By Jared Turner When Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers hit the track at Darlington Raceway for Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500, it’s going to feel like the mid-to-late 1980s again. And some other seasons from yesteryear, too. In recognition of the fabled South Carolina track’s third annual “throwback” weekend, drivers’ uniforms and cars will sport retro paint schemes harkening back to the years 1985-1989, with a few exceptions. As the sport moved into the late 1980s, NASCAR legends such as Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace were in their heyday. They and others will be celebrated during the…

By Jared Turner It’s darn near impossible to win a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, a NASCAR XFINITY Series race and a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in the same week. Kyle Busch just hasn’t gotten the memo. Having accomplished the feat at Bristol in 2010, Busch was the only driver in NASCAR history to achieve the three-series sweep in the same week at the same track. With his victory on Saturday night at Bristol, Busch has now done it twice. At the relatively young age of 32, the 2015 Monster Energy Series champion has combined for 180 wins across…

By Jared Turner Some have questioned why Joe Gibbs Racing is dismissing Matt Kenseth to make room for Erik Jones in 2018. With all due respect to Kenseth, one of the sport’s top drivers of past two decades, it’s obvious why JGR isn’t willing to keep the 45-year-old veteran at the risk of 21-year-old Jones getting scooped up by another team. To get an idea of Jones’ talent, look no further than the past two races. He finished third at Michigan two weekends ago and then followed that up with a career-best second-place finish on Saturday night at Bristol, where he led…

By Jared Turner With only Darlington and Richmond left before the playoff field is locked, it’s looking increasingly likely that the 16 drivers currently in position to make the cut will be the 16 drivers who ultimately do. Sure, an underdog could go to Victory Lane in the next two races (see, for example, Trevor Bayne, who in the past two weeks has posted his best finishes of the season), but it’s just not likely. With a whopping 58 points separating Jamie McMurray (the last driver in the playoffs) from Clint Bowyer (the first driver out), it’s going to be nearly impossible…

By Jared Turner Toyota continued its recent hot streak with a superb showing at Bristol, where cars representing the Japanese manufacturer claimed the top four finishing positions and led all but 73 of 500 laps. Toyotas have now won five of the past seven races after winning just once in the season’s first 10 events. Meanwhile, a Toyota driver — Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. — continues to lead the standings and has amassed more race victories, stage victories and playoff points than any other driver in 2017. What makes Toyota’s domination even more impressive? Toyotas account for just six cars…

By Jared Turner Can Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final season get any worse? Apparently so. It certainly did on Saturday night at Bristol. Making his last start at the popular .533-mile short track where he picked up his only win in 2004, Earnhardt Jr. finished an embarrassing 23rd— three laps down. This after qualifying 31st.  Now without a top-10 finish in his last eight starts (he’s posted only four top-10s all year), NASCAR’s most popular driver is faced with the seemingly inevitable reality of missing the playoffs in his final season. Earnhardt Jr. continues to stand by crew chief Greg Ives, whom he…