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Race Central Stories

  • Christopher Bell Scores Fourth Career Win In 2017

    Christopher Bell Scores Fourth Career Win In 2017

    Christopher Bell captured his fourth Camping World Truck Series race of the year on Saturday afternoon in the Overton’s 150 at Pocono International Raceway.

    15 laps made up both stages 1 and 2, while 30 laps made up the final stage.

    When stage 1 got underway, it was all Kyle Busch. Busch led wire to wire in the first stage and ended up winning it, while his teammate Bell, wounded up second. The action heated up on pit road, however, as Noah Gragson was penalized one lap for pitting outside the box.

    Stage 2 took place on lap 20 and it was much the same as stage 1, except there was a little more pit strategy. Busch got out once again, but Ryan Truex stayed close behind. As stage 2 got toward the end of the conclusion, pit strategy was played as Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter and Cody Coughlin pitted. Busch was the winner in stage 2.

    On the initial restart on stage 3, Justin Haley accidentally turned Busch in turn 2, thus sending him into the wall and ending his day after winning the first two stages.

    Another caution took place once again on a restart with 21 to go. This time it involved, Gragson, Kaz Grala and Chase Briscoe. Grala went up the track as he and Briscoe made slight contact with each other, which caused the incident.

    The final restart came with 16 to go, where John Hunter Nemechek made a pass for the lead after getting a push by Crafton. Nemechek held the lead for nine laps until Bell passed him with six to go.

    Bell was able to go on to win his fourth race of the year and take the series points lead from Johnny Sauter by 18 points.

    There were four cautions for 15 laps, as well as, five leaders among five lead changes.

     

    Next Up: The Camping World Truck Series takes another week off, before heading to Michigan International Speedway on Saturday August 12.

  • Kyle Busch fastest in final practice

    Kyle Busch fastest in final practice

    Kyle Busch topped the chart in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Pocono Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest with a time of 50.898 and a speed of 176.824 mph. Kyle Larson was second in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 51.163 and a speed of 175.908 mph. Jamie McMurray was third in his No. 1 Ganassi Chevrolet with a time of 51.239 and a speed of 175.647 mph. Denny Hamlin was fourth in his No. 11 Gibbs Toyota with a time of 51.307 and a speed of 175.415 mph. Chase Elliott rounded out the top-five in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 51.352 and a speed of 175.261 mph.

    Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-10.

    Busch posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 173.058 mph.

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  • Kenseth fastest in first practice

    Kenseth fastest in first practice

    Matt Kenseth topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Pocono Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest with a time of 51.114 and a speed of 176.077 mph. Kyle Larson was second in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 51.149 and a speed of 175.957 mph. Erik Jones was third in his No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 51.307 and a speed of 175.415 mph. Kyle Busch was fourth in his No. 18 Gibbs Toyota with a time of 51.323 and a speed of 175.360 mph. Chris Buescher rounded out the top-five in his No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet with a time of 51.495 and a speed of 174.774 mph.

    Daniel Suarez, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Ryan Newman and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top-10.

    Jamie McMurray, who clocked in the 14th fastest single-lap, posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 172.280 mph.

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  • The Final Word – Indianapolis had a wild conclusion, and thanks to YouTube I can talk about it

    The Final Word – Indianapolis had a wild conclusion, and thanks to YouTube I can talk about it

    It rained. TSN (Canada) pulled out, and the channel I was recording the race on abandoned the effort, presenting instead a few toss away programs. Well, to be fair, I did state before that I do not get all that excited about Indianapolis, and it would seem TSN took my comments to heart. On Sunday, they made like the NASCAR Nazi…and no race for me. I guess I could have watched some soccer but, as most folks know, soccer is not really a sport. Not like poker is, anyway.

    So, my Indianapolis experience was 12 laps. Then the rain. Pretty exciting stuff. Of course, for those blessed enough to watch the action, things got a tad more exciting later. Much, much later. So, I missed it when Chase Elliott blew up on the 43rd lap. I missed lap 76 when Dale Earnhardt Jr., son of the Intimidator, slammed into a hesitator in front of him, taking out his radiator.

    I also did not see, with 50 to go on a restart, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. fighting for the lead. When Truex broke loose, they were both fighting for their favorite tow-truck operator, as they slammed into the fence. Take a rest, lads.

    With 10 to go, Clint Bowyer broke loose, clipped Erik Jones, then destroyed Kurt Busch on his way twirling on down the track like an out of control kid’s toy. Goodbye boys.

    With six to go, Kyle Larson grazed the inside wall then went across to the outside to put his beast to bed. TSN…you are jerks.

    That required a restart with two to go. Jimmie Johnson was smoking. He got up to the lead, and then the engine expired. Johnson hit the wall, and we were off to overtime.

    So, with two to go, again, Trevor Bayne got turned as they went green, and everything turned red for him, Austin Dillon and Ryan Blaney. Something tells me that if I could only have been able to record the final 12 laps, not the opening dozen, I would have been a satisfied fellow.

    They tried to get it finished one more time, with Brad Keselowski in front, with Kasey Kahne beside him on the inside. Wrong lane decision for Brad. In the first turn, Kahne got by, cleared his rival, and he was gone. Okay, he was gone far enough and soon enough when Denny Hamlin’s smoker dived to the wall, and the caution came out just late enough for the leader to have hit the overtime line.

    Kahne wins. Kahne wins for the first time since Atlanta in 2014. Kahne heads to the Chase. Kahne might have just saved his ride for 2018. A great result for him, not so great for a few others.

    “Ron,” you might be saying, “you seem to know a hell of a lot for a guy who did not get to watch the race.” You would be right, but a series of much-appreciated highlights are made available to scribes like me to take another look at the action on a service available only to a privileged few. I like to call it, YouTube.

    It was a good points day for some, such as Kahne, Joey Logano (fourth), Matt Kenseth (fifth), and Kevin Harvick (sixth), but it was not so hot for Elliott in 39th. Finishing in the second half of the field of 40 we had Dillon, Jones, Johnson, Bowyer, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    When it comes to the Chase, Kahne moves in, leaving just four positions still up for grabs on points alone. Rowdy, Elliott, and Jamie McMurray are still solid. That leaves Bowyer just two points up on Kenseth, with the rest all needing a win to get in. A good points day for even Logano is no longer good enough. However, Aric Almirola, who missed seven races due to injury, is within two points of 30th place. That more than likely would make him eligible for the Chase if he can win one of the next six. He finished 13th on Sunday.

    Pocono is up next, and among the former winners there we have Junior, Kenseth, Logano, and Chris Buescher. One of those boys wins, and all of a sudden Bowyer experiences bad tidings, and McMurray becomes a lot more uncomfortable.

    I hope I get to watch it on television. If not…well, there is always YouTube.

  • Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event At Eldora

    Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Event At Eldora

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series raced at Eldora Speedway for the fourth year in a row last Wednesday night and this race did not disappoint. Here are my four takeaways from the event.

    1. Matt Crafton gets a breakthrough win – Before Eldora, Crafton had been having an up and down year in 2017 with only two top fives and seven top 10s and hadn’t won for over a year since Charlotte of 2016. After Eldora, he has now solidified himself into the Truck Series playoffs with a win. It was a much-needed win for not only him but for the whole Thorsport Racing team, which was having an up and down year as well. Let’s see if this win can carry Crafton to the championship at Homestead.
    2. The race was hard to find for some – If you were one of the lucky ones like me, who got to watch the race on Fox Business Channel, then be thankful. However, for some people, they had to miss out on quite possibly one of the biggest races of the year for the Truck Series. I found it a little ridiculous that I had to flip through three channels to find my NASCAR. I understand a big soccer game was on, but they have their own channel for that. NASCAR right now doesn’t. This wasn’t necessary.
    3. Stewart Friesen gets a career best finish – Friesen came oh so close at Eldora and probably should have won the race, but fell short. He ended up winning Stage 2 and had the lead late in the going until Crafton passed him for the lead with 16 laps to go. However, the second place finish gave Friesen his career-best finish in the Camping World Truck Series.
    4. Christopher Bell almost rallies to the front after a wreck in Stage 1- It was a wild night for the 2015 defending race winner Christopher Bell. After spinning and colliding with Kaz Grala toward the end of Stage 1, it looked like his night was over. But the fact was, it wasn’t. He rallied by the end of Stage 2 to finish fourth. By the time the race ended, the scoring pylon read ninth. Sure it was disappointing for him and his Kyle Busch Motorsports team for finishing that way, but let’s face it, if this was a regular race, Bell would’ve been out already. So kudos to the team for fighting their way back into the race. And oh, by the way, he even led 22 laps.
  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings – Eldora

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings – Eldora

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series headed to the famed Eldora Speedway on Wednesday for the fifth annual Eldora Dirt Derby and what was the 11th race of the year. It’s time to take a look at a wild night of dirt racing at Eldora.

    1. Stewart Friesen – While Friesen may not have won the race, he held his own and led the most laps. After winning the first heat race, he would end up qualifying on the pole. Friesen led most of the laps in Stage 1 but came up one spot short as that stage ended under caution. He then rebounded to win the second stage. However, problems began for him as he pitted at the end of the stage for a flat tire. Friesen was able to hold on to the lead until 16 to go, where eventual race winner, Matt Crafton went on to take the win.

    “We didn’t come here to run second, that’s for damn sure,” Friesen said. “I’m proud of these guys (Halmar Racing) they worked hard to get the truck dialed in.”

    2. Matt Crafton – Crafton finally ended his long winless streak that started in June of 2016 at Charlotte, and claimed his first ever dirt win, in NASCAR, at least. After winning the second heat race, this placed him second alongside the pole sitter for the race. When a late race stage caution came out, Crafton was the leader and NASCAR determined him as the winner of Stage 1, due to a lengthy cleanup. In Stage 2, he placed ninth. The winning moment for Crafton came with 16 to go, as he took the lead for good and went on to win at Eldora.

    “My first dirt win,” Crafton said, “a lot of fun. In the second part of the race, we darn right just stunk. It was my fault, we over-tightened it on the first run, we were pretty good. I thought we were a little bit too free, so we just tightened up and went back to the way we started the race. At the end, I had to either tear up the right side off or take it to victory lane.”

    3. Chase Briscoe – Briscoe had a solid outing at Eldora by coming home third. It should be no surprise, however, as he has experience in dirt track racing. He raced in the second heat and came home third, which gave him a 12th place starting spot. He was a silent contender all night long placing fourth in the first stage but fell out of the top in the second stage. Briscoe rallied back, though, as he came home in the third position, giving him his fifth top five of the year.

    “The last two days at Eldora were really up and down, especially since I’ve been looking forward to this race for so long,” Briscoe said. “We had a really good Cooper Standard Ford F-150 primary truck and at the end of the final practice, we were fast with a couple of tenths in the bank. Unfortunately, I hopped the cushion wall and had no choice but to go to a backup. I lost fourth gear 15 laps into the race and had the whole race in third gear, which hurt us. When the track is that slick, having fourth gear so you can pedal it and keep it hooked up is big. I just couldn’t carry straightaway speed.”

    4. Grant Enfinger – Enfinger came home with a solid points day. You would not think of him as someone having experience in the dirt, however, he has one win at DuQuoin, which is a dirt track in the ARCA Racing Series. Enfinger was in the top 10 in both of the stages. At the end of the night, he came home fourth, thus giving him his fifth top five of the year.

    “It was definitely a great night for us,” Enfinger said. “We had a really good Champion Power Equipment Tundra the last two days we were here. It was just a matter of me getting adjusted to it. I learned a lot the whole night. I feel like we were legitimately a contending truck there at the end.”

    5. Noah Gragson – It was Gragson’s first time on dirt at Eldora. In the fifth heat race, he placed second. Toward the end of the race, it was all about track position. When Stage 3 went back underway, Gragson restarted in the fourth position. He battled hard throughout the rest of the night, only to place seventh in his first dirt track race.

    “That race was ridiculous, but also so much fun,” Gragson said. “It was something that really wasn’t in my wheelhouse. I’m used to running short-track asphalt stuff and this was nothing like anything I’d ever done before. The track was constantly changing. It was wild going three or four-wide most of the race. “It was a wild night at Eldora as the race was run under caution 38 percent of the time.

    The race featured 10 cautions for 59 laps, as well as, four leaders among 15 lead changes.

    Next Up: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Pocono International Raceway Saturday, July 29.

  • Carnage envelops closing laps at Indianapolis

    Carnage envelops closing laps at Indianapolis

    One multi-car wreck after another sent the Indianapolis Motor Speedway into overtime and ended the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 under caution.

    The first one started with 11 laps to go. Clint Bowyer got loose exiting Turn 4, came down across the nose of Erik Jones, slammed head-on into the inside wall, pounded it again with the passenger side of his car. The recoil from the second hit bounced him back onto the racing groove and into the path of teammate Kurt Busch, who slammed into the left-rear corner of his car. His car went spinning around uncontrollably three and a half times before coming to a halt on the front stretch.

    After hitting his teammate, Busch’s car turned up and slammed the outside wall. It came to a halt down the front stretch.

    Jones overcorrected from turning down track and spun towards the wall briefly, before being clipped in the rear by the right-front of Jamie McMurray, sending him into the wall.

    “They (Paul Menard and another car) got together in front of us and parked and just kind of forced all of us to make an evasive move and I was already hung out a little bit loose, and I knew the 77 had a run, but I was gonna smoke the back of them or try to hope that something happened and something happened alright,” Bowyer said.

    “Cars were spinning in front of me,” Busch said. “Bowyer went left, the 77 (Jones) was going right. I tried to shoot the middle and Bowyer ricocheted back up onto the track. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

    Wrecks from Kyle Larson and Jimmie Johnson sent the race into overtime.

    On the first overtime attempt, Trevor Bayne was getting a shove from Michael McDowell when he got turned up into the drivers-side of Denny Hamlin, turned back down and rammed McDowell into the wall, triggering another multi-car wreck.

    Austin Dillon swerved to avoid Bayne, but put himself into the inside wall, and was further pinned by the wrecked car of Bayne. Ryan Blaney got turned up into the wall by Gray Gaulding.

    “On the restart it stacked up and my wheels were in the air,” Bayne said. “I really had no control in either direction and I finally got turned. I’ve never been so disappointed in my entire racing career. Every week we give it our all and do everything we can through God’s Glory and trust him with the results, whether it’s good or bad. Sometimes you don’t really understand and it hurts because you want to win races and want to run good and make the most of every opportunity for everybody – for AdvoCare and all the people who work hard. It’s really disappointing.”

    “Everybody got bunched up there,” Dillon said. “The No. 6 car got hooked to us and that got me a little bit frustrated because I was forced to get out of the car and I thought it was still able to at least roll. We could have finished the race. But, it’s over. I saw a lot of blocking and drivers trying to win one of the biggest races. It’s the Brickyard 400. Everybody wants it. Hopefully it’s good for the fans to see the aggression out of all of the drivers. We all want it really bad. I wanted it really bad for everyone at Dow and for Molykote.”

    The final multi-car wreck came on what wound up being the final overtime attempt of the race. Heading down the backstretch, Hamlin suffered a left-front tire failure and turned up towards the outside wall. He veered into the path of Paul Menard, who t-boned his right-rear corner. Ty Dillon got hooked by Menard and hit the outside wall.

    Hamlin leaves fifth in points, McMurray leaves seventh, Bowyer leaves 11th, Blaney leaves 12th, Busch leaves 14th, Jones leaves 17th, Bayne leaves 19th, Austin Dillon leaves 21st, Menard leaves 23rd and Ty Dillon leaves 24th.

  • The White Zone: Overtime in NASCAR is a joke

    The White Zone: Overtime in NASCAR is a joke

    All NASCAR had to do was follow their own rule on the overtime line as was written during the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway earlier this month and again during yesterday’s Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and all of this would’ve been avoided.

    But instead, their inconsistent officiating on this matter resulted in two fustercluck finishes in the span of a month!

    This has to end NASCAR.

    If you missed the end of yesterday’s race, what happened was Denny Hamlin spun out and turned into the wall past the exit of Turn 2, probably a result of his left-rear tire rub from contact on the restart. It triggered a three-car wreck that also collected Paul Menard and Ty Dillon.

    Now here’s where the controversy comes into play. When the calamity ensued, Kahne was still a good distance away from the overtime line. As you can see from this screenshot.

     

    Even though this shot is a few seconds after the initial wreck, it’s still obvious that Kahne was a decent distance away from the overtime line when it occurred.

    But rather than throw the caution, cleanup and try again, or more like end the race via darkness (which I’ll touch on in a few minutes), NASCAR held the caution until Kahne crossed the line.

    Unlike the XFINITY race at Daytona earlier this month, where you could argue they didn’t throw the yellow flag in time (although I find that hard to believe), there was no attempt to mask the blatant disregard for their own overtime rule.

    And when I say NASCAR purposefully held the caution, that’s not me looking too deeply at something that isn’t there. That’s practically what NASCAR Executive Vice-President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell said to Motorsport.com after yesterday’s race, when asked if having a quick caution trigger before the leader reaches the overtime line would make more sense, especially if the goal is to end the race under green.

    “No, it wouldn’t, because again, like we’ve said, we want to make the attempt. But we want to do that under the regular regulations of how we call (the race),” O’Donnell said. “So, we look at that as our last attempt. We look at each (overtime) as our last attempt. If it can play out, it can play out.”

    He basically just admitted that NASCAR decided against throwing the caution immediately, even though Kahne was a ways away from reaching the line the moment it happened.

    There’s a problem with this line of thinking, as Jim Utter of Motorsport.com best puts it.

    “If the object is to allow the race to play out to its natural conclusion, then why have the OT rule (or any other similar scheme) in the first place?”

    I’ll also expand on his point. If NASCAR wants run overtime under “regular regulations,” why would you hold the yellow at this point when you wouldn’t do that at any other point in the race?

    And why did they holster the yellow? Because the sunlight was running out, and they believed they wouldn’t have gotten the track cleaned up in time.

    “It would have been (too dark),’’ O’Donnell said. “If we would have red-flagged the race, we would have never got it back in. There was clearly oil on the race track.’’

    Disregarding the fact that NASCAR essentially shortened the race because of darkness anyway, why does that matter? The fact that there was waning sunlight shouldn’t factor into this at all. The race leader hadn’t reached the overtime line when the wreck happened! The caution should’ve flown before then.

    NASCAR, either run the race to its scheduled conclusion, and no further, or go the ARCA route and do as many restarts attempts as needed to ensure a green flag finish. This overtime line approach of doing restarts is causing more trouble than it’s worth.

    That’s my view, for what it’s worth.

  • Kahne Survives Multiple Late Restarts to Win at Indianapolis

    Kahne Survives Multiple Late Restarts to Win at Indianapolis

    Kasey Kahne made a late green flag stop at the right time and survived a myriad of restarts as the sunlight waned to end a long winless drought with victory at The Brickyard.

    He pitted from third with 11 laps to go just as a multi-car wreck involving Clint Bowyer, Erik Jones and Kurt Busch occurred on the front stretch. This timely stop proved vital as he opted to stay out when Brad Keselowski and the others elected to pit and assumed the race lead.

    He held off Keselowski’s charge into Turn 1 before the caution flew for Kyle Larson bouncing into the outside wall on the front stretch.

    On the following restart with two to go in regulation time, Kahne and Keselowski were side-by-side all the way from the start/finish line through Turn 3. This time, Jimmie Johnson threw his hat into the mix, making the two-wide battle three-wide entering Turn 3. This, predictably, caused him on the inside to spin out and slam the wall, sending the race into overtime.

    The first overtime attempt didn’t make it to the start/finish line before calamity erupted into another multi-car wreck on the front stretch. Keselowski was declared the race leader.

    The field was lined up and sent racing again. This time, Kahne shot ahead of Keselowski going into Turn 1. Exiting Turn 2, another multi-car wreck broke out well prior to the overtime line, but NASCAR chose to hold it, ending the race under caution and ending Kahne’s 102-race winless streak.

    “The career is big, for sure; but the win and the history here. To win at this track is unreal,” Kahne said in victory lane. “We used to always be really close. We lost to Jeff (Gordon) and we lost to Tony (Stewart); just some fast cars back then. Today’s strategy got us here. This Farmers Insurance Chevrolet was great once I got out front. I just had to get there. I’m exhausted. But, an unbelievable win. The team just kept working. We had great pit stops. Farmers Insurance, Great Clips, and Chevrolet have been huge to us. To win at Indy is unbelievable. I wish my son, Tanner, was here.”

    It’s his 18th victory in 448 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts.

    Keselowski came home second and Ryan Newman rounded out the podium.

    “We had a good, solid day,” Keselowski said. “Anytime that you’re that close (to winning) you can certainly taste it. I had a taste of it in my mouth, I didn’t get to eat it.”

    “Just a lot of adrenaline going through the gearbox I guess. Just guys running over each other,” Newman said. “Good run for the Velveeta Chevrolet. I’ve got to thank them for jumping on board. We were close. We didn’t have the best race car, we had a good long run car, but we were horrible on restarts and that is what we needed there at the end.”

    Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-five.

    Kevin Harvick, Daniel Suarez, Matt DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top-10.

    “A top 10 in the Daytona 500 and a top 10 in the Brickyard 400 finishing eighth today. It’s crazy. It was a crazy day,” DiBenedetto said after an eighth-place finish. “It’s pretty unreal what we’ve been able to accomplish this year. I’m so proud. It’s not all me. My team are the ones that deserve the credit and I’m more happy for them than myself. I’ve worked so dang hard the old-school way to get here, countless late nights for these guys working, many sleepless nights in my career thinking it was over about 30 to 40 times and that’s not even an exaggeration, and to have these kinds of races this year is just unbelievable. It’s been fun.”

    RACE SUMMARY

    Kyle Busch led the field to the green flag at 2:46 p.m. He led every lap of the first stage on his way to winning it.

    The lead first changed under the fifth caution of the day, related to debris from JJ Yeley’s car, after Jones opted not to pit. He held it until the Lap 81 restart when Ryan Blaney took it going into Turn 1. Busch returned to the front on Lap 87 and won the second stage. Martin Truex Jr. exited pit road ahead of Busch under the stage break.

    Restarting on the inside and Busch on the outside on Lap 111, after another restart that ended in a wreck in Turn 2 two laps later, Truex got loose in Turn 1, then shot up and sent Busch into the outside wall. The side-force from Busch passing him on the outside spun him out, into the wall.

    Matt Kenseth inherited the race lead as it went back green with 40 laps to go. He pitted from the lead with 28 to go, as did Jones a lap later, handing it to Keselowski.

    In the closing laps, he, Johnson and Kahne didn’t have the fuel to stretch it to the end, while Trevor Bayne in fourth probably did.

    That strategy went out the window, however, with the multi-car wreck on the front stretch with 11 to go, setting up the run to the finish.

    CAUTION SUMMARY

    The caution flew for the first time on Lap 10 for Corey LaJoie spinning out in Turn 3. A caution flew for the second time on Lap 31 for a scheduled competition caution. The fourth caution flew on Lap 58 when JJ Yeley spun exiting Turn 1, triggering a three-car wreck in Turn 1. Another caution flew for the sixth time on Lap 76 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. blew up exiting Turn 2. Caution eight flew on Lap 108 when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got loose exiting Turn 2, spun down the track and slammed the inside wall head-on.

    NUTS & BOLTS

    The race lasted three hours and 39 minutes at an average speed of 114.384 mph. There were 10 lead changes among seven different drivers and 14 cautions for 55 laps.

    Truex leaves with a 48-point lead over Larson.

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  • The White Zone: NASCAR May Have Validated its Presence at Indianapolis

    The White Zone: NASCAR May Have Validated its Presence at Indianapolis

    When NASCAR announced they would be implementing a new convoluted package at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year, a package that included restrictor plates and aero ducts near the grille area, I was incredibly skeptical that it would work. And honestly, why shouldn’t I be? I’ve heard this story from NASCAR before, that what they’re trying will “enhance” the racing, only for it to royally bomb. This came across as just another attempt by the sanctioning body to save a race weekend at a track that never was and never will be suited for stock car racing.

    But then race day arrived, we saw the results firsthand and Saturday’s XFINITY Series Lilly Diabetes 250 was phenomenally serviceable.

    While in the past, the lead car had a greater aero advantage and could simply pull away from the cars behind, the trailing cars this time around could reel in the lead cars.

    Well, that’s all fine and dandy for cars down through the running order, but what about getting to the lead car? I won’t say the leader didn’t still have an aero advantage, but it was much more negated than in any previous race at the Brickyard, be it XFINITY or the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

    The numbers show that there were 16 lead changes, a new track record in the XFINITY Series (it was previously nine lead changes). However, those numbers don’t tell you that 10 of those took place during pit cycles (green and/or yellow). So we’re left with six that occurred on-track during green flag racing, which, proportionally, is on the lower end of what I’d expect for a XFINITY Series race not held at Daytona or Talladega.

    Hence, this is why I say this race was “phenomenally serviceable.” It was better than anything I’ve seen previously at the Brickyard, but this package could still use some work, especially on long runs. If you didn’t get a great restart, passing was, while not impossible or even difficult, a little harder.

    That’s not just my view, that’s also the view of No. 22 Team Penske Ford driver Joey Logano.

    “The package was really interesting. You had to race really smart,” he said in his post-race press conference. “For us, we may not have had the fastest Discount Tire Ford, so I had good restart early in the race and was able to get some track position. Then our pit crew and everyone did a great job of maintaining that track position. You just had to be smart on restarts and knowing when to race guys and when to just keep momentum because if you started losing momentum you lost five or six spots. Being smart inside the car was key. I just wanted a faster car. That would have been key to do that to go up there and race with those guys.”

    Teammate Brad Keselowski was also asked if this package is the way to go for at Indianapolis.

    “Not the restrictor plate, but the air ducts are the way to go, for sure,” he said. “That was a huge gain and something I’ve been pushing on NASCAR for a while, so it’s good to see them do it and give it a shot over there.”

    Bottom line, this package could use some work, but it’s the direction in which to go for Indianapolis. While I still believe the XFINITY Series belongs at Indianapolis Raceway Park (or Lucas Oil Raceway or whatever name the track goes by now), at least the race it was replaced with is no longer an absolute joke. Also, whoever at NASCAR concocted this deserves a raise and/or promotion.

    That’s my view for what it’s worth.