NASCAR Playoffs Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. — Track time is everything for a NASCAR driver and Carson Hocevar could have an advantage over his Championship 4 competitors heading into Friday’s Craftsman 150 at Phoenix Raceway. Not only Hocevar will have a shot of winning the Craftsman Truck Series championship, he’ll also run his ninth Cup Series race of the year with all but one being for Legacy Motor Club’s No. 42 squad. In fact, the Michigan racer will go from qualifying the No. 42 truck for Niece Motorsports to partakingRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The often treacherous pit entry at Homestead-Miami Speedway proved to be the turning point of Sunday’s 4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1. Both Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson, who were the main front runners all day, were entering pit road to make their final scheduled pit stops where things went haywire. As Blaney slowly blended down to pit entry, Larson was still going fast and on the verge of colliding into him. It lead to a mistimed accordion effect where Larson had to slow down, lockRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It’s hard to imagine Martin Truex, Jr., one of the heavy favorites to win this season’s NASCAR Cup Series title when the playoffs began, had yet to score a single top-10 finish in the playoffs. That all changed when he finished eighth during Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, ending an alarming skid for the time being. At the same time, the result left a lot to be desired. “We left some on the table,” said Truex on PRN. “We took a bigRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. – Lap 200 was when the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race saw its chaotic shakeup and it involved Chase Elliott. Following a multi-car crash in Turn 4, the field went to war once again with Elliott slowly getting better as the race went on. Compared to his Championship 4 competitors, Elliott’s pit crew were getting the job done and helped him gain valuable track position. Elliott restarted fifth and went on the attack towards the Dogleg, to the point he clipped part of theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. – Much to the chagrin of the fans, Ty Gibbs capped off a dominant victory during Saturday’s finale at Phoenix Raceway. More importantly, the 20-year-old won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship over a hard charging Noah Gragson. It was no secret the Arizona crowd made it known they disliked Gibbs for his actions throughout the season. Even if Gibbs didn’t want the jeers, he had the last laugh. “You know, what I did last week was unacceptable, and I apologize once again, but itRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. – Since the implementation of the Championship 4 in 2014, Joey Logano is one of four drivers that’ve made the title-deciding race five times (2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022). As much experience as he has with 2018 being the pinnacle of his NASCAR Cup Series career, simply making it to the big dance isn’t enough. Advancing into the Championship 4 following his win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway doesn’t satisfy him. Hoisting the Bill France Trophy satisfies the 32-year-old Team Penske driver. HeadingRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. – No longer the bridesmaid of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is Zane Smith, who won in a thrilling overtime finish in Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway. “Oh, my God, third time’s a charm. I want this shit more than anyone in the world. I don’t care what anyone says,” an elated Smith after capturing the title. “Thank you to all you race fans, my whole team. Oh, my God, I was crying that whole lap. “I’ve wanted this championship forRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Bubba Wallace began Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a Stage 1 win. However, things went straight to hell on the 94th lap that eliminated himself and two other drivers. In an intense battle for fifth, Kyle Larson went low and made it three wide on Wallace and Kevin Harvick. Larson moved up the middle in Turn 3 when the heat of the contest began to escalate. As the trio entered Turn 4, Larson got sideways and tangled with Wallace. As aRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval has brought positive memories for Chase Briscoe in his NASCAR career. Back in 2018, Briscoe scored his maiden Xfinity Series win at the circuit. Fast forward to 2022, the Roval became the site of his playoff hopes staying alive. During Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400, Briscoe was among four drivers who were below the cutoff line. He was ninth in points, trailing eight-place Daniel Suarez by 12 points. Due to the Roval’s wild characteristics, survival was paramount for the Stewart-HaasRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It was quadruple championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway where the three NASCAR national touring divisions and ARCA West crowned its season champion. Needless to say, all four title-deciding races ended up being unforgettable. Here’s my latest “Race in Pictures” gallery featuring all four races as Kyle Larson (Cup), Daniel Hemric (Xfinity), Ben Rhodes (Trucks) and Jesse Love (ARCA West) left Arizona as champions.Read More