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Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 Rasmussen Air & Gas Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse Kansas Speedway Competition Notes

by MikeSeptember 25, 2024

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (September 24, 2024) – Todd Gilliland is back in action this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Kansas Speedway.

Following a 32nd place finish at the Bristol Motor Speedway, Gilliland and the team look to regain their momentum at the 1.5-mile oval. Quincy Compressor returns with Front Row Motorsports and Gilliland for the event and will bring along their partner, Rasmussen Air & Gas Energy for the 400-mile event. Alongside their partners, Quincy Compressor and Chicago Pneumatic, Rasmussen Air & Gas Energy is excited to enter the NASCAR world. (more…)

Here’s How The New England Drivers And Those With Connections With Others In The Six State Area At Bristol Did

by Lou ModestinoSeptember 24, 2024

Kyle Larson won the Cup race while Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT came in seventh. Not so fortunate was Joey Logano of Middletown, CT came in 28^th with Corey LaJoie 36^th and Boston’s Kaz Grala ending his day in 37th. Corey LaJoie is the son of Two-Time Xfinity Titleist Randy LaJoie who grew up in Norwalk, CT before moving to Charlotte, NC to be closer to the NASCAR Hub.

Cole Custer won the Xfinity race with Anthony Alfredo of Ridgefield, CT ending up 11th while Parker Kligerman of Westport, CT finished 16th, Blain Perkins ended his day in 22nd with Kyle Weatherman was awarded 26^th place. Perkins and Weatherman both drive team cars for Cape Cod’s Chris Our and his daughter Mary Our who reside in Chatham, MA.

Phoenix Raceway Announces Sellout for NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race on Sunday, Nov. 10

by MikeSeptember 24, 2024

PHOENIX – As a number of regional businesses and community guests gathered at Phoenix Raceway on September 12 to celebrate the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and raise funds for the Fighter Country Foundation, the track announced that grandstand seats are sold out for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race on Sunday, Nov. 10. It marks the seventh consecutive Cup Series event to sell out at the mile-long doglegged oval and the fourth consecutive sellout for the Cup Series Championship.

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Despite Dominating Bristol Win, Kyle Larson Isn’t Home-Free in Playoffs

by WebmasterSeptember 23, 2024

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

Kyle Larson made an emphatic statement with his victory in Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

That doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t formidable hurdles Larson still has to cross if he hopes to claim a second NASCAR Cup Series championship.

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Rick Ware Racing and Spire Motorsports Announce Driver Trade

by MikeSeptember 23, 2024

RWR Acquires Corey LaJoie From Spire, Spire Procures Justin Haley From RWR

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Sept. 20, 2024) – With eight races left on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series calendar, two teams are making changes for the remainder of the season.

Rick Ware Racing (RWR) has acquired driver Corey LaJoie from Spire Motorsports, and Spire Motorsports has procured driver Justin Haley from RWR. Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway will be the last race for each driver with their current organizations. Beginning with next weekend’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, LaJoie will take over the No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RWR, and Haley will drive the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports.

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RCR Race Preview: Bristol Motor Speedway

by MikeSeptember 20, 2024

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway… In 187 NASCAR Cup Series starts on the pavement configuration at Bristol Motor Speedway, RCR has scored nine wins, seven by Dale Earnhardt: both races in 1985 and 1987, plus victories in 1988 (fall), 1994 (spring), and 1999 (spring). Kevin Harvick won the 2005 spring event while Jeff Burton won the spring race in 2008. The Welcome, North Carolina based organization has racked up 35 top-five and 71 top-10 finishes.

25th Anniversary of “Rattle His Cage”… Saturday night’s Cup Series race at the World’s Fastest Half Mile marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most memorable finishes in Bristol Motor Speedway history featuring legendary RCR driver Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt, who started 26th, won the 1999 night race following a last-lap bump to Terry Labonte. Earnhardt said in Victory Lane that he didn’t mean to spin out Labonte – just to “rattle his cage.” Earnhardt and Labonte swapped the lead seven times over the last 200 laps in one NASCAR’s classic races.

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NASCAR Cup Playoff Contenders Face Round of 16 Elimination Race at Bristol

by MikeSeptember 20, 2024September 20, 2024

Tensions are high, the point standings are tight, and once the stadium lights illuminate the ‘World’s Fastest Half-Mile’ expect nothing less than a spectacular showdown amongst the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ 16 in Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

With this weekend’s highly anticipated event serving as the elimination race for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16, a lot is on the line for the postseason contenders. Team Penske’s Joey Logano is the only driver that has locked himself into the Round of 12 by virtue of his Atlanta win leaving 11 spots still up for grabs on Saturday.

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NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Elimination Race From Bristol Motor Speedway, Supermotocross World Championship Final, And IMSA From Indianapolis Motor Speedway Presented Across NBC, USA NETWORK, PEACOCK, And CNBC This Weekend

by MikeSeptember 19, 2024September 19, 2024

Live Pre-Race Coverage of NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Elimination Race from Bristol Motor Speedway Begins Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network

Winner-Take-All SuperMotocross World Championship Final Between Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, and Chase Sexton Starts Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET Live on Peacock from Las Vegas Motor Speedway

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from Famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway Begins This Sunday with Peacock-Exclusive Live Coverage at 11:30 a.m. ET followed by NBC and Peacock Live at 3 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 19, 2024 – NBC Sports’ motorsports coverage this weekend is headlined by the NASCAR Cup Series’ Round of 16 playoff elimination race from Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday on USA Network, the SuperMotocross World Championship Final on Saturday on Peacock from Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and the penultimate race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway on NBC and Peacock this Sunday.

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21 Team Confident They Will Have a Good Run at Bristol

by MikeSeptember 19, 2024

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are headed to the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway needing a stellar run to advance to the Round of 12 in the Cup Series Playoffs.

Burton is 16th in the standings, 20 points below the cutoff for advancement to the next round. After Saturday night’s 500-lapper on the high-banked half-mile, the bottom four drivers in the Playoff standings will be eliminated from championship contention. (more…)

Rick Ware Racing: Justin Haley/Kaz Grala Bristol Advance

by MikeSeptember 19, 2024

Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Pinnacle Home Improvements Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Rick Ware Racing (RWR), will make his fifth NASCAR Cup Series start at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race. When the series last visited Bristol on March 17, it was a race full of attrition due to unusual tire wear. Haley used pit strategy and tire conservation to work his way into the top-15 within the first 100 laps of the 500-lap race. Without a caution in the final 121 laps, Haley was forced to pit from 10th place under green for his final stop for fresh tires. He finished the race 17th, his second of 11 top-20 finishes this year.

Kaz Grala, driver of the No. 15 Meat N’ Bone Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RWR, will make his second Cup Series start at Bristol in Saturday night’s race. In March, Grala started 33rd and drove to a 19th-place finish at The Last Great Colosseum. (more…)