DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 12, 2012) – NASCAR announced today penalties to three teams that compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as a result of rule infractions at Phoenix International Raceway.   Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 car, was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) – altercation with another competitor on the race track during the race – and has been fined $100,000, docked 25 championship driver points and put on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Rick Hendrick, owner of the No. 24 car, has also been penalized with ... Click here

By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service   AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Brad Keselowski has long since proven he's an elite talent behind the wheel and a glib, if somewhat irreverent analyst in front of the microphone.   Now we can add prophecy to his list of accomplishments.   We can also add fisticuffs to the repertoires of the Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon crews, who brawled in the garage after Gordon wrecked Bowyer and dashed his championship hopes on the next to last scheduled lap.   Never mind that Kevin Harvick stole a race that Kyle Busch absolutely dominated, winning Sunday's ... Click here

FORT WORTH, Tex. -- The haymaker Jimmie Johnson delivered Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway turned out to be an eight-point swing.   Taking advantage of a late caution and four fresh tires to Brad Keselowski's two, Johnson pulled away from Keselowski in a green-white-checkered-flag finish to win the AAA Texas 500 and tighten his grip on a possible sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.   Johnson finished .808 seconds ahead of Keselowski, the race runner-up, and increased his lead in the standings to from two points to seven. The victory was Johnson's fifth of the season, his second at Texas ... Click here

By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service   MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Mr. Martinsville is back -- with mission accomplished.   With surgical precision, polesitter Jimmie Johnson triumphed at one of his best race tracks, gathering steam toward a sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title while fending off a strong performance from his closest challenger for the championship.   Holding off Kyle Busch during a five-lap closing green-flag run at Martinsville Speedway, Johnson won Sunday's TUMS Fast Relief 500 at the .526-mile short track and grabbed the series lead from sixth-place finisher Brad Keselowski.   Johnson's fourth victory of the season and ... Click here

Matt Kenseth took advantage of his testing time at Kansas Speedway and visited Victory Lane for the first time in the Hollywood Casino 400 today. The win was Kenseth’s third this season and second in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Kenseth was one of nine drivers who visited Kansas Speedway in late August to conduct a tire test for Goodyear and saw the newly reconfigured pavement after it had recently been finished. This week, he joined other NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams at the facility for two days of testing at Kansas Speedway to continue to become familiar ... Click here

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 16, 2012) – NASCAR today announced a number of competition changes for the 2013 season, highlighted by a new qualifying format in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series that places a greater emphasis on speed. Below is a breakdown of next season’s slate of competition updates… Qualifying Format In The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series In NASCAR Sprint Cup competition, the series will move to a 36-6-1 format where the fastest 36 cars will make the race on speed. The next six highest ranking cars in owners points that have not already earned a starting position through qualifying ... Click here

Clint Bowyer played the fuel strategy game to perfection, sneaking in to win Saturday’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “If you’re not the fastest car here, you’ve gotta have options,” said Brian Pattie, crew chief for Bowyer. Bowyer definitely wasn’t the fastest car, but he and his No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota team turned a solid but unremarkable top-10 car into a winner simply by saving fuel over the final green-flag stretch. It turns out that Bowyer had enough fuel to win his first race at Charlotte Motor Speedway but barely an ounce more. While trying to ... Click here

CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 11, 2012) – Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not compete in the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway after being diagnosed with a concussion following the Oct. 7 race at Talladega, Ala. Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 Chevrolets for Hendrick Motorsports, was diagnosed Wednesday afternoon in Charlotte. Regan Smith will be the team’s substitute driver at Charlotte and Kansas. Click here

By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service TALLADEGA, Ala. -- The Big One waited until the final corner. Matt Kenseth escaped a massive pileup in Turn 4 on Lap 189 of Sunday's Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 at Talladega Superspeedway to win the fourth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Jeff Gordon likewise dodged the 25-car crash, triggered by contact between Tony Stewart's Chevrolet and Michael Waltrip's Toyota, and ran second, followed by Kyle Busch, David Ragan and Regan Smith. Brad Keselowski finished seventh and extended his championship lead to 14 points over Jimmie Johnson, whose Chevrolet was ... Click here

Brad Keselowski took a win at Dover today, the points lead in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and a boatload of momentum heading into ‘DEGA.   It’s been five years since a driver swept the spring and fall races at Talladega Superspeedway (Jeff Gordon - 2007) but Keselowski is poised to do just that as his team is riding high coming off wins in two of the first three Chase races.   “The last 12 or 13 weeks our cars have been really strong and getting stronger,” said Keselowski.  “I’m going to focus on Talladega, it’s only seven ... Click here