Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor When the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Michigan twice a year, the battle between the three manufacturers in the series takes on a new life with two of the three being based down the road in Detroit. After Brad Keselowski, a Ford driver, won the pole for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 on Friday evening to give Ford the top three drivers in qualifying, comments were made indicating that he thought Toyota, which has been the dominant manufacturer in recent weeks, was sandbagging atRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer Matt DiBenedetto and his Go Fas Racing crew chief Gene Nead will not have to worry about their 2018 plans as they will return to their Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team. DiBenedetto, Nead, and Go Fas Racing team owner Archie St. Hilaire made the announcement at Michigan International Speedway. DiBenedetto is the first driver to compete for an entire season for Go Fas. He also earned the team their first two top-10 finishes. Both of those came in some of NASCAR’s crown jewel races,Read More

By NASCAR Wire Service BROOKLYN, Mich. – Brad Keselowski will start on the pole for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 (at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN), after taking the top spot from fellow Ford driver Ryan Blaney, who had posted the fastest times to that point, but bobbled twice in his run in the final qualifying round on Friday at Michigan International Speedway. Keselowski grew up in Rochester Hills, Mich., a Detroit suburb 99 miles from Michigan International Speedway. He is a big fan of Detroit and University of Michigan sportsRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor With Chevrolet ceasing production of their current car model, the Chevrolet SS, at the end of the year, the manufacturer set about choosing a new car model for their Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series entry for 2018 and beyond. After months of speculation, Chevrolet officially unveiled the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as their new car model that will debut on track next season. The new ZL1 model will look to build on the success that its predecessor has had in its run in the Cup Series,Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Racing at Michigan International Speedway often comes down to fuel mileage on the fast, two-mile oval, especially with long green flag runs and a scarcity of caution flags to slow the race pace down. In this week’s “Throwback Thursday Theater,” we’ll look back at one of those races that saw the lead swap three times over the last six laps when the leaders fuel tanks began to run dry. Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch would lead the field to green in the 2009 LifeLock 400,Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After last weekend’s race at Watkins Glen saw Martin Truex, Jr. score his fourth win of the season in a fuel mileage thriller, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway for the second time in 2017 to race on one of the biggest and fastest tracks on the circuit in Sunday’s running of the Pure Michigan 400. With this race taking place near the home of two of the three manufacturers (Chevrolet and Ford), teams put extra emphasis on winning thisRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After Hendrick Motorsports announced that Kasey Kahne would be out of the No. 5 car at the end of the 2017 season, Internet speculation ran wild on who would fill his seat, with most reports pointing to William Byron being the most logical choice to take his place. On Wednesday, Byron’s move up to the Monster Energy Cup Series became official as Hendrick announced that he will debut in NASCAR’s premier series next season. Byron’s move cements the Hendrick lineup for 2018 as he willRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Just two weeks ago, Kasey Kahne was celebrating his first win since 2014 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and had seemed to help his prospects of staying with Hendrick Motorsports for another year, but even a win in one of the biggest races on the schedule couldn’t keep Kahne with the team he has driven for since 2012. On Monday, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Kahne had been released from the final year of his contract, allowing him to pursue other opportunities for the 2018 season. “KaseyRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor On Sunday, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series took to Watkins Glen International, a seven-turn, 2.45-mile road course located in upstate New York for the final road course race of the 2017 season. Always an entertaining race, this year’s I Love New York 355 at The Glen was another in a long line of fun races to watch. So, what were some of the top storylines leaving Watkins Glen on Sunday? Can Martin Truex, Jr. Be Stopped? After winning four races and only finishing 11thRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – At a track where his father raced, and a track where he was a “garage rat” as a child, Martin Truex Jr. won Sunday’s I Love New York 355 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race by slowing down over the closing laps. Truex let Brad Keselowski pass him for the lead on Lap 77 of 90. On instructions from crew chief Cole Pearn, Truex also let Ryan Blaney past his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota on Lap 83. All theRead More