NASCAR Cup Series

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Pocono Raceway, and discussed the restart at Dover and other topics.

There is no doubt that one of NASCAR’s greatest charitable partnerships has been with Autism Speaks, an organization devoted to helping those impacted by autism. But with the diagnosis on the rise, including one in 88 children affected, NASCAR has helped Autism Speaks find an even stronger voice.

Not only did Jeff Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 AARP Credit Cards from Chase Chevrolet, have a record-setting day at the Monster Mile with a third place finish, but he also set a record in his drive to end hunger.

After an appeal made by the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society, the appeal has been denied and plans to build a new speedway in Fort Erie, Ontario are to continue as planned.

The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is 13 races old and we now have a fairly clear picture as to which manufacturer has an edge on the competition. There is a great disparity between all three makes which isn't surprising considering that this is a brand new car. Joe Gibbs Racing is by far the best team winning five races this year and dominating many more.

Axalta Coatings Systems, formerly DuPont Performance Coatings, not only launched its new brand this week, it today announced a three-year contract extension with the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team through 2016.

For a small team like the one owned by veteran NASCAR driver Joe Nemechek, sponsorship literally keeps his race car on the track. So for this season Nemechek’s No. 87 Nationwide and Cup cars are being fueled by a new relationship with, of all things, a tea company.

Pocono is where those with the big boy (and girl) pants run this Sunday, though Joey Logano got his hands on a plane. He will be flying off seeking his second straight Nationwide win Saturday, this time in Iowa.

After last weekend’s triple-header at Dover International Speedway, the three national series go their separate ways this weekend with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series headlining at Pocono Raceway, the NASCAR Nationwide Series heading to the Midwest for a Saturday night showdown at Iowa Speedway, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicking off the weekend in the Lone Star State with their race on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.

No one in chase history has made up the kind of deficit Hamlin faces and made the playoffs at this point of the schedule so Denny's chances seem slim to none. On the other hand, no driver the caliber of Denny Hamlin has ever found themselves in this kind of position 13 races into the season. Hamlin is very fast and will win this year but will it be enough to grab a wildcard spot?