NASCAR Cup Series

NBC analyst Steve Letarte will return to being a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief at Sunday’s Homestead race for Corey LaJoie. Regular CC Ryan Sparks is out due to COVID protocol.

Dirt track star Chris Windom has joined Rick Ware Racing for his NASCAR Cup Series début in the Bristol dirt race in March.

Chip Ganassi has been fined $30,000 and suspended for one race by NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body’s COVID-19 protocols during the Daytona road course weekend.

With an overtake on Joey Logano coming to the white flag, Christopher Bell is a NASCAR Cup Series race winner. The 2021 season has now started with two first-time winners.

Roush Fenway Racing is the first NASCAR team to become carbon neutral. To celebrate the achievement, Ryan Newman’s #6 Castrol car will be all white.

Scott Heckert, a Pirelli World Challenge/Blancpain GT veteran and NASCAR Xfinity Series road course specialist, will make his Cup Series début on Sunday at the Daytona road course for Live Fast Motorsports.

In his 14th year and 358th start in the NASCAR Cup Series, Michael McDowell is a winner for the very first time, in the Daytona 500 no less. Contact between leaders Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano resulted in a major wreck that McDowell got by to win.

Aric Almirola won the first Bluegreen Vacations Duel, an event marred by debate surrounding Ty Dillon and Austin Cindric. A rain delay later, Austin Dillon made a dramatic final pass on Bubba Wallace to win the second Duel.

Daytona 500 qualifying was delayed when the lights at the track shut off. When they turned back on, Alex Bowman shone the brightest as he set the fastest time to sit on the pole for Sunday’s race, leading a Hendrick Motorsports front row lockout.

Martin Truex Jr. has signed a contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing that will keep him in the #19 beyond 2022. Specifics of the deal like duration were not disclosed.

Bubba Wallace, driving for the newly-formed 23XI Racing, was the fastest driver in the opening Daytona 500 practice on Wednesday, hours before qualifying. Toyotas occupied the top five in the first Cup practice since March 2020.

When leaders Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney collided in the last chicane coming to the finish and spun, Kyle Busch slipped by to steal the exhibition race victory.

For Tuesday night’s Busch Clash, Ryan Blaney will lead the field of twenty-one to the green flag after striking gold on his random draw.