Cup Category

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Returning to the track a week after unspeakable tragedy struck into the heart of the team, Hendrick Motorsports rolled into Atlanta Motor Speedway in late October 2004 looking to kickstart the healing process. By the time the checkered flag flew on the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500, the healing was well on its way thanks to an emotional win from Jimmie Johnson. En route to Martinsville Speedway the previous weekend, a Hendrick Motorsports team plane, carrying 10, had crashed into Bull Mountain in southeast Virginia. ThereRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Ryan Newman’s road to recovery following his frightening crash at the end of the Daytona 500 took him to New York City and the TODAY Show on NBC on Wednesday, where he detailed more about how things are going for him in the weeks since the crash. “It’s still humbling to watch [a replay of the crash] and know that I’m sitting here without a headache, which is amazing,” Newman said. “Just a miracle on so many levels and thankful for so many people, for prayers,Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor When Phoenix was announced as the host of the 2020 championship race last year, the NASCAR Cup Series was in the midst of its first season with the new high downforce aero package that wasn’t producing the best results on the short tracks, so naturally there was a lot of stress around Phoenix delivering a race worthy of a championship finale. After Sunday’s FanShield 500 on the one-mile oval in the Arizona desert, everyone is breathing a sigh of relief. Utilizing a lower downforce package, whichRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It was a tale of two stories for Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Kyle Larson and Kurt Busch in Sunday’s FanShield 500 at Phoenix Raceway. However, their outcomes were encouraging as the duo finished fourth and sixth respectively. Larson had one of the strongest Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LEs throughout the race-extended 316 lap event (leading two laps), but the bid of getting his primary sponsor McDonald’s first points-paying NASCAR Cup Series win since July 1994 would have to wait yet another day. This was because Larson’s attemptRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Another great start, another disappointing finish at Phoenix for Chase Elliott AVONDALE, Ariz. – At Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, Chase Elliott once again was the victim of Murphy’s law. In Friday’s time trials, Elliott won the pole for Sunday’s FanShield 500, marking the eighth straight top-10 start at Phoenix for the driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Finishing races at the one-mile track, however, has been a problem for Elliott, and that proved true once again in the fourth NASCAR Cup SeriesRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – Joey Logano expected a bump from Kevin Harvick in the two-lap overtime Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, but the bump never came. Instead, Harvick pulled up beside Logano in the center of Turns 1 and 2 on the final lap of the FanShield 500, but Logano sped away with a hard charge off Turn 2 and cruised to the finish line with a margin of .276 seconds. With the victory—his second at Phoenix and the 25th of his career—Logano is the first multipleRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer NASCAR Cup Series points leader Ryan Blaney didn’t get to the conclusion of Stage 1 after being taken out in a three-car crash during Sunday’s FanShield 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Fresh off signing a multi-year contract extension with Team Penske, Blaney was poised to have some good luck on his side, which he hasn’t had despite having a 12-point lead over his teammate Joey Logano. After Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. spun and make wall contact to bring out the first caution, the field reshuffled and took theRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – Kevin Harvick showed the way, and Chase Elliott proved the model student in Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series time trials at Phoenix Raceway. After Harvick tested the traction compound at the top of the one-mile track and made it work—running a qualifying lap in 26.110 seconds (137.878 mph)—Elliott followed with a pole-winning effort of 26.065 seconds (138.116 mph). “Kevin kind of made the top work, and I think after everyone saw that, they moved up,” said Elliott, who earned his first BuschRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The first major piece of silly season for the much anticipated 2021 NASCAR Cup Series campaign was solved Friday as Ryan Blaney signed a multi-year extension with Team Penske. Blaney wasn’t hesitant to say in Friday’s press conference at Phoenix Raceway that he’s loyal to Roger Penske and never even thought of talking with any other teams as the extension was negotiated during the off-season. “I was really happy with where I was at. I love the people I am around and working with all theRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The NASCAR Cup Series has been setting up shop on the West Coast for the past two weeks and this Sunday, the series will finish up its tour of the Southwestern United States with a trip to Phoenix Raceway and the FanShield 500. In a preview of November’s championship race, Sunday’s race on the one-mile oval in the Arizona desert, which made its debut on the Cup Series schedule in 1988, will be the first big test of the new short track/road course aero package thatRead More