Author: Mike Haag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Over the hill? Jimmie Johnson doesn’t think so MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Jimmie Johnson hasn’t won a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race since he triumphed at Dover on June 4 of last year. That constitutes a winless streak of 28 races, the longest drought of Johnson’s career. But the seven-time series champion scoffed at the notion that his prolonged absence from Victory Lane represents a decline in his prowess on the track. “I don’t think that way,” said the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in advance of Sunday’s STP 500 at Martinsville…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Three of NASCAR’s brightest young talents sat shoulder to shoulder, sharing smiles and good spirits Friday morning at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway – all talented teenagers today and certain stars of tomorrow. Noah Gragson, 19, the November NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner at this track, joined 17-year-olds Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliland to preview Saturday’s Alpha Energy Solutions 250 (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the historic .526-mile oval. The three Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers are good friends away from the track and intense competitors on track –…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Timothy Peters returns to NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at his home track MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Timothy Peters says he isn’t looking beyond this weekend at Martinsville Speedway and his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race of the year, though the temptation to do so might still be there. A fixture in the series for more than a decade, Peters lost his ride last year when Red Horse Racing disbanded after the fifth race of the season and has competed in the series only three times since then. Born in nearby Danville, Virginia,…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Team Penske Enters Martinsville With Big Expectations Brad Keselowski’s victory in last April’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway was as clutch as they come – earning his first ever win at the challenging half-mile track and Ford’s first trophy there in a more than a decade (28 races). A thrilling duel with Kyle Busch in the final 60 laps earned Keselowski his second win of the very early 2017 season – a trophy to pair with his Atlanta victory only four weeks earlier. This season, Keselowski and his Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and…

Courtesy of Sara Slaughter, John Force Racing YORBA LINDA, Calif. — John Force Racing spent four days with the award-winning HBO sports journalism series ‘Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel’ over the past two weeks. The dynamic team, headed by NHRA great John Force, will be featured on the Emmy winning show Tuesday, March 27 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. “Who doesn’t love HBO? I’m excited to have them feature not just my family but our sport. I have to give it to the crew: They really worked hard and gave it the time that it needed,” said Force, the 16-time…

Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series INDIANAPOLIS – INDYCAR will significantly increase exposure for the Verizon IndyCar Series beginning in 2019 through a media rights package announced today with NBC Sports Group. The multiyear deal will put eight Verizon IndyCar Series races, including the 103rd Indianapolis 500 and its qualifications, on NBC next year. This is an increase from five races on broadcast television this year. The rest of next year’s Verizon IndyCar Series races will be on NBCSN, which has seen its average viewership of INDYCAR races increase by 78 percent over the past four years. Dates, times and…

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – He stood next to his race car, bouncing up and down with nervous energy. He only stopped to exchange handshakes and pleasantries with nearly everyone who saw him on pit road. He walked over to Tony Kanaan and had a brief chat. Then it was time to put on his helmet and strap into the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet. Helio Castroneves was back as a Verizon IndyCar Series driver, if only for the day. BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK OPEN TEST: Practice 1 results; Practice 2 results; Combined practice results The three-time Indianapolis 500 winner was with Team Penske for…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR’s 2018 western swing wrapped up Sunday in much the way the 2017 season concluded – with a dominating performance by Martin Truex Jr., whose Furniture Row Racing team offered a not-so-subtle reminder of what makes them so very good, lest anyone be prepared to overlook the group in this year’s championship talk. Heading into Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway – the third leg of the #NASCARGoesWest portion of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule – the attention and speculation rightly surrounded Kevin Harvick, who was looking to win a…

Courtesy of the NHRA GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Richie Crampton took home the Top Fuel victory Sunday afternoon at the 49th annual Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Tanner Gray (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also winners in their respective categories at the third of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Crampton got the uncontested win when he piloted his Kalitta Air/DHL dragster to the winning run of 3.854 seconds at 314.90 mph after Shawn Reed had to shut off his dragster on the starting…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FONTANA, Calif. – Martin Truex Jr. drove three things on Sunday afternoon at Auto Club Speedway. First, he drove the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota to a dominating victory in the Auto Club 400, the fifth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season. Second, he drove a time machine, turning back the clock to 2017 when his mastery of stage racing propelled him to his first series championship. Truex’s effort in Sunday’s race was every bit as overwhelming as his most convincing triumphs of last season. He started from the pole,…