Cup

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor When the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visits the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega, there is always a chance that a driver might get caught up in a crash that ends their night prematurely and for the 2016 Sprint Cup Series rookie class, that is exactly what happened in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Throughout the first 89 laps of the race, three of the four rookies (Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, and Chris Buescher) had made their way through the field intoRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor If you would have told me at the beginning of the season, that Trevor Bayne would be the breakout driver of the year, I would have called your bluff. However 17 races into the 2016 season, Bayne is turning heads as he continues to bust out great finishes. That trend continued in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Bayne, who has had decent qualifying runs all season long, had another one this week when he nabbed the 13th-place starting spot for this race. BayneRead More

By David Westergreen, Fan Column The first NASCAR race I ever watched was the 2001 Daytona 500. While it is a race well remembered for its last lap, what is often forgotten is the 49 lead changes among 14 drivers and underdog winner. Performances by Ward Burton and Sterling Marlin bringing Dodge back to the forefront for the first time since 1979 at Daytona are lost to the memories of Dale Earnhardt. This was my first experience as a fan. I did not see any one of Dale’s 76 winsRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Greg Biffle came out of nowhere. Winless since 2013 and without a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole since the fall Charlotte race in 2012, the driver of the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford scorched Daytona International Speedway on Friday to claim the top starting spot for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 (at 7:45 p.m. ET on NBC). In the second and final round of knockout qualifying, Biffle toured the 2.5-mile restrictor-plate track in 46.643 seconds (192.955 mph) to wrestleRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Ultimately, it means very little, but with a lap of 199.349 mph Brian Scott paced Friday morning’s final practice session for the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday night. Scott, who drives for Richard Petty Motorsports, has had a lackluster rookie season, so perhaps leading the speed charts in the drafting session can provide a confidence boost that will lead to results on the track. Scott enters this weekend 30th in the championship standings, and he has yet to record a top-10 finish through 16 starts.Read More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor With less than 10 minutes remaining in final practice for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, Kyle Busch had a severe impact. The right rear tire on Busch’s No. 18 Toyota blew causing him to veer right, head on into the wall. The hit was into a SAFER barrier, but it did catastrophic damage to the car. Luckily Busch walked away unscathed. NASCAR Tweeted footage of the accident: Here’s why we’re under red. #CokeZero400 pic.twitter.com/nFF9wNLMHN — NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 1, 2016 Busch, who wonRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor One of the key cogs in Richard Childress Racing’s flying aces pit crew of the 1980s, David Smith has passed away. The race team announced the somber news Thursday via Twitter. Thoughts & prayers are with the family of our longtime RCR team member David Smith. Rest in Peace champ. pic.twitter.com/6EinNxvECl — RCR (@RCRracing) July 1, 2016 Smith was a longtime jackman of the pit crew, but he also served as the crew chief for the legendary Dale Earnhardt during the 1996 season. In thatRead More

SHOW #417 – Guest: Chase Elliott – We recap the amazing finish from Sonoma, hear from Tony Stewart in rare form, back to NBC, Danica officiates GoCarts, the Townley Vs. Gallagher smackdown, the latest on Matt Tifft, and a full Daytona preview. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Toby Christie DOWNLOAD HERE CREDITS: Hosts: Kerry Murphey & Toby Christie Executive Producer: Kerry Murphey Music: Russell Nash Audio Director Voice Over: Thomas Moog SUBSCRIBE FREE HERE RSS FEED RADIO STATIONS CLICK HERE SUBSCRIBE FROM iTUNES: Take us with you! Subscribe to ourRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Is there a sport filled with more conspiracy theories than NASCAR? In a sport where life and death are merely inches apart, many people still believe that drivers would be willing to fix outcomes of events, just because. After Denny Hamlin nudged past Tony Stewart for the lead in turn seven on the final lap this past week in Sonoma, then went wide left in the final hair-pin turn, which gave Stewart plenty of room to force his car to the inside for the win,Read More