By Jared Turner Kyle Busch started Sunday’s race red hot, thanks to wins in two of the past three weeks. He finished Sunday red hot, too — literally. After smacking the wall multiple times and struggling throughout, a 29th-place finish proved to be the least of Busch’s concerns when, immediately after the race, he laid down on the ground and had to be treated for a heat stroke. Thankfully, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver turned out to be OK. “After I first tore it up, it was just a handful from there,” Busch said of his damaged car. “Literally as soon as…

By Jared Turner Even though Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finished relatively well the past two races when comparing them to most of 2017, NASCAR’s 14-time most popular driver is none too pleased about missing the playoffs in his last season of full-time racing. Asked at Charlotte Motor Speedway if missing the playoffs actually enabled him to enjoy the season’s stretch run more than he otherwise might, Earnhardt Jr. was quick to squash the suggestion. “I think that the fans would be having more fun if we were racing for the championship, and then I would be having more fun interacting with them…

By Jared Turner Since moving to NASCAR’s top series and taking over the iconic No. 24 Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports at the beginning of 2016, young Chase Elliott has yet to win a race. But the second-generation driver has sure proven he knows how to finish second. Elliott made it six runner-up finishes on the season and eight for his Monster Energy Series career by coming home the bridesmaid once again as Martin Truex Jr. took the checkered flag in Sunday’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “It’s frustrating to run like this,” said Elliott, who proved no match for…

By Ben White Jimmy Holder, secondary transporter driver for Roush-Fenway and driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., was introduced to NASCAR through his uncle, a longtime crew member for seven-time champion Richard Petty and Petty Enterprises. “My uncle, Donald Holder, was in NASCAR in the late 1960s and early 1970s and worked for Richard Petty,” Jimmy said. “Everyone called him, ‘Duck’. He worked with the Pettys for years and years, and they remained friends until my uncle passed away.” Since the age of 18, he has held a commercial driver’s license. His passion wasn’t about the shape or make of the bodies of the…

By Ben White For nearly 70 years, Wood Brothers Racing has built the iconic No. 21 into one of the most successful car numbers in NASCAR history. Late into the 1965 season, team owner Glen Wood fielded the team’s customary maroon and white paint scheme on a second entry out of his Stuart, Va. shop. His choice of driver was fellow Virginia native Curtis Turner, a longtime popular star that had been banned from NASCAR since 1961 due to a dispute with its founder, Bill France Sr., over driver unionization. As a way to boost attendance, France finally agreed to reinstate Turner…

By Joseph Wolkin As Ben Rhodes attempts to advance through the playoffs, the 2014 K&N Pro Series East champion is looking to use lessons he learned in the past to move forward. Now, the ThorSport Racing driver is hungry for a Camping World Truck Series title. What does it mean to make the playoffs? “The playoffs are the pinnacle of the season. Everybody tries to make the playoffs. It’s the part of the season that’s the make-or-break point. If you don’t make it, your year is over. You don’t have a shot to run at the championship anymore. Now that we’re in…