NASCAR Report NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not return to competition during the remainder of the 2016 season as he continues to recover from a concussion suffered earlier this year.  Hendrick Motorsports officials made the announcement Friday morning, saying that Alex Bowman and four-time series champ Jeff Gordon would split time in the No. 88 Chevrolet for the remaining 12 races of the season. Gordon is scheduled to drive the No. 88 as Earnhardt's replacement this weekend at Darlington Raceway. "I wish I could return to the No. 88 team this season," Earnhardt said in a release provided by…

By Jared Turner Throughout his roller-coaster NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, Tony Stewart has earned a reputation as one of the toughest drivers around. But as tough as the driver nicknamed “Smoke” might be, he’s never conquered the track “Too Tough to Tame.” He’ll get one last chance with the running of Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. “I think people underestimate how much we know about Darlington and the history of that track, and how hard it is to win races there,” Stewart said. “I guess that’s why a Sprint Cup win at Darlington is something that’s really important…

Chase Elliott Shouldn’t Beat Himself Up Sunday’s event at Michigan International Speedway was déjà vu all over again for Chase Elliott, who just like in the June race at MIS finished second after spinning his tires and losing the lead on a late restart. The only difference about this time was that the winner was Kyle Larson, a driver who like Elliott was seeking his first win in NASCAR’s top series. Chase, the son of 1988 Cup Series champ Bill Elliott, was understandably pointing the finger at no one but himself after his latest shortcoming. Let’s hope that Chase quickly moves on…