All posts by David Morgan

By David Morgan, Associate Editor MADISON, Ill. – Josef Newgarden will be leaving World Wide Technology Raceway with an increased point lead, but for the Team Penske driver, a late race incident with rookie Santino Ferrucci only managed to turn what should have been a positive night into a frustrating one. As pit strategy turned the points race on its head and looked to give Newgarden a sizeable points advantage over then second place championship contender Alexander Rossi with two races remaining on the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series schedule, theRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor MADISON, Ill. – Josef Newgarden’s hot streak entering the weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway keeps on rolling as the championship points leader in the NTT IndyCar Series will start from pole for Saturday night’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500. Rolling off last in the qualifying order, Newgarden laid down a two-lap average of 186.508 mph, knocking Sebastien Bourdais off the provisional pole and taking it for himself. The pole is his second straight and third of the 2019 season. Newgarden is no stranger to successRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor MADISON, Ill. – Josef Newgarden enters Saturday night’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway as the NTT IndyCar Series points leader, but the Team Penske hotshoe isn’t taking anything for granted with three races left in the 2019 season. “I hope they’re all three good,” Newgarden said after Friday’s first practice session of the weekend. “They need to be. If we’re just good here, so-so everywhere else, I think it’s going to be tough, especially with double points at Laguna. Can’t justRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor BRISTOL, Tenn. – Matt DiBenedetto was 12 laps away from a lifelong dream being realized as he held the lead in Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Unfortunately for the driver of the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota, that dream would not come true as Denny Hamlin passed him on lap 489, leaving DiBenedetto to watch Hamlin’s car pull away through his windshield en route to the victory. A dejected DiBenedetto fought back tears on pit road afterRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor BRISTOL, Tenn. – Earlier this week, Matt DiBenedetto finally got the news he had been dreading. Despite being in the midst of a career year, he would not be returning to the driver’s seat of the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota next season. The Grass Valley, California native classified the news as “devastating” when it was released, but after some time to process what had happened, the always optimistic DiBenedetto did his best to keep a smile on his face despite the uncertainty thatRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor BRISTOL, Tenn. – Clint Bowyer heads into Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway clinging onto the last place in the Playoffs for dear life with just three races left in the regular season. After finishes of 20th or worse in three of the last four events, any misstep by the driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford could spell doom for his hopes of making it into the postseason with a chance to contend for the championship. “SnakebitRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor BRISTOL, Tenn. – A day after the NASCAR world held its breath as word of Dale Earnhardt, Jr’s plane crash spread like wildfire, Justin Allgaier was well on his way to bringing some good news to his team owner courtesy of a win in Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. However, it was not to be as a cut tire struck Allgaier’s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the closing laps, forcing him to pit road and having to settle forRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor BRISTOL, Tenn. – Under bright blue skies in East Tennessee, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series got its first look at Bristol Motor Speedway ahead of Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. After what was a mostly one groove race in Thursday night’s Truck Series race at the track, it was much of the same in first practice on Friday. Erik Jones, who led both Xfinity Series practices on Thursday, was once again at the top of the board in the first ofRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Thunder Valley this weekend for the annual Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, a showdown under the lights on the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” that is sure to leave sheet metal twisted and tempers flaring once these drivers get done battling for 500 laps. Racing at Bristol is always intense, but when the lights go down for the night race each August, the intensity gets cranked to 11. The aggressiveness thatRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor BRISTOL, Tenn. – Ross Chastain noted he and his team were going to “Press the Attack” in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs and starting with Thursday night’s UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway, the driver of the No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet held true to his word. Chastain started the night on the outside pole, leading the majority of the first stage and taking the stage win. It was much of the same in the second stage, with Chastain and eventual race winnerRead More