Elliott powered around the 2.5-mile track in 46.381 seconds (194.045 mph) to win the pole position for Sunday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7 p.m. on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) by a whopping .24 seconds over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman (193.046 mph).
On Wednesday, Spencer Gallagher was reinstated by NASCAR and is eligible to compete once again in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Two months ago, he was indefinitely suspended for violating the substance abuse policy.
Daytona. Usually, I look forward to any race from that track. After Chicago’s race coverage on NBC, I am really looking forward to it. That was the best NASCAR television broadcast in years.
I was wrong. That is something you do not hear me say very often. How about this, then? The broadcast from Chicago was the best I have seen in years. That is something I do not ever remember saying, writing, or thinking. I did not think Chicago would be much worth watching. Boy, was I wrong.
Last week it was Sonoma, a road course set in a beautiful background with curves and hills and places one could speed up and those where one had to slow down. This week it is Chicago. It is round.
While Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer took much of the focus on the weekend, other drivers quietly ran well and finished with fantastic results in Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series race.
Stage points? We don’t need no stinkin’ stage points. Pit late, then say hello to my little friends. Fresh tires. Now, they proved to be the key to victory at Sonoma.
Father’s Day, or was it Father’s Week? With time off, the boys took a little time for some R&R as they get set for the road course at Sonoma on Sunday. While all had some time with the family, some mixed in some other activities, while others dwelt on the race to come.