1. Magic sauce
One-sixth of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series is in the books, and the biggest surprise by far has been the performance of Stewart-Haas Racing. The four-car team has won four races with two drivers, led by Kevin Harvicks three consecutive victories. Clint Bowyer snapped a 190-race losing streak at Martinsville. The question now is, can SHR maintain this pace? More than likely, yes.
2. The next six
The next Cup Series segment will be interesting. It includes two races at 1.5-mile tracks, a pair of short tracks, the Monster Mile at Dover and a stop at Talladega. The Cup Series will reconvene at Texas this week, run back-to-back short-track events at Bristol and Richmond, then make the white-knuckle journey to Talladega. With a few exceptions, those top-10 in points at this point tend to battle for championship honors.
3. Title sponsor
As it stands now, stock-cars premier series will be called the (fill in the blank) NASCAR Cup Series. Monster Energy is in Year 2 of a two-year deal with an option for 2019-20, which the energy drink company has yet to renew, after reportedly asking for more time to mull things over. It is reported that Monster Energy pays $20 million annually for entitlement
Kevin Harvick has helped Stewart-Haas Racing blast out of the 2018 starting gate with three wins in six races. The question is, can SHR maintain this torrid winning pace? [AP/LM OTERO]
rights. Monsters brand appeals to the 20-something demographic.
Godwin Kelly, godwin. [email protected]
