Latest news with #Stenhouse
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR takeaways: Is Ryan Blaney or Carson Hocevar the story at Nashville?
A former NASCAR Cup Series champion led a race-high 139 laps and won for the first time in 2025 Sunday. And yet, Ryan Blaney wasn't the talk of the Cracker Barrel 400. That title belonged to Carson Hocevar, who ended Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s night with a hard-racin' bump in Stage 2 and was making hand signals out his window in Stage 3, all while moving from 26th to a runner-up finish at Nashville Superspeedway. Advertisement More on him in a moment. But first, Blaney. NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney celebrates winning the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., Sunday, June 1, 2025. He claimed a Stage 2 victory after qualifying 15th. 'It's nice that it's finally happening,' Blaney said. 'I'm ready to go celebrate.' Behind him and Hocevar, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and William Byron recorded top-five finishes. Here are three takeaways: 1. Ryan Blaney returns to Victory Lane LEBANON, TENNESSEE - JUNE 01: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 01, 2025 in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Photo by) Blaney had run well recently. Before a 38th-place finish at Charlotte last week, he tallied four top-fives in five races, with back-to-back thirds at Texas and Kansas. But he had not taken the checkers since the penultimate week of the 2024 playoffs at Martinsville. 'I never gave up hope, that's for sure.' Blaney said. 'We've had great speed all year. It just really hasn't been the best year for us, as far as good fortune. But the (Team Penske No. 12) boys are awesome. They stick with it no matter how it goes. It was great to finish one out tonight.' Advertisement The win was his first at Nashville and the 14th of his career. Blaney closed it out by a margin of 2.83 seconds. Now, he's headed to the playoffs as the ninth driver to clinch a spot so far this season. Overall, the race featured 18 lead changes and seven cautions. The final 102 laps went off consecutively without a yellow flag. 2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. warns Carson Hocevar LEBANON, TENNESSEE - MAY 31: Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on May 31, 2025 in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Photo by) Uh oh, Carson. Stenhouse sent the young driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports car a warning after Hocevar knocked Stenhouse to the garage with a rear bump while battling for 17th on Lap 106. Stenhouse slid into the wall rear-first. Advertisement It resulted in his first DNF of 2025. 'I'd say it's not out of the norm for him, but I definitely wasn't expecting that at that point in the race,' Stenhouse said. 'Bummer for us ... Definitely will have something to do about it at one point.' Did he plan to talk to Hocevar? 'Oh, I will,' Stenhouse said. Approach him after the race? 'No, that costs too much money,' Stenhouse said. When asked about the incident afterward, Hocevar had not yet watched the replay but didn't view it as nefarious. 'I feel like that was just a common move with how big of a run I had, but I didn't see it,' Hocevar said. 'I'm sure he'll want to talk about it. I'll talk about it. We'll look at the replay.' Advertisement Meanwhile, he tied his career-best finish of second. He previously reached that spot at Atlanta in February. Before Sunday, Hocevar had cracked the top 10 only twice this season. 'Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction,' he said. 3. Up next: NASCAR motors to Motor City LEBANON, TENNESSEE - JUNE 01: Riley Herbst, driver of the #35 Monster Energy Toyota, Ty Dillon, driver of the #10 Grizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet, and Tyler Reddick, driver of the #45 Pinnacle Toyota, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 01, 2025 in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Photo by) Before heading south of the border on Father's Day weekend, NASCAR heads north. Way north, by NASCAR standards, to the Detroit area for a tripleheader weekend. It begins with an ARCA race Friday, with the Truck Series in a Saturday starring role before Sunday's Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan international Speedway. It'll be yet another weekend off for the Xfinity Series, which had a two-week break in May. Advertisement Tyler Reddick won last year's race at Michigan, which was host to two Cup Series races a year until 2021. — Ken Willis contributed to this report This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR takeaways: Ryan Blaney wins Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Ryan Blaney dominates at Nashville Superspeedway for first victory of 2025 season
Ryan Blaney locked Team Penske into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, leading a race-high 140 of 300 laps and cruising to a victory at Nashville Superspeedway. With his first win of the season, Blaney joined Joey Logano (Texas) and Austin Cindric (Talladega) as winners who have earned berths in the 10-race championship for NASCAR's premier series. Carson Hocevar finished second, followed by Denny Hamlin, Logano and William Byron. The 300-lap race ended with a 102-lap run under green after seven caution flags in the first 198 laps. Blaney, who won Stage 2, led 111 of the final 132 laps. A flurry of Stage 2 caution laps was triggered by Hocevar punting Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with a left-rear tap into the Turn 4 wall on Lap 106. Stenhouse, who is hovering around the playoff cutline, was eliminated in last place after completing 110 laps. 'Lap or two before, he tried to dive in there from about 10 car lengths back,' Stenhouse told Prime's Marty Snider. 'That time, I just opened my entry a little bit, he overcharged the corner and just drilled us in the rear bumper. I'd say it's not out of the norm for him, but I definitely wasn't expecting that at that point in the race. 'Bummer for us. Our Camaro wasn't great, but we were making changes, and I felt like that restart, I was a little better than the run before. We were just burning our right rear tire off throughout the run. Bummed that our day ended like that. I'll definitely have something to do about it at one point.' On the Lap 112 restart, Noah Gragson and Alex Bowman sustained heavy damage in an incident that also collected Kyle Larson. The race went green again on Lap 119, but the yellow flag immediately flew for Christopher Bell, who lost control of his No. 20 Toyota after colliding multiple times with Erik Jones' No. 43 Toyota. On the Lap 124 restart, Larson (loose wheel) and Tyler Reddick (flat tire) both made unscheduled pit stops, and then the caution flew again as Corey Heim smacked the wall in Turn 4 after misjudging his exit and colliding with Brad Keselowski. WILL BE UPDATED Stage 1 winner: Hamlin Stage 2 winner: Blaney Next up: Sunday, June 8, 2 p.m. ET at Michigan International Speedway on Prime.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. frustrated with Carson Hocevar after Nashville wreck
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. entered the Nashville Cup race 13th in the regular season standings and 10 points above the cut-line in the provisional playoff grid. Stenhouse hasn't been very fast this year, but he and his single-car team have been a model of consistency, making the most of what they have. With an average finish of 16.8, he was second of all drivers with laps completed. Unfortunately, he will lose a lot of those gains at Nashville. During Stage 2, he was running 17th when Carson Hocevar hit him from behind, sending Stenhouse's No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet into the outside wall. Stenhouse's race was over. He will finish 39th -- last of all drivers and scoring just one point. Advertisement "A lap or two before, he [Hocevar] tried to dive in there from about ten car lengths back and then that time, I just opened my entry a little bit and he over-charged the corner and drilled us in the rear bumper. "I'd say it's not out of the norm from him, but I definitely wasn't expecting that at that point of the race. It's just a bummer for us. The No. 47 Chevrolet wasn't great, but we were making changes. I felt like after that restart, I was a little bit better than I was the run before. We were just burning our right-rear tire off there throughout the run. Stenhouse ended his NASCAR on Prime interview with what sounded like a warning for Hocevar, adding: "Bummed our day ended like that, definitely will have something to do about it at one point. Advertisement Stenhouse's last DNF came last September at Watkins Glen. Entering this race, that 16.8 average finish for the season was his best since 2019. Read Also: Kyle Larson "didn't have the confidence" in car during worst qualifying run of the year Brad Keselowski compares NASCAR rule book to "IRS tax code" after RFK failures NASCAR responding to Cup drivers and teams: More horsepower 'on the table' To read more articles visit our website.
Fox Sports
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
NASCAR All-Star Race flashback: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch brawl in 2024
The 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race will go down Sunday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway (8 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports App). For the majority of the drivers, the .625-mile-long track represents a night of celebration for racing. On the other hand, for Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch and their respective race teams, the track resembles an octagon. At last year's All-Star Race, Stenhouse, Busch and their respective teams got into a brawl following the conclusion of the race. What caused the fight? How did the situation evolve into a brawl? Here's a recount of everything that happened at North Wilkesboro last May. What happened between Stenhouse and Busch? On the second lap of the race, Busch made contact with Stenhouse near the end of Turn 2, and Stenhouse eventually went into the wall, bringing out the first caution. After bringing the car onto pit road, Stenhouse decided to park in Busch's pit stall, climb the tower and express his feelings about the accident with Busch's crew chief, Randall Burnett. Busch went on to finish the race 10th, but there was an individual who wanted to have a word with the two-time Cup Series champion after the race. That individual was Stenhouse, who didn't return to the race after the Lap 2 wreck and remained on the premises, partially due to there being no way to exit the infield during the race. After conversing with Busch for some time near the hauler, Stenhouse threw a punch at the veteran driver, and a team-wide fight ensued. The two drivers were quickly separated from each other by multiple people, but both drivers' race teams (Busch's Richard Childress Racing team and Stenhouse's JTG Daugherty Racing team) ended up mixing it up, while the initial chaos created FOX Sports Motorsports Insider Bob Pockrass' new X profile picture. Meanwhile, Stenhouse's father, Ricky Stenhouse Sr., was one of the people who helped get Busch away from Stenhouse. The star of the fight was a member of Busch's crew, who proceeded to toss person after person off the team's truck after initially helping get Stenhouse away from Busch. Stenhouse spoke with FOX Sports Pit Reporter Jamie Little mere moments after the fight, saying that Busch was frustrated "he doesn't run nearly as well as he used to." What was the post-fight fallout? Stenhouse was fined $75,000, with his father being suspended indefinitely. Elsewhere, Stenhouse's mechanic, Clint Myrick, was suspended for eight races, and Stenhouse's engine tuner, Keith Matthews, was suspended for four races. The discipline of the aforementioned individuals was a result of them placing hands on Busch. No discipline was given to Busch or any member of his team. Flash-forward to 2025, and how each are faring so far this season: Stenhouse is 14th in the Cup Series standings with 258 total points, while recording one top-five finish and two top-10 finishes. Busch sits at 17th with 244 total points, while recording one top-five finish and four top-10 finishes. Will there be a re-enactment of the 2024 All-Star Race fight? Will the on-track tension again boil over for other drivers? Does the winner of the race go on to win the NASCAR Cup Series title like Joey Logano did last year? Find out Sunday night on FS1. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from NASCAR Cup Series Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch return to scene of All-Star fight, one year later
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. held court at the back of the Hyak Motorsports hauler Friday afternoon, feet kicked up along a row of director's chairs. His placement in the garage was just about where we last saw him at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he tussled with Kyle Busch at the end of last year's NASCAR All-Star Race. Mention of that proximity made Stenhouse smile and motion with his thumb to his right. 'The trailer's in the same spot,' he says, but it seems the altercation was a few doors down. Advertisement RELATED: All-Star Weekend schedule | Paint Scheme Preview The hot-button moment from last season was an All-Star Race powder keg, resulting in a $75,000 fine to Stenhouse for throwing and landing a punch that ignited a brawl among the rival crews. A year removed from that post-race fracas, the pair of one-time combatants arrived back at North Wilkesboro to open the All-Star festivities with cordiality restored and some added perspective. 'Oh yeah, we've talked,' Stenhouse told 'I mean, I've apologized to him for like, 'hey, sorry that kind of got out of hand.' And on the other hand, he's like, 'yeah, it's kind of deserving, right?' So he knew what he did on purpose, and so I would say we both probably could have done things different, but yeah, just part of it.' The heart of the issue stemmed from contact between the two drivers shortly after the green flag waved. Stenhouse's No. 47 Chevrolet took the brunt of the fender-banging, and he parked his car in the Richard Childress Racing No. 8 pit stall in disgust with just two completed laps in the books. Advertisement Stenhouse ominously hinted that he'd handle the situation in post-crash interviews, and because the 0.625-mile track has no infield tunnel for pedestrian or vehicle traffic, he had the remaining 198 laps to consider his next course of action. After Busch dismounted on pit road, Stenhouse was waiting to greet him and the conversation escalated from there. 'I wouldn't say regrets. I think I would still be fired up if I got crashed on Lap 1 again this weekend — on purpose, obviously,' Stenhouse said, looking back. 'So I mean, if you get crashed on accident, it's one thing. Crashed on purpose is a totally different thing, especially an exhibition race, not going for the win. So yeah, I mean, definitely no regrets. I think I gained a decent amount of fans out of it. It cost a little bit, but yeah, it's part of it. I think, hopefully this year, I don't plan on being out the first lap and plan on making the end of the race, so hopefully that all works out.' Busch, winner of the 2017 edition of the All-Star Race, said that the two have sorted out the differences they had back then. 'I haven't looked back on any of it, but him and I have just soft-spoken, just kind of how we were beforehand,' Busch said. 'If there's occasions where we're next to each other at driver intros, you know, it's no big deal. Just is what it is. Move on and put that behind us.' Advertisement One year later, the two drivers are in close quarters again — this time, with their positioning in the Cup Series Playoffs standings. After next weekend's Coca-Cola 600 (Sunday, May 25, 6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the circuit will be exactly halfway through the regular season, and the competition for postseason spots is already ratcheting up. MORE: Power Rankings | All-Star memorable moments Stenhouse is on the plus side of the bubble, 14 points up on the provisional elimination line. The single-car team has made the most of its consistency, with no DNFs and a sixth-place result two weeks ago at Texas being the most recent of their two top 10s. 'We're thrilled where we're at, because I know that we've got more potential in our race car,' Stenhouse said. 'We haven't nearly got the speed out of our car that I feel like we have in it somewhere, so we're continuing to look for that. We're continuing to try and figure out how we can qualify better. That'll make our race days go better, but we're executing, we're finishing races well, making sure we get to the end and capitalizing on that. So if we can get our car speed better, then I think that'll put us right where we need to be come season end, obviously, depending on winners and things like that, but to be where we're at right now in points, we're definitely thrilled.' Advertisement Busch is still mired in the longest winless streak of his career, which reached 69 races since his last triumph (Gateway, 2023). He's currently the first driver outside of the provisional 16-driver playoff field — minus-7 behind RFK Racing's Ryan Preece — and though he's cooled since an early-season stretch of three consecutive top-10 finishes (Atlanta, Circuit of The Americas, Phoenix), he's been encouraged by the attention to details so far. 'I mean, I would presume it's just a lot of little things, you know?' Busch said. 'So that's basically what you're dealing with in this day and age — just so many little details. If you can find 100 small, tiny details, then that's going to all add up. So guys at the shop have been doing a good job and working on all of that, whether it's car build or little things in the setups and whatnot. Then, that's where it's coming from.'
