#Justin Haley

For anyone who is drawn to the sight of fast cars and those who drive them, Saturday nights in the spring and summer mean nights spent watching racing at the local short track. In no place is this truer than Southern Virginia and the Carolinas, the very places where NASCAR racing came to be and where some of the most iconic short tracks in the…

The spotlight will be on one of the newest additions to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule on Sunday at the 2022 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. Last year's NASCAR at Austin race featured 10 different lead drivers. Champion Chase Elliott only led for the final five laps, but he returns as the 9-4 favorite to win again in the latest…

It's the end of December. I don't know if I should go back to the previous season or turn to the next one. How about both? Here are my attempts at a version of the awards for 2022 - with winner predictions for 2023. Best Pilot 2022: Joey Logan Logano was at his best when it mattered most - later in the season. He took everything he learned over the…

The NASCAR Cup Series' Silly Season front has been quiet as of late but that's mostly due to the abundance of rides already taken. However, the two-feeder series have been busy with a slew of announcements this week. On Thursday, Toyota solidified their plans for the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season with both Joe Gibbs Racing and Sam Hunt Racing…

The NASCAR Cup Series took another turn last weekend when Pocono winner Denny Hamlin and second-place finisher Kyle Busch were disqualified for failing post-race inspections. It was the first time the winner of a Cup Series race had been disqualified since 1960. Chase Elliott never led a lap, but was deemed the official winner after finishing…

This week, Chase Elliott will try to pull off a feat that has not been accomplished since the legendary Jimmie Johnson was in his prime. Elliott, one of four remaining contenders for the NASCAR Cup Series title, will attempt to become the first driver to win consecutive since Johnson's run of five from 2006 to 2010. Elliott is one of two Hendrick…

Since last year's race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Martin Truex Jr. is the reigning winner of the Toyota Owners 400. The former NASCAR Cup Series champion led 186 of the event's 400 laps en route to recording the first of his seven series victories in 2019. Truex will attempt to become the sixth repeat winner and first since Kyle…

Chase Elliott must have begun thinking his 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship was a curse, as he failed to capture a checkered flag over the first 13 races of the 2021 season. The drought finally ended last weekend, as the 25-year-old won the rain-shortened EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas road course in Austin. After…

Kevin Harvick won his fourth career NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship a year ago after notching seven victories, including one at Darlington Raceway. The 45-year-old opened the playoffs with another triumph on the track and finished the year with a personal-best nine wins. Harvick will attempt to start the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series…

The Daytona 500 takes place Sunday, Feb. 20 (2:30 p.m. ET on Fox), ushering in a new era of Next Gen cars. The Athletic Motorsports' resident experts, Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck, are here to help pick the winners, long shots, winning manufacturer, and more. Denny Hamlin at 8-to-1 is technically "the favorite," but there are several drivers…

Five races have taken place during the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule thus far, and five different drivers have captured checkered flags. The latest was William Byron, who registered his third career victory and first in 38 starts last weekend at Atlanta. The 2018 Cup Series Rookie of the Year will try to become the first repeat winner of the year…

Alex Bowman overcame a penalty and used a late surge to edge Denny Hamlin for the win at Richmond Raceway last spring. The Hendrick Motorsports driver will hope to repeat when he participates in the 2022 Toyota Owners 400 on Sunday. Bowman received a pit-road speeding penalty in last year's NASCAR Austin race and did not own the lead until after a…

Kyle Larson will begin the defense of his NASCAR Cup Series championship when the new season begins with the 2022 Daytona 500 on Sunday. Larson won 10 races last year, including four of the final five, after recording a total of six over his first eight Cup Series seasons. The 29-year-old has yet to finish in the top five in 15 series starts at…

Kyle Larson will try to become the ninth driver with multiple NASCAR Cup Series victories at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when he takes part in the 2022 Pennzoil 400 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The reigning series champion, Larson was runner-up twice in his first nine starts on the track before taking the checkered flag last year. Denny Hamlin, who won…

There is only one more opportunity to bet on NASCAR for the next few months, as the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship will take place on Sunday at Phoenix. Chase Elliott, who won the fall race at this track in 2020, is one of four drivers in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship field who is still alive for the title. He is the 12-5 favorite to…

With just six races left in the Cup Series regular season, a number of NASCAR veterans are still searching for their first victories of the year. Entering the 2022 M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 on Sunday, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Blaney have yet to claim a checkered flag, though all are still in contention for the NASCAR Playoffs.…

Last Wednesday, Kaulig Racing Fan Day solidified two more seats in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series driver lineup, as Kaulig Racing confirmed that Justin Haley is set to remain behind the wheel of the #31 Chevrolet and current Xfinity Series driver A.J. Allmendinger is set to go from part-time to full-time driver of the #16 Chevrolet. The lineup for next…

Martinsville Speedway has been one of Martin Truex Jr.'s favorite tracks, as he has posted top-10 finishes, including three wins, in 15 of his 22 NASCAR Cup Series starts there. The former series champion will try to capture his third straight checkered flag in the NASCAR Martinsville spring race when he participates in the 2022 Blue-Emu Maximum…

Kevin Harvick has gone 46 NASCAR Cup Series starts without a victory since posting his career-best ninth of the 2020 season at Bristol. If there's a venue at which the 2014 series champion can end the lengthy drought, it's Phoenix Raceway, where he's captured nine checkered flags, his highest total at any track. Harvick will hope to reach…

The new NASCAR Cup Series season officially commences at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, when the 2022 Daytona 500 takes place at 2:30 p.m. ET. Three-time winner Denny Hamlin hopes to make it three victories in four years and pull even with Cale Yarborough for second-most wins in "The Great American Race." Richard Petty took the checkered…

Saturday's 2022 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona will mark the final regular season race of the year, as several drivers are still trying to punch their ticket to the playoffs. Kyle Larson was another repeat winner in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series last week, so Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. are still fighting for a playoff spot. Blaney has a 25-point…

It took until the eighth NASCAR Cup Series race before a repeat winner was crowned last year. The 2022 season has begun with similar parity, as four drivers have won the first four races, with Austin Cindric, reigning series champion Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe capturing checkered flags. Each member of the quartet will be in action…

The 2022 NASCAR playoffs are starting to wind down, as this weekend's race at Martinsville will set the table for the season finale. As has been the case numerous times this season, Chase Elliott is favored to win the 2022 Xfinity 500. Elliott is priced at 13-2 in the latest 2022 Xfinity 500 odds at Caesars Sportsbook, while Denny Hamlin is 7-1.…

After a busy last couple of days in the NASCAR front in terms of driver announcements, what's now left? On Tuesday, it was revealed that the long-awaited news that Ty Gibbs would replace Kyle Busch with Joe Gibbs Racing on the Cup level has now been confirmed. However, he'll drive the No. 54 instead of the No. 18. On Wednesday morning, it was…

AVONDALE, AZ - We're now in the dawn of the NASCAR season. One chapter closed on Sunday in Phoenix and in 90 days, we'll be back in action in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the 2nd Busch Light Clash in So Cal. NASCAR has not only the longest season in all of sports, but as a result of that, the shortest offseason as well. With that said,…

After a commanding performance from Chase Elliott in Atlanta, the NASCAR Cup Series heads north to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Aric Almirola scored a shocking upset win here last year. Since 13 have won already this season, those without a win will be desperate to punch their playoff tickets. I'm targeting a few winless guys as smart picks for…

Silly Season is winding down as only a few remaining seats are still open for the 2023 season.

William Byron was one of three NASCAR Cup Series drivers who went through a pre-qualifying inspection on Friday. His car, however, failed multiple times and received penalties ahead of Sunday's playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway. After qualifying infractions, NASCAR ejected Byron's crew chief at #24 Hendrick Motorsports team, Tyler Jones, for…

The 2022 Kwik Trip 250 marks the 18th NASCAR Cup Series race of the season. The green flag is set to drop on Sunday, July 3, at 3:00 pm ET at Road America. The 1.33-mile-long track features 14 turns with a total distance of about 250 miles done in 62 laps for the race. The first 17 NASCAR Cup races of the 2022 season have seen 12 different winners:…

If you are looking for an action-packed way to consume sports on the weekend, NASCAR may be a great avenue to explore. Far from just driving in circles, some of the world's best compete nearly every weekend from February to November on tracks across America. NASCAR drivers are scored ultimately based on how they finish in the race, how many spots…

The most unpredictable race of the NASCAR playoffs hasn't even started yet, and the drivers are already crowded into a pack. Indeed, the opening NASCAR odds for Sunday's event on the giant roulette wheel that is Talladega Superspeedway are bunched tightly together like cars in a draft: Six (six!) co-favorites at+1200, three more running right…

Buckle up, it's Talladega week. It's one of the four races each NASCAR season where you have your best chance of catching lightning and cashing in. They no longer use carburetor restrictor plates to sap horsepower at the two fastest tracks - Talladega and Daytona - but horses are still restrained and we continue calling them "plate races." Some…

The NASCAR Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway this weekend for the first event of the 2022 playoffs. However, during the practice session for Group B at Darlington, former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. talked about Kyle Busch. Earnhardt stated he thinks Busch will end up taking his talents to Kaulig Racing, but it is still to be determined.…

Chris Buescher was the latest surprise winner in NASCAR, reaching the checkers first last Saturday night at Bristol. If you put any stock in momentum and positive vibes, you should know that Buescher's win didn't greatly improve his status among the odds makers. For this week's playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway, Buescher is sitting there…

The 2022 NASCAR Playoffs will continue on Saturday night when Bristol Motor Speedway hosts the Bass Pro Shops Night Race with the green flag scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m. ET. The field of 16 postseason drivers will be cut to 12 following the race and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch is currently right on the bubble. Busch is 13th in…

Saturday night has the potential to be bananas. The Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol is the first cutoff race of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. After Saturday, four drivers will be eliminated, ending their championship pursuit. The crazy thing about it? Only one of the 16 drivers has locked his spot in the next round, that being Christopher…

Two weeks ago, we suggested you look into Erik Jones, at+6000, for the Southern 500 at Darlington. He won. Last week, we practically begged you to strongly consider Bubba Wallace, at+2000, at Kansas. He won. And now we're headed to Bristol for the annual free-for-all, the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, and frankly, it feels like one of those weeks…

After an exciting race at Auto Club Speedway last week, we shift our focus to the bright lights of Las Vegas where everyone wants to be a winner! This will be the first 1.5-mile (cookie cutter) track of the NextGen car's era. Does anyone know what to expect from these cars, tires, pit crews and tracks yet? Probably not! And that's what is making…

Austin Dillon spent lap 125 of the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 driving in reverse. The victim of a multi-car wreck, he fell a lap off the pace as the crew serviced the car rolling backwards down pit road. 15 minutes later, a raging downpour left Dillon the leader of the race. The No. 3 car drove away from catastrophe, a lone survivor as…