The 2019 season was the fifth of the current 10-year television contract with
Fox Sports and
NBC Sports and the fourth of a five-year race sanctioning agreement with all tracks.[1][2] It was the first season in which
Ford fielded the
Mustang GT, replacing the
Fusion.[3] This was the final season of title sponsor
Monster 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 for
Darrell Waltrip covering races in the booth as during the season he announced that the June 23
Toyota/Save Mart 350 would be his last race as a broadcaster.
Busch then went on to win the championship after winning at the season finale at
Homestead. It was his second championship and the first he won after competing in all 36 races during the season, after his injury in
2015 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 were
Martin Truex Jr.,
Kevin Harvick and
Denny 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 the
Daytona 500 winner.
Joe Gibbs Racing and
Toyota had three of the four title contenders and won 19 of the 36 races.
Alex Bowman and
Justin Haley obtained their first career victories, whereas
Daniel Hemric won Rookie of the Year honors. Seven-time Series Champion
Jimmie Johnson would miss the Playoffs for the first time since its inception in
2004 after fifteen consecutive appearances.
The 2019 season was the last full-time season for drivers
David Ragan and
Paul Menard, who each retired after twelve years of racing full-time in the Cup Series. It was also inadvertently the last season to feature
Chicagoland Speedway. After having its event cancelled in
2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the track was dropped from the schedule for
2021.
^The No. 51 car is officially listed on paper as Petty Ware Racing because they have a long-term partnership with
Richard 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 by
J. 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 bankrupt
BK 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 by
Matt 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 the
2019 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 that
MBM 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 from
Richard 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 agency
Spire 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 car
Daniel Hemric made his first two Cup starts in during the 2018 season.[21][22] In addition, RCR announced that the charter they were leasing to
StarCom Racing has been sold to the team.[23][22][24]
With StarCom Racing buying the 36th and final charter from Richard Childress Racing,
TriStar Motorsports is left without a full-time charter for 2019.[24]
On December 17, 2018, StarCom Racing announced that they have moved to a new facility based in
Salisbury, North Carolina, and upgraded their engine deal with
ECR Engines.[24]
On February 5, 2019,
Germain Racing announced that they would field a second team at the
2019 Daytona 500. The No. 27 Chevrolet was built and staffed in collaboration with
Premium Motorsports owner Jay Robinson.[25]
On February 14, 2019, Xtreme Concepts Inc. announced that it has formed
XCI Racing and would field the No. 81 Toyota at both Talladega races. The team has a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing.[26]
On May 23, 2019, Rick Ware Racing announced they would field a third team at the
Coca-Cola 600 in the form of the No. 53 Chevrolet driven by
B. J. McLeod.[27]
On August 9, 2019, Rick Ware Racing announced they would field a fourth team at the
Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race in the form of the No. 54 Chevrolet driven by
J. J. Yeley.[29]
Drivers
On August 16, 2018, it was announced that
Kasey Kahne would be retiring from full-time racing following the 2018 season.[30]
On September 10, 2018, it was announced that
Jamie McMurray would not return to
Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019.[34] CGR had offered McMurray a contract to drive at the 2019 Daytona 500 before moving to a leadership position with the team.[35][36] On December 12, 2018,
Fox Sports announced that McMurray has joined its
Fox NASCAR broadcast team as an analyst for NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Race Hub starting in 2019.[37]
On September 12, 2018, it was announced that
Trevor Bayne would not return to
Roush Fenway Racing in 2019.[38] 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.[39]
On September 15, 2018, it was announced that
Ryan Newman would not return to
Richard Childress Racing in 2019.[40] 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.[41][32]
On September 28, 2018, it was announced that
Daniel 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.[46][21][32]
On October 6, 2018, it was announced that
Ross Chastain would be returning to the No. 15
Premium Motorsports Chevrolet on a '
handshake deal'. Team owner Jay Robinson states he would not hold back Chastain if a better opportunity presents itself.[47]
On October 10, 2018,
Leavine Family Racing announced that Matt DiBenedetto has signed a two-year contract to drive the No. 95 Toyota.[8][32]
On November 12, 2018,
Cole Whitt announced his retirement from competing in NASCAR following the 2018 season with
TriStar Motorsports.[48]
On November 27, 2018,
Front Row Motorsports announced that
Matt Tifft will drive the No. 36 Ford and compete for 2019 Rookie of the Year honors.[10][32] On October 26, 2019, prior to the
2019 First Data 500 at
Martinsville Speedway, Tifft was rushed to the hospital while
Matt Crafton took over the No. 36 for the race weekend.[49] 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 while
John Hunter Nemechek takes over the No. 36 for the final three races.[50]
On December 2, 2018,
Kurt Busch announced that he will not return to
Stewart-Haas Racing in 2019.[51][32] On December 4, 2018, it was announced that Busch and sponsor
Monster Energy signed a one-year deal with
Chip 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 and
Chip Ganassi would revisit an option for 2020.[52][53]
On December 3, 2018,
Obaika Racing announced that
Tanner Berryhill will run full-time in the No. 97 Toyota and compete for Rookie of the Year honors.[54][32]
On December 11, 2018, it was announced that
J. J. Yeley would drive
NY Racing Team's No. 7 Ford Mustang in 2019.
On January 18, 2019,
Spire Motorsports announced that Jamie McMurray would pilot their No. 40 Chevrolet at the
2019 Advance Auto Parts Clash and the Daytona 500 with backing from
Cessna,
Bass Pro Shops, and
McDonald'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.[62]
On January 25, 2019, it was announced that Cody Ware would drive the Rick Ware Racing No. 51 Chevrolet at the Daytona 500.[69]
On February 1, 2019, Richard Childress Racing announced that
Tyler Reddick would attempt to run the Daytona 500 in the No. 31 Chevrolet.[70][71]
On February 5, 2019,
Germain Racing announced they would field a second entry for
Casey Mears in the No. 27 Chevrolet for the Daytona 500.[25]
On February 14, 2019,
XCI Racing announced that
Jeffrey Earnhardt would drive the No. 81 Toyota for both of the Talladega races in 2019.[26] On August 7, 2019, Earnhardt announced that he parted ways with sponsor and XCI affiliate iK9, as well as Joe Gibbs Racing.[72] 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 the
Coca-Cola 600.[73][74]
On June 28, 2019, it was announced that
Andy Seuss would make his MENCS debut with Rick Ware Racing in the team's No. 51 entry at
New Hampshire.[75]
On June 29, 2019, it was announced that
Austin Theriault would make his MENCS debut with Rick Ware Racing in the team's No. 52 entry at New Hampshire.[76]
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 the
Bristol Night Race.[78][79]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.[80]
On October 23, 2018,
Roush Fenway Racing announced that former Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief Scott Graves will replace
Matt Puccia as the crew chief of the No. 6 team driven by
Ryan Newman. RFR is working on a future role for Puccia.[82][32]
On November 16, 2018,
Denny Hamlintweeted that he will be parting ways with crew chief
Mike Wheeler at the end of the 2018 season.[83] On December 6, 2018,
Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Chris Gabehart from the
Xfinity Series has been appointed as the new crew chief of the No. 11 team.[84][85]
On November 26, 2018, it was announced that Danny Stockman would replace Justin Alexander as
Austin Dillon's crew chief in the 2019 season. Stockman previously served as the crew chief in Dillon's
Camping World Truck Series and
Nationwide Series seasons.[86][32]
On November 27, 2018,
Leavine Family Racing announced that Mike Wheeler will be the No. 95 team's crew chief in 2019.[87][32]
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 the
ARCA Racing Series.[89]
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 by
Bubba Wallace.[90]
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 by
David Ragan, while Seth Barbour will transfer from the No. 38 to the No. 36 Ford driven by
Matt Tifft for the remainder of the season.[91]
On July 29, 2019, Hendrick Motorsports announced that race engineer
Cliff Daniels will replace Kevin Meendering as the crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by Jimmie Johnson for the remainder of the season.[92][93][94]
On August 26, 2019,
Matt Borland, the crew chief of the Germain Racing No. 13 Chevrolet of
Ty 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 for
Richard Childress Racing (who Germain has an alliance with), would serve as interim crew chief beginning at
Darlington and until Borland's suspension is lifted.[95] On September 24, NASCAR reinstated Borland after he completed the Road to Recovery Program.[96][97]
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 by
Ryan Preece for the remaining six races of the season. Smith, meanwhile, will move to an engineer position.[98]
Manufacturers
With the discontinuation of the
Fusion after the 2018 model year,
Ford unveiled a new body style based on the
Mustang GT.[3][32]
On March 14, 2018,
Lowe's announced the end of their 17-year sponsorship of
Hendrick Motorsports' No. 48 Chevrolet driven by
Jimmie Johnson after the 2018 season.[99] On October 28, 2018, Hendrick Motorsports announced that
Ally 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.[100] On October 4, 2019, Ally extended its sponsorship of the No. 48 for three more years through the 2023 season.[101][102]
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 by
Alex Bowman.[103][104]
Rule changes
2019 package
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).[105]
Along with the aerodynamic changes, all current
restrictor plate races except for the
2019 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 at
Daytona or
Talladega to race without the traditional restrictor plates since 1987.[105][106]
At the same time, NASCAR will be reducing the number of organizational tests for the year from four to three, and
Goodyear 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.[108]
At the
2019 Federated Auto Parts 400 at
Richmond 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.[109]
For the
2019 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.[110]
Qualifying
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 will be shortened from 15 minutes to 10 minutes, while the second and third rounds will remain at 10 and five minutes, respectively. The down time intervals at all tracks will be reduced from seven minutes to five minutes. Superspeedway qualifications will retain their untimed two-round intervals of single-lap qualifying while road courses will continue to use two qualifying rounds: 25 minutes for the first round and 10 minutes for the final round.[111]
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 will be staged in a track-specific area designated by NASCAR. Once leaving that area the car must continue directly onto the race track at full speed.[112]
For the
April Richmond race, NASCAR shortened the length of each session to five minutes for Richmond only.[113]
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.[114]
At oval tracks 1.25 miles (2.01 km) and larger, each car will get a single timed lap.
At oval tracks 1.25 miles (2.01 km) and smaller, each car will get two timed laps with the faster lap counting as their official time.
The qualifying order draw will be determined in part by the previous race's starting lineup. The top 20 starters from the previous race will draw to take their qualifying lap in positions 21-40 (the second half of qualifying). The remainder of cars will draw to qualify in positions 1-20.
The next car will be sent once the preceding car takes the white flag. This should ensure qualifying is completed in roughly 40 minutes baring any interruptions for crashes, debris, or weather.
There will be two-minute television breaks built into qualifying to ensure every car gets covered live during the session.
Each car must complete their lap for the session to be counted, otherwise all times will be erased and cars will start by owner points.
Multi-car qualifying will remain at road course events.
On-air, Fox reintroduced a new graphics system it used during the Daytona 500 qualifying, to render a live
augmented reality "
ghost" alongside the car currently running, typically reflecting the leader.[115]
Other
On May 8, 2019, NASCAR announced that for the
2019 Coca-Cola 600, the race will stop after the second stage for a 30-second moment of remembrance in honor of
Memorial Day.[116]
Schedule
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 the
2018 season, except to move the Las Vegas playoff race to
prime time (7pm ET).[117] The
Sonoma Raceway returned to the original 2.52 mile course configuration for the first time since 1997; otherwise the venues were unchanged.[118]
In Daytona 500 qualifying,
William Byron won the pole while
Alex Bowman qualified second. This was the fifth consecutive Daytona 500 pole won by
Hendrick Motorsports and the first with all four cars in the top 4.[120]
Daytona Speedweeks started with the
Advance Auto Parts Clash, with
Paul 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 including
Kyle Busch,
Brad Keselowski,
Kevin Harvick, and
Clint Bowyer. The race went red again due to rain during the caution and it was called, giving the win to Johnson.[121]
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 off
Ricky 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.[122]
Kevin Harvick started on pole.
Kyle Larson and
Austin 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 teammate
Brad Keselowski to win the race.[125]
Ryan Blaney started the race from pole position. In the first stage,
Erik Jones spun from a flat tire and
Brad 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 and
Kyle Busch won the second stage of the race. In the final stage,
Michael McDowell and
Ryan Preece were involved in wrecks while
Matt 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.[126]
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 to
Brad 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 by
Richard Petty.[127]
Jimmie Johnson started on pole.
Erik Jones spun early as
Brad 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 and
Kyle 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 off
Clint Bowyer for his second win of the season.[129]
Chase Elliott started the race on pole while
Kevin 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 into
Kyle Busch and sent him spinning, with
Aric Almirola also involved in the wreck.
Ty Dillon won the first stage while
Joey 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 with
William Byron,
Denny Hamlin got a pit road speeding penalty while leading, and
Clint 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 brother
Kurt Busch to win the race, his third win of the season and eighth at Bristol.[130]
Kevin Harvick started on pole. Harvick led early, but
Kyle 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.[131]
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 while
Martin Truex Jr. passed
Alex Bowman to win the second stage. Truex continued to lead and pulled away from Bowman for his second win of the season.[133]
Kevin Harvick started on pole.
Denny Hamlin had a tire go down and got into the wall. Harvick won the first stage and
Chase 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 to
Brad Keselowski.
Kyle Busch had a tire rub and had to pit while
Matt DiBenedetto had an engine blow up, sending the race into overtime. Keselowski held off a charging Bowman for his third win of the season.[134]
In the
Monster 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 against
Darrell Wallace Jr. In the second stage, Hemric and
Ryan Preece wrecked and brought an overtime finish. Wallace Jr. won the second stage to advance to the All-Star Race in a close finish against
Daniel Suarez, who went spinning through the grass. In the final stage,
Kyle Larson passed
Ty 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.[135]
Clint Bowyer started on pole for the All-Star Race.
Kyle Busch won the first stage,
Kevin Harvick won the second stage, and
Joey Logano won the third stage. Several drivers had issues during the race, including
Erik Jones, who got into the wall multiple times, and
Denny 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.[136]
William Byron started on pole, becoming the youngest Coke 600 pole winner.
Erik Jones,
Matt DiBenedetto, and
Martin Truex Jr. had tire issues, sending them into the wall.
Kyle Busch made contact with
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who spun.
Daniel Hemric got into
Clint Bowyer as
Brad Keselowski won the first stage. Drivers had tire issues including
Chris Buescher,
Denny Hamlin, and
Ryan Preece. Keselowski won the second stage.
Bayley Currey slammed the wall after contact with Truex, who won the third stage. Kurt Busch got loose and spun into brother Kyle Busch.
Kyle Larson got loose on the backstraightaway and spun, collecting
Austin Dillon,
Ty Dillon, Bowyer, and Preece. Hamlin cut a tire and slammed the wall and Keselowski spun coming to pit road. On the restart, Hamlin spun and slammed the wall while Martin Truex Jr. held off
Joey Logano for his third win of the season and his second Coke 600.[137]
William Byron started on pole for the second straight week and led until the competition caution.
Austin Dillon made contact with
Paul Menard and got into the wall.
Kyle Larson took the lead off pit road and won the first stage.
Matt DiBenedetto and
Matt Tifft spun while
Corey 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 to
Kyle 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 off
Brad Keselowski for his fourth win of the season and his third at Pocono.[138]
The race was postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain.
Joey Logano started on pole. Logano held off
Alex Bowman to win the first stage. The leaders pitted for fuel as
Austin Dillon stayed out to win the second stage over
Kevin Harvick.
Clint Bowyer spun and slammed the wall after contact with
Erik Jones. Jones had a tire go down, sending the race into overtime. Logano pulled away on the restart and held off
Kurt Busch for his second win of the season and second at Michigan.[139]
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 and
Kyle Busch got into the wall with flat tires bringing out the caution allowing
Denny Hamlin to win the first stage.
Kevin Harvick held off
Chase 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 until
Kyle 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.[141]
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 and
Kurt Busch spun in the wall.
Brad Keselowski got into the wall and collected
Kevin Harvick,
Daniel Suarez, and
Daniel 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, and
Denny 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 giving
Justin 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.[142]
Daniel Suarez started on pole.
Chase Elliott had a tire go down and
Corey LaJoie and
Landon 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 passed
Kyle Busch for the lead and was heading to the win until
Bubba 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 with
Chip Ganassi Racing.[143]
Chase Elliott started on pole.
Kyle Busch spun early and made contact with
William Byron as Elliott won the first stage.
Bubba Wallace spun into the wall as Elliott won the second stage.
Jimmie Johnson spun after contact with
Ryan Blaney as Kyle Busch spun after contact from Wallace. Elliott continue to dominate and held off
Martin Truex Jr. for his second win of the season and his second straight at Watkins Glen.[146]
William Byron won the pole, becoming the youngest Southern 500 pole winner. The race was delayed a few hours due to rain.
Kurt Busch won the first stage.
Ryan Newman spun after contact with
Daniel Suarez.
Joey Logano had to two unscheduled stops due to flat tires.
Brad Keselowski slammed the wall, causing the second stage to end under caution with
Kyle Busch as the winner.
Daniel Hemric spun and collected
Michael McDowell,
Jimmie Johnson, and
Denny Hamlin. Kyle Busch slammed the wall after having a flat tire as
Erik Jones held off
Kyle Larson for his second career win. With his third-place finish, Kyle Busch clinched the Regular Season Championship.[149]
Kevin Harvick started on pole for the regular season finale.
Landon Cassill slammed the wall hard.
Erik Jones and
Brad Keselowski made contact, sending Keselowski hard into the tire barrier as
Joey 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 along
Paul Menard,
Parker Kligerman and
Jimmie Johnson, who was unable to continue thus making the first time Johnson did not make the Playoffs.
Kyle Larson hit the wall as well as
Alex Bowman. Harvick dominated and held off Logano for his third win of the season and his second Brickyard 400.
Clint Bowyer and
Ryan Newman clinched the final two Playoff spots.[150]
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 while
Martin Truex Jr. won the second stage.
William Byron spun while Logano made contact with
Daniel Suarez and
Chase Elliott, causing him and Elliott to pit.
Kurt Busch slammed the wall after having a flat tire. Truex took the lead from
Kevin Harvick to get his fifth win of the season and punching his ticket to the next round of the Playoffs.[151]
Brad Keselowski started on pole.
Martin Truex Jr. won the first stage.
Alex Bowman spun after contact with
Austin Dillon and
Reed Sorenson slammed the wall.
Kyle Busch won the second stage and dominated. Truex spun while leading after making contact with
Ricky 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 and
Kevin Harvick clenched spots in the next round of the Playoffs.[152] 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.[153]
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 while
Martin 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.[155]
Chase Elliott started on the pole. The race started on Sunday with
William 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 with
Ryan Blaney leading the field to green. With three laps to go in the stage
Joey Logano bumped
Alex Bowman from the lead collecting
Kyle Larson,
Jimmie Johnson, and others.
Clint Bowyer won Stage 2 under caution. The second big one happened when
Kurt 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 by
Kyle Busch collecting
Brad 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 lap
Ryan 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.[156]
Daniel Hemric started the race on pole.
Joey Logano won the first stage while
Denny Hamlin won the second stage. Hamlin dominated and led the most laps in the race. Late in the race,
Bubba Wallace and
Matt Tifft wrecked to set up an overtime finish. During the first overtime, Hemric and
Daniel Suarez crashed right before the white flag came out, setting up a second overtime finish. During the second overtime, Hamlin held off
Chase Elliott and
Kyle Busch to win the race, his fifth win of the season. Following the race,
Brad Keselowski,
Alex Bowman,
Clint Bowyer, and
William Byron were eliminated from the playoffs.[157]
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 by
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Corey LaJoie got into the wall twice as
Kevin Harvick beat out teammate
Clint 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.[159]
Kyle Busch started on pole.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had a tire go down and brought out the caution.
Denny Hamlin won the first stage while
Joey 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 joining
Kevin Harvick and
Martin Truex Jr. in the Championship 4. Kyle Busch clinched the final spot over Logano on points while Elliott,
Ryan Blaney, Logano, and
Kyle Larson were eliminated from the Playoffs.[160]
Denny Hamlin started on pole after qualifying was cancelled due to rain.
Martin Truex Jr. won the first stage while
Kyle 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.[161]
(
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 by
Matt Crafton. Since Menard started the race, he is officially credited with the 16th-place finish.