Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service TALLADEGA, Ala. – All four Stewart-Haas Racing cars were amply endowed with speed for Saturday’s knockout qualifying session at Talladega Superspeedway. Kurt Busch was just glad he got the pick of the litter. “Four Stewart-Haas Fords—I’m really happy that I got the fast one,” Busch quipped after winning the pole for Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 (2 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and lead an SHR sweep of the top four starting spots for the second race in the Monster Energy NASCARRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor TALLADEGA, Ala. – The past week has shown a full range of emotions for Aric Almirola following his near miss at Dover last Sunday. Despite the frustration that came with how that race ended, the driver of the No. 10 Ford is looking to Talladega as an opportunity to bounce back. Almirola sits 10 points below the cut-off line heading into Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 and explained that while the finish at Dover stung, he was able to put it behind him in a day or twoRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor TALLADEGA, Ala. – Leaving the last restrictor plate race at Daytona, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was Public Enemy No. 1 for many drivers after his involvement in some of the multi-car crashes that took place that night. Despite the criticism that he received following that race, Stenhouse isn’t fazed one bit. “I don’t really care about the criticism,” said Stenhouse. “We’re all in this business and you get criticized for something all the time. I feel like a lot of fans criticize you. They’re the ones watchingRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor TALLADEGA, Ala. – Talladega may not be the Round of 12 elimination race any longer, but the mammoth 2.66-mile superspeedway is still a huge wild card and will go a long way toward determining which drivers will be in position to move on to the next round of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Racing at Talladega has always been crazy from the time the track opened back in 1969. From the driver boycott of the first race that led to unknown driver Richard BrickhouseRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer The 2019 sponsorship picture for Daniel Hemric is coming together as Liberty National Life Insurance Company extends their partnership with Richard Childress Racing. Liberty National first entered the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2017 sponsoring Trevor Bayne. The company will sponsor Hemric in select 2019 races. Prior to the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, RCR announced that Hemric will take the wheel of the organization’s second car, currently No. 31, replacing the departing Ryan Newman. He has two career startsRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It’s a dream come true for 37-year-old Kevin Meendering, who will become Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief beginning in 2019 after spending the last three seasons calling shots at JR Motorsports for Elliott Sadler in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Meendering will be Johnson’s second ever full-time crew chief after having Chad Knaus for 17 seasons, and during Thursday’s press conference, he spoke about this opportunity of working with the seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion. “Oh, it’s great. I’m excited for this opportunity for sure,” Meendering said.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer “I have to say ultimately, it’s Rick’s call. It’s Hendrick Motorsports. We’ve had a lot of very open conversations and discussions but in the end, Rick is the one that makes the decisions,” Jimmie Johnson said on who made the call to split up a 17-year partnership with crew chief Chad Knaus. A day removed from the bombshell news of the NASCAR season took place, both Johnson and Knaus spoke for the first time about the announcement Thursday. It’s no secret the legendary duo has hadRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Just days after the heart wrenching loss of Davey Allison to a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway, the NASCAR Winston Cup Series returned to the 2.66-mile track for the 1993 running of the DieHard 500. Following a stirring pre-race tribute to Allison involving his family, the 43 drivers that made up the field that day strapped in for what was going to a barnburner of a race under the scorching July sun. Bill Elliott won the pole, with Ernie Irvan starting alongside for the 188-lap affair.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer What fans expected to be a career-long partnership will no longer be as the legendary duo of seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus will split at the end of the season after 17 seasons together. Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday that changes were made in both the No. 48 and No. 24 teams for the 2019 season. Knaus will now make the calls for William Byron, while current Xfinity Series crew chief Kevin Meendering has been promoted to becomeRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Leavine Family Racing took another step toward their future on Wednesday as the team announced they would be swapping manufacturers to Toyota and bringing Matt DiBenedetto on board to drive their No. 95 Camry in 2019. Since first joining the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ranks in 2011, LFR has run with both Ford and Chevrolet, but the new announcement will put them in some of the best equipment they’ve had to date, as the deal includes a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing. “We’re thrilledRead More