Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor We all know how dominant Petty Enterprises was in its heyday, as the organization captured 250+ wins over the course of its lifespan with Richard Petty, Lee Petty, and a handful of others behind the wheel, but after Petty’s final win in 1984, trips to Victory Lane would become a much rarer sight. Only three other times after that would a Petty Enterprises No. 43 car take the checkered flag and in April 1999, John Andretti would be the last driver to deliver a win forRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor If there’s one Chevrolet team that has stood out above the rest of the Bowtie Brigade in 2019, it has been the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing team piloted by Kurt Busch. Following a 25th place finish in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season opener, Busch and company have rebounded in the races since, piling up top-10 finish after top-10 finish. In Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway, it was more of the same with the elder Busch brother bringing home a sixth-placeRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It was quite the captivating weekend for Austin Dillon, who not only led the field to the green, but also battle an illness throughout Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, finishing a valiant 10th. Dillon’s Busch Pole Award on Friday was overshadowed after none of the 12 competitors crossed the line before the final round struck zero, and because of him being the fastest in Round 2, he was credited as the pole winner. The qualifying fiasco was the least ofRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FONTANA, Calif. – Let the debate begin. Recovering from a pit road speeding penalty with the help of a timely caution, Kyle Busch collected his 200th NASCAR national series victory with a dominating win in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. At the same venue that gave Busch his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in 2005, the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota beat runner-up Joey Logano to the finish line by a comfortable 2.354 seconds to earn his 53rdRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FONTANA, Calif. – Austin Dillon didn’t make it to the Start / Finish line in time to turn a lap in the final session of knockout qualifying at Auto Club Speedway. And yet the driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet won the pole for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at the two-mile track (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)—because no one else made it to the stripe in the final round, either. In a bizarre money round in Friday’sRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The annual NASCAR Goes West campaign reaches the end of its three week run this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Southern California for Sunday’s running of the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Built on the site of an old steel mill featured in the movie “Terminator”, the two-mile oval has been a part of the NASCAR schedule since opening in 1997. During its 20+ years on the circuit, the track has gone through ownership changes, as well as expandingRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The final leg of the “West Coast Swing” will be an important one for Garrett Smithley, driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, as he’ll have a special partnership for Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Smithley’s major partnership will be the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and 10 Tanker Air Carrier, with a goal of raising awareness for the CDF Benevolent Fund. What makes the deal significant for the 26-year-old is that hisRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Racing at Auto Club Speedway has had its ups and downs over the years, but the annual trek to California in 2013 became one of the best races in the track’s history. Due to the worn out track surface, drivers were racing from the very bottom of the track all the way to the outside wall, creating three and four wide racing throughout the event, especially on restarts. All just an appetizer for the main event at the end of the race. With the race windingRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart and the late Neil Bonnett are among the list of new nominees eligible for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Five inductees from a list of 20 nominees will be chosen for the 2020 induction class on Voting Day, Wednesday, May 22 – the list of new honorees decided on by both the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel and a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.com Stewart may join one of his former rivals andRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer In a span of 12 races, only four times Kevin Harvick has failed to lead a single lap at ISM Raceway, a track that’s been his playground for over half a decade. Sunday’s Ticket Guardian 500 was one of those four instances after a ninth-place result marked his worst result since March 2013 where he ended up 13th, his last non-top-10 finish. After a relatively uncharacteristic 10th place run in Stage 1, Harvick’s best stint took place in Stage 2, when he ran inside the top-fiveRead More