All posts by Motorsports Tribune

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – William Byron’s bitter disappointment proved a boon for two of his Kyle Busch Motorsports teammates in Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. When the engine in Byron’s No. 9 Toyota expired on Lap 141 of 150 – ending the championship run for the series’ most prolific winner this year – Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Daniel Suarez took over the race lead and went on to score the first NCWTS victory of hisRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – Saving his best effort for the final round of Friday’s knockout qualifying session at Phoenix International Raceway, substitute driver Alex Bowman won the pole for Sunday’s Can-Am 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC), the race that will determine the Championship 4 drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Filling in behind the wheel of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bowman covered the one-mile distance in 25.619 seconds (140.521 mph) to win the first CoorsRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – Though he’s last in the Chase standings, 34 points below the current cut line with one race left in the Round of 8, Kurt Busch already has had plenty of reason to celebrate this month. After all, his beloved Chicago Cubs rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series and break a 108-year championship drought. Likewise, Busch will have to rally from two lackluster races in the Chase’s Round of 8. Barring an extraordinary set of circumstances, he’ll haveRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – Six drivers vying for two spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship 4 Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway just might be a recipe for bad blood – particularly since three of the six drive for the same organization. “There’s an opportunity for two or three of us to be disappointed – or one of us,” says Denny Hamlin, who is battling his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, along with Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and KurtRead More

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton continued to set the pace at Interlagos, though he was pressed hard in second practice ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix by weekend title hopeful Nico Rosberg. Rosberg, who is bidding to take an unassailable championship lead over Hamilton in Brazil, finished the opening practice session at the Sao Paulo circuit just over two tenths of a second behind the defending champion. In the afternoon performance runs, however, the title leading German closed the gap on his British rival to just three hundredths of a second. BehindRead More

Lewis Hamilton went quickest in opening practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix, outpacing Red Bull Racing rival Max Verstappen by less than one tenth of a second. Third place went to Nico Rosberg, who could this weekend wrap up the Drivers’ Championship title if he outscores Hamilton by seven points. All three set their fastest times on the soft compound Pirelli, with Hamilton rising to the top with a lap of 1:11.895, 0.096 ahead of Verstappen. Rosberg finished the session 0.230s adrift of title rival Hamilton, with Daniel Ricciardo aRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FORT WORTH, Tex. – Back from the dead. With a Lazarus act that was delayed and then shortened by rain, Carl Edwards revived his moribund championship hopes the only way he could—with a victory in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Last in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings after a hard crash and a 36th-place finish last week at Martinsville, Edwards took the lead under caution on Lap 257 when his crew dashed off an 11-second pit stop. EdwardsRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FORT WORTH, Tex. – Grabbing the lead after a restart on Lap 171 of 200, Kyle Larson moved to the top of the track just in time to hold off polesitter Brad Keselowski for the victory in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway. In a race that saw Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez open some breathing room in the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase with respective fourth- and fifth-place finishes, Larson got a push from sixth-place finisherRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FORT WORTH, Tex. – You might say Johnny Sauter is on a roll. Then again, that might be an understatement. Passing Matt Crafton near the start/finish line with two laps left in Friday night’s Striping Technology 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, Sauter pulled away to win his second straight race in the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase. In the process, he deprived Crafton of a chance to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 finale, setRead More

Lewis Hamilton scored a textbook victory at the Mexican Grand Prix ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg, as Max Verstappen was ruled out of third position after a titanic battle with Sebastian Vettel saw the Dutchman penalized for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Vettel finished third ahead of Daniel Ricciardo with Verstappen demoted to fifth place. At the race start Hamilton got away in the lead, despite a slightly slow getaway.  Directly behind Verstappen made a good start and pulled alongside Rosberg as the pair entered the first corner.Read More