Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor On a scorching hot day at Phoenix Raceway, temperatures in the mid 90’s wreaked havoc with brake heat and tire issues as a couple of big names had their days come to an early end as a result. The first of those drivers to have their day end short of the finish was Matt Kenseth, who qualified 12th for the Camping World 500 and ended final practice in second place, so there was hope that the team could score a third straight top-10 finish afterRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor As the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series gets set to head to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend for the second stop of the West Coast Swing and the Camping World 500, we’ll take a step back in time for this week’s “Throwback Thursday Theater” to the 2007 running of the Subway Fresh Fit 500. This time last year, fans, drivers, and media alike were all talking about Jimmie Johnson winning at Atlanta, tying the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr. at 76 wins on the all-time winsRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor After the kickoff to the West Coast swing last weekend in Las Vegas culminated in a victory by Martin Truex, Jr. to mark the third different winner in the first three races of the season and also featured a post-race pit road brawl, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Valley of the Sun this weekend to take on the Camping World 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Phoenix has resided on the Cup Series schedule since 1988, but the track looks completely differentRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Following the aftermath of Sunday’s post-race fight between Joey Logano and Kyle Busch at the conclusion of the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, all eyes turned to NASCAR to see if they would levy any fines or penalties on the two drivers in the days ahead. On Monday morning, NASCAR Vice President Steve O’Donnell made an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio to give the sanctioning body’s thoughts on the incident to this point and the possibility of penalties going forward. “It’s certainly underRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor Three races into the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, Kyle Larson is starting to assert himself as a bona fide championship contender. At 24 years old, the driver in his fourth full-time season on the circuit can’t even legally rent a car at most rental companies, but he is driving like a seasoned pro so far this year. Sunday in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Larson rolled off from the fifth starting spot, and on the first run of theRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer After taking the victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway last weekend, Brad Keselowski and his No. 2 Miller Lite team were riding a wave of momentum into the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Speed in Keselowski’s Ford Fusion was evident as he was second fastest in the first practice, behind Martin Truex, Jr. In qualifying, Keselowski topped the speed charts, edging out Truex’s No. 78 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry by three-hundredths of a second. The second practice was a disappointment as Keselowski wasRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Kyle Busch looked to be on the way to a top-five finish in Sunday’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but after last lap contact between Busch and Joey Logano, Busch went for a spin that not only left him with a bad finish at his home track, but with his tempers flaring. As Brad Keselowski was dropping back with a wounded car after losing the lead, Busch and Logano both dove low under Keselowski’s Ford entering Turn 3 on the last lap, nearlyRead More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor The second Stage of the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway played out the exact same way that Stage 1 did. A late caution gave the field an opportunity to hit pit road for fuel and tires, and just like with Stage 1 two competitors stayed on track to gamble for championship points. This time the drivers who stayed out were seven-time Series champion Jimmie Johnson and 2004 Series champ Kurt Busch. Just like in Segment 1 tires were proven to be of the utmost value.Read More

By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor There were varying strategies at the conclusion of Stage 1 of the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas. A caution with 10 laps remaining in the stage gave the field an opportunity to pit for tires and fuel before the break for Stage 2. However, Joey Logano (third spot at the time of the caution) and Jamie McMurray (11th at the time of the caution) opted to roll the dice and stay on the track in hopes that they could gain championship points. When the green flag cameRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Since joining the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit in 1998, Las Vegas Motor Speedway has had just one race date on the calendar, but starting in 2018, that changes. On Wednesday afternoon, the track and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced a $2.5 million partnership that would bring a second Cup Series weekend to the facility starting next season. With the schedule already jam packed and NASCAR not looking to add any race dates, that would mean one of the other tracksRead More