Cup Category

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer No matter how much change occurs, some sponsorships stay the same. For the 10th consecutive year, Richard Petty Motorsports will have the colors of the United States Air Force adorn its’ No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. 2018 marks the 18th consecutive season of the U.S. Air Force’s involvement in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The U.S. Air Force will sponsor 2018 Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr. July 4th weekend in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway andRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer For the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, Stewart-Haas Racing will have two returning crew chiefs and two new crew chiefs for their four drivers. Clint Bowyer and 2014 Premier Series Champion Kevin Harvick will have the same crew chief, meanwhile 2004 Premier Series Champion Kurt Busch and newcomer Aric Almirola will have new faces atop the pit box. Almirola, who will replace the out-going Danica Patrick, will have John Klausmeier leading his No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion. Klausmeier has been a race engineerRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer Two of the remaining questions for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season have been answered. Front Row Motorsports announced that David Ragan will return to the organization and that Michael McDowell will replace the departing Landon Cassill. 2018 will be Ragan’s fifth year with the organization and McDowell’s first full season. Ragan earned the organization’s first victory at Talladega Superspeedway in dramatic fashion in 2013. He has also earned eight of the organization’s 14 top-10s. In 2017, Ragan scored three top-10s, the mostRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer The contract negotiations between Kurt Busch and Stewart Haas Racing show that there can be a lot of variables. Most drivers talk about the amount of money, sponsorship, and other obligations. One of the variables for Busch is unlike the others, the 2017 Daytona 500 winning car. Busch piloted the No. 41 Haas Automation / Monster Energy Ford Fusion to victory in the Daytona 500, his first win in ‘The Great American Race.’ It was also the first victory for SHR in the historic raceRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After being a Ford team for the past eight seasons, Richard Petty Motorsports will be ditching the Blue Oval for a Bowtie for the upcoming 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. On Friday, the long rumored alliance with Richard Childress Racing was confirmed by the team, allowing the No. 43 team to take up residence on the RCR campus in Welcome, NC and change manufacturers over to Chevrolet. RPM will also receive chassis and engineering support from RCR, as well as engines from ECR.Read More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer Although it is the offseason for most of the NASCAR and motorsports community, the community came together to raise awareness for victims of child abuse. NASCAR drivers, Hall of Famers, and personalities alike visited with race fans at the NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C. on December 5, 2017 for the 29th Annual Stocks for Tots event. The event is hosted by the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Stocks for Tots is the brainchild of former Team Penske President Don Miller and driverRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor NASCAR will continue the trend of cost-cutting measures in 2018 as the sanctioning body announced roster limits to the number of pit crew and at-track crew members for each team on a given race weekend. Rosters will be broken down into three categories: Organizational, road crew, and pit crew. The organizational category is comprised of the competition director, technical director, team manager, IT specialists, etc. Starting next year, only three to four people in this category will be allowed at the track. For Monster EnergyRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer A grueling 36-race season saw Kyle Busch record five victories and lead 2,023 laps but fall less than one second short of earning the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. Despite his best efforts over the 34-lap green-flag run to the checkered flag, Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s Carmel Toyota crossed the line .681 seconds behind fellow Championship 4 competitor and Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. in Sunday’s Ford Eco-Boost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Busch led four times for 43 laps and appeared to have theRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor The road has been long and full of trials and tribulations, but Martin Truex, Jr. and his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team are Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champions. Leading the way in almost every statistical category throughout the 2017 season, Truex came into the season finale at Homestead as the championship favorite, but it would take the same drive and determination that they have always shown to carry them to the title. Truex himself noted that they did not have the fastest carRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer  With his future unknown, Matt Kenseth was able to go out on a high note. Kenseth, who is without a ride for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, earned a top-10 finish in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kenseth’s No. 20 DeWalt Hurricane Relief Toyota Camry (fashioned to look like his rookie car), quietly ran inside the top-10 throughout the night. He shared his final career race with his friend and competitor, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who announced his retirement earlier thisRead More