Monster Energy Cup Category

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Since 1994, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has been racing on the hallowed grounds of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the past 23 years producing some memorable moments and some that were, well, not so memorable. For this week’s edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater,” we’ll jump back to the 2002 running of the Brickyard 400 that resulted in NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott finally adding an Indianapolis win to help end his career on a high note. Between 1982 and 1994, Elliott won 41Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor The long awaited question on who would drive the No. 88 Chevrolet for the retiring Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in 2018 has now been answered and the driver is a familiar one for Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 88 team. On Thursday, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Alex Bowman, who expertly filled in for Earnhardt while he was recovering from his concussion last season, would climb behind the wheel for the team next season, with sponsorship from Nationwide and Axalta continuing on. The 24-year old Arizona nativeRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Sunday’s Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was full of storylines as the regular season draws one race nearer to its conclusion, but what were the top storylines of the day? NASCAR Editor David Morgan is here to break it all down. Joe Gibbs Racing Finally Gets Their First Win of the Season If anyone would have said prior to the season that Joe Gibbs Racing wouldn’t have their first win of the year until mid-July, you would have called them crazy. Well, 19Read More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer  After failing to finish the last two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, Kurt Busch bounces back with a Top 10 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Busch finished eighth in the No. 41 Haas Automation / Monster Energy Ford Fusion after running up front for much of the race. Busch excelled on the sticky PJ1 compound that NASCAR officials sprayed on the lower and upper lines in the corner throughout the weekend. Aside from pit strategy near the end of Stage 1, Busch spent theRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service LOUDON, N.H. – The relief was palpable. In a thrilling finish fraught with suspense, and in a backup car after a Friday crash in practice, Denny Hamlin held off a charging Kyle Larson to win the Overton’s 301 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Before the race, Hamlin and the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization was in desperation mode, but when Hamlin took the checkered flag .509 seconds ahead of Larson, the picture changed dramatically. Hamlin secured aRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer  The Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was a relatively quiet race for most of the 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year (ROTY) contenders in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. All five of the ROTY contenders have had experience at the 1.058-mile track nicknamed ‘The Magic Mile.’ Daniel Suarez was not only the best rookie at the Magic Mile, but tied his career best sixth-place finish. Suarez had a relatively quiet day in his No. 19 Arris High-Speed Modems Toyota Camry. Suarez most notablyRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor With his future in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series up in the air for next season and still looking for his first win of the 2017 season, Matt Kenseth and his No. 20 team found themselves in a prime position to check that box off the list in Sunday’s Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire, but a late race gamble on tires didn’t quite go his way and he would have to settle for a fourth-place finish instead. Kenseth would start the day in thirdRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor For the second week in a row, Kyle Larson had to start from the back of the pack, but just like last weekend at Kentucky, Larson drove right up through the field, bringing home a second-place finish on Sunday afternoon at New Hampshire. “It’s a little frustrating what we have had to go through the last couple of weeks, but it’s pretty awesome to be able to run as fast as we have and finish second the last two weeks from dead last,” said Larson.Read More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer For the second week in a row, Kyle Larson will start last in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. Despite having the fastest time in qualifying for the Overton’s 301, Larson’s No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS failed post-qualifying technical inspection due to an illegal rear deck fin. As a result, NASCAR officials disallowed his 28.568 second lap at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The penalty hands the pole position to Martin Truex, Jr., who coincidentally gained the points lead after Larson’s second place finish atRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend for the running of the Overton’s 301, but before we look forward to Sunday’s race, we’ll take a step back in the past to the 1996 Jiffy Lube 300, a race that marked Ernie Irvan’s emotional return to victory lane. After the loss of Davey Allison in 1993, Robert Yates Racing tapped Irvan to take over the No. 28 Ford, with the team scoring five wins between the end of 1993Read More