Hamlin respects NASCAR punishment for crass anti-Asian meme
Denny Hamlin said someone sent him a crass anti-Asian meme that poked fun at Kyle Larson's driving and out it went without a care — from his mobile phone to Twitter. “I thought it was hilarious," Hamlin said. NASCAR and scores of fans and casual observers who lashed out at Hamlin for linking Larson's ancestry — he's half Japanese — with an offensive stereotype linked to Asian drivers certainly didn't find the meme funny.
news.yahoo.comToo soon: Truex Jr. not ready to consider NASCAR future
Martin Truex Jr. left Richmond Raceway a winner in his last visit to the Virginia short track, a playofff victory last September that helped him get into NASCAR's championship round and showed the veteran has plenty left in his tank. The 41-year-old Truex is in the final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and hasn't decided how long he wants to continue his career. There is no wait-and-see going on with Truex, who in his 17th full Cup Series season is grappling with NASCAR's new Next Gen car.
news.yahoo.comKeselowski confident he can recover from huge NASCAR penalty
Brad Keselowski was optimistic he can overcome a knee-buckling penalty that potentially ended any championship chances a mere five races into his first season as a Cup team owner. NASCAR this week said an inspection at its North Carolina facility uncovered an illegal modification to the No. 6 Ford — a major infraction under tightened rules for the new Next Gen racecar. The Next Gen is primarily a spec car comprised of vendor-supplied parts and NASCAR will not permit any tinkering.
news.yahoo.comColumn: Time for Hamlin to put up or shut up in title race
It's time to put up or shut up, Denny Hamlin. Long recognized alongside Mark Martin as the greatest NASCAR driver to never win a championship, Hamlin gets a fifth try Sunday to at long last grab that elusive Cup Series title. Johnson sliced Hamlin's points lead by more than half to 15 points that day, but more importantly he stripped Hamlin of his confidence headed into the finale.
news.yahoo.comWhat code? NASCAR drivers lament lack of on-track etiquette
Tensions are high at every level of NASCAR as its grueling, 11-month season enters the homestretch with three weeks remaining to crown three series champions. All eyes had been on feuding drivers Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick, but NASCAR last week demanded the they knock it off — a directive that sucked all the drama out of what could have been a nail-biting rivalry capable of derailing Elliott's shot at a second consecutive Cup Series title. Are drivers taking too many risks trying to make it to the championship round?
news.yahoo.comColumn: The hate follows Bubba Wallace on his biggest day
It's been nearly 16 months since Bubba Wallace was waiting out a rainstorm in his motorhome in the Talladega Superspeedway infield when NASCAR informed its only full-time Black driver that a noose had been found in his garage stall. Wallace never saw the noose, never even stepped foot in the garage. It wasn't Wallace who called in the FBI — NASCAR did that — and from what he'd been told, Wallace was led to believe he'd been the victim of a hate crime.
news.yahoo.comTruex leads 1-2-3 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing at Richmond
Martin Truex Jr. assumed the lead when Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch was penalized for speeding with about 50 laps to go and won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday night. The victory was the third for Truex in the last five races at Richmond. Truex led a 1-2-3 finish for JGR — the sixth in its history — with Denny Hamlin finishing second and Christopher Bell third.
news.yahoo.comKurt Busch has multiyear deal with 23XI Racing, eyes charter
Kurt Busch has a multiyear deal with 23XI Racing, the NASCAR team owned by basketball great Michael Jordan and fellow driver Denny Hamlin. Hamlin released more details Saturday about the new partnership and said he is in the final stages of securing a charter for Busch's No. 45 Toyota in 2022. Without one, Busch would have to qualify for every race.
news.yahoo.comHuge underdog Michael McDowell wins Daytona 500, bypassing fiery final lap pileup
Daytona Beach, Florida — Somebody had to make a move to win the Daytona 500, and maybe Michael McDowell would have pulled out of traffic to take his shot at a monster upset. It was the journeyman's first career NASCAR Cup Series win in his 14th season, notes CBS Sports. "Such a great way to get a first victory - a Daytona 500. Denny Hamlin was trying for a record third-consecutive Daytona 500 victory, and the team he started with Michael Jordan was debuting with driver Bubba Wallace. "I wanted to make the pass to win the Daytona 500 and it ended up really bad," Keselowski said.
cbsnews.comHuge underdog Michael McDowell wins Daytona 500, bypassing fiery final lap pileup
Daytona Beach, Florida — Somebody had to make a move to win the Daytona 500, and maybe Michael McDowell would have pulled out of traffic to take his shot at a monster upset. It was the journeyman's first career NASCAR Cup Series win in his 14th season, notes CBS Sports. "Such a great way to get a first victory - a Daytona 500. Denny Hamlin was trying for a record third-consecutive Daytona 500 victory, and the team he started with Michael Jordan was debuting with driver Bubba Wallace. "I wanted to make the pass to win the Daytona 500 and it ended up really bad," Keselowski said.
cbsnews.comMichael Jordan and Bubba Wallace's new NASCAR team could be the sport's 'Tiger Woods' moment
John Harrelson | Getty ImagesIt's been an interesting few weeks for Michael Jordan. Jordan is the first Black majority owner of a full-time racing team in the NASCAR series since legendary driver Wendell Scott. Jared C. Tilton | Getty ImagesCompelling partnershipIn a press release announcing the move, Jordan expressed excitement in becoming a NASCAR team owner and mentioned its struggle with diversity. That could only help his NASCAR team solicit other sponsorships. "If you're a corporation, wouldn't you want to support Michael Jordan and Bubba Wallace as they try to promote positive change?"
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