Kurt Busch Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor After hosting two races annually since the early 1980’s, Pocono Raceway downsized to just one race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule this season – Sunday’s M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400. With only three turns, instead of the four turns at all other ovals on the circuit, Pocono is definitely one of the most unique tracks on the schedule. The three turns all have differing banking with Turn 1 and its 14-degree banking modeled after the now-defunct Trenton Speedway, Turn 2 and its nine-degree banking modeled afterRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Christopher Bell has quietly established himself as a New England force over the past three years coming up the NASCAR ranks and on Sunday afternoon, he convincingly earned his biggest triumph to date there, a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter 301 and a ticket to the 2022 Playoffs. Bell led the last 42 laps of the 301-lapper at the one-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway claiming the trophy – and the traditional lobster hoist in Victory Lane – with a massive 5.767-second victoryRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr., 42, earned his first pole position in four seasons, taking the top starting spot in Saturday qualifying with a lap of 127.113 mph at the one-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He’ll start the No. 19 JGR Toyota in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter 301 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) alongside last week’s race winner, Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Truex last started on pole at Kentucky Speedway in 2018Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor New England here we come. A week removed from a thrilling showing on the high banks at Atlanta, the NASCAR Cup Series heads back to a flat oval this weekend for Sunday’s running of the Ambetter 301, as the march to the end of the regular season continues on. First joining the Cup Series circuit in 1993, the 1.058-mile oval that has progressively banked turns from two to seven degrees is one of the more difficult tracks on the schedule as the flat nature of theRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Half of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is now complete as Atlanta Motor Speedway comes calling this weekend to kick off the second half with Sunday’s running of the Quaker State 400. Atlanta’s aging racing surface, which had been in place since 1997, held together as long as possible, but the 260 laps around the 1.5-mile track last July were the last on that particular surface as the track underwent a repave and reconfiguration for the 2022 season. The 24-degree banking in the turns wasRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Last season, the NASCAR Cup Series made its return to Road America, a 14-turn, 4.048-mile road course weaving through the Wisconsin countryside and once again will be the destination for Fourth of July weekend with Sunday’s running of the Kwik Trip 250. As the third of six road course races on the 2022 schedule, the 62-lap event will be yet another test for the Next Gen car and could provide a chance for a driver not yet locked into the Playoffs to punch their ticket withRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor LEBANON, Tenn. – Just call him “Concrete Chase.” Sunday’s Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway threw everything it could at Chase Elliott, but when the checkered flag flew, it was the No. 9 Chevrolet that was victorious for the second-time this season – both on concrete tracks. “Just so proud of our team because we kind of had a setback there about halfway and we were able to get our NAPA Chevy dialed back in and get back in the mix,” Elliott said. “It was a longRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor LEBANON, Tenn. – The lone off weekend of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season could have been just what the doctor ordered for Bubba Wallace and 23XI Racing. Kicking off the year with a runner-up finish in Daytona, it’s been all downhill for Wallace and the No. 23 team since, scoring just one other top-10 finish through the first 16 races of the season, with the bad luck that seems to follow him culminating in a 36th place finish at Sonoma two weeks ago. After hisRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor LEBANON, Tenn. – Bubba Wallace has gotten his weekend in Music City off on the right foot, putting up the fastest time in the lone practice session ahead of Sunday’s Ally 400 at Nashville. While Ross Chastain put up the fast time early, it was Wallace who would come out as the fastest driver at the end of the session, taking his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota to the top of the board with a lap of 29.609 seconds, 161.708 mph. In addition to the fastestRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The second half of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season rolls on as the West Coast comes calling this weekend, with Sonoma Raceway playing host to Sunday’s running of the Toyota/Save Mart 350. A 12-turn technical road course situated about 30 miles north of San Francisco, Sonoma is one of six road courses on the 2022 schedule, with Sonoma first joining the circuit back in 1989. Over the years, the course at Sonoma Raceway has gone through a few configuration changes. When the track was firstRead More