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NASCAR Cup Series

Weekend schedule for Atlanta – Racing postponed

Update from NASCAR:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 13, 2020) – “NASCAR has decided to postpone the race events at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend and Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend. We believe this decision is in the best interest of the safety and well-being of our fans, competitors, officials and everyone associated with our sport. We will continue to monitor this dynamic situation as we assess future race events.”

All three national series head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for a weekend of competition. Brad Keselowski has won two of the last three NASCAR Cup Series races at the 1.54-mile track (2019,2017) and finished second in 2018.

Christopher Bell, who currently competes in the Cup Series, won last year’s Xfinity Series race at Atlanta but is not entered in this weekend’s race. Kyle Busch won the 2019 Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series race and will compete in Saturday’s event.

After Busch scored his 57th career victory last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, there was the usual uproar about Busch competing in a lower series. This prompted Kevin Harvick to offer a $50,000 bounty for any full-time Cup Series driver who could beat Busch in one of his four remaining Truck Series races. RV & Outdoors CEO Marcus Lemonis responded by matching Harvick’s bounty, for a total payout of $100,000. This weekend at Atlanta, Chase Elliott will try to collect the bounty.

All times are Eastern.

Friday, March 13

1:35 p.m.- 2:25 p.m.: Truck Series first practice – Stream on NASCAR.com

2:35 p.m.- 3:25 p.m.: Xfinity Series first practice – FS1

3:35 p.m.- 4:25 p.m.: Cup Series first practice – FS1

4:32 p.m.- 4:57 p.m.: Truck Series final practice – FS1

5:02 p.m.- 5:27 p.m.: Xfinity Series final practice – FS1

5:35 p.m.-6:25 p.m.: Cup Series final practice – FS1

Saturday, March 14

10:05 a.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Impound – Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – FS1

11:05 AM Xfinity Series Qualifying (Impound – Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – FS1

12:05 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying (Impound – Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – FS1/PRN

1:30 p.m.: Truck Series Vet Tix/Camping World 200 race (Stages 30/60/130 Laps = 200.02 Miles) – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

4 p.m.: Xfinity Series Echo Park 250 race (Stages 40/80/163 Laps = 251.02 Miles) – FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Sunday, March 15

2 p.m.: Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 race (Stages 105/210/325 Laps = 500.5 Miles) – FOX/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

March 12, 2020
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Phoenix

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Joey Logano: Logano held off Kevin Harvick on a late restart to win at Phoenix, taking his second win in four races this season.

“I won despite serving a mid-race penalty for a loose tire,” Logano said. “Luckily, the tire was the only ‘one that got away.’”

2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started on the front row at Phoenix and finished second, as Stewart-Haas Racing placed all four cars in the top 10.

“It sucks to come up short of victory,” Harvick said. “I really wanted to win. But I shouldn’t complain. Things could be worse. I could have been charged with a DWI and be the subject of a parody Twitter account.

“Tony Stewart will be racing in the Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis’ road course on July Fourth. He’ll be 49 then. That’s old. Tony’s so old, they’ll be calling July Fourth ‘In-Depends-Dence Day.’”

3. Ryan Blaney: Blaney was collected in an early spin triggered by contact between Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski. The damage ended Blaney’s day with a 37th-place finish.

“I was just an innocent bystander,” Blaney said, and I don’t even want to talk to Hamlin or Keselowski. So, my avoidance off the track will be much better than it was on the track.

“And speaking of ‘minding my own business,’ I just signed a multi-year extension to stay with Penske Racing. I submit that all future NASCAR contract signings should take place on the track, where drivers can sign on the dotted line at the start-finish line.”

4. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished 14th in the FanShield 500 at Phoenix and now sits fourth in the Cup points standings.

“Dillon Bassett and Brandon Brown had quite a scrap after the Xfinity Series race,” Bowman said. “Bassett was really irate. He really lost it. I wouldn’t be surprised if NASCAR pulls him for a random drug test. Then he’d be ‘really pissed.’”

5. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 12th in the FanShield 500 and is now fifth in the points standings, 33 out of first.

“I’m doing an IndyCar team test with McLaren Racing on April 6,” Johnson said. “Does this mean I’m leaning towards a future in open-wheel racing? Maybe. I guess the only thing stopping me is window-netting.”

6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski survived an early accident and finished 11th at Phoenix.

“It was quite an entertaining race,” Keselowski said. “Part of the credit should go to the ‘Awesome Sauce,’ which is what we call the grip compound placed on the track. The rest of the credit should go to the fans in the stands, who appeared to be ‘awesomely sauced.’”

7. Kyle Larson: Larson finished fourth at Phoenix and is seventh in the points standings, 43 out of first.

“I’ll be taking a shot at the ‘Kyle Busch Bounty’ in the Truck Series on March 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway,” Larson said. “Rap icon Flo Rida will be in attendance cheering for me. He’s providing ‘100 hoes.’ I’m planning on providing ‘100 G’s.’”

8. Chase Elliott: Elliott started on the pole and finished seventh at Phoenix.

“My chances at winning were doomed by a loose front tire,” Elliott said. “Just think, one lug nut ruined my race. Just think how many times drivers will be able to say that starting in 2021.”

“This Coronavirus outbreak is really wreaking havoc in the sporting world,” Elliott said. “Optimists say it won’t affect NASCAR at all. Pessimists say we may be forced to compete in front of an empty facility. But I think those people are just ‘grandstanding.’”

9. Kyle Busch: Busch came home third at Phoenix, posting his second-consecutive top-three finish.

“The bounty for beating me in the Gander Trucks Series is up to $100,000,” Busch said. “I was discussing this with my brother Kurt, and he said the last time he asked someone ‘What’s the price on my head?,’ it was to his cosmetic ear surgeon.”

10. Matt DiBenedetto: DiBenedetto finished 13th in the FanShield 500 at Phoenix.

“My fame grows by the day,” DiBendetto said. “Pretty soon, I’ll need a spokesman to handle my media requests. He’ll just repeat things I say to the media. I’ll call him ‘Matt DiBeneditto.’”

March 10, 2020
Joey Logano holds off the field to win at Phoenix
Joey Logano found victory lane Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway. It was Logano’s 25th win of his career and second of the season, making him the first repeat winner of the 2020 NASCAR Cup season.

Chase Elliott earned the pole, with Kevin Harvick taking the second spot. Martin Truex Jr. would start at the rear due to an engine change.

Stage 1:

We saw action early when Elliott and Harvick led the field to the green. The two would nearly collide in Turn 3 of the opening laps but would keep their cars straight. The two of them would be inseparable as laps later they would battle it out for the race lead, with Harvick eventually taking the top spot.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would find troubles as his No. 47 would hit the in Turn 1 going underneath J.J. Yeley. The No. 47 would receive rear damage to his Chevrolet, bringing out the first caution.

A restart would ensue and Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski would find troubles as the three collided into the Turn 3 wall. Blaney would be knocked out of the race while Hamlin and Keselowski would be able to keep on going.

Kevin Harvick would fend off the field to win Stage 1.

Elliott, Logano, Matt DiBenedetto, Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman, Truex, Aric Almirola, Tyler Reddick, and Erik Jones would round out the rest of the Top 10.

Stage 2:

Elliott would lead the first few laps of the stage before Harvick would retake the race lead. However, the No. 9 would fight back and respond by taking the lead back. Keselowski would march his way forward as he would pass by Harvick for the second spot.

Halfway into the stage, Austin Dillon would blow a right front tire, causing the No. 3 to slap the Turn 1 wall, bringing out the yellow.

During pit stops, Logano would get a penalty due to an uncontrolled tire, Harvick would lose spots due to a lengthy pit stop.

Keselowski and Elliott would lead the field down on the restart, but the two would have a close skirmish with each other into Turn 2, giving Truex an opportunity to lead some laps. Elliott and Keselowski would pass the No. 19 shortly after.

Elliott’s lead would be short-lived as he would come down pit lane, reporting a loose wheel, giving Keselowski the first position.

Rookie Tyler Reddick would climb his way toward the Top 5 as he would pass Kyle Busch for position.

Elliott was on the hard charge, trying to pass cars left and right in order to get back onto the lead lap. A caution with two laps to go into the stage would fly when Garrett Smithley’s car would blow up.

As a result, Keselowski got the stage win. For Elliott, he would get the free pass thanks to the yellow.

Harvick, Truex, Reddick, Kyle Busch, Almirola, Logano, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson, and Cole Custer would finish out the Top 10 at the end of Stage 2.

Stage 3:

Keselowski and Truex would lead the field down, and Reddick would move his way towards the second position immediately.

Reddick, Logano, and Harvick would later duke it out, going three-wide into Turn 3. Reddick would drive the car wide, dropping him all the way down to ninth.

Elliott, who had issues back in Stage 2, lurked his way into the Top 10 with 101 laps to go. Quin Houff would blow up off of Turn 2 a few laps later, sending the StarCom Chevy into the outside wall.

The field would immediately flood pit road. Truex was the first one off due to a two-tire stop. Reddick, Jones, and Christopher Bell would follow along with two tires as well.

The two-tire strategy would not pay off, as Truex, Reddick, Jones, and Bell would fall backward in position, while those with four new tires would surge their way past.

Logano and Harvick would pull away from the field until a crash in Turn 1 by Jones and Custer would bunch the field back up. A plethora of cautions would follow upon the restarts.

Reddick, who had a promising run throughout, would have a right-front tire go down, sending the rookie into the Turn 2 wall. Chris Buescher would have a left front go down after contact with Bell, resulting with the No. 17 hitting the Turn 1 wall.

Truex, on a restart, would get a shove from Almirola, sending his Bass Pro Shops Toyota hard into the Turn 1 wall, knocking him out of the race. Logano, who was trying to block Bowman, had a close call and saved it in the dogleg.

Keselowski and Bowyer would lead the front row on the restart, but Logano would close in on the two and would discard them quickly. Harvick would later move Keselowski to take second away. With nine laps to go, Ross Chastain would spin off of Turn 4 after contact with William Byron.

A four-lap shootout would arise, and Logano would have to hold off the field again when John Hunter Nemechek and Stenhouse collided off of Turn 4.

It led to NASCAR Overtime, and with a solid restart, Logano would run away from Harvick to secure the victory at Phoenix.

There were 20 lead changes for seven different leaders. There were 12 cautions for 73 laps.

Results:
1. Joey Logano – 60 laps led
2. Kevin Harvick – 67 laps led, Stage 1 winner
3. Kyle Busch
4. Kyle Larson – two laps led
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Kurt Busch
7. Chase Elliott – 93 laps led
8. Aric Almirola
9. Cole Custer
10. William Byron
11. Brad Keselowski – 82 laps led, Stage 2 winner
12. Jimmie Johnson
13. Matt DiBenedetto
14. Alex Bowman
15. Ty Dillon
16. Michael McDowell
17. Chris Buescher
18. Ryan Preece – one lap led
19. Bubba Wallace
20. Denny Hamlin
21. Daniel Suarez
22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
23. Ross Chastain
24. Christopher Bell
25. John Hunter Nemechek
26. JJ Yeley
27. Corey LaJoie
28. Erik Jones – three laps down
29. Joey Gase – three laps down
30. Reed Sorenson – four laps down
31. Brennan Poole – OUT
32. Martin Truex Jr. – 11 laps led, OUT
33. Tyler Reddick – OUT
34. Quin Houff – OUT
35. Garrett Smithley – OUT
36. Austin Dillon – OUT
37. Ryan Blaney – OUT
38. Timmy Hill – OUT
March 8, 2020
Chevy NCS at Phoenix at Phoenix 1: Chase Elliott Pole Winner Press Conference Transcript

Chase Elliott puts CAMARO ZL1 1LE on pole at Phoenix

AVONDALE, Ariz. (March 7, 2020) – Behind the wheel of his No. 9 Unifirst Camaro ZL1 1LE, Chase Elliott will lead the field to the green in Sunday’s FanShield 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. Elliott ran a fast speed of 138.116 mph in today’s qualifying session to earn his ninth Cup Series career pole and first of the 2020 season. It marks the eighth time a Hendrick Motorsports driver has won the pole at the 1-mile, low banked oval track located near Phoenix.

Elliott’s Busch Pole Award was the second of the year for the new Camaro ZL1 1LE, which made its debut at the Daytona season-opener, the 18th pole for Chevrolet at Phoenix Raceway, and 716th for Chevrolet in NASCAR’s premier racing series.

Kyle Larson, qualified his No. 42 McDonald’s Camaro ZL1 1LE in the fourth position, to give Team Chevy two of the top five spots in the order. Former Phoenix race winner, Kurt Busch, aboard his No. 1 GEARWRENCH Camaro ZL1 1LE was seventh quick; and Alex Bowman, last week’s race winner at Auto Club Speedway, qualified his No. 88 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE in the eighth position.

Kevin Harvick (Ford) was second-fast, Denny Hamlin (Toyota) was third, and Ryan Blaney (Ford) qualified fifth to round out the top five.

FOX will telecast the 312-lap race live at 3:30 p.m. EST Sunday, March 8. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1 1LE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:

THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPARISONS TO THE 2018 PACKAGE, BUT STILL SOME SLIGHT DIFFERENCES. DO YOU THINK THE CAR DRIVES LIKE IT DID TWO YEARS AGO?
“Yeah, it’s really similar. And, like I said, I think Kevin (Harvick) and I were battling for the pole here a couple three races ago, or something. I think the package may have been different from what it is now. I don’t know that it really changes a lot from the car-side of things, or the set-up-side of things, or who is going to be good. I think the same crowd is always going to be tough. You know how it is. I don’t know that it really matters how big the spoiler is. So, hopefully, the race is better for the people watching, but I think the same guys will still be good.”

DO YOU HAVE TO RE-TRIM THE CAR FOR TOMORROW’S RACE?
“The cars are impounded. So, we can’t really adjust on them much before tomorrow. So, everybody kind of has what they have for the race. That’s the whole point of this Saturday qualifying procedure. You have to qualify with whatever set-up you’re going to run in the race.”

JUST LOOKING AHEAD TO ATLANTA, YOUR HOME TRACK, WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS GOING THERE? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED WITH ANY IMPROVEMENTS YOU’VE MADE ON THE PACKAGE BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT WEEK?
“Atlanta has been, we started off there and I thought 2016 went really good. That was kind of my first 1.5-mile with the No. 24 team at the time and I thought things went really good. In 2017, we went back and were even better. I thought we had a real chance that day. And then in ’18 and ’19 have been dismal. So, hopefully, this weekend is better and you never want to run bad at your home track. So, hopefully, we can turn that around. It’s been, I feel like, it’s been a rough go the past two years. So, yeah, hopefully, we can improve and be back like we were in 2017.”

WHAT DO YOU FEEL WILL BE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TOMORROW, WHETHER IT BE TIRES THE PJ1 OR THE NEW PACKAGE?
“All of the above, for sure. I think it’s interesting; I was not expecting to run up in the grip there in (Turns) 1 and 2. And then once Kevin did it and a couple of other guys did it, I was watching, and I thought that must be the thing to give it a shot. So, I felt like that was going to give us the best opportunity to win the pole. I thought we could run the bottom and probably have a solid lap, but I don’t know that it would have been a shot at qualifying first. So, I thought it was worth a chance to give it a try. So, I think that’ll be a changing dynamic tomorrow. I think at some point we’ll probably wear it out, and then I would say the guys who are really good around the bottom will probably shine when it comes time for it to really matter.”

YOU LOOK LIKE YOU’RE IN A SIMILAR POSITION TO ALEX BOWMAN LAST WEEK. IS IT KIND OF LIKE FINGERS CROSSED TO DUPLICATE WHAT HE DID?
“Not really. For us, I think in my opinion, I don’t think we were very good in race trim yesterday. Our car didn’t drive very good. And we worked really hard on it to try and make it better. So, our mock qualifying run was good, I guess, as far as what the board said, but it was way slower than what we ran today. So, I definitely didn’t have near as much confidence in our race trim runs. We made a lot of changes from yesterday to today. So, I was glad to see the car still had some pace. I hope that means it drives really good tomorrow, but I think until we get there it’s hard to say. Alex was really good last week and did a fantastic job all the way from Friday to Sunday. Those are the kind of weekends you want to have, for sure. Hopefully, we can join him on that.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

March 7, 2020
Ford Performance NASCAR: Phoenix 1 (Four Mustangs Qualify Top-10 at Phoenix)

NASCAR CUP SERIES – PHOENIX RACEWAY – FANSHIELD 500 – FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST QUALIFYING QUOTES

FORD QUALIFYING RESULTS:

2nd – KEVIN HARVICK

5th – RYAN BLANEY

6th – ARIC ALMIROLA

9th – MATT DIBENEDETTO

13th – JOEY LOGANO

14th – BRAD KESELOWSKI

16th – COLE CUSTER

18th – CLINT BOWYER

22nd – MICHAEL MCDOWELL

23rd – CHRIS BUESCHER

24th – ROSS CHASTAIN

26th – JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK

28th – COREY LAJOIE

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang — Qualified 2nd

“It was close. I probably didn’t have quite enough confidence on the first lap that I should have had in it. The guys did a great job. Not doing a qualifying lap in practice, we just worked on our race stuff and we were kind of winging it right there as to what we thought was right and it worked out okay.”

YOU WOULD OBVIOUSLY LOVE TO HAVE THE POLE, BUT IS THE RACE THE DEAL? “The race is always the deal. I think as you look at the pole, it obviously makes your day better if you can get that first pit stall but still starting up front is going to be important. Being able to not have to deal with as much traffic early until we get our arms wrapped around our car as far as what is right and wrong and what we need to do and where to run on the race track and those types of things. It has been an interesting weekend so far but I think as you look at the race the cars will be a handful to drive, you just have to make yours drive faster than the other handful.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Tarkett Ford Mustang — Qualified 5th

“I wish I could have done it again. I don’t think we would be on the pole but I thought we could have been maybe third looking at the times. I didn’t hit one and two very good and lost a little bit of time. For not having a mock run and making a lot of changes overnight, I thought that was a pretty solid effort by our group. It is nice to start in the top-five and see the front. Hopefully, we can stay there and move up a little bit.”

“We started off really tight yesterday, super tight. We came here a little bit on the tight side. With the lower downforce package, we didn’t want to be free unloading. Everything we did to try to help it turn just wasn’t working. It was just kind of making the car disconnected and just free the back up but not help the front turn. That seemed like a lot of our practice yesterday so we sat down and talked about it last night and made a good bit of changes to just approach it a different way and it seems like it worked. It is hard to tell in one lap. You hope it races good. It is nice to have decent speed. I didn’t think we had that great of speed yesterday, so hopefully, it pays off.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang — Qualified 6th

“I think that is by far the best I have ever qualified here at Phoenix. I am really proud of Bugga and all the guys on this team. Of all the tracks we go to, I feel like Phoenix is one of the utmost importance for track position, so having a good starting spot is really important. I am really happy with that lap. I felt like I got all out of it that I could and maybe even went a little bit overboard. It is still a good lap for us and I am just really proud of our whole Smithfield team. We have been working really hard to gel and come together as a team and things are going really good. I am having a lot of fun with this group of guys.”

COLE CUSTER, No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang — Qualified 16th

“To me, it just felt a little bit too loose. I couldn’t get back to the gas how I wanted. Everything is so close, you have to be right on the edge. I think I just probably could have hit it a little bit better but I think we have a really good Mustang for the race, so we will see.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, No. 6 Oscar Mayer Ford Mustang — Qualified 24th

“I am still learning a lot. Qualifying in the Cup Series is still probably one of my steepest learning curves. A lot left to be desired on my end.”

WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE HAVING RYAN (NEWMAN) HERE AND AROUND AS OPPOSED TO JUST HAVING HIM CALLING AND TEXTING? “Just as guys and as people it is just good to see him and see him walking around. As a person, it is just good to see him. He has a lot of information in that noggin of his. He has degrees that I probably can’t even spell. He understands these race cars and has given me a lot of information.”

ANY IDEA HOW MUCH LONGER YOU WILL BE NEEDED? “Oh Bob, you already asked him that. We are just happy he is alive. I want him in the car tomorrow. If he could get in it. He already told me he could drive it without the insert. If I wasn’t back in time for practice he said he would practice it. I don’t think they would allow that, I think we all know that. I want him back as soon as possible. It has been a great experience and a lot of learning on my side but I would love for him to be able to get back in the car right now.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang — Qualified 23rd

“We did not do a qualifying run yesterday in practice, so for us, we were just kind of hoping for the best. I think our team has made some really good changes through the night. The car felt pretty stable. Want a little more speed always, but our SunnyD Ford will be in a respectable place when qualifying is done. I will be the first to say Phoenix is not my best racetrack and I put a lot of pressure on myself here as well to try to do a little better every time we come.”

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 38 MDS Transport Ford Mustang — Qualified 26th

YOU WILL START AT THE BACK OF THE FIELD BECAUSE OF THE RADIATOR CHANGE. HOW WILL THAT AFFECT YOU? “I hope the Xfinity guys get the PJ1 running today so that we can move up and go. That is just part of it, part of racing. You can’t be frustrated by it. You have to let it fuel you and hopefully, you can make passes and continue to grow on that and go forward.”

March 7, 2020
Chase Elliott wins pole for Sunday’s race at Phoenix
Continuing the Hendrick Motorsports momentum in 2020, Chase Elliott qualified on the pole at Phoenix Raceway for the NASCAR Cup Series FanShield 500 with a time of 26.06 seconds/138.116 mph, edging out nine-time Phoenix winner, Kevin Harvick by 0.045 seconds.

“The line through Turns 1 and 2 was a lot different,” Elliott said. “Kevin (Harvick) kind of made the top line work and then I think after that, everyone saw that and moved up. So, it’s great to get a pole. We’re in a little bit different colors this week with Unifirst on our Camaro. So, I’m excited to grab them a pole. It’s always a good thing when you can put down a fast lap. Hopefully, I just hope tomorrow goes good. That’s always the challenge. We’ll see, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, last week’s Auto Club 400 winner and Elliott’s teammate, Alex Bowman, qualified in the eighth position for Sunday’s race. Though, this weekend might prove a little bit of a challenge for the hometown native of Tuscon, Arizona.

“I didn’t expect more,” Bowman said. “I really felt like we’ve been off since we unloaded. We really struggled here in the fall with just being really tight and when we unloaded, we were still really tight. In between practices, we made some changes and got it really loose. It didn’t really necessarily get much faster, but I feel like it’s going to be better that way than when it’s tight. The first lap, I probably over-did it a little bit in turn one there. The second lap, to be eighth, I don’t think that’s the end of the world. I would have liked to be a little better, but as bad as we’ve been here in the fast and as bad as were in practice, we’ll take it. If we could come out of here with a top-ten, I would be high-fiving people after the race. Our short track program, this is the area we need to work on. Our intermediate program is phenomenal and it ended that way last year. Our short track program is the area we need to work on the most.”

Official Qualifying Results
1. Chase Elliott
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Kyle Larson
5. Ryan Blaney
6. Aric Almirola
7. Kurt Busch
8. Alex Bowman
9. Matt DiBenedetto
10. Kyle Busch
11. Erik Jones
12. Martin Truex Jr. (Will start in the rear due to engine change prior to qualifying)
13. Joey Logano
14. Brad Keselowski
15. Christopher Bell
16. Cole Custer
17. William Byron
18. Clint Bowyer
19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
20. Ryan Preece
21. Jimmie Johnson
22. Michael McDowell
23. Chris Buescher
24. Ross Chastain
25. Ty Dillon
26. John Hunter Nemechek (Will start in the rear for a radiator change)
27. Bubba Wallace
28. Corey LaJoie
29. Tyler Reddick
30. Austin Dillon
31. Daniel Suarez
32. Brennan Poole
33. J.J. Yeley
34. Quin Houff
35. Reed Sorenson
36. Garrett Smithley
37. Joey Gase
38. Timmy Hill
The Fan Shield can be seen on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET live on regular FOX. The stages are 75-115-122 equaling 312 laps.
March 7, 2020
Chevy NCS at Phoenix 1 – Post Qualifying Notes and Quotes

NASCAR Cup Series – Phoenix Raceway – FanShield 500 – Team Chevy Post-Qualifying Notes and Quotes

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:

POS.   DRIVER

1.        CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1 1LE

4.        KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 1LE

7.        KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 GEARWRENCH CAMARO ZL1 1LE

8.        ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE

17.      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HERTZ CAMARO ZL1 1LE

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:

POS.  DRIVER

1.        Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)

2.        Kevin Harvick (Ford)

3.        Denny Hamlin (Toyota)

4.        Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)

5.        Ryan Blaney (Ford)

FOX will telecast the FanShield 500 at Phoenix Raceway live at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, March 8. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Pole Winner

THE POLE TODAY, DIFFERENT PACKAGES. WERE THE LINES SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT?

“The line through Turns 1 and 2 was a lot different. Kevin (Harvick) kind of made the top work and then I think after that, everyone saw that and moved up. So, it’s great to get a pole. We’re in a little bit different colors this week with Unifirst on our Camaro. So, I’m excited to grab them a pole. It’s always a good thing when you can put down a fast lap. Hopefully, I just hope tomorrow goes good. That’s always the challenge. We’ll see, and I’m looking forward to it.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Qualified 4th

THOUGHTS ON THE TRACTION COMPOUND SO FAR.

“Harvick went up into the PJ-1, so I went up there too. I don’t know if it was better or not; maybe a touch better I felt like. If I had another attempt at it, I could have gone a lot faster. So far, it’s better than I thought it would be so that’s good.”

WILL YOU BE UP THERE EARLY TOMORROW?

“I don’t know. My car didn’t work very well in it last year. The little bit I ran it in practice yesterday, I didn’t think it was much better for me. But we’ll see. Maybe it’ll be a little bit different in the race tomorrow, especially with it being lower in turns three and four.”

DO DRIVERS HAVE THE CHAMPIONSHIP ON THEIR MINDS THIS WEEKEND?

“I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it too much. I always take each race week by week, so I haven’t thought too much about it. I don’t know if the crew chiefs and engineers have or not, but I always try to give it the best I can each week and give the best feedback I can each week so they can take that information and try to grow on it.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 GEARWRENCH CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Qualified 7th

THOUGHTS ON THE WEEKEND, SO FAR, AND GOING INTO SUNDAY’S RACE.

“I feel like we had a top-ten car in everything; short run speed, long run speed, qualifying as well. We have to crossover to get to that top-five spot. I think we’ll learn more as the race goes on with the traction compound that they’ve sprayed down and with the short track package. Right now, everything is driving on the loose side. I think it’s fun, we’re sliding a little bit more. But how long can you slide on that right-rear tire.”

ARE YOU PROS OR CONS TO GOING TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND TRACK TWICE IN ONE SEASON?

“There’s the notes that you gather from the race in March, but a lot of things change and technology advances by the time you get back to this place in November. I’m not too worried about it. I feel like whatever NASCAR throws at us for a championship venue, it brings that championship atmosphere no matter what. So, whether you’re at a ballpark or a stadium early in the season, when you roll in there for the championship, you know there is going to be a big trophy and a big check.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Qualified 8th

THOUGHTS ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN. WERE YOU HAPPY WITH THAT?

“I didn’t expect more. I really felt like we’ve been off since we unloaded. We really struggled here in the fall with just being really tight and when we unloaded, we were still really tight. In between practices, we made some changes and got it really loose. It didn’t really necessarily get much faster, but I feel like it’s going to be better that way than it is when it’s tight. The first lap, I probably over-did it a little bit in turn one there. The second lap, to be eighth, I don’t think is the end of the world. I would have liked to be a little better, but as bad as we’ve been here in the fast and as bad as we were in practice, we’ll take it. If we could come out of here with a top-ten, I would be high-fiving people after the race. Our short track program, this is the area we need to work on. Our intermediate program is phenomenal and it ended that way last year. Our short track program is the area we need to work on the most.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HERTZ CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Qualified 17th

“Honestly, if you use the brake a little bit more, a little bit differently, I feel like you just have to get all the braking done quicker and then set up for the corner. There’s just more brake usage, more similar to my rookie year I would say, in terms of brake usage and the way that you kind of drive the car. You just have to get everything done early and more finesse on throttle too.”

WHAT WERE YOU ABLE TO DO IN PRACTICE WITH THE CAR THAT MAYBE YOU COULDN’T DO AS WELL LAST YEAR?

“It’s hard to say. I wasn’t really around a lot of cars in practice. I thought our car felt pretty good in practice, so it’s hard to say how it’s going to handle in traffic, I would say. It’s kind of an unknown, so far.”

TALK ABOUT THE INCIDENT WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR TEST?

“Honestly, with that car with the side wall being so much smaller than what we have now, it’s kind of like your street tire. So, when you get loose, the combination of that plus no side force, it just makes it a lot different when you get loose. That’s what I noticed, so far. I’m sure it’s going to be a lot different once we actually race it.”

“I haven’t really spun out like that before. It was different, for sure, but it’s a long ways from the finished product and they said they’ve learned some things from that. It wasn’t like I was driving super hard or anything like that, so you just learn from it and move on.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Qualified 19th

WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU STACK UP SO FAR THIS WEEKEND?

“The cars are pretty loose with the downforce change for this package. It’s pretty fun to drive. If you can get it calmed down, I think it can be pretty fast. We’ve been pretty loose with our Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE all weekend. But we’re just trying to not get it too tight because the last two weeks, going from practice to the race, I feel like we’ve gotten the car to tight when we’ve been loose in practice. So, we’re just trying to guard against that a little bit knowing the characteristics each week of what our race car is doing. We’re learning a little bit. It will be interesting. I think the top’s going to come in a lot quicker than it has for us in these races and I think it’ll be a good race.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Qualified 21st

“We didn’t have enough pace yesterday. We ended up going down a little different road. So, having our debriefs, we were able to re-direct things and get back on a similar course of what are teams are, especially the 9 (Chase Elliott) and 24 (William Byron) were on. There were some differences there. So, we’ll find out here shortly if it works in the short run. The short run is so important here. I think, to a certain extent, everybody ends up at the same pace when the tires are really hot and mad. It’s what you can do on the short run to create passing opportunities and get track position.”

IS THE TIRE FALL OFF ENOUGH WHERE THE LONGER RUNS ARE A LITTLE MORE IMPORTANT OR IS IT STILL NOT A BIG ENOUGH FALL OFF?

“For me, the opportunity to get track position is always early in a run here, regardless of tire fall off. Especially since they re-paved it. I’m sure longer runs are important, but man it takes you ten laps to pass a guy on a long run. In a short run, you can get four or five if things are working right.”

BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Qualified 27th

THOUGHTS ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN.

“We have a lot of work to do. The car was a little bit better, but not what we need.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 I AM SECOND CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Qualified 29th

THOUGHTS ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN.

“It was a lot more of the driver, than the car. It stinks, we didn’t want to qualify like that. It doesn’t reflect what our long run pace was considering the issues we fought in practice. It was polar opposites. We mocked up and we were really, really tight and really, really slow. We were substantially faster than that mock run we did, but what everyone is running, that’s not good.”

DO YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOUR LONG RUN SPEED?

“I thought so, but when I went back and looked, it’s hard to say. We’ll definitely work hard on it and try to make it better in the race. I knew that I had some work to do coming into a track like this, especially in qualifying and what I have to do to get the tires warmed up and be able to execute the lap that we need to in order to get a good starting position. It’s a process. I didn’t think we would sit on the pole, but I was really thinking we’d do better than that.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Qualified 30th

ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT:

“Not very good. I went into Turn 3 coming to the green and locked-up the left front. I was trying to drive the same point I had yesterday and I don’t know if the brakes were just cold, or what. So, I drove all the way back around to try and get a lap but I don’t know if we flat-spotted a tire, or what. Had a vibration the rest of the last two laps. Unfortunate. The car’s not bad. It was just a little miscue coming to the green and it killed our qualifying effort.”

March 7, 2020
Weekend schedule for Phoenix Raceway

This week the NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series travel to Phoenix Raceway. The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series is off this week and will return to competition at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 14. The ARCA Menards Series will make its first trip to the one-mile track in Arizona.

Kevin Harvick has won three of the last five spring Cup Series races at Phoenix, in 2015, 2016 and 2018. Ryan Newman won the event in 2017 and Kyle Busch is the defending race winner.

There have been five different Xfinity winners going back to November 2017 when William Byron won. Brad Keselowski earned the win in March 2018 while Christopher Bell went to victory lane in Nov. 2018. Kyle Busch took the checkered flag in March 2019 and Justin Allgaier won in November 2019. Former winners Busch, Keselowski and Allgaier are entered in this weekend’s race.

Ty Gibbs won the K&N Series West event at Phoenix in 2019.

All times are Eastern.

Friday, March 6

Noon: ARCA Menards Series Final Practice – No TV

2:35 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.: Xfinity Series First Practice – FS1

3:35 p.m. – 4:25 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – FS1/MRN

4:30 p.m.: ARCA Series Qualifying – Impound (Group Qualifying) No TV

5:02 p.m. – 5:27 p.m.: Xfinity Series Final Practice – FS1

5:35 p.m. – 6:25 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS1/MRN

7 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series General Tire 150 – FS1

Saturday, March 7

1:05 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – Impound (Single Vehicle/Two Laps All Positions) – FS1

2:35 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – Impound (Single Vehicle/Two Laps All Positions) – FS1/MRN

4 p.m.: Xfinity Series LS Tractor 200 (Stages 45/90/200 Laps = 200 Miles) – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Sunday, March 8

3 p.m.: Cup Series FanShield 500 (Stages 75/190/312 Laps = 312 Miles) – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

March 5, 2020
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: California

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Ryan Blaney: Blaney won Stage 2 and suffered a cut tire late in the final stage, which forced a pit stop and left him with a 19th-place finish.

“Alex Bowman whipped the field by almost nine seconds,” Blaney said. “So mine wasn’t even the biggest ‘blowout’ of the race.”

2. Joey Logano: Logano finished 12th in the Auto Club 400 at Fontana.

“It was cool to see Jimmie Johnson honored with the ‘5-Wide Salute,’” Logano said. “Maybe one day, I can receive that same appreciation. I kind of do now. However, my ‘5-Wide Salute’ is five people standing side-by-side giving me the ‘One-Finger Salute.’”

3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick came home ninth in a mostly uneventful Auto Club 400. He is fourth in the points standings, 12 out of first.

“My ‘Kyle Busch Bounty’ really has people talking about the Gander Truck Series,” Harvick said. “And it has people talking more about Kyle Busch, which is actually what I was trying to avoid.”

4. Alex Bowman: Bowman led 110 laps at Fontana and held off Kyle and Kurt Busch late to ease to victory in the Auto Club 400.

“I promised a friend I’d get an ’88’ tattoo if I won,” Bowman said. “I’m sure people will have a lot of questions when they see my tattoo, like, ‘Cool, are you’re a Dale, Jr. fan”‘”

5. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson started second and finished seventh at Fontana.

“I was honored with a ‘Five-Wide Salute’ during the warmup laps,” Johnson said. I’m really digging this farewell tour. I mean really digging it. It’s quite a turn-on actually. You could say I now have a ‘fete fetish.’”

6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished fifth at Fontana, scoring his first top-five result of the season.

“Good news,” Keselowski said. “NASCAR is transitioning to single lug nut wheels in 2021. In hockey, that would be a ‘one-timer.’ In baseball, it’s a ‘single.’ In basketball, it’s a ‘one-and-done.’”

7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started at the back of the field and forged his way forward to finish sixth at Fontana, posting his second top-10 of the season.

“We started at the back because we pitted to change a shock absorber on the warmup laps,” Hamlin said. “Little did we know that the real shock ‘absorber’ would be Kyle Larson’s rear bumper.”

8. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished fourth at California, recording his first top-five of the season. He is sixth in the points standings, 17 out of first.

“I was just named brand ambassador for Hooters Spirits,” Elliott said. “In case you’re wondering, Hooters Spirits is not a haunted Hooter’s restaurant, where the waitresses might say ‘Boo(b)!’ It’s a line of Hooter’s alcoholic beverages. Look for them on shelves. Or better yet, look for them on racks.”

9. Matt DiBenedetto: DiBenedetto continued his strong start to the season, posting a 13th at Fontana, and is eighth in the points standings.

“You could say I’m ‘running with the big dogs,’” DiBenedetto said. “And as they say, ‘If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay off the porch.’ Well, I’m a big dog, and I’m gonna stay on that porch, and probably ‘leave my mark.’”

10. Kyle Busch: Busch finished second in the Auto Club 400, scoring his first top-five result after two lackluster efforts to begin the season.

“Alex Bowman beat me by almost nine seconds,” Busch said. “In racing, that’s an eternity. So, if you ask how badly I was beaten, I’ll tell you ‘from there to eternity.’

“As for bounties on me, I say ‘Bring ’em on.’ I don’t mind being the hunted, just as I don’t mind being the bad guy. I’m not here to be liked. You’ve heard of Formula 1, right? Well, for me, it’s not ‘F1,’ it’s ‘F everyone.’”

March 2, 2020
Alex Bowman dominates at Auto Club
After showcasing a ton of speed at Las Vegas, Alex Bowman struck gold Sunday afternoon as he found himself celebrating in victory lane at Auto Club Speedway.

“We’ve been so good to start this season,” Bowman said. “We started the season very poorly really over the last two years, and it just means the world to show up at the racetrack and have the first run on the racetrack really be almost perfect and just be able to really fine-tune the race car. Greg Ives has made the right calls. So, we’ve got to go win a bunch more, but man, it feels good to have one this early.”

It was Bowman’s second win of his NASCAR Cup Series career. The Arizona native led 110 laps in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to cruise toward victory.

Stage 1:

Before the field took the green flag, Auto Club Speedway commemorated seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson as he led the field in a five-wide salute during the pace laps in what could be his final start at the two-mile oval.

As the field formed back to double-file formation, it was Clint Bowyer leading the way, with Johnson starting second as the green flag waved.

Johnson was looking for the race lead early on but would fall back as teammate Bowman would inherit the runner-up spot behind leader Bowyer.

Bowman would also take a lunge at Bowyer but would be unable to capitalize, resulting in Kurt Busch and Johnson swiftly passing the No. 88. The three of them would spar back and forth for the second position, with Bowman holding off the two Chevrolets.

Bowyer’s early lead would be short-lived as Bowman’s No. 88 would take the top spot, with teammate Johnson immediately following behind in second as Bowyer gradually began to fade.

Ryan Blaney slowly marched his way forward and by the halfway point of Stage 1, he was up to the second position.

Pit stops would ensue on Lap 27 as Martin Truex Jr. would ignite the cycle. By the end of it, Bowman would be the leader.

Kyle Larson would find trouble after Denny Hamlin gave the No. 42 a push into Turn 1, putting the McDonald’s Chevrolet into the outside wall. It would put Larson two laps down.

Bowman would remain unchallenged after the cycle and would win Stage 1.

Blaney, Johnson, Aric Almirola, Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Matt DiBenedetto, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Busch would round out the top 10.

Stage 2:

It initially looked as though Kurt Busch was the first one off after everybody came down pit lane. However, the No. 1 missed his pit stall, putting him toward the back. As a result, it transferred the lead over to Johnson.

Johnson took the lead on the restart but Blaney and Bowman would make it three-wide on the seven-time champ, allowing Blaney’s No. 12 to take first place.

The two Hendrick Motorsports cars would put up a fight against the Team Penske car, but Blaney would fend off the duo and pull away.

Christopher Bell suffered mechanical issues during the green flag run, knocking the No. 95 Toyota out of the race.

Pole-sitter Bowyer had a left front tire go down on Lap 93, bringing out a yellow shortly after pit stops.

Blaney would be in charge of the restart, and while he was able to pull away, his other competitors were duking it out. Bowman and Keselowski made aggressive moves around Logano and William Byron to gain some track position, and Elliott would march his way towards the Top 5.

Blaney’s lead would remain unchallenged as he would cruise on to win Stage 2.

Bowman, Johnson, Keselowski, Truex, Elliott, Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Erik Jones, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the Top 10 for stage points.

Stage 3:

Johnson was the leader at the beginning of the stage but was quickly hounded by Bowman as he passed the No. 48 off of Turn 2. Blaney and Truex were in hot pursuit, making it four wide among the leaders.

Truex would briefly hold the lead, but Bowman would fight back. The two would swap back and forth, but Truex would fend off Bowman. But as the laps wound down, Bowman would reclaim the lead over the No. 19 and would pull a gap over the opposition.

Another pit cycle would begin as everyone came in for some fresh rubber and fuel.

Frontrunner Truex had issues during his stop, as the pit gun would malfunction when tending to the right rear tire, costing him valuable track position.

Bowman and Blaney would be the leaders after the cycle, giving themselves plenty of distance between the fourth through sixth place drivers of Johnson, Elliott, and Kurt Busch.

The three Chevrolets would battle for the fourth position, with Elliott edging out Kurt Busch for the spot while Johnson’s car began to fade. Truex’s day would continue to go downward when he slapped the Turn 4 wall trying to overtake Hamlin, allowing Keselowski to overtake the No. 19.

Near the closing stages of the race, Blaney would have to come down pit lane due to a corded tire with only three laps to go, giving up a second-place run at the time.

For Bowman, redemption was sweet as he crossed the line to secure the win. It provided a statement as he showcased his muscle around the California track.

“You know, we started this year so strong,” Bowman said. “I feel like I’ve got a lot on my side that I’m doing better. My life is kind of a lot more organized than it was back then, and Greg and all the guys, they’re just on point. We’ve unloaded the last two weeks, I don’t think we’ve had to make a change in the race car from how it came off the truck. That makes my job a heck of a lot easier. I’m just so proud of this team, Hendrick Motorsports, Hendrick horsepower under the hood, the whole shop back home. They work their butts off. We put a lot of effort into this new car, and it’s obviously working well.”

There were 16 lead changes among eight different drivers and only three cautions for 13 laps.

Blaney retains the points lead by 11, over Logano.
1. Alex Bowman – 110 laps led, Stage 1 Winner
2. Kyle Busch
3. Kurt Busch
4. Chase Elliott
5. Brad Keselowski – six laps led
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Jimmie Johnson – ten laps led
8. Aric Almirola
9. Kevin Harvick
10. Erik Jones
11. Tyler Reddick
12. Joey Logano
13. Matt DiBenedetto
14. Martin Truex Jr. – three laps led
15. William Byron – one lap led
16. Chris Buescher
17. Ross Chastain
18. Cole Custer – one lap down
19. Ryan Blaney – one lap down, 54 laps led, Stage 2 winner
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – one lap down, 6 laps led
21. Kyle Larson – one lap down
22. Michael McDowell – one lap down
23. Clint Bowyer – one lap down, ten laps led
24. Austin Dillon – one lap down
25. John Hunter Nemechek – one lap down
26. Ty Dillon – one lap down
27. Bubba Wallace – two laps down
28. Daniel Suarez – two laps down
29. Corey Lajoie – three laps down
30. Ryan Preece – three laps down
31. JJ Yeley – three laps down
32. Brennan Poole – five laps down
33. Joey Gase – seven laps down
34. Garrett Smithley – seven laps down
35. Quin Houff – eight laps down
36. Reed Sorenson – nine laps down
37. Timmy Hill – 16 laps down
38. Christopher Bell – OUT
March 1, 2020