NASCAR regular-season title and playoff spots at stake down the stretch at Daytona and Darlington
4 months ago

NASCAR regular-season title and playoff spots at stake down the stretch at Daytona and Darlington

Associated Press  

BROOKLYN, Mich. — NASCAR has just two races remaining in the regular season and a pair of competitions are on the line. Tyler Reddick earned his second win of the season Monday at Michigan International Speedway, giving him the points lead in a closely contested, four-driver race for the regular-season championship. Reddick moved past Larson into the top spot in the Cup standings, and his win opened another spot in the playoffs because he was one of 12 drivers who already earned an automatic bid with a victory. Ty Gibbs, Chris Buescher and Ross Chastain currently have the final three spots and Bubba Wallace slipped to 17th, one point behind Chastain. Austin Dillon will be among the desperate drivers, needing to get to a checkered flag first to extend the season, unless he wins an appeal on Wednesday or a subsequent option to fight NASCAR’s decision to revoke his spot in the playoffs.

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History of this topic

NASCAR Playoffs: Don’t look for surprises in the postseason as power programs dominate field
3 months, 3 weeks ago

NASCAR Playoffs: Don’t look for surprises in the postseason as power programs dominate field

Associated Press  

DARLINGTON, S.C. — NASCAR’s regular season finished with a pair of surprises in winless drivers Harrison Burton and Chase Briscoe pulling off unexpected victories at Daytona and Darlington. Don’t look for more stunners when the playoffs start next week and NASCAR’s power programs, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske, dominate the grid with 11 of the 16 drivers …

Two-time NASCAR champ Kyle Busch puts aside problems, focuses on Darlington win to reach playoffs
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Two-time NASCAR champ Kyle Busch puts aside problems, focuses on Darlington win to reach playoffs

Associated Press  

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Kyle Busch has experienced a maddening, frustrating season so far that’s left the two-time Cup Series champion on the outside of a 12th straight NASCAR playoff appearance. “But that’s something that we can’t change.” Busch, who has not won in 46 races, nearly clinched his spot at Daytona last week, but lost out on a wild, final …

NASCAR at Darlington odds and expert predictions: Playoff position and regular season championship on the line
3 months, 3 weeks ago

NASCAR at Darlington odds and expert predictions: Playoff position and regular season championship on the line

New York Times  

This is it, folks. A stunner at Daytona last week means a few NASCAR star drivers — Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain — are facing elimination and their final chance to hoist themselves above the cut line. We discuss the playoff picture, what chance drivers on the cut line really have, who we can expect to win the regular season …

Former NASCAR champion Martin Truex Jr. is nearly a lock to make the playoffs. It’s shaky for others
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Former NASCAR champion Martin Truex Jr. is nearly a lock to make the playoffs. It’s shaky for others

Associated Press  

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Martin Truex Jr. should feel safe heading to Darlington Raceway for the Cup Series’ regular-season finale. Truex has a strong grasp on one of the remaining three, so NASCAR essentially has two bids up for grabs at the “Track Too Tough to Tame.” It will make for an intriguing race next weekend, with Ty Gibbs, Chris …

Frustrated amid a winless season, two-time NASCAR champ Kyle Busch says he ‘could legit win Daytona’
4 months ago

Frustrated amid a winless season, two-time NASCAR champ Kyle Busch says he ‘could legit win Daytona’

Associated Press  

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch is masking his disappointment. “We could legit win Daytona,” Busch confidently said Thursday during a Zoom call, pointing to a 12th-place finish at the famed speedway in February, strong runs at similar tracks in Atlanta and Talladega and even a fourth-place showing last week at Michigan. “But I’ve been down before, although probably never …

Tyler Reddick uses final Brickyard 400 qualifying run to win the pole
5 months ago

Tyler Reddick uses final Brickyard 400 qualifying run to win the pole

Associated Press  

INDIANAPOLIS — Tyler Reddick watched Brickyard 400 qualifying Saturday with a skeptical eye. So when Reddick encountered his own obstacles, the 28-year-old remained calm, adapted deftly and took advantage of the final run of the day to capture his first Brickyard 400 pole. “I knew I needed to run like a 49.50 I didn’t know what Chase’s exact time was, …

AUTO RACING: Team Penske aims to follow up NASCAR-IndyCar sweep in Indy oval return, Toronto streets
5 months, 1 week ago

AUTO RACING: Team Penske aims to follow up NASCAR-IndyCar sweep in Indy oval return, Toronto streets

Associated Press  

All Times Eastern NASCAR CUP SERIES Brickyard 400. Last race: Team Penske driver and reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney led the final 44 laps, a race high, to win Pocono Raceway’s 400-mile event for his second victory in five starts and 12th in his career. Fast facts: NASCAR resumes racing on Indy’s iconic 2.5-mile oval for the first time since …

Kyle Larson wins NASCAR Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Kyle Larson wins NASCAR Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway

New York Times  

SONOMA, Calif. — At this time last week, Kyle Larson had no idea whether he’d be eligible for NASCAR’s championship playoffs this fall. Larson blew past both controversy and the entire Cup field Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, using fresher tires to win at his home track for the second time. 🍷 pic.twitter.com/Osju9DhghD — NASCAR June 9, 2024 It was also …

NASCAR playoffs: Who’ll get the last two Championship 4 spots at Martinsville?
1 year, 1 month ago

NASCAR playoffs: Who’ll get the last two Championship 4 spots at Martinsville?

New York Times  

If we had divided the driver field into tiers when Cup Series playoffs began, the consensus would’ve been that Martin Truex Jr., William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson deserved a place at the top. Larson guaranteed himself a spot in Championship 4 by winning the Round 3 opener at Las Vegas, while Byron’s high-level consistency has him on the …

Top 5, Homestead: NASCAR playoffs get shaken up, track proves its worth again
1 year, 2 months ago

Top 5, Homestead: NASCAR playoffs get shaken up, track proves its worth again

New York Times  

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Five thoughts after Sunday’s Round 3 NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway … 1. “You know if you have one bad race, especially in the Round of 8, you’re cooked,” Hamlin said. “There’s just so many variables involved in racing — in the mechanics of your car alone, let alone the other 38 cars out …

Top 5, Kansas: Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr. and the NASCAR playoff picture
1 year, 3 months ago

Top 5, Kansas: Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr. and the NASCAR playoff picture

New York Times  

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Five thoughts after Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Kansas Speedway … 1. “That’s the thing about NASCAR racing that is so different from other sports, is things out of your control can keep you from winning,” Hamlin said Sunday after finishing second. “That’s the thing about NASCAR racing … things out of your control …

2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs: All 16 drivers and their chances to win the title
1 year, 3 months ago

2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs: All 16 drivers and their chances to win the title

New York Times  

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Bubba Wallace is in, Chase Elliott is out. William Byron Rank: First Playoff points: 36 Wins: Five Best championship finish: Sixth Why he can win: There is a lot to like about Byron’s chances. Denny Hamlin Rank: Third Playoff points: 25 Wins: Two Best championship finish: Second Why he can win: The reasons are similar to …

Top 5, COTA: NASCAR’s road-course restarts, Tyler Reddick and the ringers
1 year, 8 months ago

Top 5, COTA: NASCAR’s road-course restarts, Tyler Reddick and the ringers

New York Times  

AUSTIN, Texas — Five thoughts after Sunday’s NASCAR race at Circuit of the Americas … 1. Reddick explained it this way: He doesn’t have a certain driving style at road courses — primarily because each track is different — but rather a “method of approach.” In his head, he has a “ranking system” to identify the most important factors of …

NASCAR Cup playoffs reset: Who will get the last three spots in the Championship 4?
2 years, 1 month ago

NASCAR Cup playoffs reset: Who will get the last three spots in the Championship 4?

New York Times  

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — There wasn’t much for Ryan Blaney to do other than take full responsibility for the kind of mistake that a driver simply cannot make with so much on the line. Joey Logano Status: Clinched spot in Championship 4 Round 3 finishes: 1st, 18th Summary: The Las Vegas win afforded Logano a de facto bye regardless of how …

AUTO RACING: Reddick rules road, NASCAR playoff pressure up
2 years, 4 months ago

AUTO RACING: Reddick rules road, NASCAR playoff pressure up

Associated Press  

All Times Eastern NASCAR CUP SERIES FireKeepers Casino 400 Site: Brooklyn, Michigan Schedule: Saturday, practice, 12:35 p.m., and qualifying, 1:20 p.m.; Sunday, race, 3 p.m.. Track: Michigan International Speedway Race distance: 200 laps, 400 miles. Online: http://www.nascar.com NASCAR XFINITY SERIES New Holland 250 Site: Brooklyn, Michigan Schedule: Saturday, practice, 9:05 a.m., qualifying, 9:35 a.m., and race, 3:30 p.m.. Track: Michigan …

Reddick wins at Road America for 1st NASCAR Cup victory
2 years, 5 months ago

Reddick wins at Road America for 1st NASCAR Cup victory

Associated Press  

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Tyler Reddick needed a little longer than expected to win in the NASCAR Cup Series. “He’s been the guy that’s won more road courses the last couple of years than anybody,” Reddick said. I was gaining a gap there a couple times and made a couple mistakes and let him get back close enough to get …

The Top 5: Breaking down the NASCAR Daytona race
3 years, 3 months ago

The Top 5: Breaking down the NASCAR Daytona race

New York Times  

Five thoughts after Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway… 1. Kurt Busch said it kept the cars more bunched up than before and Chase Elliott said the racing felt different in relation to “the art of drafting and what you could do with the runs.” “But the end result was the same,” Elliott said, “so I’m …

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