Posted on by Jessica Ruffin

CONCORD, N.C. – Martin Truex Jr.’s week started with a trip to the White House for his 2017 championship and ended up with a runner-up finish in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Along with a water bottle bath on pit road.

RELATED: Photos from Truex’s trip to the White House

“Even the warm ones feel cold to me,” Truex said after a grueling 600-mile event in steamy conditions Sunday, pouring a bottle of water down the back of his fire suit.

“I think this race, the tradition of it is to be one of the toughest races of the year and the longest race of the season,” he said later. “It should be hard; I don’t know if it needs to be three-wide and 50 lead changes. I think it’s a huge test of man and machine, like it used to be back in the day and I feel like it’s that way again. May the best man and team win and they did tonight and I think that’s really the face of this race and what’s it’s become.

“Maybe some people say that he led too much and it was boring, but I can’t tell (you) how difficult it is to do the job he did tonight and what it means to him and his team. Props to them and props to my team, as well, for sticking with it all night long.”

RELATED: Race results | All-time Coca-Cola 600 winners

Truex indeed can speak to the power of race-winner Kyle Busch – who led 377 of 400 laps — as he was the last driver to dominate the Coca-Cola 600. The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing driver paced the field for 392 of 400 laps to secure the checkered flag in the 2016 Memorial Day weekend event. Speaking from experience, he noted that “it’s really hard to hit it that good.”

That being said …

“He didn’t lead as many miles as me,” Truex quipped with a grin.

Truex’s race on Sunday was one of recovery, as he rallied from two pit road penalties to climb back to the top in the waning laps. Midway through the race, he told his team he was getting a headache from hitting the headrest repeatedly.

Even without the penalties and physical challenges though, it wasn’t an easy task for the No. 78; crew chief Cole Pearn and his team came up with a good “game plan” for race day after qualifying 15th.

“Our car wasn’t perfect by any means all night long and it was really hard to drive at times – that’s just Charlotte Motor Speedway,” Truex said. “That’s why you see a guy that gets it like Kyle and gets it dialed in and just dominates because, man, this place is tough.

“I felt like I was the second-best car on the track and I about wrecked it 15, 20 times by myself. So, it’s really, really, really tough. It’s hard to explain just the bumps and the feel that you get. I had a headache halfway and had to drink a water full of Goody’s for my head bouncing against the headrest. It’s a treacherous place, it’s very, very difficult. I had my hands full all night and we had the second-best car.”

The final 93 laps remained green, leaving no opportunity for Truex to line up for a last-chance restart to pass Busch. Would he have been able to pull it off, though, with Busch’s car being as strong as it was?

“I would have liked to have a shot at it just because we never lined up against each other all night long,” Truex said with a smile. “We were playing catch-up all night. … I don’t know that we would have been able to do anything – he was really strong.”

Posted on by Kathy Sheldon

A handshake coupled with a nod is a moment of mutual understanding for a driver and a crew chief following a grueling 600-mile marathon.

And that’s exactly how Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus came together following the Coca-Cola 600 to acknowledge not only finishing the year’s longest race, but notching a top-five finish for the No. 48 team — only the second of the season for Johnson, and the first on a 1.5-mile track since his win at Texas last spring.

MORE: Full Coca-Cola 600 results | Johnson goes for a spin

Those are some unusual numbers for the seven-time champion.

But Johnson is hungry for more. Much more.

“It feels good, but damn, I want to win,” Johnson said. “I’m tired of running fifth, I’m tired of running whatever it is. We got off on some adjustments today and it was amazing how sensitive the car was with some minor adjustments; the car just lost half a second. We had a hard time trying to grasp it and understand it and communicate about it.

“We put it back to the way it was and it took off and I drove right back up into the top three. Just a very small sweet spot with the car. Luckily, we finished in that sweet spot and got a good finish out of it, including a spin and we had a jack break on a stop. We had to overcome a lot tonight. Really proud of these guys. Wish that I could have got this special paint scheme into Victory Lane with the soldier we were carrying on the car today.”

WATCH: Johnson’s spin from Hamlin’s perspective

Dropping out of the top 15 with less than 50 laps remaining and having to come from behind “three or four times,” Johnson regained his rhythm late and dug deep to gut out a finish he deemed worthy enough … for now.

“I had a car tonight that I could race and pass and make some stuff happen,” he said. “First time I’ve done that in a long time.”

One of the biggest obstacles the No. 48 team has dealt with — along with the other Chevrolet drivers — through the first 13 races of the season has been adjusting to the new Camaro ZL1 body. Hendrick Motorsports has been particularly under the spotlight as all four drivers have yet to lock down a Victory Lane celebration this season.

However, there have been improvements, and Johnson believes it’s only a matter of time before the team is back to its normal routine of winning — a feeling he knows quite well.

“We’re getting closer,” he said. “The No. 4 car wasn’t out there … and the No. 18 looked pretty far up there. We’ve definitely improved to the pack, I don’t know about the fastest cars. But we will go home this week and work our asses off to try and do it again.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

CONCORD, N.C. – Unable to contain himself, Kyle Busch let out an elated scream as his car entered Turn 3 on the 400th and final lap of Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

And now, for the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, you’re going to need a bigger broom.

RELATED: Race results

From start to finish, Busch fashioned a dominating victory at the only active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series track at which he had never won a points event. That makes Busch the only driver in NASCAR history who has won at every Cup track at which he has started a race.

“Oh, yes! You guys are amazing,” Busch shouted over the team radio after he crossed the finish line 3.823 seconds ahead of runner-up Martin Truex Jr. “I can’t thank you guys enough. Unreal!

In winning for the fourth time this season and the 47th time in his career — 15th on the all-time victory lis t— Busch started from the pole, swept all three stages of the race, led 377 laps and extended his series lead to 67 points over 22nd-place finisher Joey Logano.

“This one’s very special,” Busch said in Victory Lane. “I don’t know if there’s anything that can top Homestead (the 2015 title race), just with the meaning of what the championship is. But the Coke 600 — I’ve dreamt of this race since I was a kid. …

“To be able to come out here and win the Coca-Cola 600, it’s a little boy’s dream come true. Man, I just want to say that I thank NASCAR, for one, for giving me the chance to come out here and have this opportunity to race for my dreams and to accomplish those things.”

Alongside two sweeps at Bristol Motor Speedway, where Busch twice won races in all three of NASCAR’s top touring series in the same weekend, the unprecedented sweep of all active Cup tracks will maintain a special place in the pantheon of his successes.

“I’ve dreamt of that – not only winning here and winning the Coke 600 as a kid and being in Victory Lane here for this race, but to just be a force that people (have) to reckon with,” Busch said. “I go across the country and race Super Late Models because I want to win at every single race track. I just want to show that there is no weakness.”

There was no weakness at all on Sunday night, with Busch’s crew performing as flawlessly in the pits as the driver did on the asphalt. Truex, who rallied from two pit road penalties to run second attested to Busch’s dominance.

“Those guys did an awesome job all night, obviously, with qualifying on the pole, perfect pit stops,” Truex said. “I don’t think they ever lost a lead any time except for green-flag stops without cycling around.

“They did an incredible job, had a really fast car, and for us, I felt like we … I felt early on like we were probably second-best to him, and then screwed up on pit road, and then we had two pit road penalties in a row.

“So it was tough to come from the back, but it was one of those nights where we just fought until the end and felt like we had a second place car to Kyle. I felt like that last run we were catching him a bit, but he was probably just managing his lead and taking care of his tires.”

RELATED: Drivers who have led 15,000 career laps

Denny Hamlin, Busch’s teammate at JGR, finished third, 13.598 seconds behind the race winner. Brad Keselowski ran fourth, followed by Jimmie Johnson, who collected his second top five of the season. Johnson hasn’t led a lap this season, and his winless streak reached 36 races on Sunday.

“It feels good, but, damn, I want to win,” Johnson said of his run. “I’m tired of running fifth. I’m tired of running whatever it is. We got off on some adjustments today, and it was amazing how sensitive the car was. With some minor adjustments, the car just lost half a second. We had a hard time trying to grasp it and understand it and communicate about it.

“We put it back to the way it was, and it took off and I drove right back up into the top three. Just a very small sweet spot with the car. Luckily, we finished in that sweet spot and got a good finish out of it, including a spin (on Lap 120), and we had a jack break on a stop. We had to overcome a lot tonight.”

RELATED: Johnson hungry for more

Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson, Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman, who came home sixth through ninth, were the only other drivers on the lead lap at the finish.

Kevin Harvick’s bid to win three straight Cup points races for the second time this season ended abruptly on Lap 83, when a flat left front tire sent Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas racing Ford into the Turn 3 wall.

A five-time winner in 2018, Harvick had worked his way up to fourth from his 39th-place starting position, with the deep-in-the-field start resulting from three pre-qualifying inspection failures on Thursday.

Harvick was chasing Kyle Larson for third when the tire went down and ended his day.

WATCH: Harvick’s race comes to early end

“I can’t tell if we ran something over,” said Harvick, who finished 40th. “There’s enough things that could have happened right there, but I’m just really proud of everybody on our Mobil 1/Busch Ford. The car was really, really fast. We came all the way through the pack, and sometimes those things happen.

“I can’t complain about anything that’s happened this year. We have to take the good with the bad. The guys did a great job in basically guessing at where the car needed to be today with all the penalties, no practice and starting in the back. To come out and have the fastest car again was quite an honor to drive, and they’re doing a great job. It was just bad luck.”

The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. was found to have one lug nut not safe and secure in post-race inspection.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

What channels are NASCAR races on this week? We answer that and provide all the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: Get the NBC Sports App |  How to find FS1, FS2 | Get FOX Sports GO | How to find NBCSN

Monday, May 28
3 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600, FS1 (re-air)
6:30 a.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Also 300, FS2 (re-air)
9 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600, FS2 (re-air)
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
noon: Motorsports Monday (with hosts Woody Cain & Joey Meier)

Tuesday, May 29
3:30 a.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1 (re-air)
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
7 p.m.: NASCAR Live (with host Mike Bagley)

Wednesday, May 30
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
noon: Crew Call (with hosts Sammi Jo Francis & Rocko Williams)
1 p.m.: NASCAR Coast to Coast (with hosts Kyle Rickey & Hannah Newhouse)

Thursday, May 31
4 p.m.: NASCAR The Decades: The 1970s, NBCSN
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East: Memphis International Raceway, NBCSN

Friday, June 1
11:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS2 (Canada: TSN GO)
12:30 p.m.: Race Hub Weekend Edition, FS2
1 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, FS2 (Canada: TSN GO)
2 p.m.: Race Hub Weekend Edition, FS2
3 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, FS2 (Canada: TSN GO)
4 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, FS2 (Canada: TSN 3)
8 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, FS2 (re-air)
9 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, FS2 (re-air)

On MRN
10:30 a.m.: The Inside Line (with host Tyler Burnett)

Saturday, June 2
8 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, FS1 (re-air)
9 a.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, FS1 (Canada: TSN GO)
10:30 a.m.: Race Hub Weekend Edition, FS1
11 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1 (Canada: TSN 5)
12:30 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity, FS1
1 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Pocono Green 250 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons, FS1 (Canada: TSN 3, 4, 5)
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Post-race Show, FS1

Sunday, June 3
6 a.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Pocono Green 250 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons, FS1 (re-air)
12:30 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pocono 400, FS1, FOX Deportes (Canada: TSN 4, 5)
9 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Pocono Green 250 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons, FS2 (re-air)

Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series head to Pocono Raceway this weekend. Check out the full schedule, subject to change.

Note: All times are ET

Sunday, June 3
1:20:00 p.m.: Driver Introductions begin
1:54:00 p.m.: Presentation of Colors, Joint Forces Color Guard, Washington, D.C.
1:54:20 p.m.: Invocation by Bill Mauldin, MRO
1:55:00 p.m.: National Anthem performed by U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps from Washington, D.C.
2:01:30 p.m.: Command to start engines by Lt. General Steven Rudder, Deputy Commandant Aviation USMC, Lt. General Todd Semonite, Commanding General, Army Corp of Engineers, Major General Warren Berry, Deputy Commander Air Force Material Command, Major General Anthony Carrelli The Adjutant General Pennsylvania National Guard, TAG
2:12:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pocono 400 (160 laps, 400 miles), FS1 (Results) (Canada: TSN4, 5)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
5 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

Saturday, June 2
9:05 a.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, FS1 (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
11 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1 (Results) (Canada: TSN5)
1 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Pocono Green 250 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons (100 laps, 250 miles), FS1 (Results) (Canada: TSN3, 4, 5)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
3 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Xfinity Series race

Friday, June 1
11:35 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS2 (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
1:05-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, FS2 (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
3:05-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, FS2 (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
4:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, FS2 (Results) (Canada: TSN3)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
10 a.m.: Darrell Wallace Jr.
10:30 a.m.: Ryan Blaney
10:45 a.m.: Alex Bowman
11 a.m.: Christopher Bell, Kaz Grala and Matt Tifft
1 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
1:15 p.m.: Erik Jones
2:15 p.m.: Kyle Busch
2:30 p.m.: Pocono Raceway announcement
5:15 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying

Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Busch’s march toward his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway continued when he won Stage 3 of the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday.

In sweeping the first three stages in Charlotte, Busch collected his fifth stage win of the season. Busch led all 100 laps of Stage 3 and has led 280 of 300 laps in the 400-lap, 600-mile race.

Charlotte was the only current track on the circuit where Busch did not have a Monster Energy Series victory before Sunday.

RELATED: Stage 3 results

Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Erik Jones finished second in Stage 3. Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray rounded out the top five.

Four more cautions came during Stage 3, with the most spectacular incident coming on Lap 278 when the No. 12 Team Penske Ford of Ryan Blaney caught fire as he was driving. Blaney stopped the car in the infield grass and exited without injury.

Earlier, the ninth caution of the night came on Lap 272 when Kyle Larson spun in Turn 1, somehow managing to skid from the top of the track to the bottom without making contact with anyone, and narrowly avoiding hitting the interior wall.

WATCH: Larson spins, saves

One hundred laps remain until the conclusion of the Coca-Cola 600.

Finish Driver Team Race points
1  Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing 10
2  Erik Jones  Joe Gibbs Racing 9
3  Brad Keselowski  Team Penske 8
4  Kurt Busch  Stewart-Haas Racing 7
5  Jamie McMurray  Chip Ganassi Racing 6
6  Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing 5
7  Kasey Kahne  Leavine Family Racing 4
8  Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  Roush Fenway Racing 3
9  Martin Truex Jr.  Furniture Row Racing 2
10  Ryan Newman  Richard Childress Racing 1

STAGE 2 

Kyle Busch continued his dominance in the Coca-Cola 600, winning Stage 2 and ticking off a career milestone in the process. Busch became the 10th driver to have led 15,000 laps in his career after leading 122 laps — which he accomplished early in Stage 2 on Sunday.

RELATED:  Busch joins 15,000 club

Busch led 180 laps, in all, while logging his fourth stage win of the season when Stage 2 ended on Lap 200.

Martin Truex Jr. finished second in Stage 2. Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top five.

Stage 2 was punctuated by a caution on Lap 114 after William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet got loose and slammed into the outside wall in Turn 1. He exited the race.

Another caution came on Lap 119 when Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet spun in traffic — and somehow avoided making contact with anyone else. Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford also spun in traffic while avoiding Johnson, and he sustained some damage to the left rear of the car.

WATCH: Johnson spins in traffic

Finish Driver Team Race points
1  Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing 10
2  Martin Truex Jr.  Furniture Row Racing 9
3  Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing 8
4  Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing 7
5  Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing 6
6  Aric Almirola  Stewart-Haas Racing 5
7  Chase Elliott  Hendrick Motorsports 4
8  Jimmie Johnson  Hendrick Motorsports 3
9  Ryan Newman  Richard Childress Racing 2
10  Erik Jones  Joe Gibbs Racing 1

 

STAGE 1

Kyle Busch led 94 of the first 100 laps of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday as he guided the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to his third stage win of the season.

Busch, who started on the pole, lost the lead only on the initial green flag and after pit stops on Lap 86.

Ryan Blaney finished second in Stage 1, followed by Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson.

RELATED: Harvick’s drive up derailed by cut tire  

The stage was highlighted by the the fast movement of Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford through the field, only to find himself out of the race by Lap 83.

Harvick, who started at the rear after his No. 4 car failed pre-qualifying inspection three times, had worked his way up to fourth when he blew a left front tire on Lap 83. His car slammed hard into the outside wall on Turn 3 and he headed to the garage, done for the day.

Another caution came on Lap 36 when defending Coca-Cola 600 winner Austin Dillon saw the right rear tire on his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet go down. With substantial damage to the right rear quarter panel of the No. 3 that required multiple trips to pit road and finally went to the garage after 49 laps.

WATCH: Dillon has early trouble

Sunday’s race is divided into four stages rather than the typical three since it is the longest race of the year, with each stage lasting 100 laps.

Finish Driver Team Race points
1  Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing 10
2  Ryan Blaney  Team Penske 9
3  Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing 8
4  Martin Truex Jr.  Furniture Row Racing 7
5  Jimmie Johnson  Hendrick Motorsports 6
6  Aric Almirola  Stewart-Haas Racing 5
7  Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing 4
8  Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing 3
9  Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  Roush Fenway Racing 2
10  Erik Jones  Joe Gibbs Racing 1
Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick’s dominant march from the rear met an early — and surprising — end Sunday night during the Coca-Cola 600. The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford appeared to blow a front tire on Lap 83 while running fourth, which sent him careening into the outside wall and sending sparks flying into the evening air.

Harvick’s car did not pass pre-qualifying inspection on Thursday night, forcing him to start last in the field Sunday in the longest race of the year. It took fewer than 70 laps for him to work his way into the top five. He was running fifth at the time of the incident, which relegated his car to the garage and out of the race.

PHOTOS: Military honored at Charlotte

“This was going to be fun,” Harvick radioed dejectedly to his team.

Harvick will finish 40th in the 40-car field, stunningly the first time in 623 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts that he’ll finish last.

The incident may have been the first thing to go wrong for Harvick all year. The No. 4 team won five of the first 12 races to start the year, and was considered a favorite to win Sunday night on Memorial Day weekend despite starting from the rear.

Harvick entered the event on a two-race win streak, and he already had won three consecutive races earlier this year.

“It never gave any warning,” Harvick told FOX Sports. ” … We had a lot of issues this weekend and to come back and have the fastest car there basically, it was just an honor to drive. One of those deals. You have to take the good with the bad, and this weekend was part of the bad.”

Posted on by Staff Report

With NASCAR Salutes and the annual Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend as the backdrop, Lance Cpl. Brooke Masten returned home to the delight of her stunned parents.

The emotional, surprise reunion came Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the live pre-race show Trackside Live, with driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. playing a vital role.

Stenhouse Jr. introduced Brooke’s parents, Doug and Irene, during the show and brought them on stage to thank them for their daughter’s service and their sacrifices. Stenhouse then asked for a group photo, setting the stage for Doug and Irene to keep their backs to where Brooke was hiding.

Brooke popped out onto the stage and posed in the photo just as her parents noticed her presence and began to cry. The three then embraced in a big hug.

“This is crazy,” Doug said. “We haven’t seen her in a while.”

An emotional Irene added: “I’m good. I’m trackside here, and I have my daughter here, so we’re all good.”

“Welcome home,” Stenhouse Jr. said. “Thank you.”

We couldn’t have said it any better, Ricky.

The Memorial Day weekend served as the launch of the annual NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola program, a time in which the entire NASCAR industry honor United States Armed Forces heroes and their families.

The Coca-Cola 600, slated to begin at 6 p.m. ET (FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) again will honor fallen servicemembers with its “600 Miles of Remembrance,” where every car in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series field will display the name of a fallen servicemember across the windshield.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is hosting more than 5,000 active military members this weekend, and a pre-race Salute to the Troops will incorporate all five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces in connection with the U.S. Department of Defense’s “This is Your Military” initiative.

“Throughout our sport’s history, NASCAR has held the men and women who’ve served and continue to serve in the highest regard,” NASCAR President Brent Dewar said earlier this week. “Each year, NASCAR Salutes unites our entire industry to honor and celebrate these heroes, and to reflect on the sacrifices each has made for their country.”

 

Posted on by Staff Report

The “Danica Double” is complete, and with it, Danica Patrick’s full-time career in motorsports has come to an end.

Patrick finished 30th after wrecking on Lap 68 in the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, her first IndyCar race since 2011. She started the race from the seventh position.

The “Danica Double,” which Patrick dubbed her running of the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 in 2018, was intended to serve as a farewell to her racing career.

MORE: Danica Patrick through the years | Final career stats

Patrick finished 35th in the Daytona 500 earlier this year after crashing out of the race on Lap 101 of 207.

The 36-year-old retires as one of the most prominent women in the sport, even if she didn’t always have the success on the track to equal her fame. Her highest finish in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was sixth in Atlanta in 2014, and she had seven top 10s in her five full-time NASCAR seasons that were all behind the wheel of the No. 10 car for Stewart-Haas Racing. She had one pole — the Daytona 500 in 2013 — becoming the first woman to earn a pole award in NASCAR history.

RELATED: Danica leaves NASCAR at peace

Patrick’s highest finish in the season standings was 24th (in both 2015 and 2016), and she had an average finish of 24.1 in her career.

In IndyCar, she became the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500 in her first appearance in the race in 2005. She ended up finishing fourth when she lost the lead to conserve fuel. She had her best finish of third in the race in 2009.

Though Patrick’s full-time racing career might be over, her time in the spotlight is not. She announced last week that she will host the 2018 ESPY Awards in July, becoming the first female host.