CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR Hall of Famer and 1965 Daytona 500 champion Fred Lorenzen died Wednesday. He was 89 years old.NASCAR released a statement that Lorenzen had died and confirmed the death with his family. The cause of death was not given, but Lorenzen had been in poor health for years.In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.One of NASCAR’s first superstars, Lorenzen was known as “Golden Boy” for his rugged, movie-star looks. He won 26 career Cup races and started in 12 seasons from 1956 to 1972.“Fred Lorenzen was one of NASCAR’s first true superstars.…
Author: Les Grossman
Editor’s note: this continue the series in which we review every driver in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in reverse order of championship finish.Summary of the season: Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletTeam leader: Blake HarrisFinal ranking 2024: 9thKey stats: One victory, eight top fives, 17 top 10s, one pole, 67 laps ledHow 2024 ended: After a year away from the NASCAR playoffs, Bowman returned to the 16-driver grid and reached the round of 16. The 31-year-old driver looked set to advance to the round of 16, but his No. 48 Chevrolet was disqualified. of the round finale…
Editor’s note: this continue the series in which we review every driver in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in reverse order of championship finish.Summary of the season: Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota No. 19Team leader: James PetitFinal ranking 2024: 10thKey stats: Five top fives, 11 top 10s, two poles, 555 laps ledHow 2024 ended: Truex finished the year strong, earning back-to-back pole positions at Martinsville Speedway and then for the season finale at Phoenix. Unfortunately for the famous incumbent champion, the results did not live up to the promising debut and he went winless in the second…
Harrison Burton provided one of the most emotional moments of the season when he held off Kyle Busch to win at Daytona in August and earn a playoff spot.The win was the 100th for Wood Brothers Racing and was an uplifting moment for a team that has finished nearly half of the races in points 30th or lower in 2024.Burton’s lack of results led to a driver change for 2025: Josh Berry will drive for the Wood Brothers. Burton, 24, returns to the Xfinity Series, hoping that better results could one day lead to a return to Cup.NASCAR Cup Series…
In his seventh appearance in the NASCAR Xfinity Championship 4, Justin Allgaier won his first series title this season.It wasn’t easy. Allgaier had to overcome two penalties during the championship race. A caution with less than 50 laps remaining in the season put Allgaier back in the lead and on the path to that much sought-after championship.That’s kind of how Allgaier’s season went this year. Things have become easy.NASCAR Xfinity Series championship raceLong: ‘Overwhelmed’ Harper Allgaier sheds tears of joy after father wins NASCAR Xfinity titleJustin Allgaier won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in his seventh title chase.CREW CHIEF:…
In the 31 years since his tragic death, it has become clear that the racing gods cast the mold after Alan Kulwicki’s career ended.He was unique then, and in retrospect even more so.The Wisconsin runner who had perhaps the greatest underdog run to a championship in NASCAR historywould have been 70 years old on Saturday.Let’s look back at the quiet thinker who brought an engineer’s touch to the cockpit of his Underbird, took the Hooters to the race and, along the way, invented the Polish victory lap.GREAT AMERICAN READING: Our Daytona 500 history book is a keeper and, yes, a…
Cole Custer’s attempt to win back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series titles failed, but a one-two finish in consecutive years is impressive.Custer won the regular season title during a season that would see Stewart-Haas Racing cease following the final NASCAR race.Custer has one title and three runner-up finishes in his Xfinity Series career.Custer has made the most of his return to the Xfinity Series and his reward is another chance in the Cup Series in 2025.CREW CHIEF: Jonathan ToneyTEAM: Stewart-Haas RacingPOINTS: 2ndVICTORY: 2 (Pocono, Bristol)LED TOWERS: 779TOP 5: 14TOP 10: 23POLES: 3 (Las Vegas I, Phoenix I, Darlington)WHAT WENT WELL: Won the…
NASCAR race weekends will be different in 2025.In a statement sent Thursday, NASCAR announced that testing and qualifying procedures will be varied the 2025 seasondepending on the type of track they are racing on for the race weekend.The most significant changes for testing and qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series include:Group practice lasts 20 to 25 minutes.Single-lap qualifying at each track except superspeedways, which will always feature a final series of time trials for the 10 fastest cars.Starting position based solely on qualifying results, rather than line-by-line designations according to qualifying group.Cup Series director…
When the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Bowman Gray Stadium next year for the first time since 1971, racing at the comfortable quarter-mile – in keeping with the track’s decades of tradition – should be close. Logistically, NASCAR officials and teams will also get a taste of this theme, which will require some creative thinking to make the procedural ending of the season-opening Clash work properly.NASCAR officials released race weekend schedules for the first five months of the 2025 racing schedule on Thursday, unveiling a new look for practice and qualifying for the three national series. Included was a first…
23XI Racing and Michael Jordan-owned Front Row Motorsports insist in a new court filing Thursday that NASCAR “blames the victims for asserting their antitrust rights” and that both teams should obtain an injunction against NASCAR.There’s a new audience for a case where brazen billionaire party rhetoric has become commonplace.More from Sportico.comOn Wednesday, a federal district court in North Carolina announced that U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney, who last month denied plaintiffs’ first motion for an injunction is no longer assigned to the case. U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell now presides. This decision, taken without explanation, could change the…