The 2019 season was the fifth of a 10-year television contract withFox Sports andNBC Sports and the fourth of a five-year race sanctioning agreement with all tracks.[1][2] It was the first season in whichFord fielded theMustang GT, replacing theFusion.[3] This was the final season of title sponsorMonster Energy, as NASCAR rejected the energy drink company's extension offer in favor of a new tiered sponsorship model.[4][5] This was also the final season forDarrell Waltrip covering races in the booth as during the season he announced that the June 23Toyota/Save Mart 350 would be his last race as a broadcaster.
Busch then went on to win the championship after winning the season finale atHomestead. It was his second championship and the first he won after competing in all 36 races during the season, after his injury in2015 sidelined him for the first 11 races of that season. Busch had won four of the first 14 races of the season, before enduring a 21-race winless streak. His early-season success did give him plenty of playoff points and carried him through the Round of 8 at the expense of 2018 champion Logano on points.
The other members of the Championship 4 all qualified through wins in the semifinal phase. Those wereMartin Truex Jr.,Kevin Harvick andDenny Hamlin, who finished in that order among the title contenders at Homestead. Truex and Harvick had finished second and third also in the 2018 title race. Reigning champion Logano ended up fifth in the overall standings. Hamlin, while missing out on the title, was theDaytona 500 winner.Joe Gibbs Racing andToyota had three of the four title contenders and won 19 of the 36 races.Alex Bowman andJustin Haley obtained their first career victories, whereasDaniel Hemric won Rookie of the Year honors. Seven-time Series ChampionJimmie Johnson would miss the Playoffs for the first time since its inception in2004 after fifteen consecutive appearances.
The 2019 season was the last full-time season for driversDavid Ragan andPaul Menard, who each retired after twelve years of racing full-time in the Cup Series. It was also inadvertently the last season to featureChicagoland Speedway until 2026. After having its event cancelled in2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the track was dropped from the schedule for2021.
^The No. 51 car is officially listed on paper as Petty Ware Racing because they have a long-term partnership withRichard Petty Motorsports to use one of the charters they own. However, RPM is not involved with operating or helping this team out at the races in any way.
^abAt the Charlotte Roval (Race 29),Cody Ware was scheduled to drive the No. 51, but after he was replaced mid-race in the Xfinity Series race there the previous day due to heat exhaustion, he was replaced in the Cup Series race byJ. J. Yeley because he still wasn't feeling well on the day of the Cup Series race.
On August 23, 2018,Front Row Motorsports purchased majority of the assets of the bankruptBK Racing for US$2.08 million. With this purchase, FRM would field a third team in the 2019 season.[9] The third team was formally announced on November 27, 2018, as the No. 36 Ford driven byMatt Tifft.[10]
On September 3, 2018,Obaika Racing announced that they would run a few races in the Cup series in 2018, before moving to full-time in 2019.[11] On February 8, 2019, Obaika Racing withdrew from the2019 Daytona 500 qualifying due to various circumstances.[12]
On September 4, 2018,Furniture Row Racing announced that they would close their doors following the 2018 season.[13]
On November 16, 2018,Timmy Hill announced thatMBM Motorsports would attempt to enter two teams at the 2019 Daytona 500, with Hill driving the No. 66 Toyota.[14]
On November 27, 2018,Rick Ware Racing hinted they would field a second team in 2019. The existing No. 51 team is using a charter leased fromRichard Petty Motorsports and is officially registered as "Petty Ware Racing".[16] On December 21, 2018, the team confirmed that they purchased a charter from Front Row Motorsports for their No. 52 team. In addition, the team purchased a fleet of Ford stock cars from FRM and Chevrolet stock cars from Leavine Family Racing, which switched to Toyota.[17][18]
On December 4, 2018, it was announced that sponsorship agencySpire Sports + Entertainment purchased the charter previously owned by Furniture Row Racing. The new team,Spire Motorsports, would field the No. 77 Chevrolet in the 2019 season. A driver, crew chief, technical alliance, or sponsor were not announced at that time.[19][20]
During Richard Childress Racing's 50th anniversary press conference on December 14, 2018, it was announced that the No. 31 would change to the No. 8 for 2019, the same carDaniel Hemric made his first two Cup starts in during the 2018 season.[21][22] In addition, RCR announced that the charter they were leasing toStarCom Racing has been sold to the team.[22][23]
With StarCom Racing buying the 36th and final charter from Richard Childress Racing,TriStar Motorsports is left without a full-time charter for 2019.[23]
On December 17, 2018, StarCom Racing announced that they have moved to a new facility based inSalisbury, North Carolina, and upgraded their engine deal withECR Engines.[23]
On February 5, 2019,Germain Racing announced that they would field a second team at the2019 Daytona 500. The No. 27 Chevrolet was built and staffed in collaboration withPremium Motorsports owner Jay Robinson.[24]
On February 14, 2019, Xtreme Concepts Inc. announced that it has formedXCI Racing and would field the No. 81 Toyota at both Talladega races. The team has a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing.[25]
On May 23, 2019, Rick Ware Racing announced they would field a third team at theCoca-Cola 600 in the form of the No. 53 Chevrolet driven byB. J. McLeod.[26]
On September 10, 2018, it was announced thatJamie McMurray would not return toChip Ganassi Racing in 2019.[33] CGR had offered McMurray a contract to drive at the 2019 Daytona 500 before moving to a leadership position with the team.[34][35] On December 12, 2018,Fox Sports announced that McMurray has joined itsFox NASCAR broadcast team as an analyst forNASCAR RaceDay andNASCAR Race Hub starting in 2019.[36]
On September 12, 2018, it was announced thatTrevor Bayne would not return toRoush Fenway Racing in 2019.[37] On October 7, 2018,Matt Kenseth, who shared the No. 6 Ford with Bayne, announced he has no plans to race after the 2018 season.[38]
On September 15, 2018, it was announced thatRyan Newman would not return toRichard Childress Racing in 2019.[39] Later on September 21, 2018, it was confirmed that Newman would move to Roush Fenway Racing in the No. 6 full-time, replacing Bayne and Kenseth.[40][31]
On September 28, 2018, it was announced thatDaniel Hemric would replace Ryan Newman in the No. 31 (now the No. 8) for Richard Childress Racing and compete for 2019 Rookie of the Year honors.[45][21][31]
On October 6, 2018, it was announced thatRoss Chastain would be returning to the No. 15Premium Motorsports Chevrolet on a 'handshake deal'. Team owner Jay Robinson states he would not hold back Chastain if a better opportunity presents itself.[46]
On October 10, 2018,Leavine Family Racing announced that Matt DiBenedetto has signed a two-year contract to drive the No. 95 Toyota.[8][31]
On November 12, 2018,Cole Whitt announced his retirement from competing in NASCAR following the 2018 season withTriStar Motorsports.[47]
On November 27, 2018,Front Row Motorsports announced thatMatt Tifft will drive the No. 36 Ford and compete for 2019 Rookie of the Year honors.[10][31] On October 26, 2019, prior to the2019 First Data 500 atMartinsville Speedway, Tifft was rushed to the hospital whileMatt Crafton took over the No. 36 for the race weekend.[48] On October 29, Tifft revealed that he blacked out and suffered a seizure in the team's hauler. Because of this, he will miss the rest of the season whileJohn Hunter Nemechek takes over the No. 36 for the final three races.[49]
On December 2, 2018,Kurt Busch announced that he will not return toStewart–Haas Racing in 2019.[50][31] On December 4, 2018, it was announced that Busch and sponsorMonster Energy signed a one-year deal withChip Ganassi Racing to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet. It is also believed that 2019 will be Busch's final year of full-time NASCAR competition, unless his season works out particularly well and he andChip Ganassi would revisit an option for 2020.[51][52]
On December 3, 2018,Obaika Racing announced thatTanner Berryhill will run full-time in the No. 97 Toyota and compete for Rookie of the Year honors.[53][31]
On January 18, 2019,Spire Motorsports announced that Jamie McMurray would pilot their No. 40 Chevrolet at the2019 Advance Auto Parts Clash and the Daytona 500 with backing fromCessna,Bass Pro Shops, andMcDonald's for the team's first NASCAR start and McMurray's final race. The car will be renumbered as the No. 77 after the Daytona 500.[61]
On January 25, 2019, it was announced that Cody Ware would drive the Rick Ware Racing No. 51 Chevrolet at the Daytona 500.[68]
On February 1, 2019, Richard Childress Racing announced thatTyler Reddick would attempt to run the Daytona 500 in the No. 31 Chevrolet.[69][70]
On February 5, 2019,Germain Racing announced they would field a second entry forCasey Mears in the No. 27 Chevrolet for the Daytona 500.[24]
On February 14, 2019,XCI Racing announced thatJeffrey Earnhardt would drive the No. 81 Toyota for both of the Talladega races in 2019.[25] On August 7, 2019, Earnhardt announced that he parted ways with sponsor and XCI affiliate iK9, as well as Joe Gibbs Racing.[71] It has yet to be announced whether the No. 81 XCI team will still run Talladega in October with another driver.
On May 21, 2019, it was announced that B. J. McLeod would drive the Rick Ware Racing No. 53 car at theCoca-Cola 600.[72][73]
On June 28, 2019, it was announced thatAndy Seuss would make his MENCS debut with Rick Ware Racing in the team's No. 51 entry atNew Hampshire.[74]
On June 29, 2019, it was announced thatAustin Theriault would make his MENCS debut with Rick Ware Racing in the team's No. 52 entry at New Hampshire.[75]
On August 15, 2019, Bayley Currey was indefinitely suspended for violating NASCAR's Substance Abuse Policy. He was set to drive the Rick Ware Racing No. 52 at theBristol Night Race.[77][78]Kyle Weatherman would be his substitute replacement for that race. On September 18, Currey was reinstated by NASCAR after he successfully completed his Road to Recovery Program.[79]
On October 23, 2018,Roush Fenway Racing announced that former Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief Scott Graves will replaceMatt Puccia as the crew chief of the No. 6 team driven byRyan Newman. RFR is working on a future role for Puccia.[81][31]
On November 26, 2018, it was announced that Danny Stockman would replace Justin Alexander asAustin Dillon's crew chief in the 2019 season. Stockman previously served as the crew chief in Dillon'sCamping World Truck Series andNationwide Series seasons.[85][31]
On November 27, 2018,Leavine Family Racing announced that Mike Wheeler will be the No. 95 team's crew chief in 2019.[86][31]
On January 15, 2019,StarCom Racing announced that Wayne Carroll will serve as crew chief of the No. 00 team. Tony Furr, who served as crew chief of the No. 00 team last season, will move to Mullins Racing in theARCA Racing Series.[88]
On January 31, 2019, Richard Petty Motorsports announced that lead engineer Derek Stamets has been promoted to the crew chief of the No. 43 Chevrolet driven byBubba Wallace.[89]
On July 23, 2019, Front Row Motorsports announced that crew chief Mike Kelly of the No. 36 will switch to the No. 38 Ford driven byDavid Ragan, while Seth Barbour will transfer from the No. 38 to the No. 36 Ford driven byMatt Tifft for the remainder of the season.[90]
On July 29, 2019, Hendrick Motorsports announced that race engineerCliff Daniels will replace Kevin Meendering as the crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson for the remainder of the season.[91][92][93]
On August 26, 2019,Matt Borland, the crew chief of the Germain Racing No. 13 Chevrolet ofTy Dillon, was indefinitely suspended for violating NASCAR's Substance Abuse Policy. Germain Racing confirmed that Justin Alexander, who serves as crew chief for the part-time No. 21 Xfinity Series car forRichard Childress Racing (who Germain has an alliance with), would serve as interim crew chief beginning atDarlington and until Borland's suspension is lifted.[94] On September 24, NASCAR reinstated Borland after he completed the Road to Recovery Program.[95][96]
On October 11, 2019,JTG Daugherty Racing announced that team engineer Eddie Pardue would replace Tristan Smith as the crew chief of the No. 47 Chevrolet driven byRyan Preece for the remaining six races of the season. Smith, meanwhile, will move to an engineer position.[97]
On March 14, 2018,Lowe's announced the end of their 17-year sponsorship ofHendrick Motorsports' No. 48 Chevrolet driven byJimmie Johnson after the 2018 season.[98] On October 28, 2018, Hendrick Motorsports announced thatAlly Financial signed a two-year deal to sponsor the No. 48 team starting in 2019. Ally had previously been with the Hendrick team when they were still known as GMAC.[99] On October 4, 2019, Ally extended its sponsorship of the No. 48 for three more years through the 2023 season.[100][101]
On September 20, 2019, Cincinnati Inc. signed a partnership deal with Hendrick Motorsports that runs from 2019 to 2028. The deal makes the tool manufacturer an associate sponsor for all four teams and a primary sponsor of the No. 88 Chevrolet driven byAlex Bowman.[102][103]
On October 2, 2018, NASCAR announced the new rules package for the 2019 season. The new package will have a smaller tapered spacer which will reduce the engine's power from 750 bhp (560 kW) to 550 bhp (410 kW) for tracks that are larger than 1 mile (1.6 km) to foster tighter racing. This will also include a taller spoiler at 8 in (200 mm) by 61 in (1,500 mm), a wider radiator pan with 37 in (940 mm) at the front and 31 in (790 mm) at the rear, and a larger splitter with an overhang of 2 inches (51 mm).[104]
Along with the aerodynamic changes, all currentrestrictor plate races except for the2019 Daytona 500 will no longer be using the traditional restrictor plate rules and instead will be using the new 2019 package with the effect of the aerodynamic changes and engine restrictions, which makes it the first time a race atDaytona orTalladega to race without the traditional restrictor plates since 1987.[104][105]
At the same time, NASCAR will be reducing the number of organizational tests for the year from four to three, andGoodyear tests will also be reduced from four teams to three.
On February 4, 2019, NASCAR announced a new post-race inspection rule in all three series, where race-winning teams found to be in violation of the rule book will automatically be disqualified. Following a race, the first-place and second-place teams, along with at least one randomly selected car, will undergo post-race inspection. The inspection should take between 90 minutes and two hours to complete before the race winner is officially declared. The car that fails the inspection will receive last-place points and will be stripped of playoff and stage points.[107]
At the2019 Federated Auto Parts 400 atRichmond Raceway on September 21, 2019,Erik Jones became the first MENCS driver to be disqualified under this rule after his fourth-place finishing car was discovered to have a rear wheel alignment issue during post-race inspection. As a result, he was scored back to 38th place with one point, severely affecting his playoff standings.[108]
For the2019 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race, NASCAR implemented two new components to the aero package: a single-piece carbon fiber splitter and a hood-mounted radiator duct.[109]
On February 4, 2019, NASCAR announced a change in the qualifying schedule procedures for majority of its tracks. For short tracks and intermediate speedways, the first round would be shortened from 15 minutes to 10 minutes, while the second and third rounds would remain at 10 and five minutes, respectively. The down time intervals at all tracks would be reduced from seven minutes to five minutes. Superspeedway qualifications would retain their untimed two-round intervals of single-lap qualifying while road courses would continue to use two qualifying rounds: 25 minutes for the first round and 10 minutes for the final round.[110]
For the first several races on speedway tracks running the new rules package, cars started waiting until the last possible moment to record a lap to avoid being the first car out (which is a disadvantage in speed when drafting) during qualifying. On March 25, 2019, following Auto Club Speedway qualifying where no cars recorded a timed lap in round 3, NASCAR announced starting at the first Texas race any drive who did not record a lap in any round would not have previous session times count and would start from the rear of the field. Additionally, any driver who blocked pit road in a manner prohibiting drivers from exiting pit road would be disqualified. Further, any car not immediately making a qualifying attempt would be staged in a track-specific area designated by NASCAR. Once leaving that area the car would need to continue directly onto the race track at full speed.[111]
For theApril Richmond race, NASCAR shortened the length of each session to five minutes for Richmond only.[112]
On May 1, 2019, following continued gamesmanship and other actions causing multi-car qualifying to become "untenable," NASCAR formally returned to single-car qualifying at all oval tracks.[113]
At oval tracks 1.25 miles (2.01 km) and larger, each car would get a single timed lap.
At oval tracks 1.25 miles (2.01 km) and smaller, each car would get two timed laps with the faster lap counting as their official time.
The qualifying order draw would be determined in part by the previous race's starting lineup. The top 20 starters from the previous race would draw to take their qualifying lap in positions 21-40 (the second half of qualifying). The remainder of cars would draw to qualify in positions 1-20.
The next car would be sent once the preceding car took the white flag. This would ensure qualifying was completed in roughly 40 minutes, barring any interruptions for crashes, debris, or weather.
There would be two-minute television breaks built into qualifying to ensure every car would get covered live during the session.
Each car would need to complete their lap for the session to be counted, otherwise all times would be erased and cars would start by owner points.
Multi-car qualifying would remain at road course events.
On-air, Fox reintroduced a new graphics system it used during the Daytona 500 qualifying, to render a liveaugmented reality "ghost" alongside the car currently running, typically reflecting the leader.[114]
On May 8, 2019, NASCAR announced that for the2019 Coca-Cola 600, the race would stop after the second stage for a 30-second moment of remembrance in honor ofMemorial Day.[115]
The 2019 dates and venues were released on April 3, 2018, and the start times on December 11, 2018. There were no schedule changes from the2018 season, except to move the summer Las Vegas race toprime time (7pm ET).[116] TheSonoma Raceway returned to the original 2.52 mile course configuration for the first time since 1997; otherwise the venues were unchanged.[117]
In Daytona 500 qualifying,William Byron won the pole whileAlex Bowman qualified second. This was the fifth consecutive Daytona 500 pole won byHendrick Motorsports and the first with all four cars in the top 4.[119]
Daytona Speedweeks started with theAdvance Auto Parts Clash, withPaul Menard drawing the pole and leading the most laps. The race went under a red flag after the first few laps due to rain. The race returned to green and then the field pitted for the competition caution followed by another red flag for rain. After the restart,Jimmie Johnson spun Menard, resulting in"The Big One" that claimed most of the field includingKyle Busch,Brad Keselowski,Kevin Harvick, andClint Bowyer. The race went red again due to rain during the caution and it was called, giving the win to Johnson.[120]
In the Duels on Thursday, Byron led the first Duel. Kyle Busch spun after making contact with Johnson. Harvick took the lead after pit stops and held offRicky Stenhouse Jr. for the win. In the second duel, Bowman started in the lead.Joey Logano made a last lap pass on Bowyer to win.[121]
Kevin Harvick started on pole.Kyle Larson andAustin Dillon suffered pit road penalties in the first stage during green flag stops. Harvick won the first stage of the race. In the second stage,Kyle Busch had a speeding penalty while making a pit stop under green flag.Joey Logano won the second stage of the race. In the final stage, Logano held off teammateBrad Keselowski to win the race.[124]
Ryan Blaney started the race from pole position. In the first stage,Erik Jones spun from a flat tire andBrad Keselowski hit the wall after an issue in the right front of the car caused a tire to go down. Blaney won the first stage of the race andKyle Busch won the second stage of the race. In the final stage,Michael McDowell andRyan Preece were involved in wrecks whileMatt DiBenedetto had a mechanical issue. Blaney was leading late in the race until Kyle Busch passed him with 17 laps to go. Kyle Busch went on to win the race, his first win of the season, and completed a weekend sweep, having won the Xfinity Series race the day before.[125]
Austin Dillon started the race on pole. Toward the end of the first stage, Austin Dillon had a tire go down.Kyle Busch went on to win the first stage and the second stage of the race. Kyle Busch had a pit road speeding penalty at the end of the second stage, giving the lead toBrad Keselowski. In the final stage of the race,Bubba Wallace brought out a caution during a round of green-flag pit stops, putting Kyle Busch back toward the front. Kyle Busch took the lead and would go on to win his second straight race and 200th race across all three national series, tying the record set byRichard Petty.[126]
Jimmie Johnson started on pole.Erik Jones spun early asBrad Keselowski had to go to the garage for several laps due to rear-end issues. Johnson led most of the stage.Joey Logano was able to get the lead off pit road and win the first stage.Daniel Hemric had a tire go down and spun andKyle Larson slammed the wall and caught on fire.Denny Hamlin was able to get the lead off pit road and won the second stage.Ryan Blaney had led until his engine expired.Kyle Busch led the most laps, but got loose and got into the wall and had to go to pit road. Hamlin, who suffered back-to-back pit road penalties, was able to get back in the lead after the final round of green-flag pit stops and held offClint Bowyer for his second win of the season.[128]
Chase Elliott started the race on pole whileKevin Harvick had to start from the rear and serve a pass-through penalty for failing pre-race inspection. At the beginning of the race,Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got intoKyle Busch and sent him spinning, withAric Almirola also involved in the wreck.Ty Dillon won the first stage whileJoey Logano won the second stage.Ryan Blaney led the most laps in the race. Elliott was spun from contact from behind toward the end of the second stage and lost power steering. In the final stage,Kyle Larson made contact with another car and got in a wreck withWilliam Byron,Denny Hamlin got a pit road speeding penalty while leading, andClint Bowyer cut a tire and got into the wall. During a late caution, most of the leaders came to pit road while a few cars stayed out, giving the lead to Kyle Busch. Kyle Busch held off his older brotherKurt Busch to win the race, his third win of the season and eighth at Bristol.[129]
Kyle Busch leads the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway in April
Kevin Harvick started on pole. Harvick led early, butKyle Busch took the lead and won the first stage.Kyle Larson spun and slammed the wall.Joey Logano would take the lead and win the second stage.Michael McDowell had a tire go down and slammed the wall.Martin Truex Jr. took the lead and led the most laps.Clint Bowyer was able to catch Truex and take the lead, but Truex regained the lead after the final round of green-flag pit stops. Bowyer got to Truex's bumper and tried to take the lead, but was unable to and lost second to Logano. Truex continued to lead with Logano on his bumper and Truex was able to hold on for his first career short-track win in his first of the season.[130]
Polesitter Chase Elliott leads the Gander RV 400 at Dover International Speedway in May
The race was postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain.Chase Elliott started on pole and dominated, leading the most laps.Joey Logano won the first stage whileMartin Truex Jr. passedAlex Bowman to win the second stage. Truex continued to lead and pulled away from Bowman for his second win of the season.[132]
Kevin Harvick started on pole.Denny Hamlin had a tire go down and got into the wall. Harvick won the first stage andChase Elliott passed Harvick and won the second stage.Ryan Blaney got in the wall and had a tire go down, but made it to pit road. Harvick had to go to pit road due to a tire going down.Alex Bowman took the lead from Elliott and was heading to the win, but lost the lead toBrad Keselowski.Kyle Busch had a tire rub and had to pit whileMatt DiBenedetto had an engine blow up, sending the race into overtime. Keselowski held off a charging Bowman for his third win of the season.[133]
In theMonster Energy Open,Daniel Hemric started on pole.William Byron won the first stage to advance to the All-Star Race in a close overtime finish againstDarrell Wallace Jr. In the second stage, Hemric andRyan Preece wrecked and brought an overtime finish. Wallace Jr. won the second stage to advance to the All-Star Race in a close finish againstDaniel Suárez, who went spinning through the grass. In the final stage,Kyle Larson passedTy Dillon to win the race and advance to the All-Star Race.Alex Bowman won the fan vote to get into the All-Star Race.[134]
Clint Bowyer started on pole for the All-Star Race.Kyle Busch won the first stage,Kevin Harvick won the second stage, andJoey Logano won the third stage. Several drivers had issues during the race, includingErik Jones, who got into the wall multiple times, andDenny Hamlin, who went for a spin after cutting a tire. In the final stage, Larson, who raced into the All-Star Race through the Monster Energy Open, got a push from Harvick to take the lead and win the All-Star Race, holding off Harvick and Kyle Busch.[135]
William Byron started on pole for the second straight week and led until the competition caution.Austin Dillon made contact withPaul Menard and got into the wall.Kyle Larson took the lead off pit road and won the first stage.Matt DiBenedetto andMatt Tifft spun whileCorey Lajoie got into the wall. Larson took back the lead to win the second stage.Kevin Harvick got the lead after green flag pit stops, but had an uncontrolled tire penalty, giving the lead toKyle Busch.Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had a tire go down and slammed the wall. On the restart, Larson got into the wall and had to pit. Busch held offBrad Keselowski for his fourth win of the season and his third at Pocono.[137]
The race was postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain.Joey Logano started on pole. Logano held offAlex Bowman to win the first stage. The leaders pitted for fuel asAustin Dillon stayed out to win the second stage overKevin Harvick.Clint Bowyer spun and slammed the wall after contact withErik Jones. Jones had a tire go down, sending the race into overtime. Logano pulled away on the restart and held offKurt Busch for his second win of the season and second at Michigan.[138]
Austin Dillon started on pole.Jimmie Johnson took the lead and a caution came out for rain in the area. The race was then red-flagged and the race resumed.Clint Bowyer andKyle Busch got into the wall with flat tires bringing out the caution allowingDenny Hamlin to win the first stage.Kevin Harvick held offChase Elliott to win the second stage. Harvick got loose and got in the wall and Bowyer spun after another flat tire.Alex Bowman took the lead and had a big gap on the field untilKyle Larson was able to run him down due to lapped traffic. Larson took the lead from Bowman, but Bowman retook the lead and held off Larson for his first career win.[140]
Joey Logano started on pole after qualifying was canceled due to rain. The race was postponed from Saturday to Sunday due to rain. Logano won the first stage.Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun andKurt Busch spun in the wall.Brad Keselowski got into the wall and collectedKevin Harvick,Daniel Suárez, andDaniel Hemric.Austin Dillon won the second stage. Dillon got turned while leading collecting most of the field including Logano,Clint Bowyer,Kyle Busch,Alex Bowman,Martin Truex Jr., Stenhouse,Chase Elliott, andDenny Hamlin. During the caution, the field was brought down pit road due to lightning and rain caused the race to end under a red flag, thus givingJustin Haley the win as he was the leader for his first career Cup win in just his third start. Haley's win is also the first Cup series win by a non-Cup driver since Brian Vickers at New Hampshire in 2013.[141]
Daniel Suárez started on pole.Chase Elliott had a tire go down andCorey LaJoie andLandon Cassill spun. The Busch brothers dominated the majority of the race with Kurt winning the first stage and Kyle winning the second stage.Austin Dillon exited the race due to losing fourth gear.Jimmie Johnson had a tire go down and hit the wall before spinning.Joey Logano passedKyle Busch for the lead and was heading to the win untilBubba Wallace had a tire go down and spun, sending the race to overtime.Kurt Busch held off brother Kyle for his first win of the season withChip Ganassi Racing.[142]
Chase Elliott started on pole.Kyle Busch spun early and made contact withWilliam Byron as Elliott won the first stage.Bubba Wallace spun into the wall as Elliott won the second stage.Jimmie Johnson spun after contact withRyan Blaney as Kyle Busch spun after contact from Wallace. Elliott continue to dominate and held offMartin Truex Jr. for his second win of the season and his second straight at Watkins Glen.[145]
Kevin Harvick started on pole for the regular season finale.Landon Cassill slammed the wall hard.Erik Jones andBrad Keselowski made contact, sending Keselowski hard into the tire barrier asJoey Logano won the first stage.Kyle Busch had a tire go down and had to pit, but the engine blew up and the car caught fire. Harvick won the second stage under caution.Kurt Busch slammed the wall alongPaul Menard,Parker Kligerman andJimmie Johnson, who was unable to continue thus making the first time Johnson did not make the Playoffs.Kyle Larson hit the wall as well asAlex Bowman. Harvick dominated and held off Logano for his third win of the season and his second Brickyard 400.Clint Bowyer andRyan Newman clinched the final two Playoff spots.[149]
Clint Bowyer started on pole.Kyle Busch got into the wall and had to pit, going two Laps down to fix the damage.Joey Logano dominated and won the first stage whileMartin Truex Jr. won the second stage.William Byron spun while Logano made contact withDaniel Suárez andChase Elliott, causing him and Elliott to pit.Kurt Busch slammed the wall after having a flat tire. Truex took the lead fromKevin Harvick to get his fifth win of the season and punching his ticket to the next round of the Playoffs.[150]
Brad Keselowski started on pole.Martin Truex Jr. won the first stage.Alex Bowman spun after contact withAustin Dillon andReed Sorenson slammed the wall.Kyle Busch won the second stage and dominated. Truex spun while leading after making contact withRicky Stenhouse Jr. Truex was able to take the lead from Kyle Busch and pull away to sweep the season at Richmond and get his sixth win of the season and going back-to-back for the first time in his career. Kyle Busch andKevin Harvick clenched spots in the next round of the Playoffs.[151] After the race, Jones' car failed post-race inspection, regulating him to a last place finish, making it the first time that a driver was disqualified in the MENCS under the new inspection rule.[152]
Denny Hamlin leads the field to the green flag at the Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway in October
Denny Hamlin won the pole with a new track record.Joey Logano had to go to the garage before the race to change a broken drive shaft.Chase Elliott was taken out after blowing an engine. Hamlin dominated and won the first stage whileMartin Truex Jr. won the second stage.Ryan Blaney was taken out after brake issues.Kyle Larson took the lead from the dominant Hamlin and held off Truex Jr. for his first win since 2017 and advancing to the next round of the Playoffs.[154]
Chase Elliott started on the pole. The race started on Sunday withWilliam Byron winning Stage 1. At this point, it started raining, with the rain postponing the remainder of the race until Monday. Stage 2 started on Monday withRyan Blaney leading the field to green. With three laps to go in the stageJoey Logano bumpedAlex Bowman from the lead collectingKyle Larson,Jimmie Johnson, and others.Clint Bowyer won Stage 2 under caution. The second big one happened whenKurt Busch got into Byron. collecting Logano and others. Bowyer spun into the banking of turn 3, leaving him stuck. The third big one happened with 7 laps to go caused byKyle Busch collectingBrad Keselowski,Kevin Harvick and several others.Brendan Gaughan took the worst hit as his car ended up flipping midair once before landing back on its wheels. Blaney led the field back to green with three laps to go on the last lapRyan Newman was leading when Blaney made the winning move bumping into Newman, causing a photo finish. On the replay it showed Blaney beating Newman by .007 seconds locking Blaney into the round of 8. This finish marked the 6th closest finish in NASCAR history.[155]
Daniel Hemric started the race on pole.Joey Logano won the first stage whileDenny Hamlin won the second stage. Hamlin dominated and led the most laps in the race. Late in the race,Bubba Wallace andMatt Tifft wrecked to set up an overtime finish. During the first overtime, Hemric andDaniel Suárez crashed right before the white flag came out, setting up a second overtime finish. During the second overtime, Hamlin held offChase Elliott andKyle Busch to win the race, his fifth win of the season. Following the race,Brad Keselowski,Alex Bowman,Clint Bowyer, andWilliam Byron were eliminated from the playoffs.[156]
Kevin Harvick started on pole.Chase Elliott slammed the wall and went several laps down.Brad Keselowski got into the wall and was slammed into byRicky Stenhouse Jr.Corey LaJoie got into the wall twice asKevin Harvick beat out teammateClint Bowyer for the first stage win.Aric Almirola dominated and won the second stage.Jimmie Johnson led several laps until he got into the wall. Harvick got a pit road penalty and went a lap down. Harvick eventually got back on the lead lap and took the lead from Almirola and drove to his fourth win of the season and capturing a Championship 4 spot in Miami.[158]
Kyle Busch started on pole.Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had a tire go down and brought out the caution.Denny Hamlin won the first stage whileJoey Logano won the second stage.Chase Elliott had a flat tire and slammed the wall, ending his championship run.John Hunter Nemechek had a flat tire that brought out the caution. Hamlin held off Kyle Busch for his sixth win of the season and joiningKevin Harvick andMartin Truex Jr. in the Championship 4. Kyle Busch clinched the final spot over Logano on points while Elliott,Ryan Blaney, Logano, andKyle Larson were eliminated from the Playoffs.[159]
Denny Hamlin started on pole after qualifying was cancelled due to rain.Martin Truex Jr. won the first stage whileKyle Busch won the second stage. Truex went a lap down after a pit road miscalculation with the tires as one tire was put on the wrong side of the car.John Hunter Nemechek had a tire go down and spun. Hamlin went a lap down after trouble on pit road with overheating due to too much tape put on the grill. Kyle Busch held off Truex for his fifth win of the season and winning his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship.[160]
(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time.Italics – Pole position set by final practice results or owner's points. * – Most laps led.1 – Stage 1 winner.2 – Stage 2 winner.3 – Stage 3 winner.[N 1]1–10 - Regular season top 10 finishers.
. – Eliminated after Round of 16. – Eliminated after Round of 12. – Eliminated after Round of 8
‡ – After suffering from neck pain,Paul Menard did not complete the race and shortly before Sunday's red flag, he was replaced byMatt Crafton. Since Menard started the race, he is officially credited with the 16th-place finish.
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