Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor With the first six races of the season complete and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series reaching their first weekend break, we’ll take this opportunity to evaluate the season to this point and the storylines that have come to the forefront over the first month and a half. Stewart-Haas Racing Has Come to Play in 2018 If there’s one thing we’ve learned above all else this season, it’s that Stewart-Haas Racing is not messing around when it comes to their performance in the Cup Series.Read More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In big time NASCAR racing, there are, of course, Victory Lane celebrations for the race winner. And then there are CLINT BOWYER Victory Lane celebrations or rather, as we learned Monday. …. Victory Lane, grandstands, pit road, frontstretch, track garage, driver motorhome lot, Stewart-Haas Racing shop and, of course, back home in Kansas celebrations. Parties, soirees, clicking-of-the-heels. High toasts, hearty handshakes, pats on the back. Smiles all around. There was plenty of hooting and hollering too – and that wasRead More

By NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Clint Bowyer was so excited he started his celebratory burnout at the entrance to Turn 3 at Martinsville Speedway, flirting perilously with the outside wall. Bowyer had ample reason to start the party early, before he got to the frontstretch for a traditional smoke show. With his victory in Monday’s snow-delayed STP 500, he had just ended a winless streak in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series that had reached 190 races, dating to the fall race at Charlotte in 2012. The victory didRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Ryan Blaney came up short of capturing his second career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in Monday’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway, finishing a season-high third place after a stage two victory and led 145 of 500 laps. The No. 12 Menards/Libman Ford Fusion started fifth and would stay inside the top-five for much of the afternoon. Blaney wouldn’t take the lead for the first time until Lap 137, when he gained two spots on pit road and took the lead from stage oneRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor When it comes to certain tracks in AJ Allmendinger’s wheelhouse, everyone knows he is a force to be reckoned with at the road courses, but there are also some other tracks that the JTG-Daugherty Racing driver has shown speed at. One of those is Martinsville Speedway and Allmendinger displayed exactly why, driving from deep in the pack to score an eighth-place finish in Monday’s STP 500, marking top-10 finishes in four of his last five starts at the track. With qualifying snowed out, Allmendinger wouldRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer The driver nicknamed ‘The Showman,’ Alex Bowman scored his first top-10 finish of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The last time Bowman competed at Martinsville Speedway was 2015. Bowman’s No. 88 Nationwide Insurance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 came to life late in the STP 500. He hovered just outside the top-10 for most of the first 400 laps. With about 40 laps to go, Bowman, and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, were the only two drivers as fast as eventual race-winner ClintRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor For the second day in a row at Martinsville Speedway, Mother Nature got the upper hand, postponing all Sunday track activity to Monday due to snow. The wintry weather that set in around the half-mile track on Saturday never let up throughout the night, dropping several inches of snow, and forcing NASCAR’s hand as dawn broke on Sunday morning. NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, Steve O’Donnell would tweet the news out, noting the need to dedicate local resources toward any issuesRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Wintry conditions was the word around the NASCAR garage Saturday instead of spring climate and racing action, as both the Camping World Truck Series race and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying have been impacted by inclement weather. With weather being a concern, the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 truck race started several minutes early to get as much racing possible. The 32-truck field managed to run 23 laps until it was halted for rain and snow. Not wasting time, NASCAR postponed the race until Sunday evening,Read More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer  A wreck in final practice has left Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.’s team scrambling during the first enhanced weekend of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. With just two practice sessions before the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and qualifying after, Stenhouse will be limited to just the laps he turns in qualifying at Martinsville Speedway. Regardless of where he qualifies, he will start from the rear of the field due to the back-up car. Stenhouse’s No. 17 Fastenal Ford Fusion spun, wheel-hopping asRead More

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