Nascar news

• Caruth, Gray survive Daytona melee to earn Chase spots

  29-08-2026 01:22 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Joe Gibbs Racing entered Friday night‘s Winn-Dixie 250 Powered by Coca-Cola with three drivers tightly sandwiched around The Chase cutline.After the smoke cleared at Daytona International Speedway, only one of the three — Taylor Gray — survived the battle for the final berths in the NASCAR O‘Reilly Auto Parts Series postseason.RELATED: Unofficial results | At-track photos: DaytonaAfter a deft maneuver through a five-car wreck on Lap 44, Gray fi
  
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• Shane van Gisbergen set to make CARS Late Model debut; Connor Zilisch racing as well

  01-09-2026 23:27 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoThis weekend's CARS Late Model Tour event at Florence Motor Speedway in South Carolina is going to have some very notable entrants. The race takes place on Friday, September 4. The NASCAR Cup Series is racing at Darlington Raceway this weekend, just a few miles down the road from Florence.Shane van Gisbergen will make his CARS Late Model stock car debut, driving the No. 51 Hettinger Racing car with sponsorship from Red Bull. It will be Van Gisbergen's first race after a tough def
  
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• Denny Hamlin defends Ricky Stenhouse Jr. after wrecking Ryan Blaney on final lap

  01-09-2026 23:07 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoNASCAR fans saw a bit of chaos during the final lap at Daytona this weekend, where two wrecks brought out a yellow flag that ended the race before the cars crossed the finish line.A first scrum caught a large numbers of cars, scattering those that got through the wreckage for one final chase to the finish. In that second sprint, the No. 47 of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got into the No. 12 of Ryan Blaney, sliding Blaney into the wall in a second wreck that left the No. 12 to finish in 33
  
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• NASCAR Darlington Weekend Schedule, Weather Forecast: Will Rain Impact the Southern 500?

  01-09-2026 22:55 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  The NASCAR Cup Series Chase begins this weekend at one of the most demanding tracks on the schedule. The weather may add another complication.Darlington Raceway hosts NASCAR’s first postseason weekend of 2026, culminating with the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, Sept. 6. Before the green flag falls, however, teams will be keeping a close eye on a forecast that includes the possibility of showers and thunderstorms on both days of on-track activity.Saturday carries a 60% chance of rain as C
  
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• Tom Cruise talks about his love of NASCAR and the process in creating Days of Thunder 2

  01-09-2026 22:49 via yahoo.com
  Motorsport photoAhead of the NASCAR regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway last weekend, action movie star Tom Cruise confirmed that Days of Thunder, the story of fictional NASCAR driver Cole Trickle, will be back for a sequel in June of 2028. The original film released in 1990, and remains ever-popular among NASCAR fans.Speaking on 'The Pat McAfee Show' in a new interview this week, Cruise confirmed that his character [Cole Trickle]  will be racing again in the sequel, say
  
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• 2026 NASCAR Darlington Entry List: Every Driver Racing in the Southern 500

  01-09-2026 21:48 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  The NASCAR Cup Series field is set for the opening race of the 2026 Chase.NASCAR released the official entry list for Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, with 38 cars entered for the first of 10 races that will decide the Cup Series championship.All 16 Chase drivers are naturally part of the field, led by No. 1 seed Denny Hamlin. But the Darlington entry list also includes two non-chartered cars, expanding the field beyond the usual 36.Corey Heim will make another Cup Ser
  
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• Denny Hamlin Praises Ryan Preece For Improbable Chase Comeback

  01-09-2026 21:38 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Denny Hamlin sung Ryan Preece’s praises after the driver of the No. 60 claimed his first career NASCAR Cup Series win in Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.Preece pulled off a walk-off victory to secure the final spot in the 2026 Chase. Entering Daytona, the RFK Racing driver was 31 points behind Shane van Gisbergen for the last position. As both the caution flag and checkered flag waved over the 2.5-mile track, Preece was a Cup Series winner and cl
  
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• “Nothing in Life Is Easy”- RFK Racing President Drops Defiant Warning Putting JGR on Notice

  01-09-2026 21:33 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  ATLANTA, GA – JULY 09: Chris Buescher 17 RFK Racing Fastenal Ford pulls ahead of Ryan Preece 41 Stewart Haas Racing Sony Mobile ES Ford during the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Quaker State 400 on July 9, 2023 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Atlanta, GA. Photo by Chris McDill/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUL 09 NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon230709001023 ©IMAGO/Icon SportswireRyan Preece’s unlikely victory at Daytona has completely changed the outlook for R
  
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• NASCAR Playoffs Begin With No Mercy: 16 Drivers Face a Brutal 10-Race Chase

  01-09-2026 21:19 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - AUGUST 29: Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Wendy's Watermelon Lemonade Chevrolet, leads the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 29, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) GettyThe NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin Sunday at Darlington Raceway, and 16 drivers enter a 10-race fight with no cutoffs and no reset after a bad week. The 2026 NASCAR playoffs bring back the Chase format,
  
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• "Has To Come From the Top Five"- NASCAR Insiders Write-Off Joey Logano’s Title Hopes Picking Their Championship Favorite

  01-09-2026 21:11 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 15: Joey Logano 22 Team Penske Shell Pennzoil Ford waves to the crowd prior to the running of the 68th NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Daytona 500 on February 15, 2026 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 15 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2602151995500 ©IMAGO/Icon SportswireThree-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano looked like a shadow of his former self 18 races
  
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• Denny Hamlin Says Shane van Gisbergen’s NASCAR Playoffs Exit Was ‘Crushing’ After Daytona Disaster

  01-09-2026 20:59 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  NEWTON, IOWA - AUGUST 08: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Progressive Insurance Toyota, looks on during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway on August 08, 2026 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) GettyDenny Hamlin has described Shane van Gisbergen’s NASCAR playoffs exit as “crushing” after the Trackhouse Racing driver lost the final spot in the 2026 NASCAR playoffs at Daytona International Speedway.Van Gisberge
  
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• NASCAR Playoffs Trouble Looms for Denny Hamlin After Blunt Admission

  01-09-2026 20:18 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - AUGUST 14: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Bob's Discount Furniture Toyota, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 14, 2026 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) GettyDenny Hamlin enters the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs as the No. 1 seed, but his position at the top does not give him any guarantee of success. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has been one of the most consistent drivers this seaso
  
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• “He Needs to Go Retire”- Former NASCAR Team Owner Lashes Out at Short Track Veteran After Baffling Crash

  01-09-2026 19:36 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Sprint Cup Series: Daytona 500-Practice Feb 19, 2011 Daytona Beach, FL, USA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner Tommy Baldwin during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Daytona Beach Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMarkxJ.xRebilas-USAxTODAYxSportsx 5143982 ©IMAGO/USA TODAY NetworkThe NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s return to Stafford Motor Speedway delivered plenty of action. The biggest talk
  
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• Is Denny Hamlin Really the Driver to Beat For the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Title?

  01-09-2026 19:16 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectDenny Hamlin could hardly have asked for a better way to enter NASCAR’s new Chase.Hamlin enters the 2026 Chase as the No.1 seed after one of the strongest regular seasons of his career. He finished with 4 wins, 14 top-five finishes and 17 top-10s, while remaining the only Chase driver without a DNF through the first 26 races.His seventh-place finish at New Hampshire officially locked up the top seed.That gives Hamlin 2,100 points heading into the Chase,
  
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• NASCAR Legend Reveals the “Money Reason” Behind 16-Driver Chase Field

  01-09-2026 19:15 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectNASCAR brought back the 10-race Chase for 2026, but one controversial part of the old system remained: 16 drivers still qualify for the championship.For many fans, that is too many.NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin agrees with part of the criticism. He does not think 16 is ideal either. But he has now revealed to the fans the major reason NASCAR kept the field that large.Money.Mark Martin Reveals the Real Reason Behind 16Martin wanted NASCAR to move away from
  
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• Penske Shakes up Pit Crews Heading into Darlington NASCAR Chase Opener

  01-09-2026 19:07 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectAccording to the NASCAR Roster Portal, Team Penske is making a major change heading into Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the opening race of the 10-race Chase for the Championship.Beginning with this weekend's event at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval in South Carolina, the organization will swap the pit crews that have been performing duties on the No. 2 and No. 12 cars for the entirety of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.Ryan Blaney, wh
  
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• The longest waits in NASCAR history before first Cup Series win

  01-09-2026 19:02 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoThe 210th different winner in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series is Ryan Preece, breaking through in his 249th career start at Daytona International Speedway. The victory came on the same weekend where another Ryan -- Ryan Sieg, earned his first NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series win in his 424th career start. That's a record for the secondary level of NASCAR, but what about Cup?Well, only three drivers have ever run more races than Preece before their first career Cup
  
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• Carson Hocevar defends himself after Daytona disappointment

  01-09-2026 18:41 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoCarson Hocevar was in contention to win at Daytona on Saturday, but when he made what he hoped would be the race-deciding move for the lead, he instead wrecked, bringing out the yellow flag and sending the race to overtime.In the immediate aftermath of the crash, Hocevar seemed somewhat bewildered by how the scene played out."These noses have a lot more lift, and I was a lot tighter on entry and exits with this package. I felt like I needed to make a move to the bottom there
  
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• NASCAR Entry List Darlington: 38 Cup Series Drivers for Cook Out Southern 500

  01-09-2026 18:31 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConnectThe Chase is here for the NASCAR Cup Series, with Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina kicking off the 10-race chase. While only 16 drives are in The Chase, we’ve got a much larger field of drivers in the race this weekend.As per usual, there are 35 full-time Cup Series drivers competing in the race on Sunday. Austin Hill will be in the No. 33 car for Richard Childress Racing, as he has been since the passing of Ky
  
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• 'Were a little bit understated and thats OK': Chris Buescher carves out underdog path to Cup Series Chase

  01-09-2026 18:24 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Brad Keselowski and Ryan Preece showed up early for their RFK Racing team‘s scheduled press conference inside Daytona International Speedway over the weekend. After taking their seats on the podium to await their teammate Chris Buescher‘s arrival — they jokingly made a $1 bet with one another as to the exact minute Buescher would enter the room.And then, as if on cue, the door opened and Buescher quietly and unhurriedly walked in, taking his place on stage alongside the RFK pai
  
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• "I'm Not Gonna Race Then"- Denny Hamlin Admits Flaws in NASCAR’s New Superspeedway Package With Radical Solution

  01-09-2026 17:44 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JULY 25: Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing JGR Toyota GR Camry sits in hit pit box during qualifications for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Brickyard 400 on July 25, 2026 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, IN. Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUL 25 NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon072526013400 ©IMAGO/Icon SportswireThe last regular-season race in Daytona saw the revamped superspeedway package take to the track,
  
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• “I’m Telling You Sir, the Lights Were Green”- Denny Hamlin Drops Bombshell Proof Exposing NASCAR’s Flawed Scoring System

  01-09-2026 16:32 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JULY 25: Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing JGR Toyota GR Camry sits in hit pit box during qualifications for the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Brickyard 400 on July 25, 2026 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, IN. Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUL 25 NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon072526013400 ©IMAGO/Icon SportswireDenny Hamlin had the No. 1 seed secured heading into the Coke Zero Sugar 400, so his finishing pos
  
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• 76 years later: The shared history of Ryan Preece and NASCAR's forgotten champion

  01-09-2026 15:15 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photo2026 has been a fun season for NASCAR fans interested in numerology, specifically in relation to race-winning car numbers.Tyler Reddick was the first driver to ever win the Daytona 500 with the No. 45, while it also became the 31st different car number to win NASCAR's biggest race.Shane van Gisbergen finally got to drive his No. 97 in the Cup Series, and was the first driver in 21 years to win with it at the highest level of the sport.Carson Hocevar was just the third driver to e
  
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• Team Penske swaps Nos. 2, 12 pit crews before The Chase begins

  01-09-2026 14:53 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Team Penske has swapped the pit crews of its Nos. 2 and 12 teams driven by Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney, respectively, before the start of The Chase presented by Mobil 1, a team spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.Blaney and the No. 12 team enter the NASCAR Cup Series Chase as the No. 2 seed, 25 points behind series leader Denny Hamlin. However, his pit crew through Daytona ranked just 32nd of 35 full-time teams, according to NASCAR Insights.MORE: Chase standings | Darlington scheduleCindric and th
  
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• Denny Hamlin Says NASCAR Took Daytona “In the Right Direction” After New Package Change

  01-09-2026 12:45 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Aug 15, 2026; Richmond, Virginia, USA; Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin (11) before the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. © Greg Atkins-Imagn ImagesDenny Hamlin shared a positive review of the new Daytona package that debuted on Saturday. In the latest episode of ‘Actions Detrimental,’ Hamlin explained how it allowed drivers to be more aggressive on overtakes.Hamlin was one of the drivers who helped spearhead the updated rules package. The new body had lower horsepower and a
  
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• Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx: A friendship that has endured for almost 60 years

  01-09-2026 10:06 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoMario Andretti and Jacky Ickx were remarkably versatile even by the standards of their generation, competing and succeeding across multiple disciplines. Having won some of the biggest prizes in motorsport between them, both can look back on their journeys with immense pride. But competition was only one part of the story, and the relationship Andretti and Ickx built stands out from the rest in motor racing.So, when the two joined Motorsport.com on a video call for a special
  
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• 17-year-old leads all laps in Tri-County Speedway win

  01-09-2026 05:59 via sports.yahoo.com
  Tri-County Speedway hosted the Sunbelt 280, Saturday August 29 in front of a packed grandstand.Mexico City, Mexico driving sensation Diego Mendez-Torres started from the pole and led all 75 laps to win his first feature at Tri-County.Points leader Charlie Watson and Hudson Sharp took turns challenging the 17-year-old, but both came up short. Sharp finished second in front of 2025 track champion Landon Huffman. Cameron Bolin was fourth ahead of Ryan Zina. Slade Parsons, Watson, Kaden Ballos, Nath
  
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• Ryan Blaney furious after getting turned by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Daytona: 'What the f***'

  01-09-2026 03:02 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  Motorsport photoRyan Blaney was heading towards a strong result at Daytona on Saturday.Blaney had gotten through the initial chaos that wrecked a large portion of the field during the final lap and was racing towards the finish line.But before he could get there, Blaney got spun, with the No. 47 of Ricky Stenhouse Jr making contact with the No. 12 and sending him into the wall, bringing out the caution that ended the race.RYAN PREECE IS A NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNER!! pic.twitter.com/e1SjHoVH1
  
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• Daytona win a career changer for Preece

  01-09-2026 02:17 via sports.yahoo.com
  Ryan Preece is a hard-driving, blue collar driver who throughout his racing career has had to continually prove he belongs in highest level of professional motor sports competition.Preece's determined and highly competitive victory in Saturday evening's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway certainly proved the likeable New Englander belonged in NASCAR Cup Series competition, but more importantly was a career building win for Preece in several ways.First, Preece overcame what many clai
  
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• What Happens to NASCAR Drivers Who Don’t Make the Chase? Everything You Need to Know

  31-08-2026 23:57 via sports.yahoo.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JULY 25: Brad Keselowski, driver of the #6 Body Guard by Fastenal Ford, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) GettyFor the drivers who made the NASCAR Chase, the final 10 races of the season come with a shot at the Cup Series championship.For everyone else, the championship dream may be over. Their season isn’t.That’s one
  
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