Talladega Tag

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Riley Herbst proved his worth among NASCAR’s elite racers with a ninth-place finish in Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Throughout the 188-lap contest, the Xfinity Series regular led five times for 10 laps which also marked Herbst’s first Cup race he’s ever led. As the laps were winding down, Herbst’s No. 36 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang was in the mix for the win, but also became an assistance for Ford in order to keep the Hendrick Motorsports train from running away with the topRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell had a stellar third-place result in Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Although the day was owned by the big three teams of Penske, Gibbs and Hendrick, McDowell held his own tremendously. As seen with his stage finishes of eighth and third, the Front Row Motorsports veteran had a fast machine. When the race came down to overtime, McDowell had a shot of getting another victory this year. Like at Daytona, he had to deal with a couple Ford driversRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Veteran racer Brendan Gaughan is set to hang up the helmet at the conclusion of the fall race at Talladega Superspeedway October 4, 2020. Last month, the Las Vegas native announced his intentions of retiring on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, but it didn’t catch wind until Auto Racing Daily published the report on December 18, 2019. Motorsports Tribune reached out to Gaughan’s team (Beard Motorsports), confirming it’ll be his final Cup season. Beard officially issued a press release Monday that the 62nd Daytona 500 will mark theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer A career-high finish by Riley Herbst was the last thing on his mind after a controversial last lap in Saturday’s Sugarlands Shine 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. The 20-year-old had a clean race as chaos happened behind his No. 51 Monster Energy/Advance Auto Parts Toyota Tundra. Gus Dean’s massive late-race shunt on the backstretch sent the race into overtime and Herbst was one of a few drivers in excellent position of battling for the win. Indeed, Herbst was able to put himself in the right spot toRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It was “Damage Inc.” on the final lap of Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama that ended in violent blows for several drivers, putting a damper on what was considered a thrilling 188-lap race. The situation began to unravel once the red-flag was lifted due to a multi-car crash on Lap 182 that ended with Matt DiBenedetto plowing into the back end of Chris Buescher in Turn 2. This led to the race restarting with just four laps to go. The chaos began toRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The ultimate equalizer known as Talladega Superspeedway proved to be an ultimate breakthrough result for two of this year’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Daniel Hemric and Ryan Preece. Both drivers have shown flashes of brilliance in the first nine races, but luck has hampered their results. Sunday’s GEICO 500 changed all of that as both rookies scored their maiden top-fives in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after surviving the intense competition and violent crashes. After having a heroic Daytona 500 that can beRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The first race back from Easter didn’t stop Austin Cindric from racking up another top-five on his NASCAR Xfinity Series resume. Not even wearing a lion’s wig during driver introductions kept him from prowling the competition. Fresh off a runner-up finish at Richmond Raceway, Cindric came to Talladega Superspeedway with the purpose of winning. It wasn’t meant to be and had to settle for fifth during Saturday’s MoneyLion 300. The race title happened to be Cindric’s primary sponsor for his No. 12 Ford Mustang. “To comeRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer It was a Talladega heartbreak for several drivers, notably the Earnhardt entity in the closing laps. Coming to five laps remaining in Saturday’s MoneyLion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway, a tight battle for seventh turned disaster as the cruel nature of the 2.66-mile circuit reared its ugly head on both Jeremy Clements and Jeffrey Earnhardt. At the exit of Turn 1, both were in a four-wide battle with Brett Moffitt and Brandon Brown until Earnhardt made slight contact with Clements, sending him loose and started an accordionRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer The perfect birthday gift has been given five days early to Justin Haley as Spire Motorsports announced Tuesday the 19-year-old will make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut at Talladega Superspeedway. Sunday’s GEICO 500 will not only mark Haley’s debut, it’ll also be his 20th birthday as he’ll be strapping in the No. 77 Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. F.O.E. was Haley’s sponsor during his Gander Outdoors Truck Series career and earned all three of his wins with last season with thatRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Editor’s note: Motorsports Tribune will be previewing the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season for the full-time drivers in the series leading into February’s 61st annual running of the Daytona 500. Age: 31 Years in Cup: Six Career Wins: Two Biggest Accomplishment: 2011-12 Xfinity Series champion After scoring two superspeedway victories in 2017, it was a rather polarizing 2018 campaign for Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who went winless and missed the playoffs. Now going into his seventh season, he’ll be seeking for a turnaround after finishing 18th in points, and continueRead More