CHASE BRISCOE

“The (Next Gen) car has less side force and less general downforce,” Hamlin said of all the wrecks. Just chaos.”Cup veteran Kevin Harvick expected as much after seeing the uncertainty the Next Gen car has brought this season. “To me, that was the most fun Charlotte race I’ve ever ran,” Briscoe said. You could throw sliders.”He offered high praise for the Next Gen car, too. I’d do another 600 miles for sure.”Hamlin acknowledged there is still a lot that teams needs to learn about the Next Gen car but said that will come in time.

NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 was many things.

Hamlin won for the 48th time in the Cup Series, and for the time in a points race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race featured a 12-car wreck and a magnificent crash that sent Chris Buescher's car flipping over five times before stopping upside down. In the overtime period Larson had the inside lane on the restart in overtime, but Austin Dillon got a push from the second row and soon was running four-wide along with Larson, Hamlin and Ross Chastain. I had to do what I had to do to win the race given where we are in points. We had a shot there to bring home another 600.”On the next restart Hamlin took the lead and held off Busch for the win.

Denny Hamlin held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch in overtime to win the longest — and perhaps wildest — Coca-Cola 600 in history.

The All-Stars during qualifying Saturday night were the pit crew members for Kyle Busch.

Ross Chastain surged into the lead as he closed in on the checkered flag Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway to steal his second career Cup Series win.

Kyle Busch won at Bristol Motor Speedway over the weekend to tie Richard Petty for at least one victory in 18 consecutive seasons.

But lapped traffic allowed Briscoe to close in on Reddick and he timed his move for the win for the third turn, when Briscoe tried to slide his way past Reddick on the inside. Briscoe went from two turns away from the win to 22nd and immediately found Reddick on pit road to apologize. From inside his cockpit, Reddick knew he had his work cut out for him if he was to win. "One of the best in stock car racing, Kyle Busch, he's definitely going to make me earn it," Reddick said from inside his Chevrolet. But Briscoe got past Busch when the rain finally stopped and it was Briscoe who wrecked Reddick's trip to victory lane.

Kyle Busch slipped past the spinning cars of Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe to steal his first Cup win of the season Sunday night on slick, wet, dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway.

NASCAR Bristol Auto Racing Cole Custer leads Alex Bowman (48) and Ross Chastain (1) during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series auto race Saturday, April 16, 2022, At Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne) (Wade Payne)BRISTOL, Tenn. — (AP) — Cole Custer won the first pole of his career Saturday through a formula designed for qualifying via heat races at dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway. Drivers accumulated points for both finishing and passing and Custer started ninth in his heat and then won it — good enough for his first pole in 84 career Cup starts. Fox a year ago asked NASCAR to add a dirt race to the 38-race Cup schedule and Speedway Motorsports volunteered its .0533-mile Bristol bullring. He also said ticket sales have proven there's a demand for dirt racing and the 2023 race at Bristol will again be on dirt. The crowd expected Sunday was on track to be the largest for Bristol's spring race in years.

Cole Custer won the first pole of his career Saturday through a formula designed for qualifying via heat races at dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway.

Ross Chastain bumped and banged his way around the final overtime lap at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday for first career Cup win and upstart NASCAR team Trackhouse Racing’s first trip to victory lane.

William Byron has managed to hold off the freight train behind him, taking the checkered flag for his third NASCAR Cup victory at Atlnta Motor Speedway.

AVONDALE, Ariz. — (AP) — Chase Briscoe raced to his first NASCAR Cup Series victory, executing two great restarts over the final 20 laps to pull away from Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. It was an intense late battle between three drivers who had never won in the Cup Series. Kyle Larson won the series championship last year after a fall victory at Phoenix, but engine trouble ended his day early. The final restart in each of the four Cup races this season has come with four or fewer laps remaining. ... Briscoe is the Cup Series' 200th winner.

Chase Briscoe raced to his first NASCAR Cup Series victory, executing two great restarts over the final 20 laps to pull away from Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

Chase Briscoe jumped out of his car and was obviously emotional, kneeling by his No. 14 for a few seconds before a couple voice cracks during his postrace television interview. The 27-year-old Briscoe took his lumps last season as a NASCAR Cup Series rookie. “It's unbelievable — I was crying the whole last lap,” Briscoe said.

Rick Hendrick spoke and his drivers heard the boss loud and clear. Hendrick intervened on a competition matter for the first time since Kyle Larson joined the team when he squashed any potential beef between his stars following their run-in last week in California. Larson, the reigning Cup champion, caused Chase Elliott, NASCAR's most popular driver, to wreck last week as the two raced for the win.

Austin Cindric drove his brand new NASCAR ride to victory in the Daytona 500 on team owner Roger Penske’s 85th birthday.

Austin Cindric drove his brand new NASCAR ride to victory in the Daytona 500 on team owner Roger Penske’s 85th birthday.

A conversation on driver code and on-track etiquette is raging in NASCAR, and with it comes debate about the expectations of non-playoff drivers.

Tensions are high at every level of NASCAR as its grueling, 11-month season enters the homestretch with three weeks remaining to crown three series champions. All eyes had been on feuding drivers Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick, but NASCAR last week demanded the they knock it off — a directive that sucked all the drama out of what could have been a nail-biting rivalry capable of derailing Elliott's shot at a second consecutive Cup Series title. Are drivers taking too many risks trying to make it to the championship round?

Denny Hamlin earned his first career victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday night.

Ryan Blaney took the lead from William Byron on a late restart and bobbed and weaved his way across the final seven laps to win at Michigan International Speedway.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (Darron Cummings)BROOKLYN, Mich. — (AP) — Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin spent the week trading barbs about their chaotic finish at Indianapolis. “We can’t race that way,” Hamlin said after Briscoe sent Indy’s race leader spinning on the second-to-last lap. Then in the second overtime and final restart, Hamlin forced Briscoe wide heading into the first turn, and as Hamlin navigated the course, Briscoe drove through the grass and came out side by side with Hamlin. Hamlin has already clinched a playoff spot despite not winning yet this season. Last year's Michigan race was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One week after Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe tangled on the track in NASCAR's Cup Series, they'll be back in action Sunday at Michigan.

INDIANAPOLIS — (AP) — AJ Allmendinger took advantage of two frightening multi-car crashes, the leader getting spun out and a penalty — all in the final five laps — to win the Brickyard 200 on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Making only his second NASCAR Cup start of the season, the 39-year-old Allmendinger raced to his second career Cup victory and gave Kaulig Racing its first win in only the organization's seventh series start. But the 0.929-second victory over Ryan Blaney in the first Cup race on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course was marred by two huge pileups that brought out red flags. A few moments later, seven more cars crashed in the same spot and again the race was halted. UP NEXTAfter back-to-back road races, the Cup circuit returns to an oval next Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (Darron Cummings)INDIANAPOLIS — (AP) — William Byron got some help this week preparing for NASCAR's first road race at Indianapolis. The 23-year-old North Carolinian captured the pole for the Brickyard 200, posting a fast lap of 100.044 mph on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It's the first time Cup Series drivers will use the twisting road course instead of the traditional 2.5-mile oval. Chase Briscoe, who won last year's Xfinity Series road race at Indy, will start second on Sunday after going 99.561 mph. Team Penske won twice Saturday, first with Will Power capturing a historic fifth IndyCar win on the road course.

AJ Allmendinger took advantage of two frightening multi-car crashes, the leader getting spun out and a penalty — all in the last five laps — to win the Brickyard 200.

NASCAR drivers got their first laps on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course in practice — and it opened to mixed reviews.

With darkness closing in, Aric Almirola sprung to life late Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and pulled off a surprise for Stewart-Haas Racing’s first victory of the year.

Kyle Larson went to victory lane for the fourth consecutive week after a dominating run in the first Cup race at Nashville Superspeedway.

Across auto racing in the U.S., approaches vary among the drivers when it comes to vaccination against the coronavirus.

An official walks along pit road before a NASCAR Truck Series race on Monday, March 29, 2021, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)BRISTOL, Tenn. – Martin Truex Jr. entered the Truck Series race for the first time in 15 years just to get extra laps on the dirt surface at Bristol Motor Speedway. NASCAR's first Cup Series race at a dirt track was delayed a day when torrential rain flooded Bristol's parking lots and campgrounds and turned Monday into a doubleheader. Truex, who ran one Truck Series race in both 2005 and 2006, had almost no dirt experience before Bristol. The tires were fading down to the cords while the weight of the cars seemed to carve deep divots into the dirt track. AdAs soon as Truex took the checkered flag, the Bristol crew went to work prepping the track for the Cup race.

Racers crash during the last lap in the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Latest on the Daytona 500 (all times local):12:35 a.m.Brad Keselowski has no regrets about the way he handled the final lap of the Daytona 500. ___12:15 a.m.Michael McDowell won the Daytona 500 after Penske Racing teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski wrecked on the final lap. ___3:25 p.m.Derrike Cope was knocked out after only three laps, an ignominious end for the 62-year-old driver who won the 1990 Daytona 500. ___2 p.m.Bubba Wallace’s car failed inspection twice for the Daytona 500 and will have to start at the back of the field. AdWallace drives a new entry owned by NBA great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.

Heavy rain soaked the track early, though, prompting officials to shift gears before the Xfinity Series opener later Saturday. An ARCA series race also was scheduled for the middle of the day. “I'm fine without it,” said 2017 Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch. Ad“I’m still confident in the backup car the guys brought us," said Byron, adding that it's the car he drove to victory lane at Daytona last August to slip into the playoffs. ..."Obviously, we didn’t want to go to a backup car, but I think we’re still in a really good place for the 500.

“I think we proved as an industry last year that track time was a little overrated," said David Wilson, head of Toyota Racing Development. Heavy rain soaked the track early, though, prompting officials to shift gears before the Xfinity Series opener later Saturday. An ARCA series race also was scheduled for the middle of the day. “I'm fine without it,” said 2017 Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch. ..."Obviously, we didn’t want to go to a backup car, but I think we’re still in a really good place for the 500.

Austin Dillon (3) takes the checkered flag to win the second NASCAR Daytona 500 duel qualifying auto race Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 40 drivers competing in the 2021 Daytona 500, in order of starting position:___No. This is his 20th Daytona 500; he was hired days after Earnhardt's death. Son of two-time Daytona 500 champion and Hall of Fame driver Bill Elliott. Finished a career-best seventh in the 2017 Daytona 500, but has been 27th, 28th and 19th since. McLeodBORN: Nov. 17, 1983AdHOMETOWN: Wauchula, FloridaCREW CHIEF: Frank KerrSPONSOR: NASCAR HeatsTWITTER: @bjmcleod78NOTEWORTHY: Owner-driver racing in his third Daytona 500.

Briscoe idolized fellow Indiana native Tony Stewart and dreamed of one day driving Stewart's car. and I'd say ‘Man, the dream is to drive the 14,’" Briscoe said in an interview with The Associated Press. Much like Stewart, Briscoe is considered a blue-collar racer who lacks the family wealth needed to clear the path for an aspiring young driver. He had to earn everything on the track, yet nearly every year Briscoe's season plans were 11th hour deals. It’s why he’s ready for the NASCAR Cup Series and why we are so honored to support him.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – If Clint Bowyer could have scripted his sendoff, it most certainly would have been a proper blowout for NASCAR's best partier. Bowyer would have had fans and friends and celebrated every week all along the NASCAR circuit if he'd had his way. I was getting close to being ready," Bowyer said of retirement. The pandemic gave Bowyer weekly studio time and his large and loud personality was full-throttle during the virtual racing telecasts. Just like Waltrip did for nearly two decades, Bowyer can now look toward a long future in NASCAR's spotlight.

"Racing in the Cup Series with a serious contender has always been my goal, and I’m looking forward to joining what is a very strong team. Chase Briscoe began the year chasing eight victories, the number he believes will earn him a Cup ride, and he won his seventh race last weekend. Carpoff in November 2018 named Chastain the driver of a full Xfinity Series ride at Ganassi that would be sponsored by DC Solar. The sponsorship money evaporated, Ganassi shuttered the Xfinity Series team and Chastain was out of a job about six weeks before the 2019 season opener. He ran 35 Cup races, made 19 starts in the Xfinity Series and raced for the Truck Series championship for Niece Motorsports.

Kyle Busch heads for the front stretch during the NASCAR Xfinity auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, July 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Ray Carlin)FORT WORTH, Texas Kyle Busch got his 98th victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, winning at Texas for the 10th time when he was never challenged on a final two-lap sprint to the checkered flag. There is only one more Xfinity race this season for Busch, who wants to reach 100 wins in the series. Busch has 212 wins combined in NASCAR's top three series, with 56 Cup Series wins and 58 in the Truck Series race. There were no spectators allowed for the Xfinity race, or the Truck Series race on Saturday night, but thousands of fan will be in the stands for the Cup race Sunday.

SPARTA, Ky. Austin Cindric dominated Friday night to sweep the NASCAR Xfinity Series doubleheader at Kentucky Speedway. A night after racing to his first career oval victory in an overtime finish, the Team Penske driver was even stronger in the No. Cindric was third in the first stage, won the second and stretched it out in the final segment. The 21-year-old Cindric, son of Team Penske president Tim Cindric, won twice last year on road courses at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio. Gragson again showed early strength in taking the 45-lap first stage, his third segment win in two nights on the 1.5-mile oval.

SPARTA, Ky. Austin Cindric won the first of two NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Kentucky Speedway, charging past Chase Briscoe on an overtime restart Thursday night for his first victory of the season and first on an oval. Cindric spent most of the first two stages chasing Noah Gragson, the pole-sitter who seemed poised to dominate all three segments. The 21-year-old Cindric had eight top-10s on ovals before breaking through on the 1.5-mile Kentucky layout. His only other series victories came last year on road courses at Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio. Briscoe entered the race red hot with consecutive victories at Pocono and Indianapolis and three in his past four starts.

INDIANAPOLIS Kevin Harvick turned up the heat on Denny Hamlin late in the Brickyard 400. It's the Brickyard, this is what I grew up wanting to do so to come here and win for the third time is something I couldn't have dreamed up." For the third straight race, Harvick and Hamlin were in a league of their own. And since racing resumed at Darlington in mid-May, Hamlin and Harvick have combined to win seven of 12 races. But the crash ended Hamlin's run of four straight top-five finishes with Joe Gibbs Racing.

I have dreamed of coming to this race track and just getting to race here, Briscoe said. It's Briscoe's second straight win, his third in the last four races and fifth of the season. I am a lucky guy that gets to drive it and it is truly a blessing.Briscoe won the second stage and was in control for most of the final stage. The leaders pitted with eight laps to go, and Briscoe passed three cars on the restart to take the lead. Allmendinger finally caught Briscoe with two laps to go, but Briscoe retook the lead before the end of the lap and he eventually pulled away.

Hamlin raced to his fourth victory of the season and sixth at Pocono to cap a wild, marathon day of racing at the track, with three NASCAR races and a near-darkness Cup finish. Pocono doesn't have lights -- but the pit road numbers were lit up and glowed as Hamlin took the checkered flag for Joe Gibbs Racing. The rain wreaked havoc with the third NASCAR race of the day at Pocono. Brandon Jones opened the day with a win in the Truck Series race and Chase Briscoe won the Xfinity race. Pocono became the first track in NASCAR history to hold three national series races on the same day.

Chase Briscoe smokes his tires in celebration after winning a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, Sunday, June 28, 2020, in Long Pond, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)LONG POND, Pa. Chase Briscoe held off Ross Chastain in overtime to win the crash-filled Xfinity Series at Pocono Raceway, the second of three NASCAR races at the track on Sunday. Pocono became the first track to hold a Truck, Xfinity and Cup race on the same day. 98 Ford and won his fourth race of the season, and second in three races. Hes always one of the hardest guys to race against.Chastain hit the jackpot with his runner-up finish. Pocono turned in a wreck-fest for the second straight race, the track-record tying nine cautions in Trucks was given a run for the money early in Xfinity.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. Chase Briscoe lost much of his team and got a win for them. Its just a testament to our team, Briscoe said. With 15 laps to go, it was basically down to a two-car race: Gragson was leading, about 2 1/2 seconds ahead of Briscoe. Gragson never had control of the race again, and Briscoe wound up in victory lane. That was a team win, for sure, Briscoe said.

AJ Allmendinger celebrates after he won a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Saturday, June 6, 2020, in Hampton, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)HAMPTON, Ga. HAMPTON, Ga.A.J. Allmendinger won a NASCAR oval race for the first time in his long career. All I ever wanted to do was win on an oval, said Allmendinger, who has only a part-time ride in the Xfinity Series after losing his Cup ride after the 2018 season. He was closing the gap on Allmendinger in the closing laps, but got hoodwinked by the more experienced driver. Allmendinger gave the impression that his tires were fading, duping Gragson into making a furious run for the front.

BRISTOL, Tenn. Noah Gragson squeezed past JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier with four laps remaining, a move that caused Allgaier to crash, and Gragson held on at Bristol Motor Speedway for his second win of the season. His victory Monday night was set up by a caution with 13 laps remaining that wiped away Allgaier's lead. The Chevrolet teammates lined up side-by-side for the restart with seven laps remaining but Allgaier cleared him on the restart. I really apologize to Justin and the (number) 7 team, thats not how I want to race, Gragson said. I was terrible here in trucks and Xfinity, Gragson said.

Kyle Busch (54) and Ross Chastain (10) battle during a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway Monday, May 25, 2020, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)CONCORD, N.C. Kyle Busch normally celebrates his victories by climbing on top of his race car and bowing to the crowd. But with no fans in attendance at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday night due to the coronavirus pandemic, Busch passed on the tradition after driving past Austin Cindric on the final lap of overtime to claim his 97th career Xfinity Series win. "I guess I could have bowed to the camera.After a crash involving several cars sent the race into overtime, Cindric had a great restart in overtime and overtook Busch for the lead starting from the inside lane. But Busch battled back, driving by Cindric on the backstretch of the final lap and holding on to win 18th overall race at CMS. I wanted to win so bad.Busch has won 210 races overall across NASCAR's top three series, the most of any driver.

The most celebrated day in motorsports has been whittled down to the third course, 600 miles around Charlotte Motor Speedway in NASCAR's longest race of the year. What began as the World 600 in 1959 became the nightcap to a spectacular day of automobile racing treasured annually by fans. It means NASCAR is alone in the spotlight Sunday night, just as NASCAR has been for the last week. Were right there and James is doing an awesome job.BUSCH VS. ELLIOTTChase Elliott flipped Busch the bird after Busch wrecked Elliott racing for the win Wednesday night. Busch went on to finish second in a 1-2 with Hamlin for Joe Gibbs Racing; Elliott was 38th.

The coronavirus pandemic put those plans on hold and NASCAR is frantically trying to recover from a 10-week layoff. Reeling from the loss, Briscoe was able to hold off Busch, the best driver in Xfinity Series history, for his second win of the season. I know its gained a lot of traction and theres a lot of people talking about it, so that was ultimately a win for the sport, Elliott said Friday. The series rolls into the event with huge momentum and confidence from North Carolina Gov. I know a lot of people are looking forward to this live sporting event on TV I know that I am, Cooper said.

Rolex 24 cars get one more hour of practice, if they want it, Friday morning. 77 Mazda prototype to the Rolex 24 pole position during Thursdays qualifying. Were hoping this is a small start to what we want to achieve this year.Of lifes rare certainties, count this among them: The lap speeds you see in early-Januarys Rolex 24 test sessions wont be the same speeds you see when everyone starts playing for keeps later in the month. Thursdays fastest qualifying lap times, throughout the fields four classes, were between 2 and 3 seconds faster than the fastest laps three weeks earlier. When that team reloads and sends its car onto the track Friday morning, itll look as if nothing ever happened.