Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer CONCORD, N.C. – An extra element of difficulty will face Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers in next weekend’s Coca-Cola 600. After Joey Logano and other drivers adjusted to the new Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway aero package, they will have to get reacclimated to the package used in all other races at 1.5-mile tracks this year. Logano won the Monster Energy All-Star Race in 2016 but has yet to win one of NASCAR’s Crown Jewels, the Coca-Cola 600. The 27-year-old’s bestRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer  CONCORD, N.C. – One week after a miserable return to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Matt Kenseth wins the Busch Pole Award for the Monster Energy All-Star Race. In addition to Kenseth winning the pole, his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. qualified second for the exhibition event. The last time Roush Fenway Racing swept the front row in any qualifying format was at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2013. Kenseth’s Roush Fenway Racing team used a unique pit strategy in the wide openRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer CONCORD, N.C. – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch has been able to witness the evolution of Ford Performance throughout his career. Of course, Busch started his career in the Fords owned by Jack Roush. Last year, he returned to Ford with Stewart-Haas Racing in the No. 41 Monster Energy / Haas Automation Ford Fusion. Of Busch’s 29 victories in NASCAR’s Premier Series, 12 came while driving the ‘Blue Oval.’ In 2018 alone, Ford Performance has captured seven victories in the first 12Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Premium Motorsports announced Thursday that road course veteran Justin Marks will run the No. 15 Chevrolet Camaro in next month’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway and the much anticipated Bank of America 500K at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in September. Car owner Jay Robinson chose Marks for his remarkable road racing performances, including his only NASCAR national series victory at Mid-Ohio in 2016. In addition of competing two more Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events this season, Marks will have Sufferfest Beer CompanyRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor The weekend before Memorial Day marks the beginning of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series traditional two-week stop at NASCAR’s home base of Charlotte, North Carolina and the 1.5-mile quad oval that is Charlotte Motor Speedway. First up on the two-week stopover in the Queen City is the Monster Energy All-Star Race, a non-points event that has served up more than its fair share of exciting moments in its 34-year history. What is now the All-Star Race began as “The Winston” in 1985 and wasRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor When the Cup Series made it to Charlotte for the 1987 all-star race, Dale Earnhardt had absolutely dominated the season up to that point, winning six of the nine races that had taken place thus far in the season. His rival, Bill Elliott, had won the season opening Daytona 500. With the two going at it week in and week out, it would all come to a head in The Winston. Earnhardt, the hard-charging North Carolina native versus Elliott, the mild-mannered Georgia boy. Elliott hadRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer Rental car company Hertz has become the latest to sponsor Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron. Hertz joins Axalta, Liberty University, and UniFirst as primary sponsors of the No. 24 made famous by NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. The company will also serve as a primary sponsor for the remainder of 2018 as well as the 2019 season. Hertz has previous experience in NASCAR sponsorship, adorning Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. “We’re incredibly excited about theRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Same story, different day. For the fourth time this season, NASCAR has handed down post-race penalties for issues with the rear window support in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event. Following last Saturday night’s race at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson and his No. 42 team were the latest to run afoul of the sanctioning body as they were penalized on Tuesday afternoon for the infraction. The rear window in Larson’s car was found to not be flush to the deck lid, violating the ruleRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor For the third race in a row at Kansas Speedway, the proceedings have been marred by a multi-car crash that has seen the night end early for several contenders. A year ago, it was Aric Almirola, Danica Patrick, and Joey Logano that tangled up in a fiery crash that left Almirola with a broken back. Last fall, Erik Jones nearly flipped in a massive crash on the backstretch that collected 14 cars by the time all was said and done. On Saturday night, it seemedRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer For 248 laps, Saturday’s KC Masterpiece 400 was stage winners Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson’s playground, leading a combined total of 154 laps. That all changed with 20 laps to go after the two battled door-to-door for second until Blaney’s car collided with Larson at the entry of Turn 1, damaging both cars and their chance of winning. While Larson rallied back to a fourth-place finish for his fourth top-5 this season, Blaney wasn’t as fortunate as he brought his battered No. 12 Fleetwood RVRead More