There's one thing I have zero tolerance for in the world of motorsports, and that's when incompetence puts the safety of drivers at risk. NASCAR, your safety team needs a lot of work.
Four years ago, Martin Truex Jr. sat on his front porch thinking his career was over. Four years later, he held off a hard charging Kyle Busch to win the Ford EcoBoost 400 and the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship.
After posting a lap that was three-tenths faster than his closest competitor while he was on track, pole position all but belonged to Martin Truex Jr. But after time expired, Denny Hamlin edged him out by five-one thousandths of a second and took the pole for the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
All three series head to Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend to crown their champions. The Camping World Truck Series finale will air on FS1 Friday evening, followed by the XFINITY Series race Saturday afternoon on NBCSN. Sunday the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will hit the track for the title event at 3 p.m. on NBC to determine its 2017 champion.
Chase Elliott posted a solid afternoon in the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix Raceway and knocked Denny Hamlin out of contention for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, but got passed in the closing laps and failed to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 title race next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
If Matt Kenseth doesn't race in NASCAR again after next Sunday, he went out in a blaze of glory by denying Chase Elliott his golden ticket to the championship round and ending year and a half winless drought in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am 500 at Phoenix Raceway.
Denny Hamlin's day was dominant, but contact with Chase Elliott late in the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix Raceway knocked him out of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
The three-time Daytona 500 champion from Chesterfield, Virginia, posted a pole-winning lap at 195.117 mph in 36.901 seconds to become the 10th competitor to reach 50 poles in NASCAR's premier series.
The reigning Truck Series champion led the final 15 of 125 laps and fended off teammate Kaden Honeycutt to notch his third Truck victory of 2026 and first at Michigan.
Corey Heim drove to the lead with a great third to first move with 15 laps to go and held off teammate Kaden Honeycutt to win his first race at Michigan International Speedway.
LAYNE RIGGS, No. 34 BKB Bare Knuckles Boxing Ford F-150 – “I felt like I was more in trouble than I was winning the race. I don’t think I led a lap, but we started up near the front with a fourth-place qualifying effort."
