FrontPageBets takes a look at drivers to watch in the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard NASCAR Cup Series road-course race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.
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William Byron won the rain-shortened NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It is Byron's second win in Atlanta in the last two years and his fourth victory of the season. The threat of rain affected strategy as drivers fought to move toward the front of the field before weather delayed or ended the race. On lap 185, with 75 laps to go, NASCAR ordered cars to pit road due to rain and the possibility of lightning. Only six minutes later, fans were warned of severe weather within eight miles of the track and were encouraged to leave the stadium immediately. The race was called minutes later.
Rick Hendrick fully supports Chase Elliott as he returns from a one-race suspension for deliberately wrecking Denny Hamlin, but the team owner believes on-track aggression has gotten out of control this season and NASCAR sent a message by parking the superstar. Elliott missed last week's race outside St. Louis as the five-time fan-voted most popular driver served a one-race suspension for retaliating against Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
MADISON, Ill. — Kyle Busch had been in and out of his car through a lengthy weather delay. He had idled on the track through two red flags. He had kept his poise through 11 cautions, including five down the stretch as he tried to protect his lead.
Corey LaJoie is finally getting a chance to drive for Hendrick Motorsports this week. He wanted so badly to drive the No. 48 car a few years ago when Jimmie Johnson was stepping away that he penned a letter to team owner Rick Hendrick. The ride went to Alex Bowman and LaJoie ended up with Spire Motorsports. But with Chase Elliott suspended for Sunday's race at World Wide Technology Raceway for his intentional wreck of Denny Hamlin, LaJoie will be driving the No. 9 car. Carson Hocevar will take his place in the No. 7 car for Spire.
Ryan Blaney pulled away late to win the rescheduled Coca-Cola 600 on Monday at Charlotte Speedway, giving team owner Roger Penske a sweep of the Memorial Day weekend’s top races in the United States. Josef Newgarden won a record-extending 19th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday for Team Penske. It marked the first time Team Penske has earned a sweep of the two races in the same year.
NASCAR drivers have long considered the Coca-Cola 600 the most grueling race on the schedule. It's expected to be even more challenging Sunday for Alex Bowman, who'll be racing for the first time since fracturing his vertebra last month at a sprint car race in Hendrick Motorsports' teammate Kyle Larson's new racing series in West Burlington, Iowa. Bowman said even twisting the wrong way can be painful. Bowman missed three Cup points races while sidelined, leaving him five points out of the 16th and final playoff qualifying position with 13 races remaining in the regular season. Cup points leader William Byron will start on the pole for Sunday's race after qualifying was rained out.
NASCAR has opened an investigation into how a derogatory message was broadcast on the radio channel of Bubba Wallace's race team during last weekend's All-Star race. Wallace, NASCAR's only Black driver in the Cup series, had just finished the race at North Wilkesboro Speedway when a person not on the 23XI Racing team said over the radio, "Go back to where you came from" and then added another non-racial expletive. NASCAR spokesman Mike Forde said Wednesday the series immediately had its security and racing electronic teams look into the hack. He said Wallace did not hear the remark.
William Byron avoided a wreck between Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson on a restart six laps from the end and held on to win the Goodyear 400 in overtime at Darlington Raceway. Byron was pushed out of the lead by eventual winner Joey Logano two laps from the end here a year ago. This time, Byron watched as Chastain and Larson collided, then drove away from Kevin Harvick for his third win this year and the seventh of his career.
Ross Chastain thinks things went too far in punching Noah Gragson in the pits at Kansas last week. But Chastain said he's growing more more comfortable as the NASCAR Cup Series' reigning villain. Points leader Chastain competes in the Goodyear 400 on Sunday at Darlington Raceway. Gragson confronted Chastain but Chastain got a punch in before security broke things up. Chastain and Gragson talked things out Monday. Chastain said he wants to make drivers uncomfortable on the track.
It's been quite the week in the NASCAR Cup Series for Toyota, which got a win in Monday's rain-delayed race at Dover with Martin Truex Jr. and Joe Gibbs Racing, then picked up Jimmie Johnson's two-car team for next season. Now, with the Cup Series headed to Kansas Speedway, the momentum could very well continue.
It's been quite the week in the NASCAR Cup Series for Toyota, which got a win in Monday's rain-delayed race at Dover with Martin Truex Jr. and Joe Gibbs Racing, then picked up Jimmie Johnson's two-car team for next season. Now, with the Cup Series headed to Kansas Speedway, the momentum could very well continue.
Martin Truex Jr. mastered the Monster Mile on a Monday for the third time in his career and the former NASCAR champion snapped a 54-race winless streak overall in the Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway. It was a weekend sweep for the Truex brothers at Dover. Younger brother Ryan Truex won the second-tier Xfinity Series race on Saturday for his first NASCAR victory across all three national series in 188 career starts.
Martin Truex Jr. mastered the Monster Mile on a Monday for the third time in his career and the former NASCAR champion snapped a 54-race winless streak overall in the Cup Series at Dover Motor Speedway. It was a weekend sweep for the Truex brothers at Dover. Younger brother Ryan Truex won the second-tier Xfinity Series race on Saturday for his first NASCAR victory across all three national series in 188 career starts.
Kyle Busch won his second race of the season since joining Richard Childress Racing when he snatched the victory in double overtime at Talladega Superspeedway. It was the second win for Busch at Talladega, 15 years apart. He won when Bubba Wallace was spun by Ryan Blaney as Wallace tried to block Blaney. It triggered a race-ending caution that gave RCR its 13th victory at NASCAR's biggest track. Blaney finished second to lead a parade of Ford drivers to second through fifth-place finishes.
Kyle Busch won his second race of the season since joining Richard Childress Racing when he snatched the victory in double overtime at Talladega Superspeedway. It was the second win for Busch at Talladega, 15 years apart. He won when Bubba Wallace was spun by Ryan Blaney as Wallace tried to block Blaney. It triggered a race-ending caution that gave RCR its 13th victory at NASCAR's biggest track. Blaney finished second to lead a parade of Ford drivers to second through fifth-place finishes.
Bubba Wallace's self-confidence is struggling after a slow start to the season and back-to-back poor finishes as he heads into Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway. But it is an important weekend off the track for the only full-time Black driver at NASCAR’s top level.
Bubba Wallace became just the second Black driver to win at NASCAR's top Cup Series level when rain stopped Monday's race at Talladega Superspeedway.
On Friday, one of the Twitter poll questions we were debating on our radio show included this question: Which potential winner would make for the best story for NASCAR at Sunday’s Daytona 500? The four choices included: (1) Denny Hamlin getting a Daytona 500 3-Peat; (2) The great Kyle Busch finally winning his first Daytona 500; (3) Bubba Wallace winning in Michael Jordan’s car; (4) Ryan ...
As NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace prepares to open the Cup Series season with Sunday’s Daytona 500, he’s still feeling out his new 23XI Racing team, including one of his new bosses. Michael Jordan.
Michael Jordan says the deal that will make him primary owner of a NASCAR team came together rapidly in the past 10 days.
Michael Jordan is officially coming to NASCAR. The NBA superstar is forming his own single car team with current driver Denny Hamlin.
Declaring "the noose was real," NASCAR officials on Thursday released a photo of the rope found in the speedway garage stall of Black driver B…
The owner of the Red Fox Steakhouse gives voice to the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on many business owners in Lincoln.
NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace says he's "pissed" members of the public are now questioning his integrity after the FBI said a noose found in his garage stall this week was there before his team moved in.