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Category: NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series

  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway to run NASCAR Playoff races without fans

    Las Vegas Motor Speedway to run NASCAR Playoff races without fans

    Las Vegas Motor Speedway announced that no fans will be allowed to attend the upcoming NASCAR races throughout the facility and grandstands on September 25-27, 2020. The announcement came as the track was unable to receive approval from Steve Sisolak, Governor of Nevada, to have fans in attendance for the races throughout the weekend and with LVMS next on the racing schedule following this weekend’s events at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    “To say we’re disappointed that we will conduct the South Point 400 playoff weekend without fans would be a gross understatement,” Chris Powell, President of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, said. “Our staff has been working – many of them remotely – since the February Pennzoil 400 to prepare the speedway for our playoff triple-header. But we must adhere to Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s directive that limits gatherings due to Covid-19. While we disagree with this policy, we have no choice but to oblige. We certainly regret this situation for the thousands of race fans who won’t be able to attend our NASCAR-weekend events.”

    People are not permitted to attend sporting events or concerts under Nevada’s current re-opening phase, with groups being limited to no more than 50 people. Only essential personnel and team members will be permitted to enter the infield facilities and for the Truck, Xfinity and Cup Playoff races at the track next weekend.

    Fans who purchased tickets ahead of the NASCAR triple-header weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be contacted by the speedway ticket services department to discuss credits for future races or refunds.

    “We’re hopeful that we will be able to welcome all of our fans back for our two race weekends in 2021,” Powell added. “Those dates will be announced soon, and we look forward to getting things back to normal.”

    Prior to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the hiatus of this year’s racing season in March, Las Vegas Motor Speedway was one of four racetracks that hosted NASCAR events on February 21-23, 2020. The upcoming Truck, Xfinity and Cup races at Vegas are set as Playoff races, with the Truck race serving as the second Round of 10 Playoff race on September 25, the Xfinity race serving as the Playoff opener on September 26 and the Cup race serving as the first Round of 12 Playoff race on September 27.

    With Friday night’s announcement, Las Vegas Motor Speedway joins a host of other Cup tracks, including Darlington Raceway (May), Charlotte Motor Speedway (May), Bristol Motor Speedway (May), Atlanta Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway (June), Pocono Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Kansas Speedway (July), Michigan International Speedway, Dover International Speedway and Richmond Raceway, that have not permitted fans to attend NASCAR races. The upcoming Cup postseason races at Bristol Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Kansas Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway are set to welcome limited number of fans to attend the facility and watch the races from the grandstands.

    The NASCAR Truck Series Playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will occur on Friday, September 25, at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race at LVMS will occur on Saturday, September 26, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN and the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at LVMS will occur on Sunday, September 27, at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Weekend schedule for Bristol

    Weekend schedule for Bristol

    This week NASCAR heads to Bristol Motor Speedway. The Cup Series will compete Saturday night as they close out the first round of their playoffs to narrow the field from 16 drivers to 12.

    Thursday evening will feature the opening round of the playoffs for the NASCAR Gander & RV Outdoors Truck Series. Friday night the Xfinity Series takes to the track for the last race of the regular season.

    There will also be a doubleheader for the ARCA Menards Series at Bristol. They will race Thursday night following the Truck Series and again on Saturday afternoon prior to the Cup Series event.

    All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, Sept. 17

    7:30 p.m.: Truck Series UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics (Stages 55/110/200 Laps = 106.6 Miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Grant Enfinger

    9:30 p.m.: ARCA Bush’s Beans 200 (200 Laps, 106.6 Miles) FS1/MRN

    Friday, Sept. 18

    7 p.m.: Xfinity Series Food City 300 (Stages 85/170/300 Laps = 159.9 Miles) NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Justin Allgaier

    Saturday, Sept. 19

    3 p.m.: ARCA Toyota 200 presented by Crosley Brands (Winchester) Trackpass

    7:30 p.m.: Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Stages 125/250/500 Laps = 266.5 Miles) NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Brad Keselowski

    Cup Series Bubble Watch
    (Via NASCAR.com)
    RankDriverPoints to cutoff
     9Kyle Busch18
    10Aric Almirola 7
    11Kurt Busch 7
    12Clint Bowyer 3
    ——-Cut-Off Line———————
    13William Byron -3
    14Cole Custer -8
    15Matt DiBenedetto-25
    16Ryan Blaney-27
  • Mike Shiplett to reach 150 Cup starts as crew chief at Bristol

    Mike Shiplett to reach 150 Cup starts as crew chief at Bristol

    A significant milestone is in the making for Mike Shiplett, crew chief for this year’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff contender and Rookie-of-the-Year recipient Cole Custer. When the Cup Series competes in this weekend’s Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Shiplett will call his 150th race in NASCAR’s premier series as a crew chief.

    A native of Amherst, Ohio, Shiplett grew up working on street stock cars for local short track racing with his uncle before he raced his prepared street stock across Ohio at age 16, eventually moving up to late model stock cars. He went on to attain a degree in diesel technology at the University of Northwestern Ohio in 1992. Afterwards, he joined Liberty Racing as a mechanic in the American Speed Association in 1995, which made the eventual move to the NASCAR Truck Series.

    In 1998, Shiplett moved to North Carolina and worked as a car chief for the No. 75 Butch Mock Motorsports team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. Following the 2000 season, Shiplett joined forces with Ultra Motorsports in 2001 and continued to work as a car chief. Two years later, he joined Evernham Motorsports and another four years later, he worked as a crew chief for Evernham’s Xfinity Series program. Working with seven competitors in the 2007 NASCAAR Xfinity season, Shiplett won his first two NASCAR career races as a crew chief with Kasey Kahne.

    In 2008, when Evernham Motorsports became Gillett-Evernham Motorsports, Shiplett was named a full-time NASCAR Cup Series crew chief for the No. 10 Dodge team that started the season with Patrick Carpentier, the 1997 CART Rookie of the Year and Champ Car competitor from LaSalle, Quebec, Canada, behind the wheel. The 2008 season marked Shiplett’s first as a Cup crew chief. From 2008 to 2009, Shiplett worked with five different drivers (Patrick Carpentier, Terry Labonte, Mike Wallace, Reed Sorenson and A.J. Allmendinger) while remaining with the team that became Richard Petty Motorsports in 2009. In August 2008, Shiplett served as a crew chief for Carpentier for the NASCAR Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he finished 25th. Following the 2009 season, Shiplett called 66 Cup career races.

    In 2010, Shiplett worked as a full-time Cup crew chief with Allmendinger and the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford team. Together, Allmendinger and Shiplett achieved a pole position at Phoenix Raceway in April, two top-five results and eight top-10 results as Allmendinger concluded the season in 19th place in the final standings. Following the 2010 season, Shiplett reached 100 Cup races as a crew chief.

    For the first 19 Cup races of the 2011 season, Shiplett remained as crew chief for Allmendinger and the No. 43 RPM Ford team as Allmendinger earned one top-five result, four top-10 results and was ranked in 16th place in the standings following the recent Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. Afterwards, Shiplett was replaced by Greg Erwin for the remainder of the season and Allmendinger went on to conclude the season in a career-best 15th place in the final standings.

    In 2012, Shiplett scaled back to the Xfinity Series and worked at Turner Motorsports. He served as a crew chief for 23 Xfinity races while working with Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet, both of whom split driving roles in the No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet. He also served as a crew chief for Kahne in the Truck Series race at Rockingham Speedway in April, where Kahne went on to win.

    From 2013 to 2014, Shiplett rejoined Richard Petty Motorsports and was involved with the team’s research-and-development program. He also served as an Xfinity Series crew chief for Corey LaJoie in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November when LaJoie made his series debut.

    In 2015, Shiplett rejoined the Xfinity Series and worked as a crew chief for HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi Racing and the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro team driven between Kyle Larson, Justin Marks and Brennan Poole. Shiplett remained with the organization when the No. 42 car returned only under the Chip Ganassi Racing banner in 2016. From 2015 to 2018, Shiplett won a total of 15 Xfinity races between Larson, Marks, Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain and John Hunter Nemechek.

    After Chip Ganassi Racing’s Xfinity program shut down due to sponsorship woes, Shiplett joined Stewart-Haas Racing to serve as crew chief for Cole Custer and the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang team. Together, Custer and Shiplett had great success all season long as they achieved seven victories, six poles, 17 top-five results, 24 top-10 results and an average result of 9.0. In the end, however, Custer and Shiplett finished in second place in the final standings behind the champions Tyler Reddick and crew chief Randall Burnett of Richard Childress Racing.

    Following a successful 2019 Xfinity Series season, Stewart-Haas Racing named Shiplett as a full-time crew chief of the No. 41 Haas Ford Mustang driven by Custer for the 2020 season as Custer entered this season as a Rookie-of-the-Year contender. Through the first 16 Cup races of this season, Custer and Shiplett achieved one top-five result, two top-10 results and were ranked in 25th place in the regular-season standings.

    The following race at Kentucky Speedway, however, Custer took advantage on a two-lap shootout and made a bold four-wide pass for the lead on the final lap and against names like Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. to achieve his first Cup career victory in his 20th series start. The win was also Shiplett’s first in the Cup level as the victory guaranteed Custer, Shiplett and the No. 41 team a spot in the 2020 Cup Playoffs. Custer and Shiplett went on to achieve three additional top-10 results throughout the regular-season stretch. By the time the 2020 Cup Playoff field was set following the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway in August, Custer was named the 2020 Cup Rookie of the Year since he was the lone rookie candidate to make the 16-car Playoff field.

    Through the first two Cup Playoff races of this season, Custer and Shiplett achieved 12th- and 14th-place results at Darlington Raceway and at Richmond Raceway. Currently, Custer is eight points below the top-12 cutline and is one of four competitor who are on the brink of elimination from title contention entering this weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Catch Shiplett’s milestone start at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, September 19. The race will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Kansas Speedway to host fans for Cup Playoff race in October

    Kansas Speedway to host fans for Cup Playoff race in October

    Kansas Speedway will open its facilities for limited number of fans to attend the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at the track on Sunday, October 18. The track will allow up to 10,000 fans to attend to watch the race. The news comes as other select tracks remaining in this year’s schedule continue to work with NASCAR, safety/medical experts and local/state authorities in allowing fans to attend the remaining scheduled races across the grandstands.

    For those who attend the facility and watch the race from the grandstands, they will be directed to specific parking areas while separated from other parked vehicles, screened upon entering and will be assigned to new, socially distanced seating areas near original seating areas. All who attend, from the grandstands to those who reserved campground spots, will be required to keep six feet apart from one another and abide by social distancing protocols. The infield areas of the track will be open only for competition-based personnel, thus excluding infield experiences for the fans. Coolers and glass containers of any type will not be permitted inside the facility, tailgating will not be permitted before and after the Cup race and those who are three years of age or older while attending must wear face coverings. Clear bags, no more than 18″x18″x14″, will be permitted inside the facility and limited “Grab’N Go” and track/NASCAR merchandise will be available for purchase via cashless transactions. In addition, multiple hand washing/sanitizing stations will be provided. All of these protocols will be in effect as Kansas Speedway works with health/government officials to ensure the safety for those who attend and throughout the race.

    Camping sites at certain areas at and around the facility, including the GEICO Turns 1, 3 and 4 and Backstretch Terraces along with the GEICO Martinsville, Phoenix, Daytona White and Blue Campgrounds will be permitted for campers and self-contained registered vehicles. For any camper who exits the track, they will be screened upon leaving and re-entering to the track and to their camping spot.

    The Cup Playoff race at Kansas in October will serve as the first Round of 8 Playoff race of this season and will be the only event throughout the weekend that will open for fans to attend and watch from the grandstands. The ARCA Menards Series championship event along with the scheduled Gander RV & Outdoors Truck and Xfinity Series Playoff events at Kansas on October 16-17 are not scheduled to have fans in attendance. In addition, race-day experiences that include GEICO Reserved Infield/Tend/Richmond Camping, pre-race passes/FanWalk tickets, ignition garage hospitality, suites, FanVision/Scanner Rentals, Interactive Displays/Fan Engagement Areas, Paid/Premium Tailgate Parkings and Public Transportation services will not be available throughout the weekend.

    “At Kansas Speedway, we have a tradition of fantastic Playoff racing, and what better treat for our fans than to have them witness that in person,” Pat Warren, President of Kansas Speedway, said in a statement. “I know the drivers feed off the excitement of having the fans on hand, and we are enthusiastic for the opportunity to welcome them back to the track, offering a safe, healthy environment for everyone.”

    On July 23-25, NASCAR raced at Kansas Speedway with no fans in attendance. It all started with the Cup race on July 23 under the lights, which marked the final weekday race of this season, followed by the Trucks and ARCA on July 24. It all capped off with the Trucks and Xfinity running on July 25.

    The fall Kansas race joins a host of other tracks that have hosted a Cup race with limited fans in attendance, including Homestead-Miami Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway. The upcoming Cup Playoff races at Bristol, Talladega, Texas and the finale at Phoenix Raceway are also scheduled to host limited fans in attendance.

    The NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race, Hollywood Casino 400, at Kansas Speedway will occur on Sunday, October 18, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • McDowell to make 350th Cup start at Bristol

    McDowell to make 350th Cup start at Bristol

    A significant milestone is in the making for Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 34 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series. By taking the green flag for this weekend’s Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway, McDowell will reach 350 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

    A native of Glendale, Arizona, McDowell was in the early stages of his racing career in NASCAR when he was selected as driver of the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing at Martinsville Speedway in March 2008. The move came as David Reutimann, who started the season as the No. 00 driver, moved over to drive MWR’s No. 44 UPS Toyota Camry for the remainder of the season when the 1999 Cup champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett retired as a competitor. Starting in 34th place, McDowell finished 26th in his Cup debut after sustaining a flat tire in the closing laps.

    On April 4 at Texas Motor Speedway, McDowell was qualifying for the upcoming Cup weekend race at the Lone Star state when he got loose entering Turn 1. Trying to straighten the car, the car turned back to the right and made heavy head-on contact into the outside SAFER barriers at over 180 mph as the car rolled over. With the car spinning sideways while upside down across the barriers, the car rolled back over and proceeded into a series of barrel rolls down to the apron before coming to rest on all four wheels with fire bursting out at the front. Despite the accident that left the No. 00 Aaron’s Toyota demolished, McDowell was able to escape uninjured and make the mandatory trip to the infield care center. His wreck was a prime example of how the safety enhancements and features made within the sport throughout the modern era, from the SAFER barriers to the HANS device and the Car of Tomorrow, keep the competitors safe in the event of an on-track incident. The cause of the accident was later revealed due to a loose sway bar on McDowell’s car.

    From Phoenix Raceway in April through Dover International Speedway in September, McDowell continued to drive Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 00 Toyota in the Cup Series, where his best result was 20th place at Richmond Raceway in September. After failing to qualify for the following race at Kansas Speedway, McDowell was released from the team.

    Starting the 2009 season as an Xfinity Series competitor for JTG-Daugherty Racing, McDowell did not make a Cup start until September at Richmond. Driving the No. 36 Wave Energy Drink Toyota for Tommy Baldwin Racing, McDowell started and finished 41st in his first Cup start of the season. He competed in seven additional Cup races with Tommy Baldwin, where he finished no higher than 38th.

    McDowell started the 2010 season by driving the No. 55 Toyota Camry for Prism Motorsports. He finished in 14th place in the first of two duel races at Daytona International Speedway in February and earned one of two transfer spots to the 52nd running of the Daytona 500 along with Max Papis. He went on, however, to finish 33rd in the main event due to a drive shaft issue. Throughout the 2010 Cup season, he competed in 24 of the 36-race schedule and he failed to finish in all but one race, which was at Talladega Superspeedway in October as he finished 35th and was two laps behind the leaders.

    Throughout the 2011 Cup season, McDowell competed in 32 of the 36-race schedule, 31 with HP Racing. His best result with the team was 30th place at Sonoma Raceway in June. In November at Texas Motor Speedway, he drove the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in place of the suspended Kyle Busch, who was parked by NASCAR throughout the weekend as a result of intentionally wrecking NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. in the Truck Series race at Texas at the start of the weekend. McDowell finished in 33rd place, three laps behind the leaders, in his lone Cup start with JGR.

    In 2012, McDowell remained with HP Racing, which was renamed to Phil Parsons Racing. Competing in 30 of the 36-race Cup schedule and in the No. 98 K-Love Radio Ford Fusion, his best result was 23rd at Bristol Motor Speedway in August while he sustained 25 DNFs. Prior to the conclusion of the 2012 season, McDowell reached 100 career starts in the Cup Series.

    Following the 2013 Cup season, where he competed in all but three races while achieving his first top-10 career finish in the Daytona 500 in February (ninth place), McDowell was named driver of the No. 95 Ford Fusion for Leavine Family Racing for the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series season. He failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, but went on to compete in 19 of the 36-race schedule. His best result was seventh place in the rain-shortened Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway in July.

    McDowell continued to drive for Leavine Family Racing in 2015, where he made 16 starts with the team and finished no higher than 20th place at Watkins Glen International in August, and in 2016 when LFR formed an alliance with Circle Sport and changed manufacturers from Ford to Chevrolet. Starting the 2016 Cup season in the No. 59 Thrivent Financial/K-LOVE Chevrolet SS, McDowell finished in 15th place in the 58th running of the Daytona 500. He then split driving responsibilities of the No. 95 LFR Chevrolet with Ty Dillon throughout the season, where he finished 10th at Daytona in July, 12th at Richmond in September and 14th at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October. He concluded the season by finishing in 10th place at Homestead-Miami Speedway and a career-best 30th place in the final standings. By the time the 2016 season concluded, McDowell had surpassed 200 career starts in the Cup Series.

    Following the 2017 Cup season, where he competed the entire 36-race Cup schedule with Leavine Family Racing, achieved a career-best fourth-place finish at Daytona in July and finished a career-best 26th place in the final standings, McDowell moved to Front Row Motorsports to pilot the No. 34 Ford in 2018. He started the season by finishing in ninth place in the 60th running of the Daytona 500 in February. For the remainder of the season, he achieved nine additional top-20 results, led a career-high 33 laps in total and he concluded the season in 26th place in the final standings.

    Remaining with Front Row Motorsports for the 2019 season while paired with former Daytona 500-winning crew chief Drew Blickensderfer, McDowell started the season on a high note by finishing in fifth place in the 61st running of the Daytona 500. He achieved three additional top-15 results over the next 29 Cup races before he logged in another fifth-place result at Talladega in October. He went on to conclude the season in 27th place in the final standings. Following the 2019 season, McDowell surpassed 300 Cup career starts.

    This season, which marks his third with FRM, McDowell has achieved three top-10 results and nine top-15 results through 28 Cup races. He is ranked in 22nd place in the standings, he holds a career-best average result of 19.9 and is coming off a 25th-place result at Richmond while he also continues to pursue his first elusive victory in NASCAR’s premier series.

    Catch McDowell’s milestone start at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, September 19. The race will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Keselowski on pole position for Bristol Night Race

    Keselowski on pole position for Bristol Night Race

    It is a Team Penske front row for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, as Brad Keselowski will start on the pole while teammate Joey Logano will join him on the front row.

    Keselowski, who is coming off a dominating win last weekend at Richmond Raceway and is locked into the second round of this year’s Cup Playoffs, earned the pole position for this weekend based on four stats: current owner points standings, driver’s and team owner’s result from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. This will mark the third time where Keselowski and his No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang will lead the field to the start of a Cup race. In addition, Keselowski will attempt to sweep both Cup Bristol races this season after he claimed a thrilling win in May.

    Logano, who finished in third place last weekend at Richmond and who is a two-time Bristol Night Race winner, will start on the front row for the seventh time this season. Martin Truex Jr., who finished in second place at Richmond and is pursuing his first elusive win at Bristol, will line in third place alongside Kevin Harvick, who is already guaranteed a spot in the second round of the Playoffs. Austin Dillon will round out the top five in fifth place and will start alongside Chase Elliott followed by Denny Hamlin, the reigning Bristol Night Race winner who earned enough points to be locked into the second round of the Playoffs. Alex Bowman will start in eighth place followed by eight-time Cup Bristol winner Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola.

    Clint Bowyer, who holds sole possession of the 12th and final transfer spot to the second round of the Playoffs by three points, will start in 11th place followed by teammate Cole Custer, Kurt Busch, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Matt DiBenedetto. Byron, Custer, DiBenedetto and Blaney are the four Playoff competitors who are below the top-12 cutline and on the brink of elimination from title contention approaching this weekend’s event at Bristol.

    Tyler Reddick will start in 17th place and as the highest-starting non-title contender followed by Christopher Bell, Matt Kenseth and Erik Jones.

    Rounding out positions 21-30 are Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Michael McDowell, Bubba Wallace, Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez and Corey LaJoie.

    Rounding out positions 31-40 are John Hunter Nemechek, Brennan Poole, Quin Houff, Reed Sorenson, James Davison, Joey Gase, Gray Gaulding, Timmy Hill, Josh Bilicki and Garrett Smithley.

    The Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway will occur on Saturday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick overcame a commitment line penalty to finish seventh at Richmond.

    “My win at Darlington already advanced me to the next round,” Harvick said. “So I was racing at Richmond with no pressure. Trust me, it’s not often you can say ‘I was loose all day’ and it means a good thing.”

    2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski won Stage 2 at Richmond and controlled the race thereafter, taking the win in the Federated Auto Parts 400 and a spot in the next round of the playoffs.

    “I made it look easy,” Keselowski said. “But looks can be deceiving. Not in this case though, because it was easy.”

    3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won Stage 1 at Richmond, but was nabbed for speeding on pit road during subsequent pit stops. He scrapped his way back to a 12th place finish.

    “Despite that,” Hamlin said, “I still qualified for the next playoff round. That means I can go to Bristol and gun for the win. I can’t wait to get there. But I have to make sure I don’t get ahead of myself. In other words, ‘not so fast.’”

    4. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished fifth in the Federated Auto Parts 400, posting his 11th top five of the year.

    “Except for competition cautions,” Elliott said, “the entire race was caution-free. My standing in the points is such that I can race at Bristol ‘caution-free.’”

    5. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex battled up front all night at Richmond and came home with the runner-up finish.

    “I’ve finished fourth or better in nine of the last 10 races,” Truex said. “That’s a losing streak most, if not all, drivers would love to have.”

    6. Joey Logano: Logano finished third at Richmond as Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski secured a dominating win.

    “Brad all but predicted a win,” Logano said. “That’s called ‘reverse psychology,’ because he ‘backed it up.’”

    7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished a disappointing 19th at Richmond, and now likely needs a win at Bristol to advance to Round 2 of the playoffs.

    “I had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel during Stage 1,” Blaney said. “I’ll tell you what else is ‘not secure’—–the job of one of my tire changers.”

    8. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished ninth at Richmond and is eighth in the points standings, 27 points ahead of 13th.

    “Jimmie Johnson is headed to Indy Car next year,” Byron said. “Jimmie’s been looking for more speed all year; apparently, he had to leave the sport of NASCAR to find it.”

    9. Kyle Busch: Busch finished sixth at Richmond and is in solid position to advance to the Round Of 12.

    “I’m happy with the result,” Busch said, “considering we started at the back after failing two inspections. Apparently, as long as the No. 18 car is moving, it earns a passing grade.”

    10. Aric Almirola: Almirola finished eighth at Richmond as Stewart-Haas Racing placed three cars in the top 10.

    “I’m seven points above the playoff cut-off line,” Almirola said. “That’s an uncomfortable margin, mostly because it’s too close for comfort.”

  • Elliott, Bowman notch top-10 results; Byron struggles at Richmond

    Elliott, Bowman notch top-10 results; Byron struggles at Richmond

    For Hendrick Motorsports’ three competitors contending in the Playoffs, it was a night of mixed results for Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and William Byron at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12. When the checkered flag flew, Elliott capped off a consistent, quiet run towards the front in the top five and Bowman capped off a strong night in the top 10 as both are in position to transfer to the second round of the postseason. Byron, on the other hand, finished outside the top 20 following a long night mired with tight-handling issues and is scored outside of the cutline approaching next weekend’s first round of eliminations at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE led by crew chief Alan Gustafson rolled off the grid in 12th place. Following the first five laps of the race, however, Elliott was mired outside the top 10 along with a number of Playoff contenders. After the competition caution period on Lap 30 and a pit stop, he was able to work his way inside the top 10.

    Nearly the Lap 40 mark, Elliott was scored in ninth place and he was one of 13 Playoff contenders running inside the top 15. Twenty laps later, on Lap 60, Elliott was still back in ninth place. While engaged in a series of on-track battles with Playoff contenders that included Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, Cole Custer and Aric Almirola, Elliott was able to keep his No. 9 Chevrolet in the hunt and well inside the top 10. By the time first stage concluded on Lap 80, Elliott was able to finish in eighth place as he collected a handful of stage points.

    Starting in seventh place for the start of the second stage, Elliott continued to run inside the top 10, but he was hungry for more. By Lap 110, Elliott was scored in fifth place after passing teammate Alex Bowman for position. Running as high as fourth place past the Lap 140 mark, he dropped back when he made a scheduled green flag pit stop. Nonetheless, he returned to the track and was able to work his way back into the top 10. At the halfway mark, Lap 200, the Georgia native was scored in seventh place. When the second stage concluded on Lap 235, however, Elliott was able to march his way back into fifth place and collect more stage points.

    Restarting in fourth place for the final stage, Elliott kept himself well inside the top 10. Following a pit stop with less than 60 laps remaining under green, he was back in ninth place. He was able to carve his way through the field and cross the finish line in fifth place, the highest-finishing Hendrick Motorsports competitor on the track.

    The fifth-place result marked Elliott’s 11th top-five result of the season and a strong rebound from a late incident last weekend at Darlington Raceway with Martin Truex Jr. that cost him a shot at winning the race. With his top-five result, Elliott is in seventh place in the Playoff standings and is 28 points above the top-12 cutline approaching next weekend’s Cup Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway, where the bottom four contenders in the standings will be eliminated.

    “First off, we were way better than we’ve been here, probably ever, so I thought that was a big improvement for us,” Elliott said on NBCSN. “We really needed it here. This has been a really, really tough track for us. I thought we got our NAPA Camaro good, especially through the middle portion. Just got a little behind, I think, as the race went on to roll the center as good as we needed to late in a run. But dang, we were way, way better than we’ve ever been here I feel like before. And consistently all night, too. I thought that was a pretty big step for us at a track that we’ve really struggled at. Just trying to pick apart those fine details. I think we hit on a few of them, certainly not the best but way better than we’ve been here before. I think that’s a big deal for us.”

    For Bowman, his night started in fourth place. At the drop of the green flag, Bowman stabilized himself in sixth place. He retained the spot in his No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE when the competition caution flew on Lap 30. Restarting inside the top five, Bowman settled in sixth place and was the highest-running Hendrick Motorsports competitor on the track. When the first stage concluded on Lap 80, Bowman was scored in sixth place as he collected a handful of stage points.

    Restarting in fourth place for the start of the second stage, Bowman had a great start as he utilized the outside lane to thunder past Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. for third place. Shortly after, he was overtaken by Truex. As the laps progressed, he was overtaken by a handful of competitors, including teammate Chase Elliott, and fell out of the top five. Pitting under green while running in the top 10 on Lap 158, Bowman was mired back in the top 15. Though he attempted to race his way back into the top 10, he concluded the second stage in 12th place.

    Restarting back in the top 10 for the start of the final stage, he dropped back inside the top 15. Though he continued to run inside the top 15 following two pit stops under green, Bowman carved his way back inside the top 10 with 50 laps remaining. For the remainder of the race, he gained one additional spot on the track and crossed the finish line in ninth place.

    With his 10th top-10 result of this season, first at Richmond and second in a row in the Playoffs, Bowman and the No. 88 team led by crew chief Greg Ives are in eighth place in the standings, with the Arizona native being 27 points above the top-12 cutline.

    “How about that? We ended up top 10 at Richmond,” Bowman said. “That is like a miracle. We had a really good car and definitely better than a ninth-place car. I made my fair share of mistakes and we had some issues getting on and off pit road. We lost some time there. I am pumped for Truck Hero and CHEVYGOODS.com. It is really weird to be this pumped about running ninth, especially when we had a much better car than ninth. Last time we were here we ran, I think, 24th. This is good momentum for us going into the cutoff race next week in Bristol.”

    For Byron, the race started off with high expectations as the Charlotte native was set to make his 100th Cup career start while his crew chief, Chad Knaus, was set to call his 700th Cup race. He was also coming off a strong start to this year’s Playoffs at Darlington Raceway, where he finished in fifth place and claimed his third consecutive top-five result in the previous three races, which included his first Cup career win at Daytona International Speedway in August.

    Starting in fifth place, Byron settled in seventh place through the first 30 laps of the race and when the competition caution flew. Restarting in seventh place, Byron appeared to have a car capable of recording a strong result until he started to fade. By Lap 70, he was mired back in 14th place. Not long after, he fell back to 16th place as he was dealing with tight conditions to his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Unable to regain the ground and the positions he lost, Byron settled in 16th place when the first stage concluded on Lap 80.

    Restarting at the bottom half of the top 20 for the second stage, Byron slowly worked his way up to the top 15 past the Lap 100 mark. Nearly 20 laps later, however, he was mired back in 21st place and he continued to endure difficulties with the tight handling of his car. Though a number of competitors pitted under green as the green flag run progressed, he too pitted and dropped out of the top 20. When the second stage concluded on Lap 235, Byron could only work his way up to 23rd place in the running order. By then, he was also a lap behind the leaders.

    Scored just outside the top 20 for the start of the final stage, Byron worked his way up as high as 18th place. He could not, however, overcome the difficulties with the handling of his No. 24 car. By the time the checkered flag flew, Byron was scored back in 21st place in the final order and was two laps behind the leaders. Byron’s 21st-place result marked his worst finish since finishing 28th in the first of two Cup Dover International Speedway races in August.

    With his result, Byron, who came into Richmond with a nine-point cushion, is three points below the top-12 cutline with the final transfer spot being occupied by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer, who finished in 10th place. In addition, Byron, Cole Custer, Matt DiBenedetto and Ryan Blaney are left on the outside entering next weekend’s Round of 16 finale at Bristol.

    “We knew pretty early on in the race that we were in trouble,” Byron said in a post-race video conference. “I think we lost 10 spots in 10 laps, it felt like. When you’re in that position, you just try to change it up as a driver, try to do different things, move your brake levers, stuff like that. I think going to Bristol, it’s a track that we can have a good setup at and I think we’ve ran decent there in the past. We can, hopefully, look at that.”

    Bowman, Byron and Elliott, along with their fellow Playoff contenders, will return for the next scheduled NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19, which will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Hamlin clinches spot in Playoff’s Round of 12 following Richmond

    Hamlin clinches spot in Playoff’s Round of 12 following Richmond

    The second Playoff race of the 2020 season at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, was a night that started off strong for Denny Hamlin before it went backwards for the remainder of the race. Though Hamlin was left out of contention for the win, a top-12 result along with the stage points and laps led he accomplished throughout Saturday’s race was more than enough for the Chesterfield, Virginia, native to clinched his spot for the second round of the Playoffs.

    For the first stage of the race, Hamlin and his No. 11 FedEx Cares Toyota Camry were competitive. Rolling off the grid in seventh place, Hamlin was able to crack the top five within the first 10 laps. By the time the competition caution flew on Lap 30, Hamlin was still in fifth place and slowly lurking his way to the lead.

    Following a pit stop and a restart on Lap 37, Hamlin muscled his way into second place and shortly after, he took the lead from Austin Dillon. From there, Hamlin was able to drive away from the field and claim the first stage win on Lap 80 over Dillon as he also collected valuable stage points. By then, he also led a total of 45 laps.

    It all went away, however, during the stage break when Hamlin was busted for speeding on pit road and was sent to the rear of the field. From the start of the second stage, Hamlin struggled in working his way back to the front as he was mired outside the top 20. He was able to work his way back to 14th place when the second stage concluded on Lap 235. 

    For the remainder of the race, however, he could never regain the early speed he exhibited on the track. Mired within the top 15 and a lap behind the leaders, Hamlin crossed the finish line in 12th place. 

    Despite a struggle of a night and a disappointing outcome, there was a silver lining for Hamlin and his No. 11 team. Based on their results, Hamlin racked up enough points to clinch a spot for the Round of 12 in the Playoffs, joining Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski, as he also kept his championship hopes for this season alive.

    “It just seemed like once the track rubbered up, we just weren’t any good,” Hamlin said. “We couldn’t get off the corner good, couldn’t get in the corner. Just nothing was really very good with it. I want to thank everyone from FedEx Cares for putting this car on the race track. This definitely means a lot to people I spoke to last week with the National Urban League, so thank you everyone. We will move on to the next round and go have some fun next week and see how we do.”

    Hamlin, along with his fellow Playoff contenders, will return for the next scheduled NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19, which will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Busch rallies from the rear for a top-10 result at Richmond

    Busch rallies from the rear for a top-10 result at Richmond

    From a disappointing outcome at Darlington Raceway to rallying under the lights at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, it has been an eventful week for Kyle Busch in his quest to defend his NASCAR Cup Series championship. Despite a rough start with an interim crew chief atop the pit box, Busch was able to methodically work his way through the field and emerge with a top-10 result.

    Coming into Saturday night’s race at Richmond, Busch was also coming off a seventh-place run at Darlington a week earlier and without his crew chief Adam Stevens, who was serving a one-race suspension as a result of two lug nuts discovered not safely secured on Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry during post-race inspection. As a result, Jacob Canter, a rookie crew chief for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series who achieved one victory with Busch earlier this season, served as an interim crew chief for Busch and his No. 18 Cup team. 

    Before the race started, Busch, who was scheduled to start in sixth place, was sent to the rear of the field since his No. 18 Toyota failed pre-race inspection twice. When the race started, Busch wasted no time methodically working his way to the front. Following the first 10 laps of the race, he was scored in 26th place. Another 10 laps later, he gained four additional spots in 22nd place. By the time the competition caution flew on Lap 30, Busch had made his way up to 21st place. 

    Pitting under caution to deal with tight conditions to his car, Busch proceeded to march his way inside the top 20 throughout the first stage. When the first stage concluded on Lap 80, Busch was scored in 13th place.

    Lining up in sixth place for the start of the second stage, Busch kept himself running inside the top 10. At one moment in the stage, Busch cracked the top five. When the second stage concluded on Lap 235, he settled in sixth place and collected a handful of stage points. 

    Restarting in sixth place again for the start of the final stage, Busch stabilized himself within the top 10 as he also made another appearance in the top five. With 57 laps remaining, Busch emerged with the lead and he led four laps before he made a green flag pit stop. 

    Returning back on the track inside the top 10, Busch was all to gain a handful of spots for the remainder of the race under green to finish in sixth place for his 15th top-10 result of the season. Busch’s top-10 result came a day after he finished in third place in his fifth and final Xfinity Series start of the season at Richmond. With his result and finishing ahead of Playoff contenders like Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, Alex Bowman and Clint Bowyer, Busch is in ninth place in the Cup Playoff standings and is 18 points above the top-12 cutline.

    “Kind of same as last night [in the Xfinity Series race],” Busch said on NBCSN. “Just not quite enough turn in the middle of the corner to keep wrapping on the long runs. The short runs it seemed like I was actually a little bit loose and then, it was starting to go a little bit tight and then, it was tight loose. Just not enough overall grip, I guess. Kind of been fighting that a little bit this year. The guys gave a great fight. Adam [Stevens] not being here and I thought Jacob [Canter] did a great job. We all know Adam was back at home. … Overall, that’s all we had. We fought hard with our M&M’s Camry and we came up short of a top-five. Good night for us.”

    Busch, along with his fellow Playoff contenders, will return for the next scheduled NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19, which will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.