Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Category: NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series

  • Blaney edges Newman in photo finish for victory at Talladega

    Blaney edges Newman in photo finish for victory at Talladega

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returned for day number two on Monday for the completion of the 1000bulbs.com 500 on Monday after the rain was rain-delayed on Sunday due to rain and it was well worth the wait.

    Ryan Blaney just barely beat Ryan Newman at the finish line for the third victory of his career, the first of the 2019 season.

    “We restarted in the lead there, had the 10 (Aric Almirola) behind me and had a few Fords lined up, which I felt comfortable with,” Blaney told MRN Radio. “Can’t thank Aric enough for pushing me in that race and stuck with me there at the end. Then, the 11 (Denny Hamlin) and 6 (Newman) got rolling there on top, and I knew I couldn’t have blocked them, they were hooked up and coming way too fast. If I would have blocked, they would have split me, that wouldn’t have been good.”

    “I was able to get the 6 off the 11 there and then the 3 (Austin Dillon), and just had a big run coming to the 6 and almost spun out. Kind of forced below the yellow there and we were able to beat, and bang to the line. Really proud of this whole group. Thanks to all the fans for sticking around for the last couple of days. Been a pretty wild day, but got it done.”

    The second race in the Round of 12 originally started on Sunday afternoon. Chase Elliott had qualified on the pole with his Hendrick Motorsport teammates behind him. The raced was moved up due to weather in the area. Stages were 55/55/78 to make up the 188 lap race.

    Stage 1 Lap 1- Lap 55

    Not much action during the first stage until the first round of green flag pit stops. Ryan Blaney wheel hopped coming to pit road and wound up spinning into the grass. The first caution flew on lap 36 for the No. 52 of Spencer Boyd, who came to a stop in Turn 1.

    After that caution, drivers raced hard, sometimes three wide at times. Most of them, particularly Chevy drivers were trying to work together to get to the front and make it a manufacture race.

    Before the stage ended, Erik Jones had a flat tire on lap 50, but the race kept green until the stage finished on lap 55. At lap 55, William Byron took the Stage 1 win. However, just two laps later, rains came into the area and forced a postponement to Monday afternoon.

    Stage 2 Lap 62- Lap 110

    Flash forward to Monday afternoon, the race resumed under sunny skies and it was calm before the storm. As the race was restarted, Brad Keselowski had troubles restarting his car. However, after the push truck came out, Keselowski’s car got back going.

    The action picked up when Stage 2 began with three wide racing once again. At times, there were single file racing, but for the most part, it was what you would expect when coming to Talladega.

    During Stage 2, Denny Hamlin had trouble with his hood flap that came off. Though, he was able to stay on track without getting black flagged.

    Green flag pit stops took place on lap 90, with the manufactures splitting the pit cycle. Chevy’s pitted on lap 90, then Toyota’s, then Ford. When pit stops were completed, Chase Elliott cycled out as the leader.

    A big moment came on lap 106, where a big crash broke out. Alex Bowman tried throwing a block on Joey Logano, but failed to do so. In result, a multi-car crash broke loose with many involved. Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Hamlin, Elliott, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Preece were all involved in the wreck.

    With the accident taking place so close to the end of Stage 2, it left race officials no choice but to end the stage under yellow. This time around, it was Clint Bowyer who was the leader when the crash happened and saw him take Stage 2. Logano, Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Daniel Suarez, Blaney, Chris Buescher, Byron, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch were the top-10 finishers.

    Stage 3 Lap 116- Lap 188

    There were many incidents in the third and final stage. On lap 121, Bubba Wallace came up in front of the No. 77 of Blake Jones and was turned into the wall. Jones then was caught by another vehicle, which caused him to spin out.

    The caution flew on lap 131 for Martin Truex Jr, who had a flat left front tire shred and left debris. This caused a restart on lap 137, but on lap 152, Clint Bowyer had a flat left rear go down and was stuck on the apron in Turns 3&4 to bring out the yellow.

    Another big accident broke loose on lap 163, as Byron was accidentally took a wrong bump draft from Kurt Busch going into Turn 3. This caused many drivers to be involved. Drivers like Erik Jones, Matt Crafton, Logano, Byron, Suarez, Preece and Austin Theriault were collected.

    After those incidents took place, the intensity picked up even more as the checkered flag drew near. A quick yellow was seen on lap 173 for Suarez who spun around in Turn 4. When the race was restarted, we saw seven laps of intense green flag racing before the final crash broke out on lap 183.

    The drivers were three wide on the backstretch, before a bump draft gone wrong triggered “The Big One” and it even saw a flip as well. When the accident occurred, race fans saw the No. 62 of Brendan Gaughan took a big flip after being hit on the side. Fortunately, Gaughan was okay and walked out, but the wreck took many drivers along for the ride.

    Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Harvick, Daniel Hemric, Stenhouse, Kyle Busch, Buescher, Ragan, Preece and DiBenedetto were taken out. Many of which, were done for the day as their cars was too heavily damage to return to the track.

    In this case, it set up an exciting two laps dash to the finish. Ryan Newman had a big run coming out of Turns 3&4 and caught Ryan Blaney. However, Blaney was somewhat forced below the yellow line which gave him the win over Newman. Nonetheless, it was a photo finish and Blaney locked himself into the Round of 8 by 0.007.

    “You make that mistake yesterday (pit road slide) and then you sleep on it overnight with the rain delay,” Blaney added to MRN Radio. “Obviously, you just forget about that stuff. You learn what you need to do better next time to not have that happen. Can’t dwell on it, just try to learn from it. Like I said, long weekend here, but appreciate everyone sticking around. Pretty exciting finish.”

    Blaney led three times for 35 laps en route to his fist victory of the season.

    There were nine cautions for 43 laps with 46 lead changes.

    Playoff Standings heading into the final race in the Round of 12 at Kansas.

    1. Kyle Larson, Advanced
    2. Ryan Blaney, Advanced
    3. Denny Hamlin, +56
    4. Martin Truex Jr, +48
    5. Kyle Busch, +41
    6. Kevin Harvick, +36
    7. Brad Keselowski, +20
    8. Joey Logano, +18
      Below the cut line
    9. Alex Bowman, -18
    10. Chase Elliott, -22
    11. Clint Bowyer, -24
    12. William Byron, -27

    Official Results

    1. Ryan Blaney, led 35 laps
    2. Ryan Newman, led three laps
    3. Denny Hamlin
    4. Aric Almirola, led three laps
    5. Michael McDowell
    6. Austin Dillon, led one lap
    7. Corey LaJoie
    8. Chase Elliott, led 19 laps
    9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr, led 32 laps
    10. Ty Dillon
    11. Joey Logano, led 16 laps
    12. Ross Chastain
    13. Matt Tifft
    14. Landon Cassill, led one lap
    15. Parker Kligerman
    16. Matt Crafton (However, Paul Menard will get the credit for the finish after starting the race).
    17. Kevin Harvick
    18. Ryan Preece
    19. Kyle Busch, led seven laps
    20. Chris Buescher, Did not finish, Crash
    21. Daniel Hemric, one lap down
    22. Reed Sorenson, one lap down
    23. Clint Bowyer, two laps down, led 13 laps
    24. Bubba Wallace, three laps down, led one lap
    25. Brad Keselowski, OUT, Crash, led 22 laps
    26. Martin Truex Jr, six laps down
    27. Brendan Gaughan, OUT, Crash
    28. Kurt Busch, OUT, Crash, led 16 laps
    29. David Ragan, OUT, Crash
    30. Matt DiBenedetto, OUT, Crash
    31. Blake Jones, nine laps down
    32. Daniel Suarez, OUT, Crash
    33. William Byron, OUT, Crash, led 13 laps
    34. Erik Jones, OUT, Crash, led one lap
    35. Austin Theriault, OUT, Crash, led one lap
    36. Joey Gase, OUT, Crash
    37. Alex Bowman, OUT, Crash
    38. Jimmie Johnson, OUT, led two laps
    39. Kyle Larson, OUT, Crash
    40. Spencer Boyd, OUT, Engine

    Up Next: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads back to the Midwest on Sunday October 20th for the conclusion of the Round of 12 at Kansas Speedway.

  • Cup Series race at Talladega postponed until Monday

    Cup Series race at Talladega postponed until Monday

    Sunday afternoon NASCAR officially postponed the 1000bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway until Monday at 2 p.m. ET. due to heavy rains in the area and more to come.

    Just 57 of the 188 laps were run with one stage completed. William Byron won the first stage followed by Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez as the top-10 finishers in Stage 1.

    The race will be restarted where it left off following the completion of Stage 1. Drivers will be given the word to refire the engines and then can come down to make pit stops.

    The remainder of the race can be seen on NBCSN at 2 p.m. ET and can be heard on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Only one caution has flown so far and that was for the No. 52 of Spencer Boyd who came to a stop in Turn 1 on lap 36 during the running of green-flag pit stops.

    Also prior to the red, Paul Menard stepped out of his car due to soreness from disc issues in his neck and ThorSport Truck Series driver Matt Crafton stepped in.

    It’s the first time since April of 2008, where the Cup Series race at Talladega was rained out and pushed to Monday.

    Current running order on lap 57/188

    1. William Byron
    2. Joey Logano
    3. Alex Bowman
    4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    5. Brad Keselowski
    6. Kyle Larson
    7. Jimmie Johnson
    8. Kurt Busch
    9. Ryan Blaney
    10. Daniel Suarez
    11. Matt DiBenedetto
    12. Kevin Harvick
    13. Clint Bowyer
    14. Denny Hamlin
    15. Kyle Busch
    16. Daniel Hemric
    17. David Ragan
    18. Chase Elliott
    19. Ryan Newman
    20. Aric Almirola
    21. Michael McDowell
    22. Austin Dillon
    23. Ty Dillon
    24. Bubba Wallace
    25. Ryan Preece
    26. Chris Buescher
    27. Parker Kligerman
    28. Matt Tifft
    29. Corey LaJoie
    30. Martin Truex Jr.
    31. Brendan Gaughan
    32. Landon Cassill
    33. Paul Menard (Matt Crafton is now in the car after the switch over)
    34. Austin Theriault, one lap down
    35. Erik Jones, one lap down
    36. Joey Gase, one lap down
    37. Ross Chastain, one lap down
    38. Reed Sorenson, two laps down
    39. Blake Jones, three laps down
    40. Spencer Boyd, 15 laps down
  • Elliott leads the way, wins pole at Talladega as Hendrick sweeps top four spots

    Elliott leads the way, wins pole at Talladega as Hendrick sweeps top four spots

    Chase Elliott claimed the Busch Pole Award at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday evening while his teammates followed for a Hendrick Motorsports sweep of the top four starting positions.

    His qualifying lap of 192.707 mph earned Elliott his fourth pole of the season and his eighth career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole. It was his second pole at the 2.66-mile track. Elliott also won the spring race at the track and is hoping for a repeat.

    When asked about the odds of winning again, he was optimistic but is not taking anything for granted.

    “To me, I feel like our car has pace, which is a good thing,” Elliott replied.

    “Typically in these races, cars that have pace tend to kind of set the standard and are able to do some things that you wouldn’t be able to do if your car didn’t have pace. I would much rather have pace on my side than not.

    “Can you still win without those little extra things here and there? Yes. But I do think it is a good thing to have if you do. And luckily, I feel like our car does. Hopefully it drives well tomorrow. And, I’m sure as we start the race, we’ll see some gamesmanship being played amongst the manufacturers and I’m sure that’ll form-up very quickly.”

    Hendrick Motorsports teammates Alex Bowman (192.552 mph), William Byron (192.258 mph) and Jimmie Johnson (191.566 mph) will follow Elliott in the lineup after qualifying second, third and fourth.

    Byron is hoping the teammates can stay up front together.

    “I’ve got three teammates behind but then not a lot of Chevrolets back behind that for a little while,” he noted. “So, there are a bunch of other guys stacked in between us. So, we’ll see. I’m sure these games will be played pretty early. And hopefully we can stay up front and grab some stage points and hopefully get a win.”

    Ford drivers Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Clint Bowyer, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano rounded out the top-10 qualifiers.

    Logano spoke about the significance of the car manufacturers working together.

    “We’ve got to stay open to doing what our competition is doing and trying to do what they do better than them. That’s what we’ve got to try to do, but it seems like now more than ever the teamwork aspect has really come into play more than it’s ever been,” Keselowski said. “I say teamwork, not just Penske – we’re talking about all the Fords or all the Chevys or Toyotas. Everyone really seems to be committed to each other and it’s really changed the game a lot.”

    Of the remaining playoff drivers, Kyle Larson will start 12th, Kevin Harvick 15th, Martin Truex Jr. 18th, Kyle Busch 26th and Denny Hamlin will start in 40th after an engine failure during qualifying.

    You can tune into Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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

  • Daniel Hemric looks ahead to new opportunities

    Daniel Hemric looks ahead to new opportunities

    In mid-September, Richard Childress Racing announced they were releasing Daniel Hemric after the conclusion of the 2019 season as the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet.

    In response to the news, Hemric posted a tweet saying, “Forever grateful to Richard & everyone at @RCRracing for the opportunity. I’m disappointed it ended like this, but we’ve got nine more races together & some team goals that are still within reach. I’m going to do all I can to make sure we get those & finish the season strong.”

    A little over three weeks later, Hemric’s goals remain unchanged. He spoke about his mindset Friday at Talladega Superspeedway, the site of his best finish this year.

    “The game plan, he said, “from a professional side, has still been the same. The goals you set out to accomplish in February, and really dating back three years ago with RCR, those all stay the same.”

    This year was Hemric’s first full-time season of competition in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The 28-year-old has one top-five and two top-10s in 30 races that include a fifth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in April. Prior to that, he drove for RCR in the Xfinity Series in 2017 and 2018 and qualified for the Championship both years.

    For now, the racing takes precedence but Hemric is also looking ahead to what is next.

    “I’ve got to figure out another path,” Hemric said. “Personally, you’ve had to kind of grind it out and spend what would typically be your off-days away from the race track doing just that and trying to position yourself and align yourself in a situation where you can continue on and move forward past Homestead as things go down the way they’re going to go down. But the race track stuff hasn’t really changed a whole lot. We still try to go to the race track and do our jobs.”

    While looking for new opportunities, the key says Hemric, is to remain true to himself.

    “I think just do your thing and be yourself and that’s what I’ve always tried to do and I feel very grounded by the fact,” he explained. “I think that’s why I’ve had the opportunities to get to where I’m at today. I try not to really veer too far off that course and just try to do what feels right to me and I think along the way I’ve been able to establish and build and create a lot of incredible partnerships.”

    For now, Hemric’s main focus is clear.

    “If we can accomplish our goals of winning Rookie of the Year, finish as high in the points as we can, and knowing that when I cross the finish line at Homestead, I know I gave them everything I had from day one together until the checkered flag flew.”

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

  • Weekend Schedule for Talladega

    Weekend Schedule for Talladega

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Gander Outdoors Truck Series head to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. The NASCAR Xfinity Series is off but will return to competition next week at Kansas Speedway.

    This will be the second race in the Round of 12 for the Cup Series Playoffs. Aric Almirola is the defending Cup Series race winner. The Truck Series begins its Round of 6 at the 2.66-mile tri-oval. Timothy Peters won the Truck Series race at Talladega last year.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, October 11

    12:35 p.m. – 1:25 p.m.: Truck Series First Practice – No TV

    1:35 p.m. – 2:25 p.m.: Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN/MRN

    3:35 p.m. – 4:25 p.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – No TV

    4:35 p.m. – 5:25 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/MRN

    Saturday, October 12

    10:35 a.m.: Truck Series Qualifying (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – FS1

    1:30 p.m.: Truck Series Sugarlands Shine 250 (Stages 20/40/94 Laps = 250.04 Miles) – FS1/MRN

    4:35 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying Impound (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – NBCSN/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, October 13

    2 p.m.: Cup Series 1000Bulbs.com 500 (Stages 55/110/188 Laps = 500.08 Miles) – NBC/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio – Green flag: 2:03 p.m.

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

  • Hendrick Motorsports Playoff drivers are likeliest to advance following Talladega Playoff event

    Hendrick Motorsports Playoff drivers are likeliest to advance following Talladega Playoff event

    Despite being behind in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup win column, Chevrolets face the likeliest chance to succeed at Talladega for Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 Playoff event. The 2.66-mile superspeedway is no stranger to upset winners, but if the April event is any indicator then not only do the Hendrick Chevrolets face the likeliest chance of winning, they’re also the likeliest to carry on the recent Bowtie winning streak but also advance to the Playoff Round of Eight.

    Chase Elliott – His Daytona results notwithstanding, Elliott is showing to be a steady performer on the superspeedways. Along with his April victory in Alabama, he holds three top-fives and three top-10s. It may not seem like much in seven starts, but in the races where he held a dismal finish including his two DNFs in 2017, he has always run near the front including leading 26 laps before a hard crash in the Fall 2017 event.

    Still, with two of his three teammates also in the Playoffs as well as the performance of teammate Alex Bowman in the Spring, Elliott could be leading the charge to get out of the Playoff rut his last-place finish at Dover has left him in.

    Alex Bowman – 2019 has become the defining year of Bowman’s Cup Series career. It has been a breakout in every sense of the word – one win, six top-fives, 10 top-10s, and a comfortable spot in the seventh slot in the standings. Bowman isn’t satisfied, however, and with Talladega around the corner, a track where he finished second to teammate Elliott in April, he could be kicking his Playoff campaign into high gear and showing the rest of the field that the No. 88 Greg Ives-led crew could be the team to beat in the Playoffs.

    Bowman and Elliott proved themselves to be a formidable duo in the Spring, not unlike the early 00s’ when Dale Earnhardt Incorporated drivers Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were winning every other race at Talladega. Should Bowman or Elliott win at Talladega, then it could be the dawn of a new era in NASCAR.

    William Byron – Byron’s 2019 Playoff campaign is showing zero signs of a sophomore slump. If anything, it shows that Hendrick Motorsports is catching up in leaps and bounds with the rest of the field, currently led by the Team Penske Fords and the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas. He’s scored five poles already, with three top-fives (including a second at Daytona in July) and 11 top-10s to boot.

    He’s only in his second full-time Cup Series campaign, so his previous Talladega results can be chalked up as educational experiences. Same thing goes with his Daytona results, although he has led 56 laps at the 2.5-mile Superspeedway. But one thing to take into account for the Chad Knaus-led No. 24 team is momentum. Byron has been quietly consistent, having finished in the top-25 in every race this season. Granted, that doesn’t equate to wins, but still, quiet consistency is better than no consistency. He could be a sleeper at Talladega, if not in the Playoffs overall. He could have a run equivalent to Ryan Newman’s in 2014 if the could just keep up with the consistency.

    Although those drivers are the only Hendrick Chevrolets in the Playoffs at this moment, there are other drivers to consider for the win in Sunday’s race. Talladega is well-known for upset winners, and although rookie Ryan Preece is not a Playoff driver, he’s been stout on the superspeedways in 2019. He was in contention to win the Daytona 500 late in the going before being shuffled back to eighth, for one.

    But it was his Talladega performance in April which could translate to a win on Sunday, as the No. 47 was able to latch onto the Hendrick Motorsports train of Elliott and Bowman en route to a third-place finish in the final order. His JTG-Daugherty Racing No. 47 is also powered by Hendrick engines, and given their proclivity for running up front on the superspeedways, he could very well put his car at the front in Sunday’s event. Preece is definitely the dark horse pick for the 1000Bulbs.com 500.

    The 1000Bulbs.com 500 will be on NBC on Sunday, October 13, at 2 p.m.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Martin Truex Jr.    : Truex finished second at Dover.

    “Kyle Larson just had too much of a lead,” Truex said. “I knew I couldn’t catch him, so I felt like there was really no point in extending myself trying to catch him. It was a case of ‘too much cushion for the pushin.”

    2. Kyle Busch: Busch finished sixth at Dover and is second in the points standings.

    “We certainly looked better than we did last week at Charlotte,” Busch said. “And I was very excited. Heck, I actually felt like hanging around for the finish.”

    3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started on the pole at Dover and led 218 laps on his way to a fifth at Dover.

    “We were fast most of the race,” Hamlin said. “And we were even faster late in the race. Just to clarify, we were ‘fading fast.’”

    4. Kyle Larson: Larson led 154 laps and won at Dover to secure his spot in the next round of the playoffs. The win snapped a 75-race winless streak.

    “My wife Katelyn shotgunned a beer in Victory Lane,” Larson said. “That makes her ‘pound-for-pound,’ the absolute best wife in NASCAR.”

    5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started fourth and finished fourth at Dover.

    “It’s a sad state of the sport,” Harvick said, “when the biggest feud in NASCAR right now is Bubba Wallace versus Alex Bowman. And it’s all about Bubba squirting a little water in Alex’s face. For fans of the sport who like to see a few punches thrown, this is absolute torture. In other words, it’s ‘water boring.’”

    6. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished third at Dover and solidified his standing in the points. He is seventh, 46 behind Martin Truex, Jr.

    “Luckily,” Bowman said, “I didn’t have to deal with Bubba Wallace. At Charlotte, he squirted me in the face with water. I can understand it from his standpoint because that’s the only way he can ‘make a splash’ in this sport.”

    7. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 11th, one lap down, in the Drydene 400 at Dover.

    “Penske hasn’t been to Victory Lane since June,” Keselowski said. “We’re gonna try our darndest to end this slump. I mean, we’re going to go to great lengths to make it happen. I told Joey Logano we’re gonna work on it until the wheels fall off.”

    8. Joey Logano: Logano finished 34th at Dover after a broken axle prevented him from starting the race until he was already 20 laps down.

    “That’s not what you would call being on a ‘roll,’” Logano said. “My first reaction was to say, ‘Aw hell! Broke loose!’”

    9. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished last at Dover after his engine blew just eight laps into the race.

    “‘That was quick,’” Elliott said, “is usually a phrase you don’t mind using to describe your car.”

    10. William Byron:     Byron finished 13th at Dover and is now eighth in the playoff points standings.

    “We’re off to Talladega,” Byron said, “where anything can happen. Tensions will be high, and with playoff spots and positioning on the line, anxieties will be heightened. So, most drivers will be a ‘wreck’ before they even get on the track.”

  • Truex falls short at Dover after pit stop mistake

    Truex falls short at Dover after pit stop mistake

    He didn’t quite have the best car or the dominating car, but Martin Truex Jr. was there at the end in case Kyle Larson would happen to make a mistake and leave an opening.

    Truex Jr had a decent car at Dover International Speedway, taking the lead away from his teammate Denny Hamlin on Lap 229. It would be the only time that Truex was out front. When he took the Stage 2 win, one of the No. 19 pit crew members slipped while coming around to change the right rear tire. The stop would eventually cost Truex the race win.

    It caused Truex to lose a couple of spots on pit road. It was just enough and he was unable to take the lead from Larson and challenge him for the race win. He did have a little bit of help in the late stages but he ultimately fell short and wound up second.

    “Just ran out of time there,” Truex Jr told MRN Radio. “Got bobbled up in traffic pretty good and so did the 42 (Larson). We just really ran out of time. We were six seconds back after the pit stop. At the end, we were maybe one. We did a good job of gaining on them but it’s always gaining on the leader but a harder time with the lap guys. The same thing being said, I caught some at the end and they weren’t very courteous. It’s just the way it goes.”

    “We had a very fast car, our Bass Pro Toyota was strong. We had a shot at winning for sure. It’s the playoffs, it’s the best of the best and one little tiny mistake like that, five positions or whatever on the restart, it’s game over. I hate that it happened, but I know our guys are working hard to get it cleaned up. Overall, it was a really good points day. Just go to Talladega next week and hopefully, we can at least make it to the finish, which we haven’t been good at there. I’m feeling good going forward and looking forward to Kansas as well.”

    The second-place finish was Truex’s 13th top five of the season.

  • Bowman follows up with a third-place at Dover

    Bowman follows up with a third-place at Dover

    After racing his way into Round of 12 on a tiebreaker, Alex Bowman knew he had to have a solid opening race at Dover if he wanted to move forward to the Round of 8 which begins at Martinsville Speedway later this month.

    After Bowman had been in the news all week with the Bubba Wallace controversy following the Charlotte Roval, he was looking to putting that behind him and having a strong finish this weekend at Dover International Speedway.

    The Tucson, Arizona native qualified his No. 88 Nationwide Insurance Chevy 12th in Saturday’s qualifying session. Knowing Dover is a track where it is tough to pass, Bowman would have to have a good car early to stay up front and avoid going a lap down early. The Hendrick Motorsports driver finished sixth in both stages.

    Despite making adjustments during his pit stops, Bowman had to settle for a strong third-place finish after finishing in second previously at Charlotte Roval.

    “Yeah, we had a solid day,” Bowman said to MRN Radio. “Really thankful for Cincinnati, it’s their first time on the car as a primary, so it’s neat to have a good day with them. We would like to be two spots better, but we overcame some things. We had a couple of pit stops, where we had some issues and had to drive back through. It’s so hard to pass here, it’s tough. Just need to be a little better, but pretty happy how we ended up.”

    The third-place finish was Bowman’s sixth top five of the season. He heads to Talladega seventh in the playoff points standings, +17 above the cut line.

  • Harvick quietly places top five at Dover

    Harvick quietly places top five at Dover

    It was a quiet day for Kevin Harvick and his Stewart-Haas Racing team who had a special paint scheme design on the No. 4 Ford. Harvick was hoping to bring his “Harvick Beer” car to victory lane at Dover, a track that he has been so strong at in the past.

    Harvick had a solid qualifying effort of fourth and he was consistently strong throughout the race, at one point catching the leaders. However, despite having a good car Harvick was never able to challenge for the lead and wound up settling for a fourth-place finish.

    “Our “Harvick Beer” Ford never gripped today,” Harvick described to MRN Radio. “Took off on the first lap, the front tires never turned and the back tires never gripped. Just way different then practice, but our guys did a great job of staying in there and grind one out today and finished fourth. Still, a solid day, just not what we thought we had after practice.”

    Harvick was able to place his No. 4 “Harvick Beer” Ford Mustang fifth and fourth in both stages respectively. The Stewart Haas Racing driver sits fifth in the playoff points standings, +42 above the cut line heading into Talladega Superspeedway next Sunday. Harvick won at Talladega, 10 years ago in 2010 during a Chase race and has not won since.