DARLINGTON, S.C. — Jimmie Johnson topped the chart in first Sprint Cup Series practice at Darlington Raceway.
The driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 27.937 and a speed of 176.025 mph. Denny Hamlin was second in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 28.091 and a speed of 175.060 mph. Ryan Blaney was third in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 28.147 and a speed of 174.711 mph. Kyle Larson was fourth in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 28.174 and a speed of 174.544 mph. Ryan Newman rounded out the top-five in his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 28.178 and a speed of 174.519 mph.
Brad Keselowski was sixth in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford. Chase Elliott was seventh in his No. 24 HMS Chevrolet. Martin Truex Jr. was eighth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Paul Menard was ninth in his No. 27 RCR Chevrolet. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top-10 in his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.
Johnson posted the fasted 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 173.389 mph. Hamlin was second at an average speed of 173.144 mph.
The Sprint Cup Series is back on track at 1:30 p.m. for final practice.
Fans Invited to Celebrate Richard Petty Milestone. Celebration Starts with New Ride for Petty
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (September 3, 2016) – The Petty family and its brand of companies today announced a 10-month long campaign to celebrate NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and owner, “The King” Richard Petty turning 80. Petty may not be celebrating his 80th birthday until July 2, 2017, but the Petty brand of companies including, Richard Petty Motorsports, Petty’s Garage, Petty Family Foundation, Petty Museum and Victory Junction, plan to celebrate for the next 10 months.
The Petty family, who are well known for giving back to local communities and race fans, is now turning the table, allowing fans to give their thanks of 80 years with “The King”. The Petty family introduced a celebration calendar this week, www.KINGs80th.com, where fans can follow the various activities planned leading to the Petty’s birthday celebration in Daytona Beach, Fla.in 2017.
To kick off the activities, Petty’s children, Kyle, Lisa, Rebecca and Sharon, Petty’s Garage and Ford Motor Company partnered to surprise the American Icon with the 43rd and last build of the 2017 Petty’s Garage “King Edition” Ford Mustang GT. The car is colored silver and is one of now only 26 left available to the public through your local Ford dealer. The family presented the keys to the car today at the prestigious and popular Mustang Club Car Show in Indianapolis, Ind.
“We are so proud to celebrate Daddy’s birthday with all his fans over the course of the next year,” said Rebecca Petty-Moffitt. “There is no better way to kick it off than with Ford Motor Company and Petty’s Garage allowing us to give Dad the 43rd build of the ‘King Edition’ Ford Mustang GT. Ford is a huge supporter of all of the Petty brands with strong partnerships with Richard Petty Motorsports, Petty’s Garage, Victory Junction and more, and even provided support for Dad during his career. We have so much more planned for our fans; today is just the start.”
In addition to today’s car giveaway, the Petty Museum announced its newest offering to fans. The Petty Museum is now offering shirts that replicate the first racing tee Petty wore. The shirt features the 1964 Plymouth that Petty raced. The shirt will be available at the Petty Museum and on their website until July 2017.
All of the Petty brands will get in on the action. Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) will engage fans with special promotions, including special packages from its sponsors. Petty’s Garage will continue their celebration during their mobile tour stops throughout the country. The Petty Museum will soon announce special apparel along with additional merchandise throughout the celebration. Petty Museum will culminate their celebration with the opening of the Petty-Toomes Homestead historical landmark in Level Cross, N.C., the birthplace for Petty. Petty Family Foundation, Victory Junction and the Kyle Petty Charity Ride will also join the celebration during various events throughout the year, including special donations to the charities throughout the year.
Stay tuned to www.KINGs80th.com as all brands continue to expand the celebration through licensing partners and other special celebration promotions.
Fans are welcome to join in the conversation through social media using the hashtag, #KINGs80th across all Petty entities.
About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Aric Almirola and Brian Scott. Almirola will return to the iconic No. 43 Ford with partners Smithfield Foods, STP, United States Air Force and the “Fresh From Florida” campaign. Scott will make his debut with the team and drive the Petty Family No. 44 Ford. Albertsons Companies, Shore Lodge, Twisted Tea and GoBowling.com will join Scott as he competes for Rookie of the Year in his first full-time season in the Sprint Cup Series. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.
About Petty’s Garage
Petty’s Garage brings The King’s winning tradition to a variety of high-performance automobiles. From production-based vehicles to custom builds and restorations, Petty’s Garage is a high performance speed shop characterized by its focus on spectacular automobiles. If you can dream it, Petty’s Garage can build it!
About Petty Museum
The Petty Museum, founded in 1988, is a glimpse into the life and accomplishments of the great racing family. With over 200 career wins and 10 NASCAR Championships, the museum has an awesome display of racing history as well as many personal collectibles from the entire family. This is where you find out what’s behind the sunglasses and where it all started!
About Petty Family Foundation
The Petty Family Foundation has a strong belief in family values, integrity, and compassion for others. It is these ideals upon which the Foundation was built, providing the means necessary to empower those who help others. By focusing our mission on healthcare and enriching the lives of our country’s servicemen, we will continue a legacy of success and a vision of humanity.
About Victory Junction
Victory Junction is a year-round camping environment for children, ages six to 16, with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. Co-founded by Kyle Petty, in honor of his son, Adam Petty, the camp is located in Randleman, N.C. Victory Junction offers programs for a range of disease groups and maintains strong relationships with more than 30 partner hospitals. Victory Junction’s mission is to provide life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering, in a safe and medically-sound environment, always free of charge. As a not-for-profit organization, the camp operates solely through the support of generous individuals, foundations, organizations and corporations to provide this experience at no charge to children and their families. Since the camp’s inception, more than 23,000 children and families have received not only a circle of support but experiences thought to only be possible by healthy children. Victory Junction is a member of the SeriousFun Children’s Network of Camps founded by Paul Newman, and is accredited by the rigorous guidelines of the American Camping Association. To learn more about visit www.victoryjunction.org.
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Denny Hamlin topped the chart in final XFINITY Series practice at Darlington Raceway.
The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 28.484 and a speed of 172.644 mph. Kyle Larson was second in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 28.561 and a speed of 172.179 mph. Elliott Sadler was third in his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 28.775 and a speed of 170.898 mph. Erik Jones was fourth in his No. 20 JGR Toyota with a time of 28.855 and a speed of 170.425 mph. Ty Dillon rounded out his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 29.037 and a speed of 169.356 mph.
Daniel Suarez was sixth in his No. 19 JGR Toyota. Ryan Blaney was seventh in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Ryan Reed was eighth in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Justin Allgaier was ninth in his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet. JJ Yeley rounded out the top-10 in his No. 44 TriStar Motorsports Toyota.
Hamlin posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 166.767 mph. Sadler was second at an average speed of 166.010 mph. Dillon was third at an average speed of 165.279 mph.
The XFINITY Series is back on track this afternoon at 3:30 for the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200.
Californian Becomes First D4D, NASCAR Next Grad To Win In Sport’s Premier Series
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 28, 2016) – Kyle Larson won Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway to become the first graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity and the NASCAR Next programs to win at the sanctioning body’s top level.
Larson, the 24-year-old Elk Grove, California, native of Japanese-American heritage, has already won in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. His first win came in 2013 at Rockingham Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He has since won another NASCAR Camping World Truck race, as well as four NASCAR XFINITY Series races.
The win at Michigan was the latest in a long line of ‘firsts’ accomplished by Larson in his young career. Among the highlights:
– In 2014, Larson became the first NASCAR D4D and NASCAR Next product to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole (Pocono Raceway), as well as the first to win the Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
– In 2013, he became the first NASCAR D4D graduate to win the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
– Larson previously became the first NASCAR D4D competitor to win a NASCAR Touring Series championship. Driving for Rev Racing, Larson won the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East title and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
On Sunday, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver won the Pure Michigan 400, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet, leading a race-high 41 laps in his 99th career start.
With the win, Larson clinches a spot in NASCAR’s playoffs – the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
NASCAR Next is an industry-wide initiative designed to spotlight to best and brightest rising young stars in racing. NASCAR Drive for Diversity, operated by Rev Racing, is an academy-style development program for female and multicultural drivers and crew members who have the potential and determination to succeed at the highest levels of NASCAR. Larson raced under both banners in 2012.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™, NASCAR XFINITY Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit http://www.NASCAR.com and http://www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (’NASCAR’).
Nico Rosberg out-lasted the chaos of the first 10 laps to put on a clinic and score the victory at Spa-Francorchamps.
Going into turn 1 off the start, Kimi Raikkonen got into teammate Sebastian Vettel and sent him spinning. Raikkonen suffered damage to his front wing and was forced to pit for repairs.
One lap later, Carlos Sainz suffered a right-rear tire blowout that destroyed the rear-end of his car and sent him spinning in the chicane. This necessitated a virtual safety car period.
The race went back to green and was put under safety car conditions on lap 6 after Kevin Magnussen got loose cresting the top of Radillion, overcorrected, veered to the right, spun 180 degrees, hit one barrier rear-end first and then slammed into another head-on. Per Will Buxton of NBC Sports, Magnussen suffered only a cut to his left ankle.
After three laps of riding around behind the safety car, the race was red-flagged to repair the barrier.
The cars rolled back onto the track at 8:41 a.m. Eastern time for a lap around the track before going back to green on lap 11. At that point, the race proceeded more orderly.
There were some run ins between Max Verstappen and the two Ferrari drivers at various points with the young Dutch driver being aggressive on the defensive.
Aside from the first 10 laps, it was the standard Mercedes clinic performance for Rosberg who drove on to score the victory in the Belgian Grand Prix.
“It’s been a great weekend,” Rosberg said to a chorus of boos from the fans trackside. “Very, very happy with that result, of course. I understand that some of you are very disappointed. I understand you wanted Verstappen to be up here…You’ve been amazing to see so many of you come. It’s been very impressive to see a great atmosphere.
“Thank you to my team of course. Great car they’ve given me. Very special day.
“Oh, and congrats to Lewis (Hamilton). From last place to third must’ve been pretty impressive.”
It’s his 20th career win and 49th podium finish in 198 Formula 1 starts.
Daniel Ricciardo came home second in his No. 3 Red Bull Racing car.
Mark Webber chugs champagne from Daniel Ricciardo’s shoe following Ricciardo’s podium finish in the Belgian Grand Prix. Photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images
As Mark Webber, who was conducting the podium interviews, proceeded to interview him, was about to repeat his actions from Germany and guzzle champagne out of his shoe again. Instead, he asked Webber to do the honors. To which he did.
“Thanks for doing that,” Ricciardo said. “I think we just made our country even more proud.
“It was pretty messed up at the start. There was a lot of safety car’s and then the red flag. We knew we had a bit of damage actually from the first corner, but we fixed the front wing and then got back out. I mean it was a race by myself, but obviously I enjoyed it the pace and to keep Lewis behind was a good achievement today.”
It’s his 14th podium finish in 101 starts.
Lewis Hamilton, who started the race from pit lane, rounded out the podium in the other Mercedes.
“Firstly, I got to say a big thank you to this crowd. It was incredible today,” Hamilton said. “I know a lot of these people came out for Max, which is amazing and is great for the sport, but I just want to say a big thank you to everyone for supporting me today. The team did an amazing job this weekend. I changed three engines. I’m actually ahead of these guys now on engines, which is a good thing. Thanks to the team. Just a remarkable day, what beautiful weather, great crowd and a great race.”
It’s his 97th podium finish in 180 starts.
Nico Hulkenburg finished fourth and teammate Sergio Perez rounded out the top-five.
Vettel recovered from his lap 1 spin to finish sixth. Fernando Alonso brought his McLaren Honda home to a seventh-place finish. Valtteri Bottas finished eighth. Kimi Raikkonen finished ninth and Felipe Massa rounded out the top-10.
Magnussen, Marcus Ericsson, Sainz, Jenson Button and Pascal Wehrlein failed to finish the race.
Hamilton leaves Belgium with only a nine-point lead over Rosberg in the drivers championship.
Next up on the Formula 1 calendar is the Italian Grand Prix at Monza next Sunday.
BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 27, 2016) – The Careers for Veterans 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday featured a last-lap pass that led to a Brett Moffitt victory.
Moffitt went three wide with Timothy Peters and William Byron into Turn 1 on the last lap in order to capture the top spot and his first ever win in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Moffitt had only competed in six career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races before earning his first win. Peters and Byron had been in or near the top five for most of the race until Moffitt made his way towards the front after the sixth caution of the race.
“Honestly, I was just hoping to hold onto third there for a while,” Moffitt said. “I didn’t really think it was going to be our day to win. I knew we were going to be competitive and when the nine (William Byron) got to the inside of him, I knew it would slow them both down and I thought this couldn’t be any more perfect. Barely got to the inside of him going into (turn) one and from then on I was just hoping and praying that it was enough to hold him off down the backstretch.”
The race saw a solid performance by the Red Horse Racing Toyota Team with Moffitt finishing first and Peters finishing second. Daniel Hemric rounded out the top three.
The race featured multiple lead changes and plenty of tight racing in the corners.
Matt Crafton started the race second and found himself in the top five for the first half of the race while Peters was a mainstay at the top throughout the day. In total, Peters led 42 laps and Crafton led 23 laps while Moffitt only led one lap, but it was the most important lap.
“It’s the only one you have to lead, that’s when the pay window is open and that’s when the checks are getting wrote,” Moffitt said.
For Moffitt, this is his third top 10 finish in 2016 and his first top 10 finish in only two career races at Michigan International Speedway. Without a doubt, this win was incredibly important for Moffitt in his young NCWTS career.
“I needed this,” Moffitt concluded. “I had no races on my schedule this year and to get picked up by Tom DeLoach and everyone at Red Horse Racing is amazing and our partners at Toyota have been really good at backing us and giving us the technology we need. This is everything I needed to have happen and it couldn’t happen at a better finish streak there – three-two-one. This is amazing.”
Nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, Michigan International Speedway is NASCAR’s fastest track and the Great Escape, a venerable NASCAR national park where fans can get away and enjoy the very best in racing and camaraderie. It’s the love of racing and the thrill of a great time for race fans and drivers alike for nearly 50 years
Denny Hamlin topped the chart in final Sprint Cup Series practice at Michigan International Speedway.
The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 36.386 and a speed of 197.878 mph. Chase Elliott was second in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 36.403 and a speed of 197.786 mph. Jimmie Johnson was third in his No. 48 HMS Chevrolet with a time of 36.420 and a speed of 197.694 mph. Kasey Kahne was fourth in his No. 5 HMS Chevrolet with a time of 36.464 and a speed of 197.455 mph. Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford with a time of 36.472 and a speed of 197.412 mph.
Kurt Busch was sixth in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. Joey Logano was seventh in his No. 22 Penske Ford. Kyle Larson was eighth in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Carl Edwards was ninth in his No. 19 JGR Toyota. Alex Bowman rounded out the top-10 in his No. 88 HMS Chevrolet.
Larson posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 196.346 mph. Elliott was second at an average speed of 196.015 mph. Johnson was third at an average speed of 195.995 mph.
During the session, Hamlin got loose exiting turn 4 and his car went nose-first through the frontstretch grass. He suffered minor damage to the left front-end of his car. Whether they chose to repair the damage or go to a backup car was unknown at the time of this piece’s publishing.
The session was shortened by lightning in the area.
Tony Stewart posted the fastest time in second Sprint Cup Series practice at Michigan International Speedway.
The driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 35.622 and a speed of 202.122 mph. Ryan Blaney was second in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 35.745 and a speed of 201.427 mph. Chase Elliott was third in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 35.786 and a speed of 201.196 mph. Kurt Busch was fourth in his No. 41 SHR Chevrolet with a time of 35.805 and a speed of 201.089 mph. Kyle Larson rounded out the top-five in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 35.833 and a speed of 200.932 mph.
Martin Truex Jr. was sixth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Kevin Harvick was seventh in his No. 4 SHR Chevrolet. Alex Bowman was eighth in his No. 88 HMS Chevrolet. Jimmie Johnson was ninth in his No. 48 HMS Chevrolet. Kasey Kahne rounded out the top-10 in his No. 5 HMS Chevrolet.
Kyle Busch, who’s fastest single lap was 12th fastest, posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 199.713 mph. Johnson was second at an average speed of 199.578 mph.
The Sprint Cup Series is back on track later today at 11:30 a.m. for final practice.
Martin Truex Jr. topped the chart in first Sprint Cup Series practice at Michigan International Speedway.
The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 35.724 and a speed of 201.545 mph. Jimmie Johnson was second in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 35.797 and a speed of 201.134 mph. Joey Logano was third in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 35.827 and a speed of 200.966 mph. Ryan Blaney was fourth in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 35.861 and a speed of 200.775 mph. Kyle Larson rounded out the top-five in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 35.869 and a speed of 200.730 mph.
Kyle Busch was sixth in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Chase Elliott was seventh in his No. 24 HMS Chevrolet. Kasey Kahne was eighth in his No. 5 HMS Chevrolet. Tony Stewart was ninth in his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. Carl Edwards rounded out the top-10 in his No. 19 JGR Toyota.
Larson posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 194.178 mph. Stewart was second at an average speed of 193.710 mph.
The Sprint Cup Series is back on track this evening at 5:15 p.m. for qualifying.
Alex Tagliani won the Coors Light Pole Award at Road America on Friday in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Tagliani wheeled his No. 22 Team Penske Ford around the 4.05-mile road course at a top speed of 109.866 mph.
That was better than Michael McDowelll, who finished second in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet at 109.561 mph.
For Tagliani, it was his fourth pole win in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and his second at Road America.
Justin Marks (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet), Owen Kelly (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) and Daniel Suarez (No. 19 JGR Toyota) rounded out the top five qualifiers.
Alon Day, who hails from Israel, is a NASCAR Next driver and is driving the MBM Motorsports No. 13 Dodge, found trouble in Round 1 of qualifying when he went into the sand trap off Turn 12 (of 14) with just over 16 minutes remaining in the opening session. The incident brought out a red flag.
Another red flag came out during Round 1 when Josh Bilicki, who was driving the No. 77 Obaika Racing Chevrolet, spun coming off Turn 1, slid through the sand trap and impacted the tire barrier.
The Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville gets underway at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and marks the third road-course race in four events for the series.
