Author: Mike Haag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Cooler heads prevail after Harvick-Larson wreck FONTANA, Calif. – Make no mistake—there were heated words on the radios of Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick after their collision on the backstretch on Lap 38 of Sunday’s Auto Club 400 that ended Harvick’s bid to win a fourth straight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. Harvick wondered aloud what Larson was doing when the driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet turned up the track after Harvick moved down to side-draft the Chip Ganassi Racing machine. Larson questioned why Harvick would race him so hard for position so…

News, notes, photos and interviews courtesy of NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Next Race: Auto Club 400 The Place: Auto Club Speedway The Date: Sunday, March 18 The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET TV: FOX, 3 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 400 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 120), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200) #4 For No. 4 Kevin Harvick’s victory Sunday at ISM Raceway in Phoenix set him up with a historical opportunity. It was the third consecutive Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win in…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FONTANA, Calif. – The best measure of Joey Logano’s dominance in Saturday’s Roseanne 300 at Auto Club Speedway came during one of the rare instances when the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford didn’t have the lead. Off-cycle on pit stops late in the race, Logano chose to pit under caution on Lap 122 while most of the other contending cars stayed out on tires that had only six green-flag laps of use. Logano restarted 16th on Lap 125. By Lap 126 he was third. On Lap 127 Logano passed Justin Allgaier…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Aric Almirola’s Friday woes continue at Auto Club Speedway FONTANA, Calif. – You won’t hear Aric Almirola saying “Thank goodness it’s Friday”— not this year at least. Fridays typically are qualifying days for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and Almirola hasn’t found the secret to success in time trials in his first season with Stewart-Haas Racing. Through four races, Almirola has posted an average starting position of 24.8. By the time race day arrives, however, Almirola finds his stride in race trim. His average finishing position through the first four races is…

Courtesy of the NHRA GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jack Beckman secured the No. 1 qualifying spot for the Funny Car class Saturday at the 49th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the third of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Beckman raced his Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T to a pass of 3.911 seconds at 332.18 mph during the second round of qualifying for the No. 1 position.…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service FONTANA, Calif. – With the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying field thinned significantly by inspection issues, Martin Truex Jr. won his second straight pole of the season in Friday’s knockout qualifying session at Auto Club Speedway. Avoiding the trouble from the seams between lanes that tripped up first- and second-round leader Kevin Harvick in the final round, Truex covered the two-mile distance in 38.592 seconds (186.567 mph) in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota, edging fellow Camry driver Kyle Busch (186.437 mph) by .027 seconds for the top starting spot in Sunday’s Auto…

Courtesy of the NHRA GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Hector Arana Jr. made history Friday evening breaking the 200-mph barrier on his Pro Stock Motorcycle becoming the first rider to enter the DENSO Spark Plugs 200 MPH Club and received a $10,000 prize. The national speed record was set at the 49th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. His pass during the second qualifying session eclipsed his record of 199.88 set at Charlotte 1 in 2015. “I would’ve never thought that was a run to go 200 (mph),” Arana Jr. stated. “At the beginning of today, we didn’t…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service There’s no quit in Jimmie Johnson FONTANA, Calif. – Jimmie Johnson was emphatic during a question-and-answer session with reporters on Friday at Auto Club Speedway. The desire to race still burns white-hot in the seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion. “The desire to keep racing is absolutely there,” Johnson said. “Races, championships, and being a part of this great sport of ours–I’m going to be around for a while. I’m excited about that.” Earlier in the week, long-time primary sponsor Lowe’s announced the company would not return to the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – There was a time in NASCAR history when heading West felt like a bit like entering foreign ground. But fast-forward to modern day in the sport, and California boasts a full lineup of natives eager to make good in front of the home town crowd at Auto Club Speedway this weekend. Kevin Harvick, who is looking to win his fourth consecutive Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race trophy in Sunday afternoon’s Auto Club 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), is from Bakersfield, Calif. He raced in a…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Since a spectacular and celebrated runner-up finish in his season-opening Daytona 500 debut, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. says he’s found a necessary balance between huge optimism and a big dose of confidence that comes with such a fantastic season start and the harsher reality of a steep, not unexpected rookie learning curve thereafter. Since his historic run at Daytona International Speedway last month, Wallace has had finishes of 32nd (at Atlanta), 21st (at Las Vegas) and 28th (at Phoenix) in the three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races afterward. He’s ranked 18th…