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  • Elliott Fastest in Second Cup Practice at Phoenix

    Elliott Fastest in Second Cup Practice at Phoenix

    Chase Elliott topped the chart in second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Phoenix International Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 26.475 and a speed of 135.977 mph. Joey Logano was second in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 26.575 and a speed of 135.466 mph. Kyle Larson was third in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 26.603 and a speed of 135.323 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was fourth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 26.626 and a speed of 135.206 mph. Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford with a time of 26.633 and a speed of 135.171 mph.

    Truex posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 134.525 mph.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hit the wall in Turn 1 due to what he described as a “brake problem.” The damage wasn’t significant enough to force switching to a backup car.

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  • Joey Logano Nabs Coors Light Pole at Phoenix

    Joey Logano Nabs Coors Light Pole at Phoenix

    By Staff report | NASCAR.com

    Joey Logano launched his way to the top of the heap in Coors Light Pole Qualifying on Friday at Phoenix Raceway, claiming the first starting spot for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event.

    Logano drove the Team Penske No. 22 Ford to a best lap of 137.321 mph in the last of three rounds of qualifying on the 1-mile track. The pole award was Logano’s first of the season, first at the Arizona oval and the 18th of his Monster Energy Series career. Joey Logano is the most recent winner at the 1-mile track, prevailing in the desert last November.

    Ryan Blaney will share the front row for Sunday’s Camping World 500 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM), the second event in the three-race NASCAR Goes West swing. He powered the Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford to the second-fastest lap of the final qualifying session at 136.877 mph.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start third in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet after a lap of 136.783 mph. Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Kyle Larson (136.654 mph) and Jamie McMurray (136.302) completed the top five.

    Kyle Busch, who won the pole for Phoenix’s March date last year, landed the ninth-fastest lap in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota.

    Kevin Harvick, the defending race winner with eight Phoenix victories in his career, was just 23rd-fastest in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford. Martin Truex Jr., last week’s winner at Las Vegas, was 16th-fastest in the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota. Both drivers were unable to make the 12-driver cut for the final round of qualifying.

    A pair of practice sessions are on tap for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday, the final prep for Sunday’s 312-mile main event.

    Qualifying results 

     

  • Truex on his Win Being buried by Vegas Fight

    Truex on his Win Being buried by Vegas Fight

    Most race weekends, a driver winning the race is the top story. But on some weekends, the race win gets buried under other events.

    Last weekend in Sin City fell into the latter category.

    Martin Truex Jr., who led 150 of 267 laps, passed Brad Keselowski with two laps to go — thanks to a broken part on his car — and scored the victory in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    It was his fourth victory in the last 15 races, half of his career victories, which is significant considering he went 218 races between his first career win in 2007 and second win in 2013, and another 69 before winning his third two years later.

    Putting aside the well-documented perseverance of his career, he also swept all three stages in the race.

    Any other weekend, his performance would’ve been the top story.

    But it played second-fiddle to the post-race brawl between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano following the conclusion of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas.

    Truex was a little disappointed that his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota team didn’t get the spotlight, but his team “got the trophy and the points” and that’s all that matters “at the end of the day.”

    “Hate it a little bit for my team for maybe not getting the recognition they deserve, but all in all, we got what we wanted out of Vegas, and looking forward to making positive highlights,” he said.

  • Elliott Fastest in First Practice at Phoenix

    Elliott Fastest in First Practice at Phoenix

    Chase Elliott topped the chart in the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Phoenix International Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 26.258 and a speed of 137.101 mph. Kyle Larson was second in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 26.379 and a speed of 136.472 mph. Joey Logano was third in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 26.385 and a speed of 136.441 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was fourth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 26.438 and a speed of 136.168 mph. Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-five in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 26.440 and a speed of 136.157 mph.

    Jamie McMurray, who ran the 10th-fastest single lap, posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 132.623 mph.

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  • NASCAR: No Penalties for Busch, Logano Post-Vegas

    NASCAR: No Penalties for Busch, Logano Post-Vegas

    By Staff report | NASCAR.com

    Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and their respective crews will not face punishment for their post-race actions following Sunday’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    Following contact on the final lap while both were running in the top five, Busch’s No. 18 Toyota spun across the start/finish line to a 22nd-place finish. Busch and Logano were involved in a heated confrontation post-race on pit road. Crew members from the No. 18 (Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing team) and the No. 22 (Logano’s Team Penske team) quickly got involved before being separated by NASCAR officials.

    “After a full review of multiple videos and discussions with both competitors and their respective race teams, we felt Sunday’s post-race incident does not warrant any further action,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “NASCAR was built on the racing that took place on the final lap by two drivers battling for position. The emotions of our athletes run high, and Kyle Busch and Joey Logano are two of the most passionate and competitive drivers in the sport. Both competitors are very clear on our expectations going forward and we will be meeting with them in person prior to practice on Friday in Phoenix.”

    Logano told FS1’s “NASCAR Race Hub” on Tuesday that he and Busch have spoken since the incident.

    “We’ve spoken,” Logano said. “Obviously, we didn’t speak much there, so I got a chance to call him up earlier today to be able to talk to him a little bit and at least tell my side of the story. We’re going to have two sides to the story like there is all the time, but really the bottom line is we’re two passionate race car drivers. We’re two of the best in the sport that are going to go for wins that are aggressive and we collided.”

    TWO LUG NUT PENALTIES ASSESSED

    NASCAR assessed lug nut penalties to two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams on Wednesday. Both the race-winning No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team (for driver Martin Truex Jr.) and the No. 13 Germain Racing team (for driver Ty Dillon) were penalized for lug nuts not properly installed following Sunday’s Kobalt 400. In accordance with the NASCAR Rule Book, the crew chiefs (No. 78: Cole Pearn, No. 13: Robert “Bootie” Barker) for the teams were each fined $10,000.

     

  • Busch and Logano Collide and Fight in Vegas

    Busch and Logano Collide and Fight in Vegas

    Kyle Busch and Joey Logano made contact both on the track on the final lap and on pit road after the Kobalt 400 race concluded at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    On the backstretch on the final lap, Busch veered to the bottom to avoid hitting Brad Keselowski, who was fading on the final two laps with a broken part on his car but made contact with the right-side of Logano’s car. In Turn 3, Logano got loose and bounced into Busch’s car, sending him spinning down onto pit road.

    After the race, Kyle Busch got out of his car and proceeded to Logano’s car parked down pit road with the other top-five cars and punched him.

    The fight lasted roughly 18 seconds before Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series officials broke it up and Busch was pulled out of the pile by NASCAR official Mike Lancaster (per Alex Hayden of MRN on Twitter). Logano was pulled out of the pile after just a few seconds by his PR rep Kyle Zimmerman.

    The only noticeable injury sustained was a cut on Busch’s forehead, above his right eye.

    “I got dumped,” Busch told Vince Welch of FOX Sports. “(Logano) Flat out drove straight into the corner and wrecked me”

    Logano’s take was different from Busch’s.

    “We were just racing hard there at the end,” Logano said. “I was underneath him on the backstretch and he tried to crash me into the corner getting underneath Brad there and at that point, I was just trying to get through the corner. I was sideways all the way through and get into him. Nothing intentional. I understand his frustration, he crashed. The same thing could have happened into 3 what he did to me.”

    “There wasn’t much talking, there was a lot of swinging. I don’t know. I was racing hard there at the end with our Pennzoil Ford. Kyle and I usually race really well together,” Logano continued. “We usually never have any issues, and he tried to pin me down into the corner underneath Brad and we about crashed on entry. And then I was still trying to gather it up by the center and I was gonna spin out, so I’m trying to chase it up and he was there. It obviously wasn’t anything intentional, but obviously, he thinks that, so, I don’t know, we’ll get by.”

    Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer spoke about the altercation Monday morning during an appearance on the “Morning Drive” program on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    He stated that the competition department was reviewing video of the post-race incident and the on-track contact that led up to it.

    “It’s certainly under review,” O’Donnell said. “We have to take everything, make sure we look at all the video, but just from our in assessment last night, as far as on-track I don’t think we saw anything that was intentional by any means. We have to have discussions with both drivers. I think our intention would be not to react unless we see something we haven’t seen yet.”

    “It’s an emotional sport,” he went on to say, “and I think it shows exactly how much every position on the track means.”

     

  • Martin Truex, Jr. hits the jackpot as he drives the Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota to victory in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

    Martin Truex, Jr. hits the jackpot as he drives the Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota to victory in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

    LAS VEGAS, Nev.  – Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota Camry, hit the jackpot by clinching his first Monster Energy Cup Series win of the season March 12, 2017 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS).

    When asked about his win, Truex replied it was a gift.

    “We got a little bit lucky there. That’s why you fight until the end,” he said.

    Truex, who won the first two stages of Sunday’s race, is the first driver to complete the cycle and win all three segments in NASCAR Cup’s new stage racing.

    This is his first win at LVMS after 11 previous starts at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track, where he previously had one top five and three top 10 finishes.

    Last Sunday in Atlanta, Truex finished fourth in each of the first two stages, picking up an extra 14 standing points. Those additional points from the two stage races, Lap 85 and Lap 170, in addition to an eighth-place finish helped lift Truex 10 positions from 17th to seventh in the overall Cup standings.

    “All of us at Bass Pro Shops are extremely proud of Martin,” said Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. “We dedicate this race to all our associates and customers who are racing fans.”

    Truex’s stellar 2016 season led to him being named the 2016 Driver of the Year by NASCAR.com. Truex was also named Driver of the Year by the Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA).

    He celebrated his 11th year in 2016 in NASCAR’s premier circuit with his best performance to date. The 36-year-old driver from Mayetta, N.J. garnered 17 top-10 finishes, eight top-five, five poles, four wins and a series’ leading 1,809 laps led. He’s in his fourth season with Furniture Row Racing.

    The 2017 racing season is being run under the new NASCAR format which divides the races into three stages—with each stage allowing drivers to be awarded additional championship points. Each playoff point will be added to a driver’s reset total following the 26th race, if that competitor makes the playoffs. In addition, NASCAR passed a rule that gave teams just five minutes to repair any damage on their cars or they were forced to retire.

    Bass Pro Shops previously sponsored Truex from 2004 and 2009 while part of Dale Earnhardt Inc. This stretch included two Xfinity Series championships for Truex – 2004 and 2005.

    Bass Pro Shops, which was founded in 1972 by avid outdoorsman and conservationist Johnny Morris, is a leading retailer of equipment for hunting, fishing, camping, boating and other outdoor pursuits. The outdoor retail leader has 102 stores throughout the United States and Canada, serving more than 120 million sportsmen a year. Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit www.basspro.com/.

     

    About Bass Pro Shops®
    Bass Pro Shops is a leading destination retailer offering outdoor gear and apparel in an immersive setting. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today 102 retail and marine centers host 120 million people annually. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is known as a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.”

  • Joey Logano Holds off Kyle Larson for NASCAR XFINITY Win at Las Vegas

    Joey Logano Holds off Kyle Larson for NASCAR XFINITY Win at Las Vegas

    By Reid Spencer – NASCAR Wire Service

    LAS VEGAS – Saturday’s Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway wasn’t a drag race, but lane choice proved critical to Joey Logano’s 28th NASCAR XFINITY Series victory in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

    Choosing the top side for a restart on Lap 196 of 200, after Ty Dillon’s spin on Lap 192 necessitated the ninth and final caution of the afternoon, Logano cleared Kyle Larson off Turn 4 after an intense side-by-side battle and pulled away to win by .602 seconds.

    “It was hard to figure out what to do, what lane to pick,” said Logano, who has won in each of his last three starts in the 12 car. “The one thing we did know is that we had a very fast Ford Mustang.

    “(Crew chief) Brian Wilson and all the guys that bring this 12 car out, that’s three wins in a row for the 12 car, so that’s something I’m proud to be a part of and work with these guys. … It was a challenging day from the restart standpoint.”

    If lane choice was essential in the late stages of the race, the decision not to pit at the end of Stage 2, after pitting under the previous caution on Lap 72, was a key element to winning the race. That choice flipped track position and gave Logano the lead for a restart on Lap 99, a position he maintained through four subsequent restarts.

    The ability to hold off polesitter Kyle Busch on older tires gave Logano confidence in the capability of his car.

    “Man, it’s a lot of fun to have these Team Penske cars fast again in the XFINITY Series,” said Logano who led 106 laps in winning for the first time this season in his first-ever Las Vegas start in the series. “Man, it feels good.

    “But those restarts were crazy, though. You don’t know which lane to pick. You don’t know who is a good pusher. You try to remember what happened on the last (restart).”

    Logano took over eighth place all-time in career NASCAR XFINITY Series victories.

    Busch led each of the 45 laps in Stage 1 but faded to seventh at the finish after the handling of his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota deteriorated in the second half of the race.

    Brad Keselowski, Logano’s teammate, won Stage 2, but Keselowski brought the No. 22 Mustang to pit road for an unscheduled stop on Lap 108 because of a loose wheel and recovered to finish 10th.

    Daniel Suarez ran third, followed by Justin Allgaier—the highest-finishing series regular–Austin Dillon and Darrell Wallace Jr.

    Larson said a push from Suarez on the final restart might have helped him, but that assistance didn’t materialize.

    “I needed Daniel to push me and not pull out (of line),” Larson said. “I think if Daniel would have ever gotten to my back bumper to help me, he probably would have taken that opportunity to pull out and pass me. 

    “It would have been hard to clear Joey, but I definitely needed some help behind me.”

    Elliott Sadler finished eighth to retain the series lead by four points over Daytona winner Ryan Reed, who came home seventh.

  • Truex Fastest in Final Practice at Las Vegas

    Truex Fastest in Final Practice at Las Vegas

    Martin Truex Jr. topped the chart in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota was the fastest with a time of 28.630 and a speed of 188.613 mph. Chase Elliott was second in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 28.636 and a speed of 188.574 mph. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third in his No. 88 HMS Chevrolet with a time of 28.657 and a speed of 188.436 mph. Matt Kenseth was fourth in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 28.684 and a speed of 188.258 mph. Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford with a time of 28.702 and a speed of 188.140 mph.

    Ryan Blaney, who clocked in the eighth-fastest single lap, posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 185.347 mph.

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  • Elliott Fastest at Las Vegas in Second Practice

    Elliott Fastest at Las Vegas in Second Practice

    Chase Elliott topped the chart in second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 28.197 and a speed of 191.510 mph. Kyle Larson was second in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 28.599 and a speed of 188.818 mph. Matt Kenseth was third in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 28.633 and a speed of 188.594 mph. Kyle Busch was fourth in his No. 18 JGR Toyota with a time of 28.645 and a speed of 188.515 mph. Kasey Kahne rounded out the top-five in his No. 5 HMS Chevrolet with a time of 28.713 and a speed of 188.068 mph.

    Elliott posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 186.480 mph.

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