Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After losing a left rear wheel in last Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover, Kyle Busch’s No. 18 team was handed a stiff penalty from NASCAR on Wednesday, which will leave Busch without his crew chief and two pit crew members for the next four races. Just 19 laps into the AAA 400 at Dover, Busch made his way down pit road for routine service under caution, but that’s when everything went wrong for his Joe Gibbs Racing team. Before any ofRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After taking on the Monster Mile last weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads north to Pennsylvania this weekend for the first of two 2017 dates at Pocono Raceway and Sunday’s running of the Pocono 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 TrentonRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor As Aric Almirola continues to heal from his back injuries sustained last month at Kansas, the seat of his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford has been filled by Regan Smith, but starting this weekend at Pocono, a new face will be in the cockpit until Almirola returns. That driver will be Darrell Wallace, Jr., who has been racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Roush-Fenway Racing this season. Sunday’s start for legendary car owner Richard Petty will be Wallace’s first start in the MonsterRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway, the regular season of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is now halfway over. The 400-lap event on the one-mile concrete oval once again provided some of the best racing of the year, so without further ado, here are five of the top storylines leaving the Monster Mile. Jimmie Johnson Just Keeps Rewriting the Record Books Though Kyle Larson and Martin Truex, Jr. dominated the majority of the race at Dover, it was Johnson that came outRead More

By: Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DOVER, Del. – The man who once made his parents stop at Hardee’s because he thought it was Cale Yarborough’s race shop pulled even with his childhood hero in Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway. Getting the jump on Kyle Larson on an overtime restart at the Monster Mile, Johnson crossed the overtime line on the backstretch moments before a multi-car wreck brought out the 15th caution of the race and froze the field with Johnson in the lead and aRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer The past two seasons have been a struggle for Stewart Haas Racing’s Danica Patrick. The last time she scored a Top 10 finish in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was the Spring race at Bristol in 2015. After showing some speed in recent races, Patrick was looking to turn her luck around in the AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway. In the first practice, it was clear that Patrick’s No. 10 Aspen Dental team was still looking for speed after endingRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer The AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway was hit and miss for the 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year (ROTY) contenders in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. All four of the ROTY contenders have experience on the 1-mile oval. Daniel Suarez started a career best third in his No. 19 STANLEY Toyota Camry. Suarez narrowly avoided an early accident between Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski. Suarez finished Stage 1 in 10th, earning one extra Championship Point. Stage 2 was quiet forRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor In this race one year ago, Kyle Larson was in contention for his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win after leading 85 laps, but had to settle for second place after a late race battle with eventual race winner Matt Kenseth. With a win already under his belt in 2017, Larson headed into Dover looking for some redemption and the weekend sweep after handily winning Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the one-mile concrete oval. Starting the day in fifth place, Larson bided hisRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer In recent history, most drivers attempting to run all three NASCAR National Series, also known as ‘the triple,’ have been Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers. This weekend, NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Ross Chastain will run all 800 miles at Dover International Speedway. In the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series AAA 400 Drive for Austim, Chastain will make his debut in the No. 15 Chevrolet SS for Premium Motorsports. In the Xfinity Series One Main Financial 200, he will compete in the No. 4 ChevroletRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor 1997 Miller 500 – Dover Downs International Speedway For the first 55 races held at Dover from 1969 to 1997, the “Monster Mile” had been a 500-mile affair with attrition being the name of the game, but starting with the fall race in 1997 the race length was shortened to 400 miles, leaving one last 500 mile hurrah in June of that year that certainly did not disappoint. Starting on pole, Bobby Labonte took command of the race for the first 30 laps before disasterRead More