Author: Mike Haag

Courtesy of the NHRA BAYTOWN, Texas – A strong start, including her first NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series win since 2016, has Courtney Force excited about the upcoming three-race stretch that starts at this weekend’s NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway. Add in the fact that her 2016 victory took place at the Houston-area track, the Funny Car standout is eager to build on a 2018 season that already includes a win at Phoenix, two No. 1 qualifiers, and second-place spot in points in her 10,000-horsepower Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS. The NHRA SpringNationals starts the first of…

Courtesy of the NHRA BAYTOWN, Texas – Driving an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Top Fuel dragster is where Richie Crampton feels most at home, so it has been no surprise to see the Australian have success since returning late last year with Kalitta Motorsports. He missed the first 17 races of 2017 before joining the Kalitta team and has impressed ever since, advancing to one final round last year before grabbing his first win since 2015 earlier this season in Gainesville. Heading into this weekend’s NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway in his 10,000-horsepower Kalitta Air/DHL dragster, Crampton…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service It may have been the hardest effort Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has ever had to put in for a fourth-place finish. But the result at Bristol Motor Speedway Monday afternoon, his first top-five of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season made every clutch decision, every zig and every zag worth it for Stenhouse and his Roush-Fenway Racing team. “We were really, really strong and I felt confident coming into the race yesterday and today,” said Stenhouse, a former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and two-time Monster Energy Series race winner in 2017. “We fought adversity. We…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn. – Everyone knows Kyle Busch as “Rowdy,” but you could also call him “The Postman,” given that neither rain, snow, sleet nor hail could keep him from completing his appointed rounds at Bristol Motor Speedway. Executing a textbook bump-and-run against runner-up Kyle Larson on Lap 495 of 500, Kyle Busch pulled away to win Monday’s weather-delayed Food City 500, claiming his second straight victory of 2018 and his seventh win at Thunder Valley, most among active drivers. In a race delayed by rain after 204 laps on Sunday—then prefaced by sleet on…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DARRELL “BUBBA” WALLACE JR. DISAPPOINTED DESPITE STRONG RUN AT BRISTOL BRISTOL, Tenn. – There was a throwback moment in Monday’s weather-delayed Food City 500 that caught everyone’s eye. On Lap 375 of 500, Daytona 500 runner-up Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. muscled past Brad Keselowski’s Ford to take the race lead. There, up front at Bristol, was the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet, sporting the traditional Petty blue and red colors, reminiscent of an era when team owner Richard Petty was the King of stock car racing. Wallace led six laps before eventual race…

Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series LONG BEACH, California – Alexander Rossi sought redemption for the one he felt got away a year ago at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Andretti Autosport driver made up for it in dominant fashion, completing a nearly flawless weekend with a flawless drive to win today’s Verizon IndyCar Series race. Driving the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda, Rossi led all but 14 of the 85 laps on the renowned 1.986-mile, 11-turn temporary street course that’s hosted Indy car races for the last 35 years. The 26-year-old Californian crossed the finish…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Food City 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race will be continued Monday because of poor weather conditions Sunday afternoon at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. NASCAR announced the race will start at 1 p.m. ET Monday and will be broadcast on FOX (PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Kyle Larson will lead the field to the green flag when racing resumes. He held a substantial 6-second lead over the field Sunday only to have the advantage disappear among the rain drops when the race was called on lap 204 of the…

LONG BEACH, California – Actress Tricia Helfer, along with Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee, NFL star Shawne Merriman, David Foral of the music group Dirty Heads and music producer Mike “Cheez” Brown participated this weekend in a two-seat ride around the track with IndyCar legends Mario Andretti and Arie Luyendyk at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. All photos provided courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series.

News, notes, audio and photos courtesy of NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Next Race: Food City 500 The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway The Date: Sunday, April 15 The Time: 2 p.m. ET TV: FOX, 1:30 p.m. ET Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 266.5 miles (500 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 125), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 250), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 500) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Who’s in First? Last week’s winner Kyle Busch and the season’s three-time winner Kevin Harvick have shared a lot of time at the top of the leaderboard…

Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series LONG BEACH, California – Alexander Rossi wasn’t to be denied in his quest to claim the Verizon P1 Award in qualifying for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Andretti Autosport driver was fastest in all three rounds of knockout qualifications on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street course. He punctuated the effort by earning the pole position in the Firestone Fast Six with a lap of 1 minute, 6.5528 seconds (106.454 mph) in the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda. It was the second pole position of Rossi’s three-year Verizon IndyCar Series career,…