Right turn lane: NASCAR Next Gen car hits Sonoma road course
This is the short course version of a road course, so it's tough.”Road course proficiency is more important than ever in the Cup Series, which has six such circuits on its schedule this season. “It's really tight and narrow for a road course,” Chase Briscoe said of Sonoma Raceway. Defending champion and five-time pole sitter Kyle Larson claimed he didn't notice a huge difference between the road course challenges of COTA and Sonoma, other than deeper braking zones. “I think the new car changes everything (on road courses),” said Truex, who has won on both course layouts at Sonoma. “He can take my opinion or not, and I'm fine with it.”ODDS AND ENDSElliott unsurprisingly is FanDuel Sportbook's 11-to-2 favorite at Sonoma, given his road course acumen.
wftv.comChase Elliott wins at Dover to snap 26-race winless streak
NASCAR Cup Series Dover Auto Racing Chase Elliott (9) races in the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 1, 2022, in Dover, Del. — (AP) — Chase Elliott snapped a 26-race winless streak when the 2020 NASCAR champion pulled away down the stretch to win the Cup Series race on Monday at Dover Motor Speedway. Speedway Motorsports bought the track (Dover Motorsports) late last year. UP NEXTThe Cup Series races next Sunday at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. Toyota is set to celebrate its 1,500th NASCAR race during Darlington’s annual Throwback Weekend.
wftv.comRain postpones NASCAR Cup race at Dover to Monday
NASCAR Cup Series Dover Auto Racing Ryan Blaney (12) races toward Turn 1 during a restart at the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 1, 2022, in Dover, Del. Truex raced to his first NASCAR Cup win June 4, 2007, at Dover and 12 years later used another rainout to take the checkered flag on May 6, 2019. It's the fourth time out of 104 career Dover races it will run on a Monday. Buescher won his only career Cup race in a weather-shortened race in 2016 — yes, on a Monday — at Pocono Raceway. Successes have been rare for Buescher since that checkered but he took the pole at Dover - his first in more than 230 career Cup races and 74 Xfinity starts.
wftv.comHamlin finally finds the Next Gen formula, wins at Richmond
RICHMOND, Va. — (AP) — Denny Hamlin ran down William Byron with five laps to go Sunday and ended the slowest start to his career with a victory in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. He then held off a challenge from Kevin Harvick, a three-time winner at Richmond. Just drove as hard as I could,” Hamlin said after climbing from his car, crediting his team for not giving up. “There was no doubt in my mind, maybe just a little, but they got this car right there towards the end. Harvick was second, followed by Byron, Truex and Kyle Larson.
wftv.comDenny Hamlin hoping for Next Gen breakthrough at Richmond
RICHMOND, Va. — (AP) — Denny Hamlin would love to think that a visit to his home track will produce a finish that finally gets his season heading in the right direction. Hamlin stands 22nd in points after six races and has failed to finish three races. With trying the figure out the new car, every week is like starting over. We are trying to find that point where we are good, and we can build off of that,” he said. Hamlin, who had 25 top-10 runs in 36 races last year, has yet to record any.
wftv.comToo soon: Truex Jr. not ready to consider NASCAR future
Martin Truex Jr. left Richmond Raceway a winner in his last visit to the Virginia short track, a playofff victory last September that helped him get into NASCAR's championship round and showed the veteran has plenty left in his tank. The 41-year-old Truex is in the final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and hasn't decided how long he wants to continue his career. There is no wait-and-see going on with Truex, who in his 17th full Cup Series season is grappling with NASCAR's new Next Gen car.
news.yahoo.comBowman edges Larson in OT to win NASCAR race at Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — (AP) — Alex Bowman beat NASCAR champion Kyle Larson in a door-to-door overtime battle at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that sent Hendrick Motorsports to victory lane for the second consecutive week. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch and teammate Martin Truex Jr. were in a lap-by-lap chess match for the win until the 12th caution ended the stirring duel. The Hendrick trio of Bowman, Larson and William Byron all changed just two tires to get off pit road first through third. Larson, the defending Las Vegas winner and winner last week in California, chose the outside line for the restart with Bowman on his inside. Hendrick snuffed out any drama, evidenced by the clean overtime racing for the win between Bowman and Larson.
wftv.comLarson wraps up comeback season with 1st NASCAR title
NASCAR Phoenix Auto Racing Kyle Larson is introduced to the fans before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri) (Rick Scuteri)AVONDALE, Ariz. — (AP) — Kyle Larson won. That was the expected result of NASCAR's season-ending championship race, right? Larson closed his comeback season in NASCAR with his first championship Sunday, where he capped his return from a nearly yearlong suspension with a title-winning victory at Phoenix Raceway. It was Rick Hendrick who decided to give him another chance and he hired Larson once NASCAR lifted his suspension. Larson watched last year's championship race from the competition compound on the Hendrick Mototsports' campus in North Carolina.
wftv.comTruex quietly chases 2nd NASCAR Cup championship at Phoenix
Always a threat on the track, Truex is the most unassuming championship contender in Cup. But last season, Truex stumbled in the first season he was paired with crew chief James Small. He has 28 of his 31 career wins since 2016 and is a perennial championship contender. JGR teammate Hamlin has two wins and time is running short for the veteran to win his first Cup championship. With a win, Truex would join Kyle Busch as the only active drivers with two championships.
wftv.comLarson wins at Texas for 1st spot in NASCAR's championship 4
FORT WORTH, Texas — (AP) — Kyle Larson claimed the first of four championship-contending spots in NASCAR's season finale with a dominating victory at Texas on Sunday to start the round of eight in the playoffs. There were two laps remaining on the final restart, and Larson was able to stay out in front of teammate William Byron. The seven remaining playoff contenders leave Texas with two more chances to get into the championship four, with Kansas and Martinsville left before the finale. Texas had always been the eighth of the final 10 races, and the middle race of the third and final elimination round, before this season. He also won at Texas in the $1 million, non-points All-Star race in June.
wftv.comTruex in tight NASCAR chase for start of round of 8 in Texas
NASCAR Texas Preview Auto Racing FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2021, file photo, Martin Truex Jr., celebrates winning the NASCAR Cup series auto race in Richmond, Va. Truex is in third place in the NASCAR playoff standings heading into Sunday's race at Fort Worth, Texas. “The round of eight is really as tough as it gets,” said Truex, the 2017 Cup champ who finished second in both 2018 and 2019. But there’s a lot of guys with that in mind as well.”Kyle Larson, who won the NASCAR All-Star race at Texas four months ago, is the points leader. Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch round out the top five. A four-time winner at Texas, Busch will be without crew chief Ben Beshore after his suspension for two loose lug nuts on the No.
wftv.comNASCAR adds Gateway, returns Homestead to playoffs for 2022
NASCAR Richmond Auto Racing Denny Hamlin (11) and Martin Truex Jr., (19) lead the field st the start of the NASCAR Cup series auto race in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Homestead was given a second chance for 2022 with an Oct. 23 race date that makes it the middle race of the third round of the playoffs. The 1.25-mile oval has held NASCAR national series races since 1997 and IndyCar the past six seasons. It is the only new track added to the 2022 Cup schedule. The Cup Series will be 36 races as always, but Pocono Raceway lost one of its two dates to get the race near St. Louis.
wftv.comGibbs stable asserting itself 2 races into Cup playoffs
RICHMOND, Va. — (AP) — Two races into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, regular-season champion Kyle Larson is still the points leader, but the stable of contenders at Joe Gibbs Racing is making the most noise with victories in the last two races. It was during that winless spell that Larson really asserted himself, winning four times. “We had a lot of tough luck and a lot of crashes and got caught in the rain a few times. “In general, I think we felt good coming into the playoffs. He led 197 laps on Saturday and won both stages, just as he had in April when he led 207 laps.
wftv.comTruex leads 1-2-3 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing at Richmond
NASCAR Richmond Auto Racing William Byron (24) and Kyle Busch (18) race into turn one during the NASCAR Cup series auto race in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Steve Helber)RICHMOND, Va, — (AP) — Martin Truex Jr. assumed the lead when Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch was penalized for speeding with about 50 laps to go and won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday night. The victory was the third for Truex in the last five races at Richmond. Truex led a 1-2-3 finish for JGR, with Denny Hamlin finishing second and Christopher Bell. McDowell finish 37th — last — last week and had three speeding penalties and finished 29th at Richmond.
wftv.comTruex leads 1-2-3 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing at Richmond
Martin Truex Jr. assumed the lead when Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch was penalized for speeding with about 50 laps to go and won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday night. The victory was the third for Truex in the last five races at Richmond. Truex led a 1-2-3 finish for JGR — the sixth in its history — with Denny Hamlin finishing second and Christopher Bell third.
news.yahoo.comColumn: 20 years after 9/11, sports reveals its limitations
There was still a buzz over Venus Williams beating little sister Serena in prime time for the U.S. Open tennis singles title. 1 college football team in all the land, coming off a 61-0 thrashing of Rutgers. In some ways, so was life as Truex and the rest of us knew it. Instead of a salve, sports has become a mirror on our angry divisions in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’ll play for free this year to live life how I’ve lived it from day one,” Beasley added in a rant this summer.
wftv.comDenny Hamlin wins Southern 500 to open NASCAR Cup playoffs
DARLINGTON, S.C. — (AP) — Denny Hamlin held off Kyle Larson after their cars hit nose to tail racing to the finish line Sunday night in the Southern 500 to open the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. But Hamlin held firm up near the wall to take the checkered flag“He was going to have to go through me,” Hamlin said. Hamlin broke out ahead of Larson on the restart 36 laps from the end. Earlier, Daytona 500 winner Mike McDowell hit the wall on the backstretch on lap 30 and was done for the day. UP NEXTThe NASCAR Cup series playoffs continue at Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday.
wftv.comNASCAR hiatus: Drivers would like to make it a regular thing
The now half-over, two-week hiatus is something Harvick wishes would become a regular thing. “I’d take it off the front end because everybody’s fresh and energized," he said of moving the break to the summer months. “I think having this two-week break really allows these guys in the shop and on the road to be able to actually have two, for-sure weeks off that they can plan around. That’s something very important to the families of those individuals.”Harvick, though, wasn't planning on getting too far away from racing. Harvick won a series-high nine races last year, but like points leader Denny Hamlin, has only visited Victory Lane this season to congratulate other winning drivers.
wftv.comHendrick train rolls into Sonoma seeking 4th straight win
(AP Photo/Nell Redmond) (Nell Redmond)The Hendrick Motorsports train rolls into Sonoma Raceway on a three-race winning streak that pushed it past Petty Enterprises as NASCAR's winningest organization. “I think we all look at them as being a really strong team and having really strong race cars consistently,” Truex said. Since then it has been all Hendrick Motorsports, starting with an Alex Bowman 1-2-3-4 sweep at Dover. Out in wine country, Elliott will be seeking his first career victory at Sonoma. Those six wins tie him for third on NASCAR's all-time road course win list with Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace.
wftv.comChase Elliott wins rain-shortened NASCAR Cup debut in Austin
NASCAR Austin Auto Racing Martin Truex Jr. (19) slides through Turn 12 after a crash as Chris Buescher (17) and Garrett Smithley (53) drive around during the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Sunday, May 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) (Chuck Burton)AUSTIN, Texas — (AP) — Chase Elliott raced to a short and slippery victory Sunday as rain spoiled the end of NASCAR’s debut at the Circuit of the Americas, where drivers struggled to navigate the winding course in the first rain race in Cup Series history. Elliott, the defending series champion, won for the first time this year and the sixth time on a road course. The rain started on the opening lap and several drivers complained about treacherous conditions that limited visibility, and caused a pair of violent crashes. UP NEXTNASCAR heads to North Carolina for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway next Sunday before a return to road racing at Sonoma Raceway___More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
wftv.comLarson repays Urban Youth Racing School with virtual visit
NASCAR Dover Preview Auto Racing FILE - In this Sunday, May 9, 2021, file photo, Kyle Larson uses his cell phone before the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. Larson took time out from his NASCAR schedule to Zoom in with the class at Philadelphia’s Urban Youth Racing School. The school has served more than 7,500 students from ages 8 to 18 over the last 22 years and teaches all aspects of auto racing, including driving and Black racing history. The Joe Gibbs Racing star and 2017 Cup champion has been the runner-up finisher in three straight Dover races. For the lottery's current fiscal year of July 1, 2020 through May 13, 2021, auto racing comprised $196,000 or 0.18% of the wager handle. _____More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
wftv.comThe Latest: NASCAR lifting mask mandate in garage, pits
NASCAR last weekend had a soft re-opening of the garage area and allowed 350 fully vaccinated sponsors and guests into the competition footprint at Darlington Raceway. NASCAR is not requiring its competitors be vaccinated, only guests and media who enter the garage area. ___The Milwaukee Brewers will begin allowing fans to fill all the seats at American Family Field for home games on June 25. They announced Tuesday they would start filling up to half the seats at American Family Field beginning with Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Braves. American Family Field has a seating capacity of 41,900.
wftv.comMartin Truex Jr. dominates at Darlington to 3rd win of year
NASCAR Darlington Auto Racing Martin Truex Jr. drives into Turn 1 during the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Darlington Raceway, Sunday, May 9, 2021, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Terry Renna) (Terry Renna)DARLINGTON, S.C. — (AP) — Martin Truex Jr. powered his way around Darlington Raceway, sweeping both stages and leading the final 105 laps Sunday. Kyle Larson cut into Truex's often large lead over the final 30 laps, coming as close as two car-lengths down the stretch. The victory gave Truex some payback at Darlington from the last time here last September, when he led 196 laps, yet finished 22nd after tangling for the lead late with Chase Elliott. WHO’S HOTKyle Busch followed up his first win of the season at Kansas last week with a solid third place at Darlington. But Busch hasn’t come that close to a Darlington victory in 22 races since.
wftv.comNASCAR all alone on motorsports biggest day of racing
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.