Ryan Newman

It's short track racing under the lights, the way racing is meant to be, for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this weekend. The tour heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race on Saturday night. TV coverage will be provided by NBCSN.

"Hello again, my old friend."

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, Aug. 11 for the Consumers Energy 400. As you may recall, the track is two miles long, but this time the PJ1 traction compound was applied to the outer lane closest to the wall. Cars will be equipped with the lower horsepower, aero duct package.

Heading into the 2018 edition of the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301, NASCAR's annual Silly Season carousel looked ready to enter a permanent slumber. Most top drivers were locked into long-term deals and it looked like little, if any, driver movement would happen during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series offseason.

The second half of NASCAR's regular season kicks off Sunday in the Pocono mountains with one of the most unique tracks on the circuit. Nicknamed the Tricky Triangle, 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., has a unique style where all three of its turns have different bankings and lengths. The transitions are so different drivers sometimes feel like it's a mini road course.

The 2019 Food City 500 has given NASCAR some food for thought on their future. The news cycle at Bristol Motor Speedway was hijacked this week by the man who once won every Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race there for three-and-a-half years straight. Darrell Waltrip chose his Tennessee sanctuary, Thunder Valley, to announce his retirement from the FOX broadcasting booth.