The checkered flag dropped at Gateway, and there was Denny Hamlin, arms raised in pure celebration. But this wasn’t just another win for the 23XI Racing co-owner.
There wasn’t a lot of drama in the Gateway race. However, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney gave NASCAR fans a little bit. Larson spun Blaney out halfway through the race and afterwards, the two drivers were explaining their respective sides of the situation.
The green flag dropped at Gateway, and for one terrifying moment, it looked like the NASCAR playoffs might get turned upside down. Bubba Wallace sat at the front of the field, ready to lead everyone to the restart that could make or break championship dreams.
A bit of a surprise entry for Corey Heim in the No. 67 car. He will be lining up for the Bristol Night Race this Saturday. Heim has made three starts and four attempts to start this season.
The last month has been mediocre for William Byron and the No. 24 team. The group hasn’t been nearly as quick. Byron, who won the regular season championship, looks sluggish to start the NASCAR Playoffs.
On Lap 135 of Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway, Kyle Larson got into the left rear quarterpanel of Ryan Blaney's No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse, which sent the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion spinning out from a top-five position.
After more than twenty years of NASCAR, Denny Hamlin continues to set the standard. He has accumulated plenty of wins, led teams, and been a constant contender for the championship, and at 44, he isn't slowing down.
Despite another top-10 finish in the NASCAR Playoffs, Christopher Bell was far from pleased as the race came to an end on Sunday. With two of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates winning the first two races of the postseason, Bell is feeling the pressure.
Big news for Sammy Smith. The 21-year-old is returning to JR Motorsports for the 2026 NASCAR season. This will be his third season at JRM as the Xfinity Series turns into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Bill Davis, one of NASCAR’s most influential team owners and the man who launched Jeff Gordon’s stock-car career, has died at 74. Across three decades in the sport, Davis left a lasting mark.
Another week, another NASCAR playoff race, and another episode of “who’s mad at Kyle Larson now?” This time, the unfortunate soul on the receiving end of Larson’s aggressive driving style was none other than reigning champion Ryan Blaney.
Sometimes racing is just plain cruel. One minute you’re chasing your playoff dreams, the next you’re watching them literally burn to the ground. That’s exactly what happened to Jeb Burton at Gateway, and honestly, it was painful to watch.
Try as he might, there was one driver that Bill Davis wanted to keep more than anyone else in his 20-year tenure as a NASCAR team owner. But he couldn’t compete with another more successful and better financed team owner, and the rest became NASCAR history.
Denny Hamlin has been steering through the NASCAR Cup Series for over 21 years and has captured nearly every crown jewel race, though the Cup Championship still slips through his fingers.
Denny Hamlin secured his fifth win of the season and the 59th of his Cup Series career at Gateway on Sunday. The success firmly positioned him in the Round of 12 of the ongoing playoffs.
After finishing third and fifth respectively in Sunday’s race at Gateway, you’d think Chase Elliott and Joey Logano would be feeling good and sitting pretty in the NASCAR Cup playoffs.