
Articles

Zane Smith Begins 34th At Phoenix On Sunday
Zane Smith hopped into the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports car for this weekend's race at Phoenix. Predictably, he begins Sunday 34th for the United Rentals Work United 500 from Phoenix Raceway. Smith's only NASCAR Cup race was at Gateway last year. He began 32nd and survived his way up to 17th. Could Smith do […]
Chris Wassel
Cody Ware Begins Last On Sunday
Cody Ware had issues throughout practice and qualifying on Saturday. The Rick Ware Racing driver begins the United Rentals Work United 500 in 36th place. Ware and his No. 51 Ford was more than a full second off the pace of Kyle Larson. Worse, only B.J. McLeod ended up worse in practice on Friday. The […]
Chris Wassel
B.J. McLeod Begins Sunday From 33rd Position
B.J. McLeod starts from near the back again on Sunday for Live Fast Motorsports. McLeod qualified more than 0.55 seconds off from the pole of Kyle Larson. He could advance past the first round again and will start Sunday 33rd. McLeod's career best finish on the mile-long track was 27th in 2021. All four qualifying […]
Chris Wassel
Brad Keselowski Qualifies Fourth At Phoenix
Brad Keselowski held the Ford flag proudly in qualifying on Saturday. The RFK Racing driver starts the United Rentals Work United 500 fourth on Sunday. Keselowski's No. 6 Ford was a mere tenth of a second off from Kyle Larson's pole qualifying time (27.642 seconds). With the debut of this new short-track package, it will […]
Chris Wassel
Josh Berry Qualifies 17th For Phoenix On Sunday
Josh Berry got a little more used to the No. 9 Chase Elliott car from Hendrick Motorsports this week. As a result, Berry begins 17th on Sunday. He will be right next to Alex Bowman, also from Hendrick. Berry only tested at five and ten-lap intervals with a slow down of about a tenth of […]
Chris Wassel
Justin Thomas Consistent As The Players Championship Looms
Justin Thomas revisits his second greatest PGA triumph this weekend at TPC Sawgrass. The American golfer won the title two years ago by a stroke over Lee Westwood. Since then, Thomas went on to win the PGA Championship. 2023 has seen the golfer finish in the top 25 in all five events. He just needs […]
Chris Wassel
Tom Kim Tries To Find Putter At TPC Sawgrass
Tom Kim finished in the top six at The American Express. Since then, the South Korean golfer has shot 11 out of 12 rounds at 70 or worse. Things looked promising going into the weekend last week then a 76 happened. Kim never truly recovered until late in the final round. His putting has fallen […]
Chris Wassel
Cameron Young Feeling Ready For TPC Sawgrass
Cameron Young fired a 67 on Thursday last week at the Arnold Palmer. There were quite a few experts who believed he could win the tournament. The American golfer did not exactly deliver but still netted a top-ten result. Young has not missed the cut in seven appearances this season. While the final three rounds […]
Chris Wassel
Corey Connors Tries To Keep Rolling At TPC Sawgrass
Corey Connors shook off two bad tournaments in a row to nearly end up in the top-20 last weekend. The Canadian golfer finished tied for 21st despite shooting 75 and 72 over the final two rounds. Part of that is because of putting. Yes, Connors ranks 145th on tour losing 0.26 strokes compared to the […]
Chris Wassel
Russell Henley Desperate For A Boost At TPC Sawgrass
Russell Henley managed to make the cut at the Arnold Palmer last week. However, a slew of missed putts and errant shots dropped him to a tie for 53rd at +2. Seven of his previous eight rounds have ended in the 70's also. The American golfer heads to The Players Championship needing to gain some […]
Chris Wassel
Billy Horschel May Yo-Yo At The Players Championship
Billy Horschel headed into 2023 with three top-10 results in his final four events. Since then, Horschel has played up-and-down golf. In his last six tournaments, the American golfer has missed the cut three times. Off the tee, Horschel has lost 0.472 strokes, which ranks 185th on the tour. Even worse, his driving distance has […]
Chris Wassel
Christopher Bell Rounds Out Top Five At Las Vegas
Christopher Bell expected to contend at Las Vegas and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver did just that. The No. 20 Toyota rode near the front up with Bubba Wallace. That got him into the overtime scramble. However, Bell never could get to the Hendrick cars as he never got past Wallace. In the end, Bell's […]
Chris Wassel
Bubba Wallace Finishes Fourth At Las Vegas Sunday
Bubba Wallace figured he could have a good race car for Las Vegas. Kurt Busch mentioned this as such last year. The 23XI Racing driver rode that parlay to a fourth-place finish on Sunday. While Wallace and his No. 23 car never led a lap, he was near the front through most of the final […]
Chris Wassel
Alex Bowman Completes Hendrick Motorsports Podium Sunday
Alex Bowman was the forgotten Hendrick Motorsports driver on Sunday. Bowman started 11th, but moved his way up the field during the final stage of the Pennzoil 400. However, he could not get past his two teammates. Bowman finished third behind Kyle Larson and winner, William Byron, by 0.766 seconds. The No. 48 car did […]
Chris Wassel
Kyle Larson Settles For Second After Unexpected Caution
Kyle Larson appeared poised to win again at Las Vegas on Sunday. The Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver was up by more than two seconds on the field. Then, lap 267 saw the caution come out. From there, Larson got beat out of the pits by William Byron. The No. 5 never could catch up to […]
Chris Wassel
William Byron And His Pit Key To Win At Las Vegas
William Byron and his pit crew delivered when it mattered most. The Hendrick Motorsports driver got the perfect pit stop on Sunday. That came from a lap 267 incident involving Aric Almirola. Byron was able to inch out of the pits past teammate Kyle Larson. From there, Byron surged past Martin Truex Jr. in the […]
Chris Wassel
Michael McDowell May Slip A Few Spots At Vegas
Michael McDowell may continue his pattern of starting in the middle of the pack then sliding back on Sunday. The Front Row Motorsports driver lost about four or five spots in each race on the Las Vegas track in 2022. He would hold out to get closer to the front and then fade later in […]
Chris Wassel
Erik Jones Looking For Good Fortune At Las Vegas
Erik Jones has enjoyed hit-or-miss results at Las Vegas Motor Speedway the past two seasons. The Legacy Motor Club Chevy qualified 22nd on Saturday. Jones and his No. 43 car have an eighth- and 10th-place finish. The eighth-place showing in the fall was the third time Jones finished that high on the 1.5-mile intermediate track. […]
Chris Wassel
William Byron Likes Spring In Las Vegas
William Byron performs very well in Las Vegas, especially in the Spring. The Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver has consecutive top ten results (5th last year). He was second after Stage 1 and fourth after Stage 2. Byron did not fall off that much at any point. The No. 24 Chevy qualified second on Saturday just […]
Chris Wassel
Kevin Harvick May Lurk Around Top Ten Sunday
Kevin Harvick has a way of sticking around the top ten positions at Las Vegas. Over the past eight races, the Stewart-Haas driver has finished in the top twelve seven times. That includes seven instances where Harvick was eighth or better after Stage 2. The No. 4 Ford was seventh in practice but qualified 14th. […]
Chris Wassel
Ryan Blaney Again Looking For Win In Las Vegas
Ryan Blaney was strong like Team Penske teammate Joey Logano in practice and qualifying. Blaney will start third on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The No. 12 Ford turned in 29.2 and 29.3 second laps in practice (second overall) then did about the same in qualifying. Blaney is getting closer as far as speed […]
Chris Wassel
Christopher Bell Starts Tenth On Sunday At Vegas
Christopher Bell was not the fastest Toyota on Saturday in qualifying. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver did inch into the top ten but some expected a result closer to the pole. Bell even turned in laps in practice only in 12th. That was three tenths of a second off the pole pace. Bell seemed a […]
Chris Wassel
Bubba Wallace Might Have Something To Show Sunday
Bubba Wallace qualified 13th for Sunday's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, in last year's Fall race, the 23XI Racing driver was in Kurt Busch's car and that mattered. Wallace won the first stage and led 29 laps before an accident ended his day. The No. 23 driver improved on the Vegas intermediate track […]
Chris Wassel
Austin Cindric Steady In Qualifying For Las Vegas
Austin Cindric was right around the top-ten when it came to times in practice. His laps were in the low to mid 29's and his Team Penske car was gaining speed. As the track warmed up for qualifying, the No. 2 Ford managed to end up ninth at 29.401 seconds. That was a bit over […]
Chris Wassel
Martin Truex Jr. Starts Back In 15th For Sunday
Martin Truex Jr. begins Sunday 15th at Las Vegas on Sunday. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver thought he may have a top-ten car in qualifying (25th in practice). However, some early issues with speed ended that notion quickly. The No. 19 Toyota is a top-ten merchant on the intermediate track with five top-ten results in […]
Chris Wassel
Corey Lajoie Makes Most Of Spire Car Saturday
Corey Lajoie starts in the middle of the pack for Sunday's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Lajoie qualified 19th after finishing practice in 28th. The No. 7 Chevy seemed to gained speed for Spire Motorsports and his qualifying lap reflected that confidence. Lajoie is a veteran who knows NASCAR tracks well. He has […]
Chris Wassel
Noah Gragson Starts 25th On Sunday At Las Vegas
Noah Gragson got to qualify in his own race car this weekend. The Legacy Motor Club driver had to hop into Alex Bowman's No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports car last October. That was because Bowman suffered a concussion. Gragson was able to pilot that car to an 11th-place result (started 17th). Gragson's No. 42 Chevy was […]
Chris Wassel
Justin Haley Struggles With Chevy On Saturday At Vegas
Justin Haley and his Kaulig Racing car struggled again at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday. He will begin Sunday 27th for the Pennzoil 400. The No. 31 car slipped from 21st in practice and did not get faster like other cars around him in qualifying. Haley did show an ability to move up last […]
Chris Wassel
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Trying To Recreate 2020 Vegas Magic
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. starts Sunday 16th for the Pennzoil 400 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The JTG-Daugherty Racing driver lost some crucial tenths around Turn 3 and Turn 4. If not for that, Stenhouse Jr. might have started close to ninth like last March. His No. 47 Chevy looked rather fast initially but seemed to […]
Chris Wassel
Harrison Burton Starts 35th After Smacking Car Saturday
Harrison Burton had one of those days in his Wood Brothers Racing Ford on Saturday. He smacked the prime No. 21 car head on and immediately knew the backup car was needed for Sunday. As a result, Burton will start the Pennzoil 400 from the back row (35th) Sunday afternoon. He had finished 26th and […]
Chris Wassel