playoffs Tag

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service  It was a fitting race finish for a track known as being “Too Tough To Tough.” The two front-running cars tangled with two laps remaining and Brandon Jones dove low to take the lead and the victory in Saturday’s Sports Clips Haircuts VFW 200 Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway. An intense, exciting and suspenseful battle for the lead in the final 10 laps between Xfinity Series regular Ross Chastain and this year’s Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin gave NASCAR fans all they couldRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Two multi-car crashes became the end of the road for Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones and Tyler Reddick making the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. During Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the Daytona International Speedway, all three had different implications. Those being Jones looking to wrap-up his final year with Joe Gibbs Racing with another playoff berth, Reddick trying to keep the Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle alive and Johnson aiming for one last shot at an eighth Cup title. Due to those accidents, noneRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Six drivers made the move to NASCAR’s top division with the goal of winning Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors at season’s end. After this Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, one man could walk away with the award and that’s none other than Cole Custer. Due to his maiden Cup win at Kentucky Speedway last month, Custer punched his ticket into the playoffs and currently the only rookie to do so with just one regular season race remaining. The scenario is simple,Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Jimmie Johnson finished third in his final race at Dover International Speedway, a track he’s conquered a record 11 times throughout his 19-year NASCAR Cup Series career. Despite capturing his fourth top-five of the year, Johnson had to overcome a speeding penalty early in the race which set him back to 30th. As the race began to wind down, he had worked his way back into the top-10 and when the caution came out for Corey LaJoie on Lap 290, crew chief Cliff Daniels made aRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service There was no drama in Kevin Harvick’s victory in the Drydene 311 at Dover International Speedway, an old-fashioned thrashing in the back end of a Saturday/Sunday NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader. There was more than enough suspense, however, in the battle between Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and William Byron for the final position in the Cup Playoffs. After winning the first stage at the high-banked concrete Monster Mile, Harvick had already clinched the regular-season Cup championship and the 15-Playoff-point bonus that goes with it,Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Matt DiBenedetto’s momentous first year with Wood Brothers Racing continued after a one-day turnaround puts him a bit closer of making the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with just Daytona (road course and oval) and the Dover doubleheader remaining in the regular season. Following a disappointing 15th in Saturday’s FireKeepers Casino 400, DiBenedetto’s second go around at Michigan International Speedway was more encouraging as he finished seventh in Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400. In what can be best described as a tough race that even DiBenedetto had himselfRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The final set of races have been confirmed by NASCAR Thursday with several changes to the playoffs and some series returning to race tracks once more or the first time in a long while. The Cup Series was the least affected with the announcement as all 10 playoff venues remain the same despite rumors of Las Vegas and Texas swapping dates due to the the former hosting the Electric Daisy Carnival. The quest for the championship will begin at Darlington Raceway (Sept. 6) and will wrapRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer New high school graduate Derek Kraus put on his best overall performance of his NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series campaign, finishing fifth in Friday’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 at Kansas Speedway. The Wisconsin racer had to miss his Stratford High School graduation ceremony to compete in the Kansas doubleheader as he entered the first of two 134-lap races outside the top-10 in points after eight races. “I feel like tonight we had a really good run, and it was a special night, forRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer William Byron may have wound up 10th after what looked like a banner night was in store, but Thursday’s Super Start Batteries 400 at Kansas Speedway played a big role on the top-16 playoff grid. Going into the 267-lap race, Byron was only a mere two points behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson for the 16th and final playoff spot and was ahead of 18th place points man Tyler Reddick by 12 points. However, things looked different on top of the No. 24 Axalta pitRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — It’s do or die for Chase Elliott heading into Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway. The only way the popular second-generation driver makes the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first time is winning at a track he’s never visited victory lane in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Elliott, who is 78 points behind the cutoff, said the mindset is to achieve his seventh career Cup win after a self-inflicting Turn 2 accident during last Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 atRead More