Did You Notice? … If the season ended today, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series would set a dubious playoff record. Only five owners would be eligible to capture the championship, by far the fewest in the sport’s 16-car postseason era. 2019 PLAYOFF TEAMS (IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY) Joe Gibbs Racing (4): Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, …
ONE: Charlotte Motor Speedway Battles Back NASCAR may have been created in some smoke-filled meetings down in Daytona Beach but make no mistake: Charlotte is now stock car racing’s home base. Every major team has its race shop in the area, along with a core group of the sport’s operating staff paired with the NASCAR …
Did You Notice? … The 2019 Indianapolis 500 starting lineup will have little, if any, crossover with NASCAR? Just two of the 33 drivers in this year’s field have any experience driving high-level stock cars. James Davison and Conor Daly have made a combined five Xfinity Series starts, none of them on oval tracks as neither …
Did You Notice? … Ross Chastain picked the wrong NASCAR series in 2019? Of course, he didn’t know it at the time after a devastating end to his tenure at Chip Ganassi Racing. Chastain was all set for a competitive full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series ride before DC Solar found itself raided by the FBI. That left …
ONE: Can NASCAR’s New Package Keep Delivering? The 2019 Digital Ally 400 at Kansas Speedway offered the perfect storm of circumstances for NASCAR’s new handling package. As I wrote yesterday (May 12), cooler temperatures and graduated banking equaled the perfect 1-2 punch for good racing. More than ever, drivers appear to be schooled in the …
Did You Notice?… A changing of the guard at Hendrick Motorsports in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series? Chase Elliott became the first driver for HMS to win in 2019, also breaking the season shutout for Chevrolet. His push to the win at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday (April 28) came courtesy teammate and second-place finisher Alex Bowman. …
Did You Notice? … If the new 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series handling package is creating more passing on track? The simple answer is yes. Green-flag passes through nine races are up 15.5% over last year according to Loop Data statistics provided by NASCAR. So then why are the fans providing such mixed reviews? Why …
ONE: NASCAR 2019 = 2-Team Tandem At The Top Forget NASCAR’s Big Three. This year, it’s the Big Two (owners, that is) leading the way in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske have flat out dominated the first nine races of the season. Ryan Blaney (Penske) and Erik Jones …
On his 81st short track start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Martin Truex Jr. would not be denied. Truex held off three challengers beating on his rear bumper to score the victory Saturday (April 13) in the 2019 Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. “The short track win, everyone kept asking me when …
Did You Notice? … The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture is taking shape? It’s hard to believe but we’re already eight races into 2019. If the regular season was just one big race, stage one would be wrapping up sometime during the middle of Saturday night’s showdown at Richmond Raceway. What do we know …
A wreck one lap into the Food City 500. A crushed rear bumper. Fighting nearly 500 laps to gain track position. None of that tough luck could deter Kyle Busch at Bristol Motor Speedway from another Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. Busch took control after the final restart on Sunday (April 7) at Bristol …
Did You Notice?… NASCAR’s parity problem? The new, low-horsepower handling package at intermediate tracks combined with several new 2019 rules have been designed to bring the field closer together. In many ways, the field is tighter than ever. But that parity has occurred within teams rather than the full 40-car field itself. Seven races in, just two organizations have won …
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