Author: Mike Haag

Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – The new Indy car lived up to the hype on the first official day of practice ahead of the Verizon IndyCar Series season opener. Twenty-four drivers found their cars – each equipped with the new universal aero kit for the first time this year – challenging and exciting to drive as they prepared for Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. It is the first of 17 races on the 2018 schedule. FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG: Practice 1 results; Practice 2 results; Combined practice results At the end of a…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Avondale, Ariz. – This weekend’s arrival in his home state for Sunday’s TicketGuardian 500 (3:30 ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, is a sentimental first for Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman. It isn’t his first start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on the 1-mile oval and it’s not even his first drive in the iconic No. 88 Hendrick Chevrolet Camaro. But it is the first time Bowman, 25, has driven this car as his own, set to take the green flag in a competitive opportunity…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – To call William Byron’s initiation into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series a baptism by fire wouldn’t be giving enough credit to the fire. To say the least, the 20-year-old Liberty University sophomore has had a rough debut in his first three races at NASCAR’s highest level, but not for a lack of grit or effort. Starting the season-opening Daytona 500 in a backup car after an early crash in the first Can-Am Duel qualifying race three days earlier, Byron was part of a nine-car wreck on Lap 60 of the…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kevin Harvick’s dominating victory in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was head-turning in its standard of excellence. For NASCAR West Coasters like the Californian Harvick, winning on NASCAR’s Western Swing has become a particular source of pride. And statistics show, winning happens a lot for the West Coasters on the sport’s Western Swing. This week’s top-three finishers at Vegas, for example, all hail from the region. In addition to Harvick, from Bakersfield, Calif., runner-up Kyle Busch is a Las Vegas native and third-place finisher…

Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Fast Facts Race weekend: Friday, March 9 – Sunday, March 11 Track: Streets of St. Petersburg, 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit (clockwise) through downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, including a runway of Albert Whitted Airport. Entry list: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (PDF) Race distance: 110 laps / 198 miles Push-to-pass parameters: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum single duration of 15 seconds. Firestone tire allotment: Seven sets primary, four sets alternate Twitter: @GPSTPETE, @IndyCar, #FirestoneGP, #IndyCar Event website: www.gpstpete.com INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com 2017 race winner: Sebastien Bourdais (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda) 2017 Verizon…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service LAS VEGAS, Nev. – If you thought last Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta was an aberration on old asphalt, think again. Kevin Harvick was every bit as dominant on the newer asphalt at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, racking up impressive numbers in winning Sunday’s Pennzoil 400, the third event of the season. In winning his second straight race and his second at the 1.5-mile track, Harvick finished 2.906 seconds ahead of runner-up and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch. Third-place finisher Kyle Larson was more than 13 seconds back. Paul Menard…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Jimmie Johnson’s recovery is a silver lining for the No. 48 team LAS VEGAS, Nev. – If a 12th-place finish, one lap down, can ever be considered heroic, Jimmie Johnson had such a result in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion entered the race a dismal 35th in the standings after crashes in the first two races of the season, at Daytona and Atlanta. And Sunday didn’t start on a high note. Johnson’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection three times, costing…

FORT WORTH, Texas – Track officials have announced that six new sponsor partnerships that range from national brands such as In-N-Out Burger, Universal Technical Institute and Jostens to the notable Texas-based Torchy’s Tacos will be part of the business plan at Texas Motor Speedway for the 2018 racing season. The announcement was made at the track’s annual Media Day Luncheon held last Wednesday at the Speedway Club. Here’s a brief look at the new partners: Torchy’s Tacos, based in Austin, Texas, with locations throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado, signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement that is highlighted by broad enhancements to a focal…

News, notes, photos and audio courtesy of NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Next Race: Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube The Place: Las Vegas Motor Speedway The Date: Sunday, March 4 The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET TV: FOX, 3 p.m. ET Radio: PRN, 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) Kevin Harvick Earns Emotional Atlanta Win – 17 years After His First Five times in the last six years, Kevin Harvick has dominated the Atlanta Motor Speedway Monster…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Kyle Larson pulled away from pole winner Christopher Bell after a restart with seven laps left and took the checkered flag in Saturday’s Boyd Gaming 300, winning for the first time at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Larson beat Bell to the finish line by .881 seconds. The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet led 142 of the 200 laps and overcame a pit road snafu that dropped him to eighth for a restart on Lap 139 after a caution for Austin Cindric’s…