Cup Category

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Editor’s note: Motorsports Tribune will be previewing the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season for the full-time drivers in the series leading into February’s running of the Daytona 500. Age: 22 Years in Cup: Rookie Career Wins: One Xfinity Series win, Six Truck Series wins Since 2013, John Hunter Nemechek has been a constant presence in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series, piloting his family’s No. 8 entry to six wins before catching the eye of owners in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where heRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Just 10 days removed from championship-winning crew chief Cole Pearn exiting both Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR, the team announced Thursday that Australian James Small will be calling the shots for Martin Truex, Jr.’s No. 19 team. The 36-year-old has been Truex’s lead engineer the past two seasons at both JGR and the now-defunct Furniture Row Racing. Their collaboration proved to be a massive success this past season as Truex won seven races and finished runner-up in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. Small said it’s anRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Longtime motorsports owner, Felix Sabates, will be calling it a career with the end of the 2019 season and riding off into the sunset, Chip Ganassi Racing announced on Thursday. The 74-year old first entered the NASCAR ownership landscape with the founding of SABCO Racing in 1989, winning seven races with Kyle Petty and Joe Nemechek before joining forces with Chip Ganassi in 2001, when Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates was born. Fielding cars in NASCAR’s top two divisions, the duo won 43 racesRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Front Row Motorsports announced Thursday its 2020 NASCAR Cup Series lineup as they’ll once again become a two-car stable with drivers Michael McDowell and John Hunter Nemechek driving the Bob Jenkins owned Ford Mustangs. Nemechek became the fifth driver that’ll compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in the sport’s highest level. Christopher Bell, Cole Custer, Brennan Poole and Tyler Reddick are the other four fighting for the award. The 22-year-old will replace the recently retired David Ragan in the No. 38 Ford after impressingRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor When the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season begins, the No. 19 team at Joe Gibbs Racing will have a new leader atop the pit box after crew chief Cole Pearn announced Monday he will be stepping down and leaving NASCAR to pursue opportunities outside the sport. In the team release detailing Pearn’s departure, he cited a familiar theme of wanting to spend more time with his family away from the grueling NASCAR schedule as one of the main reasons for his decision. “This was anRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The structure is new, and the level of commitment is elevated, but the four companies announced Thursday as Premier Partners for the NASCAR Cup Series are hardly new to the sport. Busch Beer, Coca-Cola, GEICO and Xfinity already enjoy significant roles in NASCAR, but the presence of those four companies will expand as part of a paradigm shift in sponsorship structure in 2020. NASCAR’s premier division will be named the NASCAR Cup Series, with the four cornerstone brands announced Wednesday as PremierRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer After several weeks of speculation, Go Fas Racing finally announced Tuesday that Corey LaJoie will stay in the No. 32 Ford Mustang next season. Sponsors and partnerships such as Schluter Systems, Keen  Parts, Superior Logistics, and Drydene Performance Products will be back in the car with new partners on their way as well. Retaining the ride meant LaJoie will be a part of the tremendous technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and hopes it can translate to even better results. “I’m really happy that we were able toRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Quin Houff will replace veteran Landon Cassill in the No. 00 StarCom Racing Chevrolet full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team announced Wednesday that Houff’s deal is two years, but still has a commitment to Cassill which they’ll intended to honor with further details at a later date. Cassill scored two top-15 finishes this season with an 11th in the Daytona 500 and 14th in the fall Talladega race, both results being the team’s best to date. Despite this, SCR Team Manager Derrike Cope saidRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The clock was running down for Jimmie Johnson. He knew he had to make a decision on how much longer he wanted to race full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, but as the 2019 season progressed, he didn’t have a strong feeling one way or the other. Then about three weeks ago, it hit him like a bolt of lightning that next season would be his final season driving the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. After giving team owner Rick Hendrick the newsRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Seven championships, 83 wins, and a shoe-in for a place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Jimmie Johnson has established himself as one of the greatest to ever drive in the NASCAR Cup Series and next season will be his last behind the wheel. On Wednesday, the 44-year old from El Cajon, California took to social media to announce he’ll be making one last push to win his elusive eighth championship before riding off into the sunset at the end of the 2020 season. #Chasing8Read More