Chase for the Sprint Cup Tag

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor HOMESTEAD, Fla. — An entire season’s work rests on one 400-mile race for the four drivers and teams left in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. NASCAR’s new Chase format — unveiled in 2014 — essentially makes the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway a dog-eat-dog winner-take-all race for the championship. Talk about pressure. For Jimmie Johnson, there is added pressure. If the California-native can rise above his competition in Sunday’s race, he will be tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with most Sprint Cup SeriesRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor HOMESTEAD, Fla. — All is right in the world of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus. The dynamic driver and crew chief duo are hitting on all cylinders heading into the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. At stake? A record-tying seventh championship for Johnson, but 11 years ago this weekend, the team of Johnson and Knaus was nearly split up. Hendrick discussed his thought process as the competitive Johnson and Knaus started butting heads back in 2005. “You know, every — I think it’s theRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor An entire season of blood sweat and tears for Matt Kenseth and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team was wiped out in an instant late in the Can-Am 500 at Pheonix International Raceway. Kenseth started the day from the 10th position, and early on his car was fast but it just lacked a little bit of front grip. When the driver made his first pit stop on lap 88, his crew chief Jason Ratcliff made great changes and the car was dialed in theRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor FORT WORTH, Texas — With one race left before the Chase for the Sprint Cup Round of 8 is cut down to four, Kurt Busch finds himself in a not-so-favorable spot — last in the Chase Grid. After finishing 15th-or-better in every Chase event through the Rounds of 16 and 12, Busch has now racked up back to back finishes of 20th-or-worse to start the Round of 8. After his latest finish, a 20th place effort in the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway,Read More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor FORT WORTH, Texas — If Kyle Busch goes on to win his second-consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, likely the AAA Texas 500 weekend at Texas Motor Speedway will be remembered as a huge reason why. On possibly the most trying week of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team’s season, Busch dug deep and showed the tenacity of a champion as he gutted out a top-five finish. Busch’s week went sour before it even started. In the first practice of the weekend, Busch slammed intoRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor FORT WORTH, Texas — Usually with three races remaining in the season, the remaining Chase drivers dominate every practice session, every qualifying round and every race. In Saturday morning’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway though, Ryan Blaney led a slew of unexpected drivers who topped the speed charts. Blaney turned a lap of 188.515 mph, and he was followed by AJ Allmendinger, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Casey Mears and Paul Menard. The fastest single lap any ChaseRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor FORT WORTH, Texas — There was a bit of a rift between the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates after last week’s finish in Martinsville. In the closing laps, Jimmie Johnson held the lead, but there was a trio of JGR cars chasing him for the win. Matt Kenseth had been the dominant driver all day long in Martinsville as he led a race-high 176 laps, but he found himself trapped behind his teammate Denny Hamlin in the closing laps. Hamlin was fast on Sunday as well, asRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor FORT WORTH, Texas — The weekend at Texas Motor Speedway got off to a rough start for one of the eight drivers still in championship contention in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase. Kyle Busch slammed into the wall coming to the start finish line to begin his first lap of practice. The damage from the contact with the wall was severe enough that Busch is now relegated to a backup car for the remainder of the weekend. “Unfortunate there with our practice crash that we had, kindRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor It has been a dominant season for Toyota Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing in particular. But after the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville, one of the team’s four drivers — Carl Edwards — finds himself in an uphill battle if he wants to advance to the Sprint Cup Series championship race in Homestead four weeks from now. Edwards started the day from the seventh position, but his day got off to a rocky start as he was busted for speeding on pit road during hisRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor The 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship started with optimism for 16 drivers and teams. After Sunday’s Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway, the championship aspirations for four of those 16 have come to an abrupt end. Tony Stewart, who is in his final season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, was one of the four drivers eliminated from the 2016 Chase following the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover International Speedway. Stewart, who never showed the speed to contend for a win on Sunday, endedRead More