Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service BUSCH NOT RELYING ON CUSHION LAS VEGAS – Kyle Busch looked simultaneously relaxed in his hometown of Las Vegas on Thursday afternoon and ready to get after it. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin with Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and as the regular season champion, Busch starts the 10-race championship push as the top-seed among the 16 Playoff drivers. On-track action begins Friday with opening Cup practice. Busch’s onlyRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Wood Brothers Racing will have a new driver behind the wheel in 2020 as the team announced on Tuesday that Paul Menard will be retiring from full-time driving at the end of the season, with Matt DiBenedetto replacing him in the cockpit of the famed No. 21 Ford. Menard, who has driven for the Wood Brothers for the last two seasons and full-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series since 2008, cited wanting to spend more time at home with his family as oneRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Grid driver Chase Elliott salvaged a top-10 finish after a disastrous start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver avoided much of the attrition in the Big Machine Vodka 400 at The Brickyard because he was mired in the back of the pack. By staying out of trouble, Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 moved up the running order. He broke into the top-10 on the final restart and took the checkered flag in ninth.Read More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service SPEEDWAY, Ind. – From the start of Sunday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ryan Newman’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff chances were in jeopardy. He entered the final Monster Energy Series regular-season race tied with Daniel Suarez for the final berth in the postseason, and qualifying didn’t go as well as Newman had hoped. He was 22nd fastest in time trials, giving up two spots to Suarez at the outset. But with astute pit calls by crew chief Scott GravesRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent He wasn’t a playoff spoiler, but Bubba Wallace still had a career day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver moved into the top-10 in the final stage. Wallace’s No. 43 World Wide Technology Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 picked off position after position. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver avoided the late attrition to break into the top-five with 50 laps to go. Wallace battled Ryan Blaney and William Byron as he moved closer to the lead of the Big Machine Vodka 400Read More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service SPEEDWAY, Ind. – It was a dominating victory for Kevin Harvick and a statement of superiority for his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford team as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads toward its 10-race Playoff. It was an ignominious end to Jimmie Johnson’s unique and unprecedented streak of qualifying for every Cup Series postseason. And it was heartbreak for Daniel Suarez, as he chased Ryan Newman over the final nine laps of the Big Machine Vodka 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with theRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent A massive accident at Indianapolis Motor Speedway ended Jimmie Johnson’s playoff hopes before the race even finished. On lap 104, Johnson found his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at the bottom of a three-wide situation entering turn two. The seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion’s Hendrick Motorsports machine broke loose beneath his teammate William Byron. As the car whipped around, Johnson caught Kurt Busch before slamming the outside wall. He was then rear-ended by Parker Kligerman who had nowhere to go. Chris Buescher,Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Over the years, Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been the site of several hard crashes and in Sunday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at The Brickyard, Brad Keselowski and Erik Jones became the latest to feel the wrath of the demanding 2.5-mile layout. As Stage 1 was coming to a close, drivers throughout the field were jockeying for position when Jones attempted to pass Keselowski into Turn 2, but the two drivers didn’t have enough margin between them, causing Jones to drift up the track into KeselowskiRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Kyle Busch walked around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway garage Friday afternoon feeling equal parts ambitious and already highly accomplished. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver locked in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship last Sunday at Darlington Raceway – his second regular season title in as many years. And the clinch comes a full week before the series’ regular season finale, Sunday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard (2 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Radio and SiriusXMRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Erik Jones has called the No. 20 team at Joe Gibbs Racing home for the past two seasons and heading into the 2020 season, he will continue to occupy that seat as the team announced a contract extension for the 23-year old on Friday. “I’m so happy to finally have my plans for 2020 confirmed and to talk about it,” Jones said in a team release. “I’m excited to be staying with Joe Gibbs Racing and the 20 team and to continue the success thatRead More