After The Checkered Flag

Kevin Harvick concluded his distinguished NASCAR Cup Series career at Phoenix in November. While he'll continue to be involved with the sport in 2024 working as an analyst in the Fox broadcast booth, there's no doubt his on-track presence and success is a significant loss to the sport, and more specifically, Stewart-Haas Racing, where he competed for the last decade and earned 37 of his 61 career wins, and won the 2014 championship. Unfortunately, Harvick's on-track performance isn't all that will be missing from SHR next year. The now-former driver recently revealed more painful news about what his departure means to his former team and, interestingly enough, delivered the news during an unexpected appearance in a Team Penske video. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Team Penske Photo Credits: Getty Images

NASCAR fans, teams, and drivers had looked forward to racing in Phoenix since the season started back at Daytona in February. The Championship 4 races crown new champions for each series. It was a celebratory moment for the sport. Unfortunately, it was also littered with ugly controversy. It started with an embarrassing blunder in the Truck Series race on Friday, which included an incorrectly marked restart zone, and concluded with a hotly-contested battle between eventual Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney and race winner Ross Chastain, which later resulted in accusations of race manipulation. NASCAR has addressed both issues. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Audio Credits: Door Bumper Clear/Dirty Mo Media SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Photo Credits: Getty Images

Richard Childress and company didn't have a good weekend at Martinsville, with Xfinity Series drivers Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill taking each other out on the final lap, both of them failing to advance to the Championship 4 race at Phoenix. The longtime NASCAR team owner wasn't happy after the race and made it clear he thought Creed was responsible for it all. This week, some wondered if the owner might be vindictive and park the No. 2 driver from racing in the season finale at Phoenix. Denny Hamlin talked about that very question this week on his podcast and made a shocking accusation detailing the lengths Childress would go to get back at one of his drivers, including offering a specific example of how he threatened one driver with sabotage. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Audio Credits: Actions Detrimental/Dirty Mo Media SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Photo Credits: Getty Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is forever linked to Richard Childress Racing through his father and his many years of success with the team, including six Cup Series championships. This week on his podcast, Junior didn't talk about that storied past, but the future of RCR and offered a surprisingly detailed explanation of what he sees happening with the organization in the not-so-distant future, including why he believes Austin Dillon will be replaced in the No. 3 car and who that driver will be. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Audio Credits: Dale Jr. Download/Dirty Mo Media Photo Credits: Getty Images

Kyle Larson held off a hard-charging Christopher Bell to win last weekend at Las Vegas and is locked into the Championship 4 race at Phoenix, looking to claim his second NASCAR Cup Series title in three seasons. After the race, he talked about the last-lap battle with the Joe Gibbs Racing driver and what he thought about his talent. He was very complimentary about the 28-year-old, but also didn't hesitate in firing a shot at the organization for how it has treated the driver over the last year. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports David Gravel Podcast Flo Racing Audio Credits: SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Actions Detrimental Podcast/Dirty Mo Media Photo Credits: Getty Images

Denny Hamlin and Hendrick Motorsports have a history. A history of beef. And since 2017, tensions have escalated between the 42-year-old driver at Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR's other powerhouse team. This season there have been multiple run-ins with the three-time Daytona 500 winner and HMS drivers. And now NASCAR Hall of Famer and HMS Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon has jumped into the mix and stirred up the latest controversy. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Audio Credits: SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Actions Detrimental Podcast/Dirty Mo Media Photo Credits: Getty Images

Joe Gibbs Racing has won five NASCAR Cup Series championships. Interestingly, the only driver to win one for the organization in the last 18 years left for Richard Childress Racing in 2023. This season, the organization has three cars in the Round of 12 and is hoping to add another title to the trophy case. However, over the last couple of seasons, problems on pit road have permeated throughout the organization and bad stops have cost the teams multiple wins. Unfortunately, those issues have continued into this postseason, and based on that fact, there will likely be more problems in the remaining playoff races that could prevent the organization from winning a title yet again. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images

The Bristol Night Race is considered by many fans to be the best race all year. Some have even suggested it's worthy of crown jewel status. In the latest edition on Saturday night, Denny Hamlin won the race and took a shot at the many booing fans in the stands during his post-race interview. While it was an entertaining race and exchange between the Joe Gibbs Racing driver and those in attendance, it was watched on TV by the smallest audience in years. The television ratings released show a considerable drop-off in viewership numbers from 2022, which suffered an even larger decline from the year before. Over the last three years, there's been a 29% decrease in viewers. Making matters worse, these numbers are significantly lower than the ratings for the dirt race in the spring. Here's a breakdown and comparison of both the Bristol Dirt Race and Bristol Night Race over the last three years, and why it appears that NASCAR's decision to return to concrete in the spring might have been a mistake. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images

Kevin Harvick has been outspoken in the last couple of years on a variety of topics, including safety concerns around the Next Gen car and things he would like changed in NASCAR. Last year, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver proposed the removal of cautions during stage breaks at road courses. Before this year, NASCAR announced stage break cautions would be no more on all road courses. The news was well received and fans have given a thumbs up to most races this season on tracks with right and left turns that didn't have any cautions during stage breaks. But now, right in the middle of the playoffs, NASCAR has reverted back to the old format. A senior official explained why this week and Harvick and many fans can't be happy with the decision, especially after hearing the reasons why. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Audio Credits: SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Photo Credits: Getty Images Kevin Harvick Official Gear - https://nascar.evyy.net/c/3920787/1002420/11318 This video contains affiliate links. If you click on one of them, I'll receive a small commission.

Alex Bowman has had a rough 2023 Cup Series season. It didn't begin that way. The No. 48 started as one of the fastest cars in the garage, recording six top 10s in the season's first seven races (three of them top fives). But a back injury suffered during a mid-week sprint car race in April derailed the Hendrick Motorsports team. Since then, Bowman has just a pair of top-10 finishes. Two. Last weekend at Darlington, he was in position late to add a third, running eighth and battling with Daniel Suarez when a poor choice to make a second block on the Trackhouse car proved costly, taking out both cars. After the race, both drivers called out the other for "dumb" moves. Bowman even went out of his way to mention that Suarez's crew chief had flipped him off in the past. Up in the Peacock Pit Box, Dale Jarrett heard those remarks. He couldn't help himself and responded, taking direct aim Bowman for his comments, suggesting the HMS driver and others in today's NASCAR are "too sensitive." Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Dirty Mo Media Photo Credits: Getty Images

Kyle Petty is never one to sugarcoat what's on his mind. He didn't this week on a podcast when talking about the race at Daytona and the specific actions of two drivers — Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs. The NBC broadcaster took issue with both drivers and how they handled their responsibilities before the race, calling their behavior "unacceptable" and even suggesting the 23XI Racing driver might not be cut out of NASCAR. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images

Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin provided a unified voice for the Cup Series drivers last year, regularly communicating publicly their concerns about safety issues with the Next Gen car. They were always on the same page. However, this week the two weren't anywhere near being on the same page as evidenced by the Joe Gibbs Racing driver's remarks on his podcast, where he openly admitted he was throwing the 2014 Cup Series champion under the bus for a rule change implemented in 2023 that many fans are now complaining about. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Audio Credits: Dirty Mo Media Photo Credits: Getty Images

Hailie Deegan knows her 2023 NASCAR Truck Series season has not gone as expected. Moving over to ThorSport Racing, an organization known for winning races and championships, everyone, including the driver, assumed her performance would improve over her first two years. It hasn't. During the last few months, she hit the worst four-race stretch of her career and her confidence dropped with the poor results. This week, in an eye-opening interview with Kenny Wallace on his YouTube channel, the 22-year-old got candid and admitted that she's recently been on a downward spiral, which has included her questioning her own ability and her future in racing. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports ESPN Photo Credits: Getty Images

Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch don't like each other. That's been clear since 2010 when the RFK co-owner called the RCR driver an ass during driver introductions at Bristol. There have been incidents through the years, including 2021 at Martinsville when a heated Busch said he should "beat the s***" out of Keselowski for how he drove against him late in the race. Things have been relatively quiet between the pair since. However, that changed in recent weeks, not in the Cup Series but the SRX Series. Busch initiated contact with Keselowski in back-to-back races. This week, Keselowski met with reporters and was asked about the contact and his relationship with Busch. He didn't mince words. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports ESPN Photo Credits: Getty Images SRX/Wayne Riegle

John Hunter Nemechek has won four times in the 2023 Xfinity Series season. He's one of the favorites to win the championship. On Saturday at Road America, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver made a mistake, severely damaged his car, and finished 34th, his worst result of the year. In his post-race interview, the 26-year-old addressed his mistake but then unexpectedly called out his JGR teammate for aggressive driving. It was a surprising comment because, of all drivers, Nemechek knows a little something about racing aggressively against teammates, including his retaliatory move just last month on another JGR car in Portland. It's a pattern of behavior within the organization that dates back to last year and one reason why Nemechek is a perfect fit with the team. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images SHOP NASCAR GEAR - 25% OFF Orders of $30 or More - https://nascar.evyy.net/7m4dMd This video contains affiliate links. If you click on one of them, I'll receive a small commission.

This time last year Joe Gibbs Racing officials were insistent they wanted to bring Kyle Busch back in the No. 18 car for 2023. As we all know, that didn't happen and the two-time champion left and took his talent to Richard Childress Racing. The main speculation about what led to the divorce was JGR was unable to find enough sponsors to pay the driver. Globaldata released a new report this week — The Business of NASCAR 2023 — that provides an analysis on the current business landscape of the sport, and includes various statistics such as sponsorship revenues for individual teams. The numbers show Busch's new team well ahead of his old team and confirm that finding sponsor dollars for the future Hall of Famer isn't as hard as some JGR officials might have suggested throughout the months-long saga. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images

Save 20% on your SimpliSafe system and your first month is free when you sign up for Fast Protect Monitoring. Visit https://SimpliSafe.com/atcf to customize yours! Try SimpliSafe risk-free. If you don't love it, return it for a full refund within 60 days. ********************* Chase Elliott has had a forgettable 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. That's because it's been memorable for all the wrong reasons. A snowboarding accident that sidelined him for six races was just the beginning. NASCAR added to his misery, suspending him after he intentionally wrecked Denny Hamlin at the Coca-Cola 600. Those combined absences have put him way behind in the points standings. For weeks, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and others believed the 2020 champ could get it on points. That mindset changed at New Hampshire with another lackluster performance. Now, the No. 9 team is in a must-win situation. Recently on his podcast, Earnhardt talked about the upcoming playoff bubble battle and said it should be interesting to watch. And then Junior got brutally honest, suggesting if the 27-year-old driver doesn't make it, he'll not only be incredibly embarrassed, but he should expect big changes to his team in 2024. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Audio Credits: Dale Jr. Download Photo Credits: Getty Images

The NASCAR Truck Series race at Pocono was entertaining and got wild and aggressive in the final stage, resulting in a big multi-truck accident that took out multiple drivers. Kyle Busch was in front and missed the accident. Hailie Deegan was right behind the action and got caught up in it when another driver made a move to avoid the crash and slammed into her. She called out the driver for his move. Moments later during the red-flag delay, Michael Waltrip asked Busch to do an interview. The driver made it clear that he wasn't in the mood. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images Hailie Deegan 1/24 Die-Cast of 2023 No. 13 Ford F-150 (Special FREE Shipping) - https://nascar.evyy.net/jrm5Zv Kyle Busch 3Chi Hat (Special FREE Shipping) - https://nascar.evyy.net/g1GrG2 This video contains affiliate links. If you click on one of them, I'll receive a small commission.

Chad Knaus has watched his Hendrick Motorsports drivers put up mixed results in the first 20 races of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. On the good side, Kyle Larson has won a couple of times, while William Byron has set the pace for the organization and the rest of the competition, earning a season-best four victories. Conversely, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott have struggled due to a variety of factors, including missing action from injuries sustained outside of NASCAR. The 2020 champ also missed a race from suspension after the incident with Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600. In both drivers' cases, making the playoffs on points is all but impossible. They're in must-win situations. This week, Knaus made an appearance on NASCAR Race Hub alongside Kevin Harvick. During one game-show-like segment, the two discussed whether or not there might be punches thrown in the rest of the 2023 campaign. The HMS executive didn't hesitate in predicting that he thought there was a high chance of it happening, and provided examples of who might be good candidates. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images

Martin Truex Jr. dominated at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Monday. It was his third win of the season and second in the last five races. With the win, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver firmly established himself as one of the frontrunners to make it to Phoenix for a shot at his second Cup Series championship. After the race, Truex and crew chief James Small were celebratory in Victory Lane. Interestingly, the crew chief unexpectedly brought up his driver's potential retirement in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio's Claire B. Lang. The reporter then followed that up by asking the driver his thoughts on the subject. His emotional response sure sounded like 2023 is his last Cup Series season. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Audio Credits: SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Photo Credits: Getty Images

Coming into the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season, 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin expressed confidence in Bubba Wallace following his strong performance to close out the 2022 campaign, which included eight top-10 finishes (four in the top five) and a win at Kansas, admitting that he expected his driver to build off last year's momentum and make his first career appearance in the playoffs. This season has been a rollercoaster ride for the No. 23 driver but it did include the best stretch of his career, as the 29-year-old recorded four consecutive top-five finishes, including a runner-up result at North Wilkesboro in the All-Star Race. He rocketed up the points standings to above the playoff cutoff line. However, in the last month, the driver has stumbled with just two finishes inside the top 20. This week, after Wallace finished 25th at Atlanta, Hamlin talked about the fast-approaching playoffs on his podcast, and who he thought would make it into the postseason. His driver was notably absent. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Audio Credits: Actions Detrimental Podcast Photo Credits: Getty Images

Many thought the 2023 NASCAR Truck Series season would be Hailie Deegan's breakout year because it would be her first with a legitimate championship contender at ThorSport Racing. Now 14 races in and just a couple from the playoffs, it's turned out to be anything but that. The 21-year-old has struggled for much of the season. If you listen to the team radio, it's because she's not being aggressive enough and is getting pushed around by other drivers — a problem that has dogged her throughout her career. This year that has continued, but the driver has also committed her share of mistakes, especially lately. All of it combined has resulted in the driver currently finding herself in the worst stretch of her career, where she hasn't finished better than 20th in six consecutive races and is lower in the season points standings than five of the six rookie drivers, including Taylor Gray, who has run three fewer races. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Kenny Wallace YouTube Channel Hailie Deegan YouTube Channel Photo Credits: Getty Images

Joey Logano is the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion. He's a two-time champion. His voice matters. This past weekend in Chicago, the Penske driver talked about the safety concerns of drivers, just days after the latest incident when his teammate Ryan Blaney violently crashed into the wall at Nashville and suffered concussion-like symptoms for several days. Noah Gragson already suffered a concussion earlier this season. Logano didn't sugarcoat what was on his mind, repeatedly saying how NASCAR reacts too slow to issues and candidly admitted the Next Gen car has been a serious step backwards when it comes to safety. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Kenny Wallace YouTube Channel Photo Credits: Getty Images

Larry McReynolds is America's Crew Chief for a reason. Each race he breaks down the technical side of the sport, including fuel and tire strategies, in easy-to-digest bits of information for the fan watching at home. He's calm and practical in his delivery and doesn't ever get excited like Clint Bowyer does in the broadcast booth. This week on NASCAR Race Hub, he flipped a switch. The longtime crew chief went off on a rant about Ryan Blaney's violent crash at Nashville on Sunday, and took direct aim at NASCAR for its failure to update tracks and provide the proper protective barriers to prevent such an incident from happening after 22 years of using the SAFER barrier. Interestingly, a day after his tirade, McReynolds admitted on his SiriusXM NASCAR Radio show that he was surprised he hadn't heard from any sanctioning body officials about his heated remarks from the night before. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chase Elliott have a history together, which includes the driver winning an Xfinity Series title with JR Motorsports in 2014. In addition, the pair are also linked together because they have held the title of Most Popular Driver for the last two decades. This past week, the two offered differing opinions on the same subject — race start times. While the pair disagreed for various reasons, both of their opinions were based on improving the overall NASCAR experience for the fans. Video Credits: NASCAR NASCAR.com Fox Sports NBC Sports Photo Credits: Getty Images