All articles tagged with #cup series
Chicagoland Speedway announced that Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series eero 400 is sold out, marking NASCAR’s return to the Joliet, Illinois track for the first time since 2019. Attendance spans 31 countries and all 50 states, with 59% of ticketholders new to NASCAR events, and the race is set to start at 5 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. ET.
Corey Heim earned his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in the Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado after Shane van Gisbergen wrecked on Lap 32, reshaping the race and results. Zane Smith grabbed a top-five finish in fourth, AJ Allmendinger came home fifth, and Ryan Preece finished 11th, while Brad Keselowski, van Gisbergen, and Christopher Bell endured rough outings. The Cup Series now heads to Sonoma Raceway for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 this weekend.
Denny Hamlin stretched his Cup Regular Season lead with a third consecutive Pocono win, as Tyler Reddick rallied to second and William Byron secured third, signaling momentum ahead of back-to-back road-course races and the debut San Diego street course. Ross Chastain added a strong 8th-place finish on a non-drafting track, keeping the focus on the upcoming road-course swing. In the downturn, Ryan Preece finished 28th after a late fuel issue, Shane van Gisbergen wrecked to finish 31st, and Joey Logano ended 34th after Stage 2 damage, setting up a road-course-heavy stretch with 10 races left before the Chase field is set.
Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway, his third consecutive Cup victory (and 64th career win), after overtaking Christopher Bell with four laps to go as Bell ran out of fuel; Hamlin also extended Pocono’s record with his eighth win there. Stage 1 was won by Hamlin, Stage 2 by Todd Gilliland (his first career stage win). Reddick finished second, followed by William Byron, John Hunter Nemechek and Kyle Larson, while Bell finished 26th after the late-speed issues.
Pocono Raceway’s NASCAR Cup Series race has been rescheduled for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET as part of the Great American Getaway weekend, with the weekend’s race times and broadcast info posted on NASCAR and Pocono Raceway pages.
Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway and dedicated the victory to Kyle Busch after tying Busch on the career win list, celebrating with a flag tribute and a celebratory burnout.
Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway after starting from the rear due to unapproved adjustments, his 63rd Cup win and third of 2026, with Erik Jones finishing second and a late crash between Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell halting the race; the top-10 also included Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, Carson Hocevar, Daniel Suárez, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher and Chase Briscoe.
Richard Childress said Austin Hill will continue to drive the No. 33 Chevrolet for the remainder of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, with the same sponsor lineup as the No. 8. The announcement, made at Michigan International Speedway after Kyle Busch’s passing, frames Hill’s ride as the team’s plan for 2026 and echoes past GM driver transitions.
Corey Heim, the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion and 23XI Racing’s development driver, will move to a full-time Cup Series ride with 23XI in 2027, piloting the No. 35 Toyota Camry XSE. Heim has already appeared in Cup races for 23XI (including the 2026 Daytona 500) and has accumulated 25 Truck Series wins, two Regular Season Championships, and the 2025 Truck Championship. The promotion underscores 23XI’s ongoing expansion to a three-car Cup program as the team continue to develop Heim’s talent for the top level.
NASCAR legend Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion and the winningest driver in national NASCAR history with 234 wins, has died at 41 after a severe illness that hospitalized him earlier this week; he leaves behind wife Samantha and children Brexton and Lennix, and reshaped the sport through a storied career with Joe Gibbs Racing and later Richard Childress Racing.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600, the season’s second crown jewel and a four-stage race that amplifies stage-point opportunities. Hendrick Motorsports’ lineup—Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman—looks to finally punch a trophy-worthy performance here after near-misses, while the Truck Series and the NASCAR O’Reilly Series also compete at Charlotte. The Cup race is Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET on Prime Video, with practice and qualifying sessions scheduled across Friday and Saturday on FS1 and Prime Video.
Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace and several other NASCAR drivers say the Dover All-Star weekend feels like a normal race rather than a distinct All-Star event as NASCAR’s formats blend into regular competition; they discuss potential future tweaks—from longer runs and different package ideas to fan-involved inversion concepts—highlighting the challenge of keeping the All-Star concept fresh amid evolving weekly racing.
Watkins Glen International marks 40 years of NASCAR Cup Series racing by naming a lineup of former drivers to honorary roles during the race weekend: Ron Fellows as Grand Marshal for Friday events, Joe Nemechek as Honorary Starter for the Truck Series race, Butch Leitzinger as Grand Marshal for Saturday's Mission 200 with Todd Bodine as Honorary Starter, and Geoff Bodine as Honorary Pace Car Driver for Sunday's Go Bowling at The Glen, as the track hosts a Friday doubleheader, Saturday Mission 200, and Sunday Cup action.
Carson Hocevar earned his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Talladega, outlasting Chris Buescher with a late push and celebrating by riding in the car with the window down. Chris Buescher finished second, while Alex Bowman recovered to third after missing races due to vertigo. A 26-car pileup on lap 115 eliminated seven drivers, underscoring Talladega’s chaotic nature, and NASCAR heads to Texas for the next 1.5-mile track with lessons from Kansas in mind.
Chad Finchum surged from 38th on the grid to grab the early lead at Talladega Superspeedway, using a middle-lane charge to move to the front in the NASCAR event.