie him for the all-time lead with NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Continue reading

Crew Chief Testifies to Logano’s Prowess

Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, places the winner’s decal on his car in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 13, 2016 in Avondale, Arizona. Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images

If you want evidence that Joey Logano is a special athlete, just ask his crew chief.

Todd Gordon continues to be impressed with Logano’s ability to deal with intense pressure.

True enough, Logano won Sunday’s Can-Am 500 elimination race at Phoenix International Raceway to advance to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And before he took the checkered flag, he kept Kevin Harvick behind him in a race for third place that could have been decisive, had a late caution not given Logano the opportunity to win. Continue reading