Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For 51 out of the first 56 laps in last Sunday’s Advance Auto Parts Clash, it was all Paul Menard, but as everyone knows, that dominant race evaporated after Jimmie Johnson ran into the back of his No. 21 Ford Mustang, causing a 17-car pileup that led to a win for the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. Menard wasn’t pleased with Johnson’s actions, but during Daytona 500 Media Day Wednesday, he reflected more on what happened after spending the previous day withRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Halfway through last season, Matt DiBenedetto made the choice to bet on himself if he was going to have any future in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The Grass Valley, Calif. native announced he was leaving Go Fas Racing, the team he had been with for the two seasons prior, without a place to land for the 2019 season. That gamble could pay off in spades if this season goes to plan. Not long after he made the decision to lookRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The task is very simple for the four non-chartered drivers of Joey Gase, Brendan Gaughan, Parker Kligerman and Ryan Truex, be the best finisher of their respective Gander RV Duel Thursday. The match-up in Race No. 1 is between close racing friends Kligerman and Truex, who have created buzz on Twitter with their interaction about what’s at stake as only one of them will make their first Daytona 500. Neither drive has made an attempt of making the race since 2014, whenRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. left last July’s race at Daytona as Public Enemy No. 1, having been involved in more than a few of the multi-car crashes that defined the 400-mile race. Despite the criticism, Stenhouse noted his only regrets from that night are that he didn’t get to make a trip to Victory Lane when all was said and done. “The only issue I had with July is we didn’t win,” Stenhouse said. “I could care less what the perception of everybodyRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ryan Preece’s road to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is extraordinary as he came from the Whelen Modified Tour, a series he believes he can open a lot of avenues in the future as he’ll be the first former champion to compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors since Jeff Fuller in 2000. “To be the first Modified driver in 20 years basically in a way, hopefully it’s going to open a lot of avenues for people to look atRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After the checkered flag waved at the 2016 Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead, veteran driver Casey Mears would have to wait until this Sunday’s Daytona 500 to take the green flag at the sport’s highest level after Germain Racing replaced him with Ty Dillon in 2017. During that span of absence, Mears felt that he was far from being finish in the racing world, but also made sure that he wasn’t going to be a guy that simply rides around to getRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After winning his first Cup Series championship last season, Joey Logano is counting his blessings heading into Sunday’s season opener at Daytona as he looks to not only win his second Daytona 500, but also get his title defense off on the right foot. “I tell everyone every day that I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” Logano said Wednesday morning at Daytona 500 Media Day as he recounted the path his career has taken. “I started too young. I made aRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jimmie Johnson, who had crashed in the past six running of the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway, found a way to win the 2019 version of the season-opening exhibition race—by helping to trigger a wreck that eliminated nearly everyone else. Moments before a rainstorm halted the action and ultimately made the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race official after 59 of 75 scheduled laps, Johnson—running second on Lap 56—pulled to the inside of leader Paul Menard, who movedRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Paired for the first time with crew chief Chad Knaus, sophomore driver William Byron put his No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on the pole for the Feb. 17 Daytona 500 on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), leading a Hendrick Motorsports sweep of the top four spots and extending that organization’s dominance in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Daytona International Speedway. Byron edged last year’s pole winner, Alex Bowman, by .036 seconds for theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Editor’s note: Motorsports Tribune will be previewing the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season for the full-time drivers in the series leading into February’s 61st annual running of the Daytona 500. Age: 28 Years in Cup: 10 Career Wins: 21 Biggest Accomplishment: 2018 Cup Series Champion Still relatively young at the tender age of 28, Joey Logano went from being a possible NASCAR bust in 2012, to what everyone felt he was capable of doing when he was a teenager a decade ago, becoming the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup SeriesRead More