Monster Energy Cup Category

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor After a trip to the smallest track on the circuit for some great racing at Martinsville last weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the Lone Star State and Texas Motor Speedway to continue with the Round of 8 in the Chase with Sunday’s running of the AAA Texas 500. First joining the circuit in 1997, the 1.5 mile Texas track has provided some great racing over the years, especially as the track surface has worn out over time. With the new low downforceRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor One year ago, Jeff Gordon scored a storybook win at Martinsville Speedway to advance to the championship round at Homestead-Miami Speedway in what was his final full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and what everyone thought was his final Martinsville start. With Dale Earnhardt, Jr. being sidelined for the second half of the 2016 season while recovering from a concussion, Gordon made a return to the cockpit in Earnhardt’s No. 88 car and came into Sunday at Martinsville for one last ride atRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Since winning his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2013, the world has wondered when or if Jimmie Johnson would capture a record-tying seventh championship. On Sunday, Johnson moved one step closer to making that seventh title a reality. Prior to the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports as a whole were struggling, with his chances of being able to advance through the Chase to the championship round at Homestead being very slim. However, since the startRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor It has been a dominant season for Toyota Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing in particular. But after the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville, one of the team’s four drivers — Carl Edwards — finds himself in an uphill battle if he wants to advance to the Sprint Cup Series championship race in Homestead four weeks from now. Edwards started the day from the seventh position, but his day got off to a rocky start as he was busted for speeding on pit road during hisRead More

SHOW #434 – Guest: Blake Koch – We recap the thrilling elimination race from Talladega Superspeedway Blah! Dale Jr. reads Dr. Suess, NASCAR finally listens to us, plus we preview Martinsville. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Toby Christie DOWNLOAD HERE CREDITS: Hosts: Kerry Murphey & Toby Christie Executive Producer: Kerry Murphey Music: Russell Nash Audio Director Voice Over: Thomas Moog SUBSCRIBE FREE HERE RSS FEED RADIO STATIONS CLICK HERE SUBSCRIBE FROM iTUNES: Take us with you! Subscribe to our audio shows from iTunes, and they will automatically show up on yourRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor When it comes to racing at Martinsville, the flat half-mile bullring in southern Virginia as about as demanding as it comes on both drivers and equipment. Add in scorching hot temperatures and things get even more difficult for all parties involved. In this week’s “Throwback Thursday Theater,” we’ll look back at the 1998 NAPA Autocare 500 at Martinsville and a gutsy performance by one of the toughest drivers on the circuit, Ricky Rudd. The late October race, which normally saw seasonal fall temperatures greet theRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor After the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series made their final visit to a restrictor plate track last weekend at Talladega, the series kicks off the Round of 8 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by visiting one of the most historic tracks on the circuit, Martinsville Speedway. Last weekend’s race featured the biggest and fastest track on the circuit at Talladega, but as we fast-forward to this weekend, the series rolls into Martinsville, which is the smallest on the circuit. Racing at the twoRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase drivers were split heading into Talladega Superspeedway after wild weeks at Kansas Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Some needed to run up front and had no other choice but to win, while others just had to protect their position. One such driver that simply needed to protect his Chase position heading into the Hellmann’s 500 was Kyle Busch. Busch entered the Kansas race weekend fifth in the Chase standings, 17-points ahead the Chase cutoff for the Round of Eight.Read More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service TALLADEGA, Ala. – If Joey Logano’s victory in Sunday’s Hellman’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway was decisive—in relative terms—the race between Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon for the final spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup’s Round of 8 was anything but. In an overtime race that went four laps past its scheduled distance, Logano surged ahead after a restart on Lap 191 at the 2.66-mile track and beat runner-up Brian Scott to the finish line by .124 seconds. Hamlin’s margin over Dillon forRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor On the outside looking in heading into Sunday’s Hellmann’s 500 at Talladega, Austin Dillon needed strong runs or a win to be able to advance onto the next round of the Chase, but when the checkered flag flew, he found himself still in the bottom four and eliminated from championship contention. Dillon started the day tied with eventual winner Joey Logano in the points, with Logano having the tiebreaker as a result of a higher finish in the three races of the Round of 12,Read More