Latest news with #TheCupSeries
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
Austin Dillon makes NASCAR Cup playoffs with redemptive victory at Richmond
Two-for-one special at — NASCAR (@NASCAR) Dillon, who led 107 of 400 laps, won by 2.471 seconds over Alex Bowman. Blaney faded to third, followed by Joey Logano and Austin Cindric. With his sixth career victory, Dillon became the 14th race winner to lock into the 16-driver field for the Cup playoffs, which are contested over the final 10 races of the season. The regular season will conclude next Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, where the final two playoff drivers will be confirmed. Advertisement After a consistent start to his season, Chase Elliott is in a slump heading into the playoffs. The 2020 Cup champion finished last at Richmond and failed to finish for the first time since last October at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (27 races ago). Elliott nearly had cleared the pileup on the 198th lap when he was tagged in the right rear by Kyle Busch. 'I think Kyle just didn't know that we were trying to squeeze by the wreck on the bottom,' Elliott said. 'We had a good start to the night, and it just slowly unraveled until it finally fell apart. Hopefully we get on a better stretch starting next week.' Advertisement Major implications for a regular-season championship contender. — NASCAR (@NASCAR) Since briefly taking the points lead after his June 28 win at Atlanta, the seven-time Most Popular Driver has finished outside the top 10 in five of seven races. About an hour before the green flag, Richmond Raceway announced its first sellout since 2008. During its heyday, the track had 112,000 seats that sold out twice annually. Because of softening ticket sales amid lackluster racing, Richmond was scheduled for only one Cup race this season for the first time since 1958, and its grandstand capacity has dwindled to under 50,000. Denny Hamlin grew up about 20 miles south in Chesterfield, Virginia, and his family once had seats at Richmond. 'We always went to both races, but the sport is in a different place now,' he said. 'The way to get it back is you have to sell out at least the one time. That and improve short track racing. If you can do those things, then I think you will have a better case to having two races here.' A week after his fourth consecutive Cup victory on a street or road course, rookie Shane van Gisbergen finished an impressive 14th at Richmond after scraping the wall twice in qualifying and starting 27th. Though the New Zealand driver said he feels more competitive and comfortable on short tracks such as Richmond, his inexperience remains a major hurdle. At Richmond, the rookie tried to improve by studying the laps of Hamlin and Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain. 'Different tracks might be different people,' van Gisbergen said. 'Look at who stands out and just try and emulate what they're doing.' Advertisement The Cup Series regular season will conclude Saturday, Aug. 23 at Daytona International Speedway. Harrison Burton is the defending race winner but will be absent from the entry list after losing his ride and moving to the Xfinity Series this season.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-08-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Shane van Gisbergen remains NASCAR's king of the road with win at Watkins Glen
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) — Shane van Gisbergen continued his march into NASCAR history Sunday and set a Cup Series record with his fourth victory this season, blowing out the competition again at Watkins Glen International. The Trackhouse Racing driver joined 2020 champion Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon as the only drivers to win four consecutive Cup races on road or street courses. Unlike his prior wins at Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma, van Gisbergen was unable to qualify from the pole position after he was nipped by Ryan Blaney. The Auckland, New Zealand, native bided his team after starting second, taking his first lead on Lap 25 of 90 and then settling into a typically flawless and smooth rhythm on the 2.45-mile road course. The rookie made his final pit stop with 27 laps remaining and cycled into first place on Lap 74 of a clean race with only three yellow flags. Cruising to a big lead while leading the final 17 laps, van Gisbergen beat Christopher Bell by 11.116 seconds. Chris Buescher finished third, followed by William Byron and Chase Briscoe. With five victories in only 38 career starts in NASCAR's premier series, van Gisbergen trails only Elliott (seven wins) and Kyle Larson (six) among active drivers on street or road courses. The win validated the decision by Trackhouse to sign van Gisbergen to a multiyear contract extension last week. Feisty Gibbs It was another frustrating race for Ty Gibbs, who spun John Hunter Nemechek late in Stage 2 and then complained about the handling and strategy of his No. 54 Toyota. Joe Gibbs Racing competition director Chris Gabehart, who recently began working as a strategist and consultant to Gibbs' team, radioed the driver to 'stay in the game' after the Nemechek wreck and later took issue after Gibbs questioned his team's strategy. 'I'm sure you've got a real good understanding from inside the car,' Gabehart told Gibbs on the radio. 'So you can call the strategy if you want, or we can keep rolling.' Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, finished 33rd and remained winless since moving into Cup after winning the 2022 Xfinity Series championship. Teammates Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell each have qualified for the playoffs with victories this season. Up next The Cup Series will race Saturday, Aug. 16 at Richmond Raceway, which will play host to its only NASCAR race weekend this season. The 0.75-mile oval had two annual races on the Cup schedule from 1959-2024. ___ AP auto racing:
San Francisco Chronicle
29-06-2025
- Automotive
- San Francisco Chronicle
Logano keeps lead for first 43 laps after winning pole at rain-delayed NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — With Joey Logano in the lead, the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta resumed following a rain delay Saturday night. After winning the pole, Logano led the first 36 laps before light rain forced the first caution. Drivers remained on the track before being sent to pit road on Lap 43. The race resumed following a delay of about 15 minutes. The Atlanta race at EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, is the debut of the 32-driver In-Season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament. The 32 drivers in the In-Season Challenge had yellow banners on their windshield. Denny Hamlin is the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Chase Briscoe, who held off Hamlin for his first win for Joe Gibbs Racing last week at Pocono Raceway, is the No. 2 seed. A $1 million prize awaits the winner as part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT. Led by Logano on the pole, each of Team Penske's three drivers started on the first two rows. Logano was joined by Josh Berry on the front row, and Berry drives for Wood Brothers but has a technical alliance with Team Penske. Overall, Ford had the top eight spots in the field. Austin Cindric was in second when rain forced the caution. Lightning and rain delayed qualifying Friday and the Xfinity race won by Nick Sanchez late Friday night. More lightning and rain threatened Saturday night's race. Fans were encouraged to leave the stands about 90 minutes before the race due to severe weather in the area but were allowed to return as pre-race were conducted as planned. Up next The Cup Series moves to Chicago for the Chicago Street Race on Sunday, July 6. ___ AP auto racing:
Fox Sports
29-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Logano keeps lead for first 43 laps after winning pole at rain-delayed NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta
Associated Press HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — With Joey Logano in the lead, the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta resumed following a rain delay Saturday night. After winning the pole, Logano led the first 36 laps before light rain forced the first caution. Drivers remained on the track before being sent to pit road on Lap 43. The race resumed following a delay of about 15 minutes. The Atlanta race at EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, is the debut of the 32-driver In-Season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament. The 32 drivers in the In-Season Challenge had yellow banners on their windshield. Denny Hamlin is the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Chase Briscoe, who held off Hamlin for his first win for Joe Gibbs Racing last week at Pocono Raceway, is the No. 2 seed. A $1 million prize awaits the winner as part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT. Led by Logano on the pole, each of Team Penske's three drivers started on the first two rows. Logano was joined by Josh Berry on the front row, and Berry drives for Wood Brothers but has a technical alliance with Team Penske. Overall, Ford had the top eight spots in the field. Austin Cindric was in second when rain forced the caution. Weather woes Lightning and rain delayed qualifying Friday and the Xfinity race won by Nick Sanchez late Friday night. More lightning and rain threatened Saturday night's race. Fans were encouraged to leave the stands about 90 minutes before the race due to severe weather in the area but were allowed to return as pre-race were conducted as planned. Up next The Cup Series moves to Chicago for the Chicago Street Race on Sunday, July 6. ___ AP auto racing: recommended
Winnipeg Free Press
29-06-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Logano keeps lead for first 43 laps after winning pole at rain-delayed NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — With Joey Logano in the lead, the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta resumed following a rain delay Saturday night. After winning the pole, Logano led the first 36 laps before light rain forced the first caution. Drivers remained on the track before being sent to pit road on Lap 43. The race resumed following a delay of about 15 minutes. The Atlanta race at EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, is the debut of the 32-driver In-Season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament. The 32 drivers in the In-Season Challenge had yellow banners on their windshield. Denny Hamlin is the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Chase Briscoe, who held off Hamlin for his first win for Joe Gibbs Racing last week at Pocono Raceway, is the No. 2 seed. A $1 million prize awaits the winner as part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT. Led by Logano on the pole, each of Team Penske's three drivers started on the first two rows. Logano was joined by Josh Berry on the front row, and Berry drives for Wood Brothers but has a technical alliance with Team Penske. Overall, Ford had the top eight spots in the field. Austin Cindric was in second when rain forced the caution. Weather woes Lightning and rain delayed qualifying Friday and the Xfinity race won by Nick Sanchez late Friday night. More lightning and rain threatened Saturday night's race. Fans were encouraged to leave the stands about 90 minutes before the race due to severe weather in the area but were allowed to return as pre-race were conducted as planned. Up next The Cup Series moves to Chicago for the Chicago Street Race on Sunday, July 6. ___ AP auto racing:
