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 …
Pit road speeding. Uncontrolled tire. Two pit road penalties couldn’t stop Denny Hamlin from ending Sunday with two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins after the 2019 O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. Hamlin took control after the final pit stops at Texas Motor Speedway and cruised to a 2.7-second victory over Clint Bowyer. The No. 11 …
Did You Notice? … The 2020 NASCAR schedule brings with it real, meaningful change? It’s just the tip of the iceberg for an overhaul that could be even larger come 2021. For now, the 36-race schedule kept all tracks signed under the current five-year sanctioning agreement that expires at the end of the 2020 season. But …
Did You Notice? … We’re now five races into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season? The sport’s new handling package, qualifying debacles and Kyle Busch’s 200 have stolen the headlines since Daytona Speedweeks. It seems like a lifetime ago Denny Hamlin was celebrating in Victory Lane for the Daytona 500. But Hamlin has taken a …
Kyle Busch and Richard Petty are from two different NASCAR eras. Their accomplishments can be awkward to compare. But after Sunday’s (March 17) Auto Club 400, they now stand alone as the only drivers with 200 career victories in the sport’s top three series. Busch reached the milestone with a dominant Monster Energy NASCAR Cup …
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