Bluegreen Vacations 500 Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — Going into Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway, it was possible that one driver would make the Championship 4 via points. The man who claimed the final spot was runner-up finisher Kyle Busch. In a battle that boiled down between his teammate Denny Hamlin and rival Joey Logano, one spot would’ve made the difference of having three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers battling for the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway or not. After wall contact from John Hunter Nemechek on Lap 303, the fieldRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — In a year that Roger Penske has dominated the world of motorsports, there won’t be a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship this season for “The Captain.” That’s because Joey Logano finished ninth in Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway. Not good enough of making the Championship 4 despite running extraordinarily well during the first half of the race, highlighted with a Stage 2 win. Then everything fell apart for the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang as his pace was lost andRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – Out, demon! Denny Hamlin’s exorcism is complete. At ISM Raceway, the site of one of his biggest disappointments, Hamlin barged back into the Championship 4 with a dominating victory in Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500. Hamlin joins Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch, Sunday’s runner-up, in the Nov. 17 race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The three JGR drivers will battle Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing for the trophy. After losing controlRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — Chase Elliott’s heinous Round of 8 ends in a Lap 167 crash in Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway. “It’s just a continuation of our first two weeks, unfortunately,” Elliott on his elimination. “I hate it for our NAPA group.” Needing a win to make the Championship 4 for the first time in his career, Elliott had a competitive No. 9 NAPA AutoCare Center Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 where he had collected 17 stage points. Elliott’s main battle was against Denny Hamlin, whoRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — Hours removed from NASCAR penalizing Bubba Wallace 50 driver points and fined $50,000 for admitting that he deliberately spun out in last Sunday’s AAA Texas 500, several Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers were asked about their take of his penalty. Among those vocal from the very beginning was Kyle Larson, who felt it was clear as day that it was on purpose. After qualifying fifth for tomorrow’s Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway, Larson hopes the message will be sent to everyRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – In a Saturday qualifying session that provided validation that the cream rises to the top, Kyle Busch earned his first pole position of the season, as seven Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers claimed the top seven positions on the grid. Navigating one-mile ISM Raceway in a blistering 25.693 seconds 140.116 mph, Busch edged Joey Logano (139.752 mph) by .067 seconds for Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the race that willRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — It’s do or die for Chase Elliott heading into Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway. The only way the popular second-generation driver makes the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first time is winning at a track he’s never visited victory lane in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Elliott, who is 78 points behind the cutoff, said the mindset is to achieve his seventh career Cup win after a self-inflicting Turn 2 accident during last Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 atRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor It’s a showdown in the Arizona desert this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rolls into ISM Raceway in Phoenix for the Bluegreen Vacations 500. Just two spots are still up for grabs in the Championship 4, with six drivers still in the hunt. Martin Truex, Jr. and Kevin Harvick have already locked up their place in the season finale at Homestead, with Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott still looking to race their way in.Read More