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NBC Sports
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Good news, bad news for NASCAR Cup drivers ahead of Dover weekend
After back-to-back weekends on road courses, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to an oval with a trip to Dover Motor Speedway this weekend. The last eight Cup points races on ovals have been won by a different driver. Those winners have been Austin Cindric (Talladega), Joey Logano (Texas), Kyle Larson (Kansas), Ross Chastain (Coca-Cola 600), Ryan Blaney (Nashville), Denny Hamlin (Michigan), Chase Briscoe (Pocono) and Chase Elliott (Atlanta). Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup teams heading into Sunday's race. 23XI Racing — Good news: Tyler Reddick advanced in the In-Season Challenge and faces Ty Gibbs in the semifinals this weekend at Dover. … Reddick has finished sixth or better in each of the last three races. … Bubba Wallace continues to hold the final playoff spot. Bad news: Wallace has been on the playoff bubble (16th or 17th in the standings) more than any other driver in the Next Gen era (22 times). … Wallace has never finished in the top 10 in 10 starts at Dover. … Riley Herbst, making his first Cup start at Dover, did not have a top-five finish in seven Xfinity starts there. Dustin Long, Front Row Motorsports — Good news: Zane Smith has four top-15 finishes in the last seven races. … Smith has the last two top-10 finishes scored by Front Row Motorsports this season, placing seventh at Atlanta and Michigan. Bad news: Noah Gragson has finished 23rd or worse seven consecutive races. … Todd Gilliland has never placed better than 25th in three Cup starts at Dover. Haas Factory Team — Good news: Cole Custer has never finished worse than 15th in four Cup starts at Dover. … Custer's average finish of 11.5 is his best among tracks where he's had multiple Cup starts. Bad News: Custer has not finished better than 19th in the last seven oval races on the Cup schedule. Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: Hendrick Motorsports has had at least one car finish in the top 10 in each of the last 25 Cup races at Dover, a streak that goes back to September 2010. … Chase Elliott has four top-five finishes in the last five races. … Elliott has 10 top-five finishes at Dover, his most top-five results at any Cup track. … All six of Alex Bowman's top-10 finishes at Dover have come in his last seven starts there, including five top-five finishes. … Bowman has finished 11th or better in four of the last five races. … Kyle Larson has finished sixth or better in five of his last six Dover starts, including a runner-up result last year. … Larson ranks second in all-time average finish at Dover at 8.2, just off David Pearson's mark of 8.0. … Points leader William Byron ranks first in the series this season in speed and restarts, second in defense and third in passing, according to Racing Insights data. Bad news: Larson's average finish in the last eight races is 19.8, which is 10 places worse than his average finish in the season's first 12 races (9.8). … Byron has only two top-five finishes in the last 10 races. Hyak Motorsports — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has made 384 consecutive starts in. Cup. Bad news: Stenhouse has three top-10 finishes through 20 races this season (he had five top 10s at this point a year ago). … Stenhouse has three finishes of 30th or worse in the last four races. Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Denny Hamlin won last year's race at Dover. … Hamlin is the only repeat winner in the last seven Dover races. … Hamlin has led 542 laps in the last seven races at Dover, most of all drivers. … Ty Gibbs advanced in the In-Season Challenge and goes against Tyler Reddick in the semifinals this weekend at Dover. … Gibbs has six top-15 finishes in a row. … Gibbs' average finish in his last six races is 8.5, compared to his average finish of 21.6 in the previous 14 races. … Chase Briscoe has led 149 laps in the last seven races compared to having led 75 laps in the previous 59 races. … Both of Christopher Bell's top 10s at Dover have come in the last three races there. Bad news: Bell has placed 16th or worse in four of the last six races. Kaulig Racing — Good news: Ty Dillon, the last seed in the 32-driver In-Season Challenge, is two races away from claiming the $1 million prize. … Dillon is paired against John Hunter Nemechek at Dover. … Dillon has averaged 26.7 points a race in the past three events (he averaged 9.0 points a race in the previous six events). … Dillon has three consecutive top-20 finishes for the first time since August 2022. … AJ Allmendinger has three top-15 finishes in the last five races. … Allmendinger has led 152 laps at Dover, his most at any Cup track. Bad news: Allmendinger was seven points below the cutline after Nashville in June but has lost 43 points to the cutline in the last six races and is now 50 points from the last playoff spot. Legacy Motor Club — Good news: John Hunter Nemechek goes against Ty Dillon at Dover in the In-Season Challenge for the right to race for $1 million later this month at Indianapolis. … Erik Jones has six top-15 finishes in the last 10 races. Bad news: Nemechek has five finishes of 25th or worse in the last eight races. … Jones has made 99 Cup starts since his last series win, which came in the 2022 Southern 500 at Darlington. Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Kyle Busch has scored 76 points in the past two races — more than he scored in the previous four races (65 points). … Busch has gained 35 points on the playoff cutline in the last two races and is 37 points back with six races left in the regular season. … Busch leads all active drivers in wins (three), top fives (14) and top 10s (22) at Dover. Bad news: Austin Dillon has finished 19th or worse in the last nine races. Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Cody Ware has finished 26th or better in three of the last six races. Bad news: Ware placed 34th at Sonoma after losing a wheel for his lowest finish since Bristol in April. … Ware has not finished better than 31st in five Cup starts at Dover. RFK Racing — Good news: Brad Keselowski has four top-10 finishes in the last eight races after having no top 10s in the season's first 12 races. … Chris Buescher makes his 350th career start this weekend at Dover. … Both of Buescher's top-10 finishes at Dover have come in the last three races there. … Buescher's average start of 10.5 this season is best of all drivers. … Ryan Preece has eight top-15 finishes in the last nine races. Bad news: Preece has never placed better than 17th in eight Cup starts at Dover. Spire Motorsports — Good news: Justin Haley scored the bonus point for the fastest lap last weekend at Sonoma. … All three of Spire's drivers have won the bonus point for the fastest lap in a race at least once this season. … Michael McDowell has claimed the bonus three times, while Carson Hocevar and Haley have done so once each. Bad news: Hocevar has finished 29th or worse in four of the last six races. … McDowell has not placed better than 17th in 24 Cup starts at Dover. Team Penske — Good news: Joey Logano makes his 600th career Cup start this weekend at Dover. … At 35 years, 1 month and 26 days, Logano will be the youngest driver to make his 600th career series start (Richard Petty holds the record at age 35 years, 7 months, 23 days). Bad news: Team Penske last won at Dover in September 2012 with Brad Keselowski. … None of Team Penske's current group of drivers has a Cup victory at Dover. … Ryan Blaney has a series-high seven DNFs after he did not finish last weekend's race at Sonoma due to an accident. … Austin Cindric has finished 25th or worse in six of the last 10 races. … Logano has not finished better than 16th at Dover in the Next Gen car. Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Shane van Gisbergen led 64.2% of the laps run in his victories at Mexico, Chicago and Sonoma. … Ross Chastain's average finish of 5.7 in the Next Gen car at Dover is tied with Chase Elliott for the best among active drivers. Bad news: Chastain has finished 24th or worse in three of the last four races. … Daniel Suarez has only one top-10 finish in his last eight Dover starts. Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: Josh Berry has finished 12th in three of the last five Cup oval races. Bad news: Berry has finished in the top 10 only once in the 15 races since his Las Vegas victory. … The Wood Brothers last won at Dover in 1981 with Neil Bonnett.
NBC Sports
29-06-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
What drivers said at Atlanta during crash-filled Cup race
Josh Berry — 30th: 'I have no idea really what happened. It looked like they were just pushing each other hard for 8th, 10th, 12th like that and got squirrely. It's just disappointing getting taken out and having that happen with this many laps left. It's tough, but (Team Penske) had the four fastest cars yesterday. We were doing our best to fend off all the battles and work with each other at the beginning. Everyone on our 21 team and everybody at Team Penske have a lot to be proud of for how yesterday and the start of the race went. Unfortunately, we just got swept up in somebody else's mess.' Chase Briscoe — 34th: 'We were about ready to go. I guess NASCAR came over there and saw our chassis was bent or broke, so they're like, 'Yeah, you guys can't go back out.' So kind of wasted 30 minutes working on it. Just unfortunate. The No. 19 Toyota missed the balance at the beginning and put us behind, and obviously, that big wreck, there was just nowhere to go. Looking forward to two road courses coming up and hopefully a JGR or Toyota car can win. Just an unfortunate day for us.' Joey Logano — 35th: 'I was in the middle of it, so I haven't seen a replay yet to know what happened. Cars are sideways, and you get in the brakes, and everyone is just running into each other. Just a speedway wreck, especially with everyone so tight on the restart. Wrong place at the wrong time. We tried to win the stage and unfortunately didn't' get that done, and then you have to pay the piper and go to the back. It's unfortunate that it happens. The Penske cars were so strong, so fast. It's part of the game sometimes. Sometimes you're the ball, sometimes you're the bat. Today we're the ball.' Austin Cindric — 37th: 'A lot of cars wrecking in the middle of the straightaway, which here you kind of more expect it in the middle of the corners, but maybe just a push gone wrong. It's hard to say. I had a small chance to get through a gap there, but obviously it didn't work out. It's a shame. Obviously, we had a super fast Ford Mustang. We wanted to keep the thing out front. I was looking forward to it because we got back in traffic with staying out to win the stage, but I was looking forward to see what our car was gonna do in dirty air and see what final adjustments we needed to make and have that opportunity to learn there. It's just a shame and a shame for everybody at Team Penske bringing such fast cars and all of them wreck out.' I'm a big believer in the law of averages and we've reset after Talladega and here we are.' Corey LaJoie —- 38th: 'Saw a little smoke and then it was my hood on my windshield, unfortunately. We were getting it going, and I felt like the car was good right until the point of impact, unfortunately. Man, we had run so good here in the past, and I thought our car was really, too. Track position is so important. Who knows how the night could have gone. That's the risk you take just jamming it in there and being aggressive on restarts. I really appreciate Rick and everybody on that 01 team. I don't know when I'll be doing it again, hopefully in a couple of weeks. This is still the best seat in the house. The TV stuff was good, but driving these things at 200 mph is pretty badass. I don't know why we see guys pushing like dummies early down the backstretch. I don't know what we're doing. We just started the stage. I don't know why we're pushing like we're damn bumper cars at Frankie's Fun Park, but that's not to be surprised. I think there are a lot of guys who don't make wise decisions driving these things on speedways. Unfortunately, we were right smack in the middle of it.' Ryan Blaney — 40th: 'I couldn't see much. As soon as they started spinning and coming down, I tried to get to the apron and finally got there and got blocked. Story of our year: Getting caught up in other people's garbage. As soon as I feel like we get it going pretty good and find some momentum, we never really seem to have things going our way. Tried to flip the stage and was right in the middle of it. Stinks and that's the way it goes sometimes. We'll be back and go at it in Chicago next week. I definitely thought we could improve (the car) in dirty air, but I was excited to work through it during the night and never got the chance.' WILL BE UPDATED POSTRACE
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Names Two 'Biggest (Expletives)' In NASCAR
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Names Two 'Biggest (Expletives)' In NASCAR originally appeared on The Spun. Former NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. had two popular drivers in his crosshairs this week when he addressed a certain style of defensive driving. Advertisement On the latest episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast, Earnhardt called out Joey Logano and Ross Chastain for their reputations as excellent mirror-drivers. Using a particular expletive, he described the two of them as self drivers who are more eager to win and thus do just enough to ensure their own safety rather than try to make friends off the track. 'The reason why Joey's good at it, the reason why Chastain's good at it, is because they're willing to be the biggest (expletive) out there,' Earnhardt Jr. said. 'It's not engrained in all of us to be selfish, and be purely selfish, but you have to be. I always tried — speaking frankly here, I want to be everybody's buddy. Everywhere I go around the race track on the weekend, I want to be friends with Chase [Briscoe], I want to be friends with everybody. 'When I raced, I wanted to get out of the car and go, 'Hey man, that shit was fun. You good? Hope you liked racing me.' Now, we go to Daytona and Talladega, and I would have to tell myself before I got in the car, 'You're going to have to be an asshole today,' because it wasn't engrained in me to go out there and drive like that. Advertisement 'I didn't do things intentionally like, 'Screw you guys,' and run people into the wall, 'I don't care about your race,' but I knew, to be good at Daytona and Talladega, I kind of had to be a bit of a jerk. I think, the way the Cup car is today, you have to be a jerk, everywhere you go.' BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 15: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Hellmann's Chevrolet, looks on during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 15, 2023 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Whether Dale Jr. likes it or not, Logano and Chastain have maneuvered themselves into great position this year. Both have won a race this season and qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series playoff. We're going to see the two of them use all of their skills - even the ones Dale Jr. may not love - to try and win it all this year. Advertisement Related: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Admits He Has A Problem With NASCAR's Two Penalties Dale Earnhardt Jr. Names Two 'Biggest (Expletives)' In NASCAR first appeared on The Spun on Jun 25, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
Newsweek
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Parker Kligerman Mourns Loss of NASCAR Team Owner in Moving Tribute
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. NASCAR driver Parker Kligerman has shared an emotional tribute on X after the passing of his team owner, Charlie Henderson. The official announcement from Henderson Motorsports was made on Saturday in Mexico. Kligerman has raced for Henderson Motorsports since 2017 and admitted that Charlie and his family came to his rescue during challenging phases of his career. Kligerman's most recent Truck Series win with the team was at Daytona. Unfortunately, his truck was disqualified in the post-race inspection. One point Kligerman mentioned about Charlie was that he prioritized team interest to win, even if the decision was not financially viable. Kligerman stated on X: Parker Kligerman driver of The #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 looks on in the pit during the Roar Before The 24h at Daytona International Speedway on January 17, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida.... Parker Kligerman driver of The #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 looks on in the pit during the Roar Before The 24h at Daytona International Speedway on January 17, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. More"Very sad day for this sport and the Henderson family. Charlie, his whole family & this race team have meant so much to me over the last decade. "When I first got to Henderson motorsports I'll never forget looking at a banner in their race shop full of the amazing drivers who had driven for them since the 70s. True hero's of the sport "I wasn't sure if my name would make it up on that banner but by the time we got our first win, I knew I had a home. "Charlie and his family in some of my tougher moments in my racing career, have always been there to give me a shot and truly believed in me when many others didn't. And together we have done some incredible things! "And It was all led by Charlie, who would always push us to make the cars faster, he'd ask us incessantly, 'what do you need to win?' He was so dedicated even when it wasn't in his best financial interest! "But no matter what he would always text me ahead of races including this year starting about 3 months before Daytona, he would send me morning text that said 'We will Daytona!' "A couple months later we did. Unfortunately he wasn't there but seeing him afterwards, that meant the world to him. "Of all his racing he wanted to win Talladega, Daytona and Bristol. He got those. "Thank you Charlie for being the incredible, supportive, passionate racer that myself and many other racers owe a debt of gratitude for your support and love of racing." Very sad day for this sport and the Henderson family. Charlie, his whole family & this race team have meant so much to me over the last decade. When I first got to Henderson motorsports I'll never forget looking at a banner in their race shop full of the amazing drivers who… — Parker Kligerman (@pkligerman) June 14, 2025 Henderson Motorsports released a statement after Charlie's passing. "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our team owner, Charlie Henderson. Charlie was not only the driving force behind Henderson Motorsports, but also a beloved member of the NASCAR community and a dear friend to us all. "Charlie was the second longest active team owner in NASCAR, behind only the Wood Brothers. He began his racing career at Kingsport Speedway in 1975 and had been a part of NASCAR since 1982. His passion for racing, commitment to his team, and love for the sport left a lasting impact on everyone who had the privilege of working alongside him. "He built this team on hard work, family values, and a love for competition that will continue to inspire us moving forward. "We are grateful for the many years of leadership, friendship, and memories that Charlie gave to Henderson Motorsports and the entire NASCAR community. We ask that you keep the Henderson family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time." Our thoughts are with the Henderson family.
NBC Sports
02-06-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Winners, losers from NASCAR Cup race at Nashville won by Ryan Blaney
LEBANON, Tenn. — A look at the winners and losers from Sunday night's Cup race at Nashville Superspeedway. WINNERS Ryan Blaney — He led 139 laps, including the final 32, to score his first Cup victory of the season. It marks the eighth time in the last nine seasons that he's scored at least one Cup victory. 'It was nice to finally get in Victory Lane tonight after a rocky start to the year,' said Blaney, who has failed to finish five races this year. Nate Ryan, Team Penske — Becomes the first organization to have all of its drivers win a race this season. Team Penske has won three of the last five points races — Austin Cindric at Talladega, Joey Logano at Texas and Ryan Blaney at Nashville. Also, the Wood Brothers are aligned with Team Penske and won at Las Vegas with Josh Berry earlier this season. Carson Hocevar — Tied his career-best finish by placing second at Nashville. Dustin Long, Denny Hamlin — Placed third at Nashville. It's his fifth top-five finish in the last nine races. Erik Jones — His seventh-place result is his second top-10 in the last four races. Not a bad way to head to Michigan, his home track, this weekend. LOSERS Justin Haley — His 32nd-place finish marks the third consecutive race he's finished 30th or worse. Ty Gibbs — He finished 31st at Nashville. That marks the fourth race in a row he's placed 23rd or worse. AJ Allmendinger — NASCAR caught the team making an adjustment to the car after it had gone through inspection Saturday. He had to perform a stop-and-go penalty after taking the green flag in Sunday's race. He lost a lap. With the first stage run without a caution, he got stuck a lap behind and was mired deep in the pack. He eventually got his lap back and finished 20th. The day could have been better had they not had the penalty.
