Latest news with #TheCupSeries
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR reinstates crew member who previously violated substance abuse policy
NASCAR's weekly penalty report was a short one this week. There were no issues following the NASCAR Truck and NASCAR Xfinity Series races in the sport's highly anticipated return to Rockingham. The only issue occurred on Saturday following the Xfinity race as Jesse Love was disqualified when his No. 2 Chevrolet failed post-race inspection. He was stripped of the race win, allowing Sammy Smith to inherit the victory. Richard Childress Racing intends to appeal the penalty and they will make their case on Wednesday, April 22nd. Advertisement The Cup Series was not racing in their only off-weekend for the remainder of the 2025 season. They will now compete for 28 consecutive wins until the championship finale in November. The only item included in this week's report wasn't actually a penalty, but a reinstatement. Josiah Wright, who was working as the rear tire changer for RFK Racing's No. 6 Ford Mustang with driver Brad Keselowski, was suspended on March 19th. He was found in violation of the sport's substance abuse policy. However, this week's penalty report indicates that he has been reinstated. Although not stated, this likely means he completed NASCAR's Road to Recovery program. NASCAR stated that he is "eligible to return to all NASCAR activity." Corbin Sklener, who was also suspended along with Wright following the Las Vegas race weekend, was also found in violation of the sport's substance abuse policy. However, he was not mentioned and has not yet been reinstated. Sklener worked as a jackman for Mike Harmon Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Read Also: NASCAR suspends six crew members following Las Vegas race weekend To read more articles visit our website.
Fox Sports
30-03-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Denny Hamlin ends 10-year win drought at Martinsville Speedway
Associated Press MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Denny Hamlin ended an agonizing 10-year winless streak at Martinsville Speedway, holding off teammate Christopher Bell in his home state to secure a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The Joe Gibbs Racing star, who was raised a few hours away in the Richmond suburb of Chesterfield, leads active Cup drivers with six victories at Martinsville. But Sunday was his first checkered flag on the 0.526-mile oval in southwest Virginia since March 29, 2015. Hamlin was a frequent contender during his 19-race drought at Martinsville, posting 10 top fives and leading 226 laps. Bell, who leads the Cup Series with three wins this season, was second, followed by Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. With the 55th victory of his career, Hamlin also snapped a 31-race winless streak since last April at Dover. Special day turns sour After being honored Sunday morning with a Virginia General Assembly proclamation commending Wood Brothers Racing's 75th anniversary, Josh Berry led 40 laps in the team's hometown race before disaster struck. Berry's No. 21 Ford was hit in the left rear by the No. 23 Toyota of Bubba Wallace while exiting the pits, causing Berry's car to stall in Turn 2. Berry, who can withstand a poor finish because his Las Vegas victory qualified him for the playoffs, returned after losing two laps for repairs. He still managed to lead the most laps for Wood Brothers Racing at Martinsville since NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson led 180 on April 29, 1973 (the team's most recent victory at the track just east of its museum in Stuart, Virginia). Up next The Cup Series will race next Sunday at historic Darlington Raceway, the South Carolina track that will celebrate a 'throwback weekend' that encourages teams to feature vintage paint schemes and crew uniforms. It's the first of two annual races on the 1.366-mile oval that dates to 1950. Brad Keselowski won last year's throwback race, and Chase Briscoe won the Southern 500 last September. ___ AP auto racing: recommended
Associated Press
30-03-2025
- Automotive
- Associated Press
Denny Hamlin ends 10-year win drought at Martinsville Speedway
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Denny Hamlin ended an agonizing 10-year winless streak at Martinsville Speedway, holding off teammate Christopher Bell in his home state to secure a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The Joe Gibbs Racing star, who was raised a few hours away in the Richmond suburb of Chesterfield, leads active Cup drivers with six victories at Martinsville. But Sunday was his first checkered flag on the 0.526-mile oval in southwest Virginia since March 29, 2015. Hamlin was a frequent contender during his 19-race drought at Martinsville, posting 10 top fives and leading 226 laps. Bell, who leads the Cup Series with three wins this season, was second, followed by Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. With the 55th victory of his career, Hamlin also snapped a 31-race winless streak since last April at Dover. Special day turns sour After being honored Sunday morning with a Virginia General Assembly proclamation commending Wood Brothers Racing's 75th anniversary, Josh Berry led 40 laps in the team's hometown race before disaster struck. Berry's No. 21 Ford was hit in the left rear by the No. 23 Toyota of Bubba Wallace while exiting the pits, causing Berry's car to stall in Turn 2. Berry, who can withstand a poor finish because his Las Vegas victory qualified him for the playoffs, returned after losing two laps for repairs. He still managed to lead the most laps for Wood Brothers Racing at Martinsville since NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson led 180 on April 29, 1973 (the team's most recent victory at the track just east of its museum in Stuart, Virginia). Up next The Cup Series will race next Sunday at historic Darlington Raceway, the South Carolina track that will celebrate a 'throwback weekend' that encourages teams to feature vintage paint schemes and crew uniforms. It's the first of two annual races on the 1.366-mile oval that dates to 1950. Brad Keselowski won last year's throwback race, and Chase Briscoe won the Southern 500 last September. ___
Fox Sports
16-03-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Josh Berry races to 1st Cup Series victory, gives Wood Brothers 101st win with Las Vegas score
Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Josh Berry raced to the first Cup Series victory of his career, taking NASCAR's oldest team to victory lane Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Berry, in his first season driving the famed No. 21 for Wood Brothers Racing, had the first victory for a Ford team through five races this season. William Byron opened the year with a Daytona 500 victory in a Chevrolet and Christopher Bell in a Toyota won the next three races. Berry, meanwhile, had to run down Daniel Suarez following a restart with 19 laps remaining to take control. Although Harrison Burton won at Daytona last summer for the Wood Brothers, Berry's victory is the first not at a superspeedway since Ryan Blaney won for the team in 2017 at Pocono. It was the 101st victory for the organization spanning 20 drivers. Suarez in a Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing finished second, followed by Ryan Preece in a Ford for RFK Racing. Byron was fourth for Hendrick Motorsports, followed by Ross Chastain of Trackhouse, Austin Cindric of Team Penske and Alex Bowman of Hendrick. AJ Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing was eighth and Hendrick drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott rounded out the top 10. Joey Logano had late control of the race until Las Vegas native Noah Gragson hit the wall with 25 laps remaining to bring out the ninth caution of the race. Berry was in second when the caution came out and second behind Suarez on the restart. Berry won in his 53rd Cup race and just his fifth race with the Wood Brothers, the team that signed him when Stewart-Haas Racing shuttered at the end of last season. The 34-year-old Tennessee driver was a 40-1 underdog to win Sunday's race and his win put the Wood Brothers back into the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Bell to the back Bell came to Las Vegas on a three-race winning streak with an opportunity to become the first driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2007 to win four consecutive Cup races. But his chance to extend his streak was stymied when Joe Gibbs Racing had to change the throttle body on the No. 20 Toyota after Bell qualified 13th and the penalty dropped him to the back of the field for the start of the race. He never recovered in what was an overall subpar day for the four-driver JGR contingent. Bell, who complained about the handling of his car most of the race, finished a team-high 12th. Only eight drivers have won four straight Cup races in the modern era of NASCAR that began in 1972. Chase Briscoe was 17th and Ty Gibbs, who rolled a sprint car Saturday night at the dirt track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, finished 22nd. Denny Hamlin, winner of more than $200,000 over two nights of playing slots in the Las Vegas casino, couldn't convert his luck to the track and finished 25th. Up Next The Cup Series races next Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a track that had been in the playoff rotation the last three years but has now been moved to a spring race. Tyler Reddick won last October and Bell won in 2023. ___ AP auto racing: recommended
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Bell makes late charge for lead and holds off Byron at COTA for 2nd straight NASCAR victory
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Christopher Bell passed Kyle Busch with five laps to go, then held off Daytona 500 winner William Byron to win NASCAR's first road course race of the season at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday. Bell raced to his second consecutive victory after an overtime win in Atlanta a week ago. Once Bell cleared Busch, the Oklahoma drover had to make a desperate bid to keep his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in front of hard-charging Byron in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and 2023 race winner Tyler Reddick of 23X1 Racing's Toyota. Bell is a multiple race winner for the fourth consecutive season. Busch, who led 43 of 95 laps in his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, faded to fifth as his winless streak stretched to 60 races dating to 2023. "These road courses races are just so much fun," Bell said. '(Busch) was doing such a good job running his race He bobbled and allowed me to get out front. When he did, I just said don't beat yourself.' Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott, started third and quickly dropped to the back when he spun by Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain in the first turn, but fought his way back through the field to fourth. Cup Series debutante Connor Zilisch had a wild day in his debut. The 18-year-old started 14th, quickly dropped back with contact in the first lap, but fought back to the top 15 by the start of the third stage. But that's when his day ended. Zilisch couldn't avoid a spin by Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suarez and smashed into the wall in lap 50 and his car caught fire. Series future at COTA NASCAR has to decide if it will return to Austin in 2026. The track has proven popular over the years with drivers, and has hosted F1 since 2012 and MotoGP since 2013. Speedway Motorsports rents the facility for race week, and track President Bobby Epstein has said he'd like to continue the partnership. 'We'll take a look at ticket renewals, feedback from the fans who attended the race and the overall results before we talk with NASCAR about next year's schedule," said Mike Burch, chief operating officer for Speedway Motorsports. "One of the biggest factors will be how the drivers compete on the new National Course, a move we made to put more action and laps in front of the fans.' Up next The Cup Series returns to ovals next Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. ___ AP auto racing:
