The massive divide between NASCAR's heavyweights and the underdog teams just scraping by received renewed attention following Kyle Busch's damning assessment of how backmarkers raced in the playoff opener over the weekend.

Busch rallied from an early incident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that dropped him two laps off the pace to stunningly position himself for a top-five finish. Instead, he ran into the back of Garrett Smithley, who was 12 laps down in 35th place. Read More...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Richard Childress Racing has declined to pick up the option on rookie Daniel Hemric for next season.

Hemric is ranked 25th in the standings, did not make NASCAR's playoffs and has just two top-10 finishes in 27 starts this season. The team said Tuesday that Hemric will finish the year in the No. 8 Chevrolet. RCR called Hemric "a very talented driver and an outstanding person." Read More...

STERLING, Conn. (AP) Modified stock car great Michael Stefanik has been killed in a single-engine plane crash. He was 61.

State police say the crash happened Sunday afternoon in Sterling near the Rhode Island state line. They say the single-engine, single-seat Aerolite 103 took off from the Riconn Airport in Coventry, Rhode Island, and had been turning back toward the airfield when it crashed into a wooded area near the airport. NASCAR confirmed that Stefanik was killed in the accident. Read More...

LAS VEGAS (AP) Austin Hill passed Ross Chastain with 11 laps to go and pulled away to win Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the final race of the first round of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series playoffs.

Hill and Chastain earned spots in the Round of 6 while three of the eight playoff drivers did not finish due to mechanical issues. Read More...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Paul Menard has decided to walk away from NASCAR's top level after more than 460 races and Wood Brothers Racing is replacing him with Matt DiBenedetto in the iconic No. 21 Ford next season.

After spending 16 years in the Cup Series, Menard said Tuesday he wants to step back from full-time racing to spend more time with his family. The 39-year-old driver, whose only win came at the Brickyard 400 in 2011, has two young children with his wife, Jennifer. Read More...

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Kyle Busch needed a little help to return to victory lane Saturday.

First, he inherited the lead when the leaders crashed with eight laps to go. Then, on the final restart, he got the push he needed from Justin Allgaier's teammate. Read More...