Author: Mike Haag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Clint Bowyer got the run he needed at Atlanta Motor Speedway HAMPTON, Ga. – Clint Bowyer didn’t win Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, but he got the sort of run he needed in the second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season. On a day when all the Stewart-Haas Racing Fords were fast, Bowyer finished third behind SHR teammate Kevin Harvick, who dominated the action, and fellow Ford driver Brad Keselowski. The third-place result was a welcome tonic for Bowyer, who suffered through an up-and-down campaign last year in his first…

CHANDLER, Ariz. – NHRA and Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park officials announced a sellout crowd for Sunday eliminations at the 34th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals. Fans from all over the southwest region packed the grandstands, pit areas and campgrounds. This is the first time in Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park history there has been a sellout crowd on Sunday at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. “We want to thank all of the fans that came out to show support this weekend at the NHRA Arizona Nationals,” Erin Barry, Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park general manager, stated. “We had great…

News, notes and photos courtesy of NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Next Race: Folds of Honor QuikTrip500 The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway The Date: Sunday, Feb. 25 The Time: 2 p.m. ET TV: FOX, 1:30 p.m. ET Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 500.5 miles (325 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 325) Dillon Wins 60th Running Of DAYTONA 500, Parks No. 3 In Victory Lane 20 Years After Earnhardt’s Single Triumph In The Great American Race Austin Dillon passed Aric Almirola on the backstretch…

Courtesy of the NHRA CHANDLER, Ariz. — The 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season continued Saturday as Courtney Force set both ends of the Funny Car track record at the 34th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel) and Deric Kramer (Pro Stock) are also No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the second of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Force took over the top spot in the category with a record run of 3.826 seconds at 335.98 mph in her Advance Auto…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. – Brett Moffit streaked into the lead on an overtime restart in Saturday’s Active Pest Control 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and pulled away to win the second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race of his career. Diving to the inside and taking then-leader Myatt Snider and Johnny Sauter three-wide into the first corner on Lap 133 of 134, Moffitt beat Noah Gragson to the finish line by 1.326 seconds. Gragson charged from ninth to second on the penultimate lap and beat third-place finisher Johnny Sauter to the line by .014 seconds.…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. – Kevin Harvick put on a driving clinic in Saturday’s Rinnai 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 98 Ford dominated the action on the track, leading 141-of-163 laps and winning both stages before taking the checkered flag 4.183 seconds ahead of runner-up Joey Logano. Harvick collected his fifth NASCAR XFINITY Series victory at Atlanta and the 47th of his career. He has won four of the last six events at the 1.54-mile track, where he also has won for four different car owners, tying Tony Stewart for the…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Hendrick drivers search for speed in qualifying and practice HAMPTON, Ga. – If Friday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying is any indication, Hendrick Motorsports has work to do. Of the 34 drivers who posted times in the knockout sessions, Daytona 500 pole winner Alex Bowman was 18th fastest, and that was the best performance among the four HMS entries. Seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson qualified 22nd, followed by Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender William Byron in 23rd and Chase Elliott in 27th. Asked what he and his team missed in preparation for…

Courtesy of the NHRA CHANDLER, Ariz. — The 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season continued Friday as Tony Schumacher powered to the Top Fuel qualifying lead at the 34th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and Alex Laughlin (Pro Stock) are also provisional qualifying leaders in their respective categories at the second of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Schumacher led the category with a run of 3.649-seconds at 334.65 mph in his US Army dragster posted during the first qualifying session to initially…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. – Ryan Newman was within seconds of breaking a pole drought that dates to 2013 – until Kyle Busch made his final-round qualifying run at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Covering the 1.54-mile distance in 30.024 seconds (184.652 mph) in the money round of Friday’s knockout qualifying session, Busch edged Newman by .038 seconds to win his first pole of the young Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, his first at Atlanta and the 28th of his career. Starting up front is certainly a benefit on the abrasive asphalt at Atlanta, but Busch added a…

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service HAMPTON, Ga. – The very first question asked of Martin Truex Jr. in his press conference at Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday morning was about his comfort being back at the 1.5-mile tracks, places like Atlanta that were his bread-and-butter in his 2017 championship season. Truex smiled and made no bones about it. “I am certainly looking forward to it,’’ said Truex, who scored seven of his career-best eight wins last year on the 1.5-mile tracks – a substantial part of his 19 top-fives, 26 top-10 and three-pole haul en route to claiming his first Monster…