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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rajnish Kumar |Chintan Devgania
In NASCAR fandom, if there is a single driver likely to step forward in defense of the current playoff system, Joey Logano would top that list, having claimed three Cup Series championships (2018, 2022, and 2024) under the elimination-style format introduced in 2014 and refined over the years. The debate around the playoff format has intensified following Shane van Gisbergen’s win in Mexico City, which vaulted him into playoff contention right from the tail end of the points tally.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rajnish Kumar |Chintan Devgania
When NASCAR first began, any local racer could ‘buy into NASCAR’ for a nominal fee. In early stock-car racing’s formative years, entry barriers were minimal. Regional drivers would bring modified production cars to tracks and, after meeting basic safety requirements, race alongside established names.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rajnish Kumar |Chintan Devgania
Pocono Raceway, the 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle” in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, has long been regarded favorably by NASCAR leadership and cherished by fans for its unique three-turn layout and history of dramatic finishes. Among its earliest landmarks was Richard Petty’s victory in Pocono’s first NASCAR Cup race on August 4, 1974, where he led 152 of 192 laps in a rain-shortened event, etching the track into the sport’s collective memory.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rajnish Kumar |Chintan Devgania
“When racing is everything, you will sacrifice anything.” This line, emblazoned on promotional materials for the Earnhardt series on Amazon Prime, sets the tone for a documentary that peels back the layers of a racing dynasty and the human costs behind legendary triumphs.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rajnish Kumar |Chintan Devgania
Denny Hamlin’s Cup career spans roughly 20 years, beginning with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005 when he debuted in the Busch Series and earned full-time Cup status in 2006. Over that period, he has collected 57 Cup wins, including three Daytona 500 victories—most memorably the 2016 photo finish by 0.010 seconds over Martin Truex Jr., the closest in race history since 1959.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rajnish Kumar |Chintan Devgania
NASCAR remains entangled in high-stakes litigation after Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing, alongside Front Row Motorsports, filed an antitrust suit contesting the charter system’s terms. An unresolved battle that has lingered through appeals and injunction hearings. Amid that broader challenge to NASCAR’s franchise-like structure, a separate conflict has arisen, and at the center of this dispute is yet another charter.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rajnish Kumar |Chintan Devgania
NASCAR’s strategic push into Mexico was always about broadening the sport’s footprint beyond its traditional U.S. base, and fans have shown they’re willing to embrace innovations in how they consume races. Early feedback on Amazon Prime Video’s debut NASCAR broadcasts (e.g., the Coca-Cola 600) was overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the crisp production, immersive features like the Burn Bar, and extended post-race analysis that only streaming can deliver.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rajnish Kumar |Chintan Devgania
A four-day stretch that began with travel setbacks and a sudden bout of illness for Shane van Gisbergen nearly derailed his weekend, but it ended with a landmark victory at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Entering the Mexico City race, he was mired 33rd in the NASCAR Cup Series standings and struggling through his rookie Cup season. SVG defied expectations by capturing the inaugural Viva México 250.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rajnish Kumar |Chintan Devgania
NASCAR’s trip to Mexico City is seen as a resounding success. A trip from Michigan International Speedway to the south of the border and then returning to Pocono, NASCAR handled it well. While there were flight delays from Charlotte to Mexico, which led to some rescheduling, nothing hampered racing. However, it seems like a former NASCAR Cup Series driver, Matt Tifft, has found himself in trouble with the Mexican authorities. Border holds have tripped up several well-known drivers.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rajnish Kumar |Chintan Devgania
Richard “Rick” Hendrick’s stable has long been the cradle of champions; among them, Jimmie Johnson emerged in 2002 as a young driver in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 program, eventually claiming seven NASCAR Cup Series championships under Hendrick’s umbrella. Johnson’s rapport with Rick Hendrick deepened over nearly two decades of collaboration, shaping him into a driver known for calm under pressure and a relentless work ethic.
