NASCAR

Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior WriterNov 7, 2023, 03:53 PM ET Close Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com 2-time Sports Emmy winner 2010, 2014 NMPA Writer of the Year Open Extended Reactions Ryan Blaney was crowned 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion on Sunday in Phoenix. Chris Graythen/Getty Images It is no secret that Ryan Blaney

Associated Press Nov 5, 2023, 08:11 PM ET Open Extended Reactions AVONDALE, Ariz. — Kevin Harvick pulled onto pit road after his final race as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver, climbed out of his seat, grabbed a water from his 11-year-old son Keelan, slapped the boy on the back and posed a question. “What

Associated Press Nov 5, 2023, 06:53 PM ET Open Extended Reactions AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ryan Blaney raced to his first career NASCAR championship on Sunday by banging his way past contender Kyle Larson in the closing laps at Phoenix Raceway to give Team Penske back-to-back Cup titles. The third generation racer is the first Ohio-born

Associated Press Nov 4, 2023, 10:31 PM ET Open Extended Reactions AVONDALE, Ariz. — Cole Custer pulled away from Justin Allgaier during a two-lap overtime shootout to win his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship Saturday night at Phoenix Raceway. It was an exhilarating finish, with Custer, Allgaier and John Hunter Nemechek three-wide on the next-to-last

Associated Press Nov 4, 2023, 07:54 PM ET Open Extended Reactions AVONDALE, Ariz. — Some of NASCAR’s star drivers made it crystal clear that Friday night’s crash-filled Truck Series finale was an embarrassment for the sport. “I was not impressed,” Martin Truex Jr. said. “That is not professional auto racing. It’s a joke, they need

Associated Press Nov 4, 2023, 06:56 PM ET Open Extended Reactions AVONDALE, Ariz. — William Byron will start from the pole at Phoenix Raceway, trying to win his first Cup Series championship and give the famed No. 24 Chevrolet its first title since Jeff Gordon in 2001. Byron turned a lap at 132.597 mph Saturday

Associated Press Nov 4, 2023, 01:58 PM ET Open Extended Reactions AVONDALE, Ariz. — Just hours after defending NASCAR’s officiating this season, the series was embarrassed by an error on the Phoenix Raceway surface that painted the restart zone in the wrong place for the Truck Series championship. The restart zone was at least 50

Associated Press Nov 4, 2023, 01:29 PM ET Open Extended Reactions AVONDALE, Ariz. — NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski will miss Saturday qualifying for the season finale race because his wife went into labor in North Carolina. Cole Custer was expected to qualify the No. 6 Ford in Keselowski’s absence at Phoenix Raceway. Keselowski, who is

Associated Press Nov 4, 2023, 01:03 AM ET Open Extended Reactions AVONDALE, Ariz. — Ryan Blaney was fastest of NASCAR’s championship contenders Friday in the only practice session ahead of the title-deciding season finale Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. “Ryan Blaney gets around Phoenix really, really well,” said Blaney crew chief Jonathan Hassler. “There’s never been

Associated Press Nov 3, 2023, 04:44 PM ET Open Extended Reactions AVONDALE, Ariz. — NASCAR on Friday dismissed the sentiment that this weekend’s championship finale lacks the pizzazz and star power of a major event. The final four — Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney and William Byron — is the youngest since the winner-take-all

Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior WriterNov 3, 2023, 09:29 AM ET Close Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com 2-time Sports Emmy winner 2010, 2014 NMPA Writer of the Year Open Extended Reactions From left to right, one of William Byron, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson or Ryan Blaney will win the NASCAR Cup Series title

Associated Press Nov 1, 2023, 12:32 PM ET Open Extended Reactions AVONDALE, Ariz. — After a mediocre NASCAR season with its current Mustang, Ford Performance said Wednesday it will use its top-of-the-line Dark Horse in the Cup Series next year. The Dark Horse is considered the blue-ribbon model of the Mustang lineup, with a starting

Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior WriterNov 1, 2023, 09:36 AM ET Close Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com 2-time Sports Emmy winner 2010, 2014 NMPA Writer of the Year Open Extended Reactions To celebrate NASCAR’s 75th anniversary, we’re detailing our 75 favorite things about the pinnacle of stock car racing. Illustration by ESPN This is

Marty Smith Close Marty Smith ESPN ESPN NASCAR lead reporter Former NASCAR.com senior writer 15 years covering NASCAR Ryan McGee Close Ryan McGee ESPN Senior Writer Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com 2-time Sports Emmy winner 2010, 2014 NMPA Writer of the Year Oct 31, 2023, 11:53 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Ryan

Associated Press Oct 29, 2023, 06:20 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Ryan Blaney will race for his first Cup championship after qualifying for NASCAR’s title-deciding finale with a Sunday win at Martinsville Speedway. William Byron, who led the Cup Series with six wins this season, earned the fourth and final slot in the championship by

ESPN News Services Oct 28, 2023, 03:08 PM ET Open Extended Reactions For the third time in this year’s playoffs, NASCAR regular-season champion Martin Truex Jr. is facing elimination and wondering how his title chances have exploded spectacularly. Truex heads into Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway tied with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin at

Associated Press Oct 28, 2023, 03:15 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Aric Almirola will not return to Stewart-Haas Racing next season, he announced Saturday, a year after he postponed his planned 2023 retirement because sponsor Smithfield elected to remain in NASCAR. But Smithfield said Saturday morning that “the time has come for Smithfield to end

Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior WriterOct 26, 2023, 09:32 AM ET Close Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com 2-time Sports Emmy winner 2010, 2014 NMPA Writer of the Year Open Extended Reactions To celebrate NASCAR’s 75th anniversary, we’re detailing our 75 favorite things about the pinnacle of stock car racing. Illustration by ESPN We are