Latest news with #NascarCupSeries
NZ Herald
18-07-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Herald
Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen returns to oval racing at Dover after road wins
'He's way, way, way better than us at the road course stuff and he's got his own technique, you can call it. Not his own because the rest of the world does it, right-foot braking, clutching and all that stuff. 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Like, there's zero chance I can learn how to do that. And even if I did, like there's zero chance that I can have it be better than what I'm probably doing left-foot braking. 'So yeah, he's just so good. And he's still new to the oval stuff, so he's going to continue to get better at that. And, yeah, I mean, if he could figure out the ovals, he's going to be dominant.' Van Gisbergen may only sit 26th in the Nascar Cup point's standing on 367 points, a fair way off leaders William Byron (668), Chaser Elliot (634) and Larson (624). However, with his three wins so far in 2025, van Gisbergen lies third in the playoff standings on 17 points behind Denny Hamlin (19) and Larson (23). The Kiwi should get through the round of 16 despite it being entirely on ovals. The round of 12 will be a challenge, but Hamlin is confident van Gisbergen could actually make it through to the round of eight. Shane van Gisbergen gets ready for a practice session at Daytona International Speedway. Photo / Photosport High praise indeed from 57-race winner Hamlin but van Gisbergen is under no illusions just how hard it will be. After Sonoma he admitted he was apprehensive heading into the round of 16. 'It's a crazy first round for me. We go to Darlington, which is my favourite oval. Then I think it's Gateway, which I've never been to. Then Bristol, I might as well be going the other way. 'Hopefully we get better at tracks like that. We'll see how Gateway is,' he said. Van Gisbergen will make his first Nascar Cup Series start at Dover Motor Speedway this weekend. Last year racing in the Xfinity Series he started 31st and crossed the line in 18th. 'I'm looking forward to getting back into some oval racing. It's been a nice break doing all these road courses, but Dover should be good. 'I struggled a bit there last year, but I still had fun. It's an epic track. Just how fast you can go into that corner, it feels like you are dropping and then all of a sudden you are loading up into the banking, just how much grip the track has is mind blowing. 'My team has a bunch of momentum heading into this weekend, so I'd like to keep that progression going and keep starting to build towards the top half of the field on the ovals.' Heading into Dover van Gisbergen leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings on 367 points from Riley Herbst (238).
Forbes
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Chase Briscoe Shows Potential With First Joe Gibbs Racing Victory
Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning ... More the NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 22, 2025 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by) Getty Images Chase Briscoe didn't just win Sunday's Nascar Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway. He dominated, all while saving fuel in a late-race battle with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and Pocono master Denny Hamlin. Briscoe, who was announced as Martin Truex Jr.'s replacement at Joe Gibbs Racing a year ago, scored his first victory with the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops team, solidifying his spot in the 2025 playoffs. 'Last couple weeks especially, I've just been like this huge weight on my shoulders, unlike anything I've ever experienced before,' Briscoe said in his post-race press conference. "My wife is like 'What is going on with you?' I'm like, 'I have to win. I don't think you realize how bad it is if we don't win a race and lock into the Playoffs.' "I feel like I honestly weigh a hundred pounds less already. Literally, when I was doing my contract with JGR, I remember them showing me the stat thing about how about out of 40 attempts for Playoffs, they have made it 38 times. The expectation is if you don't make the playoffs, you're not going to be in this car anymore. 'It's nice to be locked into the playoffs, especially with the races coming up. So many wild cards in there.' Briscoe has gone from being an underdog at Stewart-Haas Racing, the team that he competed for in the Xfinity Series and then four years in the Cup Series. He joined the organization with high expectations before its internal demise. However, Briscoe showcased moments of glory at SHR, leading to the JGR gig. He won a race in his sophomore season at Phoenix, followed by a win in the regular season finale at Darlington Raceway in 2024 to lock his No. 14 team into the playoffs. That victory – SHR's final one as a Cup team – stunned the Nascar realm as SHR had already lost many employees to other teams and it wasn't receiving much support from Ford after its shutdown announcement. 'At SHR, I feel like you really felt like you kind of surprised the world when you won," Briscoe said. "With JGR, their cars are capable week in and week out. Certainly, the expectation is different.' But the pressure of replacing 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., who retired at the end of the 2024 season, was immense. Through 17 races with JGR, Briscoe has six top fives (tying his career-high) and eight top 10s (two shy of his career-high). His four poles are the most in Nascar at the moment, as well, showcasing raw speed out of the No. 19 car. For Briscoe, the adjustment to JGR is not necessarily about a new team. Rather, it's about believing in himself and knowing he can get the job done. It's a case where it wasn't if he would win, but when. Briscoe said: "I knew we were more than capable. I knew myself that I was capable. You never really know until you go do it, right? For us to be able to come here, it's certainly nice to get that monkey off your back. "I can't thank Coach [Gibbs] and Johnny Morris and Toyota enough. There was a lot of people they could have put in this car. It was the most sought-after seat in the off-season. For me to be the one blessed enough, lucky enough to get it is great. 'With that, you have to prove yourself. For me to be able to come here now and win, it doesn't mean I'm guaranteed to be in it for a while, but it certainly is nice to know I can do it at this level, in this equipment, and hopefully I can be here my entire career because the sky definitely feels like it's the limit here.'
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Driver to attempt ‘Double'
Nascar Cup Series driver Kyle Larson is set to race in this morning's Indy 500 for team McLaren. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Nascar star Kyle Larson will cross disciplines and attempt "The Double" today, racing in the Indianapolis 500 before heading to North Carolina for the Coke 600, the longest race on the Nascar calendar. The 32-time Nascar Cup Series winner attempted the 1100-mile (1777km) slog last year but a rain delay in Indianapolis meant he could not make the start of the Coke 600. He finished 18th in last year's Indy 500, his first IndyCar race, after a pit speeding penalty hampered progress. He qualified 21st for the Indy 500 this year. The Californian native would join Tony Stewart, John Andretti, Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch as double-duty drivers. New Zealander Scott Dixon will start on the second row, chasing his second 500 win. Scott McLaughlin starts on the forth row, and Marcus Armstrong starts near the back. The 109th Indianapolis 500 was set to start at 4am and the Coke 600 at 10am.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
William Byron Signs Four-Year Extension With Hendrick Motorsports
Two-time Daytona 500 champion William Byron will continue to compete for Hendrick Motorsports for at least four more years. The Charlotte native announced on Friday morning that he has inked a four-year extension with Hendrick Motorsports – the only team he's driven for in the Nascar Cup Series – through the 2029 season. 'We've built something special with the No. 24 team,' Byron, who is in his eighth full-time season in the Cup Series, said. 'I'm thankful for the opportunity to continue working with amazing people at Hendrick Motorsports who believe in me, especially Mr. and Mrs. Hendrick. We've accomplished some great things that we're really proud of, but we have even bigger goals ahead. I'm excited to go after them with this team and this organization.' Byron has become one of Nascar's most popular drivers, piloting the No. 24 car made famous by Jeff Gordon, who's currently the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. Byron joined Hendrick Motorsports at 18 years old, first competing in the Xfinity Series with affiliate team JR Motorsports. He won the 2017 championship, and was immediately promoted to drive the No. 24 car. 'William is the real deal,' team owner Rick Hendrick said. 'What makes him so special is that he combines natural ability with an unrivaled work ethic. You see it in the great ones – the drivers who could get by on talent alone but choose to outwork everyone anyway. That's William. On top of it all, he's a person of high character and embraces his role as a leader. We're proud to have him in our lineup and look forward to many more wins together.' Byron has 14 career Cup Series wins, with the most recent being the 2025 Daytona 500. He's qualified for the Championship 4 in each of the last two seasons.
TimesLIVE
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Kyle Larson manages worn tyres to win AdventHealth 400
Kyle Larson had another dominant car on Sunday afternoon in Kansas, but he was a little unsure in the closing laps. The Hendrick Motorsports racer withstood a flurry of caution periods over the final 72 laps to claim victory in the Nascar Cup Series' AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. The 2021 Nascar Cup Series champion passed leader Christopher Bell's No 20 after the fourth caution, overcame three more yellow flags and led the field for 49 green-flag laps to top the Toyota driver by 0.712 seconds for his 32nd career win, tying him with Dale Jarrett. The Elk Grove, California, racer matched Bell for the 2025 lead in wins with his third career Kansas triumph. It was Hendrick Motorsports' 10th at the track. On a weekend when cars were blowing tyres after lengthy wear, Larson said his Chevrolet lost speed over the final few circuits as he tried to manage his rubber. 'I was trying hard to pace myself because I believe that was our longest run of the day,' said Larson, who led 221 of the 267 laps on the 2.41km speedway. 'I had been struggling at the end of runs. I don't know if the right-front was starting to wear a lot or what, but I was starting to lose a lot of grip and then I was vibrating badly. I was afraid a right-rear or something would let go.' Nascar's Joey Logano shines to take his first win of the season in Texas Defending Nascar Cup Series champion Joey Logano took one week to get his redemption. Motoring 1 week ago Bell was pleased to record a career-best runner-up finish at Kansas and his sixth top-five run of 2025. 'I was surprised that he gave up on the top [line] on the last few laps and pulled down,' said Bell, 'but I was struggling just as much as he was.' Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe and Alex Bowman rounded out the top five. Chevrolet won for the third straight time at the speedway while Ford had its winless skid hit nine races in Kansas. After AJ Allmendinger's Chevrolet expired on the race's seventh lap, pole sitter Larson and 19 others stayed out on the track — and Larson's No 5 Chevrolet rocketed away from the pack with a slight challenge on a restart. With Larson pulling away in the 80-lap first segment, the front 20 drivers who stayed out had to pit about lap 40 while the previous group continued to turn green-flag circuits. That put Denny Hamlin's No 11 at the point as the field inverted. Points leader William Byron had his right rear tyre go flat on lap 67 after a gamble on low air pressure, which ended with the No 24 car losing grip and spinning on pit road. Larson topped teammate Chase Elliott by just under two seconds to win the top bonus points in stage 1. Bell, Blaney and Austin Cindric rounded out the top five. In also winning stage 2 by nipping Elliott, Larson reached 10,000 career laps led. Larson, Hamlin and Kyle Busch are the only active drivers to reach that milestone. Blaney, Josh Berry and Bell followed the Hendrick duo in stage 2. Chasing down Elliott after the No 9 beat Larson on pit road, Brad Keselowski, without a top-10 finish during a miserable season, blew a tyre on his No 6 Ford while running second with 73 laps to go and crashed into the wall for his fifth did not finish this season.
