NASCAR Category

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After two finishes outside the top-15 to finish out the first round of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Kevin Harvick turned things around as the second round started at Charlotte by winning two stages, leading the most laps, and finishing third in Sunday’s Bank of America 500. Harvick kicked the weekend off with a strong qualifying effort to start the race in third place and he was able to find the lead for the first time just 52 laps in. He would thenRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Entering Charlotte Motor Speedway as one of the favorites to move on in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, the path forward for Kyle Busch isn’t looking quite as certain after several encounters with the wall that left him with a 29th place finish and took a big bite out of his points advantage over the cut-off line. “It stinks to give up points,” said Busch. “We came in here and thought we had a good shot to run in the top-10 and weRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – In a race where most of your competition is up front the entire day, a driver needs a strong finish, and one driver who got just that is Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin. Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry was a fixture inside the top-10 the entire race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Hamlin, the polesitter for the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway finished fourth after running just outside the top-five for much of the day.Read More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – For the second week in a row Chase Elliott has come one spot shy of scoring his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Elliott was never far from the lead throughout the Bank of America 500. Elliott was consistently one of the best cars, in the No. 24 SunEnergy1 Chevrolet SS, during the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He battled with the likes of Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and eventual race winner Martin Truex, Jr. while never falling lower than fifthRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – A single point can make or break a chance for a NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. Ryan Reed found out just how much of a difference a point can make, edging out Brendan Gaughan for the final transfer spot for the Round of Eight. It was a fight all night long for Reed and his No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustang team. Both him and Gaughan raced around each other for the entirety of the Drive for the Cure 300 at Charlotte MotorRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Behind the wheel of a car on something other than a virtual race track for the first time in nearly a year, Alex Bowman warmed up for the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports ride he’ll inherit next season with a stunning victory in Saturday night’s rain-delayed Drive for the Cure 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Behind Bowman, who won for the first time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Ryan Reed soldiered home in 12th place, one position behind Brendan Gaughan. But Reed moved on toRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer For this week’s edition of Climbing the Ladder, Seth Eggert sat down with JR Motorsports driver William Byron. Byron is a 19-year-old NASCAR Xfinity Series driver. He drives the No. 9 Liberty University / Axalta Chevrolet Camaro. Byron is campaigning for the both 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship as well as Rookie of the Year Honors. Last year in the very first edition of Climbing the Ladder, Eggert spoke with Byron who was then competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle BuschRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. –  Track position is often key at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The driver that will start with the best track position in the Bank of America 500 will be Denny Hamlin. Hamlin cruised to the pole with a lap of 28.184 seconds, 191.598 mph in the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry. His lap narrowly edged out his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth, who ended up 0.016 seconds behind. Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top five qualifiers. TheRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – The PJ1 traction compound is supposed to create more competitive racing. The compound was applied once again to the racing surface at Charlotte Motor Speedway. One driver who is optimistic about the compound is Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points leader Martin Truex, Jr. Truex ran well in the Coca-Cola 600 in May, the last time the series visited the 1.5-mile D-Shaped oval. He won one of the three stages and led 233 of the 400 laps. The only difference between theRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – The intensity ratchets up as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series edges closer to the season finale. One driver who has noticed the intensity is Ryan Blaney, who is in the Playoffs for the first time. Blaney advanced from the Round of 16 to the Round of 12 relatively quietly. His No. 21 Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Fusion never competed for a win in the Round of 16, but was easily consistent enough to earn enough pointsRead More