Dale Earnhardt Jr., the driver of the #88 AXALTA Chevrolet, signs autographs for fans during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tales of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 16, 2017, in Joliet, Illinois. Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
There’s no debating that the highest level of NASCAR racing is witnessing a changing of the guard. Continue reading
Kyle Busch, the driver of the #18 M&M’s Caramel Toyota, prepares to drive during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series I Love NY 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 5, 2017, in Watkins Glen, New York. Photo – Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Kyle Busch won last Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono to reduce his magic number to one, in terms of active Cup tracks where he hasn’t yet recorded a victory.
All that’s left for Busch is to win a points-paying event at Charlotte, where he has already won the non-points All-Star Race. Continue reading
In semi-darkness, as the sun set behind the front-stretch grandstand at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kasey Kahne did all he could to dispel the shadow overhanging his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season and his racing career.
With a phenomenal restart in the second overtime of Sunday’s Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400, Kahne cleared race leader Brad Keselowski through the first two corners and crossed the overtime line on the backstretch before NASCAR called the record 14th caution of the race. Continue reading
Matt Kenseth, the driver of the #20 Circle K Toyota, looks on during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 7, 2017, in Sparta, Kentucky. Photo – Sarah Crabill/Getty Images
With only eight races left until the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin, some teams are starting to feel more pressure of the playoff bubble that is about to burst.
Since NASCAR changed to a 16-team playoff format in 2013, the highest number of drivers to qualify by winning is 13 with the same number of winners in 2016. There’s been excitement and anticipation of possibly breaking that record this year with 11 different winners in 18 races so far, and although the possibility still exists, it’s becoming more doubtful. Continue reading
The major story of Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola – Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final run at his beloved Daytona International Speedway in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – turned out to be a footnote to Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s masterful victory in a war of attrition that produced a race-record 14 cautions.
The driver of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, who got his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in his 158th career start two months ago at Talladega, established himself as a restrictor-plate wizard with his second straight superspeedway win, this one after three laps of overtime. Continue reading