Cup Category

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Carl Edwards, one of four drivers left in the 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup, is still seeking his first-ever NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. After Saturday’s two practice sessions for Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400, it really looks like Edwards could be in a great position to finally add a huge piece of hardware to his mantle. Edwards, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, was third-fastest in the first practice session of the day, and he followed that up by recording the second-fastest lapRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor It all comes down to this. After 35 race weekends, the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season comes down to one final race to determine the champion. Four drivers head into Homestead-Miami Speedway and the Ford Ecoboost 400 with an equal shot at the championship, while the other 36 drivers in the field are simply looking for a win to cap off the season. Since its reconfiguration in 2003, Homestead has provided some great racing on its progressive banking on one of the true ovalsRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor HOMESTEAD, Fla. — If you told Martin Truex Jr. before the year started that he would rack up four wins and lead over 1,800 laps over the course of the 2016 season, I’m sure he would have taken that in a heart beat. Truex has racked up those exact numbers, which equal career-bests, yet he is still left bummed out. The Mayetta, New Jersey native has reason to be dejected as he looked to be the favorite for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, that is until a blown motorRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Jimmie Johnson’s rueful rhetorical question told the story of Friday’s knockout qualifying session at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “What’s a championship race without a little drama?” Johnson asked after earning the 14th starting position during a session fraught with difficulty for the No. 48 team. Kevin Harvick, who was eliminated from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup last Sunday at Phoenix, won the pole for Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 Championship 4 race (on NBC at 2:30 p.m. ET), touring the 1.5-mile trackRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Kyle Busch has always been regarded as the driver with the most raw talent in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage. However, over the first few years of his career it was hard for Busch to harness that talent and build it into consistent championship-caliber seasons. As years began to click by, the questions began to arise. Would the Las Vegas-native ever be able to win a championship at NASCAR’s highest level? The now 31-year-old driver finally dropped the mic on the doubters lastRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Chip Ganassi sees the relationship between his team and fellow NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick’s only improving as they move forward. Hendrick Motorsports has supplied engines to Chip Ganassi Racing since the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. However, after Stewart-Haas Racing elected to move from Chevrolet to Ford, which is set to start in 2017, it terminated the alliance built up between SHR and Hendrick. This situation led to speculation that CGR may become even more closely affiliated with the 11-time NASCARRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor HOMESTEAD, Fla. — All is right in the world of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus. The dynamic driver and crew chief duo are hitting on all cylinders heading into the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. At stake? A record-tying seventh championship for Johnson, but 11 years ago this weekend, the team of Johnson and Knaus was nearly split up. Hendrick discussed his thought process as the competitive Johnson and Knaus started butting heads back in 2005. “You know, every — I think it’s theRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer For the second time in three years, Joey Logano will go to the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a chance at winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. The other three drivers in the Championship Four are Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch. The saying goes that one must first lose a championship in order to learn how to win a championship. Logano has lost two championships, one due to a pit road mishap, and the other taken away from him beforeRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Tony Stewart has just 400 miles left in his illustrious 18-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career. Obviously, Stewart will get up on the wheel in an effort to nab his 50th-career victory in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead. But the big question many have had since Stewart announced in the offseason that he would be retiring at year’s end, is whether or not he would consider returning on a part-time basis. When pressed earlier this year on the topic, Stewart basicallyRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer Sunday’s championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway marks the first time Jimmie Johnson has made it to the Championship 4 in this the third season of the current version of the Chase format. The past two seasons have seen Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch win the final race of the season to earn the championship. Despite 79 career victories, the 1.5-mile track in Florida is one of just four on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule where Johnson has yet to win. However, it’s important toRead More