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Category: NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series

  • Harvick wins AAA Texas 500, will race for championship in Miami

    Harvick wins AAA Texas 500, will race for championship in Miami

    Kevin Harvick had the dominant car at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday night, leading 119 laps from the pole and winning his third-straight AAA Texas 500 for a spot in the championship round at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Harvick held off Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Aric Almirola at the checkered by 1.594-seconds.

    “Our car was just so fast through [Turns] 3 and 4, as long as I could keep my momentum up, I could get up beside [Almirola],” Harvick said of his late-race battle with his teammate. “So it was definitely fast, and speed made up for our Ducks Unlimited Busch Beer Ford Mustang in what we lacked a little bit in our handling.”

    Fellow SHR driver Daniel Suarez finished third after leading 25 laps.

    “That was a very solid night, and I’m very happy with the performance and speed that we brought from the shop,” said Suarez. “Everyone back at the shop did a great job. We knew we would be fast here.

    “We had a solid perfomance here last time. We did a good job. We had good execution and a good clean day. I’m very happy for Stewart-Haas Racing and the No. 41 Ford Mustang was pretty sporty. I am very happy for Kevin getting his ticket for Homestead.”

    Playoff driver Joey Logano finished fourth and Alex Bowman rounded out the top-five. Playoff drivers Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, and Ryan Blaney finished sixth through eighth, with Kurt Busch and Erik Jones rounding out the top-10.

    Playoff driver Kyle Larson had a quiet day as well, finishing in 12th after starting 13th.

    The race was slowed 11 times for 56 laps, with Playoff drivers Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin finding trouble with the wall or the frontstretch grass early in Stage One. Elliott would finish 32nd, several laps off the pace, while Hamlin would finish six laps down in 28th, despite winning at TMS in March.

    Seven-time Texas winner Jimmie Johnson also found the wall after leading 40 laps. The No. 48 was running in second when he spun off the second turn and slapped the wall, relegating his Hendrick Motorsports team to a 34th-place finish.

    There were 26 lead changes among 11 drivers, with 2,957 green flag passes (10.6 per green flag lap).

    The next race will be at ISM Raceway for the Bluegreen Vacations 500, the final race in the Round of Eight. The race will air on NBC at 2:30 p.m. ET and will also be streaming on MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90 and the NBC Sports app.

  • Harvick wins pole for AAA Texas 500, Jones to start second

    Harvick wins pole for AAA Texas 500, Jones to start second

    Kevin Harvick wheeled his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang to a 28.465-second lap at 189.707 mph around the Texas Motor Speedway to earn the pole for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500. The pole was Harvick’s second at the speedway in 34 races and sixth overall of 2019.

    “I think the key to the lap was knowing that you had to be wide open and kind of did a halfway qualifying run yesterday and worked most of the day on race runs and making sure we ran enough laps to know where our car was,” said Harvick.

    Joe Gibbs Racing driver Erik Jones put his No. 20 Toyota on the outside of Row 1 with a lap of 28.588 at 188.890 mph. Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, and Alex Bowman rounded out the top-five.

    Harvick and Hamlin were the only Playoff drivers to qualify in the top-10, as the other six drivers in the Round of 8 will start in the top-20. Joey Logano will start 11th, with a lap of 28.755 seconds, while Kyle Busch will start on the outside of Row 6 with a lap of 28.764 seconds.

    Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Ryan Blaney will start in positions 13-15, while Martin Truex Jr. will be starting from the 17th spot with a lap of 28.863.

    The AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway will start at 2 p.m. CT on NBCSN/SiriusXM Channel 90.

  • Weekend Schedule for Texas Motor Speedway

    Weekend Schedule for Texas Motor Speedway

    This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series head to the 1.5-mile oval at Texas Motor Speedway. The defending race winners are Kevin Harvick in the Cup Series and Cole Custer in the Xfinity Series. The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series is off but will return on Nov. 8 at ISM Raceway.

    Only two races remain in the Playoffs Round of 8 to determine who will make it to the Championship 4 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    See the current standings listed below for both series.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, November 1

    2:05 – 2:55 p.m. – Xfinity Series First Practice (NBCSN)

    3:05 – 3:55 p.m. – Cup Series First Practice (NBCSN)

    4:05 – 4:55 p.m. – Xfinity Series Final Practice (NBC Sports App)

    5:05 – 5:55 p.m. – Cup Series Final Practice (NBC Sports App)

    Saturday, November 2

    5:35 p.m. – Xfinity Series Qualifying (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – CNBC

    7:05 p.m. – Cup Series Qualifying impound (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – CNBC/ PRN

    8:30 p.m. – Xfinity Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Xfinity Series race (Stages 45/90/200 Laps) – NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, November 3

    3 p.m. – Cup Series AAA Texas 500 Cup Series race (Stages 85/170/334 Laps) – NBCSN/PRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Playoff standings prior to Texas Motor Speedway

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series:

    1. Martin Truex Jr. – 4102 points

    2. Denny Hamlin – 4082 points

    3. Kyle Busch – 4075 points

    4. Joey Logano – 4072 points

    5. Kevin Harvick – 4058 points

    6. Ryan Blaney – 4057 points

    7. Kyle Larson – 4048 points

    8. Chase Elliott – 4028 points

    NASCAR Xfinity Series:

    1. Christopher Bell – 3106 points

    2. Cole Custer – 3095 points

    3. Tyler Reddick – 3094 points

    4. Justin Allgaier – 3059 points

    5. Chase Briscoe – 3057 points

    6.Michael Annett – 3047 points

    7. Noah Gragson – 3042 points

    8. Austin Cindric – 3029 points

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Despite rumors, Nemechek to Front Row Motorsports could be needed change for entire organization

    Despite rumors, Nemechek to Front Row Motorsports could be needed change for entire organization

    With the Cup Series returning to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, one of the biggest headlines heading into Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 is the debut of John Hunter Nemechek. He will be filling in for Front Row Motorsports rookie Matt Tifft, who has been sidelined for the remainder of the 2019 season with medical issues.

    Although Nemechek’s primary obligation is finishing up his rookie XFINITY Series campaign with the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet group, there are rumors circulating that this could be a tryout for the 22-year-old driver since he has no plans for next season. FRM staple David Ragan is set to retire after this season, leaving one of the three seats open in the organization.

    At this moment, Nemechek has made it clear that all he wants to do is go out and earn the respect of the other Cup drivers, telling SiriusXM Speedway’s Dave Moody:

    “The storyline is we want to go and have a quiet weekend for us, just run as many laps as we possibly can and gain as much experience and just have a solid weekend. That’s our goal. It’s all new for me, I’ve never driven a Cup car before so it’s going to be a whole new process and whole new learning curve.”

    However, should Nemechek go and do just that in the final three races, he could be a possible option for a vacant seat in an FRM Ford. That would mean that FRM would have two drivers under 25-years-old, and with Michael McDowell planning on being at FRM in 2020 despite the plan not being set in stone just yet, the organization may very well be on a renewed path instead of just being a home for drivers late in their Cup career.

    Granted, that may not have been the case. But since the team’s inception in 2005, they’ve only won two events. At Talladega Ragan led a 1-2 finish in the 2013 Aaron’s 499 with David Gilliland close behind. Chris Buescher won a fog-shortened Pocono event in 2016 and made one Playoff appearance. This is after the team had been home to drivers such as Gilliland, Travis Kvapil, Josh Wise, and John Andretti.

    But as in Buescher’s case, FRM has shown itself to be a good place for drivers looking to learn the rank-and-file of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup racing. Buescher has gone on to record strong runs with JTG-Daugherty Racing and now finds himself going to the No. 17 Roush-Fenway Ford in 2020. Tifft has established himself as a solid driver in the No. 36 with a top-10 at Daytona in July and 15 top-25 finishes in 32 starts.

    Adding Nemechek to the FRM stable could put the team into a renewed position, where instead of being an organization housing Cup drivers who weren’t established as well elsewhere, they could become an organization that builds (or rebuilds) itself around the future stars of the sport. FRM has become an organization that continues to grow over the years, and not even the expansion to three full-time teams is enough to slow the team down.

    Should Nemechek go for a full rookie campaign with FRM in 2020, there’s going to be no guarantee of success with the team. But there will be ample opportunity for both Nemechek and FRM to continuously grow in Cup racing, and FRM may be the step Nemechek needs to take to earn both respect and success as he advances in his NASCAR career.

  • Exclusive: Bubba Wallace embraces Richard Petty legacy while forging his own path

    Exclusive: Bubba Wallace embraces Richard Petty legacy while forging his own path

    MARTINSVILLE, Va. — In some ways, it was an unlikely pairing.

    Petty, deemed “The King” of stock car racing, was instrumental in the development of the sport while Bubba Wallace epitomizes the future of NASCAR.

    Wallace first connected with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2017 when he filled in for the injured Aric Almirola, competing in four races mid-season. After Almirola announced his departure from RPM at the end of 2017 Wallace was signed to drive the iconic No. 43 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

    Since then, he has handled being the face of the African American community in NASCAR with a maturity beyond his years. He has also risen to the challenge of representing the legacy of Petty with ease.

    And though they come from different generations, they share a passion for racing and an appreciation for their fans that is reflected in their working relationship. Petty’s iconic status stems not only from his 200 wins in NASCAR’s top series but because of his dedication to those fans.

    Some drivers look at signing autographs as an obligation. Today’s fans often have to jump through hoops just to be part of autograph sessions that are first-come, first-served and limited to a strict period of time. Petty is a different breed of driver and has never forgotten that without fans, there would be no racing.

    Wallace shares Petty’s point of view.

    “We’re here racing, putting on a show for them,” he told me. “There’s obviously boundaries and the right times for the right things.” But, he continued, “You’ve got to realize, you’ve got to put yourself in their shoes. They don’t get this opportunity but one time out of the year when we travel to their state. They get to see an athlete right in front of them having a meal and obviously at the track. NASCAR is second to none as far as fan access.”

    Wallace has learned from the master, not through words, but by example.

    “There’s been plenty of opportunities where it’s just been him and me going to appearances and you see the fan engagement with him and you’re just like, Hey, that’s pretty cool and you want to be that guy.”

    “I don’t know if I’d ever be able to pull off the cowboy hat and the sunglasses,” he joked, “but yeah it’s pretty cool to see what he does for his fans.”

    While Wallace’s respect for Petty and his heritage is profound, he remains grounded by striving above all else to be true to himself. He prefers to concentrate on what lies ahead rather than look backward.

    “I think about it a lot. But times have definitely changed since then. Back when he was racing versus now, is a huge difference. The sport has totally changed since then. I look at it as driving an iconic number but rewriting history, no.”

    Above all else, Wallace has found a team that embraces his values as he upholds their traditions.

    His favorite aspect of driving for Petty, he said, “is that because it’s a small team, we’re all like family. We see the same people every day of the week around the shop. Everybody’s just there to bring you back up or cheer you on or keep you going so it’s super nice”.

    The best thing, he reiterates, is, “The Petty’s are all about family.”

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Opinion: Suspension of crew member involved in Hamlin/Logano scuffle correct move on NASCAR’s part

    Opinion: Suspension of crew member involved in Hamlin/Logano scuffle correct move on NASCAR’s part

    A week after several crew members jumped into the Kansas scuffle between Cole Custer and Tyler Reddick, another scuffle involving crew members has taken center stage again. As a result, NASCAR has suspended a Team Penske crew member for collaring Denny Hamlin and throwing him to the ground following his scuffle with Penske driver Joey Logano.

    Following Sunday’s First Data 500 at Martinsville, Logano and Hamlin first exchanged words, then shoves before crews stepped in to pull the drivers apart. But while other crew members appeared to be working to pull the drivers apart, Dave Nichols Jr., a tire technician for the No. 22 team, appeared to collar Hamlin and pull him to the ground before Hamlin’s crew converged on Nichols.

    That move is what led to NASCAR suspending Nichols for the next race, as he was found in violation of Section 12.8.1.C, which addresses member-to-member confrontations with physical violence.

    An argument can be made that the crews are doing nothing more than protecting their driver’s honor or respect. In some sense, that may be honorable. But unless the crews are working to break up a quarrel between drivers, their actions may only go to further escalate a situation into something it didn’t need to turn into.

    Last week I brought up how some of those in the NASCAR community were talking about how the sport needs to implement a third-man rule much like the NHL. Let those drivers who were involved settle their dispute, be it with words or fists, and unless a crew member is working to de-escalate the situation they stay out of it or they risk a fine and/or a suspension.

    There was no reason for Nichols to play the hero and collar Hamlin. His responsibility at that point was to help de-escalate the situation and make sure his driver didn’t get into too much trouble. His actions were over-the-top and unnecessary and made the No. 22 crew look bad.

    The issue is between the drivers, not the crew. The drivers are the ones in control of what happens on the track; they’re the ones that know what truly goes down when it goes down. They are also the ones the fans have come to see and if there’s an issue, the fans want to see them handle the issue one-on-one.

    Hopefully, the suspension of Nichols is actually seen as a deterrent to the other members on all the teams to not try anything unnecessary during a scuffle between drivers. Let them hash out their beef and be done with it.

    Meanwhile, the crew’s job is to act in the best interests of their driver, team, and organization. Collaring a driver and throwing him to the ground is non-conducive to that. The call to suspend Nichols was a good call on NASCAR’s part, so the only thing left to do is to hope it’s enough of a deterrent lest the sanctioning body moves to harsher reprimands.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Martinsville

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Martinsville

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex started third, led 464 of 500 laps, and won at Martinsville Speedway in dominating fashion.

    “I dominated in such fashion,” Truex said, “that the race became quite a borefest. I encouraged NASCAR officials to throw a ‘no-competition’ caution.”

    2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started on the pole at Martinsville and finished fourth at Martinsville.

    “Joey Logano and I had words after the race,” Hamlin said. “Joey gave me a light shove, ran away, and I went after him. Then I got taken down by one of Joey’s crew members. I would describe Joey like I would a car that completes all the laps in a race—‘still running.’”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished seventh at Martinsville to start Round 3 of the playoffs solidly.

    “There wasn’t a whole lot of action during the race,” Harvick said, “but things picked up afterward. Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin had a confrontation on pit road. This means ‘war.’ Unfortunately, in today’s NASCAR, with pit crew interference so common, it’s only a ‘war of words.’”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch struggled at Martinsville and finished 18th.

    “I’ll have to contend with Aric Almirola for the rest of the season,” Busch said. “We made contact on the track and Almirola said he would ‘make it hell’ for me in the future. To that I say, ‘Hell yeah!’”

    5. Kyle Larson: Latson took ninth in the First Data 500 at Martinsville.

    “I’ve been racing with a fractured rib I suffered at Talladega,” Larson said. “It’s really affected my breathing. I think the only cure is a win, which would allow me to breathe easier.”

    6. Joey Logano: Logano came home eighth at Martinsville despite contact with Denny Hamlin that left Logano suffering a cut tire.

    “I confronted Hamlin after the race,” Logano said. “I just wanted an apology. He told me he wanted to consult with his ‘Joey Logano apology consultant’ prior to issuing an apology. That turned out to be Martin Truex Jr. At that point, I knew I wasn’t getting an apology.”

    7. William Byron: Byron took the runner-up spot at Martinsville as Martin Truex Jr. won easily.

    “Truex was unstoppable,” Byron said. “Once he got to the front, he was gone. He was so fast, he didn’t just say, ‘See ya!’ He said, ‘See ya, at Homestead!’”

    8. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished fifth in the First Data 500.

    “I’m pleased with my finish,” Blaney said. “But I’m only sixth in the playoff points standings. So, to my fans, I say, ‘If you’re gonna pull for someone, don’t pull for me. Pull for Martin Truex Jr. to win the next 2 races. That’s best for my playoff hopes.”

    9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished third at Martinsville.

    “Roger Penske was awarded the Presidential Medal Of Freedom from Donald Trump on Thursday,” Keselowski said. “Roger reciprocated by sending a moving truck to the White House, which probably wasn’t the best idea.”

    10. Chase Elliott: Elliott blew an engine in practice and was forced to start at the back of the field. It didn’t get any better as an engine failure left Elliott with a 36th-place finish.

    “I’m not sure what’s going on with our engines,” Elliott said. “We talked to our engine department once, and they said things were fine. Obviously a lie. We asked them again and were told there were no problems. Again, not true. So, we have a big problem with ‘re-lie-ability.’”

  • Martin Truex Jr. dominates to win at Martinsville and advance to Championship 4

    Martin Truex Jr. dominates to win at Martinsville and advance to Championship 4

    MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Martin Truex Jr. led a record-setting 464 laps dominating the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway to score his seventh victory of the season. It was his 26th NASCAR Cup Series win, the first at the .526-mile track and his 12th top-10 finish in 28 starts at Martinsville.

    It also locks Truex into the Championship 4 for a shot at the series title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in three weeks.

    “I’m just really happy about it, obviously,” said Truex. “I’ve been trying to work on getting a Martinsville win for a long time. It’s a tough track. It’s one that, you know, everybody I think wants to win at, the history here, and it’s such a big part of NASCAR. 

    “Really proud of everybody on our team for what they did and the car they brought, the pit stops today were incredible and the guys did a great job. So just all around a great day. To lead that many laps here is pretty incredible.”

    While Truex stole the show in Victory Lane, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano provided the encore with an altercation after the race. The tension was a result of an incident on Lap 458 when the two made contact causing Logano to hit the outside wall. What started as a discussion quickly turned into a wrestling match.

    “Yeah, I just wanted to talk to him about it and was pretty frustrated,” Logano explained.

    “He just kind of came off the corner like there wasn’t another car on the outside of him and ruined our day, a shot at the win for sure. We probably weren’t going to beat the 19 but we had a top-five for sure coming our way, but we were just able to survive there.

    “I don’t really know what happened because once he started hitting me, he didn’t lift, he just kept finishing me off. We ran each other fine all day, so I don’t know. I don’t really know what happened.”

    The situation escalated when Logano shoved Hamlin and ended with both crews pulling the drivers apart. Not surprisingly, Hamlin’s take on the disagreement was quite different.

    “We were having a discussion,” he said. “Everything was civil, and then, like Joey does, he does a little push and then runs away. So that’s Joey. Scared. He said, ‘Do you want to go?’ I said, ‘Yes, I’m here.’ But then he runs away.”

    Hamlin also insinuated that the contact was incidental.

    “I got close off of Turn 4,” he said. “It looks like we got together and it looks like collateral damage. He blew a tire.”

    William Byron turned in a strong performance but had to settle for second place, his 13th top-10 finish this year.

    “This isn’t a place that I’ve loved coming to,” said Byron, “and it just clicked this weekend. The things we did with the car going into qualifying and then obviously our race. So, I’m super excited, but second is not super fun either. So, we’ll try to get one spot better next time.”

    Brad Keselowski finished third followed by Hamlin in fourth and Ryan Blaney in fifth.  Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Logano, Kyle Larson and Ryan Newman rounded out the top-10 at Martinsville.

    Truex, Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Logano are currently the top four drivers in the points standings but Truex is the only driver locked into the Championship 4. Kevin Harvick (-14), Ryan Blaney (-15), Larson (-24) and Chase Elliott (-44) are all below the cut line with only two races remaining before the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 17.

    Tune in next Sunday as the Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Weekend Schedule for Martinsville

    Weekend Schedule for Martinsville

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Gander Outdoors Truck Series head to Martinsville Speedway this weekend. The Xfinity Series is off.

    The Playoffs continue with the first race in the Cup Series Round of 8 while the Truck Series drivers compete in the second race of their Round of 6.

    Joey Logano is the defending Cup Series race winner while Johnny Sauter returns to defend his 2018 Truck Series victory at the 0.526-mile paperclip.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, October 25

    11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: Truck Series Rookie Practice (Rookie Drivers Only) – No TV

    12:05 p.m. –  12:55 p.m.: Truck Series First Practice – No TV

    2:05 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – No TV

    Saturday, October 26

    9:05 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.: Cup Series First Practice – CNBC/NBC Sports App/MRN

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

    12 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN

    1:30 p.m.: Truck Series NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 – (Stages 50/100/200 Laps = 105.2 Miles) – FS1/MRN

    4:35 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – Impound (Single Vehicle/Two Laps All Positions) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN

    Sunday, October 27

    3 p.m.: Cup Series First Data 500 – (Stages 130/260/500 Laps = 263 Miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Cup Series Round of 8 Drivers:

    1. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 4,046 points
    2. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 4,042 points
    3. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 4,037 points
    4. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford, 4,030 points
    5. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, 4,028 points
    6. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 4,024 points
    7. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, 4,011 points
    8. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford, 4,009 points

    Truck Series Round of 6 Drivers:

    1. Brett Moffitt, No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet, 3,085 points

    2. Stewart Friesen, No.52, Halmar Friesen Racing Chevrolet, 3,062 points
    3. Austin Hill, No.16, Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota, 3,052 points
    4. Matt Crafton, No.88 ThorSport Racing Ford, 3,041 points
    5. Tyler Ankrum, No.17 DGR-Crosley Toyota, 3,040 points
    6. Ross Chastain, No.45  Niece Motorsports Chevrolet, 3,039 points

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Kansas

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Kansas

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas in a cut-off race that narrowed the field to eight drivers.

    “Anytime it’s an elimination race,” Hamlin said, “things can get crazy. So, even though this race was sponsored by Hollywood Casino, ‘all bets were off.’”

    2. Kyle Busch: Busch took third in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas.

    “This is the time of year when pressure builds,” Busch said. “That was evident in Saturday’s Xfinity race when Daniel Hemric and Cole Custer were involved in an altercation. Things got physical, and a little sexy, because the ‘fight’ was really just a very intense hug.”

    3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished sixth in the Hollywood Casino 400 and joins Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin in the Playoff Round of 8.

    “It’s me, Denny, and Kyle,” Truex said. “Some people would call that ‘Two Men And A Baby.’”

    4. Kevin Harvick: Inspection issues forced Harvick to start 40th but he worked his way through the field to post a ninth. He heads to Round 3 of the Playoffs in fifth, 18 out of first.

    “I didn’t even get to qualify,” Harvick said. “But there’s something cool about starting at the back of the field. Starting at the ‘ass-end’ of the field, you get a true perspective of the ‘ass-end’ of talent in this series.”

    5. Kyle Larson: Larson finished 14th in the Hollywood Casino 400 and is seventh in the Playoff points standings, 35 out of first.

    “I had a run-in with the lapped car of Joey Gase,” Larson said. “He was in my way and I needed to be somewhere, so I moved him. It’s football season so I gave Joey the ‘punt, the pass, and the kick (to the curb).’”

    6. Joey Logano: Logano survived a late accident and slide through the grass to finish 17th at Kansas and advanced to the Round of 8, where he’ll be the sole representative of Penske Racing.

    “I feel like it’s me against the world,” Logano said. “So, I’m gonna go out there and be a ‘world beater.’ Unfortunately, no one will care, because the general opinion of me is a ‘world of indifference.’”

    7. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished second at Kansas which was good enough to secure the final playoff spot.

    “That was close,” Elliott said, “and I get the cigar. And, as the kids say, it was ‘lit.’”

    8. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished 21st at Kansas and heads to Martinsville eighth in the Playoff points standings.

    “I’m last among the eight drivers in the Playoff field,” Blaney said. “I feel like I’m the forgotten driver in the Playoffs. But I very well could quietly sneak in and eliminate the rest of the field. Then you could call me ‘champion,’ and Kurt Busch could call me ‘assassin.’”

    9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 18th at Kansas and narrowly missed advancing to the next round of the Playoffs.

    “Had a late caution came out just a fraction of a second later,” Keselowski said, “I’d be in the Playoff field. But we all know NASCAR wanted that extra restart. I’d like a do-over because I have some ‘un-finish-ed’ business I’d like to take care of.”

    10. William Byron: Byron finished fifth at Kansas and failed to make the Playoff Round of 8.

    “You probably heard about the flock of birds flying into the NASCAR Hall Of Fame,” Byron said. “I guess they really wanted to get in. But come on birds, show some manners. Don’t you know, ‘Birds of a feather knock together.’”