Cheddar's 300 Nascar Free Online Live Streaming ,September 17,Friday 2021

 Cheddar's 300 online free live streaming 2021 high quality(HD) broadcast on Friday ,September 17, Track: Bristol Motor Speedway. Watch NASCAR Cheddar's 300 free live stream online Race on any device .You can follow to Watch NASCAR Cheddar's 300 free live streaming from here details below.

BRISTOL — Only five points separate AJ Allmendinger and Austin Cindric as the battle for the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season championship will be settled Friday at the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Allmendinger, the Cup Series veteran whose career has been revived in the Xfinity Series, leads the standings in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. It’s a familiar place for Allmendinger, who made his first-ever Cup Series start at Bristol in 2007 and a place where he has Cup 21 starts overall.

This will be his second start in the Xfinity Series on the high banks. Despite no top-five finishes at Bristol, it’s one of Allmendinger’s favorite tracks.

I’m pumped, but as always, a bit nervous to go to Bristol,” said Allmendinger, a three-time winner this season. “It’s where I made my first Cup Series start, so that race track will always be special. It’s one of those races that you know from start to finish you’re going to be in a grind and be in traffic. It’s a difficult race, but I think we will be really fast there.”

Cindric, the defending Xfinity Series champion in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, feels he’s owed at Bristol after leading 42 laps at last year’s Food City 300 before Chase Briscoe passed him for the win with five laps to go.

“I certainly have unfinished business at Bristol based on last year, so I’m pretty hungry,” Cindric said. “Forget about the points. We’ve got to go out there and try to win the race.”

Cindric leads the series with five wins this season, but the hottest driver of late is Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. He comes into Bristol with back-to-back wins at Darlington at Richmond.

Gragson has one win at Bristol, albeit controversial, when he got into teammate Justin Allgaier to win the 2020 Cheddar’s 300. He’s not focused on that, but how his team is hitting its stride.

“The No. 9 team has been unloading fast Camaros all year and we’re really trending in the right direction,” Gragson said. “Hopefully we can make it a third win this weekend and enter the playoffs on a high note.”

Allgaier, the series veteran in the No. 7 Chevrolet, scored his first Xfinity Series win at Bristol in 2008. Since then, he’s posted nine top-five finishes and led 764 laps, but has come up short on multiple occasions.

I love racing at Bristol. It’s a place that has really suited my driving style over the years and I feel like we have always unloaded with a car that is capable of going to victory lane,” Allgaier said. “We’ve just had circumstances not go our way. Hopefully, all will go well on Friday night and we can be in contention for the win and end this regular season on a strong note.”

Other playoff drivers include Harrison Burton, Daniel Hemric and Brandon Jones from Joe Gibbs Racing and Kaulig Racing shoes Justin Haley and Jeb Burton. Jeremy Clements and Riley Herbst should be locked in, while Myatt Snider leads Michael Arnett for the final playoff spot.

Sam Mayer, who swept Truck and ARCA races in 2020, will be in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevy. Ty Gibbs, a three-time winner in the Xfinity Series this season, controls the always-fast No. 54 Toyota.

Former Kingsport Speedway champion Chad Finchum from Knoxville is entered in the No. 61 Toyota. It will be just the sixth start of the year for Finchum, who finished 15th his last race at Charlotte.

LTi Printing 250 Free Online Live Streaming ,August 21,Saturday 2021

 LTi Printing 250 online free live streaming 2021 high quality(HD) broadcast on Saturday ,August 21, Track: Michigan International Speedway. Watch NASCAR LTi Printing 250 free live stream online Race on any device .You can follow to Watch NASCAR LTi Printing 250 free live streaming from here details below.

 LTi Printing 250 online free live streaming 2021 high quality(HD) broadcast on Saturday ,August 21, Track: Michigan International Speedway. Watch NASCAR LTi Printing 250 free live stream online Race on any device .You can follow to Watch NASCAR LTi Printing 250 free live streaming from here details below.

Big Machine Vodka 400 Free Online Live Streaming ,August 15,Sunday 2021

 Big Machine Vodka 400 online free live streaming 2021 high quality(HD) broadcast on Sunday ,August 15, Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Watch NASCAR Big Machine Vodka 400 free live stream online Race on any device .You can follow to Watch NASCAR Big Machine Vodka 400 free live streaming from here details below.

Kevin Harvick earned his first checkered flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2003 with a 2.758-second victory over Matt Kenseth at the Brickyard 400, becoming the first to win the annual Cup Series race from the pole.

Harvick did the same at the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line (yes, that’s an actual race name) in 2019, leading 118 of 160 laps on the way to a dominant 6.118-second win over Joey Logano. He became the third driver with three victories at the track with a narrow .743-second win over Kenseth in 2020.

Jimmie Johnson won 83 races over the course of his 20-year career in the Cup Series, four of which came at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a seven-year span. He took his first checkered flag at the 2006 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, which ended under caution.

In 2008, the year of the big tire controversy, Johnson edged Carl Edwards by .332 seconds to notch his second victory at the track and became the race’s first back-to-back winner in 2009 with a .400-second win over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin. His fourth win in Indy came in 2012 as he led 99 of 160 laps on the way to a 4.758-second victory over Kyle Busch.

Jeff Gordon has the most NASCAR Cup Series wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with five

Jeff Gordon following his victory at the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Jeff Gordon following his victory at the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Chris Trotman/Getty Images

As mentioned, Jeff Gordon, then just 23 years of age and in only his second full season in the Cup Series, won the inaugural running of the Brickyard 400 in 1994, which featured the largest crowd in NASCAR history. Gordon took the lead late after Ernie Irvan blew a tire and held on for a .53-second win over Brett Bodine.

In 1998, Gordon won his second Brickyard 400, which ended under caution, and took his third checkered flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2001 with a .943-second win over Sterling Marlin. The “Rainbow Warrior” dominated in 2004 to pick up win number four, leading 124 laps before again winning under caution. Gordon then went a decade without a win in Indy, although he finished inside the top 10 seven times during that stretch, but became the first five-time winner at the track with a 2.325-second victory over Kyle Busch in 2014.

Stats courtesy of Racing Reference

RELATED: Who Has the Most NASCAR Cup Series Wins?

 

Tags: MOTORSPORTS

As mentioned, Jeff Gordon, then just 23 years of age and in only his second full season in the Cup Series, won the inaugural running of the Brickyard 400 in 1994, which featured the largest crowd in NASCAR history. Gordon took the lead late after Ernie Irvan blew a tire and held on for a .53-second win over Brett Bodine.

In 1998, Gordon won his second Brickyard 400, which ended under caution, and took his third checkered flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2001 with a .943-second win over Sterling Marlin. The “Rainbow Warrior” dominated in 2004 to pick up win number four, leading 124 laps before again winning under caution. Gordon then went a decade without a win in Indy, although he finished inside the top 10 seven times during that stretch, but became the first five-time winner at the track with a 2.325-second victory over Kyle Busch in 2014.

Go Bowling At The Glen Free Online Live Streaming ,August 08,Sunday 2021

Go Bowling At The Glen online free live streaming 2021 high quality(HD) broadcast on Sunday ,August 8, Track: The Glen, Time: 3 p.m. ET. Watch NASCAR Go Bowling At The Glen free live stream online Race on any device .You can follow to Watch NASCAR Go Bowling At The Glen free live streaming from here details below.

After a two-week Olympic break, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season returns to the track with Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen. It’s the first of 14 straight weeks of racing, including the final four races of the regular season before the playoffs get underway.

Here’s what we know about how the NASCAR postseason field is shaping up. Nine drivers have guaranteed themselves a spot, provided they start the final four races of the regular season: Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. It’s a breakdown of the sport’s Big 3 teams: Ford’s trio of Team Penske drivers, Chevrolet’s Hendrick Motorsports quartet and two from Toyota’s Joe Gibbs Racing.

Another four drivers sit in the “should be in” category: Kurt Busch, Christopher Bell, Michael McDowell and Aric Almirola. Each of them has one win and would only be vulnerable if at least three new winners pop up in the final four regular-season races. Right now, the sport has 13 different winners; if we get to 16, one of these drivers could be eliminated as winless point leader Denny Hamlin is guaranteed a spot.

Hamlin is in a weird position, sitting with zero victories after winning seven times in 2020. While he can’t be caught by any other winless driver, Hamlin sits just 13 points ahead of Larson. That leaves the door slightly open for the No. 11 team to fall out if there’s three new winners in the final four races and Larson captures the regular-season championship.

Kevin Harvick and Tyler Reddick round out the current 16-driver field as it stands. Both drivers are winless, Harvick being another surprise in that category considering he captured a career-best nine victories last year. Harvick’s been running better as of late, leading a season-high 66 laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway before the break, but isn’t known as a road course specialist.

That could be a problem with two of the final four regular-season races on this track type: Sunday at Watkins Glen along with one later this month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Reddick hopes a decent road course record this year (two top 10s in four starts) will help pad his five-point edge over Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon for the final spot.

Dillon’s the only driver capable of catching Harvick or Reddick on points. For all others seeking a road to the playoffs, from Chris Buescher to Bubba Wallace, the formula is simple: they have to win. That’ll be a tall order this weekend at a track where Chase Elliott has dominated the past two events here, leading 132 of the last 180 laps. Elliott has already won two road course races in 2021 and will be looking to add an eighth career victory on this track type, leaving him one behind Jeff Gordon for the most all-time.

How these underdog drivers play their pit strategy is key to determining the upset. The Glen comes with a 50-lap final stage where you’ll have to make at least one stop. Opportunities to tweak your car are limited, as this track has had no more than four cautions in any race during the stage era.

Will Elliott continue his road course domination in western New York? Or will a driver desperate for a postseason bid pull off a big surprise?

Who’s at the Front: Aric Almirola

The sport is still buzzing from Almirola’s out-of-nowhere trip to victory lane two weeks ago. Earning just two top-10 finishes in the first 21 races this year, Almirola was suffering through the worst season of his career entering New Hampshire.

Not anymore. Almirola charged from his 22nd starting spot, eventually leading 25 laps in a race that was shortened due to pending darkness. He earned his win the hard way, on raw speed and quieted Silly Season rumors he’d be replaced at the No. 10 Ford of Stewart-Haas Racing next season. It’s just the third career win for Almirola and his first outside of the big pack racing superspeedways of Daytona and Talladega.

Who’s at the Back: William Byron

It’s been all downhill for Byron after winning the pole at Road America for the July 4 race. Since then, runs of 33rd, 20th and 21st equal the worst slump of the season for a driver who racked up 11 straight top-10 finishes earlier this year.

Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 Free Online Live Streaming ,July 18,Sunday 2021

Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 online free live streaming 2021 high quality(HD) broadcast on Sunday ,July 18, Track: NHMS, Time: 3 p.m. ET. Watch NASCAR Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 free live stream online Race on any device .You can follow to Watch NASCAR Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 free live streaming from here details below.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway will mark the 22nd race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season with this weekend’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301. It’s a track where three drivers have combined to win five of the last six races: Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin.

At this time a year ago, that trio sat 1-2-3 in the Cup standings, winning 13 of 21 races while mastering a minefield of COVID-19 complications. Harvick went on to win a career-high nine times, cruising to the regular-season points title while Hamlin posted seven victories of his own. Keselowski won four times and came 2.74 seconds short of a second Cup title, finishing runner-up to Chase Elliott at Phoenix Raceway.

How quickly momentum can shift in this sport.

Here we are, 12 months later, and that trio has won a grand total of once, at Talladega Superspeedway with Keselowski. Harvick is suffering through his worst season since switching to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, on pace for a career low in laps led (39) while slumping to ninth in the point standings. A man who made five of the first six Championship 4s under NASCAR’s current playoff format could potentially miss the postseason altogether with three upsets down the stretch.

Hamlin is also winless, weakening as the year has progressed. The current point leader came out of the box swinging, posting eight top-5 finishes in the first nine races. But never closing the deal eventually took a hit to the No. 11 Toyota team’s confidence. Hamlin’s led just 76 laps the past dozen races while watching his advantage shrink from over 100 points to just 10 over Kyle Larson.

Keselowski is in a trickier spot, announcing next week he’ll be leaving Team Penske to become part-owner of Roush Fenway Racing in 2022. The No. 2 team has been Penske’s flagship for decades but now must deal with the pending distraction of transitioning to a new driver in Austin Cindric. Can this veteran keep the team motivated, making one last push after posting only one top-5 finish over the past 10 races?

New Hampshire comes at a good time for this group, a unique one-mile oval in the final regular-season stretch. The track shares a few characteristics with Phoenix, the championship finale but otherwise has limited use as a testing ground for playoff-bound drivers. The sport’s hottest team, Hendrick Motorsports, has struggled at this place through the years; the last HMS driver to win New Hampshire was Kasey Kahne way back in 2012.

We’ve just seen another struggling driver, Kurt Busch, complete a recent turnaround with an upset at Atlanta Motor Speedway. New Hampshire has the potential to occasionally surprise, gifting Joey Logano his first win as a rookie in 2009 and Brian Vickers his final Cup victory four years later.

So for Hamlin, Harvick, Keselowski and other drivers on the playoff bubble, the time to strike is now. Looking ahead past the two-week Olympic break, two of the final four regular-season races are on road courses, where Chase Elliott has dominated. Michigan International Speedway plays right into Kyle Larson’s wheelhouse. And placing your bet on the Daytona International Speedway finale is like throwing all your money on one number of the roulette wheel. It’s just too unpredictable.

We’ll see if New Hampshire is where old favorites come back to make new memories.

Related: Starting Lineup for Sunday's Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Foxwoods Resort Casino 301

Date: Sunday, July 18

Time: 3 p.m. ET

Track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Loudon, N.H.)

TV: NBCSN

Radio: MRN, SIRIUS XM Channel 90

For Busch, it was the most laps led for him in any race since 2015. He’s now won a Cup race in eight straight seasons while making the playoffs 12 times in the last 13 years. Not a bad resume to sell to perspective employers as rumors swirl about where Busch will end up in 2022.

Who’s at the Back: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

JTG Daugherty Racing has to be kicking themselves over what might have been. Stenhouse produced their most consistent season over the first half of 2021, leaving them on the fringes of playoff contention through 15 races. Since then, it’s been three DNFs over his last six starts (two engine failures and a crash not of his making at Atlanta) to leave him a distant 21st in the standings.

Unless there’s a Daytona miracle here, it’s hard to see Stenhouse on the right side of the cutline at this point. What does that mean for his employment with JTG Daugherty come 2022?

Quaker State 400 Free Online Live Streaming ,July 11,Sunday 2021

Quaker State 400 online free live streaming 2021 high quality(HD) broadcast on Sunday ,July 11, Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Time: 3:30 p.m. ET. Watch NASCAR Quaker State 400 free live stream online Race on any device .You can follow to Watch NASCAR Quaker State 400 free live streaming from here details below.

As NASCAR heads back to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 this weekend, its first race of 2021 was a reminder of how, once upon a time, someone knew how to beat Kyle Larson down the stretch at an intermediate track. Back in March, Ryan Blaney used lapped traffic to sneak past Larson and lead the last nine laps at this 1.54-mile quad-oval, handing Ford their fifth straight victory at AMS.

Here’s the problem: Blaney hasn’t won since. The Blue Ovals have been feeling blue for some time now, going 10 straight races without a Cup Series victory while slipping into a distant third in the manufacturer’s race. One of their top programs, Stewart-Haas Racing, sits winless one year after Kevin Harvick torched the series for a career-high nine victories. Barring a miracle, SHR will send just one driver to the NASCAR playoffs (Harvick) three years after planting four inside the Round of 8.

That leaves Ford’s hopes almost exclusively in the hands of Blaney’s Team Penske operation. The three-car team of Blaney, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski went on a run in the spring, winning three times in a five-race stretch. But they sit winless since Talladega Superspeedway at the end of April, watching Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports program run circles around the rest of the competition.

The last couple months for us probably haven’t been the smoothest as far as needing a little bit of overall speed,” Blaney said. “You go through those rough patches during your season and you just hope to clean them up by playoff time.”

It hasn’t helped to have a circus-like atmosphere of distractions, rare for a team known for its professionalism and driver longevity. Keselowski has all but announced his departure for 2022, moving on to become a part-owner at Roush Fenway Racing. Blaney’s crew chief, Todd Gordon, announced his retirement after the season. Speculation’s run wild on Penske’s replacement and whether the Team President’s son, Austin Cindric, will take over the No. 2 car or replace a struggling Matt DiBenedetto at Penske’s satellite program, the Wood Brothers.

It’s created an outside appearance the team is struggling to keep its act together. That’s where AMS becomes a real test. Larson has been dominant at this track type, leading 84 percent of all laps run at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway. His victories at those tracks were by an average of over seven seconds.

Kyle Busch has had the speed lately to run with the HMS pack, scoring a victory at Pocono Raceway in June and running third to Chase Elliott at Road America last weekend. But Ford remains hard-pressed to find its own challenger, failing to put a single driver inside the top 5 at Road America.

That’s where Blaney steps in, the Blue Oval crowd’s top 20-something talent at the Cup level. In five full-time seasons, he’s never won more than a single race per year. Sweeping AMS would work wonders in rebuilding confidence for a Penske program getting outhandled and outmotored for three solid months.

“This weekend will be a really good idea to see where we stack up,” Blaney said. “Going back to a place where we won at and was really competitive – to kind of see where we stack up now with us probably thinking we need a little bit of speed.”

Can Blaney, Joey Logano or another Ford driver step into the void? Or will HMS, after seven wins in the last eight races, continue to drive off into the sunset?

Related: Starting Lineup for Sunday's Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Quaker State 400

Date: Sunday, July 11

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway (Hampton, Ga.)

TV: NBCSN

Radio: PRN, SIRIUS XM Channel 90

Who’s at the Front: Chase Elliott

There’s no better medicine for Elliott after a rough month of June than his favorite track type: road courses. Cruising to victory at Road America July 4, the first Cup race at the track in 65 years, Elliott now has posted seven of his 13 career wins at this track type. Only Jeff Gordon (9) and Tony Stewart (8) have more career victories on road courses in NASCAR history.

The key for Elliott is everywhere else: he’s led just 67 laps on ovals this season. But with the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL a playoff race, it feels like he’ll automatically punch a ticket into the Round of 8.

Who’s at the Back: Ty Dillon

Cutting back to a part-time schedule this season, Dillon has just a handful of opportunities to shine. The hope was driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series would rebuild his confidence, translating into the handful of Cup starts he has for Gaunt Brothers Racing.

It hasn’t happened. Dillon was 26th at Road America, his worst finish of the year for GBR. In nine combined NASCAR starts this year, he has just one top-10 finish. Remember, that includes NXS equipment that’s won multiple times with Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs.

Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip Free Online Live Streaming ,July 04,Sunday 2021

 Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip online free live streaming 2021 high quality(HD) broadcast on Sunday ,July 04, Track: Road America, Time: 2:30 p.m. ET. Watch NASCAR Cup Series Race free live stream online Race on any device .You can follow to Watch NASCAR Cup Series Race free live streaming from here details below.

The Jockey Made in America 250? On July 4th? What a jarring change for NASCAR tradition as the 2021 schedule shakeup continues. For over 50 years, the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway took center stage for Independence Day weekend. The aptly named season midpoint proved the perfect pairing for America’s birthday celebration.

Road America is out to change that, the 4.048-mile road course hosting its first Cup race this weekend since 1956. NASCAR is so excited about the partnership they’re already pushing a repeat appearance before any drivers step foot on the racetrack. It’s the fourth of a record-setting seven road courses on the docket as the sport tries to incorporate more diversity in 2021.

It’s also the latest in NASCAR’s sizzling summertime of changes, Silly Season moves and new races popping up at a frenetic pace. In just the last two weeks alone…

- The first NASCAR races at Nashville Superspeedway since 2011 were held (including the first-ever Cup event).

After 20 years, Chip Ganassi sold his two-car Cup operation to Justin Marks and partner Pitbull at Trackhouse Racing. Keep in mind Trackhouse was simply an idea on paper this time a year ago.

- NASCAR Xfinity Series owner Matt Kaulig purchased two Cup charters from Spire Motorsports in order to race full-time in Cup next season. Spire and driver Corey LaJoie says the team might turn around and buy back a second charter from somebody else (they still have one left).

- Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he is actively seeking a charter for JR Motorsports in Cup next season but claims he needs “$10 million+” as the cost of entry skyrockets in advance of the Next Gen car.

- NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon left his role at FOX Sports to become vice chairman at Hendrick Motorsports (and the de facto successor to owner Rick Hendrick down the line).

All that and we’re less than two weeks into the summer. Several Silly Season questions have yet to be answered, from charter purchases to who will drive the flagship No. 2 Ford at Team Penske in 2022.

How will the flurry of NASCAR news continue up at Road America? The central focus will be on the last two road course winners, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. Six of Elliott’s 12 career victories have come at left and right-turn tracks, including this year’s inaugural event down in Austin (Circuit of the Americas). Larson struck back at Sonoma Raceway, part of his month-long win streak that left him surging to second in the standings, just two points behind Denny Hamlin.

Will any of the road course ringers break their stranglehold at this track type? AJ Allmendinger will jump over from the NASCAR Xfinity Series, seeking his first Cup victory since 2014 at Watkins Glen International. Then, there’s teammates Kurt Busch and Ross Chastain who hope to bounce back from Ganassi’s shocking sale with an upset victory that catapults them off the bubble and into the NASCAR playoffs.

Will Allmendinger, Austin Cindric and other NASCAR Xfinity Series competitors have an edge in the Cup race? NXS has raced Road America since 2010 while no Cup full-timer was even born the last time this series raced here. A Cinderella story would inject life into a NASCAR division that’s stalled out at 11 winners as of late (just one new one in the last eight races).

Fireworks will surely ensue at a road course where contact is the norm, not the exception. Expect this Independence Day 62-lapper to be one of the better NASCAR races you’ll see this year.

Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip

Date: Sunday, July 4

Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

Track: Road America (Elkhart Lake, Wis.)

TV: NBC

Radio: MRN, SIRIUS XM Channel 90

Who’s at the Front: Kyle Busch

Busch posted a 1.5 average finish in last weekend’s Pocono Raceway doubleheader, culminating in a Sunday win where he outlasted everyone else on fuel mileage. He nursed a broken clutch to the finish where his No. 18 Toyota ended the race with only fourth gear. It was quite a stroke of luck, as any caution flag or extra stop for gas would have ruined his chance for the victory.

That said, Busch still feels like Joe Gibbs Racing has a long way to go to catch up to their championship rivals. It’s the first race won by anyone outside Hendrick Motorsports since Martin Truex Jr. was victorious at Darlington Raceway Mother’s Day Weekend.

“There was a Hendrick car that was going to win, right?” Busch claimed about his Pocono triumph. “Or looked poised to have victory without being short on fuel. I don’t know that we necessarily outdid them anyhow. We were just in a little better situation than they were.”

Who’s at the Back: Chris Buescher

Four races ago, Buescher looked like a playoff lock. Now, he’s on the outside looking in after a sudden surge from Kurt Busch knocked Buescher out of the final spot. Runs of 16th, 36th, 20th and 19th the last three weeks allowed Busch to gain 86 points.

Sunday was the biggest disappointment for Buescher, starting from the pole only to lose 18 spots over the course of the race. Can he turn it around with three road courses, not his bread and butter, in the final seven events of the regular season?

News Briefs

The turmoil at Team Penske continues as crew chief Todd Gordon announced his retirement this week. Gordon, currently paired with Ryan Blaney, earned a NASCAR Cup championship with Joey Logano back in 2018. He stated a desire to spend more time with family after racking up 23 career Cup victories atop the pit box.

NASCAR has chosen to discontinue eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational events for the rest of 2021. These virtual races, popular during the pandemic, waned in popularity this year as COVID-19 restrictions eased across the country. Underdogs like James Davison and Timmy Hill briefly gained notoriety in the series for winning these events as computerized equipment leveled the playing field.

SRX continues its strength in the ratings versus NASCAR. The latest edition of the new series Saturday night at Eldora Speedway was watched by 1.38 million on CBS, falling just short of the 1.44 million that watched the Pocono Raceway Cup race on NBCSN the following day.

NASCAR by the Numbers

5th

Finishing position for Bubba Wallace Sunday at Pocono, the first top-5 finish (and top 10) for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing in its short history.

5

Straight top-15 finishes for Daniel Suarez and Trackhouse Racing, allowing Suarez to close within 48 points of the final playoff spot. By comparison, Suarez went without a single top-15 result in a full season for Gaunt Brothers Racing last year.

Playing the Odds (Fantasy Spin)

Top Tier

It’s going to be impossible to squeeze Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. into one daily fantasy lineup. These three are so head-and-shoulders above the pack you need two of them on your list to cash in.

Related: Best Road America Drivers for DraftKings

Personally, I like Elliott and Larson. Despite limited Road America experience for both, they’ve won the last two road course races between them. Larson remains red hot despite a Pocono bump in the road while Elliott is eager to tack on more wins (and playoff points) before the postseason begins in September.

Middle Tier

Here’s where it gets interesting. Christopher Bell has struggled since a win at the Daytona road course back in February. Could Road America spark a turnaround? He won an Xfinity Series race here back in 2019, before a full-time transition to Cup and has the experience to be successful.

Kurt Busch has a fourth and sixth-place finish among his three road course starts this season. Road America offers an opportunity to keep the momentum rolling while auditioning for a 2022 ride after the Chip Ganassi sale to Trackhouse Racing. Remember, Busch has won a race for seven straight seasons and these new tracks are the type of scenario where the 2004 Cup champion can surprise.

Lower Tier

Cole Custer has had an absolute disaster of a sophomore season with Stewart-Haas Racing. But past history at Road America (three top-10 finishes in three NXS starts) leaves some hope for a season-best performance. No one’s thinking of Custer as a road course expert, making him a sneaky pick for the back end of your roster.

AJ Allmendinger and Austin Cindric are road course ringers from NXS that are fairly obvious picks. Allmendinger has an average finish of 6.0 in two Cup starts this year, running a season-best fifth his last time out at Circuit of the Americas. Cindric was impressive in that same COTA event, leading four laps early from his third starting spot. The reigning NXS champ is due for his first top-10 finish in a Cup car.

What Vegas Thinks

Chase Elliott leads the way with 9/4 odds to win Road America according to vegasinsider.com. Kyle Larson is a close second, sitting at 3/1 with Martin Truex Jr. third at 7/1. Those drivers are far ahead of the rest of the field.

Michael McDowell, a former Road America winner in NXS, is sitting at 66/1 if you’re looking for a Cinderella story.

What I Think

I’ll go with Chase Elliott to get back to his winning ways on road courses, fending off AJ Allmendinger for his second victory of the season.

— Written by Tom Bowles, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network and the Majority Owner of NASCAR Web site Frontstretch.com. He can be reached at tbowles81@yahoo.com or on Twitter @NASCARBowles.

TAGSNASCARNASCAR CUP SERIES

BY TOM BOWLES