Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service LOUDON, N.H. – Early bird Kurt Busch ran his best lap of the day in the final round of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series knockout qualifying at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to earn the top starting spot for Sunday’s Foxwoods 301 (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The first driver on the track for decisive Round 3, Busch covered the one-mile distance in 28.511 seconds (133.591 mph) to edge reigning series champion Martin Turex Jr. by .019 seconds. Truex willRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season rolls on as they head from last weekend’s race on the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway to the flat, one-mile oval that is New Hampshire Motor Speedway. First joining the Cup Series circuit in 1993, the 1.058 mile oval that has progressively banked turns from two to seven degrees is one of the more difficult tracks on the schedule as the flat nature of the track makes track position key with passing at a premium. After getting to enjoy twoRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After the tragic passing of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin in separate incidents earlier in the year due to stuck throttles at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, NASCAR made the decision to implement horsepower robbing restrictor plates that are normally used at Daytona and Talladega for the September 2000 race on the flat one-mile oval. Broadcaster Dick Berggren set the scene prior to the race, highlighting the unknown territory that teams and drivers were venturing into that day. “In the wake of two fatal accidents here, NASCARRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service CONCORD, N.C. – AJ Allmendinger didn’t hold back when he talked to reporters during a break in Tuesday’s road course test session at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “I think there’s going to be a lot of contact, for sure,” Allmendinger predicted. “Through the infield, it’s pretty narrow. In general, through the infield, I think there’s going to be contact.” The bus stop chicane on the backstretch may be the most challenging section of the 2.28-mile course. Drivers will carry tremendous speed into those two quick cornersRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Over the past three weeks, Ryan Blaney hasn’t finished better than 18th, but on Saturday night at Kentucky, that all changed with a strong runner-up performance for the Team Penske driver. “It’s a positive, that’s for sure,” said Blaney.  “I thought we were in a good spot there restarting fourth and Martin struggled a little bit the first couple laps and I thought I could get by him, but just couldn’t quite get a run on him.  His car came in and mine kind of fadedRead More

By Lee Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service SPARTA, Kentucky – Martin Truex Jr., made it a clean sweep at Kentucky Speedway this weekend. After starting from the pole, Truex won all three stages and successfully defended his victory from last year’s Quaker State 400. Truex led 174 laps en route to his fourth win of the season and his 19th career victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. “What a hell of a night this was,” Truex said. “We try to do this every single week but that just shows youRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Erik Jones’ playoff pressure ended last Saturday, scoring his maiden Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona, locking himself into a playoff berth in just his sophomore season. Jones came into Kentucky Speedway simply looking for even more stellar runs, which he successfully accomplished in the Quaker State 400, finishing seventh. It’s Jones’ fourth straight top-10 effort this season, and certainly a hard fought one after his white No. 20 Freightliner Toyota Camry could’ve failed completing the entire 267-lap contest. Starting alongside pole sitterRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer SPARTA, Ky. – The right strategy on pit road earned Brad Keselowski a top-five finish at Kentucky Speedway. The 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion had not been running inside the top-10 at Kentucky Speedway prior to Paul Wolfe’s call. At the end of Stage 2, Keselowski and Wolfe elected to take two tires, moving the No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Fusion into the lead. He held off eventual race winner Martin Truex, Jr. on the restart, dueling the defending Champion for nearly 40Read More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer SPARTA, Ky. – Being late to driver introductions was the least of the issues that plagued Kyle Larson at Kentucky Speedway. In addition to having to start at the rear of the field as a result of his tardiness, he also had issues with a broken track bar adjuster, which caused wild swings in balance in the Quaker State 400 for Larson. Larson, who had to climb through the field, had just passed eventual race-winner Martin Truex, Jr. when the track bar adjuster failed. AsRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer SPARTA, Ky. – A milestone weekend for Alex Bowman ended abruptly after losing a right-front brake rotor. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver was on the bubble to make the Playoffs entering his 100thCup race in the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. 109 laps into the race, Bowman’s No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 popped a tire entering turn three. He made hard contact with the wall before immediately darting for pit road. A quick look from the pit crew and it wasRead More