Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ahead of the 60th running of the Daytona 500, two members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame – Richard Petty and Ray Evernham – looked back at their memories of the Great American Race and expressed just how much this track and race means to them and the sport as a whole. Richard Petty, one of the members of the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2010, is on the Mount Rushmore of NASCAR, both in terms of championships and DaytonaRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — In the final practice session ahead of Sunday’s 60th running of the Daytona 500, Darrell Wallace, Jr. took his No. 43 Chevrolet to the top of the board, posting the fastest time in the final hour of preparation before the Great American Race. Wallace turned in a time of 45.696 seconds, 196.954 mph, followed by Daniel Suarez, who was fastest in the two practice sessions on Friday, in second. With Richard Petty Motorsports’ new alliance with Richard Childress Racing and ChevroletRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — After the field for the Daytona 500 was set with Thursday night’s Can-Am Duels, the 40 cars that will contest the Great American Race took to the track for two practice sessions on Friday, with Daniel Suarez laying down the fastest times in both sessions. Suarez led a Toyota trio at the top of the board in the first practice session, with a lap of 45.036 seconds, 199.840 mph, ahead of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, and 2017 seriesRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — After a season that saw Chevrolet miss out on the top-four in the final championship standings in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for the first time in recent memory, a new car model for the 2018 season has the Bowtie Brigade energized for the season to come. Late last year, Chevrolet unveiled the Camaro ZL1 model that would be replacing the outgoing SS, marking the first redesign for the manufacturer since the Gen 6 was rolled out in 2013. RightRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Have the Can-Am Duels at Daytona outlived their usefulness? The evidence certainly seems to point that way. Since the outset of the Daytona 500, qualifying for the biggest race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season has been a mix of single car qualifying for the front row and qualifying races to set the remainder of the field. In seasons past, with more cars entered than the field allowed, the two qualifying races held the Thursday before the 500 have been full of dramaRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Restrictor plate racing requires teamwork. Whether it’s a driver’s teammate or partnering with a driver who runs the same manufacturer. For Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez, not only he was the lone Gibbs driver, he ran the first Can-Am Duel without another Toyota driver in the field. Despite an alliance disadvantage, Suarez overcame a Lap 9 spin to finish eighth Thursday. Suarez scored three championship points and will start 17th for Sunday’s 60th Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. “It was okay. We haveRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer The number one goal in the Can-Am Duels at Daytona is to keep your car in one piece. That was one goal that was unmet by Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron and Jimmie Johnson. What seemed to be a quiet race for Seven-Time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion Johnson quickly turned into anything but that on lap eight. As he rode in the ‘freight-train,’ his No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 uncharacteristically spun without warning. Johnson’s car whipped around so quickly thatRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor As we head into the 60th running of the Daytona 500 this coming Sunday, we pause to take a look back on this “Throwback Thursday” at one of the most memorable Daytona 500’s in history, the 1998 Daytona 500. For 20 years, Dale Earnhardt had come to Daytona International Speedway to capture glory in the “Great American Race” only to suffer defeat in every way possible. Earnhardt had won nearly every other event held at the famous 2.5 mile superspeedway, but the Daytona 500 stillRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer BK Racing arrived at Daytona International Speedway last Saturday morning, unloading a white unsponsored No. 23 Toyota. Gray Gaulding also arrived as a spectator without a secured ride in Sunday’s 60th Daytona 500. Rumors ran like wildfire on who’s driving the car but hours later, the 20-year-old Colonial Heights, Virginia native was confirmed as the driver. Now entering Thursday’s Can-Am Duels, Gaulding, with Earthwater as his primary sponsor, will enter the weekend with a positive attitude despite the ongoing off-track drama involving his race team. TheRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer Few of the drivers that will take the green flag in the Daytona 500 know just how much history is riding with them compared to Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr. While Wallace is just as competitive as his peers, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year contender will be the first African American to compete in “The Great American Race” at Daytona International Speedway since Wendell Scott in 1969. He will also be the first African American to compete in NASCAR’s top seriesRead More