David Starr Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor TALLADEGA, Ala. – Worst to first. Sammy Smith and the No. 8 JR Motorsports team are heading to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs after winning Saturday’s United Rentals 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. Smith came into the day at the bottom of the Playoff standings, some 23 points below the cut-off line, but with his victory on Saturday, he’s the first of the championship contenders to advance to the next round. “Just a great team. My sponsors, everybody that has stuck withRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. – Martin Truex, Jr. was again denied a second NASCAR Cup Series championship. Instead of hoisting the Bill France Cup, Truex had to settle for second in Sunday’s Cup Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. When the laps were winding down, Truex appeared to have the title in the bag. That’s when debris from David Starr changed the outcome of the race, bringing out the caution flag on Lap 282. Erasing Truex’s lead, the caution flag would bring the field down pit road for theRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Myatt Snider got his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory. Noah Gragson got another heartache at Homestead. With perfect execution from the inside lane on his second chance at an overtime restart, Snider held off charging Tyler Reddick to win Saturday’s Contender Boats 250 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. For his third straight race at the 1.5-mile track, Gragson was close enough to taste victory, but it was his ill-fated crash with just over two laps left in regulation that set up overtime and Snider’s victory. Reddick’sRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Leavine Family Racing will end its 10-year run in the NASCAR Cup Series at the conclusion of the 2020 season, team owner Bob Leavine said in a statement released on Tuesday. Citing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on his team, Leavine noted that the organization would not be in a position to compete after this season, leading to the sale of the No. 95 team to a new owner and his exit from the sport when the final checkered flag falls at season’s end.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It was a Talladega heartbreak for several drivers, notably the Earnhardt entity in the closing laps. Coming to five laps remaining in Saturday’s MoneyLion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway, a tight battle for seventh turned disaster as the cruel nature of the 2.66-mile circuit reared its ugly head on both Jeremy Clements and Jeffrey Earnhardt. At the exit of Turn 1, both were in a four-wide battle with Brett Moffitt and Brandon Brown until Earnhardt made slight contact with Clements, sending him loose and started an accordionRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer Teams in all three of NASCAR’s National Series were penalized following the race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Lug nuts were the main culprit, accounting for three of the four penalties that NASCAR issued on Wednesday. Following the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, the race winning car of Kevin Harvick was found to have an improperly installed lug nut. Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing crew chief Rodney Childers was fined $10,000 as a result. The same lug nut issue was found afterRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer David Starr announced Wednesday he’ll run in Jimmy Means Racing’s No. 52 Chevrolet, replacing Joey Gase who’s driven for Means since 2012. The 50-year-old Texan will run the entire schedule for the second consecutive season, beginning with the February 17th running of the Powershares QQQ 300 at Daytona. “I’m eager to get the season started,” Starr said. “I have a lot of respect for Jimmy, he’s a true racer and has been in the industry for a long time. His knowledge will only enhance our raceRead More

By: Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In a wild race that ended more than 21 hours after it started, William Byron won his second NASCAR XFINITY Series event in seven days, taking the checkered flag in overtime in Saturday’s weather-delayed Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Byron took the lead from Joey Logano on Lap 98 of a scheduled 100, when off-center contact from Byron’s front bumper sent Logano’s No. 22 Ford plowing through the infield grass below the backstretch. “I was just trying to pushRead More

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – The decision to compete in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR XFINITY Series sixth annual Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville at Road America (Wis.) paid off in a huge way for Paul Menard who scored his third career XFINITY victory at his hometown track. Menard, a native of Eau Claire, Wis. started eighth and saw a decision to stay out after pitting on Lap 24 work to his advantage as he edged out a relentless Ryan Blaney by 0.573 seconds at the 14-turn road course. After theRead More