Monster Energy Cup Category

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor He didnt receive much media fanfare in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but Cole Whitt did an incredible job finishing 20th in his second race with TriStar Motorsports. The little team that could, which has 30 full-time employees and fields an Xfinity Series team in addition to the No. 72 car that Whitt drives, has now begun their season — their first in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series since 2013 — with consecutive top-20 finishes. Whitt, who started 37th,Read More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Sunday at Atlanta, Kevin Harvick led a staggering 292 laps of the 325 that were completed in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. However a costly error by the 41-year old driver on pit road with 16 laps remaining in the event relegated the 2014 Series champion to a disappointing ninth place finish. Harvick, however, showed grace in defeat when he was interviewed following his latest non-winning dominating effort at the 1.5-mile speedway in Hampton, Georgia. After the race, you could say Harvick took theRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer After scoring his first Daytona 500 Top 10 finish since 2015, Kasey Kahne looked to continue his strong performance in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race was historic as it was the 2,500th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. In the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, Kahne’s No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS was seventh fastest. Qualifying was a disappointment however, as Kahne could not muster a lap faster than 29th. In the final practice, Kahne’s HendrickRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. – Thanks to the unintentional generosity of the dominant driver in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, opportunistic Brad Keselowski won the second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season. Kevin Harvick led 292 of the 325 laps at the 1.54-mile track, but a pit road speeding penalty under caution on Lap 311 sent him to the back of the field for the final restart. That gave Keselowski the chance he needed, and on Lap 319 he surged past KyleRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Matt Kenseth may not have won Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but the 44-year old driver from Cambridge, Wisconsin had to feel great in finishing third. Kenseth started the race from the 16th position and by lap 10 he appeared to have a decent car as he had moved up to 12th. During a pit stop at lap 36 though, Kenseth was busted for speeding heading into pit lane. After a pass through penalty, Kenseth fell to 31st one lapRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Luck has not been kind to Dale Earnhardt Jr. through the 42-year old driver’s first two races back after missing the final 18 races of last season with a concussion. At Daytona, Earnhardt was swept up in a crash while he was leading The Great American Race. Fast forward to this weekend’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta, and the horrid luck continued for NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver. Earnhardt rolled off the grid Sunday from the 12th position, and over the first run on tiresRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor There is bad luck and then there is Kevin Harvick’s luck at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Heading into Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, Harvick had been the dominant car in the three previous races at the track, leading the most laps in each of those events, but failing to capture the victory at the end of the day for various reasons, whether it be a bad restart, a bad pit stop, or something else. On Sunday, Harvick once again found himself in the catbird seatRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. – Kevin Harvick saved his best lap for the best possible moment on Friday afternoon, putting his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford on the pole for Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX). In the third and final round of knockout qualifying for the second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season, Harvick toured the 1.54-mile track in 29.118 seconds (190.398 mph) to post the fastest lap of the entire qualifying session.Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor To say that Kurt Busch’s NASCAR career has been a rollercoaster of a ride would be an understatement. From the moment the Las Vegas native entered the sport, he has endured the highest of highs and the lowest of lows throughout his 18 year career, but after winning the Daytona 500 last Sunday, Busch is still riding the high of winning NASCAR’s biggest race. Following his win, Busch not only celebrated with his team into the wee hours of the morning, but also went onRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Entering the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season, Carl Edwards was not yet a household name, but after a weekend for the ages at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he was well on his way to becoming one. The Missouri native burst onto the NASCAR scene in 2003, winning three races in the No. 99 truck for Roush Racing and backing it up the following season with another three wins to bring home top-10 points finishes in his first two full-time seasons in NASCAR. When Jeff BurtonRead More