Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor In his 29 previous starts at Martinsville, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had come so close, so many times on capturing that elusive grandfather clock trophy. But in the 2014 Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500, the stars aligned for NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, as he finally scored a win on the half-mile bullring that is Martinsville Speedway. Starting 23rd, Earnhardt first made his way to the lead on lap 192 for a 13 lap stint before being overtaken Matt Kenseth for one lap and then returned toRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After completing a trip out to the West Coast, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads back east this weekend and straight to the first short track race of the season, with Sunday’s running of the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway. A mainstay on the schedule since 1949, the historic half-mile, which is also the smallest on the circuit, will test both man and machine over 500 grueling laps. The track has basically one groove, meaning the only way to pass will be the moveRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer For the first time since April 5, 2009, the famous No. 8 makes its return in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with Xfinity Series regular Daniel Hemric piloting a third Richard Childress Racing car for two races, beginning at Richmond Raceway for the annual Toyota Owners 400 on April 21st. The announcement took place Tuesday evening on FS1’s “NASCAR Race Hub,” where he unveiled the No. 8 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. In addition of making his Cup debut at the 0.75-mileRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer StarCom Racing announced Monday that Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series veteran Landon Cassill will pilot the No. 00 USFRA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at both Sunday’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway and April 8th’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The announcement comes less than a day after StarCom and Jeffrey Earnhardt agreed to part ways after five races. The duo has failed to finish inside the top-30 since scoring career-highs of 21st in last month’s season opening Daytona 500. Earnhardt finished 36th SundayRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FONTANA, Calif. – Martin Truex Jr. drove three things on Sunday afternoon at Auto Club Speedway. First, he drove the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota to a dominating victory in the Auto Club 400, the fifth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season. Second, he drove a time machine, turning back the clock to 2017 when his mastery of stage racing propelled him to his first series championship. Truex’s effort in Sunday’s race was every bit as overwhelming as his most convincingRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Kyle Larson has put a stranglehold on his competitors at the two-mile circuits, winning the last four races, but his bid for a fifth victory (Larson’s second at Fontana) came to an end in Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway after finishing second behind race winner Martin Truex, Jr. Despite being his best finish of the season and only his second top-five, Larson failed to put his No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet on top of the leaderboard. “We had a lot of weirdRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Heading into Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway, Kevin Harvick had the hot hand, having won the three of the first four races on the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule, but for the California native, making it four wins in a row was not to be after an early race incident sunk his chances of winning. After starting 10th, Harvick quickly began marching his way toward the front of the field, entering into a thrilling side-by-side battle with Kyle Larson, butRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor For the second week in a row, Martin Truex, Jr. will lead the field to green after powering his way to the pole during Friday’s qualifying session for the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. With a lap of 38.592 seconds, 186.567 mph, Truex was the only driver in the final round of qualifying to put up a faster lap than the round before, paving his way toward his 17th career pole and his first at the two-mile California track. “It’s definitely pretty cool,Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Over the past year and a half, there has been no one better on the two-mile ovals than Kyle Larson and heading into this weekend’s race at Auto Club Speedway, the California native looks to keep his winning streak going. Starting with the August 2016 race at Michigan, Larson and his No. 42 team have been unstoppable, winning the last four races on tracks two miles in length, including a win in last year’s Auto Club 400 and a sweep of both Michigan races inRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor With the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rolling into Southern California this weekend for the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway, the time has come again to dive into the past at the two-mile oval in this week’s edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater”. This week, with Kevin Harvick on a hot streak, winning the last three races in a row, we look back at the 2011 running of the Auto Club 400 and the fantastic finish between two California natives, Harvick and Jimmie Johnson.Read More