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  • Denny Hamlin Takes Lead on Final Restart to Win XFINITY Race at Darlington

    Denny Hamlin Takes Lead on Final Restart to Win XFINITY Race at Darlington

    DARLINGTON, S.C. —Denny Hamlin took the lead on the final restart, passing Joey Logano with a last lap inside crossover move to win the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 Saturday at Darlington Raceway. It was his fifth XFINITY win at Darlington.

    “Just a really good restart, got through (Turns) 1 and 2 really good, just held it wide open through l and 2,” Hamlin said after the race, “great run by the 22 (Logano) getting back to me there on the last lap. I think that was a throwback to Dale Earnhardt there in Turns 3 and 4.”

    Logano led a race-high 58 laps in his No. 22 Ford and was disappointed with his second-place finish.

    “Obviously, second hurts, Logano said. We want to win every one of them and we just got out-motored. He went through the gear box and got position on me and off he went.  He had me at his right-rear quarter, which allowed him to stay wide open and clear me. I thought I had a run down the backstretch. He knew what I was thinking and I knew what he was thinking. I was just hoping that I got up to the wall and was able to rotate when I got there, but I just got tight when I got there.”

    Harvick was also a strong contender in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Ford, leading 54 laps during the race, but had to settle for third.

    ‘We had a great Hunt Brothers Ford,” he said, but “it just didn’t wind up working out there at the end. I wound up on the bottom and I kept my foot in it over there, got loose underneath the 20. We weren’t the strongest for five or 10 laps and that didn’t really work out with that short run there at the end and we got stuck on the bottom. We got loose and then we got freight-trained, but just a great car. It wound up being a great race and that’s all you can ask for.”

    Erik Jones scored fourth place with William Byron rounding out the top five finishers. Elliott Sadler remains the points leader with a 91 point advantage over second-place Byron.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

     [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Darlington-NXS-results-N1724_UNOFFRES-1.pdf” title=”Darlington NXS results N1724_UNOFFRES”]
  • Harvick Captures Coors Light Pole for Darlington Southern 500

    Harvick Captures Coors Light Pole for Darlington Southern 500

    DARLINGTON, S.C. — Kevin Harvick topped qualifying in all three rounds for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 in his No. 4 Busch Beer Throwback Ford winning his fourth Coors Light Pole Award this season with a speed of 177.730 mph. It’s his third pole at Darlington Raceway and his 21st career pole. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver also captured one win in 2014 after starting from the pole.

    “It feels pretty good,” Harvick said after winning the pole, “It’s been a good start to the weekend for us and the car is driving good and we’re able to put three laps together. Everything is going well.”

    When asked about the benefits of starting from the pole at Darlington, Harvick commented that “track position is never a disadvantage no matter if it’s high tire wear, low tire wear (track). The biggest advantage here is the first pit stall because the timing line is so close to the pit exit there with the first stall. So that’s really the biggest advantage. I think if your car is handling good, you can make your way through traffic, but having that first pit stall if your car is not handling good, it allows you to make up two or three spots if you have a decent pit stop and hopefully, keep that track position all night. That’s really the biggest advantage.”

    Martin Truex Jr. will start on the outside pole in his No. 78 Toyota after qualifying with a speed of 177.077 mph

    “That was definitely a good, successful qualifying session for us,” Truex said. “It – we thought we were off a little bit the first round then just kept working on the car and kind of adjusted the driving style a little throughout all three rounds and we ended up second. So seems like we’ve been second a lot this year and it’s been a good number for us and hopefully, it’ll be a good one tomorrow night.”

    Kyle Busch will start third after a 176.682 mph lap.

    Busch called his qualifying run, okay, saying, “You know, car felt really, really good first round, second round and then there just made the right adjustments – just the race track wasn’t quite what we expected it to be, so it was just a tick loose the last run and came home with a third, so we’ll take that and be happy with it and start up front.”

    Kyle Larson will begin the race from fourth place in his Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

    “I got through Turn Three and Turn Four better (than previous runs) but I was still too loose to commit to wide-open throttle, which hurt my overall speed,” Larson commented. “It’s a lot better than I’ve ever qualified here, so hopefully that will give us a better pit stall selection for tomorrow’s race. This is a fun place, but it’s definitely tough.”

    Jamie McMurray rounds out the top five in the No. 1 McDonalds Chevy.

    McMurray said, “Qualifying was pretty eventful.  It’s fun here to qualify and it’s maybe one of the funnier qualifying sessions we get to run with the exception of maybe a road course just because the corners are so different and so fast there is not a lot of grip. But, yeah, we were I think like third, fourth and fifth, we were kind of the same in all three sessions. The car was good though. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I thought we were good in race trim.”

    Harvick will lead the field to green Sunday at 6 p.m. ET for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on NBCSN. Radio coverage can be heard on  MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Darlington-Southern-500-2017-C1725_STARTROW.pdf” title=”Darlington Southern 500 2017 C1725_STARTROW”]

     

  • Busch, Larson Pace Friday’s Practices at Darlington

    Busch, Larson Pace Friday’s Practices at Darlington

    By Staff Report | NASCAR.com

    Propelling his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at 173.320 mph, Kyle Busch put his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota atop the speed charts in Friday’s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Darlington Raceway despite an earlier spin.

    Busch slid his No. 18 Toyota up the track to avoid trouble 30 minutes into the session and appeared to avoid hitting the wall. He returned to the track to post the fastest speed.

    Kevin Harvick came up second in the 85-minute session, his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford recording a speed of 173.070 mph. Jamie McMurray entered the top five for the first time this afternoon, his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet notching the third-fastest speed (172.990 mph). Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota (172.729 mph) and Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (172.632 mph) completed the top five.

    Trevor Bayne earned a Darlington stripe late in the session after his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford became loose in Turn 3 and hit the wall, resulting in significant damage. The team will attempt to repair the damage.

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is back on track Saturday at 1:45 p.m. ET for Coors Light Pole Qualifying (NBCSN).

    Kyle Larson’s Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet topped the leaderboard in the waning minutes of Friday’s opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Darlington Raceway. The No. 42 driver notched a fast lap of 173.064 mph.

    Denny Hamlin was second-fastest in the field, his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota peaking at 172.644 mph.

    Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski ranked third with a top speed of 172.584 mph in his No. 2 Ford, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford recorded the fourth-fastest speed (171.896 mph). Kevin Harvick, rounded out the top five with a fast lap of 171.890 mph in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

    Reigning race winner and current series points leader Martin Truex Jr. was 18th-quickest in the opening session.

    Corey LaJoie’s No. 23 BK Racing Toyota earned its first Darlington stripe this weekend, as LaJoie brushed the wall early in the 85-minute session.

    Reed Sorenson (No. 15 Premium Motorsports Toyota), LaJoie and Michael McDowell (No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Chevrolet) served 15-minute practice holds for being late to qualifying inspection at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    For final practice, Erik Jones (No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota) will have a 15-minute practice hold for failing pre-race inspection twice at Bristol. David Ragan (No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford) will have a 30-minute practice hold for failing pre-race inspection three times at Bristol.

    RELATED: Full results

     

     

  • Darlington Southern 500 – Did You Know?

    Darlington Southern 500 – Did You Know?

    DARLINGTON, S.C. — The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway this Labor Day weekend for the Bojangles’ Southern 500. This is the third straight year of Darlington’s throwback campaign and this edition will focus on the 1985-89 era. There are 40 drivers on the entry list and, as of today, 32 will run retro paint schemes to honor the rich history of the sport.

    The tributes are as varied as the drivers. Did you know that three different Cup Series drivers will feature a salute to Dale Earnhardt? Earnhardt has nine Darlington victories, second only to David Pearson. Jeffrey Earnhardt’s No. 33 car will feature a green and white scheme that resembles the one his grandfather drove in the XFINITY Series in the 1980s. Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevy and Ryan Newman’s No. 31 will honor Earnhardt’s yellow and blue Wrangler scheme. This particular paint scheme is similar to the one Earnhardt drove in 1987 when he won his first Southern 500.

    Jamie McMurray will pay tribute to David Pearson, who leads all drivers with 10 Darlington wins, Brad Keselowski will honor Rusty Wallace’s 1994 “Midnight” paint scheme and Trevor Bayne’s car will represent the scheme that Mark Martin drove when he claimed the first Cup victory for Roush Fenway Racing at North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1989.

    Other drivers being honored includes Davey Allison (Corey LaJoie), Bobby Allison (Matt DiBenedetto) and Alan Kulwicki (Michael McDowell). Check out this preview of all the Darlington throwback paint schemes.

    Darlington Raceway’s throwback weekend pays homage to a tradition that began on Sept. 4, 1950, when they hosted NASCAR’s first 500-mile race. There were 75 drivers entered into the event but did you know that the race was won by Johnny Mantz? It was his first and only win in the Cup Series. There have been 113 Cup races at the 1.366-mile track and 49 different drivers have won.

    Martin Truex Jr. is the defending race winner and is one of only six active drivers who has visited Victory Lane at Darlington. Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with three victories while Kevin Harvick (2014), Matt Kenseth (2013), Denny Hamlin (2010) and Kyle Busch (2008) have one win each. But did you know that the last 11 races have been won by 11 different drivers?

    With only two races remaining in the regular season, the Southern 500 should deliver a night to remember. Capture the Coors Light Pole Award and you’re one step closer to victory. The pole is the most proficient starting position at Darlington. It has produced 20 winners while 17 drivers have won from the second place starting position. But did you know that the deepest in the field that a race winner has started is 43rd? That driver was Johnny Mantz in the Darlington inaugural Cup Series race in 1950. Qualifying for this year’s Southern 500 will be held Saturday at 1:45 p.m. ET.

    Tune in this weekend for all the on-track action beginning with the first Cup Series practice Friday at 1 p.m. ET followed by the final practice at 3:30 p.m. The Southern 500 closes out the weekend Sunday at 6 p.m. on NBCSN.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

     

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Darlington and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Darlington and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

    DARLINGTON, S.C. — The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the XFINITY Series head to Darlington Raceway as the Camping World Truck Series travels to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Darlington will close out the “The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR” with The Bojangles’ Southern 500 Sunday at 6 p.m.

    There are 40 drivers on the entry list for the Southern 500 battling for a berth in the Cup Series playoffs as the regular season winds down with only two more chances to secure a spot. Tune into NBCSN for coverage of the Cup and XFINITY Series events while FS1 will televise the Truck Series race.

    Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.

    Friday, September 1

    On Track-Darlington:
    12-12:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – NBCSN
    1-1:55 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – NBCSN
    2:30-3:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN
    3:30-4:55 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    10:15 a.m.: Jeremy Clements
    10:30 a.m.: Elliott Sadler
    11:45 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    12 p.m.: Chase Elliott
    12:15 p.m.: Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin
    2:45 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    5:20 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    11:30 a.m.: XFINITY Series
    12:30 p.m.: Cup Series

    Saturday, September 2

    On Track-Darlington:
    12:05 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN
    1:45 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN
    3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Sports Clips Haircuts VFW 200 (147 laps, 200.8 miles) – NBCSN

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    2:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Qualifying
    6 p.m.: Post-NASCAR XFINITY Series Race

    On Track-Canadian Tire:
    9:30 a.m.:  Camping World Truck Series Practice (Watch live)
    11:35 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice (Watch live)
    5:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS2

    Sunday, September 3

    On Track-Canadian Tire:
    2 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 (64 laps, 157.37 miles) – FS1

    On Track-Darlington:
    6 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 (367 laps, 501.3 miles) – NBCSN

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    2 p.m.: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Darrell Waltrip
    3 p.m.: Bill Elliott
    10:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Race

    Complete TV Schedule

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Race Details:

    NASCAR XFINITY Series
    Race: Sport Clips Help a Hero 200
    Place: Darlington Raceway
    Date: Saturday, Sept. 2
    Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
    TV: NBCSN, 3 p.m. ET
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 200.8 miles (147 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 147)

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
    Race: Chevrolet Silverado 250
    Place: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
    Date: Sunday, Sept. 3
    Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
    TV: FS1, 2 p.m. ET
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 157.37 miles (64 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 20), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 40), Final Stage (Ends on lap 64

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

    Race: Bojangles’ Southern 500
    Place: Darlington Raceway
    Date: Sunday, Sept. 3
    Time: 6 p.m. ET
    TV: NBCSN, 5:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 501.3 miles (367 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 100), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 200), Final Stage (Ends on lap 367)

     

  • Jeremy Clements ‘shocked’ after winning first race in thriller at Road America  

    Jeremy Clements ‘shocked’ after winning first race in thriller at Road America  

    By Staff Report | NASCAR.com

    The battle for victory in Sunday’s Johnsonville 180 at Road America came down to a pair of drivers who have never won a NASCAR XFINITY Series race.

    But it was Jeremy Clements’ day to shock the world by earning his first career win after 256 XFINITY starts.

    “I don’t even know what to say,” Clements said in Victory Lane. “I’m just shocked.”

    It came down to a breathtaking showdown between Clements and Matt Tifft in the closing laps. Clements gave up the lead with nine laps remaining after trying to stretch out his fuel with the hopes of catching a late-race caution, relinquishing the lead to Tifft.

    But that wasn’t the last we would hear from Clements. Four fresh Goodyear tires allowed him to rocket back to the front and challenge the 21-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

    With two laps remaining, Clements and Tifft made contact which sent them both spinning as Clements attempted a pass for the lead. Clements was able to quickly get back on track and take the lead away.

    “I want to say sorry to Matt Tifft,” Clements added. “I definitely didn’t mean to spin him out there. I got in there hot and we collided. That was my fault, that was definitely not his fault.”

    “Obviously, no matter what, it’s tough,” Tifft said. “I wish we could have raced it out to the last lap. It’s tough to come that close.”

    With the victory, the 32-year-old from Spartanburg, S.C. is now locked into the 12-driver XFINITY Series playoffs.

    James Davison, driving the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, quickly took the lead away from pole-sitter Austin Cindric on the first lap of the race.

    Davison ran away with Stage 1, leading nine of the 10 laps and beating second-place Justin Marks by more than two seconds. Cindric, Brennan Poole and Just Allgaier rounded out the top five.

    Davison was later busted for speeding on pit road during pit stops at the stage break, while Cindric spent an extended amount of time on pit road repairing front-end damage suffered from contact with Marks in Stage 1.

    Elliott Sadler, who was among many drivers who stayed out to gain track position after the first stage, jumped out to the lead for the first time in Stage 2.

    But it was Daniel Hemric who took the lead away from Sadler on the restart following a Lap 14 caution for Ryan Sieg. Hemric was able to hold on to win the second 10-lap stage.

    Leading the race, Hemric’s strong day turned into heartbreak after he received a pit-road speeding penalty during a round of pit stops in the final stage. Hemric led 10 laps prior to the misfortune.

    Multiple cars were involved in a huge dustup toward the front of the field during the final lap of Stage 2 after Ross Chastain made contact with Marks, sending him sliding into Davison.

    After leading 11 of the first 20 laps, Davison was forced to retire from the race due to a cracked radiator.

    The XFINITY Series will be back in action for NASCAR’s throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway with the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM).

    RELATED: Race results | Detailed breakdown

  • James Davison, Justin Marks Pace XFINITY Practices at Road America

    James Davison, Justin Marks Pace XFINITY Practices at Road America

    By Staff Report | NASCAR.com

    Australian racer James Davison led final NASCAR XFINITY Series practice Saturday afternoon at Road America.

    Davison clocked a best lap of 181.691 mph in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota as he preps for just his third career start in the series. The Aussie, who has raced in the Indianapolis 500 three times, will turn 31 the day after Sunday’s Johnsonville 180 (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM).

    Justin Marks, who led the opening 55-minute practice, was fast again in the late session, uncorking a 108.614-mph lap to place second on the leaderboard. Marks will make just his second start of the season Sunday in the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet.

    Rookie Austin Cindric, 18, was third-fastest in both sessions as he tunes up for his XFINITY debut in the Team Penske No. 22 Ford. Cole Custer (108.235 mph) and Brennan Poole (107.887), both of whom had slight off-course ventures, completed the top five in final practice.

    Custer and Poole weren’t alone in veering off course. Dexter Bean also left the pavement early on, and Nicolas Hammann’s slide into the Turn 3 sand with three minutes remaining brought a slightly early end to the session.

    Spencer Gallagher, 14th-fastest in final practice, stalled on the track when his GMS Racing No. 23 Chevrolet ran out of fuel.

    Elliott Sadler, the series’ points leader, was 15th-fastest in the JR Motorsports No. 1 Chevrolet.

    Marks Sets Early Pace in First Practice

    Justin Marks rose to the top of the leaderboard in Saturday’s opening practice for the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Road America, completing a 1-2 sweep for Chip Ganassi Racing drivers.

    Marks registered a fast lap of 107.923 mph on the sprawling 4.048-mile road course in the Ganassi No. 42 Chevrolet. Marks will be prepping for his fourth Road America start in Sunday’s Johnsonville 180 (3 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM).

    Brennan Poole was second-fastest in the 55-minute session, steering the Ganassi No. 48 Chevy to a 107.846-mph lap. Austin Cindric was third, readying for his XFINITY Series debut in the Team Penske No. 22 Ford.

    Justin Allgaier and former Road America winner Brendan Gaughan completed the top five on the speed chart.

    Series points leader Elliott Sadler was 18th-fastest (106.070 mph) in the JR Motorsports No. 1 Chevrolet.

    A handful of drivers had relatively harmless off-course excursions in the tricky Turn 5 section. Among those were Matt Tifft, Ben Kennedy and Spencer Gallagher. Ryan Reed also went off the track in the Turn 11 kink late in the session but managed to keep his car off the wall.

    The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota of Christopher Bell completed just one lap in practice before he drove to the garage. His crew spent the remainder of the session making an engine change.

    Four teams were docked 15 minutes of practice time for infractions incurred last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Richard Childress Racing teammates Daniel Hemric and Kennedy each had 15-minute deductions because their cars failed the Laser Inspection Station twice at Bristol. The No. 16 Ford of Ryan Reed and the No. 74 Dodge of John Graham were held because their cars were late for Bristol inspection.

     Practice 1 results

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/NXS-Final-Practice-Results-Road-America-August-2017.pdf” title=”NXS Final Practice Results Road America August 2017″]

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Road America

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Road America

    This week, the NASCAR XFINITY Series travels to Road America for the last road course event of the 2017 season while the Monster Energy Cup Series and the Camping World Truck Series are enjoying a week off from competition. The on-track action begins Saturday with practice while the Johnsonville 180 race closes out the weekend at 3 p.m. on NBC. Only four races remain in the XFINITY Series regular season.

    In the seven XFINITY events hosted by the track, we’ve seen seven different winners – Carl Edwards (2010), Reed Sorenson (2011), Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012), AJ Allmendinger (2013), Brendan Gaughan (2014), Paul Menard (2015) and Michael McDowell (2016). Expectations are high that we will see a different winner Sunday as Brendan Gaughan is the only driver entered who has previously won at Road America.

    JR Motorsports’ Elliott Sadler is the current points leader, a position he’s held for the last 10 races. Sadler heads into the weekend confident that JR Motorsports is the team to beat with all four drivers poised to make the playoffs. Teammates William Byron and Justin Allgaier occupy second and third place in the standings with Michael Annett in 11th place.

    “I would say right now, JR Motorsports has a leg-up on the competition,” Elliott Sadler stated after his third-place finish last week at Bristol. “I think we are the favorites to win the championship. We just have to go make it happen.”

    Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.

    Saturday, August 26

    On Track:
    2-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice at Road America on NBCSN
    4-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Final Practice at Road America on NBCSN

    Sunday, August 27

    On Track:
    11:45 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying on CNBC
    3 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Johnsonville 180 (45 laps, 182.16 miles) on NBC

    Complete TV Schedule

    Race Details:

    NASCAR XFINITY Series
    Race: Johnsonville 180
    Place: Road America
    Date: Sunday, Aug. 27
    Time: 3 p.m. ET
    TV: NBC, 2:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 182.16 miles (45 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 10), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 20), Final Stage (Ends on lap 45)

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Jones Finishes Runner-Up in Career Night

    Jones Finishes Runner-Up in Career Night

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Erik Jones put on a career-best performance, leading over half the race, but it wasn’t enough to beat Kyle Busch in the waning laps of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Having won the pole the day prior, he led the field to the green flag. It wasn’t long, 60 seconds in fact, before his first stint in front was cut short, when Chase Elliott passed him exiting Turn 4 to take the lead. He took it back from Elliott two laps later.

    His next stint lasted a little longer, going 45 laps before he left the bottom lane open in Turn 2, which allowed Kyle Larson to get alongside and pass him going into Turn 3.

    While Jones didn’t get back to the front during the remainder of the first stage, he passed Larson on the final lap of the stage to finish second.

    He exited pit road with the race lead and held the lead until Busch swung by him on the high-side in Turn 3 to take the lead on Lap 166. He used Brad Keselowski as a pick to pass Busch and retake the lead on Lap 180, only to get held up by Paul Menard and getting passed right back by Busch on Lap 198.

    After a two-car wreck in Turn 3 on Lap 227, Jones opted to short-pit the end of the second stage to set up for the run to the checkered flag. He finished fifth in the second stage.

    With leader Matt Kenseth pitting under the stage break, Jones inherited the race lead and was unchallenged during the long 93-lap green flag stint from Lap 257 to Lap 354. On the ensuing restart on Lap 360, Busch went on the attack via the high-side in Turn 4 to take the lead on Lap 361.

    After a single-car incident on the backstretch on Lap 396 and the lead cars pitted, Jones exited with the race lead.

    The run to the finish with 79 laps to go had him line up first on the bottom, Kenseth to the outside in second and Busch in third behind Jones. Busch made it by Kenseth with 72 to go and set his sights on Jones. With 56 to go, Jones got loose in Turn 3, allowing Busch to dive underneath and take the lead exiting Turn 4.

    Busch started to pull away, but ran into heavy lapped traffic with 22 to go, allowing Jones to close in. But just as lapped traffic slowed Busch down, it slowed him down in his quest to catch Busch. He finally ran out of time and came home second.

    “It’s a bummer, I mean you can’t lie. I thought we had a really good day and we fought hard all day. We had our ups and downs and led a lot of laps and didn’t have quite enough at the end,” Jones said. “Kyle (Busch) is really good here. But we had a good 5-hour Energy Camry. Just needed a little more at the end. It’s just unfortunate we didn’t have it. I did what I could, but it just wasn’t quite enough.”

    Jones leaves Bristol 16th in points, 129 behind Kenseth for the final playoff spot. Barring a major penalty by Kenseth’s team at Darlington Raceway and/or Richmond International Raceway, Jones can’t mathematically point his way into a playoff spot. He must win at Darlington and/or Richmond to clinch a spot.

  • Kyle Busch Completes Weekend Sweep with Late Pass at Bristol

    Kyle Busch Completes Weekend Sweep with Late Pass at Bristol

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Busch made a late pass on Erik Jones in the waning laps of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race and held off his late charge to complete the weekend sweep at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Jones led the field to the green on the final restart of the night with 79 laps to go. Busch, who a few laps prior had passed Matt Kenseth for second, went underneath Jones exiting Turn 4 to retake the lead with 56 to go. Lapped traffic prevented Busch from completely pulling away, but the same lapped traffic also stopped Jones from getting too close to him to threaten his lead.

    In the end, Busch drove on to his 40th career victory in 450 career starts.

    “Erik Jones put up a whale of a fight. That was all I had. I was running with my arm hanging out. My arms are jello and my throat hurts, but man that’s awesome. Can’t say enough about everybody on my Joe Gibbs Racing team. Adam Stevens and the guys are phenomenal. Car might not’ve been perfect. I’m never perfect. I never feel like we’re perfect, but this Caramel Camry was fast. So proud of these guys. So proud of my team. So proud of “Rowdy Nation.” This one’s for you!”

    Jones finished second and Denny Hamlin rounded out the podium.

    Kenseth and Kurt Busch rounded out the top-five.

    Ryan Newman, Trevor Bayne, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-10.

    RACE SUMMARY

    Jones led the field to the green flag at 7:47 p.m. It only took 60 seconds into the race for Chase Elliott to pass him exiting Turn 4 and take the lead on Lap 4. Jones retook the lead two laps later. He left the bottom open in Turn 2, allowing Busch to pass him entering Turn 3 on Lap 51.

    When the first caution flew on Lap 61 and the leaders opted to pit, Larson exited the pits with the lead. He led for awhile, until he was held up by a lapped Brad Keselowski in Turn 1, which allowed Busch to go high and take the lead on Lap 114.

    Busch and Larson battled back and forth in the closing laps of the first stage, ending with Busch giving the chrome bumper to Larson going into Turn 1 on the final lap of the stage in order to win it.

    Under the stage break, Jones exited the pits with the race lead. He held it until Busch swung to the high side of Jones in Turn 3 to retake the lead on Lap 166. Jones responded on Lap 180 by using Keselowski as a pick to pass Busch for the lead. Not long after, Jones himself was held up by Paul Menard, which allowed Busch to retake the lead on Lap 198.

    After a two-car wreck in Turn 3, Busch and the leaders elected to pit. Kenseth was the first of those who didn’t, assumed the race lead and drove on to win the second stage.

    Jones took back the race lead under the stage break. Busch powered by Jones up high in Turn 4 to take the lead on Lap 361. Jones regained the lead on pit road under the event’s seventh caution.

    Landon Cassill’s shunt, hit on the inside wall and hard hit on the outside wall in Turn 1 with 84 to go set up the run to the finish.

    CAUTION SUMMARY

    Caution flew for the first time on Lap 61 when Aric Almirola made contact with the wall and fell dramatically off the pace, on the racing surface. The second flew on Lap 125 for the end of the first stage. The third came out when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hit the wall in Turn 2 on Lap 200. The fourth flew on Lap 227 for a two-car wreck in Turn 3 involving Austin Dillon and Jeffrey Earnhardt. The fifth was for the end of the second stage on Lap 250. The sixth was for Trevor Bayne slamming the wall in Turn 1 on Lap 354. The seventh flew on Lap 396 when Elliott hit the inside wall on the backstretch. The seventh flew for Cassill’s hard lick with the outside wall in Turn 1 with 84 to go.

    NUTS & BOLTS

    The race lasted two hours, 46 minutes and 37 seconds, at an average speed of 95.969 mph. There were 21 lead changes among six different drivers and eight cautions for 53 laps.

    Truex leaves with a 101-point lead over Kyle Busch.

    Elliott, Kenseth and Jamie McMurray maintain the final playoff spots with two races remaining in the regular season.

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