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  • Truex on his Win Being buried by Vegas Fight

    Truex on his Win Being buried by Vegas Fight

    Most race weekends, a driver winning the race is the top story. But on some weekends, the race win gets buried under other events.

    Last weekend in Sin City fell into the latter category.

    Martin Truex Jr., who led 150 of 267 laps, passed Brad Keselowski with two laps to go — thanks to a broken part on his car — and scored the victory in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    It was his fourth victory in the last 15 races, half of his career victories, which is significant considering he went 218 races between his first career win in 2007 and second win in 2013, and another 69 before winning his third two years later.

    Putting aside the well-documented perseverance of his career, he also swept all three stages in the race.

    Any other weekend, his performance would’ve been the top story.

    But it played second-fiddle to the post-race brawl between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano following the conclusion of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas.

    Truex was a little disappointed that his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota team didn’t get the spotlight, but his team “got the trophy and the points” and that’s all that matters “at the end of the day.”

    “Hate it a little bit for my team for maybe not getting the recognition they deserve, but all in all, we got what we wanted out of Vegas, and looking forward to making positive highlights,” he said.

  • Elliott Fastest in First Practice at Phoenix

    Elliott Fastest in First Practice at Phoenix

    Chase Elliott topped the chart in the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Phoenix International Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 26.258 and a speed of 137.101 mph. Kyle Larson was second in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 26.379 and a speed of 136.472 mph. Joey Logano was third in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 26.385 and a speed of 136.441 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was fourth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 26.438 and a speed of 136.168 mph. Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-five in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 26.440 and a speed of 136.157 mph.

    Jamie McMurray, who ran the 10th-fastest single lap, posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 132.623 mph.

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  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Phoenix

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Phoenix

    NASCAR heads to Phoenix Raceway this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and XFINITY Series compete at the one-mile oval. Saturday’s XFINITY Series DC Solar 200 will be broadcast at 4 p.m. on FOX. The Cup Series Camping World 500 will be televised on FOX at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

    The Camping World 500 will be comprised of three stages. Stages 1 and 2 will consist of 75 laps each with a final stage of 162 laps. Saturday’s XFINITY Series DC Solar 200 will also have three stages. Stages 1 and 2 will consist of 60 laps each with a final stage of 80 laps.

    Kevin Harvick is the defending race winner and has the second-best driver rating (110.7) at Phoenix with eight wins, 13 top fives, 17 top 10s and one pole. Jimmie Johnson has the best driver rating (111.2) at the track and has earned four wins, 15 top fives, 19 top 10s and three poles. Chase Elliott, still looking for his first Cup win, has the third-best driver rating of 103.9. 

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

    Friday, March 17:

    On Track:
    1-1:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – FS1
    2-3:25 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1
    4-4:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – FS1
    6-6:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
    7:45 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    1:30 p.m.: Cup Series
    3:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    12 p.m.: Daniel Suarez
    12:15 p.m.: XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash: Justin Allgaier, Brennan Poole, Matt Tifft
    3:40 p.m.: Kyle Larson
    5:15 p.m.: Ryan Blaney
    5:30 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    5:45 p.m.: Joey Logano
    Approx. 8:45 p.m.: Post-qualifying press conferences

    Saturday, March 18:

    On Track:
    Noon-12:55 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS2
    1:05 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS2
    2:30-3:20 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – FS2
    4 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series DC Solar 200 (200 laps, 200 miles) – FOX

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    6:30 p.m.: Post-Race Press Conference (time approx.)

    Sunday, March 19:

    On Track:
    3:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Camping World 500 (312 laps, 312 miles) – FOX

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    7 p.m.: Post-Race Press Conference (time approx.)

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

    Complete NASCAR TV  ScheduleOdds To Win NASCAR Camping World 500

    Kevin Harvick +270
    Joey Logano +750
    Chase Elliott +905
    Brad Keselowski +950
    Kyle Busch +1100
    Jimmie Johnson +1100
    Matt Kenseth +1130
    Martin Truex Jr +1210
    Denny Hamlin +1310
    Kyle Larson +1410
    Dale Earnhardt Jr +1885
    Kurt Busch +3045
    Clint Bowyer +3045
    Erik Jones +3045
    Daniel Suarez +3465
    Ryan Blaney +3820
    Austin Dillon +4000
    Ryan Newman +4000
    Kasey Kahne +4020
    Jamie McMurray +4200
    Field (Any Other Driver) +3235

  • Truex Scores Eighth Win of Career at Las Vegas

    Truex Scores Eighth Win of Career at Las Vegas

    Martin Truex Jr. was able to pass Brad Keselowski with two laps left in Sunday’s Kobalt 400 and capture his eighth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win.  Truex Jr. also became the first driver to win every segment along with the race victory.

    Brad Keselowski reported that he had a flat tire with two laps remaining, therefore his lead shrunk and Truex Jr. was able to close the gap and eventually pass Keselowski to earn his first win of the 2017 season.

    “Even as close as we were yesterday in practice, we made a lot of changes last night based on feel, and the direction we felt we needed to go, and the guys just did a phenomenal job getting the car the way that we needed it. Thankful to be able to put it all together. Feels good to be here, and first win at Vegas feels awesome,” Truex Jr. said.

    For the second consecutive week, Kyle Larson had a runner-up finish. With another second place finish, Larson is becoming a vital contender each week.

    “What an awesome day for our Target Chevy team,” said Larson. “Second in the first stage, third in the second stage and then finished second in the race. I can’t say enough about my team. I’m so proud of them. Our race cars are amazing right now. We are going to hopefully, keep building on what we’ve got and keep challenging for wins and they will come.”

    Finishing third was Chase Elliott and he scored his second consecutive top-five finish. Both Elliott and Larson are showing they’re capable of winning multiple races with good finishes the past two weeks.

    “I’m really proud of the way we have performed,” Elliott told the media. “Our pit stops have been great, our cars have been good. Been able to run solidly in the top 5 the past couple weeks, which is great for me and our team, and we just got to keep that going and find that next little bit.”

    Next Sunday, “NASCAR Goes West” continues at Phoenix International Raceway. Coverage starts at 3 p.m. Eastern on your local Fox affiliate.

  • Rough Day for Stewart-Haas Racing in Vegas

    Rough Day for Stewart-Haas Racing in Vegas

    Stewart-Haas Racing cars were the class of the field the first two races of the season, with a win in the Daytona 500 by Kurt Busch and most laps led in both the 500 and the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway by Kevin Harvick. Unfortunately, a 10th-place finish by Clint Bowyer was the highlight of a lousy day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from the four-car organization.

    But even Bowyer admitted that was a struggle.

    “To be truthful, we weren’t the best all weekend, but we just kept digging,” he said after the race. “(Mike) Bugga didn’t give up on the box and kept adjusting on it and got me pretty good, the best we’d been right there at the end. It’s a top-10 and gives us some momentum. It’s our third race together and we got a top-10, so we’ve got to keep digging.”

    Kurt Busch dealt with electrical issues that forced him to pit and change batteries with 66 laps to go. He finished in 30th place, four laps down.

    “Obviously it wasn’t the day we were hoping to have with our Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion,” Busch said. “We didn’t have the long-run speed or the balance, and we had an electrical issue that forced us to change batteries on pit road. We kept battling, we didn’t give up. I hoped to have a better run here in front of the hometown fans.”

    The other two SHR cars didn’t make it to the finish.

    Exiting the tri-oval on lap 68, Kevin Harvick suffered a right-front tire blowout and slammed the wall. He said the tire started vibrating four or five laps prior and was he trying to nurse it to the end of the stage.

    He was critical of the response time by American Medical Response.

    “The worst part was the medical response. It took them forever to get to the car,” Harvick said. “I thought we made that better, but obviously we haven’t.”

    He finished 38th and lost the points lead.

    With 16 to go, Danica Patrick’s engine expired on the frontstretch, relegating her to a 36th-place finish.

    “We just got the car to a place where I think we could have got a little more racy with it,” Patrick said, “especially if we would have caught some breaks, but then it just flattened out. I just rode around the top in case I blew up, but having a teammate behind me was not ideal for the timing of it, but unfortunately it happened. We’ll just move on.”

  • Busch and Logano Collide and Fight in Vegas

    Busch and Logano Collide and Fight in Vegas

    Kyle Busch and Joey Logano made contact both on the track on the final lap and on pit road after the Kobalt 400 race concluded at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    On the backstretch on the final lap, Busch veered to the bottom to avoid hitting Brad Keselowski, who was fading on the final two laps with a broken part on his car but made contact with the right-side of Logano’s car. In Turn 3, Logano got loose and bounced into Busch’s car, sending him spinning down onto pit road.

    After the race, Kyle Busch got out of his car and proceeded to Logano’s car parked down pit road with the other top-five cars and punched him.

    The fight lasted roughly 18 seconds before Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series officials broke it up and Busch was pulled out of the pile by NASCAR official Mike Lancaster (per Alex Hayden of MRN on Twitter). Logano was pulled out of the pile after just a few seconds by his PR rep Kyle Zimmerman.

    The only noticeable injury sustained was a cut on Busch’s forehead, above his right eye.

    “I got dumped,” Busch told Vince Welch of FOX Sports. “(Logano) Flat out drove straight into the corner and wrecked me”

    Logano’s take was different from Busch’s.

    “We were just racing hard there at the end,” Logano said. “I was underneath him on the backstretch and he tried to crash me into the corner getting underneath Brad there and at that point, I was just trying to get through the corner. I was sideways all the way through and get into him. Nothing intentional. I understand his frustration, he crashed. The same thing could have happened into 3 what he did to me.”

    “There wasn’t much talking, there was a lot of swinging. I don’t know. I was racing hard there at the end with our Pennzoil Ford. Kyle and I usually race really well together,” Logano continued. “We usually never have any issues, and he tried to pin me down into the corner underneath Brad and we about crashed on entry. And then I was still trying to gather it up by the center and I was gonna spin out, so I’m trying to chase it up and he was there. It obviously wasn’t anything intentional, but obviously, he thinks that, so, I don’t know, we’ll get by.”

    Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer spoke about the altercation Monday morning during an appearance on the “Morning Drive” program on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    He stated that the competition department was reviewing video of the post-race incident and the on-track contact that led up to it.

    “It’s certainly under review,” O’Donnell said. “We have to take everything, make sure we look at all the video, but just from our in assessment last night, as far as on-track I don’t think we saw anything that was intentional by any means. We have to have discussions with both drivers. I think our intention would be not to react unless we see something we haven’t seen yet.”

    “It’s an emotional sport,” he went on to say, “and I think it shows exactly how much every position on the track means.”

     

  • Truex Takes Lead in Closing Laps to Clean House in Sin City

    Truex Takes Lead in Closing Laps to Clean House in Sin City

    Martin Truex Jr. had the dominant car most of the day but had to beat Brad Keselowski when it mattered most in the closing laps of the Kobalt 400.

    Keselowski edged out Truex on the final restart and had the win in check, but Truex closed the gap, thanks to a broken part on Keselowski’s car, and passed him on the backstretch with two laps to go to score the victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    Keselowski said his team will need to take the car apart to find out the cause of what happened.

    “At the end, we have to go to inspection and stuff, so we’re not allowed to look. I just know it was something major,” he said. “It wouldn’t turn and I lost brakes, so that’s a pretty good indicator, but that’s the way it goes. That’s racing and that’s why you watch until the end and you never know what’s gonna happen.

    “It’s frustrating, but you put yourself in position to win and good things will happen. That happened to us last week and didn’t happen this week, so you just pick up the pieces and move on. Luckily, they’re really big pieces. We’ve got a lot to be proud of.”

    Keselowski and Truex led a combined 239 of 267 laps of the first leg in the three-race west coast swing on the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Starting from the pole, Keselowski led most of the first stage and surrendered it under the second caution of the race when teammate Joey Logano opted not to pit.

    Truex passed Logano with ease on the ensuing restart and held it for most of the day, only losing it during green-flag pit cycles or when others went on different pit strategies from him.

    Keselowski passed Chase Elliott to take second with less than 40 to go, closed the gap on Truex and passed him in Turn 3 to take the lead with 23 to go. Danica Patrick’s engine expired on the frontstretch with 18 to go, setting up the nine-lap run to the finish.

    On the final lap, Kyle Busch veered hard to the bottom lane on the backstretch, making contact with Logano in the process. In Turn 4, Logano got loose, made contact with Busch and sent him spinning.

    Busch went to Logano’s car on pit road after the race and a fight ensued.

    “We were just racing hard there at the end,” Logano said after the fight. “I was underneath him on the backstretch and he tried to crash me into the corner getting underneath Brad there and at that point, I was just trying to get through the corner. I was sideways all the way through and get into him. Nothing intentional. I understand his frustration, he crashed. The same thing could have happened into 3 what he did to me.”

    Kyle Larson, Elliott, Logano and Keselowski round out the top-five.

    Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer round out the top-10.

    The race lasted two hours, 56 minutes and 39 seconds at an average speed of 136.032 mph. There were 14 lead changes among six different drivers and six cautions for 34 laps.

    Keselowski leaves Las Vegas with a one-point lead over Larson.

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  • Joey Logano Holds off Kyle Larson for NASCAR XFINITY Win at Las Vegas

    Joey Logano Holds off Kyle Larson for NASCAR XFINITY Win at Las Vegas

    By Reid Spencer – NASCAR Wire Service

    LAS VEGAS – Saturday’s Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway wasn’t a drag race, but lane choice proved critical to Joey Logano’s 28th NASCAR XFINITY Series victory in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

    Choosing the top side for a restart on Lap 196 of 200, after Ty Dillon’s spin on Lap 192 necessitated the ninth and final caution of the afternoon, Logano cleared Kyle Larson off Turn 4 after an intense side-by-side battle and pulled away to win by .602 seconds.

    “It was hard to figure out what to do, what lane to pick,” said Logano, who has won in each of his last three starts in the 12 car. “The one thing we did know is that we had a very fast Ford Mustang.

    “(Crew chief) Brian Wilson and all the guys that bring this 12 car out, that’s three wins in a row for the 12 car, so that’s something I’m proud to be a part of and work with these guys. … It was a challenging day from the restart standpoint.”

    If lane choice was essential in the late stages of the race, the decision not to pit at the end of Stage 2, after pitting under the previous caution on Lap 72, was a key element to winning the race. That choice flipped track position and gave Logano the lead for a restart on Lap 99, a position he maintained through four subsequent restarts.

    The ability to hold off polesitter Kyle Busch on older tires gave Logano confidence in the capability of his car.

    “Man, it’s a lot of fun to have these Team Penske cars fast again in the XFINITY Series,” said Logano who led 106 laps in winning for the first time this season in his first-ever Las Vegas start in the series. “Man, it feels good.

    “But those restarts were crazy, though. You don’t know which lane to pick. You don’t know who is a good pusher. You try to remember what happened on the last (restart).”

    Logano took over eighth place all-time in career NASCAR XFINITY Series victories.

    Busch led each of the 45 laps in Stage 1 but faded to seventh at the finish after the handling of his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota deteriorated in the second half of the race.

    Brad Keselowski, Logano’s teammate, won Stage 2, but Keselowski brought the No. 22 Mustang to pit road for an unscheduled stop on Lap 108 because of a loose wheel and recovered to finish 10th.

    Daniel Suarez ran third, followed by Justin Allgaier—the highest-finishing series regular–Austin Dillon and Darrell Wallace Jr.

    Larson said a push from Suarez on the final restart might have helped him, but that assistance didn’t materialize.

    “I needed Daniel to push me and not pull out (of line),” Larson said. “I think if Daniel would have ever gotten to my back bumper to help me, he probably would have taken that opportunity to pull out and pass me. 

    “It would have been hard to clear Joey, but I definitely needed some help behind me.”

    Elliott Sadler finished eighth to retain the series lead by four points over Daytona winner Ryan Reed, who came home seventh.

  • Truex Fastest in Final Practice at Las Vegas

    Truex Fastest in Final Practice at Las Vegas

    Martin Truex Jr. topped the chart in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota was the fastest with a time of 28.630 and a speed of 188.613 mph. Chase Elliott was second in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 28.636 and a speed of 188.574 mph. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third in his No. 88 HMS Chevrolet with a time of 28.657 and a speed of 188.436 mph. Matt Kenseth was fourth in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 28.684 and a speed of 188.258 mph. Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford with a time of 28.702 and a speed of 188.140 mph.

    Ryan Blaney, who clocked in the eighth-fastest single lap, posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 185.347 mph.

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  • Elliott Fastest at Las Vegas in Second Practice

    Elliott Fastest at Las Vegas in Second Practice

    Chase Elliott topped the chart in second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 28.197 and a speed of 191.510 mph. Kyle Larson was second in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 28.599 and a speed of 188.818 mph. Matt Kenseth was third in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 28.633 and a speed of 188.594 mph. Kyle Busch was fourth in his No. 18 JGR Toyota with a time of 28.645 and a speed of 188.515 mph. Kasey Kahne rounded out the top-five in his No. 5 HMS Chevrolet with a time of 28.713 and a speed of 188.068 mph.

    Elliott posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 186.480 mph.

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