1. Show me the money Early on, it was all about prize money. Simply put, the more a race paid, the more points it was worth. The exact way points were awarded varied slightly, but for the first 20 years, winning the biggest races was worth the most points. At one point, finishing 25th in a …
Who… should you be talking about after the race? Back Denny Hamlin into a corner, and he’ll roll right over. Before now, that was a common assessment of the veteran driver and not entirely unfounded. In 2010, Hamlin finished a career-high second in points, but he entered the last race of that year with the point lead. …
Parity. Once upon a time, that wasn’t a dirty word in NASCAR. It shouldn’t be a dirty word in NASCAR. So why has it become one? Let’s roll back a couple of decades. Times were booming, and plenty of people wanted a piece of the pie. Manufacturers were heavily invested in racing, and they all …
NASCAR heads to the desert in Phoenix and ISM Raceway this weekend, and with several drivers needing a win to stay alive in the playoffs and others looking to deny them, it’s sure to be an exciting event. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has raced at ISM since 1988, and in that time, a …
Who… should you be talking about after the race? A week ago, Kevin Harvick wasn’t a big factor in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship conversation. He was below the cutline after Martinsville and hadn’t shown the strength of a year ago very often in the 2019 playoffs. But that all changed Sunday at …
For maybe the first time in 2019, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title picture is beginning to come into focus. Several drivers had hot streaks throughout the season, but with just three races remaining, the best have slowly but surely emerged. Of the eight drivers left, who’s the most likely to win the title? …
Who… should you be talking about after the race? It became crystal clear early on that Martin Truex Jr. had the car to beat Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. He took the lead on pit road early, but from there, nobody could touch him. The No. 19 was strongest off the turns, powering away from anyone who …
1. It’s got some impressive superlatives to its name Martinsville is NASCAR’s oldest track. It’s been in NASCAR as long as the sport has been around, hosting its first sanctioned race in 1948. The track actually predates the sanctioning body by a year. But the Martinsville Speedway we know and love today as a (mostly) …
Who … should you be talking about after the race? Ryan Blaney led three different times at Talladega Superspeedway for a total of 35 laps, but the third time was the charm as he took the checkered flag inches ahead of Ryan Newman thanks to a timely shove from superspeedway specialist Aric Almirola on the …
NASCAR appears to be in the final stages of development in the Next Gen racecar for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. A test session at Richmond Raceway was the first time on track for the new car; while NASCAR has said the new bodies will be a work in progress, it was the first …
1. Is Martin Truex Jr. the title favorite? Under the current playoff system, it’s hard to pick a favorite, because one mistake by any driver at Homestead-Miami Speedway can end it for even the most dominant championship contender. But as of this minute, it’s hard to say the road to the title doesn’t go through …
Who… should you be talking about after the race? A lot of the talk going into this Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL was about road course aces Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch. It’s a duo who, with four wins apiece on road courses, certainly have earned their reputation. …
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