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  • Race update: There Will Be a Chase Race at Phoenix Tonight

    Race update: There Will Be a Chase Race at Phoenix Tonight

    We’ll decide who’s going to the championship finale at Homestead under the lights at Phoenix International Raceway Sunday night. It will be televised on NBCSN.

    The race was originally scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET but was postponed due to rain. After hours of rain showers, drying the track, more rain showers, people tweeting their favorite Jeff Gordon moments and more rain, we’re getting closer to starting the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500.

    According to the latest radar, we’re good to race for the rest of the night with no more significant precipitation heading the way of Jeff Gordon Raceway.

    As of right now, track drying is proceeding accordingly and we should get going shortly with a projected start time of approximately 9 p.m. When this race does get underway, there will be a competition caution on lap 40. Pit road speed is 40 mph and the fuel window is roughly 80 laps.

    In the unlikely event this race doesn’t get underway tonight, it will be run tomorrow. NASCAR has not yet set a definite time for the race if it is postponed until Monday.

    Jimmie Johnson, who won the pole position in qualifying Friday, will lead the field to green. The Chase drivers will take the green flag in the following order: Kurt Busch, 2nd; Carl Edwards, 4th; Martin Truex Jr., 5th; Kevin Harvick, 8th; Kyle Busch, 10th; Gordon, 11th; Joey Logano, 14th; Brad Keselowski, 18th.

    Jeff Gordon is the only driver who has secured his berth in the final race at Homestead next week which will determine the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, leaving seven drivers to compete for the remaining three spots.

    The race will be broadcast on NBCSN with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

     

  • Race Update: Cup Race at Phoenix Under a Weather Delay

    Race Update: Cup Race at Phoenix Under a Weather Delay

    Today’s race at Phoenix is under a weather delay.

    Rain showers have put the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway scheduled to start at 2:45 p.m. Eastern time on hold.

    The latest radar shows the rain is breaking up, but more is on the way from the southwest.

    Weather.com has the chance of rain ranging between 15 and 20 percent until 7:00 Eastern.

    The sun has emerged from the clouds and the air titans are on track at the moment. We expect the race to get underway and finished tonight. Television coverage will be moved to NBCSN

     

  • Kyle Busch dominates in 8th XFINITY win at Phoenix

    Kyle Busch dominates in 8th XFINITY win at Phoenix

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    AVONDALE, Ariz. – If Saturday’s DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans had been a court case, 39 NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers would have pleaded “no contest.”

    The exception was polesitter Kyle Busch, who led 190 of 200 laps in registering a dominating victory at Phoenix International Raceway, his eighth in 19 starts at the track.

    In a race that saw defending series champion and seventh-place finisher Chase Elliott trim XFINITY leader Chris Buescher’s margin in the standings from 24 to 18 points, Busch ran away with the event, crossing the finish line 3.097 seconds ahead of runner-up Brad Keselowski.

    After winning his 47th pole earlier in the day (extending his series record), Busch picked up his 76th XFINITY victory (extending his series record). The driver of the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota now has led 1,636 laps at PIR, second most at any track behind Bristol (1,768).

    The win was Busch’s fifth from the pole at PIR.

    “It wasn’t particularly hard, obviously,” Busch said about the ease of his victory. “I do remember that there was one other time here I think I led 200 of 200 (laps)… We’ve done that here before. Today was close. We just weren’t able to get good enough pit stops to come out of the pits with the lead each time and hold the lead that we had.

    “But, all in all, it was a very fast race car — flawless, really.”

    Keselowski’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford was fast but not in Busch’s class.

    “We had a great effort,” Keselowski said. “We had a great day on pit road. The guys on the pit crew did a great job there. We gained spots, so that was really cool and real fun, but we just needed a lot more speed to run with the 54. Either way, it was a pretty solid day.”

    JGR drivers Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez ran third and fourth, respectively, giving the organization three of the top four finishing positions. Ty Dillon came home fifth, followed by Regan Smith.

    Buescher finished 13th, one lap down, and lost a fourth of his points lead over the reigning champion. But he can clinch the series title with a finish of 13th or better next Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    “In the grand scheme of things, we need to go to Homestead and we need to have a good day and do what we did there last year – just run around and stay out of trouble,” Buescher said. “Run fifth – that would be just fine.

    “When you look at the averages and points gained versus our needed position to finish, our window is getting bigger as we go through these last four races, so that makes me feel good as we go to Homestead. Even though they gained some points, honestly, unless something crazy happens at Homestead it’s just not going be enough.”

    Busch, on the other hand, is in a dogfight for one of three available spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Round next week at Homestead. But first he’ll have to survive Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at PIR (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC).

    “We got our M&M’s Camry a little bit better there in Happy Hour,” Busch said of Saturday’s final Sprint Cup practice session. “It was good. I’d like it to be better than it was, but we’ll see how it stacks up in the race. I learned some things here today that will help me, and I’m looking forward to it.”

    Busch, who is second on the Chase Grid, will start 10th in Sunday’s race.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans
    Phoenix International Raceway
    Avondale, Arizona
    Saturday, November 14, 2015

    1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200, $67011.
    2. (4) Brad Keselowski(i), Ford, 200, $43740.
    3. (3) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 200, $43997.
    4. (5) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 200, $40608.
    5. (8) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $35344.
    6. (11) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 200, $32557.
    7. (12) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200, $32297.
    8. (10) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Ford, 200, $32312.
    9. (17) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 200, $29844.
    10. (16) Kasey Kahne(i), Chevrolet, 200, $24330.
    11. (13) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 200, $29278.
    12. (6) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 199, $29127.
    13. (7) Chris Buescher, Ford, 199, $28950.
    14. (2) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 199, $24090.
    15. (9) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 199, $23103.
    16. (15) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199, $28592.
    17. (18) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 199, $28380.
    18. (19) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 197, $28219.
    19. (14) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, 197, $28308.
    20. (26) Blake Koch, Toyota, 196, $28497.
    21. (28) David Starr, Toyota, 196, $27885.
    22. (35) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, 195, $27770.
    23. (20) Ryan Reed, Ford, 194, $27634.
    24. (33) Anthony Kumpen, Chevrolet, 194, $27523.
    25. (32) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 194, $27611.
    26. (34) Eric McClure, Toyota, 192, $27427.
    27. (31) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 191, $27391.
    28. (36) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, 191, $27320.
    29. (21) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, Engine, 188, $27245.
    30. (22) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 186, $27510.
    31. (39) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 184, $27154.
    32. (38) Korbin Forrister(i), Chevrolet, 174, $27119.
    33. (29) Ross Kenseth, Toyota, 149, $21079.
    34. (24) Dylan Kwasniewski, Chevrolet, Accident, 56, $27042.
    35. (23) Mike Bliss, Toyota, Suspension, 35, $26995.
    36. (37) TJ Bell(i), Toyota, Brakes, 19, $18791.
    37. (27) BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, Ignition, 19, $17791.
    38. (40) Ruben Pardo(i), Toyota, Engine, 15, $22791.
    39. (30) Carl Long, Dodge, Engine, 9, $15791.
    40. (25) Jeff Green, Toyota, Rear Gear, 3, $14791.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 113.583 mph.
    Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 45 Mins, 39 Secs. Margin of Victory: 3.097 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 3 for 18 laps.
    Lead Changes: 5 among 3 drivers.
    Lap Leaders: K. Busch(i) 1-63; E. Sadler 64-66; B. Keselowski(i) 67; K. Busch(i) 68-114; B. Keselowski(i) 115-120; K. Busch(i) 121-200.
    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch(i) 3 times for 190 laps; B. Keselowski(i) 2 times for 7 laps; E. Sadler 1 time for 3 laps.
    Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 1,157; C. Elliott – 1,139; T. Dillon – 1,135; R. Smith – 1,133; E. Sadler – 1,044; D. Suarez # – 1,040; D. Wallace Jr. # – 1,037; B. Scott – 992; B. Gaughan – 991; R. Reed – 875.

  • Saturday Recap: Practice Sessions at Phoenix

    Saturday Recap: Practice Sessions at Phoenix

  • PETERS SNEAKS THROUGH WRECK TO WIN LUCAS OIL 150

    PETERS SNEAKS THROUGH WRECK TO WIN LUCAS OIL 150

    Driver held off late challenge to capture first-career win at Phoenix

    PHOENIX – For the first 80 percent of Friday’s Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Phoenix International Raceway, Timothy Peters, driver of the No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota, looked like he had no chance to win. But on Lap 120, the two leaders crashed into each other during a restart and took themselves out of contention, giving first place to Peters, who battled off a last lap attack to claim his first-career win at the one-mile oval in the Arizona desert.

    With just 30 laps to go, points leader Erik Jones, driver of the No. 4 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota, held the lead from Matt Crafton, second in points and on the track. Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Ideal Door/Menards Toyota, aggressively tried to grab the advantage with a daring move to shortcut the dogleg, but the tail of his truck slid out and hit Jones, who made contact with the outside wall. Crafton spun towards the inside wall but he collided with his teammate Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 98 Smokey Mountain/Curb Records Toyota, before both trucks hit the inside wall.

    “I just got loose under him and I tried to chase it and when I chased it, I got into him,” said Crafton, who finished 23rd and saw his hopes of repeating as series champion disappear as he fell to third in the 2015 standings – 32 points behind Jones. “I hate it for my (crew) guys, and I didn’t want to do that to the No. 4 (of Jones).”

    Peters took the lead during the ensuing caution period when Jones came into the pits for repairs on the right rear of his truck. Jones was able to complete the race, but struggled to a ninth-place finish.

    “I think he (Crafton) was just trying to get a good run off of Turn 4,” said Jones, who can clinch the title with a finish of 15th or better next week. “It’s unfortunate. We definitely had the two fastest trucks. I wish we could have raced for the win side by side.”

    Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 19 Draw Tight Ford, finished fifth despite trouble during a pit stop on lap 107 that cost him track position. He battled back the rest of the way and now sits 19 points behind Jones.

    Up front, Peters had to hold off a late challenge of John Hunter Nemecheck, driver of the No. 8 Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup Chevrolet, who was just 0.310 of a second behind as Peters swept beneath the checkered flag on lap 150.

    Peters win on Friday was his second of the season and his first at PIR in eight career tries; his best previous result in Arizona was fourth in November 2012. His first win this season came at Talladega Superspeedway in October.

    “We had a top-five truck for sure,” said Peters after his win. “I love that the tires are burned off it and I’m looking forward to Homestead-Miami Speedway. You’ll see me there with a big ol’ smile on my face.”

    Nemechek finished second and felt he could have competed for the win if he had clean air.

    “It paid everything there to have clean air out front out there,” said the 18-year-old Nemechek. “Well take it, It’s definitely some motivation going to Homestead for the final race of the year.”

    There were seven cautions during the race. Rising star Rico Abreu, driver of the No. 31 AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet, made his series debut but was involved in a crash on lap 46.

    About Phoenix International Raceway
    Since 1964, Phoenix International Raceway has been the premier motorsports venue in the Southwest. Founded as an open-wheel racing mecca, PIR will host the Phoenix Grand Prix Verizon IndyCar Series race under the lights on Saturday night, April 2. Phoenix is the only track in the West to have two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends a year and will kick off its 2016 NASCAR season with the Camping World 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend in March followed by the semifinal race for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in November.

  • NCWTS Race Recap: Peters holds off Nemechek for Truck Series victory in Phoenix

    NCWTS Race Recap: Peters holds off Nemechek for Truck Series victory in Phoenix

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    AVONDALE, Ariz. – After the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series battle changed dramatically with a wreck involving the two series leaders, Timothy Peters held off John Hunter Nemechek to win Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.

    Peters beat Nemechek to the checkered flag by .309 seconds to record his first victory at the one-mile speedway, his second of the season and the 10th of his career.

    But the real drama occurred 30 laps before Peters crossed the finish line in the 150-lap event. The dominant trucks of series leader Erik Jones and two-time defending champion Matt Crafton fell out of contention, wrecking during an intense battle for the lead.

    As Crafton and Jones raced side-by-side for the lead after a restart on Lap 120, Crafton’s Toyota slipped underneath Jones’ Tundra in Turn 4 and pinched Jones against the outside wall. Crafton shot to the left and knocked ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter’s Toyota into the inside wall, critically damaging both vehicles.

    Despite damage to the rear of his truck, Jones salvaged a lead-lap ninth-place finish and maintained a 19-point lead in the series standings over second-place Tyler Reddick, who finished fifth on Friday night.

    Crafton wasn’t as fortunate. His 23rd-place finish left him 32 points behind Jones, who can end Crafton’s title run with a finish of 27th or better next Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Jones can clinch his first championship outright with a finish of 15th or better in the season finale.

    “I made a mistake,” Crafton acknowledged. “Mistakes happen and we’re all human,” he said. “I hate it for my guys because we had a great truck.”

    Peters had to dodge a Lap 6 wreck involving Brandon Jones, William Byron and Cole Custer before he could think about winning the race.

    “When I saw it happen, and (the wrecking trucks) coming back across the race track, I can’t tell you what I was thinking, but it was ‘Here we go again,’” said Peters, who posted his seventh straight top-six finish in a stretch that includes two wins. “The last two years, we’ve had great trucks (at Phoenix), but we’ve been in the right place at the wrong time.

    “The Lord works in great ways, and tonight was our night. Even though we missed it by our chinny, chin, chin, I was able to miss it. The only damage on the truck is from me getting crazy burning it out (in the post-race celebration). I’m sure that won’t be a problem if we keep continuing to go down this path.”

    Note: With Peters’ victory, Toyota clinched its eighth manufacturers’ championship in the Truck Series.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – Lucas Oil 150
    Phoenix International Raceway
    Avondale, Arizona
    Friday, November 13, 2015

    1. (10) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 150, $44502.
    2. (11) John H. Nemechek #, Chevrolet, 150, $32722.
    3. (19) John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, 150, $24226.
    4. (8) Daniel Suarez(i), Toyota, 150, $17000.
    5. (2) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 150, $17375.
    6. (15) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 150, $16287.
    7. (3) JJ Haley, Chevrolet, 150, $13982.
    8. (17) Matt Tifft, Toyota, 150, $16176.
    9. (1) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 150, $20621.
    10. (18) Mason Mingus, Chevrolet, 150, $16988.
    11. (6) Cameron Hayley #, Toyota, 150, $15844.
    12. (24) Chad Boat, Chevrolet, 149, $13455.
    13. (23) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 149, $15649.
    14. (21) Austin Cindric, Ford, 149, $15567.
    15. (25) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 149, $15911.
    16. (26) Bobby Pierce, Chevrolet, 149, $15628.
    17. (27) Ruben Pardo, Chevrolet, 148, $15372.
    18. (28) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 148, $15317.
    19. (20) Dalton Sargeant, Toyota, 148, $13012.
    20. (22) Ray Black Jr. #, Chevrolet, 148, $15706.
    21. (13) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 144, $15096.
    22. (29) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 141, $15040.
    23. (4) Matt Crafton, Toyota, Accident, 130, $14680.
    24. (12) Ben Kennedy, Toyota, 126, $13569.
    25. (16) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, Accident, 120, $12609.
    26. (9) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 114, $12347.
    27. (32) Akinori Ogata, Chevrolet, Suspension, 105, $12209.
    28. (14) Rico Abreu, Chevrolet, Accident, 44, $11878.
    29. (31) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Engine, 36, $11768.
    30. (30) Korbin Forrister #, Chevrolet, Accident, 15, $11268.
    31. (5) William Byron, Toyota, Accident, 6, $9768.
    32. (7) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, Accident, 6, $8768.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 92.704 mph.
    Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 37 Mins, 05 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.309 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 7 for 37 laps.
    Lead Changes: 9 among 4 drivers.
    Lap Leaders: E. Jones # 1-10; M. Crafton 11; E. Jones # 12-21; M. Crafton 22; E. Jones # 23-41; T. Kvapil 42; E. Jones # 43-106; M. Crafton 107-119; E. Jones # 120-122; T. Peters 123-150.
    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): E. Jones # 5 times for 106 laps; T. Peters 1 time for 28 laps; M. Crafton 3 times for 15 laps; T. Kvapil 1 time for 1 lap.
    Top 10 in Points: E. Jones # – 861; T. Reddick – 842; M. Crafton – 829; J. Sauter – 772; T. Peters – 765; C. Hayley # – 731; D. Hemric # – 697; J. Townley – 695; B. Kennedy – 650; S. Gallagher # – 644.

  • Johnson Captures Coors Light Pole at Phoenix

    Johnson Captures Coors Light Pole at Phoenix

    Jimmie Johnson will lead the field to the green flag Sunday for the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet scored his first pole in 58 races with a new track record time of 25.147 and a speed of 143.158 mph.

    Johnson spoke about the gains his team has made in recent weeks, stating that his team “didn’t have the summer that we wanted, but these guys have been working so hard on the No. 48 team and at Hendrick Motorsports. So, I’m very happy to see the progress and the direction things are going. It’s been a little bit, everywhere. If we keep doing that, we’re going to close this season out just like we want to and be ready for 2016.”

    Kurt Busch and his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet will join Johnson on the front row with a time of 25.196 and a speed of 142.880 mph.

    Busch was somewhat disappointed with the runner-up starting position saying he felt that he “let the team down a little on that lap because our car is better than that. But starting up front here is a big advantage and we’ll work on the car a little tomorrow to fine tune and be ready to go out and race on Sunday and hope for a win.”

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in third after a time of 25.249 and a speed of 142.580 mph. Carl Edwards’ 142.501 mph lap in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota earned him a fourth place start and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top-five in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet with a time of 25.300 and a speed of 142.292 mph.

    Kyle Larson will start his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in sixth while Erik Jones, filling in for the suspended Matt Kenseth, in the No. 20 JGR Toyota, will begin the race in seventh place. Kevin Harvick, who has won the last four consecutive races at Phoenix,  qualified in the eighth position with his SHR No. 4 Chevrolet. Kasey Kahne will start his No. 5 HMS Chevrolet in ninth and Kyle Busch rounds out the top-10 in his No. 18 JGR Toyota.

    Of the remaining Chase-eligible drivers, Jeff Gordon will start in 11th, Joey Logano in 14th and Brad Keselowski, who qualified in 18th, will be the lowest starting Chase driver.

    Forty-three cars were entered, so nobody was sent home.

    Complete Starting Lineup:

    Position Car No. Driver Make Speed
    1 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 143.158
    2 41 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 142.88
    3 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Chevrolet 142.58
    4 19 Carl Edwards Toyota 142.501
    5 78 Martin Truex, Jr. Chevrolet 142.292
    6 42 Kyle Larson Chevrolet 142.287
    7 20 Erik Jones Toyota 142.219
    8 4 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 142.068
    9 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 142.062
    10 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 141.833
    11 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 141.409
    12 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 141.409
    13 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 141.665
    14 22 Joey Logano Ford 141.649
    15 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 141.393
    16 3 Austin Dillon Chevrolet 141.343
    17 43 Aric Almirola Ford 141.282
    18 2 Brad Keselowski Ford 141.271
    19 17 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Ford 140.944
    20 16 Greg Biffle Ford 140.691
    21 10 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 140.378
    22 31 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 140.28
    23 47 A.J. Allmendinger Chevrolet 140.252
    24 13 Casey Mears Chevrolet 139.735
    25 51 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 139.492
    26 6 Trevor Bayne Ford 139.459
    27 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 139.265
    28 9 Sam Hornish, Jr. Ford 139.114
    29 55 David Ragan Toyota 138.91
    30 83 Matt DiBenedetto Toyota 138.9
    31 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 138.739
    32 40 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 138.212
    33 26 J.J. Yeley Toyota 138.164
    34 38 David Gilliland Ford 137.878
    35 7 Alex Bowman Chevrolet 137.868
    36 46 Michael Annett Chevrolet 137.799
    37 23 Jeb Burton Toyota 136.997
    38 35 Cole Whitt Ford 136.82
    39 32 Joey Gase Ford 136.747
    40 34 Brett Moffitt Ford 136.462
    41 98 Ryan Preece Ford 135.486
    42 33 Ryan Ellis Chevrolet 134.71
    43 62 Timmy Hill Chevrolet 131.507

     

  • Johnson Leads First Practice at Phoenix

    Johnson Leads First Practice at Phoenix

    Jimmie Johnson topped the charts Friday at Phoenix International Raceway.  The driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 25.383 and a speed of 141.827 mph.

    Kyle Larson was second in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 25.391 and a speed of 141.783 mph followed by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kurt Busch who was third in his No. 41 Chevrolet with a speed of 141.571 mph. Carl Edwards was fourth in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a speed of 141.448 mph while Jamie McMurray rounded out the top-five in his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a lap time of 25.475 and a speed of 141.315 mph.

    Kevin Harvick was sixth in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne was seventh in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Martin Truex Jr. was eighth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was ninth in his No. 88 HMS Chevrolet and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-10 in his No. 18 JGR Toyota.

    Joey Logano finished 11th. Brad Keselowski finished 17th. Jeff Gordon was the lowest-finishing Chase driver in 25th.

    The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, however, topped the chart with the best 10 consecutive lap average at 136.389 mph.

    The Sprint Cup cars are back on track later for qualifying at 6:45 p.m.

    NSCS Practice 1
    Phoenix International Raceway
    28th Annual Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500
    Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Fri, November 13, 2015 @ 01:27 PM US

    Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
    1 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Patriotic Chevrolet 25.383 141.827 11 14 —.— —.—
    2 42 Kyle Larson Target Camo Chevrolet 25.391 141.783 19 19 -0.008 -0.008
    3 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 25.429 141.571 23 23 -0.046 -0.038
    4 19 Carl Edwards Stanley Toyota 25.451 141.448 29 29 -0.068 -0.022
    5 1 Jamie McMurray Sherwin Williams Chevrolet 25.475 141.315 10 16 -0.092 -0.024
    6 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet 25.523 141.049 15 18 -0.140 -0.048
    7 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet 25.541 140.950 18 22 -0.158 -0.018
    8 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 25.559 140.851 7 14 -0.176 -0.018
    9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 25.570 140.790 12 12 -0.187 -0.011
    10 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Crispy Toyota 25.576 140.757 37 38 -0.193 -0.006
    11 22 Joey Logano Pennzoil Ford 25.595 140.652 23 29 -0.212 -0.019
    12 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Cargill Ford 25.608 140.581 25 28 -0.225 -0.013
    13 3 Austin Dillon Bad Boy Buggies/Realtree Chevrolet 25.610 140.570 22 23 -0.227 -0.002
    14 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 25.613 140.554 23 23 -0.230 -0.003
    15 47 AJ Allmendinger Fry’s/Clorox Chevrolet 25.641 140.400 19 22 -0.258 -0.028
    16 11 Denny Hamlin FedEd Express Toyota 25.646 140.373 24 24 -0.263 -0.005
    17 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 25.661 140.291 2 14 -0.278 -0.015
    18 51 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet 25.667 140.258 25 25 -0.284 -0.006
    19 20 Erik Jones(i) Dollar General Toyota 25.668 140.252 25 25 -0.285 -0.001
    20 16 Greg Biffle Jardiance Ford 25.680 140.187 20 20 -0.297 -0.012
    21 27 Paul Menard Duracell/Menards Chevrolet 25.703 140.061 17 20 -0.320 -0.023
    22 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Global Mining Chevrolet 25.744 139.838 21 21 -0.361 -0.041
    23 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 25.754 139.784 34 38 -0.371 -0.010
    24 13 Casey Mears GEICO Military Chevrolet 25.774 139.676 27 27 -0.391 -0.020
    25 24 Jeff Gordon Pepsi Chevrolet 25.785 139.616 21 27 -0.402 -0.011
    26 43 Aric Almirola United States Air Force Ford 25.796 139.557 22 23 -0.413 -0.011
    27 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota 25.884 139.082 21 21 -0.501 -0.088
    28 55 David Ragan Aaron’s Online Dream Machine Toyota 25.909 138.948 25 26 -0.526 -0.025
    29 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Go Bowling/G1GABLAST Ford 25.921 138.884 22 27 -0.538 -0.012
    30 83 Matt DiBenedetto # VooDoo Barbeque Toyota 25.997 138.478 12 13 -0.614 -0.076
    31 40 Landon Cassill(i) Interstate Moving Services Chevrolet 26.027 138.318 30 31 -0.644 -0.030
    32 34 Brett Moffitt # Dockside Ford 26.029 138.307 26 30 -0.646 -0.002
    33 7 Alex Bowman Nikko RC/Toy State Chevrolet 26.094 137.963 21 23 -0.711 -0.065
    34 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 26.129 137.778 12 16 -0.746 -0.035
    35 38 David Gilliland Love’s Travel Stops Ford 26.192 137.447 17 18 -0.809 -0.063
    36 26 JJ Yeley(i) Maxim Toyota 26.212 137.342 22 25 -0.829 -0.020
    37 35 Cole Whitt Ford 26.244 137.174 14 22 -0.861 -0.032
    38 46 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet 26.312 136.820 20 24 -0.929 -0.068
    39 23 Jeb Burton # Dr Pepper Toyota 26.431 136.204 32 33 -1.048 -0.119
    40 98 Ryan Preece Xyience Ford 26.499 135.854 23 23 -1.116 -0.068
    41 33 Ryan Ellis(i) Science Logic Chevrolet 26.771 134.474 31 31 -1.388 -0.272
    42 32 Joey Gase(i) R Factor 2 Ford 26.977 133.447 19 19 -1.594 -0.206
    43 62 Timmy Hill(i) Prairie Auto Credit/Financial Concepts Chevrolet 27.614 130.369 11 16 -2.231 -0.637
    *Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

    Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
    Pos Car Driver From Lap To Lap Avg Speed
    1 24 Jeff Gordon 4 13 136.389
    2 14 Tony Stewart 2 11 135.959
    3 18 Kyle Busch 2 11 135.809
    4 15 Clint Bowyer 1 10 134.809
    5 46 Michael Annett 1 10 132.747
    6 98 Ryan Preece 11 20 131.079

    Note: Car must run 10 consecutive laps on the track to be included in the above chart.

  • Phoenix Clinch Scenarios – By the Numbers

    Phoenix Clinch Scenarios – By the Numbers

    The Sprint Cup Series travels to Phoenix International Raceway this Sunday to compete in the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500, the final race of the Eliminator Round. After the completion of this event, only four drivers will remain standing. The final four will travel to Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 22 for the final battle of the Chase to determine the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion.

    Clinch scenarios for Phoenix – Regardless of the finish of any other drivers:

    1) Jeff Gordon is the only driver that has clinched a spot in the Championship 4 after his win at Martinsville Speedway. He has two wins, three poles and 12 top-five finishes at Phoenix with a third-best driver rating of 100.5.

    2) Kyle Busch (+11 points above the cutoff line) can secure his berth with a finish of third or better; fourth and at least one lap led, or fifth and most laps led. His stats at Phoenix include one win, two poles, three top fives, 12 top 10s and a driver rating of 96.6 (sixth-best).

    3) Kevin Harvick (+10) needs to finish second or better; third and at least one lap led; or fourth and most laps led. Harvick will attempt to claim his fifth straight checkered flag at the one-mile track. If successful, he will join the elite company of NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty (7 consecutive wins at Richmond) and Darrell Waltrip (Bristol-7 and North Wilkesboro-5) as the only drivers to win at least five straight races at a single track.

    4) Martin Truex Jr. (+7) can control his destiny with a win at Phoenix. Truex’s past performance at Phoenix ranks him at the bottom of the eight contenders, but he is experiencing the best season of his career. If he can continue the trend and advance to the championship round, his stats indicate that he is one of the best at Homestead. He has three top fives, seven top 10s and has led 108 laps in 10 starts with the second-highest driver rating of 106.6.

    5) Carl Edwards (-7 below the cutoff line) is another driver that can control his destiny with a win at Phoenix. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has two wins, seven top fives, 12 top 10s and has won three pole awards in 22 starts at Phoenix. Edwards is coming off a top-five finish at Texas Motor Speedway.

    6) Brad Keselowski (-19) needs a win at Phoenix to control his destiny. He did everything right at Texas, posting a 145.0 driver rating, the highest rating a driver can achieve without winning a race.  But he came up short and finished runner-up to non-Chaser Jimmie Johnson. Keselowski has four top fives, six top 10s and one pole at Phoenix with a best finish of third in March 2014. .

    7) Kurt Busch (-28) can also take control of his destiny with a win at Phoenix. He finished fifth at Phoenix in March, has one win (2005), six top fives and 14 top 10s at this track. This is his best season since 2009 but in all likelihood, only a win will secure Busch a berth in the championship round.

    8) Joey Logano (-63) can ONLY advance to the Championship 4 with a victory at Phoenix. He has never won at Phoenix, but this has been a year of firsts for Logano,   claiming victories at four tracks this season where he had never won before, Daytona, Watkins Glen, Charlotte and Talladega. With a driver rating of 87.6, 14th best, Logano cannot afford any mistakes at Phoenix.

    Tune in Sunday for the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 on NBC at 2:30 p.m. ET to watch the action unfold and discover who will join Jeff Gordon as four drivers advance to fight for the Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead Nov. 22.

     

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Phoenix

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Phoenix

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series head to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend. The on-track action for the Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series will be televised on NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra, as indicated below. FS1 will broadcast events for the Camping World Truck Series.

    All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, Nov. 12:

    On Track:

    4:30–6:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice

    Press Conferences: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    2 p.m.: Daniel Suarez

    TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage:

    6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FS1
    7 p.m.: NASCAR America Live – NBCSN

    Friday, Nov. 13:

    On Track:

    12:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Qualifying – FS1
    2-3:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    3:30-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    5-6:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    6:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 150 (150 laps, 150 miles) – FS1 (Green flag 8:48 p.m. approx.)

    GarageCam: (Watch live)

    1:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series
    3 p.m.: XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    Noon: Rico Abreu
    12:30 p.m.: Joey Logano
    12:45 p.m.: Kurt Busch
    1 p.m.: Kevin Harvick
    3:30 p.m.: Carl Edwards
    4:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    4:45 p.m.: Track 2016 Title Sponsor Announcement
    7:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying
    10:15 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race

    TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage:

    4:30 p.m.: NASCAR America Live –NBCSN
    8 p.m.: NCWTS Setup – FS1

    Saturday, Nov. 14:

    On Track:

    11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    12:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    2:30-3:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    4 p.m.: XFINITY Series DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans (200 laps, 200 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra (Green flag 4:16 p.m. approx.)

    Press Conferences: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    5:45 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race

    TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage:

    2 p.m.: NASCAR America Live –NBCSN
    3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green – NBC

    Sunday, Nov. 15:

    On Track:

    2:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 (312 laps, 312 miles) – NBC/Live Extra (Green flag 2:45 p.m. approx.)

    Press Conferences: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    5:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Race

    TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage:

    11:30 a.m.: NASCAR RaceDay – FS1
    1:30 p.m.: NASCAR America Sunday – NBCSN
    2 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Countdown to Green – NBC
    6 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race – NBCSN
    6:30 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap – NBCSN
    Midnight: NASCAR Victory Lane – FS1