Chase Elliott took the torch of NASCAR’s most popular driver from teammate Jimmie Johnson by winning his first Cup title Sunday, driving from the back of the field to victory lane at Phoenix Raceway. The win for Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet was the first since Johnson, who retired after the race, won his seventh and final crown in 2016.
NASCAR’s nicest guy will run his final race this weekend and close a remarkable career that ranks among the best in history. The mark Jimmie Johnson has made off the track deserves equal celebration.
In the 19 seasons since Dixon paired with Ganassi, the driver has rocketed through the American open wheel record books and is poised for another milestone. Dixon will race Sunday for his sixth IndyCar championship in the season finale on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.
Kyle Larson can return to NASCAR competition next season following a long suspension for using a racial slur while playing a video game.
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the inevitable: The driver market bubble, pushed to its limit with multimillion-dollar salaries for nearly two decades, is about to burst. A major reset has arrived and team owners have all the power. They can pick and choose between drivers who bring sponsorship dollars (Bubba Wallace) or drivers who have won races (Erik Jones). When the music stops, the Cup Series lineup will look radically different.
A day after Hamlin’s victory, Harvick regained the Cup Series lead with his seventh, dominating Sunday at Dover International Speedway.
Everything was new to Mike Tirico when he walked past the famed pagoda that dominates the front stretch at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, assumed his broadcast perch high above pit lane and proceeded to host his first Indy 500.
Elliott won the Cup Series' first road course race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, holding off hard-charging Denny Hamlin following a late restart and notching his third consecutive victory away from ovals.
Harvick held off Hamlin on Sunday to complete a doubleheader sweep in the NASCAR Cup Series. He'd also won Saturday's race, and the two victories gave him six on the season -- the most of any driver.
Busch's argument -- that there should be standards to be among the top 40 NASCAR racers each week -- was never actually addressed. And here we are again: Quin Houff, in his 35th career Cup start, made a late mistake Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway that not only scrambled the finish but altered the playoff picture.
Austin Dillon stayed in front after a restart with two laps to go and beat rookie teammate Tyler Reddick to the checkered flag at Texas, giving Richard Childress Racing a 1-2 NASCAR Cup finish and quite a show for spectators spread out in the stands on a scorching Sunday.
Up to 30,000 fans were allowed to attend Wednesday night's race, NASCAR's largest with spectators since the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports in March. Attendance figures were not released, but it appeared at least 20,000 spectators were socially distanced throughout the grandstands - likely making it the largest sporting event in the United States since winter.
