Cup Category

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer A little bit of luck was just what Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. needed to move on to the Round of 12 in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Entering the Apache Warrior 400 at Dover International Speedway, Stenhouse was tied with Austin Dillon for the cutoff in the Round of 16. In the closing laps the battle for the final spot in the Round of 12 came down to Stenhouse and Ryan Newman. Although Newman was ahead of Stenhouse on track, he was betweenRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor The 2017 season has not gone the way that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. or his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team planned for it to go, but in his final race at Dover on Sunday, Earnhardt showed the kind of speed that he has been lacking for the majority of the season and came away with a seventh-place finish. Not only was it Earnhardt’s best finish at Dover since the fall race in 2015, but it also his first top-10 finish since Sonoma back in June. “ItRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor When it comes to scoring his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win, Chase Elliott seems to be snake-bitten. Time after time over the last two seasons, Elliott has been in position to make his maiden voyage to victory lane only to fall short when the checkered flag flew and that story played out once again in Sunday’s Apache Warrior 400 at Dover after finishing second to Kyle Busch. “I’m just so disappointed in myself,” said Elliott. “Golly, I couldn’t have had it any easier.Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Dover International Speedway has always been a treacherous track since its inception in 1969, but the “Monster Mile” really earned its nickname when the asphalt surface was converted over to concrete in 1995, making Dover the first concrete track on the circuit and really giving “Miles the Monster” some teeth. Our Dover edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater” will focus on that first race on the concrete surface – the 1995 Miller Genuine Draft 500. The new concrete surface brought worries about the tires being ableRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Two races into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and the first round comes down to the Monster Mile to determine which 12 drivers move on with their shot at the title still intact. Dover began its life as an asphalt track back in 1969, but in 1995 the track was converted to concrete, making it one of only two on the circuit. The one mile high banked oval has always drawn similarities to Bristol and is often referred to as “Bristol on steroids”.Read More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer Another Playoff race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and another Playoff competitor flies just under the radar. Ryan Blaney quietly ran inside the top-10 the entire day, but never had the opportunity to compete for the victory. Blaney had a quiet weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway as focus was on Toyotas’ domination once again as well as Joey Logano’s practice penalty. He finished ninth, despite running fifth and ninth at the end of the first two stages. Blaney avoided trouble in hisRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Each week NASCAR Editor David Morgan will break down who’s hot and who’s not after the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race weekend. Today, we break down the ISM Connect 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. WINNERS Kyle Busch – Busch has been on a roll in the second half of the season, only finishing outside the top-10 once since picking up his first win of the season at Pocono in late July. After stumbling last weekend at Chicago to finish 15th, Busch and hisRead More

By: Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service LOUDON, N.H. – Kyle Busch didn’t need a smokescreen to win Sunday’s ISM Connect 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – he simply had to survive one. Driving unscathed through a cloud of smoke on the backstretch on the final lap of the second stage, Busch, the polesitter, took control of the race at the halfway point and beat Kyle Larson to the finish line by 2.641 seconds. In winning for the third time this season, the third time at Loudon and the 41stRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor In Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Martin Truex, Jr. and his Furniture Row Racing team were once again one of the cars to beat, but nearly found themselves out of the equation after getting swept up in a crash at the end of the second stage. Despite the damage sustained in the wreck, Truex was still able to rebound by the end of the race, scoring a top-five finish when all was said and done. “I could not see anything and I wasRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor When it comes to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, one slip-up can leave a driver in trouble points wise to be able to advance to the next round. At New Hampshire, different issues for Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne leave the two veterans 15th and 16th in the standings with double digit deficits to make up in next week’s Round of 16 elimination race at Dover. Busch was the first to run into trouble at the end of Stage 2 when his Stewart-HaasRead More