Author: Mike Haag

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kurt Busch used a last-lap pass to win the 59th annual DAYTONA 500 Sunday in a raucous, rough-and-tumble season-opening race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford), a three-time DAYTONA 500 runner-up and the 2004 series champion, made a high-line move coming off the Daytona International Speedway backstretch to pass Kyle Larson (No. 42 Target Chevrolet), as Larson was running out of fuel. Busch beat Ryan Blaney (No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford) at the line by 0.228 seconds, with AJ Allmendinger (Kroger Click List Chevrolet)…

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Leah Pritchett repeated as the Top Fuel winner at the 33rd annual NHRA Arizona Nationals on Sunday at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) were also winners in their respective categories at the second of 24 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events. For the second consecutive year Pritchett defeated Brittany Force in the finals. Pritchett’s 3.705-second pass at 328.22 mph in her Papa John’s Pizza dragster earned her the third victory of her career, second of the season and second at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. Force raced…

FORT WORTH, Texas – The O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 NASCAR doubleheader weekend is not for another 42 days but that didn’t stop fans from pouring into the infield of Texas Motor Speedway this weekend. Fans from across the region celebrated the start of the 2017 NASCAR season during Texas Motor Speedway’s Daytona 500 Watching Party held in the infield of the 1.5-mile speedway. “We had the biggest Daytona 500 Watch Party in the country so a lot of fans came to kick off the season in style,” Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. “If Sunday’s Daytona 500 is any…

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Tommy Johnson Jr. set the Funny Car track elapsed-time record to secure the No. 1 qualifier position at the 33rd annual NHRA Arizona Nationals on Saturday at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) were also No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the second of 24 events on the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Johnson Jr. powered his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T to a 3.837-second pass at 329.10 mph during the final qualifying session for the 15th No. 1 qualifier of his career. “We did…

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In a race that evolved dramatically from early attrition into stunning door-to-door competition, Ryan Reed won the PowerShares QQQ 300, the high-intensity season-opener for the NASCAR XFINITY Series on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. It required “NASCAR Overtime” which extended the race to 124 laps, four more than the scheduled distance. Reed, driver of the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford, surprisingly out-dueled three of NASCAR’s major stars – Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski – during the OT. Reed, the 300’s champion in 2015, edged Kahne by 0.219 seconds at the stripe. The…

FORT WORTH, Texas – It appears that the only watching party for NASCAR’s season-opening Daytona 500 on Sunday that will be bigger than the one in the Texas Motor Speedway infield fittingly will be at Daytona International Speedway. Nearly 3,000 tailgaters and 400 RVs already have confirmed their attendance at Texas Motor Speedway for what will be the nation’s largest Daytona 500 Watching Party on the world’s largest TV for NASCAR’s season-opening weekend in Daytona Beach, Fla. Texas Motor Speedway will open its infield Saturday and Sunday for its annual Daytona 500 Watching Party that will provide race fans an opportunity…

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Rookie driver Kaz Grala guided his truck through, then past a last-lap incident involving 13 trucks to win an action-filled NextEra Energy Resources 250 on Friday night at Daytona International Speedway, to open the season for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Grala, an 18-year-old who started on the pole in the No. 33 Kiklos Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil Chevrolet, emerged from the backstretch incident that ruined a dominating effort by Grala’s teammate, defending race champion – and reigning series champion – Johnny Sauter (No. 21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet). Sauter led 52 laps of the 100-lap…

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Leah Pritchett set the Top Fuel elapsed-time national record with her second session pass during the 33rd annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park on Friday. Courtney Force (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) were also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the second of 24 events on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. Pritchett’s 3.658-second pass at 329.34 mph in her Papa John’s Pizza dragster during the second round of qualifying puts her at the top of the field heading into the final two session of…

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin won the Can-Am Duel races on Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway, as the starting grid for Sunday’s 59th annual DAYTONA 500 was established by the two 150-mile qualifying events. For the first time since 1971, drivers in the Can-Am Duel earned Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship points for their efforts – the top-10 finishers in each race, to be exact. Drivers responded to that new situation by staging all-out battles in both 60-lappers. There was no indication of drivers playing it safe and looking ahead to the DAYTONA 500.…

FORT WORTH, Texas – The Hendrick Motorsports front row of polesitter Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will lead the field to the green flag for Sunday’s 59th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and officially kick of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The starting positions for the remainder of the 40-car field will be set in tonight’s Can-Am Duel at Daytona International Speedway (6 p.m. CT, FOX Sports 1). Here are “5 Things You Need To Know” with the NASCAR Cup season getting underway and then making the first of two stops at Texas…