This is the third of a five-part series recapping the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
The month of June for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series began at Pocono where Kyle Busch was the the track’s most recent winner. One again, the “Big 3” stole the spotlight.
Truex Jr. overcame a slow pit stop early in the race to lead 31 laps en route to his 17th career win.
Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five.
Race Story and Results | Photos
The following weekend at Michigan International Speedway – under an hour from “Motor City” – the Fords of Stewart-Haas Racing were the class of the field.
Kurt Busch won the top starting spot in qualifying, and led the most laps. As the race went on, Busch’s teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer were there as well.
After a two-tire stop, Bowyer got around Harvick on a restart and held the lead when the eighth and final caution came out for an incident with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kasey Kahne on Lap 130. Rain hit the track shortly after and the race ended on Lap 133 to give Bowyer his 10th career win and a 1-2-3 finish for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Race Story and Results | Photos
Martin Truex Jr. scored his third win of the season, and second at Sonoma Raceway, in the Toyota/Save Mart 350.
Truex led 62 of the 110 laps and was ahead of Kevin Harvick by 10.5 seconds at the checkered flag.
A strategy to stay out rather than pit and fake out those behind him into coming to pit road proved to be the maneuver that helped propel Truex Jr. to Victory Lane by a convincing margin.
Race Story and Results | Photos
Kyle Busch won the Overton’s 400 at Chicagoland Speedway over Kyle Larson after the two made contact twice on the final lap.
Busch was able to hold the top spot until the checkered flag flew and scored his fifth win of the season and 48th of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career.
Race Story and Results | Photos
Erik Jones survived a crash-filled Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway to score his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win.
Jones outraced Martin Truex Jr. in a second overtime and was able to put his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in Victory Lane. He led one lap, the final circuit.
Race Story and Results | Photos
For the second consecutive season, Martin Truex Jr. put on a dominating performance to win the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway.
Truex Jr. started from the pole and swept all three stages leading 174 laps on his way to his fourth win of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
Race Story and Results | Photos
Kevin Harvick nudged Kyle Busch for the lead with seven laps-to-go and went on to score his series-leading sixth win of the season in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Harvick and Busch were engaged in a nose-to-tail battle for the lead in the final laps of Sunday’s race. Harvick finally got to the rear bumper of Busch’s car and made contact and that allowed the Stewart-Haas Racing driver to grab the top spot.
Busch, Aric Almirola, Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott rounded out the top five.
Kurt Busch led the most laps (94) from the pole, but lost spots because of a miscue on pit road during green-flag stop on Lap 227.
