Cup Category

Posted On February 15, 2015By Motorsports TribuneIn Cup

Kenseth Wins Dramatic Sprint Unlimited

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Matt Kenseth did what he couldn’t do all of last year — win a race. And Martin Truex Jr., runner-up in Saturday night’s 75-lap Sprint Unlimited exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway, did what he could do only once in 2014 — lead a lap. Coming to the finish line on the last lap, Kenseth blocked Truex’s move off Turn 4 and crossed the finish line in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota .219 seconds ahead of Truex, who led four times for 28 laps after leadingRead More

Posted On February 14, 2015By Joey BarnesIn Cup

The 2015 Sprint Unlimited Preview

The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season gets underway Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway for the Sprint Unlimited. The 75-lap event is a non-points exhibition race, but depending on who is at the front at the end could be a great indication of who will be strong for the upcoming Daytona 500. This year a field of 25 cars will take to the high-banks, considerably larger than last year’s 18. Even with one of the biggest fields in recent memory, four drivers will not participate in the race: AJ Allmendinger,Read More
CONCORD, N.C.– Jeff Gordon, the celebrated stock car champion whose crossover appeal helped take NASCAR into the mainstream, will compete in his 23rd and final full-time Sprint Cup Series season in 2015. He announced his decision this morning to the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team he has driven for since November 1992. “As a race car driver, much of what I’ve done throughout my life has been based on following my instincts and trying to make good decisions,” Gordon said. “I thought long and hard about my future this pastRead More

Posted On December 15, 2014By Motorsports TribuneIn Cup

Vickers to miss start of 2015 Sprint Cup season

CORNELIUS, N.C. – Michael Waltrip Racing driver Brian Vickers will not be available to race during the early part of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season due to health issues. In 58 races driving MWR’s No. 55 Aaron’s Toyota, Vickers scored eight top-five and 19 top-10 finishes. He won the July race at New Hampshire in 2013 and captured the pole at Talladega in October 2014. The 2003 Nationwide champion owns three victories and 12 poles in 316 career Sprint Cup starts. “Brian has been a part of the MWRRead More

Posted On November 16, 2014By Joey BarnesIn Cup

Harvick charges late to Win Sprint Cup title

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Kevin Harvick can now call himself a Sprint Cup Series champion after passing fellow title rival Denny Hamlin to win the Ford EcoBoost 400 Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 38-year-old from Bakersfield, California fought and battled for 13 seasons, falling short of winning the grandest prize in NASCAR each time until now. He also becomes the fourth champion in as many years, the first under the advanced Chase format. The new champion also joins an elite class, alongside Brad Keselowski and Bobby Labonte as the only driversRead More

Posted On November 16, 2014By Joey BarnesIn Cup

All in: ‘Dinger’ & JTG Daugherty go for it at Homestead

The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season has been one of the most intriguing and intense in recent memory. As we look ahead to what awaits on Sunday, the crowning of a new series champion, it’s amazing to go beyond the title battle and see at what other drivers are fighting for. You don’t have to scroll down the overall standing very long before you find the name of one AJ Allmendinger. The 32-year-old from Los Gatos, California has risen against the odds this season with a single car team, JTGRead More

Posted On November 15, 2014By Joey BarnesIn Cup

‘The Captain’ Leads Charge into Uncharted Territory

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The season has been an incredible one for Roger Penske. The legendary owner has achieved success in the Verizon IndyCar Series with Will Power charging to his first championship, and tonight he was crowned the owner’s champion in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Tomorrow ‘The Captain’ has a chance to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title with driver Joey Logano. If the 24-year-old can pull it off and win his first championship, Penske will be the first person in the history of motorsports to win titles inRead More

Posted On November 13, 2014By Joey BarnesIn Cup

Hamlin on the Cusp of Vindication

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Heading into Homestead-Miami Speedway during the 2010 season Denny Hamlin was the talk of the NASCAR world. The No. 11 FedEx Express driver had amassed a career-high eight wins and was the heralded favorite to unseat a dominant Jimmie Johnson. However, the weekend turned disastrous as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was left with a 14th place finish, and left thinking of what could have been. Fast-forward to 2014, Hamlin isn’t having statistically his best season, though it could be the most rewarding. The soon-to-be 34 year-oldRead More

Posted On November 13, 2014By Joey BarnesIn Cup

Chasing a Legacy

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is preparing for its final act, the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After 35 races, it all comes down to a career-defining 400 miles. The new tournament format has brought out some of the most intense battles in the sports history. Round after round fell by the wayside, left to ponder what could have been or what they should have done different. From Six-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, to the brash 2012 Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, the format hasRead More

Posted On November 9, 2014By Motorsports TribuneIn Cup

Harvick Wins in Phoenix, Secures Shot at Sprint Cup Title at Homestead

AVONDALE, Ariz. — A victory at Phoenix—and a dominating one at that—was exactly what Kevin Harvick needed to keep his hopes for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship alive. But a second-place finish in Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 did Jeff Gordon no good, thanks to a final-lap banzai run by Ryan Newman, who passed rookie Kyle Parson for the 11th position on the final lap to eliminate Gordon from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by a single point. Polesitter Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, whoRead More