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  • Hamlin disappointed with fifth-place finish at Dover

    Hamlin disappointed with fifth-place finish at Dover

    It was a dominating day for Denny Hamlin who was making his 500th career Cup Series start this weekend at Dover. Hamlin made it even more special by qualifying on the pole which gave him great track position to begin the race.

    Hamlin was strong early in his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camary and led almost every lap. The car was strong enough that Hamlin ended Stage 1 as the victor. After the pit stops, he was still able to maintain his lead for the most part in Stage 2.

    However, on Lap 229 Hamlin was passed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. for the lead. It would be the last time we saw Hamlin out front, as he would have a challenging car while being stuck back in traffic.

    At the end of the day, it wasn’t the result the No. 11 team wanted with Hamlin finishing fifth after leading nearly half the race despite a potential engine issue, only to come up short.

    “I didn’t do a good job under caution, I missed a shift there on that last restart,” Hamlin described to MRN Radio. “It’s just unfortunate, I didn’t do my best, but I’m proud of the effort we had today. We did a hell of a job with our racecar. I just didn’t quite keep up with the race track. This is by far the best race I had at this race track. So, really happy with that result and happy we could go out there, compete and lead laps at this track.”

    The fifth-place finish was Hamlin’s 15th top five of the season. He also led 218 laps, won Stage 1 and finished third in Stage 2.

  • Larson snaps 75-race winless streak at Dover

    Larson snaps 75-race winless streak at Dover

    For the first time in over two years, Kyle Larson took the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing team to victory lane. It was his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at Dover International Speedway and the sixth overall of his Cup Series career. Larson took the lead on pit road after Martin Truex Jr. had a slow stop on the right rear after his crew member slipped on pit road.

    “It’s such a team event, to win in NASCAR, not only myself has to be on my game but everybody on our team does,” Larson said to MRN Radio describing the win. “We qualified well yesterday and had good pit stops today, great car obviously and made good adjustments. Just a well rounded day and you can’t thank them (pit crew) enough for it. It’s been fun. It was a struggle earlier in the year, obviously with all of our crashes and DNF’s but we had fast cars the whole time and today we showed how good we really are.”

    Stages were 120-120-160 to make up the 400 lap race.

    Stage 1: Lap 1- Lap 120

    It wasn’t all Kyle Larson as the race started. Denny Hamlin, who was making his 500th career Cup Series start, began on the pole and was dominant early on. In fact, Stage 1 was picture-perfect for Hamlin and his No. 11 team who went on to win the first stage.

    However, a few others weren’t so lucky and were caught by “Miles The Monster” before the race even started. Playoff driver Joey Logano couldn’t even make a lap before he had an issue with a broken axle. Logano had to go behind the wall and fix the issue before returning to the track, 23 laps down.

    Another playoff driver also had issues. Last week’s winner, Chase Elliott, had his engine expire on Lap 8. The team took it behind the wall to try and fix the problem but wound up with a disappointing last-place finish to begin the Round of 12.

    After a few drivers had their problems early, Hamlin was smooth and took the win for Stage 1. Martin Truex Jr., Larson, William Byron, Kevin Harvick, Alex Bowman, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones and Ryan Blaney were the top-10 finishers in Stage 1.

    During the stage break, Kyle Busch was caught speeding on pit road and Paul Menard had an uncontrolled tire sending both to the back of the field prior to Stage 2.

    Stage 2: Lap 127- Lap 240

    Stage 2 saw no yellows for incidents, but it did see a lead change. On lap 229, Truex took the lead from Hamlin and held on to win the second stage. Larson, Hamlin, Harvick, Johnson, Bowman, Jones, Blaney, Keselowski and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top-10.

    The pivotal moment of the race came on pit road. One of Truex’s crew members slipped while coming to change the right rear. This made Truex lose time and eventually the lead. In this case, Larson ended up winning the race off pit road, which would be crucial later on.

    Stage 3: Lap 247- Lap 400

    Like Stage 2, there were hardly any incidents that would bring out the caution, however, there were some notable problems that occurred for playoff drivers.

    On Lap 272, Hamlin reported that his engine could be blowing up, though he was able to stay on track and finish the race. Then, on Lap 298 another playoff driver, Ryan Blaney, had his own issues. Blaney took his No. 12 machine behind the wall as he had lost his brakes. Blaney would end up in 35th.

    Despite the challenges the playoff drivers faced, there were no problems for Larson and his No. 42 team. He won at Dover for the first time in his career and went to victory lane for the first time since Richmond in 2017.

    “At some point in the second stage, I started changing what I was doing in the car,” Larson added to MRN Radio. “I was able to calm down and hit my marks better and keep my car lasting longer and we were making good adjustments at the same time. Just kind of how it all came together there. We had a good pit stop to restart as the leader. It was so hard to pass today.”

    “Being the leader was important. Obviously we had a good car to go along with it and stretch out and maintain that gap. Traffic got a little crazy there but it got cleared out and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way.”

    Larson led four times for 154 laps and finished third in Stage 1, while finishing second in Stage 2. This is the first time that Chip Ganassi Racing has a team moving on to the Round of 8.

    There were three cautions for 17 laps and 14 lead changes among nine drivers.

    Official Playoff Standings

    1. Kyle Larson, Advanced to Round of 8
    2. Martin Truex Jr., +63
    3. Kyle Busch, +48
    4. Denny Hamlin, +48
    5. Kevin Harvick, +42
    6. Brad Keselowski, +20
    7. Alex Bowman, +17
    8. Joey Logano, +0
      Below the cut line
    9. William Byron, -0
    10. Clint Bowyer, -4
    11. Chase Elliott, -7
    12. Ryan Blaney, -22

    Official Results

    1. Kyle Larson, led 154 laps
    2. Martin Truex Jr., led 15 laps and won Stage 2
    3. Alex Bowman
    4. Kevin Harvick
    5. Denny Hamlin, led 218 laps and won Stage 1
    6. Kyle Busch
    7. Matt DiBenedetto
    8. Jimmie Johnson
    9. Kurt Busch, one lap down
    10. Clint Bowyer, one lap down
    11. Brad Keselowski, one lap down
    12. Paul Menard, two laps down
    13. William Byron, two laps down
    14. Daniel Suarez, two laps down
    15. Erik Jones, two laps down
    16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., two laps down
    17. Aric Almirola, two laps down
    18. Austin Dillon, two laps down
    19. Ryan Preece, four laps down
    20. Bubba Wallace, five laps down
    21. Daniel Hemric, six laps down
    22. Ryan Newman, seven laps down
    23. Ty Dillon, seven laps down
    24. Michael McDowell, nine laps down
    25. Matt Tifft, 10 laps down
    26. Landon Cassill, 11 laps down
    27. David Ragan, 12 laps down
    28. Corey LaJoie, 15 laps down
    29. B.J. McLeod, 18 laps down
    30. Joe Nemechek, 19 laps down
    31. Ross Chastain, 20 laps down
    32. J.J. Yeley, 20 laps down
    33. Garrett Smithley, 23 laps down
    34. Joey Logano, 25 laps down
    35. Ryan Blaney, OUT, Suspension
    36. Chris Buescher, OUT, Engine
    37. Reed Sorenson, OUT, Handling
    38. Chase Elliott, OUT, Engine

    Up Next: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers head to Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, Oct. 13 for the continuation of the Round of 12.

  • Logano has issues early, finishes 34th at Dover

    Logano has issues early, finishes 34th at Dover

    It was a strange race for Joey Logano and his No. 22 Team Penske team. In fact, Logano did not even make a lap before he suffered his own problems. Just as soon as he rolled off pit road, he had a broken axle and had to take it behind the wall.

    However, Logano would return to the track several laps down. All he could do at this point was salvage the best finish he could and avoid a DNF which would hurt him in the points. The Team Penske driver managed to stay out there on the track. While doing so, Logano did receive some criticism from other drivers for holding them up, but he stayed in his lane.

    In the end, it wasn’t the day Logano was looking for and he finished a disappointing 34th at Dover.

    “Bummer,” Logano said to MRN Radio describing his day. “Things happen, I guess. I don’t know, something broke back there and I’m not sure what it was. We fixed it and got back out there, and rode around 20 something laps down all day. It’s a long day to run around and hopefully have a few guys fall out and gain a couple of spots. We may gain two or three by being out there. I think we’re the last one in right now. We’ll press on from here, we’re not out.”

    Logano is tied with William Byron in the playoff points standings heading into Talladega Superspeedway for the next race in the Round of 12.

  • TEAM CHEVY AT DOVER 2: Post-Race Notes and Quotes

    TEAM CHEVY AT DOVER 2: Post-Race Notes and Quotes

    MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
    DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
    DRYDENE 400
    TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
    OCTOBER 6, 2019

    TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
    POS. DRIVER (* = Playoff Contender)
    1st * KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1
    3rd * ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CINCINNATI CAMARO ZL1
    8th JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
    9th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 GEARWRENCH CAMARO ZL1
    13th * WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1

    TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
    POS. DRIVER (* = Chevy Playoff Contender)
    1st * Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
    2nd Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
    3rd * Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)
    4th Kevin Harvick (Ford)
    5th Denny Hamlin (Toyota)

    UNOFFICIAL CURRENT PLAYOFF RANK (Following Round 4 of 10)
    POS. DRIVER (* = Chevy Contender)
    1. * Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
    2. Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
    3. Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
    4. Kyle Busch (Toyota)
    5. Kevin Harvick (Ford)
    6. Brad Keselowski (Ford)
    7. * Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)
    8. * William Byron (Chevrolet)
    9. Joey Logano (Ford)
    10. Clint Bowyer (Ford)
    11. * Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
    12. Ryan Blaney (Ford)

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway with the 1000Bulbs.com 500 on Sunday, October 13 at 2:00 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, NBC Sports Gold, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

    KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 – Race Winner
    WITH THIS WIN, YOU WILL ADVANCE TO THE ROUND OF 8 IN THE PLAYOFFS. WHAT A TIME TO END A TWO-YEAR WINLESS STREAK, HOW CRITICAL WAS THIS WIN FOR THE #42 TEAM?
    “Oh, it’s really critical. Everybody in this Playoff field is going to be stressed next week at Talladega except for me. So, that’s good. The last time I was at Talladega, I was on my lid and I could still end up on my lid next week, but it doesn’t matter after this win. What a day! This Clover Chevy was really good. After the first stage, I kind of changed my driving style up and I felt like we made the car better at the same time. And, they really benefitted our long runs. That’s as good as I’ve ever been around, cutting the bottom, here. So, it was just a great combination here. To be fast in practice and then be good in the race and you get the win. I can’t thank all you fans enough for coming out. This cool weather was nice for a change. This is unbelievable. I’ve always wanted to win a Cup race here. I’ve been close a number of times, so to get a ‘Golden Monster’ (trophy) is pretty sweet.”

    NO DOUBT THIS IS WELL-TIMED. BUT IS THIS MAYBE THE BIGGEST WIN OF YOUR CAREER?
    “A million dollars earlier this year (at the All-Star) was pretty nice but no, to win a Playoff race, my first Playoff victory, is special. I hope there’s another one in our future, especially in the next round. So, we’ll see what we can do. I kept saying that I felt really close to winning here, or anywhere, right now. Our pit crew has been doing a better job and the team is doing a better job and I’ve been doing a better job. We just got to keep it going now.”

    ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CINCINNATI CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 3rd
    IT SEEMED LIKE YOU GUYS GOT BETTER AS THE RACE WENT ON. IS THAT THE CASE?
    “Yeah, I mean I think we had a good car there to start. It’s just really hard to pass and it took a while for the track to widen out. I made up some track position and then I had an issue on a pit stop that kind of put us back behind some of the guys we just passed. We just have to keep working at it. Obviously, the 42 and the 19 were way out there, but we had a really good race car and I’m proud of my guys.”

    “I’m really proud of my race team and everyone for keeping their heads on straight. I’ll take it after last week. We got together with the 12 there off of turn two really early and I was like ‘no, not again’. I’m glad he saved it. Just two cars going for one spot on the race track, nothing happened from there. We had a clean day. The only real issue we had was that one pit stop. But, aside from that pit stop, my guys were probably the fastest on pit road. I’ll take it for how good they are.”

    DO YOU THINK IF THERE WERE MORE CAUTIONS YOU COULD HAVE GOT TO THEM?
    “Maybe, for sure. You never know how that’s going to work out. I felt like our car wasn’t very good on the short run. During the middle part of the run, my car was really good. I’m not sure how a late caution would have ended up, but congrats to the 42 guys. Kyle (Larson) has been working hard this year so it’s cool to see him get a win. We have two more weeks in this round to get it done.”

    JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 8th
    “I felt like we had a shot. When we were in clean air, our lap times were great. Just as everyone experienced, it was really tough to pass. We had a few things that set us back and lost track position throughout the day. But we had a really fast race car. We were able to pass some, which I don’t think many could pass at all. All in all, it was a good day. We ran better than 8th for most of it, but we just couldn’t finish higher.”

    IT SEEMS LIKE HMS IS TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WITH THE SPEED THAT WAS IN THE CARS TODAY. I KNOW CHASE (ELLIOTT) HAD HIS ISSUES, BUT REGARDLESS, WHAT DOES THAT SET THE CONFIDENCE LEVEL AT GOING FORWARD?
    “Talladega is kind of its own animal. I think Kansas we’re really excited for and feel like we can control our own destiny. The high downforce tracks, the Hendrick cars have been more competitive. I know we are all excited to get back to Kansas and build off of what we’ve had the last month or two.”

    IT SEEMS LIKE SINCE CLIFF DANIELS (CREW CHIEF) CAME ABOARD, YOU’VE FOUND SPEED THE PAST FEW MONTHS. WITH THIS BEING ONE OF YOUR BEST TRACKS, WERE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE RUN TODAY OR DID YOU WANT A LITTLE MORE?
    “No, I mean we’re here to win the race and that’s where my heart and mind is. Throughout the day, I felt like we did have pace at times to run for the lead if we could just cycle through all the pit stops to get there. Unfortunately, we had some things happen on pit road. I had to avoid cars coming out of stalls and it just set me back. Coming in 4th and coming out 9th, I think the way it all worked out with the pit box location, I lost positions during each pit stop. So, just really tough to recover from that. I’m disappointed there, but in my heart, I know we’re going the right way.”

    KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 GEARWRENCH CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 9th
    “Today, we started 9th, ran 9th, and finished 9th. It was about all we had. I was on the tight side and Kyle (Larson) was a little bit on the loose side, but we made it work. I’m happy for my teammate to win and advance. It was a good step for us to just have a nice, smooth day. We just never really found anything to help the car steer.”

    WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 13th
    “Yeah, we couldn’t recover from that after. We just had a miscalculation of when we could accelerate out of our pit box. I thought we were fine on pit road speed to leave the box hard. That was a bummer for sure. We had a pretty good car. We couldn’t really make many passes, but we were able to get from the back after having to start pretty close to the tail end. It just really hurt our day. But overall, the guys did a good job and got out of here with a decent points day, I guess. We’ll just have to go on strong next week.”

    “The team and I all were convinced that I could go straight out and have not issues. I got a really good launch off the pit box, probably a little too good. I was kind of worried about it because I beat the 48 pretty good off pit road and it nipped us for sure. It was just a miscalculation. We probably won’t pick that pit box again for that reason. It really kind of ruined our day, but at least we got some decent stuff out of it.”

    WHAT’S YOUR MINDSET GOING INTO TALLADEGA?
    “Our cars are always fast at Talladega, so we’ll just have to go there, lay it out there and see what happens.”

    DO YOU FEEL LIKE A CAUTION WOULD HAVE HELPED?
    “Yeah, I mean we ran behind the 42 in the first stage. I’m sure if we kept track position, I think we could have finished in the top-5. We drove back up to tenth place, which was Clint Bowyer, and we couldn’t really do anything with that. We tried to stay out longer to try and catch a yellow, but we could just never get back to where we lost.”

    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS GIVE A HOOT CAMARO ZL1- Sidelined due to mechanical failure; Finished 38th
    WHAT DID YOU FEEL BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE CAR?
    “Yeah I just had an engine failure of some sort. Unfortunately, we don’t really know what it was just yet. It just quit running. It didn’t really seem like anything was off. We were just kind of making laps and then obviously had a failure. It’s an unfortunate way to start this round for sure.”

    WE’VE TALKED BEFORE THAT YOU HAVE WINS AT ALL THREE TRACKS OF THIS ROUND. YOU’VE WON TALLADEGA IN THE SPRING. CAN YOU LOOK AT THAT AS MORE OF AN OPPORTUNITY THAN A WILD CARD NOW FROM THIS SITUATION?
    “I don’t know where we’ll stack up. I assume we’ll have to win one of these next few weeks. If you ever make it to Homestead, you’re going to have to win down there. I guess it’s a good opportunity to practice here these next few weeks.”

    Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

    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.

  • Hamlin wins pole in 500th start at Dover

    Hamlin wins pole in 500th start at Dover

    It has been a special weekend for Denny Hamlin and his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team. Hamlin is making his 500th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start in Sunday’s race at Dover International Speedway. It will be even more memorable for Hamlin as he set a new track record with a time of 21.55.

    “No, not pole-winning, but definitely a race-winning car,” Hamlin said to MRN Radio. “I felt like if we did everything right and we have a good starting spot, going to have good advantage there on pit road. Really happy for the guys. To have that quick of a lap here in this type of format, where stage points are going to be very important is really good for us. We’re proud of it and this is a lot of hard work that went into this.”

    It was Hamlin’s first pole of the 2019 season and the 31st of his career.

    Kyle Larson qualified on the outside pole, Martin Truex Jr. was third, Kevin Harvick was fourth, Chase Elliott qualified fifth, William Byron will start sixth, Aric Almirola will start seventh, Erik Jones in eighth, Kurt Busch in ninth and Ryan Blaney rounds out the top-10 qualifiers for Sunday’s Drydene 400.

    Hamlin has yet to win at Dover International Speedway and seeks his first victory in Sunday’s race.

    “You’re going to have to keep up with the racetrack,” Hamlin added to MRN Radio. “I think the racetrack is going to change dramatically after the first or second stage. I’m just going to try and wheel it the best I can, give the best information I can. Obviously, the car will be right there for me. Our teammates are really special around this track and spent a lot of time this week studying them.”

    Sunday’s race will begin the next round of the playoffs with the Round of 12. The Round of 12 will take place over the next three races at Dover, then on to Talladega and Kansas will be the cut-off race before the Round of 8 begins.

    Official Qualifying Results

    1. Denny Hamlin, making 500th start, Playoff driver
    2. Kyle Larson, fastest in final practice, Playoff driver
    3. Martin Truex Jr., Playoff driver
    4. Kevin Harvick, fastest in first practice, Playoff driver
    5. Chase Elliott, won last years fall race, Playoff driver
    6. William Byron, Playoff driver
    7. Aric Almirola
    8. Erik Jones
    9. Kurt Busch
    10. Ryan Blaney, Playoff driver
    11. Jimmie Johnson
    12. Alex Bowman, Playoff driver
    13. Paul Menard
    14. Joey Logano, Playoff driver
    15. Daniel Suarez
    16. Brad Keselowski, Playoff driver
    17. Clint Bowyer, Playoff driver
    18. Kyle Busch, Playoff driver
    19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    20. Matt DiBenedetto
    21. David Ragan
    22. Chris Buescher
    23. Matt Tifft
    24. Ryan Newman
    25. Ty Dillon
    26. Bubba Wallace
    27. Austin Dillon
    28. Michael McDowell
    29. Corey LaJoie
    30. Landon Cassill
    31. Daniel Hemric
    32. Ryan Preece
    33. B.J. McLeod
    34. Ross Chastain
    35. J.J. Yeley
    36. Joe Nemechek
    37. Garrett Smithley
    38. Reed Sorenson

    The Drydene 400 can be seen live on NBCSN with NASCAR America at 1:30 p.m. ET followed by Countdown to Green at 2 p.m. ET. The green flag is scheduled to fly shortly after 2:30 p.m. ET.

  • Dover could be Larson’s chance to break drought, advance to Round of 8 in Playoffs

    Dover could be Larson’s chance to break drought, advance to Round of 8 in Playoffs

    Of the tracks in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series where Kyle Larson is the likeliest to have success, it’s a shock that he hasn’t found any as of yet at the Dover International Speedway.

    Topping Friday’s final practice session for Sunday’s Drydene 400 with a lap of 162.705, Larson’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet looks to be fast enough to better his record of five top-fives and eight top-10s in 11 starts, including two runner-ups and two third-place finishes.

    One good reason for Larson’s consistency at Dover is that it’s a track where the driver actually drives the car. Larson is in his element when racing a track that requires more out of the driver like a bullring or a road course; there’s a reason he’s as prolific as he is in sprint cars.

    However, Dover is a fast bullring. It’s got a short-track spirit with the speed of an intermediate track, and that leads to drivers getting in trouble easily. The adequate mixture of speed and driver is right in Larson’s comfort zone, not to mention he knows just how pressing it is he gets to victory lane soon. Last year he made it into the Round of 12 on a bonzai run at Charlotte only to drop out with a quickness following Kansas, echoing his failed 2017 Playoff bid.

    But Dover has been kind to Larson, which is all the more reason for the No. 42 crew to be optimistic heading into Sunday. In 2017 he dominated both events, leading 378 of the season’s 806 laps run at the speedway. He didn’t seal the deal, but top-fives in both events told that they were among the strongest on the track. Overall, Larson holds an average finish of eighth at the one-mile speedway.

    After a dismal 2018 season though, winning at Dover is a must for Larson. He hasn’t won since Richmond in the Fall of ’17, and a return trip to Victory lane would be a great way to validate his 2019 campaign. He’s had the strength of his ’17 season along with the luck of his ’18 season, so it’s imperative that the No. 42 solidifies his Round of 8 spot early on, since Talladega is next on the calendar with Kansas coming after.

    Without a win, Larson would be going into the midway point of the Playoffs at Talladega at a high risk of once again missing the next round. Larson holds an average finish of 20.6 at the 2.66-mile superspeedway with a best finish of sixth in the Fall 2016 event, and holds three DNFs including a spectacular tumble in the Spring event of this year. He holds some strong finishes at Talladega and Daytona, but he hasn’t established himself as a pack racer.

    Meanwhile, his luck at Kansas is closer to Dover than it is to Talladega, although it is still cause for concern. He holds three top-fives and five top-10s in 11 starts on the 1.5-mile speedway, but he also has three DNFs. He holds an average finish of 16.6 at Kansas, meaning that Larson may very well consider it as much a Wild Card event as Talladega.

    Not only is Larson needing to seal the deal and make Dover his 2019 championship statement, he is long overdue for a win at the speedway in the first place. Chad Johnston has done his best to bring success to the CGR No. 42, but if Larson doesn’t go from consistent to contender this year it may be time for a personnel overhaul within that camp.

  • Weekend schedule for Dover

    Weekend schedule for Dover

    This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series head to Dover International Speedway. This will be the first race in the Cup Series Round of 12. Chase Elliott is the defending race winner.

    It will serve as the elimination race for the Xfinity Series Round of 12. Only the top eight will move on to the next round in the hunt for the championship. Christopher Bell won the event in 2018.

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series is off and will return to competition at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday, Oct. 12.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, October 4

    12:35 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. Xfinity Series First Practice -NBCSN
    1:35 p.m. – 2:25 p.m. Monster Energy Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN
    2:35 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. Xfinity Series Final Practice – NBCSN
    3:35 p.m. – 4:25 p.m. Monster Energy Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN

    Saturday, October 5

    12:05 p.m. Xfinity Series Qualifying – Impound (Single Vehicle/Two Laps All Positions) – NBC Sports App/NBCSN joins in at 12:30 p.m.
    1:35 p.m. Monster Energy Cup Series Qualifying – Impound (Single Vehicle/Two Laps All Positions) NBCSN/MRN
    3:00 p.m. Xfinity Series Use Your Melon Drive Sober 200 – 200 miles/200 Laps – Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200) – NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, October 6

    2:30 p.m. Monster Energy Cup Series Drydene 400 – 400 miles/400 Laps -Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 120), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 240), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 400) – NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Cup Series Playoff Standings Prior to Dover

    Rank Driver Points Starts Race Wins Stage Wins Playoff Pts Pts From Cutoff
    1 Kyle Busch 3,046 29 4 11 46 41
    2 Martin Truex Jr. 3,041 29 6 5 41 36
    3 Denny Hamlin 3,030 29 4 3 30 25
    4 Joey Logano 3,029 29 2 9 29 24
    5 Kevin Harvick 3,028 29 3 5 28 23
    6 Chase Elliott 3,024 29 3 5 24 19
    7 Brad Keselowski 3,024 29 3 4 24 19
    8 Kyle Larson 3,006 29 0 5 6 1
    9 Alex Bowman 3,005 29 1 0 5 -1
    10 Ryan Blaney 3,004 29 0 2 4 -2
    11 William Byron 3,001 29 0 1 1 -5
    12 Clint Bowyer 3,000 29 0 0 0 -6

    Xfinity Series Playoff Standings Prior to Dover

    Rank Driver Points Starts Race Wins Stage Wins Playoff Pts Pts From Cutoff
    1 Christopher Bell 2,143 28 7 17 62 In On Wins
    2 Cole Custer 2,133 28 6 7 45 Clinched On Points
    3 Tyler Reddick 2,114 28 5 4 44 52
    4 Austin Cindric 2,112 28 2 1 17 50
    5 Justin Allgaier 2,102 28 0 5 12 40
    6 Chase Briscoe 2,097 28 1 3 13 35
    7 Noah Gragson 2,088 28 0 1 5 26
    8 Michael Annett 2,073 28 1 1 9 11
    9 John H. Nemechek 2,062 28 0 0 0 -11
    10 Brandon Jones 2,062 28 0 3 4 -11
    11 Ryan Sieg 2,036 28 0 1 1 -37
    12 Justin Haley 2,034 28 0 1 3 -39

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

  • Opinion: Reaction to Wallace/Bowman exchange further proof of NASCAR community’s social media echo chamber

    Opinion: Reaction to Wallace/Bowman exchange further proof of NASCAR community’s social media echo chamber

    When it comes to post-race matter between drivers, the NASCAR community lives in a social media echo chamber. This is true especially in the post-race exchange between Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman where Wallace threw a drink in Bowman’s face while Bowman was receiving treatment from medical staff. Was it ridiculous? Sure. Was it not thought out? Didn’t look like it. Could it have been a way for Wallace to save face once he saw Bowman’s predicament? Likely.

    But it was a drink to the face. Not a fist, not a helmet, not a bumper. Despite all of that, Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit users were out for Wallace’s blood because throwing a beverage, something cold in liquid (not solid) form was such an uncalled-for reaction.

    That’s rich, to be honest. Drivers hunt each other down and play bumper tag, throw haymakers, and in a memorable incident in 1979 Bobby Allison caught a helmet with his face.

    Those same people are often the ones who cry out that that was what the sport was built on. That’s quintessential NASCAR, they will tell you.

    But they have a completely different reaction to a driver resorting to tossing a drink in another driver’s face after realizing a hard fist to the jaw wasn’t going to look good. Some are crying out for suspension of fines or go as far as to say that Wallace should never get a ride again.

    All of this four years after Matt Kenseth drilled Joey Logano into the wall at Martinsville. Two years after Denny Hamlin dumped Chase Elliott at the same place. A week after Austin Dillon dumped Bowman at Richmond per his grandfather’s orders.

    But no, a drink to the face while the guy is sitting on pit road is unacceptable. Not to mention a medic and four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon catching some of the drink as well. If some of these fans had their way Wallace would have gotten the boot because his actions were such a black eye for the sport.

    Bowman dumped Wallace after Wallace shot Bowman the bird. Bowman deliberately turned Wallace because Wallace was shooting the No. 88 the finger. Bowman right-reared Wallace because of it. It’s a weird concept to try to understand. Was it slightly immature on Wallace’s behalf? Yes. Wallace does have a penchant for letting his El Birdo fly, as it did at Pocono when he and Daniel Suarez had a post-race disagreement over the gesture. He could stand to let his little aviary friend stay in it’s cage a little bit longer and focus more on the task at hand (i.e. driving).

    Alex Bowman gets sideways in the Roval’s chicane. Photo by Brad Keppel.

    But then again, it’s a gesture. It’s a finger. Sure, it signifies an obscene meaning. But unless Wallace is throwing some ridiculous Alabama voodoo out of the tip of that finger and sending cars spinning around like a left-turning Harry Potter, it isn’t hurting anybody. Nobody is forcing anybody to react. It’s a common gesture, albeit a crude one, and one that likely every driver on the track Sunday had launched against a fellow competitor at some point or another. What’s the point in letting it become such a distraction that it becomes a straw that breaks the camel’s proverbial back?

    Bowman’s run on Sunday was the stuff championship campaigns are built on. He muscled his car through actual adversity and managed to edge both Aric Almirola and Ryan Newman to earn the final spot in the Round of 12 in the Playoffs, but it wasn’t a sure thing until the checkered flag dropped. He ran a great race and showcased his abilities in a stellar way. He let his driving prove whatever points he was out to prove.

    So with that being said, it wasn’t necessary for him to dump Wallace. As sad as it is to admit, the No. 43 crew are currently non-factors despite their best efforts. So for Bowman to dump Wallace like he did was like Christopher Bell dumping Will Rodgers the day before: There was no good reason for it.

    NASCAR made the right call in not penalizing Wallace. If anything, a talk about situational awareness seemed more fitting and likely on the sanctioning body’s behalf, although according to Wallace’s post-race comments he seemed pretty aware of the situation:

    “Smooth move playing the sick card so I couldn’t bust him in the mouth.”

    Wallace was likely about to do just that only to find Bowman in the precarious position he was in. He didn’t want to leave without getting his point across, so a drink to the face was the best he could come up with at the time. Nobody got hurt, the situation didn’t escalate, and Wallace got his satisfaction off of wiping Bowman’s grin off of his face. If anything, that sounds like ideal situational awareness although a talking to from NASCAR made sense.

    Meanwhile, regardless of what the other drivers are doing, Bowman does need to exercise a level head when racing against other teams who aren’t in the Playoffs. Again, referencing the Kenseth/Logano dustup of 2015, but also looking at the Kyle Busch/David Reutimann dustup that occured at Kansas in 2010. Non-factors have a history of derailing championship contenders, and if Bowman decides to let a middle finger get the best of him, or freely dump a driver, it may come back to haunt him in a bad way.

    Likewise, Wallace needs to keep himself in check. It’s understandable he was upset from the jump on Sunday, starting with the mess on the first lap then later on getting turned by the No. 88. Moreso when it’s taken into consideration that despite his talent and driving ability he’s still mired back at mid-pack or near the back. Yet he must keep a cool head and keep his single-digit salute down to a minimum. Not every mishap is going to warrant words.

    As the great and revered poet Ice Cube once elocuted: “Check yourself before you wreck yourself.”

  • When “What Might Be” Becomes “What If”

    When “What Might Be” Becomes “What If”

    Let’s face it. Erik Jones just never had a true shot in the 2019 Playoffs. This now makes it the second consecutive year in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series.

    And what was a story of an uprising season now becomes a story of “what if” as the Round of 16 comes to a conclusion with Jones being one of the four drivers eliminated from the postseason brackets.

    “It’s frustrating; it’s frustrating not to even have a chance,” Jones remarked about the early incident in the must-win situation at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Jones won earlier this year in the iconic Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway to secure his spot in the Playoffs, setting himself up for a great run into the postseason. The seasoned Joe Gibbs Racing driver had his eyes set on making it deep into the Playoffs to get his No. 20 Craftsman Toyota team a chance at a golden ticket to the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway by winning one of the final races. By winning one of the races in the Round of 8 (Martinsville, Texas or Phoenix), it wouldn’t matter where he was in the points battle as he would automatically earn a spot to race for a championship in the last race of the year.

    However, if there were a list of racing deals that are out of the hand of the driver, Jones has checked all of those in the opening three races of the Playoffs. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway and this past weekend on the Roval, the on-track incidents were no fault of his own.

    • Vegas: On the Stage 2 opening restart, Jones had fought his way into the top 10 when the transmission stuck in second gear, bringing his car behind the wall for repairs and finished in the 36th position.
    • Richmond: Jones finished fourth in what would be a 1-2-3-4 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing, but NASCAR officials discovered that the car failed post race inspection for a rear-wheel alignment infraction. This disqualified Jones to a last-place finish.
    • Charlotte: A chain reaction crash caused Jones to get hit from behind entering Turn 1. The spin and light contact with the wall was no concern to the team, but a punctured radiator brought fatal overheating issues, ending their race early.

    “The damage wasn’t bad at all, we had that fixed completely,” Jones shared after his fourth DNF at the Roval, and his second consecutive last-place finish. “Kind of a freak deal. Usually a wreck like that wouldn’t end your day by any means.”

    Just like his untimely exit of the Playoffs last year, Jones is now in the same position this year: again, to no fault of his own.

    “It’s frustrating; it’s frustrating not to even have a chance to run the whole race,” said the dejected 2017 Rookie of the Year driver. “We didn’t make it to the first stage and it wasn’t our fault, and that’s probably the most frustrating part, to get taken out and there was nothing you can do about it.”

    Earlier in the month, Jones announced he signed a contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing. With silly season rumors arising between Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the affiliated Leavine Family Racing team, and Christopher Bell, current NASCAR Xfinity Series points leader and Toyota Racing Development driver, there was uncertainty for Jones’ future stakes. Now, he can say for certainty that he has another shot with his team in 2020.

    “I put my heart and soul into this and this race team.,” he said in a team release. “I’ve been racing with JGR since 2014 and it’s really cool to be able to continue with the foundation we’ve built over the years and hopefully win more races and contend for championships together.”

    He still has seven more races in 2019 to put circumstances behind him and keep on pace with where he was before. In the last four races, Jones’ best finish was 36th at Vegas. Before that, Jones scored five top four finishes in the previous seven races, including the Darlington victory. That hot streak at the end of the regular season was abruptly met by misfortune in the Round of 16. He has a lot of talent he wants to prove: to his team, to his fans, to his competition and to himself. He’s just trying to hold his head high in some dark days of his young racing career.

    “[We] have to keep going all year, win some more races, and come back and start over again in next year’s Playoffs.”

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Charlotte

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Charlotte

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished seventh at Charlotte and heads to Round 2 in second, five points behind Kyle Busch.

    “Last year,” Truex said, “Jimmie Johnson cost me the win here. He made an insane attempt to pass for the lead on the final corner. It didn’t end well for either of us. Things haven’t ended well for Jimmie in years.”

    2. Kyle Busch: Busch finished 37th in the Bank Of America Roval 400, 10 laps down.

    “I decided to call it a day when the race was red-flagged to allow clean up after a multi-car crash,” Busch said. “It was too hot to sit in the car any longer, and I was already three laps down. That was me saying ‘Bu-bye.’ That’s called ‘quitting while you’re behind.’”

    3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 19th at Charlotte.

    “Charlotte’s ‘roval’ is one of the trickiest tracks in NASCAR,” Hamlin said. “It requires a great deal of concentration. One lapse and you will find yourself driving straight into a barrier. Then winning.”

    4. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished third at Charlotte and heads to the next round of the playoffs fifth in the points.

    “I think NASCAR needs more road courses,” Harvick said. “Just so we can use the word ‘chicane’ more often. If you asked NASCAR fans if they know what a ‘chicane’ is, they would tell you ‘No.’ But chances are they would know they don’t like it.”

    5. Chase Elliott: Elliott recovered from crashing head-on into a tire barrier while leading to win at Charlotte’s roval.

    “That’s called ‘driving the brakes off’ the car,” Elliott said. “Luckily, my airbag didn’t deploy.”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished fifth in the Bank Of America Roval 400.

    “You really have to work to navigate Charlotte’s roval,” Keselowski said. “There are 17 turns; couple that with in-car temperatures in the 120s and the only way to describe it is ‘turn and burn.’”

    7. Joey Logano: Logano finished 10th at Charlotte and starts Round 2 of the playoffs fourth in the points, 17 behind Kyle Busch in first.

    “I only needed to finish 29th or better to advance to the next round,” Logano said. “So, ‘Admission Accomplished.’”

    8. Kyle Larson: Larson won Stage 1 at Charlotte and finished 13th.

    “I had a pit lane penalty,” Larson said. “I left my pit box while a crew member was trying to remove tape from the front of the car. That’s a violation and I was penalized a lap. I guess a ‘drive through’ penalty would have made more sense.”

    9. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished eighth at Charlotte.

    “Not many people think I can win the championship,” Blaney said. “But before I can wrap my arms around the Monster Energy Cup championship trophy, I have to embrace the role of underdog. It almost sounds like a romance novel. Hey, whatever gets your engine revving.”

    10. Alex Bowman: Bowman claimed a spot in Round 2 of the playoffs with a gutsy runner-up finish at Charlotte. On an oppressively hot day, Bowman required medical treatment for heat exhaustion after the race.

    “I was dizzy,” Bowman said. “So, like Bubba Wallace, I was ‘spinning.’

    “I’m currently feuding with Austin Dillon and Bubba Wallace. If they want to come after me, I welcome it. If they feel froggy, they should jump, or as it’s known on the roval, ‘wheel hop.’ It would be the only way they can impact the playoffs.”