Cup Category

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service KANSAS CITY, Kan. – As Denny Hamlin was finishing off a dominating day in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, Chase Elliott stole perhaps an even bigger prize—a spot in the Round of 8 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Hamlin, who led 153 of 277 laps, crossed the finish line .128 seconds ahead of Elliott in a second overtime to secure his fifth victory of the season, his second at Kansas Speedway and the 36th of his career. But theRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Daniel Hemric may be out of the Playoffs and out of his ride at Richard Childress racing next year, but that didn’t stop the driver of the No. 8 RCR Chevrolet from winning the pole position for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). In Saturday’s time trials for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 elimination race, Hemric covered the 1.5-mile distance in 30.329 seconds (178.047 mph) to earn the topRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Clint Bowyer won’t be going anywhere as Stewart-Haas Racing announced Thursday that he’ll be back in the No. 14 Ford Mustang for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. The 10-time Cup Series winner said he’s proud to have a deal put together that’ll keep him around for his upcoming 15th season and fourth at SHR. “I’m proud to be back with Stewart-Haas Racing next year and very happy to announce it the week leading into my home race,” Bowyer said. “This is a team filled withRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer JTG Daugherty Racing announced Wednesday that two-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winner Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will be joining the No. 37 Chevrolet team in 2020 as a part of a multi-year deal. Stenhouse will be replacing Chris Buescher, who will be driving Stenhouse’s No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang, the only full-time team he’s ever raced in his tenured NASCAR career. Team owner Tad Geschickter said he’s looking forward to have a veteran driver like Stenhouse and is expecting both he and Ryan PreeceRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Moments after his No. 62 Beard Oil Motorsports Chevrolet went flying through the air at the end of the backstretch in the waning laps at Talladega, Brendan Gaughan emerged from the Infield Care Center with his signature sense of humor and explained the crash as only he could. “Stuck the landing,” Gaughan joked. “The Russian judge docked me a little bit. I didn’t keep it straight” Running in one of the only four races he runs each year, Gaughan had placed himself in position toRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Alex Bowman found himself on an island as he was the lone Chevrolet in the lead with an onslaught of Fords behind him heading down the backstretch on lap 106. With Joey Logano leading the Blue Oval brigade and closing in on the Hendrick Motorsports entry in a hurry, Bowman moved down the track to try and halt the momentum of Logano and the others, but the closing rate was too much to overcome. As soon as Logano made contact with Bowman’s rear bumper, itRead More

By Holly Cain,NASCAR Wire Service It was a dramatic day for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers in Monday’s rain-delayed 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway – with all 12 championship-eligible drivers involved in some way in an assortment of wrecks, including three versions of the track’s famous “Big One.” The race ultimately came down to a photo finish between a pair of Ryans. Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney beat Roush-Fenway Racing veteran Ryan Newman to the finish line by a foot – .007-seconds – to take the victoryRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service TALLADEGA, Ala. – Two factors threw the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs into chaos on Monday afternoon—Talladega and Ryan Blaney. By .007 seconds—the sixth closest finish in series history—Blaney edged Ryan Newman to win Monday’s rain-delayed 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, which took a big bite out of most other Playoff contenders and set up a scramble for the six remaining spots in the Round of 8 next Sunday at Kansas Speedway. With his first victory of the season, his first at TalladegaRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service TALLADEGA, Ala. – In a helter-skelter finish at the end of Lap 55, William Byron held the lead to win Stage 1 of Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway to advance his cause in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The winner of Stage 2 and the race, however, won’t be decided until Monday. Rain arrived during the first stage break and sent fans in the frontstretch grandstands scurrying for cover. A subsequent break in the rain wasn’t long enough to dry theRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service TALLADEGA, Ala. – Led by pole winner Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports reasserted its domination of superspeedway qualifying on Saturday at Talladega. The winner at Talladega in April, Elliott toured the 2.66-mile track in 46.692 seconds (192.707 mph) to win his second Busch Pole Award at Talladega, his fourth of the season and the eighth of his career. Hendrick Motorsports swept the top four starting spots for Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Alex Bowman qualified second atRead More