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  • Kevin Harvick Dominates Dover To Preserve Sprint Cup Title Hopes

    Kevin Harvick Dominates Dover To Preserve Sprint Cup Title Hopes

    By Reid Spencer

    DOVER, Del.—By Jove, he’s done it again!

    Forced to win at Dover International Speedway to keep his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship hopes alive Sunday, Kevin Harvick did just that, dominating Sunday’s AAA 400 to stave off elimination from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

    In a virtual carbon copy of last year’s Chase race at Phoenix, where the 2014 premier series champion had to win to advance to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Harvick led 355 of 400 laps (a career best at any track) in winning for the third time this year and the 31st time in his career.

    “I think we’re better than we were last year, just because of the experiences and things that we’ve had,” Harvick said after the race. “I think when we look at everything that’s gone on over the last couple of years, it’s just been a lot of fun.

    “So, it’s just that never-quit attitude. That’s what (team co-owner) Tony Stewart said when we went to Homestead last year. He said, ‘Whatever you do, do not quit until they throw that checkered flag.’”

    Harvick won the race and secured his first Sprint Cup title by a half-second over Ryan Newman.

    But there was one major difference between last year’s must-win race and the one on Sunday. Phoenix is Harvick’s best track. At Dover, on the other hand, he had never won before and had posted just four top-five finishes in 29 previous starts.

    As fast as Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet was, however, none of the statistics mattered. After a restart with 24 laps left, he pulled away to a 2.639-second victory over Kyle Busch, who likewise secured a berth in the 12-driver Contender Round with his second-place run.

    Nor did the stats help Jimmie Johnson, whose shocking ouster from the playoffs took place at the Monster Mile where he holds a record 10 victories. The six-time series champion took his No. 48 Chevrolet to the garage on Lap 106 after a rear axle seal failed.

    Johnson lost 36 laps while his team replaced the rear end housing and was credited with a 41st-place finish, leaving him 12 points shy of the Chase cutoff, which came down to a tiebreaker for the 12th and final spot between third-place finisher Dale Earnhardt Jr. and fourth-place Jamie McMurray.

    Joining Johnson and McMurray on the Chase sidelines were Paul Menard (25th Sunday) and Clint Bowyer, who like Harvick faced a win-or-bust scenario at the one-mile concrete track.

    Narrowed to 12, the field for the Contender Round now includes Challenger Round winners Matt Kenseth (Chicago), Denny Hamlin (New Hampshire) and Harvick, as well as Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Newman and Earnhardt.

    But on Sunday, Harvick showed his hand as the speed horse in the Chase, just as he was last year. Harvick’s car was fast last week at New Hampshire, but he ran out of fuel while leading with three laps left to create the must-win scenario at Dover.

    “Anytime you can go through moments like this and gain some momentum and prove to yourself that you can do things like this, there’s no way you can’t be stronger,” Harvick said. “I’m just so proud of those guys and so proud of our fans and everybody for all their support all week. There it is—stay the course.”

    Kyle Busch conceded Harvick’s victory was bad news for everyone else still in the Chase.

    “The way he ran today—hell, yeah,” Busch said. “That was a guy that we wanted to knock out. That’s a guy that can win all these races, and you don’t want to have to compete against a guy like that.

    “But that’s why they’re as good as they are, and they were last year’s champion, so they’re going to have an opportunity to continue on. We’ll see what happens. There’s still two more rounds to figure out who’s going to make it to Homestead.”

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – AAA 400
    Dover International Speedway
    Dover, Delaware
    Sunday, October 04, 2015

                       1. (15) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 400, $263590.

                       2. (13) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 400, $206191.

                       3. (12) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 400, $157175.

                       4. (11) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 400, $156691.

                       5. (18) Aric Almirola, Ford, 400, $155336.

                       6. (17) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 400, $116640.

                       7. (1) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 400, $145901.

                      8. (27) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 400, $102215.

                       9. (19) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 400, $119673.

                       10. (4) Joey Logano, Ford, 400, $134273.

                       11. (9) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 400, $116285.

                       12. (10) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 400, $132571.

                       13. (20) Greg Biffle, Ford, 400, $117818.

                       14. (16) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 400, $119493.

                       15. (3) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 400, $85035.

                       16. (8) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 400, $128351.

                       17. (7) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 400, $97710.

                       18. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 400, $97480.

                       19. (6) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 399, $115080.

                       20. (26) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 398, $109600.

                      21. (24) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 398, $90480.

                       22. (28) David Ragan, Toyota, 398, $109394.

                       23. (21) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 398, $118866.

                       24. (22) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 397, $107838.

                       25. (14) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 397, $89405.

                       26. (25) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 396, $108369.

                       27. (30) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 395, $105138.

                       28. (31) Cole Whitt, Ford, 394, $94488.

                       29. (23) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 394, $107338.

                       30. (32) David Gilliland, Ford, 394, $96577.

                       31. (29) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 393, $121930.

                       32. (35) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 393, $77155.

                       33. (40) Reed Sorenson, Ford, 391, $77005.

                       34. (37) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 391, $78330.

                       35. (42) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, 390, $76605.

                       36. (41) Josh Wise, Ford, 389, $76437.

                       37. (38) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 387, $76501.

                       38. (36) Alex Kennedy #, Chevrolet, 386, $71402.

                       39. (43) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 380, $67330.

                       40. (33) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, Engine, 365, $63330.

                       41. (5) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 364, $107266.

                       42. (34) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, Accident, 346, $55330.

                       43. (39) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, Accident, 186, $51830.

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  119.87 mph.
    Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 20 Mins, 13 Secs. Margin of Victory:  2.639 Seconds.
    Caution Flags:  8 for 43 laps.
    Lead Changes:  14 among 3 drivers.
    Lap Leaders:   M. Kenseth 1-23; K. Harvick 24-41; M. Kenseth 42; K. Harvick 43-112; Kyle Busch 113; K. Harvick 114-195; Kyle Busch 196; K. Harvick 197-232; Kyle Busch 233-247; K. Harvick 248-312; Kyle Busch 313; K. Harvick 314-354; Kyle Busch 355; M. Kenseth 356-357; K. Harvick 358-400.
    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Harvick 7 times for 355 laps; M. Kenseth 3 times for 26 laps; Kyle Busch 5 times for 19 laps.
    Top 16 in Points: M. Kenseth – 2,137; J. Logano – 2,123; D. Hamlin – 2,119; C. Edwards – 2,118; M. Truex Jr. – 2,104; Kurt Busch – 2,100; J. Gordon – 2,100; B. Keselowski – 2,100; Kyle Busch – 2,099; R. Newman – 2,099; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 2,098; J. Mcmurray – 2,098; J. Johnson – 2,086; K. Harvick – 2,082; P. Menard – 2,075; C. Bowyer – 2,048.

  • Harvick picks up big win in “AAA 400,” advances in Chase

    Harvick picks up big win in “AAA 400,” advances in Chase

    By Brian Citino

    DOVER, Del. (Oct. 4, 2015) — The most consistent driver throughout the first 26 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular season came to Dover International Speedway with his whole season hanging in the balance.

    Essentially, 2014 Series champion Kevin Harvick needed to win or his hopes at being a repeat champion would be over. Twenty-three points behind the 12-driver cutoff heading into Sunday’s “AAA 400” Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup elimination race, a win was about all that would guarantee his trip to the Contender Round.

    Add to the fact that Harvick was 0 for 29 at the Monster Mile entering Sunday’s race, with a pedestrian four top-five finishes and an average finish of 14.7 at the track, and a win seemed even more unlikely.

    It’s fitting that Harvick has carried the nickname of “The Closer” for so many years, though, because not only did he win at the Monster Mile, he dominated.

    “It was business as usual for our team today,” Harvick said. “I’m really proud of my group for getting the last little bit out of everything they could today.”

    Starting 15th, Harvick proceeded to lead 355 laps total, including the final 43, showing the NASCAR world why he’s been its top driver for almost two years.

    Following disappointing finishes in the first two races of the Chase, the pressure was on Harvick and his team to perform. However, he said that didn’t change anything for his guys coming to Dover.

    “I don’t really believe that we did anything different,” he said. “The circumstances today were straight forward. It’s just the nature of this team and what they do. The character is deep and they all believe in each other.”

    Harvick insisted after the race that he didn’t feel any pressure headed into the weekend, even with the must-win circumstances. Drawing back on his experiences late last season that saw him win to stay alive entering the season finale, and then walk-off win the championship, Sunday’s situation was one he has faced before.

    But while he doesn’t like to be in a position such as the one he was in at Dover, Harvick did say these moments are something he rather enjoys.

    “The payoff you get in these situations is the rush that you get out of it,” he said. “Those moments are something that are a lot of fun to be a part of.”

    Coming into the race, it was the Joe Gibbs Racing cars that had been the class of the field for the past two months. But Harvick served notice that his team is just as strong as any, and the No. 4 Chevrolet squad is again the team to beat.

    Rodney Childers, crew chief for Harvick’s team, said in recent weeks the Gibbs teams have had a little something extra, but that didn’t discourage his group.

    “I think we’ve been at a little bit of a disadvantage,” Childers said. “I’m not sure what those guys have. We’ve got a good race team though. We’ve been through situations like this before, but we’ve got a good race team and good cars.”

    Kyle Busch, also on the outside of the cutoff bubble looking in, finished second to advance to the next round, noting that despite running up front all day, his team just didn’t have enough for the No. 4, even after a late pit stop that saw him take four tires to Harvick’s two.

    “It was a pretty good race for us and we finished where I thought we deserved to be,” Busch said. “For as fast as Kevin was today, I don’t know if I could have had eight tires and beaten him.”

    In addition to Harvick and Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon advanced to the next round. Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard were eliminated.

  • Townley Scores First Truck Series Victory In Las Vegas

    Townley Scores First Truck Series Victory In Las Vegas

    Oct. 4, 2015
    By Owen A. Kearns

    LAS VEGAS—John Wes Townley collected his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday night, saving just enough fuel during his final run to win the Rhino Linings 350.

    Townley, who qualified his No. 05 Chevrolet second, battled among the top five for much of the race taking the lead from two-time series champion Matt Crafton with five laps to go when Crafton was forced to pit road for a splash of fuel.

    Townley’s victory came in the Georgia veteran’s 89th career start. He scored a previous best finish of third at Texas Motor Speedway in June. His best performance at Las Vegas had been a seventh place.

    Both Townley and crew chief Michael Shelton credited the team’s spotter, Terry Cook, for coaching Townley through the deciding laps.

    “I would have run out of gas if it hadn’t been for Terry,” said Townley of the former series competitor. “I took care of this thing (truck) tonight and it took care of me. This is amazing; awesome.”

    Said Shelton, a former series championship crew chief, “It’s been a lot of time coming. He’s (Townley) had a tough career at times.”

    Crafton, who led the most laps and qualified his No. 88 Toyota on the pole, finished eighth. He closed the gap on championship leader Erik Jones to four points as Jones finished ninth.

    Red Horse Racing teammates Timothy Peters and Ben Kennedy drove their Toyotas to second and third-place finishes, respectively. John Hunter Nemechek, who won at Chicagoland Speedway last month in a race also dictated by fuel mileage, took fourth despite being involved in an early caution. Brandon Jones was fifth.

    Nine different drivers swapped the lead 15 times with Crafton—whose ThorSport Racing truck had been the fastest in both practice and qualifying—leading seemingly at will. His greatest challenge came from a teammate, Cameron Hayley, who passed Crafton on the 69th lap and built a lead of five seconds before a slow pit stop dropped him back in the field.

    Hayley’s Toyota, running third behind Crafton and Townley, also ran short of fuel and finished 10th.

    Contact in Turn 4 on lap 14 between Brad Keselowski Racing teammates Austin Theriault and Tyler Reddick sent Theriault’s No. 29 Ford head-on into the outside wall, triggering the race’s first caution. Theriault was assisted from his truck by safety workers and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation, where he reportedly was awake and alert.

    Reddick continued to finish seventh and remain in championship contention, 16 points behind Jones.

    Johnny Sauter, the race’s 2009 winner, and Nemechek triggered another caution on lap 49, spinning in Turn 2 while battling for the runner-up position behind leader Peters. Both continued after pit stops for repairs.

    Notes: Defending Rhino Linings 350 winner Jones, who entered the season’s 18th event leading Crafton by seven points, qualified his No. 4 Toyota 15th but fell to the rear of the field at the start after his Kyle Busch Motorsports crew made an engine change. … Action sports star Travis Pastrana made his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start, finishing 16th. Pastrana was 15th in his initial appearance, also at LVMS in 2012. 

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – Rhino Linings 350
    Las Vegas Motor Speedway
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    Saturday, October 03, 2015

        1. (2) John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, 146, $45845.
    2. (4) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 146, $31057.
    3. (9) Ben Kennedy, Toyota, 146, $25167.
    4. (16) John H. Nemechek #, Chevrolet, 146, $21906.
    5. (3) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 146, $19051.
    6. (12) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 146, $17267.
    7. (11) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 146, $16712.
    8. (1) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 146, $19762.
    9. (15) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 146, $16406.
    10. (6) Cameron Hayley #, Toyota, 145, $17301.
    11. (14) Brennan Poole(i), Chevrolet, 145, $14045.
    12. (13) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 145, $16156.
    13. (22) Ray Black Jr. #, Chevrolet, 145, $16099.
    14. (5) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 145, $16044.
    15. (10) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 144, $16306.
    16. (17) Travis Pastrana, Chevrolet, 144, $15966.
    17. (20) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 144, $15656.
    18. (21) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 144, $15516.
    19. (18) Matt Tifft, Toyota, 143, $15406.
    20. (8) Mason Mingus, Chevrolet, 142, $14600.
    21. (24) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 140, $13933.
    22. (27) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 138, $12822.
    23. (30) Akinori Ogata, Chevrolet, 135, $12712.
    24. (29) Wayne Edwards, Chevrolet, 135, $12600.
    25. (19) Chad Boat, Chevrolet, Handling, 114, $12695.
    26. (32) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Suspension, 46, $12517.
    27. (26) Korbin Forrister #, Chevrolet, Oil Leak, 34, $12462.
    28. (25) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, Overheating, 33, $12213.
    29. (23) Justin Jennings, Chevrolet, Electrical, 29, $12185.
    30. (28) Caleb Roark, Chevrolet, Electrical, 16, $11685.
    31. (7) Austin Theriault #, Ford, Accident, 14, $10185.
    32. (31) Tyler Tanner, Chevrolet, Ignition, 5, $9185.

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  132.772 mph.
    Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 38 Mins, 58 Secs. Margin of Victory:  3.827 Seconds.
    Caution Flags:  3 for 19 laps.
    Lead Changes:  15 among 9 drivers.

    Lap Leaders:   M. Crafton 1-12; J. Townley 13-21; T. Kvapil 22; J. Jennings 23; J. Townley 24-30; J. Sauter 31-37; J. Townley 38; R. Black Jr. # 39; T. Peters 40-52; M. Crafton 53-68; C. Hayley # 69-91; J. Townley 92; J. Sauter 93-98; T. Reddick 99-100; M. Crafton 101-141; J. Townley 142-146.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  M. Crafton 3 times for 69 laps; J. Townley 5 times for 23 laps; C. Hayley # 1 time for 23 laps; T. Peters 1 time for 13 laps; J. Sauter 2 times for 13 laps; T. Reddick 1 time for 2 laps; J. Jennings 1 time for 1 lap; R. Black Jr. # 1 time for 1 lap; T. Kvapil 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 10 in Points: E. Jones # – 701; M. Crafton – 697; T. Reddick – 685; J. Sauter – 650; D. Hemric # – 596; T. Peters – 595; C. Hayley # – 584; J. Townley – 565; B. Kennedy – 545; S. Gallagher # – 533.

     

  • Regan Smith outduels Cup regulars for “Hisense 200” win

    Regan Smith outduels Cup regulars for “Hisense 200” win

    By Brian Citino

    DOVER, Del. (Oct. 3, 2015) — When Kyle Busch leads 110 laps in a NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Dover International Speedway, chances are you’re going to see him in Sunoco Victory Lane at the end of the race.

    So when he was out in front of the field for most of the early part of Saturday’s “Hisense 200” NASCAR XFINITY Series race, typically you’d win a few dollars if you placed a wager on him finishing in the same position. But in racing, especially at this level, nothing is guaranteed.

    And so it was that a typical Dover scene morphed into a very atypical one, as Regan Smith led the final 80 laps of the race and captured his first NASCAR XFINITY Series victory at the Monster Mile.

    “It was a really fulfilling win for a lot of reasons,” Smith said. “With this group of guys and Jason [Burdett] as our crew chief, it’s been a really good year.”

    Following a rain delay and a red flag of almost 31 minutes after the race’s halfway point, Smith was able to get the lead from the two race favorites, Busch and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, to capture the lead in his No. 7 Fire Alarm Services Chevrolet. And he didn’t look back from there.

    “It’s all about track position,” Busch said. “It’s everything, and I didn’t have it.”

    Following a lengthy run in Dover’s NASCAR XFINITY Series history that saw NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regulars earn wins in the lower series, 2015 has told quite a different story. Fans have been treated to wins from NASCAR XFINITY Series regulars Chris Buescher in the spring, and now Smith this weekend.

    “Kyle Busch is the man here,” Smith said. “I said earlier that I didn’t know if I could run with him or Denny [Hamlin]. I wanted to see if we could keep up with them. As the restart played out, we had to earn [the lead]. But yeah, you know any time you beat the Gibbs cars, you’ve worked your tail off.”

    Jason Burdett, crew chief for the No. 7, said he was surprised they were able to get ahead of the Gibbs duo, but knew his car was good enough if it got track position.

    “The first half of the race, obviously, [Hamlin] and [Busch] were the class of the field,” Burdett said. “The clean air makes such a big difference. I knew if we got out into clean air that we had an opportunity.”

    The win, paired with a 28th-place finish for Ty Dillon, moved Smith into third place in the standings, 36 points behind XFINITY Series leader Buescher.

    Hamlin and Busch finished second and third, respectively, with Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson rounding out the top five.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover and Las Vegas – Updated

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover and Las Vegas – Updated

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series will compete this weekend at Dover International Speedway while the Camping World Truck Series travels to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series practices, qualifying sessions and races will be televised on NBC Sports Live Extra. Events for the Camping World Truck Series can be seen on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2.

    All times are Eastern. Please note that all times are subject to change due to weather conditions.

    Friday, Oct. 2:

    On Track – Dover:

    11 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra (CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER)
    1:30-3:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra (CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER)
    3:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra (CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER) (Lineup)

    GarageCam: (Watch live)

    10:30 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series (CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER)
    1 p.m.: XFINITY Series (CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER)

    Press Conferences – Dover: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    9:45 a.m.: Joey Logano
    10 a.m.: JRM/One Main Financial announcement
    10:15 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    10:30 a.m.: Kyle Busch
    12 p.m.: Matt Kenseth
    12:25 p.m.: Clint Bowyer
    1:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon

    Saturday, Oct. 3:

    On Track – Dover:

    8:35-9:20 a.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – CNBC/Live Extra (CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER)
    11:30-12:15 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – CNBC/Live Extra
    12:15 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra  – CANCELED –(Lineup)
    2-2:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    3:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Hisense 200 (200 laps, 200 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra

    Press Conferences – Dover: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    5:15 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race

    On Track – Las Vegas:

    Noon-2:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FS2
    7:05 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS2
    10 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Rhino Linings 350 (146 laps, 219 miles) – FS1

    Sunday, Oct. 4:

    On Track – Dover:

    2:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 (400 laps, 400 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra 

    Press Conferences – Dover: (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

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

     

  • Fuel Shortage Puts Harvick in Dire Straits, Kenseth in Victory Lane

    Fuel Shortage Puts Harvick in Dire Straits, Kenseth in Victory Lane

    Reid Spencer

    LOUDON, N.H. – Kevin Harvick clarified his championship status on Sunday—but not the way he had planned.

    After dominating the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for most of the afternoon, Harvick ran out of fuel while leading on Lap 298 of 300, handing the top spot and the victory to Matt Kenseth, who joined teammate Denny Hamlin as an automatic qualifier for the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

    Despite leading 216 laps on Sunday, Harvick, the defending series champion, heads to next Sunday’s Chase race at Dover almost certainly needing a victory at a track where he has never won in order to escape the Challenger Round of the Chase and keep his title hopes alive.

    Kenseth, who came to pit road for fuel and tires on Lap 239, triumphed for the fifth time this season (tops in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series), for the second time at the Magic Mile and for the 36th time in his career. He finished 8.941 seconds ahead of Hamlin, who nursed his car to a runner-up finish despite a late-race issue with the right front wheel.

    “It feels great to win here–a lot of great race fans here at New Hampshire,” Kenseth said. “We had a great car today – Kevin definitely had the field covered and (Kenseth’s crew chief) Jason (Ratcliff) did a great job on pit strategy there, and those new tires paid off better than we thought to get up through the field.

    “And I was able to keep the pressure on enough and he came up a little short.”

    The victory was the 13th of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing, which has won 10 of the last 13 Sprint Cup events.

    Joey Logano ran third, followed by Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Martin Truex Jr. The only non-Chase driver of that group, Biffle posted his third top-five result of the season.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a consistent top-10 car all afternoon, until he, too, ran short of fuel with two laps left and finished 25th. Earnhardt goes to Dover with no margin for error. He’s 12th in the standings, the final position that will survive elimination next Sunday, and just one point ahead of both Kyle Busch and Paul Menard.

    Busch blew a right front tire on Sunday, pounded the Turn 3 wall on Lap 159 and was credited with a 37th-place finish.

    Harvick, who finished 21st and declined comment after the race, came to pit road for the last time on Lap 212 and couldn’t squeeze the last 88 laps at the 1.058-mile track out of his fuel cell. Restarting third on Lap 243 after the ninth and final caution (for Justin Allgaier’s wreck in Turn 3), Harvick passed Biffle for the lead on Lap 252.

    Twenty laps later, Kenseth got past Hamlin for second and tried to pressure Harvick, who left Loudon in 15th place, 23 points behind Earnhardt in 12th.

    “Jason kept saying he (Harvick) was low on fuel, but you never know unless they really run out,” Kenseth said. “I was trying to run hard, but I was trying to save a little bit. I got racing Denny pretty hard, and I wanted to save the tires a little bit, but I also know I needed to get by him to pressure the 4 (Harvick).

    “That was as hard as I could run. I was planning on running up there and trying to pass him. I just couldn’t get there. Kind of resigned to finish second with about four or five (laps) to go there. I couldn’t get much closer, and he ran out with a couple to go.”

    Second to Kenseth in the standings, six points out of the Chase lead, Hamlin also acknowledged JGR’s good fortune on Sunday.

    “Really, I don’t feel like we were dominant today by any means,” Hamlin said. “Yeah, our cars finished 1-2, but I’m not sure that we had 1-2 cars most of the day.

    “So I think we’ve been very fortunate with some strategies and things that we’ve played that’s worked out in our favor. You’ve got to just keep working. That’s the only way you can stay on top is to not rest.”

    Notes: At 2:19 p.m. ET, Jeff Gordon took the green flag at New Hampshire and started his 789th consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, breaking the Iron Man record he shared for a week with Ricky Rudd. … Modified star Ryan Preece finished 32nd in his Sprint Cup debut.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Sylvania 300
    New Hampshire Motor Speedway
    Loudon, New Hampshire
    Sunday, September 27, 2015

                   1. (13) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 300, $257276.

                   2. (7) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 300, $189525.

                   3. (8) Joey Logano, Ford, 300, $173483.

                   4. (25) Greg Biffle, Ford, 300, $157383.

                   5. (1) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 300, $123850.

                   6. (5) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 300, $147876.

                   7. (10) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 300, $142151.

                   8. (21) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 300, $121210.

                   9. (12) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 300, $107365.

                   10. (9) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 300, $125190.

                   11. (27) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 300, $125129.

                   12. (4) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 300, $135781.

                   13. (14) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 300, $97840.

                   14. (23) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 300, $118606.

                   15. (20) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 300, $95915.

                   16. (33) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 300, $128365.

                   17. (6) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 300, $114623.

                   18. (19) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 300, $112553.

                   19. (3) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 299, $102090.

                   20. (29) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 299, $112735.

                   21. (2) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 299, $143165.

                   22. (16) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 299, $122226.

                   23. (30) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 299, $115823.

                   24. (28) Cole Whitt, Ford, 299, $98923.

                   25. (11) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 299, $100665.

                   26. (26) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 299, $118423.

                   27. (31) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, 298, $85415.

                   28. (34) David Gilliland, Ford, 297, $103273.

                   29. (38) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 297, $83340.

                   30. (35) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 297, $93637.

                   31. (40) Josh Wise, Toyota, 297, $79890.

                   32. (37) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, 296, $79615.

                   33. (41) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, 295, $79390.

                   34. (39) BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, 293, $79190.

                   35. (42) Jeffrey Earnhardt(i), Ford, 292, $78990.

                   36. (43) Timmy Hill(i), Ford, 284, $78760.

                   37. (17) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 262, $123533.

                   38. (32) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 242, $73727.

                   39. (24) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, Accident, 236, $77655.

                   40. (22) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, Accident, 203, $73655.

                   41. (18) David Ragan, Toyota, Accident, 203, $88869.

                   42. (36) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Accident, 117, $57655.

                   43. (15) Aric Almirola, Ford, Accident, 35, $91091.

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  106.48 mph.
    Time of Race:  02 Hrs, 58 Mins, 51 Secs. Margin of Victory:  8.941 Seconds.
    Caution Flags:  9 for 41 laps.
    Lead Changes:  16 among 7 drivers.

    Lap Leaders:   C. Edwards 1-19; K. Harvick 20-37; B. Keselowski 38; C. Whitt 39; K. Harvick 40-120; B. Keselowski 121; K. Harvick 122-159; B. Keselowski 160; K. Harvick 161-192; B. Keselowski 193; M. Kenseth 194-210; K. Harvick 211; M. Kenseth 212-218; D. Hamlin 219-239; G. Biffle 240-251; K. Harvick 252-297; M. Kenseth 298-300.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Harvick 6 times for 216 laps; M. Kenseth 3 times for 27 laps; D. Hamlin 1 time for 21 laps; C. Edwards 1 time for 19 laps; G. Biffle 1 time for 12 laps; B. Keselowski 4 times for 4 laps; C. Whitt 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 16 in Points: M. Kenseth – 2,099; D. Hamlin – 2,093; C. Edwards – 2,089; J. Logano – 2,089; J. Johnson – 2,083; R. Newman – 2,074; Kurt Busch – 2,073; B. Keselowski – 2,072; M. Truex Jr. – 2,071; J. Gordon – 2,068; J. Mcmurray – 2,058; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 2,057; Kyle Busch – 2,056; P. Menard – 2,056; K. Harvick – 2,034; C. Bowyer – 2,018.

     

  • Blaney Soars to Second Kentucky Win in XFINITY Series Overtime Showdown

    Blaney Soars to Second Kentucky Win in XFINITY Series Overtime Showdown

    Sept. 26, 2015
    By Chris Knight

    SPARTA, Ky. – Ryan Blaney would not be denied Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway.

    In fact, Blaney may owe a pushing Regan Smith dinner after a green-white-checkered restart proved to be the saving grace for the driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang, who won his second NASCAR XFINITY Series win of the season in Saturday night’s VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300.

    Blaney appeared to be heading towards Victory Lane, but an attack from Ty Dillon on a restart with eight laps to go sent him from first to third.

    Then, a caution waved with four laps remaining and reset the field into overtime.

    “We were just even with the 3 (Dillon), and the 7 (Smith) gave us a good push [on the final restart],” said Blaney who captured his fourth career XFINITY Series win. “Luckily we were able to get a good [push] and just get a little bit of position on the 3 to kind of use up the race track and get in front of him. I knew once we were clear we had a really good shot at it.

    “A great Discount Tire Ford Mustang. We were great all night. It was just a matter getting up the front. Clean air was so important.”

    As for the next-to-last restart, which saw Blaney’s winning chances temporarily fall, momentum worked against him.

    “Kentucky is such a great race track because you can see three or four wide racing in the first corner and as the leader you have to protect and I didn’t know where the 7 (Smith) was going, he kind of faked me out going to the top and that was able to open up the middle and it just lost all of our momentum.”

    For Dillon, he was frustrated with his runner-up performance.

    “First of all, I am disappointed for second, and that’s a good thing,” said Dillon. “I’m proud to be sitting here saying that. Earlier this year, we didn’t have that opportunity to say that very often. Man, it hurts when you’ve got a big lead with four to go – I don’t even know what the caution was for – but, that’s a stinger.”

    Just before halfway Brennan Poole spun in Turn 1 collecting Harrison Rhodes and spewing liquid from Poole’s car putting the field under the red flag for cleanup.

    The race was halted for 18 minutes and 27 seconds, with the field returning to idle conditions with the race resuming with 95 laps remaining.

    Brandon Jones grabbed the lead on a busy restart and held it through the next caution. With rain in the area, Jones stayed out, while others pitted.

    When racing resumed, Jones controlled the field for 16 laps until Blaney made the pass to retake the lead on Lap 128 and through green flag pit stops, set the tone for the finish of the final stand-alone race of the season.

    Chris Buescher, who finished seventh, now leads Dillon by 19 points in the standings with six races remaining. Chase Elliott, who finished fourth, is third, 25 points out.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300
    Kentucky Speedway
    Sparta, Kentucky
    Saturday, September 26, 2015

                   1. (5) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 201, $85169.

                   2. (4) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 201, $55180.

                   3. (3) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 201, $43973.

                   4. (8) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 201, $36199.

                   5. (22) Brandon Jones(i), Chevrolet, 201, $29266.

                   6. (6) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 201, $27116.

                   7. (9) Chris Buescher, Ford, 201, $28504.

                   8. (10) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 201, $25292.

                   9. (14) Darrell Wallace Jr #, Ford, 201, $25664.

                   10. (16) Matt Tifft(i), Toyota, 201, $25134.

                   11. (12) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 201, $23783.

                   12. (26) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 201, $23353.

                   13. (2) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 201, $25398.

                   14. (18) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 201, $22437.

                   15. (13) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 201, $22650.

                   16. (25) Cale Conley #, Toyota, 201, $22113.

                   17. (27) Dylan Kwasniewski, Chevrolet, 201, $16206.

                   18. (11) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, 201, $21875.

                   19. (7) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 200, $21761.

                   20. (29) David Starr, Toyota, 199, $22137.

                   21. (30) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 197, $21531.

                   22. (39) Martin Roy, Chevrolet, 197, $21425.

                   23. (1) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 197, $24698.

                   24. (36) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 195, $15167.

                   25. (19) Ryan Reed, Ford, 195, $21210.

                   26. (34) Carl Long, Toyota, 194, $14954.

                   27. (38) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 192, $14847.

                   28. (23) Ryan Truex, Ford, Accident, 187, $14741.

                   29. (33) Eric McClure, Toyota, Accident, 174, $20615.

                   30. (15) Ben Rhodes, Chevrolet, Accident, 167, $20809.

                   31. (20) Dylan Lupton, Chevrolet, Accident, 118, $20402.

                   32. (17) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Accident, 96, $20291.

                   33. (35) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Suspension, 52, $14200.

                   34. (28) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, Accident, 46, $20109.

                   35. (32) TJ Bell(i), Toyota, Rear Gear, 27, $14012.

                   36. (21) Michael Self, Chevrolet, Accident, 25, $18889.

                   37. (37) Ryan Ellis(i), Chevrolet, Suspension, 16, $11889.

                   38. (40) John Jackson, Jr., Dodge, Vibration, 12, $10889.

                   39. (31) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 3, $9889.

                   40. (24) Blake Koch, Toyota, Accident, 2, $14889.

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  110.238 mph.
    Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 44 Mins, 06 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.519 Seconds.
    Caution Flags:  10 for 55 laps.
    Lead Changes:  17 among 7 drivers.

    Lap Leaders:   D. Suarez # 0; B. Scott 1-28; T. Dillon 29-32; D. Wallace Jr # 33; T. Dillon 34-54; R. Blaney 55-84; T. Dillon 85-87; D. Suarez # 88; E. Jones(i) 89-94; B. Scott 95-111; B. Jones(i) 112-127; R. Blaney 128-152; T. Dillon 153-161; E. Jones(i) 162-168; D. Suarez # 169; R. Blaney 170-192; T. Dillon 193-198; R. Blaney 199-201.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  R. Blaney 4 times for 81 laps; B. Scott 2 times for 45 laps; T. Dillon 5 times for 43 laps; B. Jones(i) 1 time for 16 laps; E. Jones(i) 2 times for 13 laps; D. Suarez # 2 times for 2 laps; D. Wallace Jr # 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 982; T. Dillon – 963; C. Elliott – 957; R. Smith – 935; D. Wallace Jr # – 874; E. Sadler – 872; B. Scott – 857; D. Suarez # – 852; B. Gaughan – 836; R. Reed – 735.

     

  • Austin Dillon Prevails As Truck Series Reaches Major Milestone

    Austin Dillon Prevails As Truck Series Reaches Major Milestone

    By Reid Spencer

    LOUDON, N.H. – The milestone 500th race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series produced important “firsts” for two key figures on the winning team.

    When Austin Dillon took the checkered flag in Saturday’s UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he delivered the first victory in the series to both team owner Maurice Gallagher of GMS Racing and to crew chief Shane Huffmann.

    Dillon pulled away after a restart on Lap 167 of 175, a resumption that followed the sixth caution of the race, for Tyler Reddick’s spin off Turn 2 on Lap 161. Dillon, who had stayed out on older tires while most other lead-lap trucks came to pit road under caution on Lap 142, crossed the finish line 1.054 seconds ahead of two-time defending series champion Matt Crafton.

    “It’s very special,” said Dillon, whose grandfather, Richard Childress, fielded the winning truck for Mike Skinner in the inaugural Truck Series race at Phoenix in February 1995. “I owe a lot to the Truck Series for getting me to where I am today.

    “I’ve had a lot of success qualifying, racing and winning in the Truck Series. It taught me a lot about how to race hard when you have to. It’s definitely a fun series to be in, and I’m thankful for it. Hopefully, we can have thousands of races in the Truck Series. I’ve enjoyed all of mine.”

    Huffman, who once drove for Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, was elated with the victory.

    “This is a big day for Mr. Gallagher here,” Huffman said. “He’s put a lot of effort and financial support into this team—a lot of hard work and effort over the last couple years. It’s just great to be able to reward him with a win.”

    Dillon, the 2011 series champion, won his first event of the season, his first at New Hampshire and the seventh of his career.

    Johnny Sauter ran third, followed by Timothy Peters and John Hunter Nemechek, last week’s winner at Chicagoland Speedway. Daniel Hemric, Jones, Austin Theriault, Dalton Sargeant and Gray Gaulding completed the top 10.

    With his runner-up finish, Crafton, now second in the standings, closed his deficit to leader and seventh-place finisher Erik Jones to seven points. Reddick came home 15th and trails Jones by 19 points.

    “The 33 (Dillon) was definitely a little better,” Crafton said. “We missed it a little today. We fought tight, tight and just kept freeing it up, and I was just a little too free on the short run right there. I don’t know what I was doing wrong, but I was missing my restarts so bad.

    “My teammate Johnny (Sauter) helped me on those last couple restarts and gave me a good shove and got me down in there. I just missed it, and we’ll get them next week.”

    Jones was disappointed with his seventh-place finish.

    “We just missed it by a long ways,” said the series leader. “We didn’t get the finish we wanted, and we’ll just have to go back and make our Tundras a little bit better.

    “It’s just we can’t do that this late in the year – we can’t be that far off. We’ll just have to work on it and figure out what was wrong and how to be better here for the next six weeks.”

    Kyle Busch, who fields the trucks Jones drives, started second on Saturday but developed a tire rub late in the race. An unscheduled pit stop to address the problem relegated Busch to an 11th-place finish.


    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – UNOH 175
    New Hampshire Motor Speedway
    Loudon, New Hampshire
    Saturday, September 26, 2015

                   1. (1) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 175, $51387.

                   2. (10) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 175, $38852.

                   3. (23) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 175, $29941.

                   4. (6) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 175, $24928.

                   5. (12) John H. Nemechek #, Chevrolet, 175, $20275.

                   6. (11) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 175, $18159.

                   7. (4) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 175, $17116.

                   8. (9) Austin Theriault #, Ford, 175, $16761.

                   9. (5) Dalton Sargeant, Toyota, 175, $14401.

                   10. (8) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 175, $16831.

                   11. (2) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 175, $12915.

                   12. (3) Cameron Hayley #, Toyota, 175, $15054.

                   13. (18) Ray Black Jr. #, Chevrolet, 175, $15026.

                   14. (17) Mason Mingus, Chevrolet, 175, $14971.

                   15. (14) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 175, $15516.

                   16. (31) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 174, $14778.

                   17. (19) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 170, $14696.

                   18. (28) Akinori Ogata, Chevrolet, 170, $14641.

                   19. (21) Clay Greenfield, Chevrolet, 170, $12336.

                   20. (32) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 170, $14703.

                   21. (22) Ruben Pardo, Chevrolet, 169, $14528.

                   22. (30) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 166, $14201.

                   23. (15) Ben Kennedy, Toyota, 158, $12923.

                   24. (13) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, Accident, 144, $12895.

                   25. (25) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 140, $12018.

                   26. (16) John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, Accident, 135, $11840.

                   27. (20) Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 132, $11813.

                   28. (7) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 131, $11565.

                   29. (29) Korbin Forrister #, Chevrolet, Brakes, 22, $11538.

                   30. (24) Tyler Tanner, Chevrolet, Brakes, 19, $11038.

                   31. (26) Caleb Roark, Chevrolet, Electrical, 12, $9538.

                   32. (27) Justin Jennings, Chevrolet, Electrical, 7, $8538.

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  95.084 mph.
    Time of Race:  01 Hrs, 56 Mins, 50 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.054 Seconds.
    Caution Flags:  6 for 32 laps.
    Lead Changes:  6 among 5 drivers.

    Lap Leaders:   A. Dillon(i) 1-43; K. Busch(i) 44-85; E. Jones # 86-90; K. Busch(i) 91-115; D. Hemric # 116-129; A. Theriault # 130-138; A. Dillon(i) 139-175.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  A. Dillon(i) 2 times for 80 laps; K. Busch(i) 2 times for 67 laps; D. Hemric # 1 time for 14 laps; A. Theriault # 1 time for 9 laps; E. Jones # 1 time for 5 laps.

    Top 10 in Points: E. Jones # – 666; M. Crafton – 659; T. Reddick – 647; J. Sauter – 617; D. Hemric # – 558; T. Peters – 552; C. Hayley # – 549; J. Townley – 518; S. Gallagher # – 504; B. Kennedy – 504.

  • Edwards Wins Coors Light Pole Award at Loudon

    Edwards Wins Coors Light Pole Award at Loudon

    By Staff report | NASCAR.com

    LOUDON, N.H. – Posting the fastest lap of Friday’s time trials late in the final round of knockout qualifying at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards knockedKevin Harvick off the pole for Sunday’s Sylvania 300, the second race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup  (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

    Edwards covered the 1.058-mile distance in 27.604 seconds (137.980 mph) to earn his third Coors Light Pole Award of the season, his second at New Hampshire — completing a season sweep of the top starting spot at the Magic Mile — and the 16th of his career.

    “To be honest, that third round surprised me, how fast we were,” said Edwards, who was 11th fastest in the second round. “I think it helped me almost to struggle through the second round, ’cause I thought, ‘Aw, heck with it,’ and I just kind of went for it in the third round.

    “The car has a ton of speed. I hate to admit how poorly I drove it the first and second rounds, but I think it really says a lot about how fast the car is.”

    Needing a victory or an extremely high finish to restore his hopes of repeating as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Harvick (137.845 mph) posted a lap .027 seconds slower than that the pole winner to earn the second-place starting spot.

    “I felt like I probably left those few hundredths of a second not being aggressive enough off the exit of Turn 2, and as good as the car was off of Turn 4,” Harvick said. “Small crumbs. It’s hard to balance that here, because if you push the car too much, you wind up giving up two or three tenths (of a second) instead of two or three hundredths.”

    Harvick, however, declined to address his confrontation with Jimmie Johnson after last Sunday’s Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway. Side-to-side contact with Johnson’s Chevrolet ultimately flattened the left rear tire of Harvick’s No. 4 Chevy, sending him spinning into the Turn 3 wall and relegating him to a 42nd-place finish.

    That result left Harvick last in the 16-driver Chase standings and incensed at the six-time champion. When Johnson approached the reigning champ in the motor coach lot after the race, Harvick responded with a blow to Johnson’s chest, as one of Harvick’s handlers tried to keep the drivers apart.

    Asked whether Johnson might have something to worry about in Sunday’s race, Harvick replied, “I don’t look back. I just do what we have to do to focus on what we need to do looking forward. I’m not going to use you guys (the press) to make threats. I can do that myself.”

    Kurt Busch, Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, qualified third at 137.800 mph, followed by Brad Keselowski (137.671 mph) and Johnson (137.621 mph), as Chase drivers claimed the top five positions on the grid.

    Non-Chaser Kyle Larson was sixth fastest, while Chase drivers Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified seventh through 11th, respectively.

    Other Chase competitors will start as follows: Matt Kenseth, 13th; Kyle Busch, 17th; Paul Menard, 20th; Martin Truex Jr., 21st; Jamie McMurray, 23rd and Clint Bowyer, 26th. Bowyer was the only Chase driver who failed to advance past the first round.

    Travis Kvapil failed to make the 43-car field.

    Click for complete starting lineup:  Qualifying results

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for New Hampshire and Kentucky

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for New Hampshire and Kentucky

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Camping World Truck Series will race this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway while the XFINITY Series travels to Kentucky Speedway. Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series practices, qualifying and races will be televised on NBC Sports Live Extra. Events for the Camping World Truck Series can be seen on FOX Sports 1. Please see the full schedule below.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Sept. 25:

    On Track – New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

    Noon-1:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    1:30-2:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Practice – FOX Sports 1
    3-4:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FOX Sports 1
    4:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    GarageCam: (Watch live)

    11:30 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series
    1 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    10:45 a.m.: Joey Logano
    11 a.m.: Cole Custer and John Hunter Nemechek
    11:15 a.m.: Matt Kenseth
    3 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    3:30 p.m.: Ryan Newman
    5:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying

    On Track – Kentucky Speedway:

    3:30-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    6-7:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra

    Saturday, Sept. 26:

    On Track – New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

    9-9:55 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – CNBC/Live Extra
    10:10 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1
    11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice- CNBC/Live Extra
    1 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series UNOH 175 (175 laps, 185.15 miles) – FOX Sports 1

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    3 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race

    On Track – Kentucky Speedway:

    4:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    8 p.m.: XFINITY Series VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra

    Sunday, Sept. 27:

    On Track – New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

    2 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 (300 laps, 317.4 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    5:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Race

     

    TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage

    Friday, Sept. 25:

    6 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air) – NBCSN
    7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air) – NBCSN
    2:30 p.m., 1979 Daytona 500 (re-air) – FOX Sports 1

    Saturday, Sept. 26:

    12:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Setup – FOX Sports 1
    6 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying (re-air) – NBCSN
    7:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Countdown to Green – NBCSN

    Sunday, Sept. 27:

    11:30 a.m.: NASCAR Race Day – FOX Sports 1
    1 p.m.: Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge – Circuit of the Americas (tape) – FOX Sports 1
    1 p.m.: NASCAR America Sunday – NBCSN
    1:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series: Countdown to Green – NBCSN
    5:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Show – NBCSN
    6 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap – NBCSN
    11:30 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap (re-air) – NBCSN
    12:30 a.m.: NASCAR Victory Lane – FOX Sports 1