Cup

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Hendrick Motorsports and Martinsville Speedway have gone together like glue over the past 40 years. A lot of highs and lows have happened, and Sunday’s Xfinity 500 was no different. While one Hendrick car will fight for a championship at Phoenix Raceway, the other two who were in the Round of 8 will not. Those who ended up with the short straw were Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. Neither former champion will be a part of the Arizona pageantry after their Championship 4 bids were dashedRead More
By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va.— He did it again. For the second straight year, defending series champion Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville Speedway to advance to the Championship 4. And as Blaney took the checkered flag to win Sunday’s Xfinity 500, Christopher Bell made a kamikaze move into the final corner in a futile attempt to deprive William Byron of the final spot in the next Sunday’s title event at Phoenix Raceway. Bell drove hard into Turn 3Read More
By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Denny Hamlin’s bid of capturing that elusive Bill France Cup Trophy in 2024 has reached a massive roadblock at Martinsville Speedway. During Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice leading up to qualifying for Sunday’s Xfinity 500, a puff of smoke on the left front of Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota as he entered Turn 3 spelled impending doom. With little time to react, his car lost control and slid into the outside wall, causing major damage to the back end of his car. Hamlin, who was thirdRead More
By David Morgan, Associate Editor Close, but no cigar. Over the course of the final five laps of Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, both Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin could taste victory and a berth in the NASCAR Cup Series championship race, but by the time the checkered flag waved, they were left with only disappointment. Hamlin held the point at the start of the final restart, with Blaney hot on his heels as the two drivers dueled it out for the win. However, there was another challengerRead More
By Luis Torres, Staff Writer For the second year in a row, Kyle Larson endured an unfortunate event at Homestead-Miami Speedway while chasing down Ryan Blaney. Only this time, Larson was able to take the checkered flag in Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400, finishing 13th and still on the outside looking in as far as the Championship 4 is concerned. Larson’s all-around agonizing day sees him sitting fifth in points, trailing teammate William Byron by seven points heading to the cutoff race at Martinsville Speedway next Sunday. With the day LarsonRead More
By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service HOMESTEAD, Fla. – In the most dramatic Playoff race of the 2024 season – featuring three different leaders in the final three laps – 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick made a clutch pass out of Turn 4 on the last lap to claim his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday when it counted most. Reddick passed his team owner, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin with two laps to go then moved high up against the wall to pass Team Penske’s RyanRead More
By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Ryan Blaney’s disastrous weekend in “Sin City” is now in the books after finishing 32nd in Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The defending NASCAR Cup Series champion’s setback started during Saturday’s practice session where he only logged in a single lap before a flat tire sent him careening into the Turn 1 wall, making contact on the driver’s side. Blaney was able to exit out of his car before being checked and released from the infield care center. Consequently, Blaney had toRead More
By Luis Torres, Staff Writer On an afternoon where several Round of 8 drivers endured a plethora of drama, William Byron was one of the very few who left Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a trouble-free Sunday. An outcome any driver pines in having. Although Byron’s No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet was among the quickest cars on the grid, he was no match for the likes of Christopher Bell and race winner Joey Logano in terms of raw pace and fuel strategy respectively. In the end, Byron began this Playoff round withRead More
By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service LAS VEGAS — Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano made his Team Penske’s fuel strategy call work to perfection Sunday afternoon to claim victory in the South Point 400 Playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and earn the first of four NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 berths. Logano led only the final six laps on the Vegas 1.5-miler but was able to hold off the afternoon’s most dominant car, Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota by a slight .662-second inRead More