Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer There won’t be a playoff berth four-peat for the soon-to-be departing Chip Ganassi Racing driver Jamie McMurray. Needing a win to make the playoffs, McMurray was on the cusp of stealing a win, running inside the top-five, but had to settle for seventh in Monday’s Big Machine Vodka at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the highest among drivers who failed to qualify for the postseason. The regular season finale saw its turning point on Lap 145 when McMurray stayed out for valuable track position, afterRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service SPEEDWAY, Ind. – It’s been a historical two weeks for Brad Keselowski. The No. 2 Ford driver executed a hard-nosed pass of Denny Hamlin with two laps remaining in Monday’s rain-delayed Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard to win his first race at prestigious Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one week after visiting Victory Lane in the “crown-jewel” Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Keselowski earned Team Penske its first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at the track to go with the storied organization’s 17 IndianapolisRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer came within three laps of winning the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard. However, a late race restart left the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver spinning his tires. On the final restart at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Bowyer restarted on the outside of Denny Hamlin in the No. 14 Mobil 1 / Rush Truck Centers Ford Fusion. However, while Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Possibilities Toyota Camry surged forward, Bowyer struggled. His Ford bogged down, stacking up the outside lane asRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor INDIANAPOLIS – Mother Nature finally got the upper hand during the weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with rain and inclement weather pushing both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series to Monday. Heavy rains Friday and Saturday pushed the Xfinity Series to Monday, and after trying to wait out a heavy mist on Sunday, NASCAR was finally forced to pull the plug and move the Cup Series race to Monday as well. The Xfinity Series will run their race first with a 10:00Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor INDIANAPOLIS – To say that the 2018 season has been a disappointment for Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports would be an understatement, but as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads into Sunday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, Johnson remains hopeful that he can muster up some of his Indianapolis magic from days gone by. The seven-time series champion is riding a winless streak dating back to June 2016 at Dover, the longest of his career, and sits on the cusp of possibly missingRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer INDIANAPOLIS — Heading into Sunday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, Alex Bowman sits in the 16th and final spot in the championship standings as he seeks to clinch a spot in the playoffs after taking over the reins of the No. 88 Chevrolet from the retired Dale Earnhardt, Jr. While Bowman has a wide enough margin over Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. to clinch a spot based on points, the 25-year-old could get bumped from the playoffs if there is a new winner outside the currentRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor INDIANAPOLIS – For Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., his objective in Sunday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard is simple – win or go home. Sitting just outside the top-16 in points and not within striking distance of Alex Bowman and Jimmie Johnson to be able to steal one of their playoff spots strictly on points, Stenhouse will have to find his way to Victory Lane to make his way into the postseason still eligible for the championship. With only a win paving the way into theRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor INDIANAPOLIS – Matt DiBenedetto shocked the NASCAR world on Thursday with news that he would be leaving Go Fas Racing, his home for the last two years, to seek opportunities elsewhere for the 2019 season. Of all of the silly season dominoes to fall, DiBenedetto’s news was unexpected to say the least, but as his announcement on Twitter stated, he believes the move is the correct one for his career going forward, especially as other young drivers are getting opportunities elsewhere and advancing their careers forRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor INDIANAPOLIS – After Thursday’s announcement that Kasey Kahne would not be making the trip to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend to defend his Brickyard 400 crown, the 18-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winner took the time on Friday morning to detail exactly what is going on health-wise and his outlook for returning to the car for the remainder of the season. Everyone remembers the story of how Kahne won last year’s race at Indianapolis all while being dehydrated and cramping up severely. It turns outRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor INDIANAPOLIS – The 2018 calendar has reached September and with it comes one of the marquee events on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule, the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, the 25th running of the race at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. First joining the circuit in 1994, the track has provided some classic moments and some that the powers that be would rather forget. The track’s relatively flat surface, combined with narrow corners and high speeds, makes passing a premium on theRead More