Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer  A pit road speeding penalty ultimately sealed Chase Elliott’s fate in the Can-Am 500. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver’s Championship hopes came to an end following a late wreck. On a restart with 32 laps to go, Elliott found his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 mid-pack following a pit road speeding penalty. Like many others, he was in the middle of a hornet’s nest. Contact between Denny Hamlin’s Toyota and Kurt Busch’s Ford saw both spinning on the narrow backstretch.Read More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer An early flat right-front tire at ISM Raceway could not keep Kevin Harvick from advancing to the Championship Four. A win from another member of the ‘Big Three’ also helped the Stewart-Haas Racing driver keep his 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship bid alive following the Can-Am 500. Harvick’s No.4 Busch Light Ford Fusion was a magnet for drama throughout the 312-lap race. On the final restart, Harvick lined up alongside race leader, and winner, Kyle Busch. The only Playoff driver on the outsideRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Kurt Busch entered Sunday’s Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway with just three points separating him from a berth in the championship finale, but for the 2004 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, it just wasn’t his day. After finishing the first stage in fifth place, taking the lead on the ensuing restart and holding onto the top spot for the next 52 laps, things went awry for Busch and his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing team when Busch was penalized for passing the pace car entering pitRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Joey Logano’s afternoon at ISM Raceway in Phoenix ended early Sunday after his left rear tire went down, spinning out and made contact with the Turn 2 wall, finishing 37th. The self-proclaimed championship favorite after locking himself into the Championship 4 with a win at Martinsville, struggled for pace in stage one after starting from the ninth position, crossing the line in 20th while his Penske teammates finished in the top-five. On Lap 97, Logano’s day took a turn for the worst when his No. 22Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After the checkered flag flies on the end of both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Formula 1 seasons later this month, Jimmie Johnson and Fernando Alonso will get to do something that not many have done before and that is climb behind the wheel of the other’s car to experience life in their world for a day. On November 26 at Bahrain International Circuit, Johnson will get his first stint in a Formula 1 car, taking over Alonso’s McLaren, while the two-time F1 worldRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – Resilient Kevin Harvick bounced back at his best track, winning the pole position for Sunday’s Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway and putting behind him a penalty that threatened his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship chances. Harvick, a nine-time Phoenix winner, toured the newly configured one-mile track in 25.386 seconds to run the fastest lap in the three-round knockout qualifying session at 139.340 mph to edge fellow Playoff driver Chase Elliott (139.152 mph) for the top starting spot in Round of 8Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor The Round of Eight all comes down to this. After last week’s race at Texas, the stage is set for the final race of the round in Phoenix to determine which drivers will move onto Homestead and which drivers will see their championship hopes vanish in the Arizona desert. Three of the four spots in the championship race are still up for grabs after the penalty news that came out on Wednesday. Of the drivers still eligible, only Joey Logano is safe, having locked up hisRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Though Kevin Harvick has made ISM Raceway in Phoenix his own personal playground over the last several years, the March 2016 running of the Good Sam 500 came down to a matter of inches for him to be able to continue his dominance in the desert. As the laps wound down, Harvick looked to have the win within his grasp for the eighth time on the one-mile oval, holding a decisive lead over second place Dale Earnhardt, Jr. with just six laps remaining. However, a blownRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Since Furniture Row Racing announced they would be shutting down at the end of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the dynamic duo of Martin Truex, Jr. and Cole Pearn have been rumored to be moving in house to Joe Gibbs Racing for 2019. After months of speculation, the move is now official as the team announced that Truex and Pearn would be taking over the No. 19 Toyota next season. “Anytime you have an opportunity to bring two people of this caliber intoRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Kevin Harvick’s bid for a second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship took a detour on Wednesday after the sanctioning body handed down penalties stemming from last Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Harvick had locked himself into the Championship 4 at Homestead with his Texas win, which was his eighth victory of the season, but his No. 4 Ford was found to have an illegal spoiler in post-race inspection at the NASCAR R&D Center. Because of the infraction, which violates Section 20.4.12 of the NASCARRead More