ISM Raceway Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — It started off with three ThorSport Racing drivers when the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series playoffs began in late August. Now going into the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, only one made it to the big stage. That man was two-time series champion Matt Crafton. Crafton entered into Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 at ISM Raceway outside the cutoff line, trailing Austin Hill by nine points. When crossed the line in sixth, Crafton beat Hill by seven points to claim the fourth and finalRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – Stewart Friesen thought he had led the first lap of Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 at ISM Raceway in Phoenix. He was wrong. After suffering a penalty for jumping the start of the race, however, Friesen rallied to lead the lap that counted most—the last one— and secured a spot in next weekend’s Championship 4 race with the second NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series victory of the season and his career. “We’ve got a badass piece for next week, too,” promisedRead 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 Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — It’s often said that the world of motorsports is a tight knit circle. Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 at ISM Raceway is one of those instances where the inner circle comes together, not just from the competition but race fans who rallied behind one fellow NASCAR YouTuber. Griffin Spier arrived in Phoenix to not just see the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race but getting to see his late brother PFC Tate William Spier, who served in the Marines, being remembered. His brother’s nameRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — Cool, calm and extremely focused is 18-year-old Derek Kraus, who is set to run double duty in both the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and K&N Pro Series West at ISM Raceway. The Stratford, Wisconsin native will be making his fourth Truck Series start of 2019 for Bill McAnally Racing’s No. 19 ENEOS Toyota Tundra. A year ago, Kraus made his series debut at Phoenix where he started and finished eighth. Kraus said there are things that he’ll be able to carry fromRead 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

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer FORT WORTH, Texas — If defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano wants to pursue back-to-back titles, he’ll have to primarily deal with Kyle Busch after leading 5 of 334 laps and finishing fourth in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. That’s because Logano holds the fourth and final Championship 4 spot heading into the cutoff race at ISM Raceway November 10, a track he’s won back in 2016 while Busch is a three-time winner including the last two races. Busch finishedRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer FORT WORTH, Texas — Throughout the 71-year history of NASCAR competition, there hasn’t been a father-and-son combination that’s raced at least once together in all three national touring series. That’ll change in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway as father Joe and son John Hunter Nemechek, who’s making his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut, will have a landmark opportunity to race in Cup for the first time. The last time a Cup race had a father-son duo was the 2005 fall Atlanta raceRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Matt Tifft has faced medical issues at various points in his career and after another episode on Saturday morning at Martinsville that sent him to the hospital and sidelined him from Sunday’s race, the 23-year old Front Row Motorsports driver learned early this week that he will have to miss out on the remainder of the 2019 season. Tifft, who missed a number of races in 2016 while receiving treatment from a non-malignant brain tumor, took to social media on Tuesday morning after the newsRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer A new chapter into NASCAR’s future has few perks as they’re further separating themselves from tradition once more. For what? To spice things up like its a game of Russian roulette? First off, I applaud the sport for making the Southern 500 at Darlington the playoff opener. A crown jewel event is the ultimate ideal start of the postseason and makes the most nostalgic weekend even sweeter. Their attempt of a doubleheader at Pocono sounds promising, but I’m not crazy about doubleheaders in major motorsports exceptRead More