NASCAR Cup Series

U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient David Balestrino Jr. has been named honorary starter for the Pure Michigan 400 being held this Sunday, August 18, at Michigan International Speedway. Balestrino was the winner of a fan contest on the Pure Michigan Facebook page, receiving the highest number of votes for his entry on why he wanted to wave the green flag on race day.

No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. contended for the victory Sunday at Watkins Glen International en route to a third-place finish. The result catapulted the Michael Waltrip Racing driver from 14th to 10th place in the standings with just four races remaining until the Chase.

No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry driver Clint Bowyer heads to Michigan International Speedway for this weekend’s 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup race with a 110 point lead over 11th place in the standings with four races remaining before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Being involved in the Chase mix with four races to go before the NASCAR playoffs begin, Kurt Busch’s current aim is to find a happy medium at Michigan International Speedway, site of Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 Sprint Cup Series event.

Watkins Glen Recap: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) paid a visit to the Finger Lakes region of New York and Watkins Glen International over the weekend for the second and final road course race of the season. The McDonald’s Monopoly team planned on a strategy to conserve fuel and make the 90-lap race on just two pit stops. With solid pit work and the benefit of late cautions the strategy resulted in an 11th-place finish.

Johnson finished eighth at Watkins Glen, posting his series-best 15th top-10 result. His lead in the Sprint Cup point standings is 75 over Clint Bowyer.

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is and always will be an aspect of NASCAR that is constantly evolving. Since the playoff system’s inception in 2004, the Chase has seen a change in tracks, cars, point systems, the number of drivers allowed in it, and the introduction of the wild card system.

No race track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit has been kinder to No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver Mark Martin than Michigan International Speedway where he’ll race Sunday for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Denny Hamlin finished 19th in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, avoiding a pair of late race wrecks to score a top-20 finish in the 90-lap event won by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. Hamlin started 20th in the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota and was unable to make up ground in the early going, battling a loose race car throughout the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course.

Stenhouse made his first Sprint Cup start at MIS in June finishing 16th after the rookie was forced to pit early due to debris on the grille. Before the cycle of pit-stops circled through an untimely caution flew one lap later leaving Stenhouse at the tail end of the field.