Monster Energy Cup Category

By David Morgan, Associate Editor When Riverside International Raceway was shuttered following the 1988 season, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was forced to look for another road course venue to replace it on the schedule. Officials didn’t have to look far as Sonoma Raceway, a winding 12-turn, 2.52-mile course in Northern California fit the bill and was added to the 1989 schedule with the running of the Banquet Frozen Foods 300. From the start of the weekend, the track proved treacherous, with Michael Waltrip flipping in practice and theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer After five-full seasons with Hendrick Motorsports, Nationwide Insurance won’t return as a primary sponsor at the end of the 2019 season. Nationwide is the current sponsor for Alex Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in 20 out of the 36 races as part of their two-year agreement signed last August. The insurance company released a statement Wednesday about their decision, which came down to a marketing decision that would benefit them more as a business entity. “As Nationwide’s business needs evolve, we are adjusting our marketingRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent A late-race caution and early contact with the wall hindered Kurt Busch’s chances in the FireKeeper’s Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The 2004 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion drafted with Martin Truex Jr. as the duo attempted to catch Joey Logano. With five laps to go in the scheduled distance, the two drivers had caught Logano. Just as they prepared to make a run, the caution waved for a spin by Erik Jones. On the restart, Logano easily cleared Truex. Busch’s No. 1Read More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Given the statistics, you might think Joey Logano ran away with Monday’s rain-delayed Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Yes, Logano led 163 of 203 laps at the two-mile track in the Irish Hills. He had the fastest car in qualifying on Saturday and the fastest car in the 15th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event of the season. But after a late caution for Erik Jones’ spin into the infield grass below Turn 2, Logano needed overtime to seal the win. He neededRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BROOKLYN, Mich. – A persistent drizzle foiled track-drying efforts on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway and forced postponement of the Firekeepers Casino 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event until Monday afternoon. The race has been rescheduled for 5 p.m. ET Monday and will be broadcast on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. With pole winner Joey Logano and second-place starter at the head of the field, the Cup drivers got the one-to-go signal at 3 p.m. Sunday, but as the cars circled theRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BROOKLYN, Mich. – The Ford drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series apparently took the words of Edsel Ford II to heart. At a dinner with Ford drivers on Thursday night, the member of the Ford Motor Company board of directors emphasized the importance of putting a Mustang in Victory Lane after Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). On Saturday morning at the 2-mile track, Joey Logano took the first stepRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Kevin Harvick freely admits a transformation, an aging-up of sorts. There was a time in his 19-season Monster Energy NASCAR Cup career when the 2014 champion would be visibly frustrated during a race and fully prepared to settle a score with another driver on pit road or in the garage later. But having children, earning a Cup title and the art of aging have mellowed the 43-year old champ, by his own admission. It has not dampened his motivation to win races and championshipsRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent One year removed from his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut, Garrett Smithley returns to Michigan International Speedway with Victory Lane Quick Oil Change and Premium Motorsports. The FireKeepers Casino 400 will mark Smithley’s seventh career Cup Series race. It will be just his second with the Jay Robinson-owned Premium Motorsports. Smithley will replace his JD Motorsports teammate Ross Chastain in the No. 15 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Smithley will also compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series LTi Printing 250 with Victory Lane Quick Oil ChangeRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent After several forgettable weeks in a row, Denny Hamlin rebounds with a top-10 finish at Pocono Raceway. With track position being key in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pocono 400, Hamlin was up front for the final restart in his No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry. As the field spread out to be four and five-wide entering turn one, he found himself in the middle of the action. Hamlin drifted backward, behind Clint Bowyer, who restarted second. As the field exited turn one KyleRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service With a dominating performance at a track he has learned to love, Kyle Busch cruised to his fourth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season in Sunday’s Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway. Busch led a race-high 79 of 160 laps—including the final 21 after a cycle of green-flag pit stops—in collecting his second straight win at the 2.5-mile triangular track and his third overall, all three of which have come in the last four events after years of frustration at the TrickyRead More