NASCAR Wire Service Tag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. – Clint Bowyer was on the doorstep of securing his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole position since 2007, but teammate Aric Almirola and fellow Ford driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had the last say. Almirola powered his No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to the fastest lap of the day in the final round of Friday’s knockout qualifying session at Atlanta Motor Speedway, claiming the second Busch Pole Award of his career—and his first since winning the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 in 2012.Read More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – You could call Friday night’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 a battle of attrition, but that wouldn’t do justice to the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series season opener. It was more like a long, full-blown war. In a race at Daytona International Speedway that saw a record 11 cautions, a record 55 caution laps and just nine of 32 trucks running at the finish, Austin Hill took the checkered flag on the 11th lap of NASCAR overtime to win for the firstRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Straight-line speed in qualifying is one thing. Speed and drivability in the draft is something quite different, as the Ford camp proved decisively in Thursday night’s Gander RV Duel at Daytona 150-mile qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway. Kevin Harvick led the last 44 laps on Thursday night to win the first Duel and secure the third starting spot in Sunday’s Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion JoeyRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jimmie Johnson, who had crashed in the past six running of the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway, found a way to win the 2019 version of the season-opening exhibition race—by helping to trigger a wreck that eliminated nearly everyone else. Moments before a rainstorm halted the action and ultimately made the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race official after 59 of 75 scheduled laps, Johnson—running second on Lap 56—pulled to the inside of leader Paul Menard, who movedRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Paired for the first time with crew chief Chad Knaus, sophomore driver William Byron put his No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on the pole for the Feb. 17 Daytona 500 on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), leading a Hendrick Motorsports sweep of the top four spots and extending that organization’s dominance in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Daytona International Speedway. Byron edged last year’s pole winner, Alex Bowman, by .036 seconds for theRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, FL – Davey Allison was perhaps the original “can’t miss” kid.  The drivers he competed against in NASCAR’s premier series liked him so much they would give him advice even as he was beating them. His father Bobby Allison and uncle Donnie had been long considered stock car royalty and not only did he obviously inherit their immense driving ability, he raced against them so well that he upped everyone’s game. And in a pivotal time in the sport’s development – the late-1980s andRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, FL – His name is spoken in automotive rarefied air. And as a NASCAR team owner, an engineer, an innovator and all-around highly respected member of the sport, Jack Roush will be formally inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on February 1. For so many, Roush’s official new title as “NASCAR Hall of Famer” was inevitable and necessary. Not only did the former Ford Motor Company engineer field championship cars at every level of NASCAR competition, he is considered one of the sport’sRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, FL – NASCAR fans old and new will tell you that Alan Kulwicki represented the best of “old school” tradition while embracing the concept of progress and hard work. His NASCAR Cup championship career was simultaneously heralded by those watching his work and especially appreciated by the people competing against him in the garage. It was an unusual dichotomy of respect and awe. And while tragedy claimed his life in an April, 1993, plane accident the weekend of the Bristol, Tenn. spring race –Read More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service When it comes to a sure-bet NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Roger Penske undoubtedly sits high on that highly-revered list. The 81-year old owner and Team Penske namesake is perhaps the most legendary and renowned team principal in all of motorsports with two NASCAR premier series championships – including just last season with Joey Logano – and Daytona 500, Indy 500 victories and IndyCar titles, too. His team has 114 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race victories – including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400Read More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Three of the four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 drivers qualified near the top of the board in Friday’s knockout time trials at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but Denny Hamlin, who has his own agenda, stole the pole for Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 (at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90). Trying to extend his streak of winning at least one race per season to 13 consecutive years, Hamlin streaked around the 1.5-mile track in 31.059 secondsRead More