NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Tag

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief FORT WORTH, Texas – Kevin Harvick’s eventful evening that included a tangle with polesitter Austin Dillon, ended with a sixth-place finish in the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The 1.5-mile oval has been plagued with bad weather on race weekends recently and Sunday proved to be no different, but once the event got underway, Harvick, who qualified third, looked like a contender for the win in the early stages. However, the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion lost pace to the Toyota’s of MartinRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor For much of the first half of Sunday’s rain-delayed AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Joey Logano looked to be untouchable, but when all was said and done, the driver of the No. 22 Ford came up just short as he finished second on Sunday night. After starting on the outside of the front row, Logano got the jump on polesitter Austin Dillon when the green flag flew at lap six, pulling away from the field with ease to lead the next 25 lapsRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FORT WORTH, Tex. – Back from the dead. With a Lazarus act that was delayed and then shortened by rain, Carl Edwards revived his moribund championship hopes the only way he could—with a victory in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Last in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings after a hard crash and a 36th-place finish last week at Martinsville, Edwards took the lead under caution on Lap 257 when his crew dashed off an 11-second pit stop. EdwardsRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor As the Sprint Cup Series packs up and heads to the Lone Star State for the second time this season for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500, the championship fight is in full swing in all three of NASCAR’s national series. While the focus this weekend is on the here and now of how the championship battles will play out, we’ll take a step back in time to look back at a race from Texas Motor Speedway’s past. In this week’s edition of “Throwback Thursday Theater”, weRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer After the events that took place at Martinsville Speedway last year, Joey Logano was looking for redemption. Logano had been leading in his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion when Matt Kenseth exacted revenge and wiped Logano out of the race, and ultimately, out of the Chase for the Championship. This time, Logano entered Martinsville without having to look over his shoulder after avoiding drama. With Martinsville being the first race in the Round of Eight, Logano was tied with the other seven Chasers. In theRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor After a trip to the smallest track on the circuit for some great racing at Martinsville last weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the Lone Star State and Texas Motor Speedway to continue with the Round of 8 in the Chase with Sunday’s running of the AAA Texas 500. First joining the circuit in 1997, the 1.5 mile Texas track has provided some great racing over the years, especially as the track surface has worn out over time. With the new low downforceRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor One year ago, Jeff Gordon scored a storybook win at Martinsville Speedway to advance to the championship round at Homestead-Miami Speedway in what was his final full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and what everyone thought was his final Martinsville start. With Dale Earnhardt, Jr. being sidelined for the second half of the 2016 season while recovering from a concussion, Gordon made a return to the cockpit in Earnhardt’s No. 88 car and came into Sunday at Martinsville for one last ride atRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Since winning his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2013, the world has wondered when or if Jimmie Johnson would capture a record-tying seventh championship. On Sunday, Johnson moved one step closer to making that seventh title a reality. Prior to the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports as a whole were struggling, with his chances of being able to advance through the Chase to the championship round at Homestead being very slim. However, since the startRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor When it comes to racing at Martinsville, the flat half-mile bullring in southern Virginia as about as demanding as it comes on both drivers and equipment. Add in scorching hot temperatures and things get even more difficult for all parties involved. In this week’s “Throwback Thursday Theater,” we’ll look back at the 1998 NAPA Autocare 500 at Martinsville and a gutsy performance by one of the toughest drivers on the circuit, Ricky Rudd. The late October race, which normally saw seasonal fall temperatures greet theRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor After the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series made their final visit to a restrictor plate track last weekend at Talladega, the series kicks off the Round of 8 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by visiting one of the most historic tracks on the circuit, Martinsville Speedway. Last weekend’s race featured the biggest and fastest track on the circuit at Talladega, but as we fast-forward to this weekend, the series rolls into Martinsville, which is the smallest on the circuit. Racing at the twoRead More