Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

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 Seth Eggert, Staff Writer The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season has been a season of firsts for Gaunt Brothers Racing. The team scored its’ first top-25 finish with driver D.J. Kennington in the Daytona 500 and made their first non-restrictor plate appearance at ISM Raceway. Now the team will make their first short track start at Martinsville Speedway in Sunday’s STP 500. At Martinsville, the primary sponsor of Kennington’s No. 96 Toyota Camry will be Gordon Brothers. Gordon Brothers is global advisory, restructuring, and investment firm. Martinsville willRead 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 Seth Eggert, Staff Writer To say it was an up and down day for Ryan Blaney would be an understatement. Despite tagging the wall early and losing a lap, the young Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series veteran still managed to finish eighth at Auto Club Speedway. On the final restart with nearly 70 laps left in the Auto Club 400, Blaney found himself outside the top-15. Slowly, he clawed his way back towards the top-10. After the final round of green flag pit stops around 45 laps to go,Read 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 Seth Eggert, Staff Writer It seems possible that Jimmie Johnson’s slump is ending as he scored a top-10 finish at Auto Club Speedway. It was also the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series top-10 finish since the Charlotte Playoff race last season, 10 races ago. Johnson was up front for much of the Auto Club 400. Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ran quietly inside the top-10 as the race drew to a close. In the final run to the finish, he was as high asRead 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