NASCAR Cup Series

Hooters has expanded its association with 12-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports with a new contract that extends its primary sponsorship of driver Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team for three years.

We know some things. In these times, some folks do not seem to know anything, but we do. Brad Keselowski is advancing to the next round. After Saturday night in Richmond, it should be confirmed that Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch will be joining him. I feel pretty confident about Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano about now.

It was a tough day for Kevin Harvick last Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as he crashed on Lap 147, crushing his day and resulting in a 39th place finish.

NASCAR today announced that Steve Phelps has been named NASCAR President, effective October 1, 2018. Brent Dewar has elected to step down and will remain with the company through the end of the 2018 racing season, transitioning to a senior consulting and advisory role in 2019.

Brad Keselowski earned his third consecutive win Sunday in Las Vegas and, also for the third consecutive time, hoisted the trophy without leading the most laps. His No. 2 Team Penske Ford team has obviously figured out how to be out front when it matters most. In the last five races, he’s had three victories and a runner-up at Michigan.

Richard Childress Racing's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Richmond International Raceway ... Richard Childress has nine Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories as a car owner at Richmond International Raceway - five with Dale Earnhardt, three with Kevin Harvick and one with Clint Bowyer. Additionally, in 169 starts at the Richmond, Va.-based track, RCR drivers have claimed 37 top-five and 69 top-10 finishes. Childress, a former driver on NASCAR's senior circuit, contributed three of those top-10 finishes from 1976-1978.

The drama of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is building to a crescendo with the Sept. 30 Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL™. With slightly more than a week until the cutoff race for the first round of the playoffs – contested on Charlotte’s innovative, 17-turn, 2.28-mile ROVAL™ – drivers are preparing for a challenge like no other on the NASCAR schedule.

Kenseth will make his 37th career MENCS start at Richmond on Saturday. In 36 previous races at the 0.75-mile track, Kenseth has two wins, six top-fives, 16 top-10 finishes, three poles and an average finish of 16.8.

Las Vegas Recap: Denny Hamlin was forced to retire early from Sunday’s NASCAR Playoffs kick-off race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, collecting a 32nd-place finish after sustaining significant damage to his #11 FedEx Ground Toyota during a spin in the closing laps of the 267-lap event. Hamlin started Sunday’s race third and battled tight conditions early on, falling outside the top-10 as Stage 1 continued under green. He went on to finish the first 80-lap segment in 15th, then fluctuated position throughout Stage 2 to ultimately cross the line 14th as the segment concluded.

Now it gets real. There is no argument as to whom the contenders are, and who are the pretenders. Say what you will, but even though there might be forty cars on the track, only 16 matter.