Kyle Busch Optimistic about his Chances at Charlotte

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries/ABC Toyota, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 6, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo - Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries/ABC Toyota, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 6, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo – Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Kyle Busch has won a points race at every active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series track with only two exceptions: Pocono and Charlotte.

But that could change on Saturday night – at Charlotte, at least – If Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota lives up to the expectations of the defending series champion. Even though Busch has never won in 25 starts at Charlotte, he’s always been quick under the lights at the 1.5-mile track. Continue reading

Carl Edwards Expects JGR Cars to Close the Gap on Martin Truex Jr.

Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Carl Edwards and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates have high expectations in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – if only they can catch a certain “rabbit.”

The hare in question is Martin Truex Jr., who drives the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota, which maintains a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, and like JGR, gets its engines from Toyota Racing Development (TRD).

Truex won two of the three races in the Chase’s Round of 16 and, appropriately, has earned the designation as favorite for this year’s championship. Even though Truex finished 7.527 seconds ahead of JGR’s Kyle Busch last Sunday at Dover, Edwards says the JGR cars aren’t far behind. Continue reading

Suarez Dominates at Dover to Advance in XFINITY Chase

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With a dominant car that opened leads of more than six seconds after the final restart on lap 152 of 200, Daniel Suárez won Sunday’s rain-delayed Drive Sober 200 at Dover International Speedway and earned a spot in the Round of 8 in the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase.

The Mexican-born driver grabbed the top spot from eventual third-place finisher Justin Allgaier on lap 155 and quickly pulled away. Ty Dillon passed Allgaier for the runner-up spot in the closing laps but finished 5.625 seconds behind Suárez, who won for the first time at Dover and the second time this season. Continue reading

XFINITY Race Rainout Means Sunday Doubleheader at Dover

DOVER, DE - OCTOBER 01: Cars are seen parked on pit road after the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive Sober 200 was postponed due to weather at Dover International Speedway on October 1, 2016 in Dover, Delaware. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

DOVER, DE – OCTOBER 01: Cars are seen parked on pit road after the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive Sober 200 was postponed due to weather at Dover International Speedway on October 1, 2016 in Dover, Delaware. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Rain forced postponement of Saturday’s Drive Sober 200 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Dover International Speedway and put several Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers on the horns of a dilemma.

NASCAR will run a doubleheader on Sunday, with the XFINITY Series event rescheduled for 10 am ET (on CNBC), with the Citizen Soldier 400 Sprint Cup race, scheduled for 2 pm ET (NBCSN), to follow. Fans with tickets to either race will be admitted for both. Tickets are available at NASCAR.com/tickets. Continue reading

XFINITY Series Chase Favorite, Erik Jones Looking for a Rebound at Dover

Photo - Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

After leading the NASCAR XFINITY Series point standings for most of the season, Erik Jones now finds himself ninth in the point standings after the first race in the series’ inaugural Chase and outside the cutoff of the top-eight Chase qualifiers to advance to the next round. Jones is just three points behind Blake Koch on the cutoff line after a late wreck at Kentucky relegated him to a 28th-place finish, The good news is that Jones will have two chances to advance his position before this round ends at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, October 7th.

Starting with the Drive Sober 200 at Dover International Speedway on Saturday, October 1st, Jones and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team have some confidence because of their win earlier this season at the same track. Jones has enjoyed his season up to this point and knows he has a team that can deliver.  Continue reading