August 6, 2017 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service FOR ROOKIE DANIEL SUÁREZ, TOP-10 RUNS ARE BECOMING ROUTINE WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Daniel Suárez didn’t seem particularly elated about finishing third at Watkins Glen International, even though he had just achieved a career best in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Perhaps that’s because the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender is growing accustomed to success. Consider this: Suárez received a battlefield promotion into the Monster Energy Series when Carl Edwards announced his sudden, unexpected exit from the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the offseason. After a rough start to…

August 6, 2017 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – At a track where his father raced, and a track where he was a “garage rat” as a child, Martin Truex Jr. won Sunday’s I Love New York 355 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race by slowing down over the closing laps. Truex let Brad Keselowski pass him for the lead on Lap 77 of 90. On instructions from crew chief Cole Pearn, Truex also let Ryan Blaney past his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota on Lap 83. All the while, Truex was saving fuel, with Pearn calculating…

August 5, 2017 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – With a victory in Saturday’s Zippo 200, Kyle Busch continued to tick items off his bucket list. Recovering from a wheel-hop and spin in Turn 1 on Lap 17 of 82 along with a penalty for driving through too many pit boxes, Busch claimed his first NASCAR XFINITY Series win at the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International road course, beating polesitter Joey Logano to the finish line by 1.049 seconds. “The cars have really been working for me here and it just feels so good to finally win an XFINITY…

Just Sayin’ It’s Time For All Of Hendrick Motorsports To Rally Behind Junior With five races to go before the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff field is set, Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne have already secured playoff berths. A third Hendrick driver, Chase Elliott, is in position to make the playoffs based on points despite having not gone to Victory Lane in 2017. The only Hendrick driver not in position to reach the playoffs? Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has struggled mightily in this his final Cup season. Earnhardt, of course, is NASCAR’s 14-time most popular driver, so it…

‘Rowdy’ Achieved Multiple Milestones With Pocono Victory Make no mistake about it: Kyle Busch’s victory on Sunday afternoon at Pocono was far from “just another win.” In addition to it marking Toyota’s 100th triumph in NASCAR’s top series, the win was also Busch’s first of 2017 and his first in 26 starts at the “Tricky Triangle.” There’s now only one track — Charlotte Motor Speedway — where Busch has yet to win a points-paying race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, although he did capture the non-points-paying All-Star Race at Charlotte earlier this year. Busch, one of NASCAR’s fiercest competitors, is…

Sometimes Rubbin’ Really Is Just Racin’ When Kyle Busch made contact with the bumper of Kevin Harvick as the two battled for the lead in the final laps at Pocono, it was natural to expect Harvick to be angry. After all, Harvick and Busch have a bit of a checkered history together. But with Busch celebrating in Victory Lane, Harvick was notably chill about the bump that ultimately landed him a second-place finish. “The only chance I had (to keep the lead) was to get into the corner correctly,” Harvick said. “I got in there and was loose all the way through…