Author: Mike Haag

Courtesy of the NHRA TOPEKA, Kan. – Returning to Heartland Motorsports Park, the site of this weekend’s Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by Minties, always brings back special memories for Robert Hight, the defending NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car world champion. Hight has two victories at the track in his 10,000-horsepower Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS, but his enjoyment for returning to Topeka stretches much further back. His official start with John Force Racing came at the facility 23 years ago and Hight also earned his Funny Car license in 2004 at Heartland Motorsports Park. Those memories…

Courtesy of the NHRA TOPEKA, Kan. – It has already been a great start for Kalitta Motorsports during the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, and Top Fuel standout Doug Kalitta now hopes to get team owner Connie Kalitta one step closer to a major accomplishment at this weekend’s Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by Minties at Heartland Motorsports Park. Doug Kalitta already has one victory this year in his 10,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster, and with Connie Kalitta sitting at 98 career wins as a team owner, a strong showing would put the legendary team owner one step…

Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series INDIANAPOLIS – The welcome sight of Indy cars turning left on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval ushered in the official start of practice for the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil on Tuesday, in preparation for the 102nd running of the iconic race on May 27. INDIANAPOLIS 500: Day 1 combined practice results; Rookie orientation/veteran refresher results Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud led the way as all 35 entered drivers completed laps on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. The driver of the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet ran a best lap of 225.787 mph in the…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kevin Harvick’s series-best five wins and nine top-five finishes through 12 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races is a career-best season “opening” for a driver, ironically best known as the ‘The Closer’. In true form, Harvick’s closing laps victory at Kansas Speedway on Saturday night gave him back-to-back wins (also including Dover the previous week) and a pair of pole positions in the last three races. He has a series-high five victories on the year. Harvick’s grand total of 19 wins dating back to his 2014 Cup championship season is the most…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Kevin Harvick, nicknamed NASCAR’s “Closer,” earned his moniker on Saturday night at Kansas Speedway, passing reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. on the next-to-last lap to add the KC Masterpiece 400 to his collection of victories this season. Charging from sixth place and chasing race leader Martin Truex Jr. after a restart on Lap 259 of 267, Harvick found speed in the top lane with five laps left and passed Truex on the outside through Turns 3 and 4 on the penultimate lap. In winning his…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Matt Kenseth’s comeback hits a snag at Kansas KANSAS CITY, Kan. – On Friday afternoon at Kansas Speedway, Matt Kenseth’s much-ballyhooed return to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing came to a grinding halt. Kenseth’s No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford failed to make it through pre-qualifying inspection in time for the 46-year-old driver to make a qualifying attempt. That snafu sent Kenseth to the back of the field for Saturday night’s KC Masterpiece 400, where he’ll start 35th in a field of 38. Before that, Kenseth’s comeback had gone swimmingly. There was a sense…

Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series INDIANAPOLIS – Will Power etched his name further into the INDYCAR Grand Prix record books while extending the legacy of team owner Roger Penske in Indy car history. Power won the Verizon IndyCar Series race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the second straight year and third time overall – each victory coming from the pole position. Power’s triumph by 2.2443 seconds over Scott Dixon also marked Indy car win No. 200 for Team Penske, nearly double that of any other team. “It’s amazing,” said Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon…

News, notes, audio and photos courtesy of NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Next Race: KC Masterpiece 400 The Place: Kansas Speedway The Date: Saturday, May 12 The Time: 8 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 7 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 400.5 miles (267 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 267) Harvick Brings The Heat For those wondering if the 2018 season’s hottest driver, Kevin Harvick may be slowing down any time soon, the answer is a definitive “no” judging by his historical statistics.…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service KANSAS CITY, Kan. – There are times when redemption is swift and merciful. A week after throwing away a chance to win at Dover with a wreck of his own making, Noah Gragson scored his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory of the season, beating his car owner, Kyle Busch, to the finish line in the 37 Kind Days 250 at Kansas Speedway. Starting from the pole for the second straight race, Gragson led 128 of 167 laps in his No. 18 Toyota, swept all the stages of the event and collected…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Kevin Harvick has been the dominant force in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing this season. In knockout qualifying on Friday at Kansas Speedway, the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford showed no sign of relinquishing his grip on NASCAR’s foremost series. Harvick navigated the 1.5-mile speedway in 28.600 seconds (188.811 mph) in the final round of time trials to win the top starting spot for Sunday’s KC Masterpiece 400 (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The Busch Pole Award was a record fourth for…