Monster Energy Cup Category

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief After a year to forget in 2016, Clint Bowyer couldn’t stop smiling after the end of second race of the Can-Am Duels at Daytona. The 37-year-old Kansas native took the wheel of the No. 14 Ford in his first race with Stewart-Haas Racing and drove to a runner-up finish, his best result since finishing third at Sonoma Raceway in 2015. “Damn, this is fun again,” said Bowyer. “Man, what a rocket ship. Hats off to all these guys that put all this hard work into theseRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor For much of the second Can-Am Duel at Daytona, it looked like it would be Dale Earnhardt, Jr following the lead of his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott to score the win after qualifying on the front row for the Daytona 500, but Denny Hamlin had other plans as he was able to execute a late race pass to take the lead and the win. “It was great. Great car. Got a great push there for Austin (Dillon). We worked really well together that entireRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Chase Elliott kicked off Speedweeks last Sunday by scoring his second consecutive Daytona 500 pole and the sophomore Hendrick Motorsports driver continued his hot streak on Thursday night by winning the first of the two Can-Am Duel races. “We had such a fast NAPA Chevy tonight. I didn’t think anyone was going to help us there at the first part of the race and I had a couple of good pushes to get us out front. Eddie did a great job on top of theRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Heading into the 59th running of the Daytona 500 this Sunday, it’s time again for another edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater,” in which we’ll take a look back at a race from Daytona’s past. This week’s edition features one of the greatest upsets ever in the “Great American Race” – the 1990 Daytona 500, which saw underdog Derrike Cope pull off the win after a dominant day from Dale Earnhardt went awry with half a lap to go. Earnhardt claimed a front row starting spotRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor There were times last year during his recovery from a concussion sustained after a crash in Michigan, that Dale Earnhardt Jr. felt 90-percent sure that he would never race again. The long road back into the driver’s seat was paved literally with sweat and tears, but Earnhardt dug deep. In his doctor’s estimation, Earnhardt would be able to race again. That was the proverbial carrot dangling in front of the 14-time Most Popular Driver. “I’m not an expert.  My doctor is,” Earnhardt said Wednesday. “So whenRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer The last time that 2004 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch was behind the wheel of a Ford in a points race was at Texas Motor Speedway in 2005. He finished 10th in the No. 97 Crown Royal Ford Taurus that day. During his time with Ford, Busch earned 14 of his 28 career victories. He also had 43 top fives and 79 Top 10s while competing for the ‘Blue Oval.’ After his departure from what was then Roush Racing, Busch has competedRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer For Daniel Suárez, it has been a long and winding road to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Suárez first entered the NASCAR K&N Pro East Series in 2011 while also competing full-time in the NASCAR Mexico Series. In the K&N Pro East Series, the results were not what Suárez was expecting. He earned just two top fives and six Top 10s in 16 races between 2011 and 2012. At the same time, Suárez earned 12 top fives and 16 Top 10s in the NASCARRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor As the 59th running of the Daytona 500 looms ahead, the drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will all be gunning for the opportunity to call themselves champions of the “Great American Race”, but for Michael Waltrip, this race takes on another dimension as it will be his last behind the wheel. After making his 784th career start in the Cup Series, Waltrip will be hanging up his helmet at the conclusion of Sunday’s race, bringing his 32-year driving career to an endRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor No this isn’t a recycled article from years past, there will be an all Hendrick Motorsports front row for the 2017 Daytona 500. On a week where all of the talk was about how fast the Ford and Toyota race teams were, it was Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. who stood above the pack when it came to single car qualifying runs for the biggest race of the year. Earnhardt, who is making his return to the sport after missing the second-half of last yearRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer Entering the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advanced Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway, 2016 winner Denny Hamlin looked to be a favorite to win. In a blind draw, Hamlin’s crew chief, Mike Wheeler, drew the second starting position for the annual exhibition race. After electing not to participate in the first practice session, Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry was fastest in the second practice. The bulk of the second practice session saw manufacturers drafting exclusively. As the first segment of raceRead More