NASCAR Cup Series

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the No. 17 Zest Ford Fusion, was involved in a single car incident during the opening 10 minutes of the first practice session at Pocono Raceway Friday morning.

We have been watching our sports on television for decades. Baseball, football, basketball, and (for Canadians, at least) hockey coverage began in the 1950's. NASCAR did not arrive as part of the national television consciousness until much later.

Each track on the NASCAR circuit is special. They all have a uniqueness to them that separates them from the rest of the pack. Some tracks produce more exciting racing then others, but all of them are special in their own way. Which track is the best? Well, NASCAR fans would give you a million answers to that question, but I give my answer to that question in this week’s Favorite Five.

“He was as good as they come,” Petty said. “There have been very few guys who had more confidence in what he could do than Herb. He was so strong-minded that he ‘willed’ his wins and what he was doing on the track. He was going to beat the guys on the track no matter what was going on. That was his mind set.”

FOX Sports and NASCAR solidified their future together last October when they announced a multi-platform, multi-series media rights agreement through 2022. Today, less than 10 months later, the two organizations announced they have extended that agreement, which begins in 2015 and runs through 2024.

Summer is almost over. Fall is around the corner. Before we know it, the Goody’s™ Headache Relief Shot™ 500 Powered by Kroger will be roaring into view.

Fastenal, the longtime sponsor of Carl Edwards in the No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion, will adorn the hood of both NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide cars this weekend. Fastenal will return to the track at Pocono Raceway with Edwards as the primary partner, while Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne will run the No. 6 Fastenal Mustang at the US Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway.

Johnson controlled the Brickyard 400 until a slow pit stop late in the race likely cost him any chance at the win. He finished second behind Ryan Newman and still maintained a healthy led in the Sprint Cup point standings.

No. 15 Toyota Let’s Go Places Camry crew chief Brian Pattie is looking to see vast improvement from his team’s 15th-place finish in its last visit to Pocono Raceway. Pattie has high expectations for his team, but knows there is still work to be done before heading into the final 10 race stretch to determine a champion.

Biffle has 21 Sprint Cup career starts at Pocono. Earlier this season Biffle started 13th and worked his way to a second-place finish at Pocono.