Cup

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. –  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