Aric Almirola Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Viva Las Vegas…again? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in the track’s history, Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be hosting a second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race this season as they kick off the 10-race Playoff stretch with Sunday’s running of the South Point 400. Las Vegas began its life on the NASCAR circuit as a 1.5-mile oval with 12 degrees of banking in 1998, but following the 2006 running of the race, the track underwent a massive reconfiguration that saw progressive bankingRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer How can a driver fly under the radar in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season finale? Aric Almirola found out after multiple pit road penalties kept him from ever being a factor for the win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Almirola finished well outside the Top-20 after running just inside the top-10 throughout the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard. Although he avoided trouble, the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Fusion was busted for speeding on pit road twice, as well as pitting before pitRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Now that the checkered flag has flown following Monday’s rain-delayed Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, the regular season for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is complete and the 16-driver field for the playoffs is set. Starting next week in Las Vegas, the playoff contenders will begin a 10-week grind toward crowning a champion at the season finale at Homestead-Miami, but how do they really stack up against each other? Kevin Harvick (2050 Points) – Harvick and Kyle Busch can be ranked as 1A andRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn. – Kyle Larson, a close second to Kyle Busch in the 2018 spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway, took the first step toward avenging that loss—and a handful of others—with a pole-winning effort in Friday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series knockout qualifying session at the .533-mile short track. In the final round, Larson covered the distance in 15.015 seconds (127.792 mph) to complete a sweep of the three rounds in the session. In winning his first Busch Pole Award at Thunder Valley, hisRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series finally got their chance to take to the Bristol Motor Speedway high banks on Friday with a pair of practice sessions for the drivers and teams to get everything sorted out ahead of Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. In the first session Friday morning, Chase Elliott led a trio of Chevrolets to the top of the board, posting a fast lap of 15.151 seconds, 126.645 mph. He would be followed by Kyle Larson andRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After last weekend’s race at Watkins Glen saw Chase Elliott score his first career win, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads back to Michigan for the second time this season to race on one of the biggest and fastest tracks on the circuit, Michigan International Speedway and Sunday’s running of the Consumers Energy 400. With this race taking place near the home of two of the three manufacturers (Chevrolet and Ford), teams put extra emphasis on winning this race for bragging rights, especially this weekendRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Joey Logano reaffirmed his mastery of the road course at Watkins Glen International, but it took a three-wide restart late in Saturday’s Zippo 200 for the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford to get the job done. After winning his fourth straight NASCAR Xfinity Series pole at the 2.45-mile track, Logano took teammate Brad Keselowski and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ryan Preece three-wide into Turn 1 after a restart on lap 75 of 82. Logano’s move forced Keselowski wideRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer It’s the 20th race of the season and three full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series regulars have combined to score seven victories. The Xfinity Series returns to Watkins Glen Internationalfor the Zippo 200. A slew of Cup drivers, the possibility of racing in the rain, and stage racing are just some of the storylines heading into the 20th race of the season. Coverage for the Zippo 200 is scheduled to start Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Watkins Glen has been on the schedule from 1991 through 2001, and 2005-present. TheRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service LOUDON, N.H. – On two straight laps late in Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick nudged the No. 18 Toyota of race leader Kyle Busch with his front bumper. Busch retained the lead. But Harvick took more aggressive action on Lap 295 of 301, tagging Busch’s car in the center of Turns 1 and 2. Busch slid up the track as Harvick powered the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford into the topRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The story of the season has been about Stewart-Haas Racing’s winning ways. For pole sitter Kurt Busch, it appeared he had the car to finally snap a 54-race winless streak and give the team its eighth win of the season. That all ended when a pit miscue cost him several track positions and he ultimately wound up eighth in Sunday’s Foxwood Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. With 74 laps to go, Busch relinquished second and made his penultimate pit stop under green.Read More