Round of 8 Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — Going into Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway, it was possible that one driver would make the Championship 4 via points. The man who claimed the final spot was runner-up finisher Kyle Busch. In a battle that boiled down between his teammate Denny Hamlin and rival Joey Logano, one spot would’ve made the difference of having three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers battling for the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway or not. After wall contact from John Hunter Nemechek on Lap 303, the fieldRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — In a year that Roger Penske has dominated the world of motorsports, there won’t be a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship this season for “The Captain.” That’s because Joey Logano finished ninth in Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway. Not good enough of making the Championship 4 despite running extraordinarily well during the first half of the race, highlighted with a Stage 2 win. Then everything fell apart for the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang as his pace was lost andRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — Chase Elliott’s heinous Round of 8 ends in a Lap 167 crash in Sunday’s Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway. “It’s just a continuation of our first two weeks, unfortunately,” Elliott on his elimination. “I hate it for our NAPA group.” Needing a win to make the Championship 4 for the first time in his career, Elliott had a competitive No. 9 NAPA AutoCare Center Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 where he had collected 17 stage points. Elliott’s main battle was against Denny Hamlin, whoRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer AVONDALE, Arizona — It started off with three ThorSport Racing drivers when the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series playoffs began in late August. Now going into the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, only one made it to the big stage. That man was two-time series champion Matt Crafton. Crafton entered into Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 at ISM Raceway outside the cutoff line, trailing Austin Hill by nine points. When crossed the line in sixth, Crafton beat Hill by seven points to claim the fourth and finalRead 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

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer FORT WORTH, Texas — If defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano wants to pursue back-to-back titles, he’ll have to primarily deal with Kyle Busch after leading 5 of 334 laps and finishing fourth in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. That’s because Logano holds the fourth and final Championship 4 spot heading into the cutoff race at ISM Raceway November 10, a track he’s won back in 2016 while Busch is a three-time winner including the last two races. Busch finishedRead More