All posts by David Morgan

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor We may only be six weeks into the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, but it’s never too early to start looking ahead to what is in store for next season. With that in mind, the sanctioning body released the 2019 Cup Series schedule on Tuesday, allowing fans and participants of all sorts ample time to get their planning done for the year. The 2019 schedule looks virtually identical to this year’s schedule, with the season kicking off with the Daytona 500 on FebruaryRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor With the first six races of the season complete and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series reaching their first weekend break, we’ll take this opportunity to evaluate the season to this point and the storylines that have come to the forefront over the first month and a half. Stewart-Haas Racing Has Come to Play in 2018 If there’s one thing we’ve learned above all else this season, it’s that Stewart-Haas Racing is not messing around when it comes to their performance in the Cup Series.Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor When it comes to certain tracks in AJ Allmendinger’s wheelhouse, everyone knows he is a force to be reckoned with at the road courses, but there are also some other tracks that the JTG-Daugherty Racing driver has shown speed at. One of those is Martinsville Speedway and Allmendinger displayed exactly why, driving from deep in the pack to score an eighth-place finish in Monday’s STP 500, marking top-10 finishes in four of his last five starts at the track. With qualifying snowed out, Allmendinger wouldRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor For the second day in a row at Martinsville Speedway, Mother Nature got the upper hand, postponing all Sunday track activity to Monday due to snow. The wintry weather that set in around the half-mile track on Saturday never let up throughout the night, dropping several inches of snow, and forcing NASCAR’s hand as dawn broke on Sunday morning. NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, Steve O’Donnell would tweet the news out, noting the need to dedicate local resources toward any issuesRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor In his 29 previous starts at Martinsville, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had come so close, so many times on capturing that elusive grandfather clock trophy. But in the 2014 Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500, the stars aligned for NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, as he finally scored a win on the half-mile bullring that is Martinsville Speedway. Starting 23rd, Earnhardt first made his way to the lead on lap 192 for a 13 lap stint before being overtaken Matt Kenseth for one lap and then returned toRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After completing a trip out to the West Coast, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads back east this weekend and straight to the first short track race of the season, with Sunday’s running of the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway. A mainstay on the schedule since 1949, the historic half-mile, which is also the smallest on the circuit, will test both man and machine over 500 grueling laps. The track has basically one groove, meaning the only way to pass will be the moveRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Heading into Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway, Kevin Harvick had the hot hand, having won the three of the first four races on the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule, but for the California native, making it four wins in a row was not to be after an early race incident sunk his chances of winning. After starting 10th, Harvick quickly began marching his way toward the front of the field, entering into a thrilling side-by-side battle with Kyle Larson, butRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor While the race win in Saturday’s Roseanne 300 at Auto Club Speedway went to a Cup Series driver for the fourth time this season, the NASCAR Xfinity Series regulars were well represented in the top-five as JR Motorsports drivers Justin Allgaier and Elliott Sadler brought home finishes of second and third, respectively. After winning the championship last season, JR Motorsports has been leading the way through the early part of the 2018 season and Saturday’s race was just another example of their position as theRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor For the second week in a row, Martin Truex, Jr. will lead the field to green after powering his way to the pole during Friday’s qualifying session for the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. With a lap of 38.592 seconds, 186.567 mph, Truex was the only driver in the final round of qualifying to put up a faster lap than the round before, paving his way toward his 17th career pole and his first at the two-mile California track. “It’s definitely pretty cool,Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Over the past year and a half, there has been no one better on the two-mile ovals than Kyle Larson and heading into this weekend’s race at Auto Club Speedway, the California native looks to keep his winning streak going. Starting with the August 2016 race at Michigan, Larson and his No. 42 team have been unstoppable, winning the last four races on tracks two miles in length, including a win in last year’s Auto Club 400 and a sweep of both Michigan races inRead More