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  • Michigan International Speedway – Did you know?

    Michigan International Speedway – Did you know?

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway this weekend for the FireKeepers Casino 400.

    Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer is the defending race winner. The Ford driver is winless this year but did you know that Ford Motor Company has won 37 of the 99 Cup Series races at Michigan while Chevrolet has won 26? However, this year may be the exception as Toyota has captured nine wins, Ford has won four times and Chevrolet has only one win this season.  

    But did you know that Cale Yarborough won the first NASCAR race in a Mercury for Wood Brothers Racing at Michigan on June 15, 1969? The event was highlighted by an intense battle between Yarborough and LeeRoy Yarbrough during the final 150 laps. On the last lap, the drivers made contact twice. Coming out of the final turn Yarbrough spun and crashed 300 yards from the finish line as Cale Yarborough sped past him to claim the checkered flag. It was the first of eight victories at the 2-mile track for Yarborough.

    Yarborough still holds the Cup Series record at Michigan for most top fives, with 21, and has led the most laps (1308). But did you know that David Pearson leads all drivers with nine wins at Michigan? He also holds the record for the most poles with 10.

    Kurt Busch is the defending pole winner for the FireKeepers Casino 400 and the SHR driver is tied with Team Penske’s Joey Logano with three poles each at the 2-mile track, leading all active drivers. But did you know that 20.2% of the Cup Series races at Michigan have been won from the first starting position? The most recent driver to win from the pole was Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson in June 2017.

    Larson and Busch also have the most wins at Michigan among active drivers with three. Notably, Larson also earned his first Monster Energy Cup Series win at Michigan in August 2016. However, Chase Elliott has the series-best driver rating of 104.5 at the track. The only item Elliott has left to check off is a trip to victory lane.

    Elliott enters the race with the best average finish of 5.33. He is currently third in the series driver standings after winning at Talladega and following that up with four more top-five finishes. But did you know that the Hendrick Motorsports driver has scored six top 10s in six career starts at the track?

    And we can’t forget Kevin Harvick who is winless in 2019 after a season-high eight victories last year. But did you know that the driver of the SHR No. 4 Ford enters Michigan with the second-best driver rating of 98.1?

    Harvick has two wins at the track and has finished in the top five in his last seven Michigan races with a victory in August and one runner-up finish in June 2018. This weekend’s race could be a turning point in what has been a frustrating season.

    You can never count out Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch at any venue. But did you know that he has only the 10th-best driver rating (89.2) at Michigan?

    With one win in 2011, an average finish of 18.357, 10 top 10s and six top-fives in 28 starts, Busch will be hoping to carry over the momentum of last week’s 55th career victory at Pocono. On the plus side, the team seems to have turned a corner with top-10 finishes in his last four Michigan races.

    So far this season, there have been six different winners in 14 races with Joe Gibbs Racing leading the way with nine. Tune into the FireKeepers Casino 400 Sunday, June 9 at 2 p.m. on FS1 and MRN to find out which driver will take home the next trophy.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • A deeper look beyond Kyle Busch’s win total

    A deeper look beyond Kyle Busch’s win total

    Over the past couple of years in NASCAR, one of the biggest topics of conversation has been the buzz about the win column. It comes up once in a while such as when Jeff Gordon tied Dale Earnhardt at Phoenix in 2007 or when Jimmie Johnson won his elusive seventh title.

    Some of the unanswered questions have revolved around whether Johnson could catch and pass his mentor on the all-time win list or if Kevin Harvick can break into the top 10 list of victories.

    However, one driver, in particular, is setting records and reaching for more. Kyle Busch’s 55th career win this past Sunday at Pocono Raceway tied him for ninth on the all-time list with Rusty Wallace.

    “It’s pretty special,” Busch said of his milestone win mark. “We just keep doing what we’re supposed to do. It’s pretty cool to get with and eclipse many of these great names that helped build our sport to what it is today and have been icons, for that matter.”

    Fans and media have now set eyes on the next target for Busch’s career, The Intimidator. Dale Earnhardt holds 76 career wins in the Cup Series. Some argue that he was on pace to continue to be competitive enough to increase that number before his tragic death on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. No matter your opinion, what all these drivers have accomplished is truly a remarkable feat in the world of motorsports.

    Looking deeper into the numbers, Busch’s win was exactly one month after his 34th birthday. When compared to other 55 win milestones, Wallace captured his final Cup victory at Martinsville Speedway at 47 years, 8 months and 4 days. Johnson and Darrell Waltrip each won their 55th race at age 36, with Waltrip winning his sixth of what would become seven consecutive victories at Bristol Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon dominated the June race at Michigan International Speedway to take victory number 55 of his career at the young age of just 29 years. And Dale Earnhardt’s 55th career win took place in his famous drive in the 1993 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He was 42-years-old at the time.

    One thing we won’t know until later is if or when Kyle Busch may go on a winless streak or stop winning altogether.

    This past Tuesday marked two years since Jimmie Johnson’s last victory in a points-paying race. But, two years ago, no one even considered the possibility that the win would signal the beginning of an ongoing two-year race win drought. Between 2012 and 2017, Johnson was averaging four victories a season, and since his rookie year in 2002, he had won at least two races each year. Since his win at Dover in 2017, Johnson has earned four top-five finishes, 22 top 10s and only one pole. The past two years have seen his worst average starting position and the No. 48 team have only led roughly a hundred laps.

    “It’s had its ups and downs,” Johnson shared last month regarding his winless streak. “I didn’t have a lot of success in my career before driving this 48 car and I learned a lot of lessons on my journey climbing the ropes. I’ve had to fall back on that experience.

    “There’s also been some truth and reality in that our cars just haven’t been where they [were] and we have to get them better. I’ve made mistakes, the team has made mistakes so it’s been a journey, to say the least, but it hasn’t broken me. I love what I do. I have an intense desire to compete, to win and succeed at a high level and I know in time we’ll get back to our winning ways. I’m trying to be patient and I’ve been patient through those races and I’m hoping we can turn it around.”

    Even teammate Chase Elliott shared a similar outlook on the current situation at Hendrick Motorsports after a top-five finish at Pocono, saying, “We’re good, not great.”

    Kyle Busch waves a "200 Wins" flag in celebration of his 200th career victory in NASCAR's premier top touring series. Photo by Rachel Schuoler of Speedway Media.
    Kyle Busch waves a “200 Wins” flag in celebration of his 200th career victory in NASCAR’s premier top touring series. Photo by Rachel Schuoler of Speedway Media.

    Busch, however, shows no signs of slowing down and his team continues to be competitive week after week. He was one of the ‘Big 3’ contenders last year and is on track this year to become the best of the ‘Big 3’ in 2019.

    But, a Hall of Fame career is about more than wins. It encompasses a driver’s entire career, including the highs and lows.

    Tony Stewart, a 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, won his last championship in 2011 as a driver-owner, the first to do so since Alan Kulwicki in 1992. He was poised to win many more races and potentially another championship. The following year, his No. 14 car went to victory lane three more times. However, the final four years of his career resulted in just two more victories, including one that many will remember because of the final lap battle with Denny Hamlin at Sonoma.

    FOX announcer and racing legend Jeff Gordon didn’t have a Hall of Fame career every year he was behind the wheel. In the three years between 2008 and 2010, the Rainbow Warriors were victorious in just one race. Previously, he dominated the Cup schedule winning at least three races in all but three years of his first 15 years in NASCAR. He was able to find his groove again to win at least one race per year in his last five years of full-time racing and finished with 93 career wins in his Cup career.

    It is truly remarkable what Kyle Busch has been able to accomplish so far this year. ‘Rowdy’ won his 200th career victory across all three top series of NASCAR earlier this year in the Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway and went on to capture his 55th Cup win at Pocono. It will definitely be a few years before he can possibly match Earnhardt’s 76 wins, as there are still 39 other hungry drivers to beat each race.

    “It’s amazing to watch him and all of us that are in the sport at the same time as he is, I think we will be thankful later that we got to watch him because he is fantastic and unquestionably one of the best that’s ever strapped into a stock car,” NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio after Busch’s 55th win at Pocono.  

    But will he get there? He is certainly on track to do so. Regardless of what the future holds, Busch will undoubtedly one day take a seat in the Hall of Fame. We cannot and should not take his success for granted.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Busch: Busch started second at Pocono and led 79 laps on his way to the win in the Pocono 400. It was Busch’s fourth win of the season.

    “That was my 55th Cup win,” Busch said. “That ties me with Rusty Wallace for ninth on the all-time list. Rusty is a NASCAR legend. Anytime I’m on any list alongside Rusty Wallace, I’m thrilled unless that list is Ryan Newman’s ‘S’ list.”

    2. Joey Logano: Logano finished seventh at Pocono as Penske Racing placed two cars in the top 10.

    “Penske Racing is still riding high from Josef Newgarden’s win in the Indianapolis 500 on May 26th,” Logano said. “Unfortunately, as the last two races suggest, Joe Gibbs Racing has been drinking our milk.”

    3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski took second at Pocono, posting his sixth top five of the season.

    “There was no catching Kyle Busch,” Keselowski said. “I was on his bumper one second; the next second, he was gone. Usually, when I say ‘Kyle Busch is out of my life,’ it brings me immense joy. Not so in this case.”

    4. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex’s engine expired on Lap 91, ending his day at Pocono. He finished 35th and is seventh in the Monster Energy Cup points standings.

    “What’s something that blew up at Pocono?” Truex said. “My engine. What’s something that didn’t blow up at Pocono? Television ratings for the race.”

    5. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished fourth at Pocono, posting his fifth consecutive top-five finish, the longest streak of his career.

    “Hendrick Motorsports still only has one win all season,” Elliott said. “Sure, it doesn’t stack up to Joe Gibbs Racing’s nine wins, or Penske Racing’s four, but Rick Hendrick told us not to be discouraged, and to look for motivation in the ‘small victories.’”

    6. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished sixth at Pocono as Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Erik Jones finished first and third, respectively.

    “I ended a streak of four consecutive finishes of 15th or worse,” Hamlin said. “I’m happy because the last thing I want to be is the low man on the totem pole at JGR. To avoid that, I simply have to keep up with the ‘Jones’s.’”

    7. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 11th at Pocono.

    “My little brother Kyle won the race,” Busch said, “in a car sponsored by ‘Hazelnut Spread M&M’s.’ That’s amazing. I think there are now more types of M&M’s than there were passes for the lead on Sunday.”

    8. Kevin Harvick: Harvick was in contention late at Pocono before a penalty for an uncontrolled tire ruined his day. Things got even worse when mechanical problems arose soon after the penalty.

    “I was driving the Busch beer ‘Millennial’ car,” Harvick said. “Any rational observer would have thought Kyle Busch was driving the ‘Millennial’ car, what with the ‘Hazelnut Spread M&M’s’ logo splashed across it.”

    9. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer came home fifth in the Pocono 400, scoring his fifth top five of the season.

    “I’m pleased with our result,” Bowyer said. “The only person I wanted to punch after this race was the NASCAR official who implemented this rules package.”

    10. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished 15th at Pocono and is now 11th in the Monster Energy Cup points standings.

    “My Hendrick teammate William Byron won his second consecutive pole,” Bowman said. “That gives Hendrick a series-best six poles. So, our history of qualifying is sterling, but our history of winning is checkered.”

  • Five drivers to watch heading into the Pocono 400

    Five drivers to watch heading into the Pocono 400

    With the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season halfway through, the drivers who are making an impact on the way to the Playoffs have either emerged or are about to. With Chevy drivers finally starting to hit their strides such as Kurt Busch, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, it’s a safe bet to go with the Bowtie Brigade heading into Sunday.

    1. Alex Bowman

    Bowman is easily the hottest commodity in the Cup Series right now. With four consecutive top-10s including three straight runner-up finishes, he finally seems to be knocking on the door to Victory Lane. He came close at Kansas, leading 63 laps before losing the lead to Brad Keselowski, but with the series heading into Pocono, this may be the weekend for Bowman. He finished third there in last year’s Gander Outdoors 400, and with Chevy teams starting to show up at the front more often this season, the odds are in Bowman’s, Crew Chief Greg Ives’ and the No. 88 team’s favor.

    2. Kurt Busch

    Busch is obviously having fun in 2019, and it’s easy to tell. He wrapped up final practice for Sunday’s race with a 172.712 lap, which was the quickest of the session. The three-time Pocono winner is making his first trip to the Tricky Triangle with his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing team, for which he has already scored three top-fives and eight top-10s and sits eighth in the points heading into Sunday. What plays into Busch’s favor is that for the most part, despite his troubles (however few they have been this season), he has been at or near the front in almost every race in 2019.

    Busch and Matt McCall have melded quite well and it shows, with runs such as a fifth at Las Vegas and a third at Atlanta, that the team isn’t lacking in speed, and considering that Pocono is a big, fast, 2.5-mile racetrack, Busch is a strong bet to be in contention on Sunday.

    3. Daniel Suarez

    Although the Stewart-Haas Racing Fords haven’t had a victory yet in 2019, they’ve been consistent finishers who have been at or near the front, including Suarez. And with Pocono being one of Suarez’s strongest tracks, he could be a safe bet to be a contender on Sunday. Suarez, the 2018 Gander Outdoors 400 pole-sitter and runner-up, topped Friday morning’s first practice with a 171.798 lap. He also has an average start of 10.2 and an average finish of 12.0 in four starts, which although isn’t impressive, it is solid.

    The SHR Fords aren’t without speed, and with Billy Scott on top of the pit box, Suarez is sure to have another solid day at Pocono.

    4. Martin Truex Jr.

    There is hardly a place where Truex won’t contend or win at, and that includes Pocono, where he won in 2015 and 2018. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has won three times with Crew Chief Cole Pearn this season, including the most recent event at Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600. The No. 19 Toyota has won early and often in 2019, with the team really hitting its stride in April and showing no signs of slowing.

    Truex holds five top-fives and 10 top-10s in 26 starts, including those two wins, and considering he’s at the beginning of a hot streak it’d be foolish not to bet on the No. 19 JGR Toyota to be at the front at some point during Sunday’s race.

    5. Chase Elliott

    Once again, with Chevy performance on the rise it’d only make sense to also bet on the one Chevy driver to win so far in 2019. Elliott has been quietly consistent in six Pocono starts, having earned five top-10s including a fourth in his first start there in 2016. The one race where he finished outside of the top-10 was later that year, where he crashed while battling Joey Logano for the lead. He finished 33rd that day, and although his average finish there is 12.0, had it not been for that crash it would have been much higher.

    Elliott has made it a point to master almost every type of track, and he has managed to put himself in contention almost everywhere. His relationship with Crew Chief Alan Gustafson has finally yielded the expected results, and with the confidence that this No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports crew has week in and week out, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Elliott continues to build on his winning ways Sunday in the Pocono 400.

    The Pocono 400 is Sunday on FS1, starting at 2 p.m. ET.

  • Weekend schedule for Pocono Raceway

    Weekend schedule for Pocono Raceway

    This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series head to Pocono Raceway. Martin Truex Jr. grabbed his third victory of the season last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway and is also the defending race winner for the Pocono 400.

    Kyle Busch won last year’s Xfinity Series Pocono Green 250 but will not compete in this week’s race. Instead, Jeffrey Earnhardt, who earned a career-best finish of third last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway, will pilot the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, May 31
    1:05 – 1:55 p.m. – Xfinity Series First Practice (MRN) – NASCAR.com/live
    2:05 – 2:55 p.m. – Cup Series First Practice (MRN) – NASCAR.com/live
    3:05 – 3:55 p.m. – Xfinity Series Final Practice (FS2)
    4:05 – 4:55 p.m. – Cup Series Final Practice (FS2, MRN)

    Saturday, June 1
    10:05 a.m. – Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound) Single vehicle/One lap – All positions (FS1)
    11:35 a.m. – Cup Series Qualifying (Impound) Single vehicle/One lap – All positions (FS1, MRN)
    1 p.m. – Xfinity Series Pocono Green 250 (Stages 25/50/100 = 100 laps/250 miles) (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

    Sunday, June 2
    2 p.m. – Cup Series Pocono 400 (Stages 50/100/160 = 160 laps/400 miles) (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Charlotte

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Charlotte

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Martin Truex Jr.: Despite contact with the wall in Stage 1, Truex recovered and sealed the win at Charlotte with a daring four-wide pass for the lead on the final restart.

    “What better advocate for going ‘four-wide’ than Joe Gibbs,” Truex said. “Joe made the ‘four wide receiver’ set commonplace in the NFL of the 1990s.

    “I’m just glad my move didn’t cause an accident. The last thing we need is another upset driver punching another. Of course, my teammate is Kyle Busch, so I can definitely understand the desire to punch someone. His brother Kurt may have an even more punchable face. In fact, Kurt’s face has been‘rearranged’ before, when a plastic surgeon downsized his ears.”

    2. Kyle Busch: Busch finished third in Charlotte and leads the Monster Energy Cup points standings by six over Joey Logano.

    “This race lasted a grueling five hours,” Busch said. “It’s grueling for drivers, but even more grueling for a crew chief who has to listen to his driver complain for nearly all of those five hours.”

    3. Joey Logano: Logano took the runner-up spot in the Coca-Cola 600.

    “I got close to Martin Truex Jr. at the end,” Logano said, “but not close enough to give him the old ‘bump and run,’ the ‘run’ of which means I run and hide afterward. But he did a great job defending his position. He had the best car, and I wasn’t going to pass him. And, as they say, ‘there was no way around it.’”

    4. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski won Stages 1 and 2 at Charlotte, but blew a tire and slammed the wall with 10 laps to go. He finished 19th, two laps back.

    “The No. 2 Miller Lite was dominant in the first two stages,” Keselowski said, “but certainly not in the last stage. But ‘the No. 2’ out of 3 ain’t bad.”

    5. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished fourth at Charlotte, recording his fifth top five of the season.

    “The Sunday before Memorial Day is the greatest day in motorsports,” Elliott said. “Fans on the East Coast can enjoy breakfast at Monaco, lunch at Indianapolis, and an appetizer, nice dinner, desert, and a bedtime snack at Charlotte.”

    6. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 10th at Charlotte, and is third in the Monster Energy Cup points standings, 50 out of first.

    “Congratulations to Tony Stewart on his Hall Of Fame induction,” Harvick said. “Boy, I can’t wait to hear Tony’s induction speech. It will probably be four letters long.”

    7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 17th at Charlotte.

    “I hit the wall in Stage 2,” Hamlin said, “then hit it harder on the race’s final lap. Luckily, cars and drivers are equipped with so many safety devices, you really can’t feel the impact. Someone should remind Clint Bowyer of that.”

    8. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished 24th in the Coca Cola 600.

    “You probably saw me punching Ryan Newman after the All-Star race,” Bowyer said. “I didn’t even let Ryan get out of his car! Needless to say, Ryan said he ‘won’t take this sitting down.’”

    9. Alex Bowman: Bowman started 13th and finished seventh at Charlotte, and is 10th in the points standings.

    “My Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron started on the pole,” Bowman said, “becoming the youngest ever on the pole at for the 600. He was ecstatic. He was on ‘Cloud 9.’ Several decades ago, you could have said he was ‘sitting on the top of the World 600.’”

    10. Kurt Busch: Busch struggled at Charlotte, finishing 27th, four laps down.

    “Charlotte Flair drove the pace car for the race,” Busch said. “As you probably know, Charlotte Flair is the daughter of wrestling legend Ric Flair. Incidentally, ‘Charlotte Flair’ is also the name of the downtown Charlotte club where you’re most likely to find Michael Waltrip.”

  • Truex scores second Coca-Cola 600 win at Charlotte

    Truex scores second Coca-Cola 600 win at Charlotte

    Martin Truex Jr. scored his third win of 2019 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night, as he won his second Coca-Cola 600 by .330 of a second over Joey Logano. Truex had the dominant car of the evening, leading 116 laps after starting 14th, although he had to overcome a cut tire and contact with the wall on Lap 75 when he brought out the caution while leading.

    Truex had his hands full on the last restart with five laps left, when he restarted third behind David Ragan and Ryan Newman after pitting for fresh tires. Third-place finisher Kyle Busch restarted fourth, and after a strong restart, Busch appeared to be in position to take the lead until Truex made a four-wide pass for the lead on the backstretch and didn’t look back. Chase Elliott and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top-five.

    “What a hell of a team,” Truex said. “We never gave up on it. I thought we were done. We blew a tire and hit the wall. We never gave up on it. I thought we were done. Just kept fighting, just kept fighting. What a race there at the end. That was pretty wild.”

    Logano was disappointed with second place but proud of his team’s efforts.

    “The Coke 600 is such a big deal to win,” he said, “especially as a Coke driver. You want to make it happen and we were close, but we’ll just have to wait again to next year and go at it. 

    “I thought we had a good shot when that caution came back out. That was another chance and just didn’t quite get it, but overall, like I said, very proud of it. As far as Memorial Day Weekend and getting to race is a privilege, so for me to complain about second sounds pretty dumb.  I’m proud to live in this country and I’m happy that I just get to race.”

    Busch, who earned his seventh top-five of the season, said, “I thought that through much of the race we had a fast car. We were there. We led some laps, we ran around. The 4 (Harvick) was fast, the 19 (Truex) was fast. The 19 was the fastest car, so I’m not sure what they had different than us, but obviously we were just off a little bit. Otherwise, I felt like we had a race-winning car capable of at least running second, I guess, but overall the red, white and blue M&M’s Camry was fast, and we brought it home where we should have – or close anyway, I think.”

    Chris Buescher, Alex Bowman, Jimmie Johnson, William Byron, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-10. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stops at Pocono Raceway next on June 2 at 2 p.m. ET on FS1.

    The race had 16 cautions for 80 laps, the majority of which were due to tire issues. Several drivers such as Truex, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, Matt DiBenedetto, and Brad Keselowski all made contact with the wall after having tire issues. However, the race’s biggest caution happened on Lap 317 when Clint Bowyer and Kyle Larson made contact that collected Austin and Ty Dillon as well as Ryan Preece. Larson’s and Austin Dillon’s days ended after the incident.

    “I just got in there and lost grip and slid up into Clint,” said Larson. “I just hate that I caused the wreck there. I didn’t do a good job on the restart. Just put myself in a bad spot and got sideways.”

    The race saw 30 lead changes among 11 drivers, with many on social media proclaiming positive reviews on the event which further enforces the idea that the current aero package is a step in the right direction. This comes after two of the previous three Coke 600s were won by drivers who led over 375 of the 400 laps (Busch won in ’18 after leading 377 laps and Truex won in ’16 after leading 392 laps).

  • Weekend schedule for Charlotte

    Weekend schedule for Charlotte

    This Memorial Day weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 60th running of the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday evening while the Xfinity Series hits the track Saturday for the Alsco 300.

    The ARCA Menards Series will also compete at Charlotte Thursday night for the General Tire 150. There will be two hours of practice beginning at 11:30 a.m. with qualifying at 5 p.m. The race is scheduled for a 9 p.m. start and will be televised on FS1.

    All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, May 23

    2:35 p.m.- 3:25 p.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series First Practice – Airing on FS1 at 3 p.m.
    4:05 p.m.- 4:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series First Practice – FS1
    6:05 p.m.-6:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series Final Practice – FS1
    7:05 p.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series Qualifying – Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions – FS1/PRN

    Friday, May 24
    No events scheduled             

    Saturday, May 25

    8:35 a.m.-9:25 a.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series Second Practice – FS1
    9:35 a.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions – FS1
    11:05 a.m.-11:55 a.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
    1 p.m.: Xfinity Series Alsco 300 (Stages 45/90/200 Laps = 300 Miles) – FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, May 26

    6 p.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 (Stages 100/200/300/400 Laps = 600 Miles) – FOX/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

  • Larson shines brightest in Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race

    Larson shines brightest in Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race

    By: Charlotte Motor Speedway

    In a race full of stars, Kyle Larson shined brightest in Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    After a stirring drive to the front from the rear of the field, Larson held off Kevin Harvick over the final laps to become the first driver to win the Monster Energy Open and the All-Star Race on the same night. The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet made moves high, low and in the middle to assume the point in the final 15-lap dash for $1 million.

    Harvick reeled in Larson over the final circuits but wasn’t able to make a pass to capture his second consecutive All-Star Race triumph, finishing a scant 0.322 seconds in arrears of Larson – who won in a Monster Energy Cup Series car for the first time since 2017.

    Larson had to sweat out advancing into the All-Star Race, taking a car he believed was the event’s best and having to fight out a win in the final stage of the Monster Energy Open to advance to the big show. From there, Larson quickly asserted himself – moving into seventh before the first stage ended.

    Harvick appeared to be the man to beat for much of the night. His pink, Millennial-themed machine had the measure of the field in the early going before a loose wheel robbed Harvick of track position.

    Amid three- and four-wide battles through the pack and exciting, wheel-to-wheel racing previously reserved for tracks larger than 1.5 miles, the 35th running of the biggest all-star event in sports delivered in spectacular style – particularly for the race winner, whose Victory Lane drought came to an end in lucrative fashion.

    Following Larson and Harvick, who led a race-high 33 laps, Kyle Busch finished third after hitting the wall late in the race. Joey Logano, the 2016 race winner and defending series champion, was fourth. Bubba Wallace – in his first All-Star Race after winning Stage 2 of the Open-ended up fifth in Richard Petty Motorsports’ first All-Star Race since 2015.

    KYLE LARSON, No. 42 Advent Health Chevrolet (Race Winner): “Gosh, after the year we’ve had, I wouldn’t have guessed that we would get our first win at the All-Star Race. But the way the format is and how crazy the race is, it kinda helps us out. We always seem to run good on this weekend, so it just feels like a big relief to finally get a win. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to victory lane in a stock car. After being close to winning this race a couple years ago and then allowing Joey (Logano) to get by, it feels really good to get some redemption. … What makes this race so exciting is the short runs, people are going crazy. Even though it’s a 20-lap run, there’s still a caution or two in each segment because everybody is just going nuts. The restarts were wild.”

    CHAD JOHNSTON, No. 42 Advent Health Chevrolet (Winning Crew Chief): “It was a good time for us. We’ve had a rough year. We’ve had a lot more speed than we’ve shown in points, obviously. We haven’t been able to string together any finishes until as of late. We come off a third-place finish in Dover and a seventh-place finish at Kansas, and with the exception of Phoenix, those are the only races we haven’t had issues. To come here to the All-Star Race and to be able to take home a million dollars is huge for us and hopefully a stake in the ground for a turning point for us.”

    KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Beer Millennial Car Ford (Runner-Up): “That’s how you take the fastest car and don’t win the race with it. We had an incredible Busch Beer Ford. (Crew chief) Rodney (Childers) and the guys on the team did an incredible job. It was unfortunate. The guys did a great job preparing a race car, and we weren’t ready to make a pit stop on pit road tonight. We just need to be ready to race; we’ve done it all year. We just need to show up (and not) have it be a disaster. They’ve been great all year and tonight wasn’t great, that’s for sure. We spotted the whole field and started tail-back with 15 laps to go. Once they get single-file, as soon as they drive in your lane, they’d push up a groove, so you’ve got to go where they aren’t. (Larson) was fast enough to run the bottom, and that’s where I needed to run to really make time.”

    KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Hazelnut Spread Toyota (Third-Place Finisher): “We had a really fast M&Ms Camry. Probably was the only guy to pass for the lead after a given set of laps. On restarts, we couldn’t go anywhere. We just weren’t fast enough, but we had long-run speed. That’s all there is to it.”

  • Clint Bowyer wins pole for All-Star Race at Charlotte

    Clint Bowyer wins pole for All-Star Race at Charlotte

    Clint Bowyer captured the pole for Saturday’s Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was his first pole in the event which features a $1 million prize.

    Qualifying required each participant to complete three qualifying laps with one four-tire pit stop with no pit road speed limit. Bowyer’s best lap time of 136.371 mph and his 14.8-second pit stop in his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford was enough to earn the top starting position. It will be his 10th All-Star Race.

    “Our Fords are extremely fast, frustrated that we haven’t been able to break into victory lane. We’re poised to do that. I’m telling you, the Stewart-Haas cars have been extremely fast,” Bowyer said. “Kevin (Harvick)  showed his muscle last week in Kansas, had a mishap and didn’t get his win. We’ve been knocking on the door at Richmond and Bristol and Martinsville.

    “With our 14 car, I’m very proud of the job that Buga (Mike Bugarewicz, crew chief) and everybody has been doing. That was the difference tonight. Tonight was all about going fast and getting the most out of three laps and I do love the aspect that you add that pit crew. It gives them a time to shine. My pit crew has been doing a jam-up job all season long and they were a big part of that. I call that a win. That is a victory. That’s something that’s not just a qualifying lap. It’s a total team effort.”

    Kyle Busch, who fell short of the pole in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota by .177 seconds, said, “I thought everything about the lap actually was pretty good. I’m not sure how fast the lap itself was — how fast our car was on the lap.

    “I felt like my progressiveness onto pit road and pit road speed was relatively good, and then the braking point and being able to just chatter the tires all the way into the box was really close. Really on the money there. I thought we got all we could get out of it.”

    Kevin Harvick, Bowyer’s teammate, will start third with his fastest lap time of 136.068 mph as Austin Dillon and Martin Truex Jr. round out the top five.

    Harvick seemed pleased that his qualifying run went smoothly, saying, “I think I could have got a little better in the braking onto pit road was okay, a little better time in the braking and I spun the tires a little bit too much leaving the stall, but in the end you don’t want to make any big mistakes and I think we accomplished that.”

    Of the remaining drivers who have already qualified for the All-Star Race, Ryan Newman will start sixth followed by Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch.

    Qualifying for the Open was held prior to All-Star qualifying and Richard Childress Racing’s Daniel Hemric won the pole.

    “I said on the radio this is the first box checked for the weekend,” Hemric said. “You’ve got to bring the fastest race car you can, and we’ve done that. Hopefully, we can do our jobs tomorrow and do what we need to do to get in the All-Star race and really have some fun.”

    Fifteen drivers have qualified for the race and another three will join the lineup after the Monster Energy Open which will precede the All-Star Race Saturday night at 6 p.m. ET. The Open will consist of three stages and each stage winner will earn a spot in the All-Star Race. One final driver will be chosen from the Fan Vote, making a total of 19 competitors for the All-Star event.

    This year’s All-Star race is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Saturday on FS1 and will include four stages of 30, 20 and 20 laps with a final 15-lap shootout.

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