By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service LONG POND, Pa. – Just as he had done in winning his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race last June, Ryan Blaney kept Kevin Harvick behind him at Pocono Raceway when it mattered most. Blaney sped around the 2.5-mile triangular track in 50.877 seconds (176.897 mph) in Friday’s knockout qualifying session to earn the top starting spot for Sunday’s Pocono 400 (2 p.m. ET Sunday on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). In winning his first Busch Pole Award at the Tricky Triangle, his second of the season and the fourth of his career, Blaney…
Author: Mike Haag
Mike Haag
Mike Haag has covered motorsports in San Antonio and South Texas for more than 39 years. In addition to covering motorsports for the San Antonio Express-News for nearly 28 years, Mike also has co-hosted TrackSmack with Dawn Murphy for 19 race seasons. In addition to being a writer, Mike taught high school English and Journalism for 30 years before retiring in May, 2020.
By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Martin Truex Jr. makes nostalgic return to native New Jersey LONG POND, Pa. – Martin Truex Jr. is just glad he’s not in the same boat—literally. That’s not to say a trip to his New Jersey home—and a visit to Atlantic City and the clam boat he worked during his youth—didn’t produce some pangs of nostalgia for the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion. But Truex has come light years since his early days harvesting clams for his family business. “It was very nostalgic, and that particular boat is very special to my dad,…
By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As Bubba Wallace prepared to make his first ever Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start last June at Pocono Raceway, he remembers being hyper-aware of trying to do everything “right”. A highly-regarded NASCAR competitor himself as he moved up through the sport’s ranks, the then 23-year old was hopeful that a solid showing in his four big-opportunity starts filling in for Richard Petty Motorsports injured driver Aric Almirola would possibly result in a fulltime Cup job in 2018. And it has. A year later, Wallace returns to Pocono again in the…
By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the first time in his young career, 24-year old Ryan Blaney arrived at Pocono Raceway this weekend as the defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race winner. He had to out-run veterans Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick in the closing laps to earn that career-making trophy last June. And interestingly enough. … it’s those same two competitors Blaney and the rest of the Cup drivers have been chasing this year. Busch and Harvick have combined for nine wins through 13 races and led an incredible 39 percent of all race…
Courtesy of Texas Motor Speedway Media Relations FORT WORTH, Texas – John Terrell was ready to de-board his plane destined for the Dominican Republic in April after his cell phone rang with some startling news. The news he received would allow him and his wife, Carol, to take a number of trips to the Dominican Republic – or any vacation destination for that matter – in the coming years if they so choose to do so. The voice on the other end confirmed him as the winner of the inaugural 50/50 Raffle benefitting Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter during April’s O’Reilly…
Courtesy of the NHRA JOLIET, Ill. – Thanks to a fast start to open his 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, Pro Stock Motorcycle veteran Scotty Pollacheck appears closer than ever to his first career win heading to this weekend’s JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. Making his 101st career start this weekend, Pollacheck heads to Chicago on the heels of a final quad appearance at the four-wide race in Charlotte and a runner-up at the most recent Pro Stock Motorcycle race in Atlanta on his Suzuki Extended Protection bike. It puts Pollacheck third in…
FRISCO, Texas – Newly crowned Indianapolis 500 champion Will Power made a visit to see the Dallas Cowboys during Wednesday’s NFL Organized Team Activities at The Star. Power, who won Sunday’s 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500, enjoyed a private tour of The Star and then had an opportunity to visit with a number of Dallas Cowboys players, coaches and even a few legends. The 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion and Team Penske driver was in town to help promote the upcoming Verizon IndyCar Series race – the DXC Technology 600 – which will be held Saturday, June 9…
FRISCO, Texas – A photographic look at reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Will Power’s visit with the Dallas Cowboys during Wednesday’s NFL Organized Team Activities at The Star. All photographs provided courtesy of Texas Motor Speedway and Getty Images. ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]
Courtesy of the NHRA JOLIET, Ill. – A fulfilling weekend for Jeg Coughlin Jr. also means one of the most hectic weekends of the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season for the longtime Pro Stock standout. Coughlin and his family is the event sponsor for this weekend’s 21st annual JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, a marquee event that also includes the JEGS Allstars bonus event pitting the best NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series racers from the across the country in individual and team competition. The Coughlin family is heavily involved in that aspect…
Courtesy of the NHRA JOLIET, Ill. – A crash like the one Brittany Force experienced to open the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season is not an experience she wants to go through again. But the ability to overcome some sizeable adversity the way the defending Top Fuel world champion and her team did also told Force a great deal about what her team is capable of this season. After the crash in Pomona, Force was back behind the wheel of her 10,000-horsepower Monster Energy dragster at the next race, bouncing back in impressive fashion. She won her…