NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR today announced the 20 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019, as well as the five nominees for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

Vegas Recap: Denny Hamlin finished 17th in Sunday's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, unable to overcome a speeding penalty on pit road in Stage 2 in the race won by Kevin Harvick. Hamlin was one of the quickest cars throughout the day in the #11 FedEx Office Toyota, but a 19th-place starting position and mid-race penalty never allowed the team to capitalize on track position at the 1.5-mile oval. Hamlin dropped to eighth in the standings following the race at Las Vegas, 38 points behind Harvick after three of 26 regular season races.

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER CLICKLIST CAMARO ZL1 CHALLENGES OF ISM RACEWAY: "ISM Raceway in Phoenix is definitely a unique racetrack," Allmendinger said. "For a while racing there, you felt like you needed a lot of mechanical grip. I feel like as we’ve taken off downforce on our rules package, the more aerodynamic stability you get in our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, the more difference it makes in the racecar. It’s a place where because it is really flat - especially through Turns 3 and 4, and even in Turns 1 and 2 - as you go down the corner, there's a fine line between getting the car to turn and not being too loose, and vice versa. It’s always a challenge there."

Bayne will make his eighth career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) start at ISM Raceway this weekend. Bayne recorded a 19th place finish in last season’s spring event (Camping World 500), his best career MENCS result at the one-mile track.

Stenhouse has 10 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) starts at Phoenix with an average starting position of 19.0 and average finishing position of 18.8.

If anyone thinks that Martin Truex Jr. is only strong on intermediate tracks then they need to take a closer look at his recent history.

In a cold and salty parking lot at AmericanMuscle Headquarters, Chelsea and Steph discuss the basics of drift theory. Chelsea’s walk-through sheds light on basic drifting practices, which are completely opposite directions one would provide for normal daily driving. You won’t want to miss their fancy footwork—who’s ready to make some donuts?

NASCAR’s Western Swing continues this weekend at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, AZ, with Ford driver Kevin Harvick sporting a two-race winning streak after victories in Atlanta and Las Vegas. He’ll look to extend that at a facility in which he’s won eight times in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, including 6 of the last 11.

If you missed the action from Las Vegas, allow me to bring you up to date. If you read my column from last week regarding Atlanta, consider yourself fully informed. Enjoy your day.

The Smithfield Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Smithfield Foods, Inc., is pleased to announce its gift of $500,000 to Victory Junction, a children's camp committed to enriching the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camp experiences. Smithfield's donation will fund the camp's new indoor archery range.