Cup Category

By Kenny Bruce, NASCAR Wire Service Daniel Hemric has family ties to the hardwood BRISTOL, Tenn. – Many NASCAR competitors can trace their racing roots to family members, those from a generation or so removed who raced on either the local or national stage. Daniel Hemric, driver of the Richard Childress Racing No. 8 Chevrolet in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, has a different sports heritage. And it’s a fitting one to note this weekend as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four gets under way in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hemric, 28,Read More

By Kenny Bruce, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, TENN. – Forget about the superspeedways. Chase Elliott roared to his first pole of the season Friday, capturing the No. 1 starting spot for Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Elliott, driver of the No 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, toured the 0.533-mile, high-banked track with his final round run of 14.568 seconds at 131.713 mph. Prior to Friday’s effort, all four of Elliott’s previous poles had come on what had been the series’ restrictor-plate tracks – three at Daytona International SpeedwayRead More

By Jordan Bianchi, NASCAR Wire Service The speed has been present nearly every race. There is no disputing that, as Ryan Blaney has had a fast car capable of contending in all seven Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races this season. But while Blaney has had speed and led the third-most laps, that speed has not translated into winning. Instead, happenstance and miscues have contributed to what Blaney acknowledges has been a frustrating season heading into the Food City 500 on Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET on FS1,Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Darrell Waltrip is one of only four broadcasters (the others being Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Matt Yocum) that’s been with FOX NASCAR since its inception in 2001. Now after 19 seasons, the NASCAR Hall of Famer announced Thursday that he’ll hang up his headsets for the final time after the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway June 23. Over the past few days, fans and media members alike have been locked into a huge social media battle regarding their views on the three-time Cup SeriesRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor After a visit to the Lone Star State, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads back to a short track with this weekend’s stop at Bristol Motor Speedway for the running of the Food City 500. Bristol always brings out the excitement from fans and competitors alike as packing 40 cars into the half-mile high banked bullring can only be explained by the phrase “flying fighter jets in a gymnasium”, which is more accurate than it would seem. Drivers race two and sometimes three wide throughoutRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The bump and run. A move that we all know and love and one that is ubiquitous with the racing at Bristol Motor Speedway. In the mid-1990’s, Bristol was a race track with the preferred groove right around the bottom, often leaving drivers with one option to pass their opponent…you guessed it, the bump and run. Add in two titans of the half-mile bullring fighting for the victory and an instant classic is born. Entering the 1997 season, Rusty Wallace was gunning for his sixth winRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Friday was “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” for all four Stewart-Haas Racing drivers after going through the ropes with NASCAR’s latest qualifying format. Fast forward to Sunday, all four drivers delivered stellar results in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, but each had an adventurous day that became one fascinating tale to the next. Out of the four SHR drivers, Clint Bowyer stole Friday’s headlines after letting out his raw emotions about the latest system after Ryan NewmanRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Throughout the weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch has been a man on a mission, winning both the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series races, with a chance at the weekend sweep in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event. Unfortunately for Busch, late race contact with the Turn 2 wall while leading the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 would be the speed bump that would keep him from making it back to back spring race wins in the Lone Star State. TheRead More

By Lee Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FORT WORTH, Texas — A fast car can cure a lot of mistakes. Just ask Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin. The reigning Daytona 500 winner overcame a slew of penalties—some self-inflicted—to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Although the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry got down, he was never out of contention. Hamlin led three times for 45 laps en route to his third win at Texas, his second win of the season and the fourthRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent The O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 appeared to be a return to form for Jimmie Johnson. The seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion earned a top-five finish at Texas Motor Speedway, his first since last year’s Coke 600. His No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 led the way for 60 laps, more than all of the laps the Hendrick Motorsports driver led last season. When the final caution waved with 80 laps to go, Johnson, along with most of the field, pitted. He restarted fromRead More