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  • Hamlin Survives Spin, Steals Win in First Chase Race at Chicagoland

    Hamlin Survives Spin, Steals Win in First Chase Race at Chicagoland

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service    JOLIET, Ill. – In the theater, using the expression “Break a leg” is a way to wish an actor good luck on opening night.Twelve days before Sunday’s opening Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, Denny Hamlin tore the ACL in his right leg playing basketball.Late in the myAFibRisk.com 400 at the 1.5-mile track, Hamlin found his good fortune in the form of a serendipitous pit call on the part of crew chief Dave Rogers.

    Staying out on old tires, Hamlin grabbed the lead moments after a restart with five laps left and streaked away to a .963-second victory over Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards, who surged from sixth to second during that restart on Lap 263 of 267.

    Hamlin saw an opening as the cars roared toward Turn 1 on the restart.

    “It was ballsy, but I’d been stuck so many times three-wide in the middle,” Hamlin said of the winning move. “The front cars almost have a disadvantage to the back cars the way it all plays out.

    “We got a great restart, and I just held it wide open through (Turns) 1 and 2, and it stuck. We were able to get in that clean air and take off.”

    Remarkably, Hamlin won from the 29th starting position, rallying from a spin on Lap 2 that left him a lap down. Hamlin didn’t get back on the lead lap until he took advantage of a wave-around before a restart on Lap 129.

    “Luckily, that one caution (for debris on the backstretch on Lap 122) came out that allowed us to get the wave-around and get back on the lead lap,” Hamlin said. “We had a fast car, and that was the most important thing. We stretched out there at the end even with no tires.

    “I’m proud of this effort. The pit crew did a phenomenal job again and now we’re looking forward to the next round.”

    Hamlin’s first victory at Chicagoland, his second of the season and the 16th of his career ensured the driver of the No. 11 JGR Toyota will advance from the Challenger Round to the Contender Round of the Chase, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to New Hampshire and the second race of the postseason.

    Reigning champion Kevin Harvick wasn’t as fortunate. The driver who vowed to pound the JGR drivers into the ground three days before the Chase began instead pounded the Turn 3 wall with the rear of his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet after contact with Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Chevy during a Lap 135 restart flattened Harvick’s left rear tire.

    “I got a pretty good restart, and obviously, the 22 (Joey Logano) and 48 got a good run, and I just held my line and the 48 just slammed into the side of my door,” Harvick said. “That was pretty much it.”

    Johnson had a simple explanation for the contact.

    “He was pinning me down, and I’ve got to get back up on the track,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t say that what he did is any different than other situations I’ve been in like that. When you’re in Kevin’s situation, you want to give that inside car a bad angle, so they’ve got to lift.

    “I was fine with lifting, but I had to get back on the race track. So I worked my way back onto the track… I pulled down inside of him, and then we were door-to-door, and then, as I moved back into the racing groove, that’s when we touched door-to-door, tire-to-tire.”

    Now last in the Chase standings, Harvick feels he must win one of the next two races to advance to the Contender Round. That’s not a new position for the driver of the No. 4 Chevy. Last year he triumphed in a must-win situation at Phoenix before taking the checkered flag at Homestead to secure his first premier series title.

    “We can win anywhere,” Harvick said after the race. “We could have won today. It’s just a matter of putting a couple of days together and being able to come back to Victory Lane. Same thing as last year.”

    After the race, Harvick, who finished 42nd, confronted Johnson and pounded the six-time Sprint Cup champion with a blow to the chest. Kept apart by one of Harvick’s lieutenants, the drivers then went their separate ways without further incident.

    Kurt Busch, who like Hamlin stayed out on old tires, led the field to green on Lap 263 after the sixth caution for debris in Turn 1 slowed the race. Busch fell to third at the finish, followed by 2014 Chase runner-up Ryan Newman, who posted his first top-five finish since April at Bristol.

    Matt Kenseth ran fifth and assumed the series lead, bolstered by 12 bonus points earned for four victories in the 26-race regular season.

    Notes: In a manner of speaking, history repeated itself where Hamlin is concerned. In 2010, he won at Texas, just 10 days after surgery to repair the torn ACL in his left leg… With 12 of 16 drivers slated to advance to the Contender Round, Jamie McMurray (16th on Sunday), Paul Menard (17th), Clint Bowyer (19th) and Harvick are currently below the cut line.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – myAFibRisk.com 400
    Chicagoland Speedway
    Joliet, Illinois
    Sunday, September 20, 2015

    1. (29) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267, $306315.
    2. (14) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 267, $213655.
    3. (9) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 267, $195005.
    4. (6) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 267, $180280.
    5. (12) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 267, $170641.
    6. (2) Joey Logano, Ford, 267, $162903.
    7. (18) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 267, $144478.
    8. (3) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 267, $158111.
    9. (7) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 267, $163361.
    10. (20) Aric Almirola, Ford, 267, $146381.
    11. (11) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 267, $152321.
    12. (19) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 267, $122025.
    13. (4) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 267, $131670.
    14. (10) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 267, $148986.
    15. (28) David Ragan, Toyota, 267, $131664.
    16. (13) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 266, $138141.
    17. (16) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 266, $110350.
    18. (27) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 265, $110250.
    19. (26) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 265, $135108.
    20. (24) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 265, $126903.
    21. (17) Greg Biffle, Ford, 265, $131078.
    22. (21) Brian Scott(i), Chevrolet, 265, $115003.
    23. (31) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 265, $120278.
    24. (8) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 264, $112320.
    25. (23) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 264, $124034.
    26. (25) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 264, $104095.
    27. (36) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 263, $95495.
    28. (30) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 263, $136470.
    29. (33) Cole Whitt, Ford, 263, $105853.
    30. (22) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 262, $119290.
    31. (38) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, 262, $92745.
    32. (35) David Gilliland, Ford, 262, $108592.
    33. (40) Josh Wise, Ford, 261, $90845.
    34. (37) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 261, $90645.
    35. (34) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, 261, $90410.
    36. (15) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 260, $108220.
    37. (32) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 259, $89953.
    38. (41) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, 259, $84528.
    39. (39) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 258, $80465.
    40. (42) Reed Sorenson, Ford, 258, $76465.
    41. (43) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, 255, $72465.
    42. (1) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 209, $126690.
    43. (5) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 198, $101901.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 140.117 mph.
    Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 51 Mins, 30 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.962 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 6 for 28 laps.
    Lead Changes: 17 among 10 drivers.

    Lap Leaders: K. Harvick 1-5; J. Logano 6; M. Truex Jr. 7-45; Kyle Busch 46-128; K. Harvick 129-133; Kyle Busch 134-143; J. Gordon 144-183; Kurt Busch 184; Kyle Busch 185; K. Larson 186-187; C. Edwards 188-193; Kyle Busch 194-220; Kurt Busch 221-239; D. Hamlin 240-243; M. Kenseth 244; Kurt Busch 245-261; J. Gordon 262; D. Hamlin 263-267.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Busch 4 times for 121 laps; J. Gordon 2 times for 41 laps; M. Truex Jr. 1 time for 39 laps; Kurt Busch 3 times for 37 laps; K. Harvick 2 times for 10 laps; D. Hamlin 2 times for 9 laps; C. Edwards 1 time for 6 laps; K. Larson 1 time for 2 laps; M. Kenseth 1 time for 1 lap; J. Logano 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 16 in Points: M. Kenseth – 2,052; D. Hamlin – 2,050; C. Edwards – 2,049; Kyle Busch – 2,049; Kurt Busch – 2,048; J. Logano – 2,048; J. Johnson – 2,045; R. Newman – 2,040; B. Keselowski – 2,039; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 2,038; M. Truex Jr. – 2,035; J. Gordon – 2,031; J. Mcmurray – 2,028; P. Menard – 2,027; C. Bowyer – 2,025; K. Harvick – 2,009.

     

  • Kyle Busch Outruns Teammate Matt Kenseth for Chicagoland XFINITY Win

    Kyle Busch Outruns Teammate Matt Kenseth for Chicagoland XFINITY Win

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    JOLIET, Ill.—In a race where teammates raced like archrivals to the checkered flag, Kyle Busch surged ahead of Matt Kenseth with a crossover move on the next-to-last lap and won the Furious 7 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race by .791 seconds over his Joe Gibbs Racing stablemate at Chicagoland Speedway Saturday night.The two JGR cars were the clear class of the field, but after they swapped the lead three times on Laps 176 through 178, Busch pulled out to an advantage of more than one second over Kenseth. With Busch trying to save a half-lap of fuel, however, Kenseth closed the gap in the waning laps and roared past his teammate on Lap 199, as both drivers were trying to dodge the lapped car of John Wes Townley.With Kenseth powering his No. 20 Toyota deep into Turn 3 after making the pass, Busch was able to cross over and retake the lead to the inside as Kenseth lost momentum.

    Busch pulled away on the final lap to win his fourth XFINITY Series race of the season, his fourth at Chicagoland and the 74th of his career, extending his own series record.

    Busch’s car, however, was too low on all four corners when the ride height was measured during post-race inspection. NASCAR is taking the car to its tech center in Concord, N.C., for further evaluation. If penalties are warranted, they will be announced next week.

    Darrell Wallace Jr. used fuel-mileage strategy to perfection in finishing third, coaxing 67 laps out of his last tank of gas. Paul Menard ran fourth, followed by Ty Dillon, who moved into second place in the series standings, trailing leader Chris Buescher (seventh on Saturday) by 25 points.

    Defending XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott ran 14th and dropped one position to third in points, 28 behind Buescher.

    Busch thought he had control of the race when he passed Kenseth for the lead on Lap 178 of 200 and began to pull away.

    “I thought when I got to him and I cleared him and drove away by a second-plus, it was over, and I said, ‘OK. Thank you—I can breathe a little bit,” Busch said. “Then he started running us back down, and I tried to go back to the top and I was loose up there again when I went back there.

    “Just had to battle through there. He was right there, though… Once he lost his momentum off of (Turn) 4, it was over. That was some fun racing, though.”

    Kenseth, who thought he had the faster car, was understandably disappointed with the outcome.

    “I had the best car tonight, and I got beat by a better driver,” said Kenseth, who also would have preferred for Townley not to have been in the mix when the outcome of the race was decided.

    “It would have been nice if he’d gotten the heck out of the way, I’ll tell you that,” Kenseth said. “Chase (Elliott) was very courteous. He was already a lap down, and he moved down and gave us the top because he knew that’s where we were racing…

    “Clyde Torkel (a reference to Townley derived from the movie Stroker Ace), he just stuck it right between us. I got around him, and he passed me back when I was trying to race Kyle for the win. That was disappointing.”

    Wallace’s third-place finish was a career best for the driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, who is battling sixth-place finisher Daniel Suarez for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.

    “I try not to let (the rookie contest) worry me too much, but I would say it’s good seeing me pass that 18 (Suarez) on the restarts every once in a while,” Wallace said. “As long as we’re finishing ahead of him, it will be a close battle all the way to the end.”

    Suarez currently leads the points battle 251 to 225.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Furious 7 300
    Chicagoland Speedway
    Joliet, Illinois
    Saturday, September 19, 2015

    1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200, $91612.
    2. (2) Matt Kenseth(i), Toyota, 200, $63647.
    3. (12) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Ford, 200, $62603.
    4. (7) Paul Menard(i), Chevrolet, 200, $38368.
    5. (4) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $40385.
    6. (3) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 200, $37001.
    7. (8) Chris Buescher, Ford, 200, $34943.
    8. (19) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 200, $33833.
    9. (9) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 200, $32734.
    10. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 200, $32818.
    11. (10) Ryan Reed, Ford, 200, $31338.
    12. (14) Kasey Kahne(i), Chevrolet, 200, $24784.
    13. (16) John Wes Townley(i), Chevrolet, 199, $30230.
    14. (17) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 199, $30716.
    15. (18) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 199, $29577.
    16. (25) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, 199, $29241.
    17. (13) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 199, $28753.
    18. (26) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199, $28491.
    19. (22) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 199, $28280.
    20. (15) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 199, $28568.
    21. (23) Blake Koch, Toyota, 199, $27957.
    22. (6) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 199, $21841.
    23. (30) David Starr, Toyota, 196, $27705.
    24. (32) Mason Mingus(i), Chevrolet, 195, $27595.
    25. (27) Michael Self, Chevrolet, 194, $27608.
    26. (31) Jimmy Weller, Chevrolet, 194, $27347.
    27. (34) Eric McClure, Toyota, 193, $27237.
    28. (33) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 193, $27115.
    29. (37) Martin Roy, Chevrolet, 190, $26964.
    30. (39) Josh Reaume #, Chevrolet, 182, $27153.
    31. (35) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 174, $26697.
    32. (21) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, Engine, 142, $26586.
    33. (20) Cale Conley #, Toyota, Overheating, 140, $26470.
    34. (38) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Engine, 129, $26358.
    35. (5) Ryan Blaney, Ford, Accident, 108, $26671.
    36. (24) Benny Gordon, Toyota, Rear Gear, 105, $18040.
    37. (40) Derek White, Dodge, Electrical, 14, $17040.
    38. (36) TJ Bell(i), Toyota, Vibration, 13, $16040.
    39. (28) Dexter Bean, Chevrolet, Suspension, 6, $15040.
    40. (29) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 3, $14040.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 136.709 mph.
    Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 11 Mins, 40 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.791 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 5 for 22 laps.
    Lead Changes: 15 among 7 drivers.


    Lap Leaders: K. Busch(i) 1-23; R. Chastain # 24; B. Scott 25-29; K. Busch(i) 30-40; M. Kenseth(i) 41-73; D. Suarez # 74-75; J. Townley(i) 76; M. Kenseth(i) 77-92; K. Busch(i) 93-136; M. Kenseth(i) 137-144; D. Wallace Jr. # 145-147; B. Scott 148-149; M. Kenseth(i) 150-175; K. Busch(i) 176; M. Kenseth(i) 177; K. Busch(i) 178-200.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch(i) 5 times for 102 laps; M. Kenseth(i) 5 times for 84 laps; B. Scott 2 times for 7 laps; D. Wallace Jr. # 1 time for 3 laps; D. Suarez # 1 time for 2 laps; J. Townley(i) 1 time for 1 lap; R. Chastain # 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 945; T. Dillon – 920; C. Elliott – 917; R. Smith – 894; E. Sadler – 839; D. Wallace Jr. # – 838; D. Suarez # – 830; B. Scott – 825; B. Gaughan – 798; R. Reed – 716.

     

  • Kyle Busch Takes Coors Light Pole at Chicagoland

    Kyle Busch Takes Coors Light Pole at Chicagoland

    By Staff report | NASCAR.com

    Kyle Busch used a fast lap of 180.959 mph in the final round of group qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series to take the Coors Light Pole Award atChicagoland Speedway for Saturday’s Furious 7 300 (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

    The pole is Busch’s third of the season in the XFINITY Series and the 46th of his career in the series. In 11 starts at Chicagoland, Busch has three wins, seven top fives and now two poles at the 1.5-mile track.

    Busch is looking to make it a Chicagoland sweep for the No. 54 team in the XFINITY Series. Erik Jones won the June standalone event at Chicagoland piloting the No. 54 Toyota to Victory Lane.

    Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Daniel Suarez made it a clean sweep of the top three spots in the starting lineup. Kenseth (180.844 mph) will line up in the front row with Busch while Suarez (180.542 mph) will line up in the third position.

    Ty Dillon (179.922 mph) will join Suarez in Row 2 for the start of the race.Ryan Blaney (179.892) and Kyle Larson (179.736 mph) will comprise Row 3.

    Entering Saturday’s race, Chris Buescher holds a 21-point edge over defending series champion Chase Elliott and a 27-point lead over Ty Dillon. Elliott did not advance to the final round of group qualifying and will start 17th while Buescher will line up eighth.

    Morgan Shepherd did not qualify for the race.

    Full starting lineup

  • John Hunter Nemechek Gets First Truck Series Victory at Chicagoland

    John Hunter Nemechek Gets First Truck Series Victory at Chicagoland

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    JOLIET, Ill.—One of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ youngest drivers struck a blow for old-school racing on Saturday morning at Chicagoland Speedway.

    Stretching his fuel mileage beyond the capabilities of most of his of competitors, John Hunter Nemechek rolled across the finish line 12.014 seconds ahead of Tyler Reddick, who was also saving fuel, to score his first victory in the series in the American Ethanol e15 225.

    At 18 years, 3 months and 8 days, Nemechek is the fourth-youngest winner in the series, and he accomplished the victory with a skeleton crew working on a team owned by his father, Joe Nemechek.

    Nemechek, a current member of the NASCAR Next class, came to pit road for the last time on Lap 94, topping off under caution one lap before the race returned to green and managed to squeeze 56 laps out of his last tank of gas. Inheriting the lead on Lap 149 of 150 when Keystone Light Polesitter Kyle Larson ran out of fuel and brought his car to pit road, Nemechek ran out of gas off the final corner and coasted across the stripe.

    “We got to top off there with one to go, and he (crew chief Gere Kennon) told me to save fuel, save fuel that last run, and that’s what we ended up doing,” John Hunter Nemechek said. “I ran out coming out of Turn 4. It was great strategy that he had worked up in his mind.

    “I should know never to doubt him.”

    When Nemechek took the green flag for the last time on Lap 96, Kennon figured the No. 8 Chevrolet was four laps short of finishing the race but didn’t give his driver the specific numbers.

    “I just told him to save,” Kennon said. “It got to 10 (laps) to go, and I said, ‘Just slow down—just save.’ He didn’t say anything back, and I was like, ‘He may not know how to save.’ I told him to slow down even more, and it all worked out.’

    Exclusive of Joe Nemechek and son, Kennon is one of nine full-time employees supporting the Truck Series operation.

    “You have to think,” Joe Nemechek said. “Gere Kennon and myself—we’re thinkers. We’re old-school thinkers. You had to figure stuff out back in the past, not with engineering, but with the old-school way of thinking ‘How do you make it better?’ And we’ve been able to do that.”

    John Hunter Nemechek is quick to acknowledge the financial and emotional commitment his father has made to his racing effort.

    “He has everything invested in me, and he believes in me, so, without him, none of this would be possible, and I wouldn’t be here today,” John Hunter said.”

    With his runner-up finish, Reddick took over second place in the series standings, 10 points behind leader Erik Jones, who finished sixth. Two-time defending series champion Matt Crafton suffered two pit road penalties, ran out of fuel and finished 14th, three laps down, to fall to third in points, 11 behind Jones.

    Timothy Peters led 41 laps and finished third, followed by Daniel Suarez, who overcame two pit road penalties to run fourth. Johnny Sauter led a race-high 52 laps and came home fifth.

    The race was originally scheduled to take place Friday night but was postponed due to rain until this morning.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – American Ethanol E15 225
    Chicagoland Speedway
    Joliet, Illinois
    Saturday, September 19, 2015

    1. (11) John H. Nemechek #, Chevrolet, 150, $46978.
    2. (4) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 150, $41217.
    3. (5) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 150, $29417.
    4. (6) Daniel Suarez(i), Toyota, 150, $19769.
    5. (3) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 150, $21861.
    6. (8) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 150, $18948.
    7. (1) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 149, $16558.
    8. (19) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 149, $18724.
    9. (18) Matt Tifft, Toyota, 149, $18640.
    10. (13) John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, 149, $19534.
    11. (21) Ray Black Jr. #, Chevrolet, 148, $18500.
    12. (9) Ben Kennedy, Toyota, 148, $18360.
    13. (12) Austin Theriault #, Ford, 147, $18332.
    14. (2) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 147, $19276.
    15. (17) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 147, $18620.
    16. (7) Cameron Hayley #, Toyota, 146, $18137.
    17. (10) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 145, $18053.
    18. (30) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 144, $18025.
    19. (22) Justin Jennings, Chevrolet, 144, $18169.
    20. (28) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 143, $18386.
    21. (16) Chad Finley, Ford, 141, $15607.
    22. (32) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 102, $16580.
    23. (27) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 96, $16551.
    24. (25) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 93, $15523.
    25. (14) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 90, $15645.
    26. (20) Mason Mingus, Chevrolet, Accident, 79, $15468.
    27. (26) Korbin Forrister #, Chevrolet, Engine, 41, $15439.
    28. (23) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, Vibration, 25, $15206.
    29. (29) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Vibration, 18, $15150.
    30. (15) Jesse Little, Toyota, Engine, 14, $14650.
    31. (31) Caleb Roark, Chevrolet, Brakes, 14, $13150.
    32. (24) Tyler Tanner, Chevrolet, Engine, 5, $12150.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 120.715 mph.
    Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 51 Mins, 50 Secs. Margin of Victory: 12.014 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 3 for 23 laps.


    Lead Changes: 11 among 7 drivers.
    Lap Leaders: K. Larson(i) 1-18; T. Reddick 19; K. Larson(i) 20-31; J. Sauter 32; R. Black Jr. # 33-34; J. Sauter 35-85; K. Larson(i) 86-94; T. Peters 95-135; K. Larson(i) 136-138; D. Suarez(i) 139-141; K. Larson(i) 142-148; J. Nemechek # 149-150.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Sauter 2 times for 52 laps; K. Larson(i) 5 times for 49 laps; T. Peters 1 time for 41 laps; D. Suarez(i) 1 time for 3 laps; J. Nemechek # 1 time for 2 laps; R. Black Jr. # 1 time for 2 laps; T. Reddick 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 10 in Points: E. Jones # – 628; T. Reddick – 618; M. Crafton – 617; J. Sauter – 576; D. Hemric # – 519; C. Hayley # – 517; T. Peters – 512; J. Townley – 500; S. Gallagher # – 488; B. Kennedy – 483.

     

  • Rain Halts On-Track Activity at Chicagoland

    Rain Halts On-Track Activity at Chicagoland

  • Harvick Starts Up Front after Coors Light Qualifying Canceled

    Harvick Starts Up Front after Coors Light Qualifying Canceled

    By Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service

    JOLIET, Ill. — Kevin Harvick will start the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup from the same position he ended last year’s playoff — in the No. 1 spot.

    When torrential rain at Chicagoland Speedway wiped out Friday’s time trials at the 1.5-mile track, Harvick earned the Coors Light Pole position for Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN) by virtue of having posted the fastest lap during opening practice.

    With heavy rains forecasted for the afternoon, most drivers focused on mock qualifying runs during practice, anticipating the field for the opening Chase race would be set according to practice speeds. Harvick was the only driver to top 188 mph in the opening session, running a lap at 188.317 mph.

    Joey Logano, a Championship 4 competitor in 2014, will start on the outside of the front row, after running 187.911 mph in practice. With Brad Keselowski third quickest and Martin Truex Jr. fourth, Chase drivers claimed the top four starting spots and six of the top seven.

    Ryan Newman will start sixth and Kyle Busch seventh in the 400-mile event.

    “First off,” Harvick said, “I’m just most proud of my team for having a fast race car and coming to the track and having a plan and doing all the things that they did to pay attention to the weather and put a lot of emphasis on trying to lay a fast lap down, just like everybody else, to get a good starting position with the way that the weather was (looking).”

    Logano and his team spent the entire 85-minute practice session in qualifying trim, expecting time trials to be rained out.

    “We looked at the forecast and knew there was a good chance of rain,” Logano said. “Any time that happens, you focus in on qualifying in practice a little bit more. We haven’t been in race trim yet … Really, I felt like it was qualifying during practice.

    “We were really trying to top the chart because we really felt like that was where we were going to start — at the end of practice.”

    Harvick, on the other hand, started in race trim to get a feel for the track before he moved to a qualifying setup.

    “We started in race trim because (Crew chief) Rodney (Childers) and I felt like this is one of those places … it’s a hard place to drive around because it’s so rough, and the timing and rhythm of the race track is something that, as a driver, you need to be able to get into that rhythm before you go into qualifying trim.”

    Two Chase drivers who failed to post strong practice speeds — Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin — will start 26th and 29th, respectively, in Sunday’s race. Other Chasers secured spots on the grid as follows: Kurt Busch (ninth), Jeff Gordon (10th), Jimmie Johnson (11th), Matt Kenseth (12th), Jamie McMurray (13th), Carl Edwards (14th), Paul Menard (16th) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (19th).

    A major casualty of the cancellation was Ryan Blaney, who was ninth fastest in opening practice in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford but will not start the race under rainout rules (because of fewer qualifying attempts this year). This is the third time this season Blaney has been knocked out of a race by rain.

    Michael McDowell and Travis Kvapil also failed to make the 43-car field.

    Starting Lineup for  MyAFibRisk.com 400

    Chicagoland starting lineup

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Chicagoland

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Chicagoland

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series head to Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. All Sprint Cup and XFINITY on-track action can be seen on NBC Sports Live Extra. The Camping World Truck Series events will be shown on FOX Sports 1. Please see the full schedule below.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Sept. 18:

    On Track:

    10 a.m.-12:25 p.m: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FOX Sports 1
    12:30-1:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    2-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    4:35 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1 – Canceled due to rain  (Results, set by rule book)
    6:45 p.m: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra Canceled due to rain  (Results, set by rule book)
    8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol E15 225 (150 laps, 225 miles) – FOX Sports 1 – Postponed until Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET  (TV – FOX Sports 2)

    GarageCam: (Watch live)

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

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    11 a.m.: Danica Patrick
    11:30 a.m.: Aric Almirola
    12:15 p.m.: Chase Elliott
    2:45 p.m.: Erik Jones
    3 p.m.: Jerry West
    3:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    7:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – Canceled due to rain
    10:15 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race  –Canceled due to rain

    Saturday, Sept. 19:

    On Track:

    10:30 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol E15 225 (150 laps, 225 miles) – FOX Sports 2
    1:30-2:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – CNBC/Live Extra
    2:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    4:30-5:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    6 p.m.: XFINITY Series Furious 7 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    12:30 p.m.: Daytona International Speedway Announcement – Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III and Jeffrey Earnhardt, driver of the No. 32 Go Green Racing Ford
    8:15 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race

    Sunday, Sept. 20:

    Special Event (Watch live)

    1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Driver/Crew Chief Meeting

    On Track:

    3 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series myAFibRisk.com 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    11:30 a.m.: Jim Campbell (Chevrolet U.S. Vice President of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports), Dave Pericak (Director, Ford Performance) and Ed Laukes (Vice President of Marketing, Performance and Guest Experience for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.)
    6:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Race

     

    TV Schedule

    Friday, Sept. 18:

    8 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Setup – FOX Sports 1

    Saturday, Sept. 19:

    12:30 p.m.: TUDOR United SportsCar Championship: Circuit of the Americas – FOX Sports 2
    4 p.m.: NASCAR America Live – NBCSN
    5:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green – NBCSN

    Sunday, Sept. 20:

    11:30 a.m.: NASCAR Race Day – FOX Sports 1
    1:30 p.m.: NASCAR America Sunday – NBCSN
    2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Countdown to Green – NBCSN
    6:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Show – NBCSN
    7 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap – NBCSN
    Midnight: NASCAR Victory Lane – FOX Sports 1

  • Kenseth Dominates for the Win at Richmond as Chase Field is Finalized

    Kenseth Dominates for the Win at Richmond as Chase Field is Finalized

    Matt Kenseth won the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway in a dominant fashion on Saturday night, capturing his fourth win of the season. Kenseth led 352 laps and skated to a clean victory ahead of Kyle Busch in second and pole-sitter Joey Logano.

    “These guys gave me a great car – thanks to Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) and all these guys standing behind me. They had the pit stops we needed, they kept us out front so we were really superb in the long run and we had to work for it pretty hard in the short run.” Kenseth said.

    The evening started off with major weather concerns as it was storming on and off throughout the day. However, the rain dissipated around 90 minutes before the race started and was never a factor afterwards.

    Between Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammates, Kenseth, Busch, and Denny Hamlin, Toyota led all but 25 laps. Joey Logano was the lone non-Gibbs driver to lead laps.

    “[Richmond] used to be one of [our] better tracks and it hasn’t been the last couple of years. Tonight all our cars ran really well,” said Kenseth following the race.

    After just three victories in the previous season and a half, JGR has won nine of the last 12 Sprint Cup Series races, being stopped only by Logano at Watkins Glen and Bristol and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Daytona.

    There was trouble for the 95 of Michael McDowell on lap 293. McDowell accidentally hit a caution truck and practically destroyed the rear of his Leavine Family Racing Ford. McDowell would later tell MRN that the No. 38 Ford of David Gilliland in front of him swerved at the last second, and his spotter didn’t see the truck. McDowell and the safety crew were unharmed in the incident.

    There was some late race drama with the No. 43 Ford. Aric Almirola, on the outside looking into the Chase, gained a spot under the final caution and restarted third with 17 laps to go. Kenseth arguably jumped the restart, and Almirola never got close to the lead.

    “It is tough. This is what we race for. We race to win races. We race to run for a championship.” Almirola said.

    There were six cautions for 47 laps. Four were for debris on the race track, while Martin Truex Jr. slammed into the wall on lap 39. There was a multi-car incident on lap 113 between McDowell, Michael Annett, and Jeb Burton where Burton turned Annett around on the backstretch.

    There were no changes to the Chase grid following the race, outside of Kenseth’s victory changing his seeding from tied for third to tied for first. On stopping Joe Gibbs Racing in the Chase, defending champion Kevin Harvick said, “Hopefully they’ll be peaky like they normally are and we can capitalize on the solid momentum we’ve had throughout the last two years and do what we have to do.”

    Federated Auto Parts 400 Full Results:

    1st. Matt Kenseth

    2nd. Kyle Busch

    3rd. Joey Logano

    4th. Aric Almirola

    5th. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    6th. Denny Hamlin

    7th. Jeff Gordon

    8th. Brad Keselowski

    9th. Jimmie Johnson

    10th. Clint Bowyer

    11th. Carl Edwards

    12th. Kyle Larson

    13th. Jamie McMurray

    14th. Kevin Harvick

    15th. Kurt Busch

    16th. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    17th. David Ragan

    18th. Kasey Kahne

    19th. Danica Patrick

    20th. Ryan Newman

    21st. Casey Mears

    22nd. Brian Scott

    23rd. Trevor Bayne

    24th. AJ Allmendinger

    25th. Justin Allgaier

    26th. Paul Menard

    27th. Austin Dillon

    28th. Sam Hornish Jr.

    29th. Tony Stewart

    30th. Landon Cassill

    31st. Greg Biffle

    32nd. Martin Truex Jr.

    33rd. David Gilliland

    34th. JJ Yeley

    35th. Brett Moffitt

    36th. Matt DiBenedetto

    37th. Alex Bowman

    38th. Cole Whitt

    39th. Jeb Burton

    40th. Jeffrey Earnhardt

    41st. Reed Sorenson

    42nd. Michael McDowell

    43rd. Michael Annett

    The 16 Nations battling in the 10 race Chase:

    1st seed Jimmie Johnson (Winner of Atlanta, Texas, Kansas, and Dover) 2012 points

    1st seed Kyle Busch (Winner of Sonoma, Kentucky, Loudon, and Indianapolis) 2012

    1st seed Matt Kenseth (Winner of Bristol, Pocono, Michigan, and Richmond) 2012

    2nd seed Joey Logano (Winner of Daytona, Watkins Glen, Bristol) 2009

    3rd seed Kevin Harvick (Winner of Las Vegas and Phoenix) 2006

    3rd seed Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Winner of Talladega and Daytona) 2006

    3rd seed Kurt Busch (Winner of Richmond and Michigan) 2006

    3rd seed Carl Edwards (Winner of Charlotte and Darlington) 2006

    4th seed Brad Keselowski (Winner of Auto Club) 2003

    4th seed Martin Truex Jr. (Winner of Pocono) 2003

    4th seed Denny Hamlin (Winner of Martinsville) 2003

    5th seed Jamie McMurray (10th in points) 2000

    5th seed Ryan Newman (12th in points) 2000

    5th seed Jeff Gordon (13th in points) 2000

    5th seed Clint Bowyer (14th in points) 2000

    5th seed Paul Menard (15th in points) 2000

    The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship begins next week at Chicagoland.

  • Chase Elliott Captures First XFINITY Win of 2015 at Richmond

    Chase Elliott Captures First XFINITY Win of 2015 at Richmond

    Chase Elliott won the 2015 Virginia 529 College Savings 250 after holding off pole sitter Kyle Busch in the final 20 laps. Elliott finally broke both a 22 race Cup driver winning streak at Richmond and a personal 39 race winless streak, gaining momentum on both a repeat championship and his ascension to Jeff Gordon’s 24 car next season.

    Busch dominated early in the first 81 laps before losing the lead for good from Brian Scott. The rest of the race was led entirely by XFINITY series drivers, beginning with Brian Scott leading almost all of the middle portion. Scott led 62 straight laps before fading after lap 143. Elliott would ultimately take the lead on lap 167, and held it for the rest of the way.

    Scott frustratingly finished third after leading 63 laps, while Joey Logano uncharacteristically quietly finished fourth. Erik Jones rounded out the top five.

    One of the biggest stories of the night was Josh Berry. The JR Motorsports driver, in just his third start in the XFINITY series, constantly ran ahead of Cup drivers. A bad pit stop before the final restart doomed him to a seventh place finish. Berry has no more XFINITY starts planned but wants to compete full-time next season.

    There were six cautions for 48 laps, one of which was a multi-car wreck on the very first lap between John Wes Townley, David Starr, Jimmy Weller, Joey Gase, Benny Gordon and Carl Long.

    In championship points news, Chris Buescher, who finished 10th, continues to lead Elliott by 21 points, followed by Ty Dillon (-27 points) and Reagan Smith (-49 points). The all important Owner’s Championship features the Penske 22 (Logano this week) leading the JGR 54 (Busch this week) by 82 points.

    Complete Results for XFINITY Series Virginia 529 College Savings 250:

    1. Chase Elliott
    2. Kyle Busch
    3. Brian Scott
    4. Joey Logano
    5. Erik Jones
    6. Regan Smith
    7. Josh Berry
    8. Ty Dillon
    9. Austin Dillon
    10. Chris Buescher
    11. Brennan Poole
    12. Daniel Suarez
    13. Ryan Reed
    14. Darrell Wallace Jr.
    15. Ross Chastain
    16. Brendan Gaughan
    17. Ryan Sieg
    18. Landon Cassill
    19. Blake Koch
    20. JJ Yeley
    21. Dakoda Armstrong
    22. Cale Conley
    23. Harrison Rhodes
    24. Elliott Sadler
    25. Dylan Kwasniewski
    26. Eric McClure
    27. Joey Gase
    28. Josh Reaume
    29. Mike Harmon
    30. John Wes Townley
    31. Ryan Truex
    32. Hermie Sadler
    33. Matt Waltz
    34. Jeremy Clements
    35. Ryan Ellis
    36. Carl Long
    37. David Starr
    38. Benny Gordon
    39. Jimmy Weller III
    40. Jeff Green

  • Joey Logano Scores Sprint Cup Pole at Richmond

    Joey Logano Scores Sprint Cup Pole at Richmond

    Joey Logano took the pole for the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway with a time of 21.349 seconds and a speed of 126.470 mph. Matt Kenseth was fastest in the first two rounds of qualifying but ultimately could only manage an outside front row start.

    Only four non-winning drivers; David Ragan, Tony Stewart, Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon made it to the final round of qualifying. Of the top seven starting positions Saturday night, only Ragan (fifth) and Kevin Harvick (sixth) are not JGR/Penske cars.

    The day started off with the first session of Cup practice of the day. Larson and Casey Mears, another driver who can only make the Chase by winning this weekend, clocked in the first and second times. Following them were Brad Keselowski, Harvick and Kyle Busch. The best 10 consecutive lap average in the two-hour session belonged to Justin Allgaier.

    The final practice session of the day had Harvick speeding to a 21.526 in qualifying trim. He led Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch in the 80-minute session.

    Notably, Denny Hamlin, coming off a torn ACL on Tuesday, struggled with the 42nd best time. However, after the session, Hamlin said in a media Q & A that the ACL was not an issue when in the car. “In the car I’m as comfortable as any place that I am,” said Hamlin, also saying that the main problem with the injury is swelling, limiting mobility out of the car.

    Full starting lineup for the Federated Auto Parts 400 on Saturday Night:

    Row 1

    1st Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford

    2nd Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota

    Row 2

    3rd Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Miller Lite Ford

    4th Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M’s Crispy/American Heritage Chocolate Toyota

    Row 3

    5th David Ragan, No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine

    6th Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet

    Row 4

    7th Carl Edwards, No. 19 ARRIS Toyota

    8th Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet

    Row 5

    9th Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet

    10th Tony Stewart, No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet

    Row 6

    11th Kyle Larson, No. 42 Target Chevrolet

    12th Austin Dillon, No. 3 DOW Chevrolet

    Row 7

    13th Ryan Newman, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet

    14th Danica Patrick, No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet

    Row 8

    15th Casey Mears, No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet

    16th Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet

    Row 9

    17th Brian Scott, No. 33 Shore Lodge Chevrolet

    18th Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Brandt Chevrolet

    Row 10

    19th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Cargill Chevrolet

    20th Kasey Kahne, No. 5 HendrickRideAlong.com Chevrolet

    Row 11

    21st AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Kroger/Bush’s Beans Toyota

    22nd Paul Menard, No. 27 Libman/Menard’s Chevrolet

    Row 12

    23rd Jeff Gordon, No. 24 3M Chevrolet

    24th Aric Almirola, No. 43 Smithfield Foods/Waffle House Ford

    Row 13

    25th Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota

    26th Clint Bowyer, No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota

    Row 14

    27th Michael Annett, No. 46 Switch Hitch Toyota

    28th Trevor Bayne, No. 6 AdvoCare Ford

    Row 15

    29th Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet

    30th David Gililand, No. 38 The Pete Store Ford

    Row 16

    31st Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet

    32nd Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Go Bowling/Draft Kings Ford

    Row 17

    33rd Matt Dibenedetto, No. 83 James Madison University Toyota

    34th Cole Whitt, No. 35 MDS Ford

    Row 18

    35th Landon Cassill, No. 40 Precon Marine/Interstate Moving Services Chevrolet

    36th Alex Bowman, No. 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet

    Row 19

    37th Brett Moffit, No. 34 Dockside Ford

    38th Greg Biffle, No. 16 Cheez-It Ford

    Row 20

    39th Michael McDowell, No. 95 Thrivent Financial Ford

    40th Reed Sorenson, No. 98 Premium Motorsports Ford

    Row 21

    41st Brian Scott, No. 33 Shore Lodge Chevrolet

    42nd Jeffrey Earnhardt, No. 32 BeerFrost.com/CorvetteParts.net Ford

    Row 22

    43rd JJ Yeley, No. 26 Maxim Toyota