NASCAR Category

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

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – Winning two out of three plates should make Stenhouse a favorite heading into next weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. However, Stenhouse is not counting on winning and is focusing on points. Taking the finishes of those in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at the first Charlotte, Kansas, and Talladega races, Stenhouse would move on to the Round of Eight on points alone. However, stats alone still do not guarantee that Stenhouse and his No. 17 SunnyD Ford Fusion team anRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – Trouble came quick in the first practice for the Bank of America 500. Just minutes into the first practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. contacted the turn four wall. Earnhardt slid up the track in the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS. As he did, his right-side tires slide into the PJ1 compound. The tires grabbed and pulled him straight towards the wall. The contact was severe enough that he will be forced to a back-up car. Earnhardt was not exactlyRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – Confidence is key as the Playoffs continue. One driver that is confident that his team is competitive enough to win the championship is Kyle Larson. Larson sits third in the Playoff Standings after reseeding for the Round of 12. Larson has had a career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season in the No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS so far in 2017. Chip Ganassi Racing has been running up front much more consistent this year. In the Round of 16, Larson had anRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer For most, being at home is more comfortable. With the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kannapolis, N.C. native Daniel Hemric, driver of the No. 21 Anderson’s Maple Syrup Chevrolet Camaro SS, is in a comfortable position being at home, and fifth in the Playoff Standings. Hemric has three NASCAR National Series starts at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval. Two came in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where he has a best finish of ninth in 2016. Hemric made his first Charlotte Xfinity SeriesRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. – What is in a number? For one driver, namely Chase Elliott, a return to a familiar car and number could mean success. Recently, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Elliott would shift from the No. 24 to the newly rebranded No. 9 starting with the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The No. 9 is synonymous with the Elliott name. Chase’s Hall of Fame father, Bill Elliott, earned 38 of his 44 career victories in the No. 9 car. Bill Elliott also wonRead More