Cup Category

By: David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Memorial Day weekend for many is a time to reflect on the sacrifices given by the servicemen and women in our nation’s military and to celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer, but for race fans, the weekend means more than just that. Memorial Day weekend means that the greatest weekend in all of motorsports is upon us, with three different styles of racing taking place in three locations all in one day. This Sunday begins with Formula 1 at Monaco, followed by the Indianapolis 500, andRead More

As a part of Charlotte race weeks, the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting committee will gather on Wednesday, May 23 to induct five new names into the shrine of the sport’s legends. This year’s class will be the 10th in the history of the Hall of Fame and all 20 of the nominees have one reason or another that they should be inducted. With 20 nominees, the voting panel has a tough task to condense this year’s class down to five, so like the voting panel will do on WednesdayRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kevin Harvick has positioned himself to make NASCAR history in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 – a victory in the iconic race would give the 42-year-old former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion his second three-race winning streak of the season. And this weekend will mark only the 13th race of the schedule. That Harvick and his veteran No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford team could accomplish such an impressive mark was never a question. And perhaps the motivation was only stoked inRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer There were a lot of unknowns about the aero-package heading into the 2018 Monster Energy All-Star Race. NASCAR implemented a taller spoiler, aero ducts, and a restrictor plate for the exhibition race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Post-race, drivers of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, including defending Champion Martin Truex, Jr., Joey Logano, and eventual race winner Kevin Harvick, called the package ‘different,’ ‘fun,’ and ‘racy.’ The race in total had 12 official lead changes, becoming just the third All-Star race to reach double-digit leadRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service CONCORD, N.C. – Kevin Harvick’s answer to NASCAR’s new competition package was the same old song—another victory in a season that already has produced a surfeit of success. This time it was Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with a restrictor-plate limiting the horsepower and a large blade on the rear of the cars providing downforce and maneuverability. Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford was still the strongest car in the field, and the driver who already has five pointsRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer CONCORD, N.C. – One position meant the difference between a million dollars and $250,000 for Daniel Suarez. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver ended the Monster Energy All-Star Race one position shy of the grand prize. It seemed like Suarez was one of several drivers who quickly adapted to the new aero package used in the All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. On the final restart, Suarez had a hard push from his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin. The No. 19 Arris ToyotaRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer All eyes were on the new aero-package as it made its race debut in Saturday’s Monster Energy Open at Charlotte Motor Speedway and it didn’t disappoint, notably the third and final stage as A.J. Allmendinger held off Chase Elliott and Erik Jones to make his first Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race since 2015. After the race, Allmendinger said his mindset was to transfer into his fourth All-Star Race, not the racing package. “Yeah, I don’t care how many cars are in the field or ifRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer CONCORD, N.C. – At the end of the Monster Energy Open, Darrell ‘Bubba’ Wallace, Jr. seemed poised to make the Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In the end, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year Contender watched his chances slip away with three laps to go in the final stage. Pit strategy prior to the final stage put Wallace in the lead. The No. 43 World Wide Technology Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 had just two fresh tires with everyone elseRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer CONCORD, N.C. – An extra element of difficulty will face Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers in next weekend’s Coca-Cola 600. After Joey Logano and other drivers adjusted to the new Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway aero package, they will have to get reacclimated to the package used in all other races at 1.5-mile tracks this year. Logano won the Monster Energy All-Star Race in 2016 but has yet to win one of NASCAR’s Crown Jewels, the Coca-Cola 600. The 27-year-old’s bestRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer  CONCORD, N.C. – One week after a miserable return to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Matt Kenseth wins the Busch Pole Award for the Monster Energy All-Star Race. In addition to Kenseth winning the pole, his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. qualified second for the exhibition event. The last time Roush Fenway Racing swept the front row in any qualifying format was at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2013. Kenseth’s Roush Fenway Racing team used a unique pit strategy in the wide openRead More