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  • Newman to make 750th start across NASCAR at Daytona

    Newman to make 750th start across NASCAR at Daytona

    A significant milestone is in the making for veteran Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 6 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, as he battles for a spot in this year’s Playoffs. When the green flag waves in the upcoming Cup race at Daytona International Speedway, Newman will achieve 750 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series (Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series).

    A native of South Bend, Indiana, who started his racing career in the United Midget Auto Racing Association and the All-American Midget Series before moving to USAC, Newman achieved three ARCA victories while driving for team owner Roger Penske in 2000 before he made his first NASCAR start at Phoenix in the Cup Series in November 2000. Driving the No. 02 Alltel Ford for Penske led by crew chief Matt Borland, Newman started 10th and finished 41st due to an engine failure.

    In 2001, while Newman was pursuing his B.S. degree in engineering at Purdue University, he competed in 15 Xfinity Series events and seven Cup Series events for Penske. In the Xfinity side, he achieved his first career win at Michigan International Speedway in August. He also earned six poles, two top-five results, eight top-10 results and an average result of 12.6. In the Cup side, he achieved his first career pole for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May. Despite a strong start, where he led the first 10 laps, he wrecked in Turn 3 the following lap and retired in last place of the 43-car field. Overall, he earned two top-five results, including a career-best runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway in September behind Jeff Gordon, in seven Cup starts.

    In 2002, Newman graduated to a full-time driving role for Penske and in the No. 12 Alltel Ford for Penske led by Borland. Through the first 11 races, Newman earned a pole and four top-10 results, including a second-place finish at Richmond in May. The following race, which was The Winston (All-Star Race) at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Newman was one of two competitors to transfer to the main event from The Winston Open after winning the No Bull 5 Sprint. In a five-lap shootout in the main event, Newman held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win The Winston and a total of $750,000. He became the first Cup competitor to win The Winston after transferring from the Open since Michael Waltrip made the last accomplishment in 1996 and the first to do so from the No Bull 5 Sprint. From the Coca-Cola 600 in May through Richmond in September, Newman earned 11 top-10 results and four runner-up finishes. The following race at New Hampshire, Newman achieved his first Cup career win in his 35th series start. For the final nine races of the 2002 season, Newman earned five six top-10 results and three poles before he concluded the season in sixth place in the final standings. In the end, Newman emerged as the Rookie-of-the-Year recipient over Jimmie Johnson with 14 top-five results and 22 top-10 results. His six poles were the most achieved by a rookie competitor.

    Newman started off the 2003 season on a rough note by flipping in the Daytona 500 in February following contact with Ken Schrader. It took until Texas Motor Speedway in April for Newman to achieve his first victory of the season and the second of his Cup career. The 2003 Cup season was an up-and-down season for the Indiana native. The pros to the season were the driver of the No. 12 Alltel/Penske Dodge achieving a season-high eight victories (winning at tracks like Dover, Chicagoland, Pocono, Michigan, Richmond and Kansas), 17 top-five results and 22 top-10 results. In addition, Newman earned a season-high 11 poles and was nicknamed “The Rocket Man” for his strong qualifying efforts and pole awards. The downside to Newman’s sophomore season was that he earned seven DNFs, including his flip at Daytona and after triggering a vicious 27-car wreck in the early laps at Talladega in April when he blew a tire in the middle of the pack, made hard contact against the Turn 1 outside wall and nearly flipped. He went on to conclude the season in sixth place in the final standings.

    Throughout the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series season, Newman won two races (Michigan in June and Dover in September) and recorded nine poles. He also earned 11 top-five results and 14 top-10 results as he was one of 10 competitors to make the inaugural postseason battle in the Cup Series. He concluded the season in seventh-place in the final standings. Prior to the conclusion of the 2004 season, Newman surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    In 2005, Newman remained as a full-time competitor of the No. 12 Alltel/Penske Dodge in the Cup Series while he also competed in nine Xfinity Series races in the No. 39 Alltel/Penske Dodge. Throughout the 2005 Cup season, he won only one race (New Hampshire in September) and he earned eight poles, eight top-five results and 16 top-10 results. In addition, he made the Playoffs and concluded the season in sixth place in the final standings for the third time in his career. In nine Xfinity starts, he won six races, including the season finale at Homestead while also winning at Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, Dover and Charlotte.

    In 2006, Newman remained as a full-time competitor of the No. 12 Alltel/Penske Dodge in the Cup Series while he also competed in six Xfinity races in the No. 39 Mobil 1/Alltel/Penske Dodge. The 2006 Cup season was a down season for the Indiana native, who went winless and only earned two poles, two top-five results and seven top-10 results. In addition, he missed the Playoffs and concluded the season in 18th place in the final standings. His best result in the Xfinity Series was a runner-up finish at Auto Club Speedway in February. Following 2006, Newman surpassed 200 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    Throughout the 2007 Cup season, Newman achieved five poles, seven top-five results and 15 top-10 results before he concluded the Cup season in 13th place. He also made eight Xfinity starts, where he earned two top-five results and three top-10 results. In 2008, Newman received a draft from teammate Kurt Busch to pass Tony Stewart on the final lap and win the 50th running of the Daytona 500. The victory was Newman’s 13th of his Cup career, it snapped his winless drought dating back to September 2005 and it was the first Daytona 500 win for team owner Roger Penske. Despite winning the 500, Newman only achieved one more top-five results, one pole and a total of eight top-10 results before he concluded the season in 17th place in the final standings. Throughout the season, he made two Xfinity starts (Watkins Glen in the No. 22 FitzBradshaw Racing and at Homestead in the No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc.). He also made his NASCAR Truck Series debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in October while driving the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado for KHI, which he won following a late battle with NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. To August 2020, Newman is one of 33 competitors to achieve a win across NASCAR’s three major division series. Following 2008, he also surpassed 300 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    Midway into the 2008 season, Newman announced his departure from Penske to drive for the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009. Driving the No. 39 U.S. Army/Haas Automation Chevrolet for SHR with support from crew chief Tony Gibson, Newman finished 36th in his first start with SHR. Though he did not record a victory, the 26-race regular-season stretch was a consistent run for Newman as he achieved 12 top-10 results and made the 2009 Playoffs along with teammate/owner Tony Stewart, which marked his first appearance in the Playoffs since 2005. At Talladega in October, he was involved in a harrowing accident in the closing laps when he was sent airborne and landed upside down on Kevin Harvick’s hood before he slid across and down the banking on his roof and flipped once before he came to rest on his roof. He was able to emerged uninjured. For the final 10 races, he earned three more top-10 results and concluded the season in ninth place in the final standings. Throughout the 2009 season, he made 10 Xfinity starts between the No. 33 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc., the No. 5 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports and the No. 1 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing. His best run was at Talladega in April, where he started on pole and was in prime position of winning before he was edged by David Ragan at the finish line. He also made two Truck starts in the No. 2 Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. as he finished in fourth place in both races.

    Through the first six races of the 2010 Cup season, Newman finished no higher than fourth place. The following race at Phoenix, Newman, sporting the Tornados Ruiz Foods colors on his car and racing on two fresh tires on a two-lap shootout, overtook Jeff Gordon for the lead and held off Gordon to win as he achieved his first victory since the 2008 Daytona 500 and his first with Stewart-Haas Racing. He also recorded the first victory for veteran crew chief Tony Gibson. Though he missed the Playoffs and concluded the season in 15th place in the final standings, Newman and the No. 39 Chevrolet team achieved 12 additional top-10 results and a pole. He also made 12 Xfinity starts, all with Phoenix Racing, and he earned seven top-10 results.

    Throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch of the 2011 Cup season, Newman won one race (New Hampshire in July) and earned 13 top-10 results as he made the Playoffs for the fourth time in his career. For the remaining 10 races of the season in the Playoffs, Newman recorded four additional top-10 results and concluded the season in 10th place in the final standings while Tony Stewart went on to win his third Cup championship. Newman also competed in one Xfinity event and one Truck event throughout 2011, both with Turner Motorsports. Following 2011, he surpassed 400 starts.

    After finishing in the top 10 in two of the first five Cup races in 2012, Newman, sporting the Outback Steakhouse colors on his No. 39 SHR Chevrolet, made a late pass for the at Martinsville Speedway in April following a restart collision that knocked out Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer, and he went on to win following a late battle with A.J. Allmendinger. Throughout the season, he earned six top-five results and 14 top-10 results before he concluded the season in 14th place in the standings while missing the Playoffs for the second time in the last four seasons. He also made one Xfinity start at Texas in November with Turner Motorsports, where he finished 19th.

    For the first 19 races of the 2013 Cup season, Newman earned eight top-10 results. The following race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his home track, he started off the weekend by achieving his 50th Cup career pole. On race day, he and crew chief Matt Borland opted for a two-tire pit stop in the closing laps to beat Jimmie Johnson and achieve his first victory of the season at Indianapolis in front of a home crowd. For the next five Cup races, Newman earned two additional top-five results. At Richmond in September, he took the lead late in the race and was in position of claiming a second victory and qualifying for the Playoffs when Clint Bowyer spun late in the race. Following an ensuing pit stop, where Newman exited in fifth place, he made his way up to third place, but he missed the Playoffs in a tiebreaker with Martin Truex Jr., Bowyer’s teammate. A few days later, however, Newman replaced Truex in the Playoffs along with Jeff Gordon after NASCAR determined that Bowyer’s spin was intentional in an effort for Truex to make the Playoffs and place two Michael Waltrip Racing cars in the postseason. He went on to achieve six additional top-10 results before he concluded the season in 11th place in the final standings. He also competed in the inaugural Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway, where he finished in third place. Following 2013, Newman surpassed 500 starts.

    After five seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing, Newman joined forces with Richard Childress Racing to drive the No. 31 Caterpillar/Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS led by crew chief Luke Lambert in 2014 while SHR expanded to a four-car operation as Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch joined the organization. He finished 22nd in his first start with RCR in the Daytona 500 and went on to achieve nine top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch to make the Playoffs. For the first eight races in the Playoffs, he earned five top-10 results. At Phoenix in November, Newman made a heroic bump and last lap pass on rookie Kyle Larson to finish in 11th place and earn a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead. At Homestead, he finished second on track and in the final standings to race winner and the champion Kevin Harvick. Overall, he earned five top-five results and 16 top-10 results in his first season with RCR and the runner-up result in the standings was his best in his 13th full-time season in the Cup Series.

    Throughout the 2015 and 2016 Cup seasons, Newman earned seven top-five results and 25 top-10 results while achieving a best points result of 11th place in 2015. He also made one Truck start at Kansas in May in the No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet, where he finished second. Following 2016, Newman surpassed 600 starts. In 2017, following the first three races, Newman and crew chief Luke Lambert gambled in the closing laps by remaining on track on old tires with the lead. In a two-lap shootout, Newman held off Larson to win his first Cup race since the 2013 Brickyard 400 and his first with RCR. He concluded the 2017 season with a total of seven top-five results, 13 top-10 results and a 16th-place result in the final standings along with his Phoenix win.

    After five seasons with Richard Childress Racing and coming off a disappointing 2018 season, where he only earned nine top-10 results and concluded the season in 17th place in the final standings, Newman moved to Roush Fenway Racing to pilot the iconic No. 6 Ford Mustang in the 2019 Cup Series season led by crew chief Scott Graves. Newman finished 14th in his first race with RFR in the Daytona 500 and he earned nine top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch to make the Playoffs. Following finishes of 10th, fifth and 32nd in the first round (three races) of the Playoffs, he was eliminated from title contention. He went on to earn three additional top-10 results and conclude the season in 15th place in the final standings. Following 2019, Newman surpassed 700 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

    This season, Newman started off 19th full-time season in the Cup Series on a harrowing note. He was in prime position of winning his second Daytona 500 entering the frontstretch until a bump from Blaney turned Newman’s No. 6 Ford across the track and into the outside wall, where he flipped upside down and was hit on the driver’s side by an oncoming Corey LaJoie. The impact launched Newman into the air and across the finish line in ninth place before he came to rest on his roof with oil leaking and flames bursting out of his car. Following the accident, Newman was transported to a local hospital in Florida, where he sustained serious but non life-threatening injuries. Nearly two days after his accident, Newman walked out of the hospital while holding the hands of his daughters. With Newman recovering from a head injury, Ross Chastain drove Newman’s No. 6 car in three races.

    In May, when NASCAR returned to on-track racing in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Newman was medically cleared to return to racing. He achieved a pair of top-15 results in his first two races back since his injuries at Darlington Raceway. He went on to earn six additional top-15 results in 22 starts through the first 25 Cup races of this season. He is currently ranked in 25th place in the regular-season standings, 245 points below the top-16 cutline, and is in a “must-win” scenario to make the 2020 Cup Playoffs.

    Catch Newman’s milestone start and final bid to make the 2020 Cup Playoffs at Daytona on Saturday, August 29, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Harvick awarded pole position for regular-season finale at Daytona

    Harvick awarded pole position for regular-season finale at Daytona

    Kevin Harvick, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season champion, will start on pole position in the Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, August 29.

    Harvick, who is coming off a dominating victory in the second of a Dover doubleheader weekend on August 22-23 and earned Ford’s 700th Cup career win, will lead the field to the green flag for the third time this season as this marks the second time he was awarded the Busch Pole Award based on NASCAR’s new competition-based formula weighing the field/starting lineup for an upcoming race on three statistical categories: the results from a previous Cup race, current positioning in the owner points standings and the fastest lap from a previous Cup race. At the conclusion of Saturday’s race at Daytona, the driver of the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing will officially be awarded the regular-season championship trophy and 15 bonus points towards the Playoffs as he pursues his second Cup title.

    Martin Truex Jr., who finished in second place in both Dover races last weekend, will start alongside Harvick on the front row as he continues to pursue his first Cup win at Daytona and on a superspeedway venue. Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski will start third and fourth while Aric Almirola, who clinched a spot in the Playoffs based on points last weekend, will round out the top-five starting grid.

    Hendrick teammates William Byron and Jimmie Johnson, both of whom are separated by four points for the final spot to the Playoffs, will occupy the third row and in sixth and seventh. Teammate Alex Bowman will start in eighth place while Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin, winner of the first Dover race last weekend, will start in the top 10. Brothers Kyle and Kurt Busch, both of whom clinched spots for the Playoffs based on points will start 11th and 13th while Austin Dillon will start in between the Busch brothers. Clint Bowyer and Matt DiBenedetto, both of whom occupy two of the final three vacant spots to the Playoffs entering Daytona, will start in 14th and 15th.

    Starting in positions 16-28 are rookie Cole Custer, Chris Buescher, rookie Tyler Reddick, Matt Kenseth, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Newman, rookie Christopher Bell, rookie John Hunter Nemechek, Corey LaJoie, Michael McDowell, Chase Elliott and Ryan Preece.

    Starting in positions 29-40 are Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., rookie Brennan Poole, J.J. Yeley, rookie Quin Houff, Timmy Hill, Ross Chastain, Joey Gase, James Davison, Josh Bilicki and veteran Brendan Gaughan.

    The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona, which will determine the 2020 Cup Playoff field, will occur on August 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Kaulig Racing to surpass 200 combined NASCAR Xfinity starts at Daytona

    Kaulig Racing to surpass 200 combined NASCAR Xfinity starts at Daytona

    For Kaulig Racing, Daytona International Speedway has and will always remain a special place for the team with many significant meanings. The team made its Cup and Xfinity Series debuts at Daytona, the team recorded three stage victories last season at Daytona and the team achieved its first top-10 result at Daytona. In addition, the 2.5-mile superspeedway venue in Daytona Beach, Florida, has always been a competitive place for the team in having their cars running towards the front. Above all, Daytona will always be known as the track where the team achieved its first career win and trophy in NASCAR last July. Now, at the same track where the team achieved its first of four current victories, Kaulig Racing is set to surpass a significant milestone start in their fifth season of NASCAR racing. When the team’s three-car lineup takes the green flag in this weekend’s race at Daytona under the lights, Kaulig Racing will surpass 200 starts in NASCAR.

    Prior to the 2016 season, Matt Kaulig, owner of LeafFilter Gutter Protection, decided to field a single-car team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Kaulig Racing, while forming an alliance with Richard Childress Racing. In addition, Matt Kaulig hired Blake Koch as driver of the team’s No. 11 Chevrolet Camaro sponsored by LeafFilter Gutter Protection while veteran Chris Rice also joined the team to serve as general manager and crew chief. In Kaulig’s first NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway in February, Koch achieved a ninth-place result after starting ninth. He finished no higher than 12th the following six races before he finished eighth at Richmond Raceway in April. Throughout the regular season, Koch earned 15 top-15 results and was one of 12 Xfinity competitors to make the inaugural Xfinity Playoffs. After finishing 11th, 14th and 12th through the first round of the Playoffs (three races), Koch was one of eight competitors to advance to the second round. He achieved results of ninth, 14th and eighth in the second round, but he failed to advance to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway by a narrow margin. He proceeded to finish 20th in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and he capped off Kaulig Racing’s first season in NASCAR competition with five top-10 results and in a successful seventh place in the final standings.

    Koch remained as driver of the No. 11 LeafFilter/Kaulig Racing Chevrolet for the 2017 Xfinity Series season. He started the season with a 15th-place result in the season opener at Daytona followed by a 40th-place result at Atlanta due to being involved in an early accident. From Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March through Richmond in April, he went on to earn five top-15 results. At Talladega Superspeedway in May, Koch earned his first career pole and the first for Kaulig Racing. He ended his race in 31st place, however, after being involved in a multi-car wreck prior to the start of the final stage. From Charlotte Motor Speedway in May through Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, Koch finished no higher than 13th before he achieved an eighth-place result the following race at Iowa Speedway. For the final seven races of the regular season, he earned six top-15 results and made his second consecutive appearance in the Xfinity Playoffs as a title contender. Throughout the regular season, he also achieved two stage wins (Daytona in July and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August). Compared to last season, however, Koch was eliminated from title contention following the first round (three races), where he finished 17th, 19th and 25th. He was able to achieve a sixth-place result in the penultimate event of the season at Phoenix in November before he finished 16th at the finale at Homestead. Overall, he concluded the season with five top-10 results and an 11th-place result in the final standings.

    In 2018, following the departure of Koch, Ryan Truex, who had also departed from Hattori Racing Enterprises following the 2017 NASCAR Truck Series season, was named as a full-time driver of the No. 11 Bar Harbor/Sea Watch International/Phantom Fireworks/LeafFilter Chevrolet led by Chris Rice. Truex started the season on a high note by finishing in seventh place in the season opener at Daytona and after having a late shot in winning the race. He went on to achieve seven consecutive top-15 results through Richmond Raceway in April and was ranked in seventh place in the regular-season standings. After finishing 38th the following race at Talladega due to being involved in an early accident, Truex and the No. 11 Chevrolet team finished in the top 15 from Dover International Speedway in May through Iowa Speedway in July. At the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August, Truex recorded the first top-five result for Kaulig Racing after finishing fifth. At Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September, Kaulig fielded a newly formed second operation, the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro, driven by the 2018 Daytona 500 Austin Dillon. Starting 32nd, Dillon finished eighth. Following Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September, Truex had earned three more top-15 results and he qualified for the Xfinity Playoffs based on points. During the first round (three races) of the Playoffs, however, Truex earned finishes of 11th, 16th and 10th, and was one of four competitors who was eliminated from title contention. Following the finale at Homestead, where Truex capped off the season with a 15th-place result, 11 top-10 results in total and a 12th-place result in the final standings, Kaulig Racing achieved 100 starts in NASCAR (all coming in the Xfinity Series).

    For the 2019 Xfinity Series season, Kaulig Racing parted ways with Truex and brought along Winamac, Indiana’s Justin Haley as a full-time driver of the No. 11 LeafFilter Chevrolet Camaro led by veteran crew chief Nick Harrison. In addition, Kaulig fielded the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro on a part-time basis and the ride was shared between Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, Elliott Sadler and A.J. Allmendinger. In addition, Nutrien Ag Solutions joined the team as a key partner alongside LeafFilter. During the season opener at Daytona, Haley and Chastain each won a stage before they finished 17th and 13th respectively. For the first 15 Xfinity races of the season, Haley recorded 11 top-10 results with a best finish of fifth place at Charlotte in May. In addition, Austin Dillon drove the No. 10 Chevrolet in three races while earning a best result of fourth place at Las Vegas in March. Chastain made two additional starts in the No. 10 car, earning a best result of eighth place at Chicagoland Speedway in June, and Sadler competed at Richmond, his home track, in April, where he finished 12th.

    For the next scheduled race at Daytona in July, Kaulig Racing fielded three cars, with Haley in the No. 11 LeafFilter Chevrolet, Allmendinger making his first of select starts in the No. 10 Cornerstone Produce Group Chevrolet and Chastain in the team’s newly formed No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet. Throughout the race, all three Kaulig cars were dominant as Chastain won the first stage while Allmendinger won the second. On the final lap, with Chastain and Haley running first and second approaching the finish line, Allmendinger made his way up to third place and all three Kaulig teammates streaked across the line to record the first NASCAR career win for the team as Chastain achieved his second series win at the World Center of Racing. The victory at Daytona came in Kaulig Racing’s 115th career race fielding race cars with a simple objective: win and deliver trophies for the team. Though Allmendinger was disqualified and stripped from his stage points and third-place result due to failing post-race technical inspection, the first- and second-place results for Chastain and Haley remained in effect.

    Following the victory, however, tragedy hit the team two races later. A day after the Xfinity event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July, Nick Harrison, Haley’s crew chief, died at age 37 due to suffering from multiple health issues. For the remainder of the season, new crew chiefs that included Alex Yontz, Lennie Chandler and Byron Daley filled in atop Kaulig Racing’s pit boxes and to lead its competitors on the track with Chris Rice also assisting the team’s efforts.

    For the remainder of the 2019 Xfinity season, Haley recorded eight additional top-10 results as he made the Playoffs before being eliminated following the first round and concluding the season in 12th place in the final standings. Allmendinger made four additional starts with Kaulig Racing, all coming in road course events in the No. 10 Chevrolet, where he recorded the second career win for the team and his first series victory since 2013 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in October. Chastain made two additional starts in Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 car towards the conclusion of the season, where he finished 10th at Kansas in October and second at Texas in November. Austin Dillon made an additional start at Indianapolis in September, where he finished 34th due to fuel pump issues. Finally, Sadler made his second start of the season along with his 855th and final NASCAR career start at Las Vegas in September, where he finished 10th.

    For this season, 2020, Kaulig Racing fielded two full-time operations and one part-time operation in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Chastain was named as full-time competitor of the No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro led by crew chief Bruce Schlicker, Haley remained as a full-time competitor of the No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro led by crew chief Alex Yontz and Allmendinger was named a part-time competitor of the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro sponsored by Ellsworth Advisors. In addition, Kaulig fielded the No. 16 Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE driven by Haley and led by Billy Scott throughout Daytona Speedweeks in an effort of making this year’s 62nd running of the Daytona 500.

    During the qualifying session on February 9 that determined the front row for the 500 and starting lineups for the Bluegreen Vacations Duel events on February 13, Haley was one of the two fastest non-chartered competitors along with veteran Brendan Gaughan to be guaranteed a starting spot for the Daytona 500 based on qualifying speed as he accomplished Matt Kaulig’s dream of competing in the Daytona 500 in the Cup Series. Starting in 33rd place in the 500, Haley rallied from being involved in a late incident to finish in 13th place.

    In the Xfinity Series, Kaulig Racing started off the year 2020 on a low note as Haley was the lone Kaulig competitor to compete in the season opener at Daytona, where he finished sixth. Chastain and Allmendinger, however, had mechanical issues to their respective Chevrolet Camaros and both recorded the slowest lap times that prevented them in making the 40-car field. Chastain was able to compete at Daytona in RSS Racing’s No. 38 Chevrolet Camaro when veteran Jeff Green relinquished his seat to allow Chastain to gain early points towards his full-time slate this season. Allmendinger, however, was unable to make the field in time for the race. Despite the slow start, Haley and Chastain went on to record top-10 results in the following four series races.

    Through the first seven races of the 2020 season, Haley and Chastain each achieved a total of five top-10 results. Allmendinger made his first series start at Bristol in June, where he rallied from a spin to finish 10th. At Atlanta Motor Speedway in June, with Kaulig Racing fielding three cars, Allmendinger won in the No. 16 Chevrolet after leading the final 37 laps and holding off Noah Gragson. The victory was Allmendinger’s fourth of his Xfinity Series career, first on an oval-shaped track and the third career win for Kaulig Racing. Two races later at Homestead, Allmendinger claimed the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus following a fourth-place run. The following race at Talladega, Haley received a draft from teammates Chastain and Allmendinger on the final lap to pass Jeb Burton and achieve his first Xfinity career victory in his 47th series start. To August 2020, Haley is one of 33 competitors to achieve a win across NASCAR’s three major division series as he also recorded the first win for sponsor LeafFilter. While Kaulig Racing achieved its second victory of the season and fourth overall, the team was also victorious as Chastain, who finished in second place, claimed the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus. Chastain would go on to win his second Dash 4 Cash bonus of the season at Pocono Raceway the following week after finishing second again.

    Through 21 Xfinity races this season, following a Dover doubleheader, Haley has achieved a win along with six top-five results and 13 top-10 results as he is also guaranteed a spot in this year’s Xfinity Playoffs based off of his victory at Talladega. Though he has no victories recorded thus far, Chastain has achieved nine top-five results and 18 top-10 results as he is ranked in fourth place in the regular-season standings and is 388 points above the top-12 cutline to make the Playoffs. Allmendinger has made seven starts this season and has achieved one victory at Atlanta, five top-five results and seven top-10 results. He is scheduled to make two more Xfinity starts this season.

    All three competitors are scheduled to compete in the upcoming Xfinity Series race at Daytona and surpass start No. 200 for a team that is in its early stages towards success in NASCAR.

    Catch Kaulig Racing’s milestone start at Daytona on Friday, August 28, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • A long, bizarre regular season is set to cap off at Daytona

    A long, bizarre regular season is set to cap off at Daytona

    It has been six months (28 weeks; over 190 days) since the drop of the first green flag of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, which occurred at Daytona International Speedway for the 62nd running of the Daytona 500. Since the start of the season in February through last weekend in the second half of August, a lot has happened both on and off the track.

    It has forced the competitors, teams and the sport to change its approach prior to and following a racing event in looking out for the social well-being of others while also continuing to be competitive towards one another for wins and points. Now, following a 25-race Cup regular-season stretch spanning seven months, it all comes to the final regular-season event of the season that will determine the 16 competitors who will contend in this year’s postseason battle for the championship and where it will all be determined…at Daytona.

    Flashback to February 16 and 17 when the Daytona 500 occurred; the season started off on a harrowing note when veteran Ryan Newman was involved in a vicious accident approaching the finish line while competing for the win as he rolled upside down and was rammed into the driver’s side by the on-rushing Corey LaJoie before he came to a rest on his roof with flames and fuel leaking out of his car. For nearly two days, the racing community froze while awaiting Newman’s status as he was extracted from his car and transported to a local hospital in Florida. Then came the photo and the clip of Newman walking and exiting the hospital holding the hands of his two daughters. For approximately a month, all seemed to return to normal and the 2020 racing season could resume with a lot of anticipation on the line.

    Then came the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March that changed everything. With a number of races postponed, all on-track activities wiped clean from the slate following the opening NASCAR races (four Cup, four Xfinity and two Truck races) and a season on a hiatus along with the rest of the world, NASCAR was faced with a challenge like none other in previous seasons. While the competitors turned to racing online and attended to personal matters for nearly two months, it was no secret that all were anxious to return to the race track and reignite their competitiveness since the start of the season.

    Then, like a spark igniting into flames, the season was back to on-track racing in May after NASCAR released its first installment of a revised schedule across the Carolinas followed by another wave across the East Coast. Following a triumphant return throughout May, which included a number of national division races run at Darlington Raceway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway, the season started to come into full swing and became salvageable with NASCAR racing slated on weekdays and multiple series competing twice or three times a day in a revised schedule featuring familiar racing venues. Additionally, doubleheader and triple-header series races on weekends turned into quadruple-header weekends or even went as high as featuring five major division races per weekend.

    Of course, with a season being salvaged, sacrifices to the schedule were made as tracks that include Chicagoland Speedway, Sonoma Raceway, Watkins Glen International, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Iowa Speedway, Eldora Speedway and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park cancelled their scheduled racing events this season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. New to this year’s Cup regular season amid the schedule changes include weekday races at tracks that include Darlington, Charlotte, Martinsville Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and at Kansas Speedway, the All-Star Race running at Bristol in July, a pair of doubleheader races at Michigan International Speedway and at Dover International Speedway to go along with a Pocono Raceway doubleheader near the end of June and the first stock car racing event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

    In the midst of a salvageable season and with races being checked off a handful at a time per week came a new weekly approach for the competitors and teams to piece together their cars and equipment in time for race day and race trim with no practice nor qualifying sessions held prior to the main event. It was not an easy task for the competitors and crew members as they also had to remain vigilant, healthy, strong and aware of their surroundings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with competitors like Jimmie Johnson, Austin Dillon, Brendan Gaughan and Spencer Davis being diagnosed with the disease at least once.

    In addition, throughout June, the NASCAR community paused for a moment of unity and solidarity towards the social justice movement and following a number of deaths and incidents involving racial injustices towards African Americans. This included the stance of solidarity against racism all competitors and teams exemplified at Talladega Superspeedway on June 22 towards Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE and NASCAR’s lone African-American competitor in the Cup Series, when a noose was discovered in Wallace’s garage stall prior to race day, though the FBI investigation concluded that Wallace was not a victim of a hate crime.

    One thing that remained unchanged since the on-track season resumed and amid the challenges across society was the competitiveness shared amongst the drivers and the teams towards one another while battling for wins, records/milestones, every point and every position as possible through every lap and every turn.

    Since the season resumed on May 17 at Darlington through last weekend’s doubleheader events at Dover International Speedway on August 22-23, NASCAR checked off 22 Cup races in 99 days (including the All-Star Race at Bristol). During the 99-day span and including the Xfinity Series and the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, NASCAR also checked off 50 races off of its revised schedule.

    Finally, with the Cup schedule back to its regular, unchanged weekend approach of racing and done from midweek racing and additional doubleheaders for the time being, this year’s regular season comes full circle with the final race prior to the Playoffs set to occur back at Daytona International Speedway. Already set to occur on Saturday, August 29, the regular-season finale at Daytona, though it can provide the unexpected, promises to be a thrilling one with the competitors on the bubble or on the outside of the Playoff cutline giving it their all to keep their championship hopes for this season alive. Following Daytona and the conclusion of a long regular season that includes the start in February, the 10-race stretch in the Playoffs will commence on September 6 back at Darlington Raceway for the Southern 500.

    Currently, 13 competitors have locked up spots for this year’s Playoffs (10 based on regular-season wins and three based on points) led by this year’s regular-season champion Kevin Harvick following a 25-race regular-season stretch. Teammate Clint Bowyer can potentially clinch a spot in the 2020 postseason should he record three or more stage points within the first two stages at Daytona or if he finishes 34th or better this upcoming Saturday. That leaves two spots up for grabs with Matt DiBenedetto and William Byron occupying the spots inside the cutline following Dover while others that include Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, rookie Tyler Reddick, rookie Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael McDowell and Ryan Newman are among others who have a final opportunity to win or point their way into the Playoffs should they also survive what promises to be an eventful run at the World Center of Racing in Daytona Beach, Florida.

    Catch the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona on August 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 223 of 311 laps to win the Drydene 311 at Dover.

    “It’s always cool to win at Dover,” Harvick said. “And the ‘Miles The Monster’ trophy is the best trophy in NASCAR. It’s also useful on lonely days. When I get lonely, I sit that trophy on the couch and pretend I’m having a conversation with Bruton Smith.

    “I clinched the regular season. The regular season doesn’t mean that much to me, but to old farts like Tony Stewart, ‘regular season’ means you’re on the toilet three times a day.

    2. Denny Hamlin: An unscheduled pit stop cost Hamlin any chance for completing the Dover weekend sweep. Instead, he finished 19th while the main rival Kevin Harvick took the win.

    “I had a loose wheel,” Hamlin said. “So, it appears the only thing ‘tight’ were the nerves of the crew member responsible. We can’t have crucial mistakes like that. Maybe that crew member should be cut loose.”

    3. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex finished second on Sunday at Dover, matching his Saturday result. He is fourth in the points standings, 196 behind Kevin Harvick.

    “I really wanted both those wins,” Truex said. “So to come up short both times is gut-wrenching. So, instead of the ‘Double-Dover,’ I’m ‘doubled over.’”

    4. Chase Elliott: Elliott started on the pole at Dover, but trouble struck early on lap six, when contact between Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. caused Elliott to hit the rear of Kyle Busch. Elliott finished 39th.

    “This season,” Elliott said, “it’s not often you find yourself behind Kyle Busch. Last year, when Kyle won the championship, many people found themselves behind him. Who else may have found themselves behind Kyle at other points in time? State troopers.”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano finished sixth at Dover, claiming his 13th top-10 of the year.

    “I caused major problems for other cars when I made contact with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.,” Logano said. “It was my mistake, so I take all the blame. And I have no problem taking all the blame when I’m at fault, on the one condition that punishment doesn’t come courtesy of Matt Kenseth.”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski came home eighth at Dover.

    “While we were racing at Dover,” Keselowski said, “the Indianapolis 500 was running at The Brickyard. Indy car speeds were approaching 240 miles per hour, so if its speed your comparing, Indy cars have our ‘milk.’”

    7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished 12th at Dover and is now seventh in the points standings, 203 out of first.

    “Erik Moses was named president of Nashville Speedway,” Blaney said. “He became the first black track president in NASCAR history. Many NASCAR fans honored the announcement by flying their Confederate flags upside down.”

    8. Aric Almirola: Almirola led 22 laps at Dover and finished seventh.

    “I clinched a spot in the championship playoffs,” Almirola said. “That’s an accomplishment. And that calls for a clenched fist. I’ll let those who haven’t clinched clench their sphincters.”

    9. Kyle Busch: Busch finished 11th at Dover and clinched a spot in the championship round.

    “I’m just glad I don’t have to go to Daytona to clinch a spot,” Busch said. “So, for probably the first time this year, you could say the No. 18 team is ‘locked in.’”

    10. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finished 16th at Dover.

    “I haven’t officially clinched a spot in the playoffs,” Bowyer said. “But it would take an act of God for me not to make the playoffs. So, I’m praying that God doesn’t act. I don’t know if that makes me a Christian or a heathen.”

  • Sato’s two 500 wins places him in legend status at Indy

    Sato’s two 500 wins places him in legend status at Indy

    It’s easy to establish Takuma Sato as a good, but not great NTT IndyCar Series driver. He came into the series in 2010 and floundered a little with KV Racing and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing at first. Sure, he earned the respect and admiration of us all in his valiant 2012 Indy 500 effort, attempting to pass eventual winner Dario Franchitti in the first turn of the last lap only to go full send into the wall. But he didn’t find Victory Lane until 2013’s Long Beach event driving for A.J. Foyt Racing.

    He didn’t win again until his brief stay at Andretti Autosport in 2017, when he claimed his first Indy 500, and the next season saw him back at RLL, where he’s finally flourished by winning four more times since. He’s steadily gotten better – not great, but better – and there’s a very real chance he could find himself in title contender territory before too long.

    In a sense, he’s like NASCAR’s Sterling Marlin in that he excels at certain places but has won elsewhere on occasion. However, Indy is to Sato what Daytona was to Marlin – a racetrack where he can truly shine.

    For starters, there’s the two victories in the 500, as well as the 2012 attempt. However, there’s also is spirited 2019 effort, where the results will show that he finished third behind Simon Pagenaud and Alexander Rossi. But what the cards won’t show initially is that a second pace-lap issue forced him to go a lap down, and at one point he was running in dead last. However not only was Sato able to get himself back on the lead lap, he even contended for the lead as late as lap 176 of the 200-lap event.

    These show that he’s acclimated well to the speedway no matter who he is driving for. However, there’s also the fact that not only is he the first non-Caucasian driver to win the 500 and multiple times to boot (one of only 20 drivers to do so), he’s the first driver from the continent of Asia to do so. His victories have been a great way to bring other ethnicities into the sport, and they help shine a positive light on the sport of IndyCar.

    There’s also the matter of how quickly Sato has taken to open wheel racing. On one hand, there’s 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon, who has been winning races and championships since before Sato burst onto the scene in 2010. Graham Rahal earned his first series win in 2008 at St. Petersburg. In contrast, Sato was a champion cyclist before beginning his Formula One career in 2002, with a lukewarm career there before racing full-time in IndyCar in 2010.

    None of these statistics place him in the same category as say, Dixon or Will Power, or for that matter even Rahal, Unser, Foyt, or even Mario Andretti territory. He’s far from that at this point in his career considering he only holds six IndyCar wins and a best points finish of eighth in 2017. But unlike Andretti, Dixon, or Power, Sato is a two-time Indy 500 champion. That puts him in an elite category of open wheel stars over the last 100+ years. Put that together with how much he’s matured over the last 10 years and the far-reaching effects of his wins in the 500, and it’s easy to see that there’s more that goes into a legend than just statistics.

    For all we know Sato may just continue to be a perennial challenger, occasionally making his way to Victory Lane here and there. He’s fearless behind the wheel, there’s no doubt about that. That hasn’t translated into great results, but a win is a win. Those stay in the record books for years to come. The effects of those wins? Those last longer and reach further. There’s no a shadow of a doubt that for the time being, Sato is definitely an Indy 500 legend.

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Dover

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Dover

    Dover International Speedway held two NASCAR Xfinity Series races this past weekend for a doubleheader weekend, with both races making up the originally postponed Spring and Fall events.

    Justin Allgaier ended up snapping a winless streak dating back to Phoenix of 2019 and with one of his best races of the season to date. Meanwhile, Chase Briscoe continued his hunt for eight wins that he set out at the beginning of the year, winning the Sunday event for his sixth victory of the year.

    But where did everyone else wind up?

    Here’s a look at this week’s Power Rankings following the Dover doubleheader.

    1. Chase Briscoe – After a forgettable Daytona Road Course race, Briscoe bounced back this weekend by placing 10th in Saturday’s race and leading 107 laps in Sunday’s race en route to victory. The Indiana native also won the second stage in Sunday’s race and gained substantial bonus points. Briscoe is solidly in the Playoffs and could very easily reach eight victories before the season is said and done.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
    2. Justin Allgaier – It’s been a whirlwind of a season for Allgaier, who has been up and down throughout the year with five DNFs. However, Allgaier had a solid weekend at the “Monster Mile” by winning Saturday’s race (finishing third in Stage 1 and winning Stage 2). In addition, he led 120 of 200 laps, the most out of any driver in the race. When Sunday rolled around, Allgaier looked to continue his winning ways. He managed stage finishes of second twice, led 19 laps, and ultimately gained his 12th top-10 finish of the season, finishing seventh. It was a bounce-back weekend for the JR Motorsports driver.

      Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
    3. Austin Cindric – A pair of top-five finishes for the No. 22 Penske team, finishing second and third respectively in both races. Cindric led a combined 50 laps, won Stage 1 in Saturday’s race, and managed stage finishes in the top-10 for Sunday. Despite his winning streak being broken this weekend, Cindric is still riding high after a mid-season momentum. After the Dover races, Cindric has earned 15 top-five finishes.

      Previous Week Ranking – First
    4. Noah Gragson – A respectable weekend in the No. 9 JR Motorsports camp, finishing fourth in Saturday’s race and sixth in the Sunday outing. The Las Vegas native was able to lead a combined effort of 38 laps. Gragson sits third in the points standings, 97 points behind championship points leader Cindric. Gragson could easily be a dark horse favorite for the championship if he continues to have consistent finishes. However, once the Playoffs begin consistent finishes won’t be enough to advance into the next rounds. Gragson will have to start winning again if he wants to be in the Championship Round at Phoenix.

      Previous Week Ranking – Second
    5. Riley Herbst – Herbst had an uneventful but consistent weekend with finishes of sixth and ninth. No laps were led but he brought home a clean No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Camry for his 12th top-10 of the season. It was a much needed finish after a few weeks of bad luck.

      Previous Week Ranking – Fourth

    Fell Out

    1. Brandon Jones – It was a mixed bag of results for Brandon Jones following the Dover weekend. Jones wound up 16th in Saturday’s outing but bounced back to a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s race. Despite quality stage finishes in Saturday’s race, Jones could only place seventh on Sunday.

      Previous Week Ranking – Third
  • 2020 Cup Playoff outlook after Dover doubleheader

    2020 Cup Playoff outlook after Dover doubleheader

    Following a 25-race regular-season stretch spanning seven months and a bizarre season highlighted with doubleheader races and midweek races to make up the lost time amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it all comes down to one regular-season race to determine the 16-car field to this year’s Cup Playoffs and the rest who will set their championship sights for next season. With Daytona International Speedway set to host the regular-season finale next weekend on Saturday, August 29, NASCAR is in for an all-out, competitive show of pack racing and every competitor giving it their all every lap for momentum or for a final push to the Playoffs.

    Two competitors that have momentum for this year’s Playoffs are Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin after both emerged victorious following both Dover Cup races. While Hamlin reignited his pursuit for his first Cup championship with a win on Saturday, Harvick knocked another one out of the park after claiming his seventh victory of the season and wrapping up the regular-season championship.

    Both Harvick and Hamlin remain as two of 10 Cup competitors to have already clinched a spot in the Playoffs based on winning throughout the regular season, a list that includes Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon and rookie Cole Custer.

    Following the Dover doubleheader races, however, 13 spots have been reserved for competitors involved in the Playoffs. The first to qualify based on points was Aric Almirola. Since June at Homestead-Miami Speedway, consistency was on Almirola’s side as his No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team logged in nine consecutive top-10 results all the way through early August at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Despite recording two top-10 results during the previous five races, including both Dover races, the seventh-place result at the Monster Mile on Sunday was enough for the Floridian to qualify for the postseason after being 112 points above the top-16 cutline. With that, Almirola will make his fourth career appearance in the Playoffs as a championship contender.

    “Great job from everyone on bouncing back today,” Almirola said. “I need to do better, we all need to do better, and we just need to keep grinding with the playoffs coming up. We didn’t have a clean race today again and still found ourselves leading laps and running in and around the top-five. Our goal when we started the season was to make Daytona not matter before the playoffs and we accomplished that goal by clinching our spot in the playoffs today. Looking forward to heading there with no pressure and racing one last time for that regular-season win.”

    In what has been a roller coaster season a year after winning his second Cup championship, Kyle Busch capped off an up-and-down weekend at Dover by securing his spot to the Playoffs with a 91-point cushion above the top 16 in the standings. Since the green flag waved in February at Daytona International Speedway, the majority of the regular season has been filled with near misses and disappointment for Busch and his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team. Despite scoring 11 top-five results and 13 top-10 results, the Las Vegas native sustained eight finishes outside the top 20 throughout the regular season as he struggled in claiming his first victory of the season. With no additional winners throughout the regular season, however, Busch was able to maintain his place inside the top-16 cutline and will now set his sights towards the Playoffs with an opportunity to defend his series title.

    “It was a long day with our Interstate Batteries Camry,” Kyle Busch said. “We worked on the car overnight and wanted to improve on yesterday’s finish. Got run into the back of near the beginning, and I’m not sure what exactly that did to our car. We just couldn’t quite get it handling like we wanted to or even like it did yesterday. We just kept fighting all day and did the best with what we had.”

    Like brother Kyle, Kurt Busch has had an up-and-down regular season mired with four top-five results and 14 top-10 results with his last victory still dating back to last July at Kentucky Speedway. With consistency being key to his season, nonetheless, the Las Vegas native and his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team were able to make the Playoffs with a 72-point cushion as Busch will receive an opportunity to win his first Cup title since 2004.

    “We have been consistent in our hunt for the playoffs all season,” Kurt Busch said. “With today‘s finish, not what we hoped for, but we locked-in! I’m proud of everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing. Teamwork is what it’s all about.”

    Despite an up-and-down weekend at Dover, Clint Bowyer remains in prime position of making his ninth career appearance in the Playoffs. In a season filled with two top-five results and seven top-10 results, all with new crew chief Johnny Klausmeier, Bowyer can clinch his spot for the Cup Playoffs early should he collect enough stage points within the first stage of next weekend’s race at Daytona.

    “Overall, a good weekend,” Bowyer said. “Good day yesterday, had a decent day going today doing what we needed to and had a little hiccup with left front on the last stop. We’ll have to wait until next week to lock us in the playoffs.”

    If there was one competitor left grinding his gears following a pair of Cup Dover races, it was Matt DiBenedetto. After finishing 20th on Saturday at the Monster Mile, DiBenedetto started on pole position on Sunday and received an opportunity to collect more points and build on his cushion towards the top-16 cutline. Despite a strong start, where he led the first 11 laps, he ended his race in 17th place when the checkered flag flew. DiBenedetto’s 21st top-20 result of this season left him with only a nine-point cushion approaching next weekend’s race at Daytona.

    “Dover killed us,” DiBenedetto said. “We were pretty horrendous both days. I just tried to make the most of it that we could and it just wasn’t much. It was the perfect storm of really losing a lot of points and having a rough weekend. Going to Daytona. I hate to be negative but if we were going somewhere else I would feel better about it because we have been pretty strong at most tracks aside from here. I have struggled here. Going to Daytona and the Ford’s are strong but I have ended up at the infield care center the last two years there. We keep getting caught up in everyones mess. I am going to sit and hope and pray all week that we can just come out of there clean and make the playoffs. We shouldn’t be this close to the bubble. It is frustrating. A couple weeks messed us up. Getting wiped out at Texas and Kansas and then really hurt us points wise and then we come here and really hurt ourselves here. It has been a tough go of circumstances and going to Daytona is going to make it quite an uncomfortable week.”

    In the battle for the 16th and final spot to the Playoffs, four points separate Hendrick Motorsports’ drivers William Byron and Jimmie Johnson with Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team ahead of Johnson and the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team.

    While Johnson remains in prime position of pointing his way in, Erik Jones’ hopes of making this year’s Playoffs took another hit following two results outside the top 10 at the Monster Mile. In a season highlighted with five top-five results, eight top-10 results and with his future uncertain, Jones’ results of 12th and 22nd have the Byron, Michigan, native trailing the cutline by 50 points entering Daytona.

    Another competitor who will likely need to win at Daytona next weekend to make the Playoffs is rookie Tyler Reddick. Despite recording two top-five results and seven top-10 results throughout the regular season, having no victories logged in have left the Californian and the reigning two-time Xfinity Series champion behind in points. Following results of 13th and 18th at Dover, Reddick trails the cutline by 69 points.

    “We started off with our No. 8 Cat App Chevrolet a lot better than yesterday,” Reddick said. “I was able to roll through the turns a lot smoother and just needed a bit more rear security. I thought maybe that issue would be cleared up as the track began to rubber up, but it just never tightened up quite as much as I needed it to. The adjustments that my crew chief, Randall Burnett, and the team made through Stage 1 and 2 helped fight that looseness, but I still needed even more stability to really carry speed into the corner like I needed to. At the end of Stage 2, we took a big swing on our adjustments, which did help solve the rear security issue, but took it almost to the other extreme and made it too tight to turn. The day didn’t go how we wanted it to, but I’m proud of our team. No one gave up, and we worked hard all race long. This isn’t over for us yet. We still have one more chance to make the Playoffs at Daytona International Speedway, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

    The rest of the competitors who trail by 176 or more points and will need a win or a miracle at Daytona next weekend to qualify for the Playoffs include rookie Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael McDowell, Ryan Newman, rookie John Hunter Nemechek, Ty Dillon, Matt Kenseth, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece, Daniel Suarez, rookie Brennan Poole and rookie Quin Houff.

    The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series regular season and the battle for the final spots to the Playoffs will wrap up next weekend on August 29 at Daytona International Speedway, which will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Byron and Johnson separated by four points for the final Playoff spot following Dover doubleheader

    Byron and Johnson separated by four points for the final Playoff spot following Dover doubleheader

    One race. Four points. That is all that will determine whether William Byron will have an opportunity to qualify for his second Cup postseason appearance of if teammate Jimmie Johnson will return to the Playoffs and receive one final opportunity to win his record-setting eighth Cup championship in his swan song season.

    Following an eventful doubleheader weekend at Dover International Speedway, it was a tale of two stories for both Hendrick Motorsports’ teammates that have both competitors closer to one another for a spot in the 2020 Cup Playoffs and leaving one another to ponder which one of the two would make it in or if both could race their way inside the cutline following next weekend’s regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway.

    Prior to the Dover doubleheader, 25 points separated both competitors with Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet team ahead of Johnson and the No. 48 Chevrolet team. On Saturday, August 22, the tables turned as Byron struggled with the handling of his race car and came home a disappointing 28th-place, four laps behind the leaders. Johnson, on the other hand, had a strong run at one of his strongest tracks as he collected a handful of stage points following both stages and finished in seventh place. By then, he was back inside the top-16 cutline to the Playoffs by three points over Byron.

    On Sunday, August 23, it was game on between both HMS teammates as Johnson aimed to repeat his strong run on Saturday while Byron was seeking redemption to what has been an up-and-down season. With both starting outside the top 10, both made their way within the top-10 running order. On this occasion, it was Byron who came out on the upper hand as he finished in third place in the first stage while Johnson was back in eighth place. In the second stage and around the Lap 100 mark, Johnson’s race and Playoffs hopes seemed to have evaporated when he was caught speeding on pit road and was sent to the rear. Despite the misfortune, Johnson benefitted on a long green flag run to finish ninth in the second stage. The only problem was that Byron finished sixth and gained a handful more points on Johnson.

    Throughout the final stage, Byron methodically worked his way into the top five with Johnson trailing behind him. With approximately 25 laps remaining, a late caution flew and both competitors pitted for the final time along with the rest of the leaders. During the pit stops, however, Johnson and crew chief Cliff Daniels opted for a two-tire pit stop to emerge with the lead. Byron, who opted for a four-tire pit stop along with crew chief Chad Knaus, exited and was lined up in sixth place with less than 20 laps remaining in the race. When the race restarted under green, Johnson was ahead for three turns until he was overtaken by the eventual winner Kevin Harvick. After losing the runner-up spot to Truex, Johnson was riding in third place on two fresh tires just ahead of Byron and teammate Alex Bowman. When the checkered flag waved, Johnson was able to finish in third place for his fourth top-five result of this season while Byron ended up in fourth place and notched his first top-five result of this season.

    Including the stage points both received along with their top-five results, Byron reassumed the 16th and final transfer spot to the Playoffs by four points over Johnson with three spots to the Playoffs still vacant and only one race left to determine the 16 competitors who will compete for this year’s Cup championship and who will be among the rest who will be eliminated early from title contention.

    For Byron, the fourth-place on Sunday left the Charlotte native pleased with his run as he looks to turn his regular season filled with up-and-down results into good fortune throughout the Playoffs as a title contender for himself, Chad Knaus and the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team. Ironically, Chad Knaus is still the only crew chief to qualify for every Playoffs since its inception in 2004.

    “It’s like a completely different race car, completely different race for us [Sunday than Saturday],” Byron said on NBCSN. “We had the car doing the things we wanted it to do on most runs. It just felt good out there. I knew at the beginning of the race we were kind of keeping pace with [Truex] and [Hamlin] back in the pack. We made a few passes. As soon as we got the track position, we were staying up there. I think we were a little bit behind ‘cause we really didn’t have any notebook from yesterday. We wholesaled the car. I think if we had another race at it [at Dover], we probably could’ve done a little bit better. Overall, this is good for our AXALTA team. Going to Daytona, where it’s gonna be just insane. I don’t think you can really points race. You’re just gonna have to hope that things fall your way and be aggressive.”

    “It’s good to be on the good side [in the Playoff standings], I guess,” Byron added. “What’s better is that there’s two to three guys within reach, or one guy within reach, really. Really two spot up for grabs. I hope Jimmie and I can both get those spots next week. Just happy with what we did overnight. Go from four laps down to finish in the top five is something to be said. That’s definitely a lot better.”

    For Johnson, it ended being a pair of top-10 runs in his final two runs at Dover (38 overall) at a track where he has achieved 11 victories and has had a bevy of success since his rookie Cup season. While he was both pleased and disappointed with his results, he realizes the task at hand next weekend and vows to give it all to make his final Playoffs appearance as a championship contender for himself, Cliff Daniels and the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team.

    “I actually had a little bit of hope, thinking that [the two-tire stop] would work, thinking clean air would be so important and we were still fast the run before,” Johnson said on NBCSN. “There were a lot of laps on those left-side tires. It just didn’t pan out, but I really appreciate Cliff’s courage to bet on me and give me a shot. We certainly improved our finish where we were running. All in all, a great call. Very proud of this Ally Chevrolet and everybody on this Ally team and all the hard work they’re putting in. I’m good with [the third-place result]. I want more. I know I’m capable of more and I know this team is. That’s our mission. I’m not gone forever. Just trying to slow down a little bit. I’ll be holding a steering wheel for years to come and it’s all about trying to win races.”

    “I’m gonna do my best to forget about [making the Playoffs],” Johnson added. “There really isn’t any worrying that I can do this week to help me on a plate track. Studying, worrying, any of that’s not gonna make a difference. [We’ll] Go down there [at Daytona], say a few prayers, maybe say a prayer per lap and see how that plays out, I guess. We’ll race hard and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

    Byron and Johnson, along with their fellow competitors, will return next weekend for the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway on August 29, which will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Takuma Sato takes two in Indy 500

    Takuma Sato takes two in Indy 500

    Three years removed from his first Indianapolis 500 win, Takuma Sato and Rahal Letterman Lanigan had hopes of repeating that same victory of what was an unusual Indy 500. Sato was the least talked about heading into Sunday’s race. Most of the talk was centered around last year’s race winner Simon Pagenaud who was looking to repeat, and famous racing star Marco Andretti who qualified on the pole breaking a streak of 30 plus years since the last time an Andretti was on the front row.

    There was one driver that Sato had to beat late in the going and that was New Zealander Scott Dixon, who in the latter stages of the race had the fastest car of anyone. Sato made his move after the last round of green flag pit stops, and passed Dixon on the front straightaway with 15 to go. From there, all he had to do was hold the Chip Ganassi Racing driver off, and make sure there were no mistakes. Despite lap traffic in the way, Sato held the lead for those final 15 laps in what would be his second Indianapolis 500 victory.

    “Obviously, we pitted (a lap) short from (Scott Dixon) Dixie,” Sato said. “The fuel strategy was a bit tight. I saw Scott was coming right through out of Turn 4, and he was screaming coming at me. And I just held him off. Thank you so much.” About winning at age 43, he said, “This was the entire Rahal Letterman Lanigan team. HPD and Honda gave us a lot of power, a lot of fuel mileage, and my boys. They sacrifice a lot. I can’t thank all of the people.”

    The 2020 Indy 500 will be one to remember for a very long time. This was the first time in years that the event was held with no fans due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, Roger Penske (Owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NTT IndyCar Series) had hoped the speedway would host a 50% capacity. However, as the event drew closer, the number dwindled to 25%, and eventually, Mr. Penske was forced to run the race without fans due to Indiana’s state regulations regarding the virus.

    Nonetheless, the Indy 500 carried on and as usual was an exciting 200-lap event.

    Pole sitter Marco Andretti started out front but was quickly passed by Scott Dixon in his No. 9 DHL Honda machine. Dixon was looking for his second Indy 500 victory. There was some tight action on the very first lap as well. Ed Carpenter in his own No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing entry made contact with the Turn 1 wall. Carpenter would have to come down pit road for service and fix the front wing due to a potentially broken a-arm.

    Not too long after the incident, the first yellow flag would fly for James Davison in the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing vehicle. Davison’s right-front tire exploded on the backstretch, causing him to slow dramatically and eventually, his right-front would catch on fire. Fortunately for Davison, he exited out of the car under his own power, but was out early and credited with a last-place finish. Under the caution, multiple drivers were already using differing pit strategies. Will Power, Simon Pagenaud, Charlie Kimball, Fernando Alonso, Helio Castroneves, Sage Karam and Max Chilton, among a few others, made a pit stop.

    Back up front, Dixon led the field to the Lap 12 restart and there was a 13 lap green-flag run before the second caution flew on Lap 25. Marcus Ericsson’s No. 8 entry got loose going into Turn 1 and hit one of the SAFER barriers. Like Davison, Ericsson’s race was done early, and he would wind up finishing 32nd in the running order. During that same yellow, the leaders, including Dixon, made their first pit stop of the race. By doing so, this put the drivers who made a pit stop earlier up front. Meaning, rookie of the year contender Oliver Askew was the leader. But, Pagenaud took the top spot and led until his second stop on Lap 45.

    While Pagenaud pitted, Dixon cycled into the lead again and was out in front of Alexander Rossi by less than a second.

    The race seemed as though it would enter a long green-flag run, running approximately 52 laps. Pit stops also took place during that run and almost every driver was on a different type of strategy. However, Dixon continued to set the pace, even after his stop. Before the caution flag on Lap 83, Sato saw his first moments near the leader as Dixon led him by a whopping margin of 11 seconds.

    As mentioned, the yellow on Lap 83 slowed things down a bit, and Dalton Kellett in the No. 41 made contact with the Turn 3 wall. There was also a scary incident between Conor Daly and rookie Oliver Askew that ensued at Lap 92 off the restart. Daly’s car hit the concrete off Turn 4 which made him spin out and damage his No. 47 vehicle. Then Askew took a hard hit on the inside pit lane wall just before the entry off pit road. Despite the hard hit, both drivers were uninjured after the incident. Even so, Askew mentioned in his interview to NBC, that ‘he was a little shaken up from the crash.’

    Then from Lap 106 to Lap 122, an exciting battle for the lead ensued between competitors Rossi and Dixon. The pair of drivers swapped the lead multiple times on each of those laps. Dixon would fall behind Rossi to save fuel in second, while Rossi led the race. The two drivers used the same strategy back and forth until a yellow on Lap 122. The caution was for another rookie Alex Palou. The Spanish native made contact with a SAFER barrier by the end of Turn 1. Palou’s No. 55 received right-side damage and unable to continue the race.

    Meanwhile, things heated up on pit road that impacted Indy 500 winner Sato. Rossi’s Andretti AutoSport entry had an unsafe release and he slightly hit Sato’s car when leaving his pit box. Two other drivers also had issues with the same move, as Ferrucci and Herta had contact with each other as well. Unfortunately for Rossi, he received a penalty from IndyCar Series officials for that unsafe release and was sent to the back of the field.

    On the initial restart, Rossi passed five cars but his momentum and efforts were crushed on Lap 144 when his No. 27 NAPA AutoParts Honda got loose off Turn 2 and hit the backstretch wall. Rossi would be scored out of the race and credited with a 27th place finishing position.

    After the yellow, Sato passed Dixon on Lap 160, a few laps before he made his final green flag pit stop. Sato happened to make his pit stop one lap earlier then Dixon and while Sato had a clean stop, Dixon had a somewhat slow pit stop, which allowed Sato to close in on the back straightaway.

    With Dixon trying to hold off Sato when the laps started to wind down, leaders Zach Veach and Max Chilton were hoping for a caution that would have favored them. Unfortunately, they had to make a pit stop, giving the top two spots to Dixon and Sato. Once Veach pitted, Sato inherited the lead and just had to focus on his race pace.

    There were a few last chance hopes though for Dixon when lap traffic started to get in the way. But, once Sato cleared them he checked out by 1.1 seconds. With four laps to go, Sato’s winning moment came as his teammate Spencer Pigot, unfortunately, hit the tire barriers prior to entering pit road. There were not enough laps or time for IndyCar to display the red flag and therefore, Sato won his second Indy 500 under yellow flag conditions.

    The Japanese driver became the sixth oldest driver to win at 43-years, six months, and 26 days old. In addition, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing achieved their second Indy 500 victory as well. Sato became the 20th different driver to have two race wins of the Indy 500.

    Dixon finished second for the third time in his first Indy 500 outing since 2012.

    “This is a hard one to swallow,” Dixon said. “On fuel mileage, I really can’t see how they were going to make it. We pitted a lap later, and the numbers they had to get, it was going to be very difficult. I thought they were going to throw a red flag, which would have been interesting for the last four or five laps. Huge congrats to Sato. He drove his pants off today. Rahal Letterman Lanigan, they were super fast, obviously 1-3. A good day for Honda. A massive thank you. Proud to be powered by HPD and Honda, and it’s nice to get some points. But it’s hard when it slips away like that.”

    A few other notables, Pigot was transported to a local hospital, and was awake and alert.

    Pato O’ Ward earned the Rookie of the Race award by being the highest finishing rookie placing sixth.

    There were seven cautions for 52 laps and 21 lead changes among 11 different leaders. Sato led twice for 27 laps en route to his sixth career NTT IndyCar Series victory.

    Official Results following the 2020 Indy 500.

    1. Takuma Sato, led 27 laps
    2. Scott Dixon, led 111 laps
    3. Graham Rahal
    4. Santino Ferrccui, led one lap
    5. Josef Newgarden
    6. Pato O’Ward
    7. James Hinchcliffe, led one lap
    8. Colton Herta, led one lap
    9. Jack Harvey
    10. Ryan Hunter-Reay
    11. Helio Castroneves
    12. Felix Rosenqvist, led eight laps
    13. Marco Andretti
    14. Will Power, led two laps
    15. Zach Veach, led 14 laps
    16. JR Hildebrand
    17. Max Chilton
    18. Charlie Kimball
    19. Tony Kanaan, 1 lap down
    20. Rinus VeeKay, 1 lap down
    21. Fernando Alonso, 1 lap down
    22. Simon Pagenaud, 2 laps down, led 14 laps
    23. Ben Hanley 2 laps down
    24. Sage Karam, 2 laps down
    25. Spencer Pigot, OUT, Accident
    26. Ed Carpenter
    27. Alexander Rossi, OUT, Contact, led 17 laps
    28. Alex Palou, OUT, Contact
    29. Conor Daly, OUT, Contact
    30. Oliver Askew, OUT, Contact, led led four laps
    31. Dalton Kellett, OUT, Contact
    32. Marcus Ericsson, OUT, Contact
    33. James Davison, OUT, Mechanical

    Up Next: The NTT IndyCar Series heads to World Wide Technology at Gateway on Saturday, August 29, with NBCSN on the air at 3 p.m. ET.