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Elliott to start on pole position at Kansas

Chase Elliott was awarded the pole position for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway, the Hollywood Casino 400, on Sunday, October 18, which marks the first event in the Round of 8 in the 2020 Cup Playoffs.

The starting lineup was based on four stats: current owner points position, the driver’s results from a previous Cup race, the owner’s results from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap established from a previous Cup race.

With that, Elliott, who is coming off his second consecutive win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course and third victory of this season after leading a race-high 27 laps, will lead the field to the start of this weekend’s event at Kansas as he will start on pole position for the fifth time this season. In addition, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native will look to secure a spot in the Championship Round at Phoenix Raceway scheduled on Sunday, November 8, and battle for his first Cup title.

Joey Logano, who finished in second place behind Elliott at the Charlotte Roval, will start alongside Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on the front row at Kansas. Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. will start in the top five followed by Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski, as the Playoff field is down to the final eight competitors vying for four spots in the Championship Round.

Ryan Blaney, the highest non-title contender, will start in ninth place while William Byron will round out the top-10 starting grid.

Starting in positions 11-25 are Erik Jones, Clint Bowyer, Cole Custer, Jimmie Johnson, Tyler Reddick, Aric Almirola, Austin Dillon, Matt DiBenedetto, Ryan Preece, Kyle Busch, Chris Buescher, Christopher Bell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Bubba Wallace and Ty Dillon.

Starting in positions 26-40 are Michael McDowell, Daniel Suarez, Ryan Newman, Corey LaJoie, Matt Kenseth, Quin Houff, John Hunter Nemechek, James Davison, J.J. Yeley, Brennan Poole, Reed Sorenson, Timmy Hill, Joey Gase, Josh Bilicki and Chad Finchum.

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

October 14, 2020
Brandon Jones to remain at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021

Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Brandon Jones will be remaining as a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor for the organization and in the No. 19 Toyota Supra in 2021.

The 23-year-old native from Atlanta, Georgia, is currently in his third season competing with JGR in the Xfinity circuit. Through 29 Xfinity races this season, Jones has achieved three victories (Phoenix Raceway in March, Kansas Speedway in July and at Darlington Raceway in September). He has also recorded one pole, a career-high nine top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an average result of 13.0. He is still in contention for this year’s Xfinity Series championship after advancing to the Round of 8 in the Xfinity Playoffs following last weekend’s event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

“This has been a dream season so far and I couldn’t be prouder of our 19 team,” Jones said. “It’s been great to have Jeff Meendering as my crew chief for the second consecutive year and his leadership along with the consistency is exactly what this team needed. I also realize how fortunate I am to have partners like Menards and Toyota; their support means the world to me. This has been a phenomenal year and I couldn’t be more excited about being back at Joe Gibbs Racing next season. Right now, I remain focused on our championship run and making it to Phoenix where I won earlier this year for a shot at the Xfinity Series title.”

Through mid-October 2020, Jones has made 166 career starts in the Xfinity Series. He competed with Richard Childress Racing from 2015 through 2017 before joining JGR in 2018. He has achieved four career wins in the Xfinity circuit along with three poles, 18 top-five results and 66 top-10 results. He has made the Xfinity Playoffs four times, including this season.

Jones has also made 48 career starts in the NASCAR Truck Series, from 2013 through this year. He captured his first elusive victory in the series at Pocono Raceway in June while driving the No. 51 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

“It has been a real thrill to watch Brandon’s development over the past few years with us in the Xfinity Series,” Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, added. “He is a Championship contender of course and his veteran leadership has been a real asset to our overall program. We’re excited about the opportunity he has the rest of this year and that he will return next season and continue to build upon that success.”

While Jones is set to remain at JGR next season, the remainder of the team’s driver lineup in the Xfinity Series will be announced at a later date.

Jones is set to return for the next NASCAR Xfinity Series event on the schedule this weekend at Kansas Speedway, a track where he has won at the last two visits for the series. The Xfinity event at Kansas will occur on Saturday, October 17, at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

October 13, 2020
Martinsville to welcome limited number of fans for NASCAR fall races

Martinsville Speedway has received the green light to allow a limited number of fans to attend the upcoming NASCAR Playoff races at the track scheduled for October 30 through November 1.

The news comes as NASCAR is set to host a triple-header weekend at one of the sport’s oldest tracks, with the Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series to run its final round of Playoff elimination races throughout the weekend (penultimate events of the season) and where the championship field between all three series will be determined.

“Martinsville Speedway is home to some of the most competitive and dramatic racing in NASCAR, so we look forward to welcoming fans back to be a part of the experience,” Clay Campbell, President of Martinsville Speedway, stated in a press release. “The roar of the engines combined with the return of fans’ cheers will make the intense battle to set the field for the NASCAR championship that much greater. After successfully hosting a June NASCAR Cup Series race, Martinsville will be ready to welcome fans back for a safe race experience in the Commonwealth.”

All fans who attend the NASCAR races and watch from the grandstands throughout the weekend will be screened prior to entering, wear required face coverings and maintain six feet of social distancing throughout the facility. While coolers will not be permitted throughout the facility, clear bags up to 18″x18″x14″ in size will be permitted.

To ensure social distancing and the safety for all fans, those who have already purchased tickets to a race will be reseated in new locations as close to their original seating as possible and they will receive ticket pricing that is new and lowered.

All of these measurements will be implemented throughout Martinsville Speedway in accordance with public health officials and local, state and federal authorities.

Martinsville Speedway ran its first NASCAR Cup Series night race on June 10 with no fans in attendance. Now, the track joins a host of other venues that have hosted a limited number of fans throughout this season, including Homestead-Miami Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Road America, Daytona International Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

The upcoming Cup Playoff races at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Kansas Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway are also scheduled to host a limited number of fans.

The NASCAR Truck Series Playoff race at Martinsville Speedway will occur on Friday, October 30, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 while the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race at Martinsville will occur on Saturday, October 31, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Martinsville will occur on Sunday, November 1, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

October 8, 2020
Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 to reach 1,000 starts at the Roval

A significant milestone is in the making for Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 car in the NASCAR Cup Series, currently driven by two-time reigning series champion Kyle Busch. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s Cup event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the Bank of America Roval 400, the No. 18 car competing under the JGR banner will reach 1,000 starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

The No. 18 car serves as the first car fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR when the team made its debut in the 1992 Daytona 500 led by Washington Football Team head coach Joe Gibbs. By then, Interstate Batteries was sponsoring the car while Dale Jarrett, a second-generation competitor from Hickory, North Carolina, was serving as the team’s first competitor. Jarrett and the No. 18 team achieved two top-five results and eight top-10 results throughout the 29-race schedule before finishing the team’s first season in 19th place.

The following season, Jarrett and the No. 18 Interstate Batteries car opened the season in style by winning the season-opening Daytona 500 as Jarrett recorded the first NASCAR win for Joe Gibbs Racing. Jarrett went on to record a total of 13 top-five results and 18 top-10 results before he finished in fourth place in the final standings. In 1994, Jarrett won at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October and he notched four top-five results and nine top-10 results in 30 of the 31-race schedule, where he did not make the field at North Wilkesboro Speedway in October, before he concluded the season in 16th place in the final standings.

Following the 1994 season, Jarrett moved to Robert Yates Racing while Terry Labonte, the younger brother of the 1984 Cup champion Terry Labonte, took over as driver of JGR’s No. 18 Interstate Batteries car for the 1995 Cup season. Eleven races into the season, Labonte scored his first Cup career win in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May and he became the second competitor to win in NASCAR’s premier series for JGR. Ironically, JGR’s No. 18 car made its 100th Cup career start when Labonte won his first career race at Charlotte.

Ultimately, Labonte achieved two additional victories throughout the 1995 season: Michigan International Speedway in June and again at Michigan in August. He also achieved two poles, seven top-five results and 14 top-10 results before he concluded the season in 10th place in the final standings.

From 1996 to 1998, Labonte and the No. 18 team won a total of four races and racked up 25 top-five results and 50 top-10 results, with Labonte’s best final result in the standings being a sixth-place result in 1998. By then, JGR’s No. 18 car surpassed 200 Cup starts. After winning five races and concluding the 1999 season in second place in the final standings behind Jarrett, Labonte and the No. 18 team notched four victories, 19 top-five results and 24 top-10 results before claiming the 2000 NASCAR Cup championship by 265 points over Dale Earnhardt. The championship was a first for both Labonte and Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR.

In 2001, Labonte and the No. 18 team were unable to defend their title after winning only two races, recording 20 top-10 results and concluding the season in sixth place in the final standings. By then, JGR’s No. 18 car surpassed 300 Cup starts. The following season, Labonte and the No. 18 team recorded only one victory throughout the 36-race schedule before finishing the season in 16th place in the final standings. By then, Joe Gibbs Racing achieved its second Cup championship with Tony Stewart and the No. 20 Home Depot team.

In 2003, Labonte and the No. 18 team rallied by winning twice throughout the 36-race schedule and racking up four poles, 12 top-five results and 17 top-10 results before concluding the season in eighth place in the final standings. For the next two Cup seasons, however, Labonte and the No. 18 team went winless. They also achieved one pole, nine top-five results and 18 top-10 results, with Labonte’s best points result being 12th place in 2004. By then, JGR’s No. 18 car surpassed 400 Cup starts.

For the 2006 season, J.J. Yeley, a native from Phoenix, Arizona, and a former USAC competitor who competed for JGR as an Xfinity Series competitor, assumed driving responsibilities of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet while Bobby Labonte made the move to Petty Enterprises. In his first full Cup season in the No. 18 car, Yeley struggled on the track as he only achieved three top-10 results before he finished in 29th place in the final standings. Following the 2006 season, JGR’s No. 18 team reached 500 Cup career starts.

Yeley and the No. 18 team rebounded the following season by notching a second-place result in the 2007 Coca-Cola 600 in May, three top-10 results and a pole position at Michigan International Speedway in June before concluding the season in 21st place in the final standings. Following the 2007 season, Joe Gibbs Racing changed manufacturers from General Motors to Toyota.

In 2008, JGR welcomed Las Vegas, Nevada’s Kyle Busch as the newest driver of the No. 18 Toyota Camry sponsored by M&M’s/Mars Inc. and Interstate Batteries. It only took the first four races into the season until Busch achieved his first victory with the team at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. Busch’s win at Atlanta was historical with Toyota achieving its first victory in the Cup Series. Through the first 26 races of the season, Busch won eight races, recorded 17 top-10 results and led the standings for the majority of the season. When the 10-race Playoff stretch started, however, Busch struggled with on-track consistency and only notched four top-10 results before concluding the season in 10th place in the final standings.

Following the 2009 season, where Busch won four races and finished in 13th place in the final standings after missing the Playoffs, JGR’s No. 18 car surpassed 600 Cup starts. Busch and the No. 18 team went on to win a total of seven races from 2010 to 2011. At Texas Motor Speedway in November, Michael McDowell drove JGR’s No. 18 M&M’s Toyota after Busch was not allowed to compete in the Cup and Xfinity events at Texas throughout the weekend due to intentionally wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. in the Truck Series race at the track on Friday night.

After the 2012 season, where Busch won only once throughout the season and missed the Playoffs while JGR’s No. 18 car surpassed 700 Cup starts, Busch and the No. 18 team rallied in 2013 by winning four races before finishing in fourth place in the final standings. The fourth-place result in the 2013 standings marked the highest result for JGR’s No. 18 car in the standings since winning the 2000 championship. Busch and the No. 18 team went on to win only once and finish in 10th place in the 2014 final standings.

JGR’s No. 18 Toyota team started the 2015 season on a rocky note when Kyle Busch suffered a massive compound fracture on his right leg and fractured his left foot following a harrowing multi-car wreck in the Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway in February. The injuries prevented Busch from competing in the early portions of the season. As a result, the No. 18 car was piloted by two-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton, two-time Cup winner David Ragan and four-time Truck winner Erik Jones through the first 11 races of the season. Following the Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway in May, Busch made his return to racing the following week at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the All-Star Race. After finishing in sixth place in the All-Star Race, Busch finished in 11th place the following race, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. Ironically, Busch’s first points race of the 2015 season at Charlotte occurred as JGR’s No. 18 car made its 800th Cup start.

Though Busch completed his first points race of the 2015 Cup season at Charlotte, he needed a win and enough consistent runs to make the top-30 cutoff mark in the standings by September and when the regular-season stretch concluded before the 16-car Playoff field would be determined. Busch and the No. 18 team achieved their first goal of winning at Sonoma Raceway in June. After finishing 17th at Daytona the following event, Busch and the No. 18 team went on a three-race winning span. The four victories along with five additional top-10 results throughout the summer were more than for Busch and the No. 18 team to remain inside the top-30 mark in the standings and make the Playoffs.

Following a consistent run in the Playoffs, Busch and JGR’s No. 18 team were one of four driver/team pairings to make it all the way to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November and with an opportunity to win the 2015 Cup championship. During the finale, Busch led 41 laps and pulled away in a late shootout to win the finale and his first title in NASCAR’s premier series. With Busch becoming the first competitor since Richard Petty to win a Cup title despite not competing the entire season and recording the first Cup title for Toyota, JGR achieved its fourth Cup championship overall and its first since the 2005 season with Tony Stewart.

From 2016 to 2018, Busch and the No. 18 team achieved 17 wins. 53 top-five results and 75 top-10 results. In addition, Busch made the Championship Round in all three seasons, with a best result of second place in 2017 and finishing no lower than fourth place. Following the 2018 season, Busch surpassed 900 Cup career starts. He had also achieved a victory across every active track.

In 2019, Busch and the No. 18 team achieved five victories, 17 top-five results and 27 top-10 results throughout the 36-race schedule. By winning the season finale at Homestead in November as a title contender, Busch achieved his second Cup championship and he became the 16th competitor to win multiple titles in NASCAR’s premier series. In addition, Joe Gibbs Racing achieved its fifth Cup title, third with the No. 18 car.

This season, through 31 races, Busch and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota have recorded 12 top-five results and 17 top-10 results, though the driver and the team remain winless. Currently, Busch is in ninth place in the Playoff standings and is 21 points below the top-eight cutline to advance to the Round of 8 in the Playoffs.

Catch Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 milestone start in the Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

October 7, 2020
Suarez to reach 250 starts across NASCAR at the Roval

A significant milestone is in the making for Daniel Suarez, the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and driver of the No. 96 Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s Cup Series event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the Bank of America Roval 400, Suarez will reach 250 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

A native of Monterrey, Mexico, Suarez’s racing career started with karts, where he won two national karting championships in 2004 and 2008. He went on to compete and win races in mini-stock cars, a support series of the NASCAR Peak Mexico Series in 2008. Suarez’s early racing success led him to compete in the NASCAR Mexico Series in 2010, where he claimed the series Rookie-of-the-Year title and went on to achieve an abundant of on-track success and wins in the series along with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East through 2013 while alternating between racing in Mexico and the United States of America.

Following the 2013 season, Suarez achieved a total of five victories in the NASCAR Mexico Series with a best result of second place in 2012. He had also completed his first full-time season in the K&N Pro Series East with Rev Racing, where he achieved his first win at Ohio’s Columbus Motor Speedway before he concluded the season in third place in the final standings and all while being a NASCAR Drive for Diversity and Next member.

Suarez started the 2014 racing season by winning the first two K&N Pro Series East races of the season, the first at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway before backing it with a win at the UNOH Battle at the Beach around Daytona International Speedway’s mini oval backstretch course. He went on to record a total of four top-five results and seven top-10 results in 13 starts in the East Series. He also made his ARCA Racing Series at Kentucky Speedway with Venturini Motorsports in September, where he started third and finished fifth.

Two months after winning the UNOH Battle at the Beach, Suarez was selected by Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 20 Toyota Camry for the NASCAR Xfinity Series spring event at Richmond Raceway. Starting in 12th place, Suarez went on to finish in 19th place in his series debut. He made his second series start at Chicagoland Speedway in September. Driving the No. 29 ARRIS Toyota for RAB Racing, Suarez started 18th and notched a 15th-place result. He also made his NASCAR Truck Series debut at Talladega Superspeedway in October, where he started 17th and finished 15th while driving the No. 35 ARRIS Toyota Tundra for Win-Tron Racing.

Four months after making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Richmond, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Suarez will be competing in the series on a full-time basis in 2015. Driving the No. 18 ARRIS Toyota Camry led by crew chief Eric Phillips, Suarez recorded three poles, two Dash 4 Cash bonuses, eight top-five results, 18 top-10 results and an average result of 11.7 before he finished in fifth place in the final standings. He ended up claiming the Rookie-of-the-Year title over Bubba Wallace by virtue of one additional top-10 result. As a result, Suarez became the first Mexican and second Drive for Diversity competitor to achieve a rookie title in any of NASCAR’s three major division series. He also made 13 starts in the NASCAR Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports, where he achieved seven top-five results and 10 top-10 results. He also made four starts in the ARCA Series with Venturini Motorsports, where he recorded one pole, one top-five result and two top-10 results.

Suarez remained as a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing, piloting the No. 19 ARRIS Toyota Camry, and as a part-time competitor in the NASCAR Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2016. In 13 Truck starts, Suarez achieved his first career win at Phoenix Raceway in November and he also achieved one pole, three top-five results and six top-10 results. In the Xfinity Series and paired with crew chief Scott Graves, Suarez recorded 18 top-five results and 26 top-10 results through 32 of the 33-race schedule. By then, he also achieved his first two Xfinity career wins, the first at Michigan International Speedway in June and the second at Dover International Speedway during the inaugural Xfinity Playoffs in October. With his first win at Michigan, he became the first Mexican-born competitor to win within NASCAR’s three major division series. Suarez, ultimately, entered the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November as one of four competitors contending for the championship. During the finale, Suarez led a race-high 133 of 200 laps and went on to beat Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier and teammate Erik Jones in a two-lap shootout to win the finale and the 2016 Xfinity championship. With his accomplishment, Suarez became the first foreign-born/Latin American competitor to win a championship within NASCAR’s three major division series and he recorded the second Xfinity drivers’ title for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Following the sudden departure of Carl Edwards, Suarez was named a full-time competitor of the No. 19 ARRIS/Stanley Tools/Subway Toyota Camry for JGR for the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season, marking Suarez’s first opportunity in competing in NASCAR’s premier series. Suarez made his Daytona 500 debut in February, where he finished 29th after crashing out in the second half of the season. Three races later, he achieved his first top-10 result in the series by finishing in seventh place at Phoenix in March. He went on to achieve 11 additional top-10 results and a best result of third place at Watkins Glen International in August, where he also won a stage, for the remainder of the season. He also won the Monster Energy Open preliminary race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, where he transferred to his first All-Star Race appearance and went on to finish in 15th place of the 20-car field. When the season concluded, he finished in 20th place in the final standings and he ended up finishing in second place in the Cup Rookie-of-the-Year standings behind Erik Jones. Throughout the 2017 season, Suarez also made 14 starts in the Xfinity Series for JGR, where he achieved five top-five results and eight top-10 results. Following the 2017 season, Suarez surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

Suarez remained as driver of the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018. Throughout his sophomore season in the Cup Series, he achieved his first career pole position at Pocono Raceway in July and he went on to achieve a career-best second-place result during the main event following a late battle with teammate Kyle Busch. Another bright moment of Suarez’s 2018 Cup season occurred at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, where he won the second stage of the Monster Energy Open preliminary event, transferred to his second consecutive All-Star Race appearance and settled in second place following a late battle with Kevin Harvick. Suarez also achieved a total of 12 top-10 results and he concluded the season in 21st place in the final standings. He also made two Xfinity Series with JGR, where he finished in the top 10 in both races. Following the 2018 season, however, Suarez was released from JGR in favor of Martin Truex Jr.

A month before the 2019 season started, Suarez was named driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/ARRIS Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series season led by Billy Scott. He started the season on a low note by racking up his third consecutive DNF in the Daytona 500 after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. He rallied the following race at Atlanta Motor Speedway by finishing in 10th place. Four races later and following a three-race stretch of finishing no higher than 13th, he finished 10th at Martinsville before he recorded a strong third-place result at Texas Motor Speedway in April. Throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, Suarez achieved nine top-10 results and one pole position. His late consistent surge on the track was not enough, however, to make the 2019 Cup Playoffs after he finished in 11th place in the regular-season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and being beaten by Ryan Newman for the final spot to the Playoffs. It marked the third consecutive season where Suarez failed to make the Cup Playoff field as he has yet to do so. Nonetheless, he went on to achieve two additional top-10 results and finish the season in 17th place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 200 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series. Despite a productive junior season in the Cup circuit, Suarez was released from SHR in favor of Cole Custer.

A month before the 2020 season started, Suarez joined forces with Gaunt Brothers Racing to drive the 96 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Cup Series season. He started this season on a low note when he crashed out in the second Duel race at Daytona International Speedway in February and failed to make the Daytona 500. His first start with GBR was at Las Vegas Motor Speedway the following week, where he finished 30th after encountering mechanical issues at the start of the race.

Through 30 starts this season, Suarez has finished no higher than 18th place, which occurred twice at Bristol Motor Speedway in May and at Kansas Speedway in July. His average result is 26.4 and he is ranked in 31st place in the standings. While he has yet to achieve his first Cup Series win, he is set to drive for the newly formed Trackhouse Entertainment Group and in the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in 2021.

Catch Suarez’s milestone start in the Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

October 7, 2020
Hamlin to start on pole position at Charlotte Roval

Denny Hamlin will be starting on pole position for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the third annual Bank of America Roval 400 on Sunday, October 11.

The starting lineup was based on four stats: current owner’s standings, the driver’s results from a previous Cup race, the owner’s results from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race.

With that, Hamlin, who won last weekend’s Playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, was awarded the top starting spot for this weekend’s race at Charlotte, which serves as the third and final event in the Round of 12 of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. This will mark the third time this season where Hamlin will start on pole position as he is secured into the Round of 8 in the Playoffs following his victory at Talladega.

Chase Elliott, the reigning winner of the Charlotte Roval, will start alongside Hamlin on the front row. Brad Keselowski will start in third place followed by Kevin Harvick and Alex Bowman, who was revealed as the newest driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the 2021 season a day ago.

Austin Dillon, who currently sits 21 points below the top-eight cutline in the Playoff standings, will start in sixth place followed by Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch. Teammates Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola will line up in 11th and 12th.

Starting in positions 13-26 are William Byron, Erik Jones, Ryan Newman, Tyler Reddick, Ty Dillon, Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek, Matt DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher, Brennan Poole, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Blaney, Quin Houff and Bubba Wallace.

Starting in positions 27-38 are Timmy Hill, Cole Custer, Joey Gase, Jimmie Johnson, Michael McDowell, Corey LaJoie, J.J. Yeley, Daniel Suarez, Christopher Bell, Gray Gaulding, James Davison and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course will occur on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

October 7, 2020
Harvick, Keselowski, Truex and Logano remain above the cutline following eventful runs at Talladega

Following a long, eventful and controversial run of the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 4, there were two things that Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano all concurred on. The first was making the most of their long runs at Talladega despite being involved in separate incidents of their own and emerging with battered race cars. The second was setting their sights on next Sunday’s Playoff elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval with stable points cushions above the top-eight cutline as all four try to retain their titles hopes for this season.

For Harvick, he started in fifth place and led a total of two laps throughout the race, but he kept his No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang towards the rear of the field to avoid the carnage ensuing throughout the race. It was not until the race was sent into overtime where Harvick was in position to notch a strong result within the top 10 and place himself in a comfortable cushion for next weekend’s race at Charlotte. His conservative race went away during the first overtime attempt, however, when he was collected in a multi-car wreck. Despite the damage, he continued. Settling at the rear of the pack for a third overtime attempt, Harvick limped across the line in 22nd place, but he gained two spots to 20th place after Matt DiBenedetto and Chris Buescher were both penalized and demoted from top-10 runs due to double yellow line penalties.

With his 20th-place result, Harvick is 68 points above the top-eight cutline entering the second Playoff elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, thus giving him a stable cushion of transferring to the Round of 8 in the Playoffs.

“We tried to take care of our Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang most of the day and wound up starting fourth on one of the restarts toward the end and wound up part of the attrition for the day,” Harvick said on NBC. “Looking up and down pit road, it doesn’t look like there’s very many cars that don’t have damage. We need to try to run well just to put ourselves in a good position for next year since we’re gonna come back with the same rules package and things. Obviously, you want to run good. Winning the race would be great as well, so that’s always the goal.”

For Brad Keselowski, he started in seventh place and he led two laps early in the race while he contended towards the front of the pack. His race nearly took a turn for the worse when he was involved in a multi-car wreck on the frontstretch on Lap 109. With little damage reported to his No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang, Keselowski rallied and went on to lead four additional laps for the remainder of the race. He also racked up a bevy of stage points by finishing in the top five in both stages. Despite having a car in contention of winning while battling with his Penske teammates, he was involved in a late incident during the second overtime attempt after being hit by a spinning Bubba Wallace and he spun out on the final lap following contact with former teammate Tyler Reddick.

Despite being scored in 18th place on the final scoreboard and with a damaged No. 2 Ford, Keselowski is 41 points above the top-eight cutline entering next weekend’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

“I hope Tony Stewart is watching because he would be proud,” Keselowski said on NBC. “We wrecked every car in the field and I wrecked four times in somebody else’s mess. This rules package just has everybody so on top of each other. Runs are just so fast and everybody wants to block and the runs are too fast to block and causes a lot of wrecks, but we made it through somewhat okay, I guess. We finished 18th and scored a lot of stage points, got a decent points cushion going into the Roval, but that’s gonna be a madhouse because there are a lot of cars next week that are gonna need a big race. Hopefully, we just get through there with a solid day with the Discount Tire Ford and move on.”

Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

For Martin Truex Jr., who started in third place, the majority of Sunday’s race at Talladega went well for him as he led a total of six laps and won the second stage. Despite having a car to contend for the win in the final laps and while racing with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Truex’s race went away during the first overtime attempt when he was involved in a multi-car wreck along with teammate Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick. Though he lost two laps in the process of having the damage to his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry repaired, Truex was able to cross the finish line in 23rd place.

With his 23rd-place result, Truex is 32 points above the top-eight cutline entering next weekend’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, an event where he nearly won in 2018 until he was involved in a final lap altercation with Jimmie Johnson.

“It was textbook, as perfect as Talladega could go for us,” Truex said on NBC. “Just nowhere to go obviously in that last wreck. Proud of the effort, strong car. We wanted to get stage points and we got a stage win, that was a nice little bonus. Had fun up until the crash. Just wrong place, wrong time. Wish we could have ran until the end. We had a really fast Bass Pro Toyota…Go to the Roval and have some fun next week. I feel like we can go there and win. That’s what we’re gonna try to do.”

Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

For Logano, who started in eighth place, the majority of his run on Sunday at Talladega went very well as he led three laps and finished in second place in the first stage. In the second stage, however, he was assessed a penalty prior to the stage’s conclusion following contact with Matt DiBenedetto, where he forced DiBenedetto below the double yellow line on the backstretch. Despite the penalty, Logano muscled his way back to the front and kept himself in contention at the front as he led a race-high 45 laps. While Logano appeared to have a race-winning car established as he prevented runs from overtaking him on both lanes, his race went away during the first overtime attempt when he forced Chase Elliott below the double yellow line entering Turn 4, though Elliott was able to take the lead. Placed in a three-wide situation and getting shuffled back entering the tri-oval, Logano’s chances of winning all but evaporated when he was clipped by Kyle Busch and was involved in a multi-car wreck. Shortly after, Logano was informed that he was being penalized a second time for forcing Elliott below the double yellow line. Following a red flag period due to the wreck, however, Logano was unable to continue as he was pushed back to the garage by a wrecker.

Despite concluding his run in 26th place and with a DNF, Logano retains the eighth and final transfer spot to the Round of 8 by 21 points over Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon entering next weekend’s Playoff elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

“We had a lot of speed in our Shell/Pennzoil Mustang car,” Logano said in the infield care center on NBC. “It was fast and it was up towards the front the whole race, leading a lot of laps. We were right where we wanted to be at the end of the race and [Elliott] had a huge run. I probably shouldn’t have tried to block it. He was so fast and I lost a lot of momentum when I tried to block that, and that gave [William Byron] a big run and then I got in the middle and then I got in the soup and the next thing that happens is they all crashed, so it’s gonna be a tough week next week.”

Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Harvick, Keselowski, Truex and Logano, along with their fellow Cup Series competitors, will return for next weekend’s series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

October 5, 2020
Dillon and Bowman rally for top-15 runs at Talladega

If there were two competitors who experienced on-track trials and challenges throughout the recent NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 4, but persevered and made it to the finish for top-15 results, they were Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman.

Since the closing laps of the first stage through the final lap of the overall race at Talladega, Dillon and Bowman, both of whom are among the remaining 12 Playoff contenders in contention for this year’s championship battle, were surrounded by and even involved in carnages of their own. By refusing to retire and opting to nurse their patched-up cars to the finish, both enter next weekend’s Playoff elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval with a fighting chance of retaining their title hopes of this season and advancing into the Round of 8.

For Austin Dillon, who started in 12th place, his issues started on Lap 58 when he sustained damage in a multi-car wreck that involved a handful of Playoff contenders. Though Dillon sustained little damage to his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, he was able to settle in third place when the first stage concluded under caution as he collected a bevy of stage points. Moments after, however, he limped back to pit road in a cautious pace due to cutting a left-rear tire.

Despite recovering from his early issues and damage in the first stage, Dillon encountered issues again on Lap 109 when he made contact with Daniel Suarez in a midst of another multi-car pileup that involved Jimmie Johnson, Cole Custer, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch, who went for a wild ride in the air. Following repairs to his car, the Welcome, North Carolina, native went on to finish in 18th place in the second stage.

Prior to the final stage, however, Dillon took his No. 3 Chevrolet to the garage for further repairs needed. When he returned to the track, he was scored two laps behind the leaders. Over the next 60 laps, Dillon kept his car intact from further incidents and benefitted from two late incidents to return on the lead lap. During the second overtime restart, however, Dillon was involved in another multi-car incident involving Bubba Wallace. Though he spun his car in Turn 4, he was able to continue without any serious damage. In the midst of a wild conclusion to the race in a third overtime attempt, Dillon was able to cross the finish line in 14th place. With Matt DiBenedetto and Chris Buescher being penalized and sent further down the final scoreboard due to double yellow line penalties on the final lap, Dillon was credited with a 12th-place result.

Dillon’s 12th-place result marked his 19th top-15 result of this season as he also rebounded from a 32nd-place result in last weekend’s Playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With his result, Dillon is ranked in 10th place in the Playoff standings and is 21 points below the top-eight cutline to advance to the Playoff’s Round of 8. Being the lone Richard Childress Racing competitor in contention for this year’s Cup title, he will receive a final opportunity to race his way into the Round of 8 next Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and keep his title hopes alive.

“Just a never-give-up-attitude,” Dillon said on NBC. “Last week was a real bummer, but these guys kept fighting. We changed an oil cooler behind the wall and only lost two laps. Last week, we lost eight doing the belt, so this guys are special. They are true professionals. I gotta thank Bass Pro Shops, Dow, everybody that helps out with our program, Chevrolet. That was a lot of fun. We got our stage points in the first stage even with a little bit of damage. In the second stage, we just couldn’t keep up with the damage we had gotten, but to come back to 12th, this car is killed. I had a huge run down the backstretch at the end of the race. I pushed [Brennan] Poole way up there. Once I shoved him, I got to the bottom and then I don’t know what happened. [Keselowski] came across my nose and we lost a couple more spots at the end. It was fun. It was probably a wild race for the fans to watch. I hope that we can make something happen at the Roval. We’re a little too far back in points, but we’ll see what we can do.”

For Bowman, who started in fourth place, his issues also started on Lap 58. Unlike Dillon, Bowman sustained more damage to his No. 88 Truck Hero/Patriot Foundation Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE due to a multi-car accident occurring in front of him when he made contact with race leader and Playoff contender Aric Almirola while receiving a run and a push from Joey Logano. The wreck occurred as the Hendrick Motorsports driver from Tucson, Arizona, was having a strong run towards the front prior to the incident. While Almirola retired, Bowman was able to continue, though he was mired at the back of the pack and with a damaged race car. Through the first two stages, he was unable to work his way back into the top 10 and he failed to collect valuable stage points.

Throughout the race, nonetheless, Bowman was able to avoid sustaining more damage to his car through more incidents occurring towards the front of the pack as he slowly made his way back towards the front. With 45 laps remaining, he had worked his way back into second place behind Bubba Wallace. By then, he had pitted a total of 11 times and was still in contention for a potential win with a patched up front nose to his car. He eventually got shuffled back into the top 15 and despite making runs into the top 10, he never worked his way back towards the front.

Following a late pit stop due to a flat tire, Bowman dodged a number of late incidents and worked his way from being outside the top 20 on the track to restart and nurse his No. 88 Chevrolet across the finish line in 16th place following three overtime attempts. With Matt DiBenedetto and Chris Buescher being penalized and shuffled back due to double yellow line penalties on the final lap, Bowman was able to gain two spots on the track to settle in 14th place on the final scoreboard.

Bowman’s 14th-place run marked his 17th top-15 result of this season and coming off a fifth-place result last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Overall, Bowman made 16 trips to pit road, most due to repairs needed. With his result, Bowman is 22 points above the top-eight cutline entering next Sunday’s Playoff elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, an event where he has finished in the top five twice the previous two seasons.

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

“This group of guys worked their butts off on pit road – very thankful for their hard work,” Bowman said on NBC. “Our Truck Hero Camaro, with Patriot Foundation on the side of it, was not really where we wanted it be to start the race. We made some changes, got it better and then I became a Ford sandwich there getting off turn two. I got pushed into [Almirola] there – that was a bummer. If that was my fault, apologies to the 10. I felt like I got shoved into him, but it’s one of those deals you never want to be in that situation and crash somebody or cause a crash like that. So, bummed out about that. It was a really long day, lots of trips down pit road. We crashed like three times after that…Just glad we finished. We have a little bit of a buffer. We’re going into a wild card race, but should have a good week ahead of us.”

Dillon and Bowman, along with their fellow Cup Series competitors, will return for the next series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

October 5, 2020
Jones and Dillon notch season-best results following eventful runs at Talladega

While Denny Hamlin emerged victorious in a wild, eventful and controversial finish to the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 4, Erik Jones and Ty Dillon survived a late charge to the finish as both collected strong podium results while competing with uncertainty for next season.

Coming into Talladega, the site of the fifth NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race of this season, Jones’ goal was to receive another opportunity to win at a track where he nearly won at in April as the Byron, Michigan, native was entering the tri-oval with a run until late contact with eventual winner Ryan Blaney ended his bid for the victory.

Starting in 16th place in his No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry, Jones was able to carve his way to the front and link up with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. along with Toyota teammate Daniel Suarez in the draft. Battling towards the front, he was able to collect a handful of stage points following the first stage after finishing in fifth place while also leading a total of seven laps within the first stage.

Restarting in fourth place for the second stage, Jones went on to lead a total of six laps and continue to battle towards the front against competitors battling or not battling for the title in the Playoffs before he settled in 13th place. Lining up in third place prior to the final stage and with an opportunity to win, Jones remained in contention within the lead pack and with an opportunity to strike for the win.

During the race’s third overtime attempt to the finish, Jones was battling Chris Buescher, Matt DiBenedetto and William Byron for the lead and the win when he made contact with Buescher in Turns 3 and 4 while working together for the lead. Their contact allowed Jones’ teammate Denny Hamlin to make a bold move below the apron to pass both as he went on to battle and overtake DiBenedetto and Byron for the win. At the finish line, Jones was scored in third place, but with DiBenedetto being assessed a penalty for forcing Byron below the double yellow line, Jones was promoted into second place.

The runner-up result marked Jones’ eighth top-five result and best result since winning the 2019 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in September. The finish was much needed for Jones, who failed to make this year’s Playoffs and has yet to secure a ride for next season with the Michigan native set to depart Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 20 Toyota team following this season while Christopher Bell will replace him in 2021.

“[The race] was good,” Jones said. “Obviously, wish we could have won it there at the end. We had to throw a big block and got in the wall, but still came back and finished second there. Good day. The car was strong. The Sport Clips Camry had good speed and we led a lot of laps. Just didn’t totally play out at the end. You can’t ask for a lot more. We were there and coming to the line with a shot to win.”

“I’m still working for 2021,” Jones added. “There’s still some things I’m trying to work out and get locked in for next year. But, I don’t know that it really changes my hand at all with them, the teams that I’m in discussion with, I’ve been in discussion with for a while. I told teams in the last few month that I know I can do it. I’ve won a couple of these races and feel like we could’ve won more along with way and just haven’t had the things work out for us. I’ve enjoyed my time at JGR, but definitely wished we could’ve won more races along the way. This last month has been awesome. As a driver, you’re running strong, you’re running upfront, but I don’t know that it changes too much with what I’ve got going.”

For Ty Dillon, Sunday’s race at Talladega produced an opportunity for the Welcome, North Carolina, native to notch a strong result in a season where his highest finish through last weekend’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was 10th place, which occurred at Vegas in February.

Starting in 28th place, Dillon methodically worked his way to the front before he settled in 17th place when the first stage concluded. Throughout the second stage, Dillon worked his way up into the top 10 on the track. Running as high as fifth place near the Lap 100 mark, Dillon remained inside the top 10 throughout the run and he rallied from sustaining nose damage to the front of his No. 13 GEICO For Your RV Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to settle in ninth place when the second stage concluded.

Restarting in 13th place for the final stage, Dillon was scored in third place on Lap 148 while he continued to battle towards the front and inside the top 10 against a bevy of title and non-title contenders. Through three overtime attempts and entering Turns 3 and 4, Dillon was scored in sixth place while the top-five competitors duked it out with contact ensuing. At the finish line, Dillon streaked across in fourth place. With DiBenedetto being penalized from second place due to forcing Byron below the double yellow line, however, Dillon was promoted into third place on the final scoreboard in front of Byron and Chase Elliott.

The third-place result marked Dillon’s career-best result in his 157th start in NASCAR’s premier series and his first top-five result since finishing in fourth place at Daytona International Speedway in July. Like Jones, the result was much needed for Dillon, whose team, Germain Racing, will be ceasing operations due to sponsor GEICO opting to not remain with the team for next season and with the North Carolina native currently out of a ride for 2021.

Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“I’m so proud of the effort for Germain Racing and GEICO,” Dillon said. “We are all fighting for jobs next year, including myself, so that’s the foot you want to put forward at one of these races winding down. It’s been a great run with this team and hopefully we can all work together in the future. I knew it was going to be hard to push anybody in front of me with these noses having a little too much point, but our GEICO For Your RV Chevrolet had enough speed to hang in there. I fell back to sixth in line, but when they all started to get into each other, I knew my outlet was to the bottom to have a chance to win and that’s what we are here for. I stayed on the bottom to hopefully be in position to win low if something were to happen. But to finish third – my personal career-best Cup finish and Germain’s best Cup finish as a team – is something I’m really proud of. It was a fun day and a long day. Thanks to all the fans who came out today too. It was good to have them here with us. I’m just extremely grateful to GEICO and Bob Germain for everything they have done for me the last four years.”

“I absolutely want to be in the Cup Series,” Dillon added. “I feel like in the right situation over the right time, [I] can win races and be a championship contender. My time is not up here and I definitely have a lot to prove still. I’m starting to reach a pinnacle of my life physically and mentally as far as a Cup driver. I’m so eager for the next opportunity, but as far as the opportunity, I have nothing yet. Hopefully, this inspires some more talks and more sponsorship opportunity. It’s getting to a tough place in this sport where you have to bring money with you as far as sponsorship and a little bit goes a long way right now. If I have to take an opportunity to go down the Xfinity Series and try to win races there and reprove myself, I’ll absolutely take it. But, I’m a hungry driver right now and I want an opportunity next year to continue to prove what I can do and start fresh.”

Both Jones and Dillon, along with their fellow NASCAR Cup Series competitors, will return for the next scheduled race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 pm. ET on NBC.

October 5, 2020
NHRA announces multi-year agreement with Camping World

NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) announced Sunday afternoon a new multi-year contract with Marcus Lemonis’s brand Camping World, which will serve as the official title sponsor for NHRA.

The conversation started with talks on the social media platform Twitter a few weeks ago when the two brands began engaging with each other after Coca Cola’s early exit from the series.

Lemonis, CEO of Camping World, says he likes what he is seeing with NHRA.

“I look at NHRA and I see a growing and loyal fan base,” said Marcus Lemonis, chairman and CEO of Camping World. “NHRA recognizes the product it has in the sport of drag racing and its responsibility to serve its fans. We at Camping World look forward to this new relationship.”

2021 will mark a special year for both NHRA and Camping World, as NHRA will celebrate its 70th anniversary of the sports existence while Camping World sees their 55th year of operation.

NHRA President, Glen Cromwell, says Camping World has been a great addition to motorsports in recent years.

“Camping World has a strong history in motorsports, and we can’t wait to introduce them to the incredible action of NHRA’s 11,000-horsepower, 330-mph racing,” said NHRA President Glen Cromwell. “Our fans, drivers, teams and partners are thrilled about the potential of this relationship as we welcome Camping World as a partner and entitlement sponsor for the NHRA and its premier series.”

October 4, 2020