Latest news with #JoeGibbsRacingToyota
TimesLIVE
04-08-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
William Byron holds off Chase Briscoe to win Iowa Corn 350
William Byron had strong runs at Michigan and Indianapolis turn sour due to fuel shortages in the past two months, but the Sunday race in Iowa was a gas. The two-time Daytona 500 winner nursed his No 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet home on fumes to win the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. With a 1.5 second lead over polesitter Chase Briscoe in the final 20 laps, the 27-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native beat Briscoe by 1.192 seconds for his second win of the year. He captured the season-opening Daytona 500 for the second straight time. Byron had gone eight straight races without a top-five finish before having enough in the tank to beat Briscoe. "How about that for some fuel mileage?" quipped Byron, who led a race-high 141 laps on the 0.875-mile short track during his 15th career victory. "We've had our fair share of things not go our way with fuel mileage. We've been through a lot of growing pains this year. It's been tough on us." Briscoe posted a runner-up finish in his No 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for the third time in the past four races. "I thought I was running William down and in the catbird's seat," said Briscoe, who topped the field for 81 laps. "I got there and kind of stalled out. For us to finish second was a good recovery." Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Ryan Preece rounded out the top five in the race, which had 12 cautions for 72 laps. A Chevrolet driver won for the fourth time in the past six races. In his 100th career NASCAR Cup Series start, John Hunter Nemechek finished 15th. Driving a backup car and starting last after wrecking in practice on Saturday, two-time Cup champ Kyle Busch came in 20th. In NASCAR's return to the Hawkeye State for the second straight time, Byron gapped Briscoe from the start and led the first 67 laps, but Keselowski's No 6 Ford came alive and put pressure on Byron. With Byron's car getting tight and lacking full braking, Keselowski, a three-time winner at Iowa in the Xfinity Series, passed the No 24 for the 10 bonus points for winning stage 1. Austin Cindric, Byron, Blaney and Briscoe filled the top five finishers in the first segment of the 350-lap race. In stage 2, Briscoe displayed the speed he had in qualifying and took the point, while defending Iowa winner Blaney stayed within a half-second behind the first-year JGR driver. With Keselowski leading on lap 170, the first caution for incident occurred when Shane van Gisbergen looped his Chevrolet between turns 1 and 2. After Ty Dillon's spin set up a shootout to decide stage 2, Keselowski won another segment, this time with Carson Hocevar wrecking deeper in the field as Keselowski took the checkers. Blaney, Cindric and Ty Gibbs earned the next three spots in the stage, but Busch finished fifth in the segment after losing a lap early in the race. The second half of the race featured cautions after only two in the first 170 laps. In all, 10 more yellows flew as most the final 180 circuits were slowed and pit stops became more frequent.
Hindustan Times
02-08-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Chase Briscoe wins sixth NASCAR Cup pole of 2025 season at Iowa Speedway
NEWTON, Iowa -- Big track, road course or short track -- Chase Briscoe has shown blistering speed in his first season in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on all sorts of venues. HT Image On Saturday at Iowa Speedway, a 0.875-mile short track, Briscoe won his sixth pole of the season with a lap at 136.933 mph (23.004 seconds) to earn the top starting spot in Sunday's Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol (3:30 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). That effort followed a pole run last Saturday at mammoth 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In fact, in the last 11 NASCAR Cup Series qualifying sessions, Briscoe has put his car on the front row seven times with five Busch Light Pole Awards and a pair of second-place starts. Briscoe, who has eight career poles, attributed his qualifying success to a burgeoning working relationship with crew chief James Small. "I just feel that James and the engineers on the No.19 crew have done a really, really good job, especially these last two months, of understanding what I want and what I need out of the race car," Briscoe said. "I've even kind of noticed a switch with James over the course of the last two or three weeks even, where it went from 'We've got to be doing this different' to 'We've got to get the car better for you now.' "I think that came as they started to understand me more, and our performance has been better. James does such a great job of understanding what I need, especially on Saturdays for qualifying." Briscoe edged William Byron (136.435 mph) for the top starting spot by 0.084 seconds. Kyle Larson, Byron's Hendrick Motorsport teammate, was third fastest at 136.429 mph. Byron, Larson and teammate Chase Elliott, who qualified eighth, are locked in a tight battle for the Cup Series Regular Season Championship, with Elliott leading the series by four points over Byron and 15 over third-place Larson. Austin Cindric (136.258 mph) qualified fourth in the fastest Ford, followed by Brad Keselowski and defending race winner Ryan Blaney. Carson Hocevar, Elliott, AJ Allmendinger and Justin Haley secured positions seven through 10 on the grid. Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece will start 27th and 33rd, respectively, as they battle for berth in the Cup Playoffs. Preece trails Buescher by 42 points in the race for what is currently the final spot. Briscoe's Camry was the only Toyota in the top 10. Denny Hamlin, who scraped the Turn 1 wall during practice, was 11th fastest in the No. 11 JGR Toyota. Kyle Busch crashed in Turn 1 on his 18th practice lap and damaged his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet beyond repair. He'll start from the rear of the field in a backup car on Sunday. --Reid Spencer, special to Field Level Media
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Denny Hamlin to miss Cup race at Mexico City; Ryan Truex to substitute
Denny Hamlin will not compete in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Mexico City, he and Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed Thursday. Hamlin and fiancée Jordan Fish welcomed a baby boy, Hamlin announced in a statement on X, but Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, will remain home with his family, missing Sunday's Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Advertisement MORE: Mexico City schedule | Cup standings 'We are happy to announce the birth of our son,' Hamlin said in a statement. 'Everyone is doing well. My main priority is to be here at home for Jordan and our family over the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five.' Hamlin's absence will mark his first Cup race missed since March 2014, when he was sidelined from a race at Auto Club Speedway due to health reasons. A three-time winner in 2025, Hamlin and JGR will need to request a waiver to remain eligible for the Cup Series Playoffs and retain the 18 playoff points he has earned despite missing an event. The team confirmed on its X account it intends to apply for that waiver. Before the season began, NASCAR's competition officials listed the birth of a child as one example of circumstances in which a driver would retain their points and eligibility despite missing a race. Advertisement Substituting for Hamlin in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will be Ryan Truex, a three-time winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series who will make his first Cup start since 2014. Truex made 11 Xfinity starts in 2024 and competed in the series' 2025 season-opening race in February at Daytona International Speedway. The NASCAR Cup Series will compete at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the division's first international points race since 1958.
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Denny Hamlin will miss NASCAR's first Cup race in Mexico following birth of son
Denny Hamlin will miss NASCAR's first Cup race in Mexico following birth of son Show Caption Hide Caption Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s take on lawsuit between Michael Jordan and NASCAR Dale Earnhardt Jr. says despite the lawsuit between Michael Jordan and NASCAR, He believes NASCAR is better off with Michael Jordan as part of the sport. NASCAR star Denny Hamlin got an early Father's Day Gift. Hamlin announced that he will miss the Cup Series' first ever race in Mexico this weekend following the birth of his son. Hamlin and fiancée Jordan Fish also share daughters Taylor James, 12, and Molly Gold Hamlin, 7. "We are happy to announce the birth of our son," Hamlin announced on social media on June 12. "Everyone is doing well. My main priority is to be here at home for Jordan and our family over the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five." Hamlin previously hinted at skipping the Viva México 250 earlier this week as his family awaited baby Hamlin's arrival, citing the distance between his North Carolina home and Mexico City as his main concern. "Ultimately I need to be there for her," Hamlin said during a June 10 interview on SiriusXM NASCAR. "I'm just going to make sure I spend the proper time with her. The racing will come second this week.' Hamlin is expected to return to racing next weekend. He signed off his birth announcement, writing, "See you guys in Pocono," referring to the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 22. It's been an eventful month for Hamlin. Not only did the Hamlin family welcome baby No. 3, he also picked up his third NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 8. Hamlin has 57 wins in his Cup Series career, which ranks 11th on the all-time list. While a championship has eluded him, he finished runner-up in 2010 and third three times (2006, 2014 and 2021). Drivers departed for Mexico City on Thursday with practice for the Viva Mexico 250 beginning Saturday ahead of the Sunday's June 15 Cup race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Ryan Truex will drive the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in Mexico City, the team announced on June 12, stating that JGR intends to apply for "a waiver to maintain his status for the 2025 Playoffs." NASCAR classifies the birth of a child as an exemption to its Playoff Waiver System, meaning Hamlin should be eligible to compete for the 2025 Cup Series championship later this year. Contributing: Jon Hoefling The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Denny Hamlin's goal still elusive NASCAR Cup Series championship
If Denny Hamlin is the greatest driver to never win a NASCAR Cup Series championship, then so be it. That's kind of how the 44-year-old driver with the 11th most career Cup wins in history is starting to look at it. Heading into the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 1 (6 p.m. CT, Amazon Prime), the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and co-owner with Michael Jordan of 23XI Racing is poised for the second time in four years to make a run at the championship. He qualified for the NASCAR playoffs by winning at Martinsville on March 30 and followed that up with a win the next week at Darlington. Advertisement HOW TO BUY CRACKER BARREL 400 TICKETS Those two victories give Hamlin 56 for his career, making him the winningest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history without a championship. So, how does he feel about that? "I don't think that it's going to define my career," said Hamlin, who is widely considered a future NASCAR Hall of Famer. "I've got three Daytona (500s), three Southern 500s, a Coke 600 (Charlotte), I would love to get the Brickyard 400, I was really close last year. I just feel as though I've accomplished enough." DENNY HAMLIN TAKS ABOUT 23XI LAWSUIT: Denny Hamlin talks NASCAR lawsuit developments, back-to-back DNFs Advertisement DENNY HAMLIN BLOWS ENGINE AT TEXAS: Denny Hamlin's car blows up early in NASCAR Texas race Is Denny Hamlin speeding toward his first NASCAR Cup championship? While Hamlin may be satisfied with what already has been accomplished in his 20-year Cup career, he's not taking his foot off the pedal anytime soon. Along with his two wins, he was second at Bristol and Phoenix, fifth at Miami, and sixth at Atlanta this season. "Have I moved the bar or goals for myself over the course of my career? Absolutely," Hamlin said. "It used to be I was just aiming for 40 wins, and then I moved the bar to 50. And now it's 60. So I constantly challenge myself." Advertisement Hamlin was in contention until late in last week's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. He led for 51 laps before experiencing fuel issues with 15 laps left. Hamlin would not be the first elite driver to fail to win a championship if that is how it ends up. Others include Hall of Famers Carl Edwards, Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin. Denny Hamlin's goal still a NASCAR championship Before the playoffs were introduced in 2004 drivers won championships by accumulating points through the season. From 1949-2003 the driver with the highest point total was awarded the championship. The first driver to win a championship in the playoff system was Kurt Busch (2004). The most recent champion is Joey Logano (2024). Advertisement "The championship is an accomplishment that I definitely want," Hamlin said. "It's the crowning accomplishment in our sport. But I only can control what I can control." Hamlin has run well in three of the four races at Nashville. He won the pole and finished sixth in 2022, led 81 laps before being third in 2023 and won the pole again in 2024 and finished 12th. Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Denny Hamlin focused on NASCAR Cup championship heading to Nashville
