Kyle Larson again wins at Las Vegas to keep Chevrolet undefeated on NASCAR season
Kyle Larson won his second consecutive race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday to keep keep Chevrolet undefeated and give Hendrick Motorsports its second victory in the first three NASCAR Cup Series races of the season.
Misty, drizzling day postpones Cup race in Texas on Lap 52
Cars sit on pit road during a red flag period due to misty rain during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)FORT WORTH, Texas โ NASCAR's Cup playoff race in Texas was postponed Sunday night after 52 laps on a misty day that slowly deteriorated to drizzle while it never actually rained before the event was called off. The pandemic-reduced crowd watched Clint Bowyer emerge as the leader with Jimmie Johnson second in the last Texas race as full-time drivers for both veterans. It was fitting that Bowyer and the seven-time series champion Johnson were leading when the race was stopped. The 41-year-old Bowyer, a 10-time winner in 16 Cup seasons and twice a runner-up in Texas, plans to move into the broadcast booth next season.
NASCAR champion returns home mired in 29-race losing streak
LAS VEGAS โ Kyle Busch is in a terrible slump, winless this Cup season and his 15-year streak of at least one victory a year in danger. Las Vegas has rarely been good to him, though, and he's got just one win in 18 career Cup starts. Busch won just once that year and tied a career-low with just nine top-five finishes. Busch needs to be near the front to contend and gets his chance when the green flag flies at Las Vegas. His challengers have been wary about this second round, but Harvick has tunnel vision and is taking it one race at a time.
Hamlin, Michael Jordan partner on NASCAR team for Wallace
(AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ Denny Hamlin has joined Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan to form a NASCAR team with Bubba Wallace as the driver, a high-profile pairing of a Black majority team owner and the only Black driver at NASCARโs top level. The partnership was announced Monday night in coordinated social media posts by Jordan and Hamlin, with Wallace adding his own comment. โHistorically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few Black owners," Jordan said in his statement. Scott's 1964 victory at the Jacksonville 200 is the only win by a Black driver in Cup history. Jordan has twice traveled to the NASCAR season finale to watch Hamlin race for the championship.
Harvick holds off Hamlin for Michigan doubleheader sweep
BROOKLYN, Mich. Kevin Harvick won just about everything he could in a stellar weekend at Michigan International Speedway, although fittingly, Denny Hamlin was the last driver to pressure him. Harvick held off Hamlin on Sunday to complete a doubleheader sweep in the NASCAR Cup Series. With NASCAR running an adjusted schedule because of the coronavirus, both Michigan races were held on the same weekend. That meant Harvick became the first driver since Richard Petty in 1971 to win back-to-back Cup races on consecutive days. Its been a long time since Ive raced back-to-back days, let alone in the Cup car, Harvick said.
Pocono twin bill weekend loses luster with no fans at track
After allowing a small number of fans into races in Florida and Alabama, none will be allowed at this weekend's races at Pocono. The absence stings a bit more this season for a track that first held a Cup race in 1974. Pocono is the site of a Cup Series twin bill, with one race on Saturday, one on Sunday, and the second race comes with a twist. Igdalsky, who said he did not have to lay off or furlough any Pocono employees, never considered asking to move the race weekend in hopes of accommodating fans later. It will be a busy weekend: After an ARCA race Friday, the Truck Series and Cup race were set for Saturday and the Xfinity Series was scheduled Sunday ahead of the second Cup race.
NASCAR vows to do better job addressing racial injustice
The governing body vowed to to do a better job of addressing racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd's death. Our country must do better.A black NASCAR official took a knee along pit road, mimicking a gesture used by protesters in tribute to former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The time is now to listen, to understand and to stand against racism and racial injustice, Phelps said. After Phelps spoke to the NASCAR drivers, they observed a 30-second moment of silence. ___Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963 and find his work at https://apnews.com___More AP NASCAR: https://apnews.com/NASCAR and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports