NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR issued the following statement Monday afternoon: “Brian France has taken an indefinite leave of absence from NASCAR as chairman and chief executive officer. Effective immediately, NASCAR Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President Jim France has assumed the role of interim chairman and chief executive officer.”

“I apologize to our fans, our industry and my family for the impact of my actions last night. Effective immediately, I will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from my position to focus on my personal affairs.”

Brian France will take an indefinite leave of absence, after he was arrested for drunk driving and illegal possession of Oxycodone, according to Sag Harbor Village Police. Jim France will take over as the interim Chairman and CEO of NASCAR.

This week should have been a good week in NASCAR. Chase Elliott, the second coming of Dale Earnhardt Jr., finally won a Monster Energy NASCAR...

We've had six weeks of positive energy from great racing and a truly momentous victory by possibly the most popular driver in NASCAR today. And what is the big story nearly 24 hours removed? It's the arrest of the sport's leader for drunk driving.

Chase Elliott led two different times in his No. 9 Sunenergy1 Camaro ZL1 for 52 of the 90 circuits around the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen road course en route to his first career Monster Energy Cup Series victory in the GoBowling at the Glen, the 22nd-race of the 2018 campaign. Elliott’s victory is the second for the Camaro ZL1 in Cup Series competition, ending a 20-race winless streak for the Bowtie Brand. This is the 22-year-old’s first win and first top 10 finish at Watkins Glen International in his 99th career MENCS start.

RICK HENDRICK, TEAM OWNER, HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS – RACE WINNING OWNER - CAN YOU START OFF BY TALKING ABOUT CHASE ELLIOTT AND HOW HARD HE HAS WORKED TO GET TO THIS POINT IN HIS CAREER? “Chase is such a great young man and such a super, unbelievable driver and he should have had this win his first season. He should have about, I don’t know, seven or eight wins and for him to… I hated he had to wait this long, but boy what a show he put on today pressing two of the best in the business and being up there all day and not making mistakes. He has got an awesome amount of talent. I think today was a statement. A road course, battling Kyle (Busch) and Denny (Hamlin) and Martin (Truex, Jr.) it was so much fun to see all the fans that think so much of him to show their appreciation. It was exciting.”

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Sylvania team started their day at Watkins Glen International with a disappointing outcome in inspection and ended it with a similarly unhappy situation due to an on-track incident and a pit penalty that trapped them a lap down and led to a 28th place finish.

Toyota drivers captured four of the top-five finishing positions in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race – the eighth time since joining series competition in 2007 and for the second-consecutive MENCS event at Watkins Glen International.

Much like his famous father Bill back in 1983, the Dawsonville, Georgia native scored his first career MENCS race at a road course.  Just like his father, he had to endure many runner-ups before celebrating that inaugural Cup victory.