Ford will celebrate its iconic muscle car next year when it races the Mustang in NASCAR’s top Cup Series. The Mustang has raced in the second-tier Xfinity Series since 2011. It will compete against Chevrolet’s Camaro and the Toyota Camry. The Mustang debuted in 1964 and is Ford’s longest running model. The 10 millionth Mustang rolled off the production line this week.

NASCAR participants do not seem concerned about Chairman Brian France’s arrest on charges of driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of oxycodone. France has taken a leave of absence and most seem confident his uncle Jim France can be a steady force in trying times for the series. NASCAR is privately owned by the France family.

Denny Hamlin has won the Cup pole at Watkins Glen International. Hamlin traversed the 2.45-mile layout at 125.534 mph to take the top spot in the No. 11 Toyota, ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch.

Defending NASCAR Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. will go for his third straight road course race victory on Sunday at Watkins Glen. The last driver to accomplish the feat was Tony Stewart in 2005. Jeff Gordon holds the all-time record of six in a row, set in 2000.

It’s been almost a week since NASCAR Cup rookie Bubba Wallace became a headliner after a violent crash at Pocono Raceway, and he’ll never forget it. Wallace says Friday at Watkins Glen International that he’s still reliving it but is OK to go back racing.

AJ Allmendinger is ready to atone for his costly mistake at Sonoma. Allmendinger, one of the best road racers in NASCAR, missed a shift there in June and blew the engine on his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevy. The Cup series visits Watkins Glen International on Sunday for the second and final road race of the regular season. Allmendinger’s lone Cup victory came at The Glen four years ago.

Kurt Busch turned a lap of 133.591 mph in the No. 41 Ford to win the pole for the NASCAR race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. The 2004 series champion hasn’t won a race since the 2017 Daytona 500 and has just three top-five finishes this season for Stewart-Haas Racing. Martin Truex Jr., who won last week at Kentucky, will start second on Sunday and Kyle Busch will start third.

Martin Truex Jr. passed Brad Keselowski on lap 201 and went on to repeat as champion of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway. Truex’s No. 78 Toyota Camry appeared even more dominant than last July as he led 174 of 267 laps and swept the first two stages from the pole.

Defending champion Martin Truex Jr. has won the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway. Truex clocked 188.890 mph to earn his first Kentucky pole and 19th of his career. He led 152 of 274 laps on his way to winning this race last July.

Erik Jones has won a crash-filled NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway. He passed defending series champion Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap and then crossed the finish line for the first victory of his Cup Series career. Jones was involved in one of the many wrecks, but his No. 20 Toyota was still in good enough shape to get by Truex.

Chase Elliott turned a lap of 194.045 mph to win the pole at Daytona International Speedway and give sagging Chevrolet a much-needed boost. Elliott had won two poles at the Daytona 500. He will start from the top Saturday night as the Hendrick Motorsports driver goes for his first career win. Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman joins Elliott on the front row. Bowman won the pole for this year’s Daytona 500 in the debut race for the Chevy Camaro.

Chevrolet has been mostly noncompetitive since Austin Dillon won the season-opening Daytona 500 in February. The American automaker hasn’t been to victory lane since and hadn’t really gotten close until Chevy driver Kyle Larson swapped the lead on the final lap with Busch last week at Chicagoland Speedway. For Chevy, it’s been a bumpy debut for the Camaro, which replaced the maligned Chevrolet SS this year.

Paul Menard won the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. It’s the second career pole for Menard, who has just one top-five finish this season. He also qualified first for a race at Daytona almost exactly 10 years ago. Menard turned a lap at 180.012 mph in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford.

Kyle Larson has claimed the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race on his home track. The Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet driver turned a lap at 94.597 miles per hour at Sonoma Raceway. Martin Truex Jr. will start second, followed by Chase Elliott and Jamie McMurray.

NASCAR is shelving the aero package used in the All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May for the rest of the season. The drafting package included aero ducts, a higher spoiler, restrictor plates and an older splitter in an attempt to promote passing and tight competition. The ruling body is contemplating future changes. The current package will be used for the final 21 races of the season.

Brad Keselowski will try again for an elusive NASCAR Cup Series win at Michigan. Keselowski is from Rochester Hills, about 90 miles from Michigan International Speedway, so a victory this weekend would mean a lot. He finished second at MIS in 2012 but has never won a Cup race there.

Kyle Larson is still seeking his first victory of the season, and he may have come to the right place. Michigan International Speedway has been awfully good to Larson of late. He’s won the last three NASCAR Cup Series races there, including two in 2017.

Kurt Busch won his second NASCAR Cup Series pole of the season in qualifying for Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway. Brad Keselowski was second, followed by Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. It was the 24th pole of Kurt Busch’s career.

Martin Truex Jr. pulled away off a restart with seven laps left to win the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday and thrust himself back into the championship picture. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick had turned the season into a two-driver show, winning nine of the first 13 races. Each driver spent time in front and battled for the lead over the final laps until the final restart on the 2 1/2-mile track. Truex took the checkered flag in the No. 78 Toyota after two straight runner-up finishes in a season where he was almost an afterthought compared to the Busch-Harvick dominance. Kyle Larson finished second Sunday, followed by Busch and Harvick. Brad Keselowski was fifth. – Associated Press