Cup Category

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Have the Can-Am Duels at Daytona outlived their usefulness? The evidence certainly seems to point that way. Since the outset of the Daytona 500, qualifying for the biggest race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season has been a mix of single car qualifying for the front row and qualifying races to set the remainder of the field. In seasons past, with more cars entered than the field allowed, the two qualifying races held the Thursday before the 500 have been full of dramaRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ryan Blaney held off Team Penske teammate Joey Logano to win Thursday night’s first 150-mile qualifying race in the Can-Am Duel at Daytona International Speedway, but the story of the race was the list of prominent cars that did not survive until the checkered flag. In the second Duel, Chase Elliott grabbed the lead on Lap 27 of 60 and held it the rest of the way, beating Kevin Harvick to the finish line by .081 seconds. Erik Jones survived anRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Restrictor plate racing requires teamwork. Whether it’s a driver’s teammate or partnering with a driver who runs the same manufacturer. For Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez, not only he was the lone Gibbs driver, he ran the first Can-Am Duel without another Toyota driver in the field. Despite an alliance disadvantage, Suarez overcame a Lap 9 spin to finish eighth Thursday. Suarez scored three championship points and will start 17th for Sunday’s 60th Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. “It was okay. We haveRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer The number one goal in the Can-Am Duels at Daytona is to keep your car in one piece. That was one goal that was unmet by Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron and Jimmie Johnson. What seemed to be a quiet race for Seven-Time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion Johnson quickly turned into anything but that on lap eight. As he rode in the ‘freight-train,’ his No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 uncharacteristically spun without warning. Johnson’s car whipped around so quickly thatRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor As we head into the 60th running of the Daytona 500 this coming Sunday, we pause to take a look back on this “Throwback Thursday” at one of the most memorable Daytona 500’s in history, the 1998 Daytona 500. For 20 years, Dale Earnhardt had come to Daytona International Speedway to capture glory in the “Great American Race” only to suffer defeat in every way possible. Earnhardt had won nearly every other event held at the famous 2.5 mile superspeedway, but the Daytona 500 stillRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – William Byron’s face brightened and he laughed a bit talking about his new high-definition reality as a member of the championship Hendrick Motorsports team in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The 20-year old rookie got his first taste of stardom earlier this week and said he was a little taken aback when he unexpectedly got “recognized” having dinner at an Outback Steakhouse near Daytona International Speedway. “That part has been different,’’ Byron said smiling. “I went out to eatRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer BK Racing arrived at Daytona International Speedway last Saturday morning, unloading a white unsponsored No. 23 Toyota. Gray Gaulding also arrived as a spectator without a secured ride in Sunday’s 60th Daytona 500. Rumors ran like wildfire on who’s driving the car but hours later, the 20-year-old Colonial Heights, Virginia native was confirmed as the driver. Now entering Thursday’s Can-Am Duels, Gaulding, with Earthwater as his primary sponsor, will enter the weekend with a positive attitude despite the ongoing off-track drama involving his race team. TheRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer Few of the drivers that will take the green flag in the Daytona 500 know just how much history is riding with them compared to Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr. While Wallace is just as competitive as his peers, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year contender will be the first African American to compete in “The Great American Race” at Daytona International Speedway since Wendell Scott in 1969. He will also be the first African American to compete in NASCAR’s top seriesRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor For Jimmie Johnson, having to sit at the championship banquet last year and watch another driver being celebrated up on the championship stage after having been there the year before only served to further fuel his desire to make it back up there for a record eighth time. In one of his worst seasons of his storied Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career, Johnson won three races and made the playoffs, but found himself eliminated in the third round at Phoenix, dropping to a finalRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor The start of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is officially here and with it comes the biggest race of the season, the Daytona 500. For 60 years, drivers have been making the pilgrimage to the Daytona high banks to win the sport’s most prestigious race and write themselves into the record book as Daytona 500 champion. Many have attempted it, but only a select few have been able to hoist the Harley J. Earl trophy in victory lane at the end of theRead More