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Articles
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Bubba Wallace Qualifies A Career-Best 19th At Phoenix
Bubba Wallace had never started in the top 20 at Phoenix. On Saturday, Wallace still finished the worst out of the Toyota cars. However, the 19th place start represents some solid progress for the 23XI Racing driver. Wallace has only finished on the lead lap three times in his career on the mile-long track. The […]
Chris Wassel 2 years ago
Ty Gibbs Begins 14th For Joe Gibbs Racing On Sunday
Ty Gibbs qualified a respectable 14th for Joe Gibbs Racing on Sunday afternoon. Gibbs did sweep the pole and victory for the Xfinity race at Phoenix last Fall. It would be nice to see the No. 54 Toyota slide upward on Sunday. There are two more Toyota's in front of him (Tyler Reddick and Martin […]
Chris Wassel 2 years ago
Austin Dillon Begins Way Back In 30th Sunday
Austin Dillon thought he might have a faster car at Phoenix for Sunday. That was not the case as Dillon's No. 3 Chevy begins in 30th place. The Richard Childress Racing driver could not the same speed out of corners as Kyle Busch (who ended up 8th in qualifying). Dillon has two top-ten results on […]
Chris Wassel 2 years ago
Alex Bowman Settles Into Middle Of Pack At Phoenix
Alex Bowman and his Hendrick Motorsports car will start in 18th on Sunday at Phoenix. He will be right next to Josh Berry. Bowman and his No. 48 Chevy could not go fast enough to get into the final round of qualifying on Saturday. Normally, Bowman is just OK on these type of shorter tracks. […]
Chris Wassel 2 years ago
Corey LaJoie Looks To Move Up Sunday At Phoenix
Corey LaJoie starts 28th at Phoenix on Sunday for Spire Motorsports. LaJoie has an average finish of 16.7 in three races this season in the No. 7 Chevy. Can the driver replicate what he pulled off last Fall? LaJoie placed nine spots higher at the season ending event at Phoenix (started 27th, finished 18th). Typically, […]
Chris Wassel 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago
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 2 years ago