Cup

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer  CONCORD, N.C. – In the second practice for the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, six of the Top 10 qualifiers were outside the Top 10 on the speed charts. Meanwhile, most of the top five on the speed charts were made up of young drivers including two Sunoco Rookie of the Year (ROTY) Contenders. Wood Brothers Racing’s Ryan Blaney topped the speed charts in his No. 21 Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Fusion with a lap of 188.055 mph,Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor In a reversal of the sponsorship upheaval at the start of the 2017 season between Stewart-Haas Racing and Nature’s Bakery, the organization announced on Friday that the health food company, which had served as primary sponsor for Danica Patrick in 2016, would return as a sponsor for both Patrick and Clint Bowyer for four races later this season. The four races that Nature’s Bakery will serve as sponsor will be announced at a later date. After their logos were plastered on Patrick’s car throughout theRead More

After squeaking out the fastest lap in the second round of Thursday night’s knockout qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick left no doubt when it counted. Touring the 1.5-mile track in 27.918 seconds (193.424 mph) to post the fastest lap of the day in the final round, Harvick claimed his first Coors Light Pole Award for the Coca-Cola 600 and his second overall at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet will lead the field to green in NASCAR’s longest race on Sunday afterRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – To most, the Coca-Cola 600 is just another race. 2017’s marks the third annual 600 Miles of Remembrance for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Every driver’s windshield banner will display the name of a United State military veteran who sacrificed everything. Families are not only invited to the race as guests, but are also honored in a ceremony in which miniature windshields with the name of their loved ones are presented to them. On Kyle Busch’s M&M’s Red, White, and BlueRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule was finally unveiled during the 10 Days of NASCAR Thunder. One of the more notable changes is that the October playoff race at Charlotte Motor Speedway will change from using the 1.5-mile oval configuration to the 13-turn, 2.4-mile ‘roval’ configuration. One driver who will not compete on the roval but is interested to see how the racing turns out is Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Earnhardt announced his retirement from full-time competition earlier this season. TheRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – So far, the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season has not lived up to the expectations of many for Sunoco Rookie of the Year (ROTY) contender Erik Jones. 11 races into the season, Jones has just one Top 10 finish, an eighth at Phoenix Raceway, and three DNFs at Daytona, Richmond, and Talladega. The first practice for the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was a bright spot for Jones and his No. 77 5-Hour ENERGY Extra Strength Toyota CamryRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – As the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series enters Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2017 Coca-Cola 600, many drivers look to be successful in NASCAR’s endurance race. One driver that has found success in the 600 is Seven-Time Champion Jimmie Johnson. Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS team has four wins in NASCAR’s longest race. Meanwhile, eight of his 82 career wins have come at Charlotte Motor Speedway alone. Johnson has the second-best average finish at Charlotte, 12.58, among active drivers,Read More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer CONCORD, N.C. – Under two weeks before the 2017 Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR announced that the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race would have four stages instead of the typical three seen all season long. At the end of each stage, the stage winner receives one Playoff Point and the Top 10 earns additional Championship points. One driver that is happy with the extra stage is Wood Brothers Racing driver Ryan Blaney. Blaney is coming off his second top five of the season, fourth at Kansas,Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Memorial Day weekend in the motorsports world means one thing, racing’s greatest day beginning with F1 at Monaco, the Indianapolis 500, and ending with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In this week’s edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater”, we’ll take a step back a decade to look at a win by a member of a family known more for their open wheel exploits than those in stock cars. Of course, we’re talking about Casey Mears’ upset win in the 2007 Coca-Cola 600. Mears hadRead More