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  • Jones Fastest in First XFINITY Practice at Kentucky

    Jones Fastest in First XFINITY Practice at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Erik Jones topped the chart in first XFINITY Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 29.728 and a speed of 181.647 mph. Daniel Suarez was second in his No. 19 JGR Toyota with a time of 29.756 and a speed of 181.476 mph. Sam Hornish Jr. was third in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 29.783 and a speed of 181.311 mph. Ty Dillon was fourth in his No. 3 RCR Chevrolet with a time of 29.852 and a speed of 180.892 mph. Brennan Poole rounded out the top-five in his No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 29.910 and a speed of 180.542 mph.

    Matt Tifft was sixth in his No. 18 JGR Toyota. Elliott Sadler was seventh in his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Justin Allgaier was eighth in his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet. Josh Berry was ninth in his No. 88 JRM Chevrolet. Brandon Jones rounded out the top-10 in his No. 33 RCR Chevrolet.

    Darrell Wallace Jr. was 11th, Brendan Gaughan was 12th, Ryan Reed was 14th, Blake Koch was 16th and Ryan Sieg rounded out the Chase drivers in 19th.

    The cars are back on the track at 6 p.m.

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  • NASCAR Foundation to Donate $1 Million to NYU Langone Medical Center As Part of Multi-year Partnership to Impact Hospitalized Children

    NASCAR Foundation to Donate $1 Million to NYU Langone Medical Center As Part of Multi-year Partnership to Impact Hospitalized Children

    Partnership To Be Commemorated At First NASCAR Foundation Honors Gala Sept. 27 in NYC; Event Will Honor Life Of Foundation Chairwoman Emeritus Betty Jane France

    NEW YORK, (Sept. 22, 2016) – The NASCAR Foundation will donate $1 million to NYU Langone Medical Center, as part of a multi-year partnership to benefit hospitalized children. Through this partnership, The NASCAR Foundation will enhance the Child Life Program at the Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital of New York at NYU Langone.

    The partnership will be commemorated at the first-ever NASCAR Foundation Honors Gala taking place at The Marriott Marquis in New York on Sept. 27.

    This is The NASCAR Foundation’s first multi-year partnership with a New York area hospital and marks its commitment to reach more kids nationally. NASCAR’s charitable arm has donated $25 million and impacted more than one million children since its inception in 2006.

    “This is an important partnership for The NASCAR Foundation,” said NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton. “The work being done by the NYU Langone Medical Center is changing lives, each and every day. The NASCAR Foundation is proud to have an opportunity to support that important work and expand our commitment to improving the lives of children in need.”

    Through this partnership, the Child Life Program will ease the anxiety of children and their families during their hospital stay, which is essential to recovery. The NASCAR Foundation will support an enhanced child and family experience, fund two Child Life specialists, and provide resources, equipment and supplies to complement the wide-range of supportive and therapeutic activities currently offered at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at no charge to patients.

    This marks an expansion of The NASCAR Foundation’s commitment to supporting children with Child Life programming as part of its signature Speediatrics program, which has provided more than 500,000 children with state-of-the-art medical care.

    “As leaders in the field of pediatrics, we’re proud to partner with The NASCAR Foundation whose generous philanthropic support provides extensive and meaningful programs to help children and their families,” said Catherine S. Manno, MD, the Pat and John Rosenwald Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at NYU Langone. “This sponsorship, in concert with our Sala Institute for Child and Family Centered Care, will strengthen our national exemplar model of care for children and their families.”

    The NASCAR Foundation Honors Gala, which was planned to celebrate “10 Years of Giving,” has taken on additional significance following the unexpected passing of its Founder and Chairwoman Emeritus Betty Jane France last month.

    The Gala will be a tribute to Betty Jane France’s life and is being hosted by the France family including NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France (son) and his wife Amy France, International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy (daughter) and NASCAR Vice Chairman and International Speedway Corporation Chairman Jim France (brother-in-law).

    At the Honors Gala, various awards will be bestowed, including:

    • Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award presented by Nationwide: One of four finalists will be announced as the winner following a fan vote which has taken place since July 13. The NASCAR Foundation will donate a total of $175,000 to the charities represented by the finalists – with the winner’s charity receiving a $100,000 donation. This year’s finalists include Jim Giaccone of Bayville, New York, representing Tuesday’s Children; Andy Hoffman of Atkinson, Nebraska, founder of the Team Jack Foundation; Logan Houptley of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a founding member of Mikayla’s Voice; and Parker White of Greensboro, North Carolina, founder of BackPack Beginnings. Since the award’s inception, nearly $900,000 has been contributed to charities represented by the finalists.
    • Children’s Champion Award: Dr. Howard B. Ginsburg: The William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Associate Professor of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, and Division Chief, Pediatric Surgery at NYU Langone, will receive the award recognizing his commitment to children.
    • Founder’s Award: NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus will receive the award recognizing his contributions to philanthropy.

    The Honors Gala will be headlined by Grammy® and Tony® nominated singer Sara Bareilles.

    The following NASCAR champions and rising stars will be in attendance: six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson, seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Richard Petty, reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, two-time NASCAR XFINITY Series Champions Martin Truex Jr. and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Danica Patrick, Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne, Ben Kennedy and Julia Landauer.

    This event builds on NASCAR’s long history in New York. The racing organization opened its first office in Manhattan in 1996 and is based out of the newly renovated New York headquarters at 590 Madison Avenue.

    This partnership also marks further collaboration between NYU and NASCAR. In March, Brian France participated in NYU’s first Social Responsibility of Sports Conference where he pledged NASCAR’s support to improve social responsibility in sports.

    For ticket information or table sponsorships, please visit www.nascarfoundation.org/honors-gala.

    Honors Gala | The NASCAR Foundation

    www.nascarfoundation.org

    About the Event Celebrating “10 Years of Giving” Honorees Mark Lazarus, NBC Sports Group Howard B. Ginsburg, NYU Langone Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award …

    About The NASCAR Foundation

    The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Inc. (NASCAR) established The NASCAR Foundation in January 2006 to support initiatives that positively affect the lives of children throughout the United States. The 501(c) (3) non-profit entity partners with medical experts and other charitable organizations to fund children’s health care programs. Now celebrating 10 Years of Giving in 2016, The NASCAR Foundation has cumulatively donated $25 million to reach more than one million children. For more information on The NASCAR Foundation, please visit: NASCARfoundation.org. Follow The NASCAR Foundation on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NASCARFoundation or on Twitter: @NASCAR_FDN.

    About NYU Langone Medical Center

    Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital of New York at NYU Langone Medical Center, believes that caring for infants, children, and teenagers is a special privilege. That’s why partnering with children and their families to deliver expert medical and surgical care is mission central. These partnerships are fostered by programs supported by the Sala Institute for Child and Family Centered Care. More than 400 doctors – along with nurses, child life specialists, social workers, and other medical professionals – are committed to providing personalized, compassionate care that addresses the needs of the entire family. NYU Langone Medical Center experts treat children with conditions ranging from minor illnesses to complex, more serious issues at locations throughout the New York area.

  • Nascar Solidifies Post-Race Penalty Procedures

    Nascar Solidifies Post-Race Penalty Procedures

    NASCAR announced Wednesday that it will solidify its post-race inspection penalty structure for infractions stemming from the laser inspection station (LIS), eliminating the P2 and P3 levels for those violations. The P4 level for LIS infractions remains, and violations at this level will remain encumbered.

    NASCAR also announced that neither the No. 78 driven by Martin Truex Jr. nor the No. 48 driven by Jimmie Johnson will be penalized for failing post-race LIS following last Sunday’s Chicagoland Speedway.

    “The use of the LIS platform in post-race was really driven by the industry,” NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell said in a teleconference Wednesday evening. “We had everyone collaborating to create the appropriate deterrent penalties if there was a violation. As we headed toward the Chase, we were asked to further develop an enhanced deterrent for the Chase. The important development was the new language surrounding the concept of an encumbered win.”

    Martin Truex Jr. won the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400, assuring the No. 78Furniture Row Racing team of a berth in the Round of 12 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Jimmie Johnson finished Sunday’s race in 12th place in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

    Both would have been assessed P2-level penalties for infractions discovered in post-race laser inspection. Those penalties were minor in nature, most people in the industry would agree, O’Donnell said. But assessing both teams penalties would be inherently unfair given the Chase structure. So NASCAR decided not to penalize either team and going forward will punish only P4-level post-race inspection infractions, which would be considered egregious.

    “This was the most fair decision we could get to,” said O’Donnell, explaining that a points penalty assessed to a team still trying to get into the next round of the Chase would have dramatically different effects than on a team that is already locked into the Round of 12 with a win at Chicago. “Those penalties will not have the same impact on the competitors, based on the Chase format and the increased emphasis on win bonuses.”

  • Rosberg holds off hard charging Ricciardo to win in Singapore

    Rosberg holds off hard charging Ricciardo to win in Singapore

    While the stat books will show it was a clinic by Nico Rosberg, it was anything but in the closing laps of Formula 1’s night race.

    The race started just shortly after 8:00 p.m. local time (8:00 a.m. Eastern time) and the Mariana Bay Street Circuit’s record of always seeing a safety car continued with a wreck by Nico Hulkenburg right off the line. Max Verstappen spun the tires getting off the line, which caused a log jam behind. Hulkenburg made contact with Carlos Sainz, spun down the track and slammed the inside wall.

    Valtteri Bottas and Jenson Button also sustained contact during the first lap melee and both retired from the race.

    There was also a scary incident on the restart when a track marshal was still on the racing surface when the race went green. Thankfully, the marshal made it to his post unharmed.

    After that, the race settled into the typical follow the leader routine. Although there were a few interesting battles during, especially with Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton making slight contact racing for second just past halfway.

    Beginning under 20 laps to go,  the cars pitted for the final time except for one, the race leader Rosberg. The Mercedes team opted to not pit Rosberg onto fresher tires and have him run to the finish on his current set of soft tires.

    “We couldn’t come in because I had traffic. I was very slow on that lap and he would’ve beaten me,” Rosberg said of the decision to not pit.

    What started as a gap of over 30 seconds from second-place Daniel Ricciardo to race leader Rosberg shrank as the laps winded down. With five laps to go, the gap was 5.2 seconds and Ricciardo was on pace to possibly be within DRS range on the final lap, but lapped traffic stalled him for a lap and made all the difference.

    “It was close,” Ricciardo said. “As soon as we did a pit stop, we though Nico would come in. I pushed really hard on those tires. By the end, we were a little bit dead. But at least we got close and made it exciting.”

    He got within a second of Rosberg on the final lap, but ran out of time to make a move for the win as Rosberg scored the victory in the Singapore Grand Prix.

    “It’s been an awesome weekend here in Singapore for me,” Rosberg said on the podium. “Already yesterday with the pole lap and then today [with the] great start. Had a good car in the race. Of course, Daniel tried to pull one up on me with the pit stop at the end there. We knew it was going to be tight in the end, but it worked out. So [I’m] really, really happy.”

    He also addressed being told to manage his brakes the whole race.

    “The whole car was on the edge,” he added. “It always is here at Singapore. So it’s all the more satisfying with a race like that.”

    Ricciardo settled for the second step on the podium.

    “We’ve come very close this year on numerous occasions, but I’m not gonna stand up here and be disappointed,” Ricciardo said. “I think we gave it a good shot. We tried something at the end with the strategy and we got within half a second. It was close, but we’re up here (podium) again. It feels great.”

    Hamilton rounded out the podium for the 99th time in his career. But as podium interviewer Martin Brundle put it, “It’s not the sweetest one I suspect.”

    “No, definitely not,” Hamilton said. “First of all, big congratulations to Nico. He drove fantastic all weekend and fully deserved the win. Very tough day today, but it always is in Singapore. This weekend has just been a bit of a tricky one for me, but I’m so glad I can get back on the podium and get some points for the team.”

    He also addressed his struggles early in the race.

    “It’s my brakes,” he added. “I was struggling with the brakes way overheating. So I just had to slow down and watch the other guys pull away. I was just looking at different ways to try and get them back under control. Eventually, once I did on, I think my second stop or third stop, the brakes were under control. But of course, towards the end, I still got a bit of heat in them.”

    He was also asked if he’s concerned about being eight points behind Rosberg with six races remaining.

    “Well it’s a lot different than when I was here last year, but with everything that’s gone on this year, I’m still in the fight. It’s still a long way to go and I’m gonna give it everything I’ve got,” he added.

    Raikkonen came home fourth and Sebastian Vettel, who started dead last, rounded out the top-five.

    Max Verstappen finished sixth, Fernando Alonso finished seventh, Segio Perez finished eighth, Daniil Kyat finished ninth and Kevin Magnussen rounded out the top-10.

    As for the Haas F1 Team, Esteban Gutierrez finished 11th and Romain Grosjean retired from the race before it started with brake wire issues.

    Rosberg leaves Singapore with an eight-point lead over teammate Hamilton in the drivers championship.

    Next up for Formula 1 is a trip to the capital of Malaysia for the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit.

  • Erik Jones Wins at Chicagoland, Enters NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase as Top Seed

    Erik Jones Wins at Chicagoland, Enters NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase as Top Seed

    By Reid Spencer/NASCAR Wire Service

    JOLIET, Ill. – Kyle Busch opened the door, and that was all the invitation Erik Jones needed.

    When Busch, the polesitter for Saturday’s The Drive for Safety 300 at Chicagoland Speedway, spun with a tire down while leading on Lap 182 of 200, Jones took full advantage of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate’s misfortune.

    The driver of the No. 20 JGR Toyota restarted sixth on Lap 187 after Busch brought out the eighth caution of the afternoon and quickly closed the gap on Elliott Sadler, who restarted second and grabbed the lead from JR Motorsports teammate Clint Bowyer, who had stayed out on old tires.

    Jones caught and passed Sadler on Lap 192. Race runner-up Kyle Larson followed four laps later but couldn’t catch Jones before the finish. In the final four laps, Jones moved up the track to take Larson’s preferred racing line and crossed the finish line .392 seconds ahead of Larson, who brushed the outside wall on the final lap while trying to close in on the race winner.

    “It was tough,” said Jones, who won for the second time at the 1.5-mile track and the fourth time in his rookie year. “I knew we were in a good spot on tires, but we pretty far back – think we restarted sixth there.

    “I didn’t know if my Hisense Camry was going to have enough time to get back up to the front, but we had a really good restart and got clear to third and then just had to go chase Elliott down. It was a matter of time before we got around him. What an awesome day!”

    With four victories this season, Jones enters the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase as the No. 1 seed heading to the Chase opener next Saturday at Kentucky Speedway.

    “It’s a lot of momentum,” Jones said. “I wish this was our first round right here. We’ll go into Kentucky definitely with a full head of steam and are due for another win there. Our mile-and-a-half program is great – it’s been great all year.

    “To finally get a first mile-and-a-half win of the year – just looking forward to getting to Kentucky next weekend and try to chase down another one.”

    Saturday’s event finalized the 12-driver Chase field, as Blake Koch and Ryan Sieg clinched the final two spots with finishes of 15th and 12th, respectively.

    The full Chase field, in order of seeding, consists of Erik Jones, Sadler, Daniel Suarez, Ty Dillon, Justin Allgaier, Darrell Wallace Jr., Brendan Gaughan, Brennan Poole, Ryan Sieg, Ryan Reed, Brandon Jones, Blake Koch.

    Sadler finished third on Saturday, followed by Suarez and Allgaier.

    Larson recovered from a pit road speeding penalty to record his eighth top-five finish in 12 starts this year.

    “I knew I could get the top (lane) going, but I knew when I got the top going, Erik would move up just when I got to him,” Larson said. “He did, and I tried to carry a lot of throttle off of (Turn) 2 and maybe get a run on him, but I got into the wall.”

    Busch led 154 laps and recovered from his spin to finish 13th. All told, 11 different drivers led at least one lap, including the top eight drivers in the finishing order.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Drive for Safety 300
    Chicagoland Speedway
    Joliet, Illinois
    Saturday, September 17, 2016

    1. (5) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 200.
    2. (8) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 200.
    3. (4) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 200.
    4. (2) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 200.
    5. (3) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200.
    6. (7) Clint Bowyer(i), Chevrolet, 200.
    7. (9) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 200.
    8. (12) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 200.
    9. (6) Paul Menard(i), Chevrolet, 200.
    10. (40) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 200.
    11. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.
    12. (17) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200.
    13. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200.
    14. (19) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 200.
    15. (13) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 200.
    16. (18) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 200.
    17. (20) Ryan Preece #, Chevrolet, 200.
    18. (23) David Starr, Chevrolet, 199.
    19. (26) Garrett Smithley #, Chevrolet, 199.
    20. (15) Darrell Wallace Jr, Ford, 198.
    21. (11) Brennan Poole #, Chevrolet, 198.
    22. (21) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 198.
    23. (29) Martin Roy, Chevrolet, 198.
    24. (25) BJ McLeod #, Ford, 197.
    25. (22) Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, 196.
    26. (31) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 196.
    27. (33) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 194.
    28. (32) Ray Black Jr #, Chevrolet, 184.
    29. (34) Jordan Anderson(i), Chevrolet, Transmission, 151.
    30. (36) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Fuel Pump, 126.
    31. (28) Jeff Green, Toyota, Wheel Bearing, 110.
    32. (14) Ryan Reed, Ford, Accident, 101.
    33. (27) Travis Kvapil(i), Ford, Engine, 82.
    34. (35) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Handling, 49.
    35. (39) Spencer Boyd(i), Chevrolet, Too Slow, 43.
    36. (38) Dexter Bean, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 36.
    37. (30) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, Accident, 27.
    38. (37) Carl Long, Dodge, Wheel Bearing, 16.
    39. (16) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, Fuel Pump, 9.
    40. (24) Matt DiBenedetto(i), Toyota, Electrical, 3.

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  120.576 mph.
    Time of Race:  02 Hrs, 29 Mins, 17 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.392 Seconds.
    Caution Flags:  8 for 38 laps.
    Lead Changes:  22 among 11 drivers.

    Lap Leaders:   K. Busch(i) 1; D. Suarez 2-5; K. Busch(i) 6-10; D. Suarez 11; K. Busch(i) 12-27; T. Kvapil(i) 28-29; K. Busch(i) 30-31; K. Larson(i) 32-40; K. Busch(i) 41-79; E. Sadler 80; J. Allgaier 81; K. Busch(i) 82-103; J. Logano(i) 104-108; K. Busch(i) 109-154; B. Gaughan 155; R. Preece # 156-157; K. Busch(i) 158-164; E. Jones # 165; K. Busch(i) 166-181; J. Allgaier 182-183; C. Bowyer(i) 184-186; E. Sadler 187-191; E. Jones # 192-200.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Busch(i) 9 times for 154 laps; E. Jones # 2 times for 10 laps; K. Larson(i) 1 time for 9 laps; E. Sadler 2 times for 6 laps; D. Suarez 2 times for 5 laps; J. Logano(i) 1 time for 5 laps; J. Allgaier 2 times for 3 laps; C. Bowyer(i) 1 time for 3 laps; R. Preece # 1 time for 2 laps; T. Kvapil(i) 1 time for 2 laps; B. Gaughan 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 10 in Points: E. Sadler – 891; D. Suarez – 832; J. Allgaier – 823; T. Dillon – 807; E. Jones # – 797; B. Gaughan – 789; B. Poole # – 756; B. Jones # – 733; D. Wallace Jr – 680; R. Reed – 635.

  • Chase Rookie Larson Sweeps Saturday Chicago Practices

    Chase Rookie Larson Sweeps Saturday Chicago Practices

  • Johnson Fastest in First Practice at Chicagoland

    Johnson Fastest in First Practice at Chicagoland

    Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest time in the first Sprint Cup Series practice at Chicagoland Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 29.383 and a speed of 183.780 mph. Carl Edwards was second in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 29.460 and a speed of 183.299 mph. Denny Hamlin was third in his No. 11 JGR Toyota with a time of 29.520 and a speed of 182.927 mph. Brad Keselowski was fourth in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford with a time of 29.564 and a speed of 182.655 mph. Chase Elliott rounded out the top-five in his No. 24 HMS Chevrolet with a time of 29.578 and a speed of 182.568 mph.

    Alex Bowman was sixth in his No. 88 HMS Chevrolet. Martin Truex Jr. was seventh in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Kyle Larson was eighth in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Ryan Blaney was ninth in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. Kyle Busch rounded out the top-10 in his No. 18 JGR Toyota.

    Austin Dillon was 11th, Kevin Harvick was 12th, Matt Kenseth was 13th, Kurt Busch was 15th, Joey Logano was 17th, Tony Stewart was 20th, Jamie McMurray was 21st and Chris Buescher rounded out the Chase drivers in 33rd.

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  • Sprint Cup Qualifying Rained Out at Chicagoland

    Sprint Cup Qualifying Rained Out at Chicagoland

    Qualifying for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race has been rained out.

    Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway following rain washing out the first practice which led to qualifying this afternoon being canceled. This is in line with NASCAR’s custom of not sending cars out for qualifying if practice is rained out.

    The Sprint Cup Series will be back on track for their first practice session following the Camping World Truck Series pole qualifying. Their remaining two practice sessions start Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

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  • Stewart-Haas Racing Names Cole Custer as its 2017 Driver for NASCAR XFINITY Series Team

    Stewart-Haas Racing Names Cole Custer as its 2017 Driver for NASCAR XFINITY Series Team

    Custer To Pilot No. 00 Entry with Primary Sponsorship from Haas Automation

    JOLIET, Ill. – Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has named Cole Custer as the driver for its NASCAR XFINITY Series team that will debut in 2017.

    Custer, who will turn 19 prior to the start of the 2017 season, will pilot the team’s No. 00 entry fulltime and compete for rookie of the year honors. Haas Automation, the largest machine tool manufacturer in North America, will be the primary sponsor.

    “Cole Custer has accomplished a lot at a very young age and is well positioned to make the next step to the NASCAR XFINITY Series,” said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition, SHR. “Our goal with our XFINITY Series program is to develop young talent, and that includes behind the wheel. Cole has earned this opportunity and we look forward to working with him.”

    Custer currently competes fulltime in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The native of Ladera Ranch, California, has two wins and four poles in 34 career Truck Series starts. And in preparation for his planned advancement to the XFINITY Series, Custer has made three XFINITY Series starts in 2016, scoring two top-10s with a best finish of fourth in May at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

    “I’ve really enjoyed the XFINITY Series races I’ve run this year and I’m looking forward to running the full schedule in 2017,” Custer said. “It’s a new challenge, and with the resources of Stewart-Haas Racing, I’m in the best position to learn and succeed. I’m grateful for the chance they’ve given me and I plan to make the most of it.”

    When Custer won his first Camping World Truck Series race on Sept. 20, 2014, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, he became the series’ youngest race winner at 16 years, 239 days. It was not the first time Custer had tasted success at an early age. In winning his first career NASCAR K&N Series race on Aug. 2, 2013, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Custer became the youngest winner in K&N Series history at 15 years, 190 days. And when Custer debuted in late model stock cars in 2012 at age 14, he won three races to become the youngest late model winner, which began with his first career start at I-10 Speedway in Blythe, California. Throughout these firsts, which also includes an ARCA Racing Series victory in August 2015 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Haas Automation has been affiliated with Custer.

    “I’ve watched Cole grow up on and off the racetrack,” said Gene Haas, founder and president, Haas Automation. “He’s found success at every level and represented Haas Automation very well. The XFINITY Series is the next step in his career and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

     

    About Stewart-Haas Racing:

    Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team co-owned by three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The team fields four entries in the elite Sprint Cup Series – the No. 14 Chevrolet for Stewart, the No. 10 Chevrolet for Danica Patrick, the No. 4 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick and the No. 41 Chevrolet for Kurt Busch. Based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, Stewart-Haas Racing operates out of a 200,000-square-foot facility with approximately 280 employees. For more information, please visit us on the Web at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

  • NASCAR Introduces Rules Updates for Chase

    NASCAR Introduces Rules Updates for Chase

    By Kenny Bruce | NASCAR.com

    NASCAR introduced rules updates for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs on Wednesday, giving competition officials the power to issue more stringent rulings on technical infractions involving post-race laser inspections and lug nuts.

    The developments were announced just days before the series visits Chicagoland Speedway for Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM), the opening event in the 10-race Chase playoffs.

    Similar clarifications, where applicable, will also be in place for the inaugural Chase events in NASCAR’s XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series, which get underway in two weeks, at Kentucky and New Hampshire, respectively.

    The updates allow NASCAR officials to strip race-winning teams of the benefits associated with a Chase victory, which include the automatic advancement into the next elimination round and any tiebreaker implications, should those teams fail the post-race lug-nut check or the post-race Laser Inspection Station (LIS) platform.

    Previously, lug-nut infractions have resulted in a one-race suspension and a fine for the crew chief while LIS failures have carried a point deduction in the drivers’ and owners’ championship points, in addition to the crew chief fine.

    Going into the Chase, post-race failure of the LIS platform now will be deemed a P4 level penalty if a vehicle’s rear toe measurements exceed the allowed measurements on both sides.

    In the Sprint Cup Series, the first violation would result in an encumbered finishing position, the loss of 35 championship driver and owner points, as well as a three-race suspension and $65,000 fine for the crew chief.

    In the XFINITY Series, the penalties would be the same, but the crew chief fine would be $20,000.

    The LIS platform is not a part of the NCWTS inspection process.

    The penalties will be the same as those for an LIS infraction if a vehicle is found to have 17 or fewer lug nuts in place following the completion of the event (in Sprint Cup, XFINITY or Camping World Truck).

    “The changes are made to assure that we have a level playing field and make sure that there’s not a carrot out there for the team to have excessive violations when it comes to lug nuts and the LIS post-race measurements,” Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, told NASCAR.com. “As we worked with those penalties during the season we realized we probably needed to have a little bit more in place as Chase time rolled around.

    “The Chase obviously changes a lot of scenarios for both NASCAR and the teams; it’s ramped up the intensity and there is a lot of scrutiny, as there is every week on everything (involving) technical infractions. This is really just a matter of us putting something in place so that should something happen, we have a means to effectively deal with it.”

    Miller noted that the “encumbered finish” is already a part of the NASCAR rule book. “This just adds a little bit of definition to how we will use it moving forward,” he said.

    NASCAR officials cracked down on lug nut penalties with new rules this spring, making sure the wheel is securely fastened on all five studs at a pit-road checkpoint after the race. At least five teams have been found in violation during post-race inspection, including those of drivers Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing) and Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing).

    The LIS platform has been used to measure cars’ chassis with precision since the start of the 2013 season. The majority of failures this year have centered on rear toe alignment.

    Six Sprint Cup Series drivers and teams have been penalized this year for failing the LIS portion of the post-race inspection process — Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet (Dover); Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota (New Hampshire), Brad Keselowski, Team Penske No. 2 Ford (Michigan),Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet (Darlington), Ryan Newman, Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet (Darlington) and Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota (Richmond).

    Miller said he expects the rules to remain in place for the 2017 season as well.

    LIS failures during pre-race inspection result in written warnings, with the potential for lost track time after a team’s fourth violation.

    Should an infraction involving post-race LIS or lug nut inspection occur during the championship race at Homestead for any of the three series, the finish of the team found to be in violation would not count toward the determination of the series champion, or for any other positions that might be determined via tiebreakers.

    Busch is the defending Sprint Cup Series champion while Harvick was the first to win a title under the current Chase format, which debuted in 2014.

    These latest changes were made in collaboration with industry partners. “It should be no surprise to anybody where we landed,” Miller said.

    “As we convened with some of the team principals and competition guys, it became pretty obvious that we needed to do something like this.”