As he has for the first four years of his full-time career in the NASCAR Cup Series, Erik Jones finds himself in an iconic ride for the 2021 season. However, this time it will not be a Joe Gibbs Racing ride but rather the No. 43 made famous by Richard …

In the hierarchy of multicar NASCAR Cup Series organizations, the label of best overall team seems to rotate pretty regularly. Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing have all laid a pretty solid claim to the top pedestal in recent years. However, in terms of total team success, it …

Is Phoenix Raceway the right track again for the NASCAR finales next year? Luken Glover: While the spring NASCAR Cup Series race was good, the championship event wasn’t quite as exciting. There were some good battles among the championship drivers, but behind them we didn’t see a lot of action. …

Top Dog Bubba Wallace stood atop the underdog pile when the final checkered flag waved on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. After a tumultuous season of ups and downs, Wallace put a period on his tenure in the Petty No. 43 with a 15th-place finish. He ran as high as seventh, …

Looking back at the Martinsville Speedway race in the NASCAR Cup Series, would you have officiated anything that happened there any differently? Or did the race play out as it should have? Luken Glover: Chase Elliott asked the question, “What more could you ask for?” in his post-race interview. He …

1. 1985 Bill Elliott won plenty of races and money and even earned a couple really cool nicknames in 1985. But the big prize eluded the red-headed Georgia leadfoot that year. Elliott came into 1985 having won a total of four NASCAR Cup Series races during the previous two seasons, …

Under-the-radar moves can sometimes have the biggest impact. The NASCAR silly season brings lots of changes, and while some moves are flashier than others, sometimes it’s the ones that don’t make all the headlines that result in a team’s success. Most of the moves people pay attention to are when …

Top Dog John Hunter Nemechek was back on top of the underdogs on Sunday as the rookie driver finished 17th in the Hollywood Casino 400. Nemechek earned his only career Xfinity Series win at Kansas Speedway, so perhaps we should have seen this coming. Not only that, but his first …

Top Dog Road courses at the top level of NASCAR are something of an equalizer. A good driver can elevate the performance of an entire team even without the benefit of top notch equipment or research data. So it’s a logical assumption that at least one or two underdogs will …

Top Dog As usual, a NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway resulted in a “Big One.” No, not just a big crash, though there were plenty of those. I’m referring to a big group of underdog teams scattered throughout the top half of the finishing order. Leading the line …