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Race Central Stories

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Sonoma Raceway

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Sonoma Raceway

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the road course at Sonoma Raceway this weekend while the XFINITY Series and the Camping World Truck Series are off. Please check below for the full schedule.

    All times Eastern.

    Friday, June 26:

    On Track:

    3-4:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Practice – FOX Sports 2
    6:30-7:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Final Practice – FOX Sports 2

    Press Conferences Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    1:15 p.m.: AJ Allmendinger
    1:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    2:15 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    5:05 p.m.: Carl Edwards

    Saturday, June 27:

    On Track:

    2:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1

    Press Conferences Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    3:15 p.m.: Post-qualifying NSCS Press Conference (Time approx.)

    Sunday, June 28:

    On Track:

    3 p.m.: Sprint Cup Toyota/Save Mart 350 (110 laps, 218.9 miles) – FOX Sports 1 (Green Flag 3:19 p.m. approx.)

    Press Conferences Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    5:45 p.m.: Post-race NSCS Press Conference (Time approx.)

    Notes:

    The NASCAR RaceDay Pre-Race Show will air at 2:00 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.

  • Erik Jones completes two-track weekend sweep

    Erik Jones completes two-track weekend sweep

    By Jack McCarthy

    JOLIET, Ill. — Erik Jones’ last-ditch push had a victory payoff on Sunday.

    Neck-and-neck with Ryan Blaney entering the final dozen laps, Jones finally slipped ahead after a restart and rolled to a 1.958-second victory margin in Sunday’s Owens Corning AttiCat 300 race at Chicagoland Speedway.

    “I got the inside of him and just barreled into (turn) three as hard as I could to clear and slid in front,” said Jones, who started 11th in his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. “Fortunately it worked and he didn’t try to cross us over or anything else.”

    Jones claimed his second NASCAR XFINITY Series race of the season, recorded his eighth top 10 series finish and completed a weekend sweep that included Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series American Ethanol 200 at Iowa Speedway.

    Jones, the youngest NASCAR driver to win two races in the same weekend, has run in all three series this season.

    Time behind the wheel has proven invaluable for the 19-year-old driver.

    “It seemed like last year I’d be into these situations and be so nervous,” he said. “This time its like ‘I’ve got this.’ I felt like I’ve done it so many times throughout the year and throughout the day that it felt more natural. That’s definitely a product of seat time and being in the car every week or the truck every week.

    “It’s been a huge, huge help.”

    Jones led 94 of the race’s 200 laps while Blaney topped the field for 43 laps.

    The race — the 14th in this season’s XFINITY series — was originally set for 9:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, but was washed out as downpours hit Joliet and the entire Chicago area.

    Nearly 14 hours later, Sunday’s restart went off a bit after noon (ET) without a hitch under dry conditions and increasingly sunny skies.

    Blaney nearly had a storybook finish as he overcame earlier misfortune to lead the race with less than a dozen laps remaining.

    Driving the No. 22 Hertz Ford for Team Penske, Blaney wrecked his primary car in Saturday qualifying, started Sunday with a backup car in the back row but quickly maneuvered into the top 10 and moved into the lead with 45 laps to run.

    “I thought it was a good day for us, a decent day,” Blaney said. “I felt like I threw it away yesterday wrecking our primary. For our team to get a backup car out and work as hard as they did and have a car contending for the win and to be leading in the last little bit and then just not pull it off, that really speaks volumes to them about how well they prepared.”

    The race featured a track record 23 lead changes, plus seven cautions for 39 laps.

    Series points leader Chris Buescher finished fifth and maintained his series lead with 528 points, 29 points ahead of second place Ty Dillon.

    He shook off a penalty for speeding on pit road and rallied to the top five.

    “It’s a good points day, that’s how it ended up,” Buescher said. “The pit road speeding penalty is on me. … I got us a little bit behind there and put us in a bad spot but the guys did a good job coming back.”

    He regained track position when 22 drivers were penalized for pitting too soon with 46 laps remaining.

    Chase Elliott, who won last summer’s XFINITY Chicagoland race on the way to the 2014 series championship, spun out with 23 laps to go and finished 14th. He’s still looking for his first win of the season.

    Ross Kenseth, driving the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, was sixth in his XFINITY Series debut, a nice rebound after a Friday spinout during practice in his first time running the track.

    “In the last two days we were a lot better than my first day here,” said Kenseth, son of 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth. “At the end I thought we were really good — a third, fourth-place car — (but) was a little disappointed we didn’t get into the top five. … But the guys worked so hard at it and gave me a great car this weekend.”

    The XFINITY series takes a break this week and resumes with a July 4 race at Daytona International Speedway.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Owens Corning AttiCat 300

    Chicagoland Speedway

    Joliet, Illinois

    Sunday, June 21, 2015

    1. (11) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 200, $97576.

    2. (24) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 200, $66966.

    3. (1) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200, $51456.

    4. (5) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 200, $41298.

    5. (9) Chris Buescher, Ford, 200, $37841.

    6. (2) Ross Kenseth, Toyota, 200, $35523.

    7. (7) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 200, $32698.

    8. (13) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 200, $30622.

    9. (8) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $29492.

    10. (10) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Ford, 200, $29760.

    11. (3) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 200, $29254.

    12. (14) Ryan Reed, Ford, 200, $27699.

    13. (4) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 200, $27918.

    14. (6) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200, $27639.

    15. (16) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200, $26786.

    16. (19) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 200, $26159.

    17. (15) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 200, $26033.

    18. (25) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, 200, $26107.

    19. (18) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 200, $25780.

    20. (23) Cale Conley #, Toyota, 200, $26154.

    21. (17) Ben Rhodes, Chevrolet, 200, $25527.

    22. (20) Blake Koch, Toyota, 200, $25371.

    23. (27) TJ Bell, Toyota, 200, $25220.

    24. (26) David Starr, Toyota, 200, $25068.

    25. (21) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, 200, $25077.

    26. (28) Eric McClure, Toyota, 200, $24791.

    27. (30) Peyton Sellers #, Chevrolet, 200, $18639.

    28. (12) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 197, $24462.

    29. (34) Jimmy Weller, Chevrolet, 197, $18336.

    30. (33) Martin Roy, Chevrolet, 192, $24485.

    31. (32) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 192, $24054.

    32. (36) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Ignition, 165, $17917.

    33. (35) Josh Reaume #, Toyota, 146, $17801.

    34. (22) Dylan Lupton, Chevrolet, Accident, 145, $23690.

    35. (31) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 134, $17567.

    36. (38) Bobby Gerhart, Chevrolet, Engine, 69, $21842.

    37. (37) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Handling, 44, $14842.

    38. (39) John Jackson, Dodge, Vibration, 34, $13842.

    39. (40) Matt Frahm, Chevrolet, Clutch, 5, $12842.

    40. (29) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 2, $11842.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 118.812 mph.

    Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 31 Mins, 30 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.958 Seconds.

    Caution Flags: 7 for 39 laps.

    Lead Changes: 23 among 11 drivers.

    Lap Leaders: A. Dillon(i) 0; R. Kenseth 1; A. Dillon(i) 2-27; J. Clements 28-29; A. Dillon(i) 30; R. Smith 31-38; E. Jones(i) 39-70; R. Blaney 71-73; E. Jones(i) 74-75; C. Elliott 76; D. Suarez # 77; R. Sieg 78-83; R. Blaney 84-85; E. Jones(i) 86-99; A. Dillon(i) 100; B. Gaughan 101-102; R. Smith 103-112; E. Jones(i) 113-130; R. Blaney 131-133; E. Jones(i) 134-150; B. Gaughan 151-152; D. Starr 153-154; R. Blaney 155-189; E. Jones(i) 190-200.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): E. Jones(i) 6 times for 94 laps; R. Blaney 4 times for 43 laps; A. Dillon(i) 3 times for 28 laps; R. Smith 2 times for 18 laps; R. Sieg 1 time for 6 laps; B. Gaughan 2 times for 4 laps; D. Starr 1 time for 2 laps; J. Clements 1 time for 2 laps; D. Suarez # 1 time for 1 lap; R. Kenseth 1 time for 1 lap; C. Elliott 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 528; T. Dillon – 499; C. Elliott – 485; R. Smith – 466; D. Wallace Jr. # – 462; E. Sadler – 447; B. Scott – 430; B. Gaughan – 419; R. Reed – 410; D. Suarez # – 407.

  • Jones ends streak of bad luck, wins first race of 2015

    Jones ends streak of bad luck, wins first race of 2015

    June 19, 2015

    By Rob Gray

    NEWTON, Iowa — Last season, a powerful run through Iowa Speedway helped Erik Jones finally emerge from the tall shadows cast by bad luck.

    But the talented 19-year-old’s relationship with misfortune re-formed in 2015 — until, again, Iowa.

    Jones entered Friday’s American Ethanol 200 winless in eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts this season and stung by back-to-back finishes of 23rd and 15th.

    He left the track pumping his fists, victorious.

    The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver led 112 laps and dominated most of the race en route to his fifth career series triumph.

    “We’ve had fast trucks,” Jones said. “Things just haven’t been happening. Just kept fighting the good fight and waited for it to come around.”

    Jones sped to the victory by 5.661 seconds over Brandon Jones, who notched a career-best runner-up finish.

    Tyler Reddick finished third, Matt Crafton took fourth and Christopher Bell — in his first career start — completed the top five. Crafton retained his points lead by 12 over Reddick. Jones now stands third, 26 points behind Crafton.

    “I think we’ve had speed all year long, honestly,” said Brandon Jones, whose GMS Racing teammate, Spencer Gallagher, secured a career-high second last weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park. “It’s just starting to come around for us.”

    Bell started 10th and the former USAC National Midget Champion hadn’t raced on pavement until last September.

    “I just had one expectation and goal and that was just to finish the race,” Bell said. “I really didn’t know what to expect, so to come out with a top five, I’m just thrilled about it.”

    A different type of excitement pulsed through Jones, who earlier Friday became the series’ youngest Keystone Light 21 means 21 Pole winner at Iowa (19 years, 20 days).

    He led the first 43 laps, slipped back to ninth after a lap 53 restart, but patiently threaded to third by lap 98.

    Jones re-took the lead for good on lap 128, surging by Crafton on another restart and within 15 laps had built a 1.5-second advantage.

    Crafton led 33 laps and nearly outdueled Reddick for third in the closing stages. His ThorSport Racing teammates, Johnny Sauter and Cameron Hayley, led 14 and 37 laps, respectively, before mechanical issues put them off the pace.

    Jones finally evaded a similar setback.

    “This one’s just enjoyment now,” Jones said. “We’re back in the swing of things. I guess the last month was just stressful all around. Stressful on me as a person. … I kind of came to realize it doesn’t come as easy as everybody thinks it does. I had a lot of success early on and definitely got into kind of a hard spot.”

    Make that hard spots.

    His win last season at Iowa’s fast, short track ignited a much-needed hot streak that followed a 23rd-place finish at Gateway.

    Deja vu?

    “It’s really similar,” Jones said. “Last year we really kind of came off the same beginning to the season to this point and went here and kind of turned everything around. So I would say our luck or whatever you want to call it was worse this year at the beginning of the year than it was last year, but definitely a similar feel in getting back to Victory Lane here and getting things going in the right direction.”

    It worked last season.

    Jones closed out the 2014 Camping World Trucks season with two more wins and posted at least a top-seven finish in seven of the final eight races.

    And while it’s doubtful 2015 will fully mirror 2014, Jones offered a confident prediction.

    “It took is a while to get here, but now that we’re here I think we’ll keep reeling a few off.”

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – American Ethanol 200

    Iowa Speedway

    Newton, Iowa

    Friday, June 19, 2015

    1. (1) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 200, $48421.

    2. (4) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 200, $29147.

    3. (3) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 200, $27459.

    4. (9) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 200, $21600.

    5. (10) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 200, $18646.

    6. (16) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 200, $16562.

    7. (14) Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, 200, $16006.

    8. (13) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 200, $15757.

    9. (7) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 200, $15701.

    10. (12) John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, 200, $16596.

    11. (11) Justin Boston, Toyota, 200, $15591.

    12. (18) Austin Theriault #, Ford, 200, $15451.

    13. (8) Ben Kennedy, Toyota, 200, $15396.

    14. (6) Caleb Holman, Chevrolet, 200, $13090.

    15. (23) Ray Black Jr. #, Chevrolet, 199, $15801.

    16. (17) Mason Mingus, Chevrolet, 199, $15062.

    17. (20) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 198, $14952.

    18. (22) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 198, $14813.

    19. (5) Cameron Hayley #, Toyota, 198, $14702.

    20. (19) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 197, $13897.

    21. (27) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 196, $13230.

    22. (26) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 193, $12119.

    23. (2) John H. Nemechek #, Chevrolet, Accident, 157, $11980.

    24. (21) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, Drive Shaft, 148, $11897.

    25. (29) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Oil Leak, 93, $12019.

    26. (25) Korbin Forrister #, Chevrolet, Engine, 65, $11841.

    27. (15) Jake Griffin, Chevrolet, Accident, 41, $11786.

    28. (30) Tommy Regan, Chevrolet, Electrical, 33, $11539.

    29. (28) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Suspension, 24, $11511.

    30. (31) Michael Affarano(i), Chevrolet, Vibration, 22, $11011.

    31. (24) Justin Jennings, Chevrolet, Electrical, 15, $9511.

    32. (32) Caleb Roark, Chevrolet, Vibration, 5, $8511.

     

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 96.73 mph.

    Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 48 Mins, 33 Secs. Margin of Victory: 5.860 Seconds.

    Caution Flags: 6 for 36 laps.

    Lead Changes: 6 among 5 drivers.

    Lap Leaders: E. Jones # 1-43; J. Sauter 44-57; C. Hayley # 58-94; M. Crafton 95-127; E. Jones # 128-152; B. Jones # 153-156; E. Jones # 157-200.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): E. Jones # 3 times for 112 laps; C. Hayley # 1 time for 37 laps; M. Crafton 1 time for 33 laps; J. Sauter 1 time for 14 laps; B. Jones # 1 time for 4 laps.

    Top 10 in Points: M. Crafton – 370; T. Reddick – 358; E. Jones # – 344; J. Sauter – 327; J. Townley – 294; S. Gallagher – 288; T. Peters – 283; D. Hemric # – 282; C. Hayley # – 280; B. Kennedy – 269.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Chicagoland and Iowa

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Chicagoland and Iowa

    The NASCAR XFINITY Series travels to Chicagoland Speedway this weekend while the Camping World Truck Series heads to Iowa Speedway. Please check below for the full schedule.

    All times Eastern.

    Friday, June 19:

    On Track:

    11 a.m.-1:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series final practice – FOX Sports 2
    3:30-4:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series practice – FOX Sports 2
    5:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series qualifying – FOX Sports 2
    7-7:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series final practice – FOX Sports 2
    8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol 200 (200 laps, 175 miles)-FOX Sports 1

    Saturday, June 20:

    On Track:

    5:15 p.m.: XFINITY Series qualifying – FOX Sports 2)
    9:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Owens Corning AttiCat (200 laps, 300 miles) – FOX Sports 1

     

  • Kurt Busch Uses Late Pass to Win Quicken Loans 400

    Kurt Busch Uses Late Pass to Win Quicken Loans 400

    BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 14, 2015) — Kurt Busch held on just long enough to win the 2015 Quicken Loans at Michigan International Speedway. Busch overcame Kyle Larson and Mother Nature to pull into Gatorade Victory Lane.

    Kurt Busch started 24th but got better as the race progressed in his backup car, after wrecking his primary car in a practice session Friday morning. He took the lead for the first time with just five laps remaining.

    “It was a fantastic group effort,” Busch explained. “To be able to pull the backup car out and to have it as prepared as it was and then to have the extra work that went into it, all the crew members that Tony Gibson (crew chief) leads rolled up their sleeves, jumped right on it and we made a race-winning backup car.”

    Kasey Kahne started on the pole after posting a speed of 201.992 mph in qualifying on Friday. Carl Edwards took the early lead before Kevin Harvick rose to the top. But a flat tire forced Harvick into an unscheduled pit stop and a 29th-place finish.

    Busch took his first and only lead when he passed a pitting Kyle Larson on Lap 133.

    Two-time Michigan winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second in his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, followed by last week’s winner, Martin Truex Jr., in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevy. It was the 14th top-10 finish in the first 15 races this season for Truex, the first time that has happened since Richard Petty did it in 1969.

    Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano completed the top five.

  • Cole Custer Speeds to Second Career Win at Gateway Motorsports Park

    Cole Custer Speeds to Second Career Win at Gateway Motorsports Park

    Chris Knight

    NASCAR Wire Service

    MADISON, Ill. – Cole Custer took advantage of a five-lap shootout at Gateway Motorsports Park to score his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win in Saturday night’s American Ethanol presents the Drivin’ for Linemen 200 brought to you by Ameren.

    When race leader Tyler Reddick missed his second shift of the night on the final restart, Custer attacked and cleared the field to cruise to a 0.871-second triumph over Spencer Gallagher. It was the 17-year-old NASCAR Next driver’s first win of the year and second for JR Motorsports, which won last month at Charlotte Motor Speedway with Kasey Kahne.

    “I was just trying to tell myself ‘no excuses,’” said Custer, who won in his third start of the year. “I think we were a little bit better than the 19 (Reddick). We struggled a little bit all day. I don’t know, I’m just tired. I gotta thank Haas Automation, Gene Haas, Kelley (Earnhardt-Miller), Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) for giving me this opportunity and Hendrick engines, the pit crew for coming out.

    “We put everything together, we didn’t have the best truck, but we ran a great race.”

    After Matt Crafton and Erik Jones, who had the two strongest trucks of the night, endured problems late in the race, the revolving door opened with Custer answering.

    For Gallagher, late-race strategy played into his hands – which ultimately led to his second career top-five finish.

    “(We) didn’t have the speed in our No. 23 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet that we wanted all day, but we started 14th, so pretty far back there and a track where track position is such a huge deal, that was kind of a cloud hanging over our head to begin with. My GMS Racing guys played the game right all night. We were able to hold off Sauter at the end there. I told my crew chief, better be lucky than good sometimes, I’ll take it.”

    Mother Nature played her hand early at Gateway, cancelling qualifying after a brief, but heavy shower a few minutes into round one of knockout qualifying. The field was set per the rule book, putting Erik Jones on the pole after turning the fastest lap in practice earlier in the day.

    Quickly, the track dried, but the start of the eighth race of the season was delayed nearly two hours after a heavy shower soaked the 1.25-mile oval shortly before pre-race ceremonies. Drivers were called to their trucks at 9:25 p.m. CST, with the command to fire engines less than 10 minutes later.

    From the start, Jones kept the lead and held the point until the first caution waved on Lap 53 for a two-truck accident in Turn 1.

    Matt Crafton won the race off pit road ahead of Erik Jones, Matt Tifft, Johnny Sauter and Tyler Reddick.

    Racing resumed, but Crafton’s lead would be short-lived as Jones, a NASCAR Next alum, made the pass on the outside and retook the lead from the defending series champion. Despite being chased by Crafton, Jones kept the lead until the second yellow flag waved on Lap 80 for debris.

    While Jones elected to pit, Crafton stayed out, while Tyler Reddick, Johnny Sauter, Brandon Jones and Austin Theriault played strategy and took two tires. Jones was the first truck that elected for four tires and exited pit road sixth.

    Crafton held the lead through Lap 91 when Tifft crashed in Turn 1.

    Under the third caution of the race, Crafton pitted, handing the lead to his ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter with Custer second.

    Restarting with 64 laps to go, Sauter found himself unable to hold off Custer, who ventured out to a half-second lead by Lap 100. Ten laps later, Custer had company in the form of Jones, who made the pass to reclaim the lead on Lap 112.

    Six laps later, a stalled truck brought out another yellow, sending the lead lap trucks to pit road for service. A flawless stop by Crafton’s team sent him back to the top ahead of Spencer Gallagher, who took two tires. Jones exited third, followed by Ray Black Jr. with no tires, and Reddick.

    On the restart, Crafton was able to stay ahead, but Jones, hungry for his first win of the season, was quickly closing. Ultimately, Jones spun on the frontstretch 17 laps from the finish while trying to pass a lapped truck.

    With Jones out of the mix, Crafton found Reddick, Custer and John Hunter Nemechek looking to deny him of his fourth win of 2015.

    The green flag resumed with 10 laps remaining and Reddick wasted no time making his move and surging to the lead. Crafton’s strong night would take a dramatic turn after Nemechek broke loose in Turn 3 and sent the No. 88 Toyota hard into the outside wall, yielding the sixth caution of the night.

    Custer jumped out to the lead on the final restart and cruised the rest of the way to Victory Lane.

    Behind Custer and Gallagher, Sauter, Nemechek and Cameron Hayley rounded out the top five, while Timothy Peters, Ben Kennedy, Reddick, Daniel Hemric and Austin Theriault comprised the top-10.

    “I always knew that we had trucks capable of winning,” Custer said. “We just had to put everything together for a race.”

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – American Ethanol presents the Drivin for Linemen 200 brought to you by Ameren
    Gateway Motorsports Park
    Madison, Illinois
    Saturday, June 13, 2015

    1. (2) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 160, $45121.
    2. (14) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 160, $30147.
    3. (4) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 160, $23559.
    4. (12) John H. Nemechek #, Chevrolet, 160, $21400.
    5. (9) Cameron Hayley #, Toyota, 160, $18346.
    6. (13) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 160, $17162.
    7. (15) Ben Kennedy, Toyota, 160, $16306.
    8. (6) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 160, $15757.
    9. (7) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 160, $15701.
    10. (10) Austin Theriault #, Ford, 160, $16596.
    11. (11) John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, 160, $15591.
    12. (5) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 160, $15451.
    13. (18) Ray Black Jr. #, Chevrolet, 160, $15396.
    14. (20) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 160, $15340.
    15. (17) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 160, $15601.
    16. (21) Tyler Tanner, Chevrolet, 159, $15262.
    17. (28) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 157, $14952.
    18. (23) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 157, $14813.
    19. (27) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 156, $13452.
    20. (25) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 156, $13897.
    21. (3) Matt Crafton, Toyota, Accident, 151, $13230.
    22. (24) Korbin Forrister #, Chevrolet, 148, $12119.
    23. (1) Erik Jones #, Toyota, Electrical, 145, $11980.
    24. (26) Tommy Regan, Chevrolet, Electrical, 108, $11897.
    25. (8) Matt Tifft, Toyota, Accident, 92, $12019.
    26. (29) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Brakes, 56, $11841.
    27. (19) Justin Boston #, Toyota, Accident, 51, $11786.
    28. (16) Mason Mingus, Chevrolet, Accident, 51, $11539.
    29. (22) Justin Jennings, Chevrolet, Brakes, 26, $11511.
    30. (31) Michael Affarano(i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 13, $11011.
    31. (30) Adam Edwards, Chevrolet, Brakes, 6, $9511.
    32. (32) Joey Gattina, Chevrolet, Engine, 0, $8511.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 96.97 mph.
    Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 03 Mins, 45 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.871 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 6 for 35 laps.
    Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers.
    Lap Leaders: E. Jones # 1-55; M. Crafton 56-62; E. Jones # 63-82; M. Crafton 83-93; J. Sauter 94-97; C. Custer 98-110; E. Jones # 111-119; M. Crafton 120-150; T. Reddick 151-154; C. Custer 155-160.
    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): E. Jones # 3 times for 84 laps; M. Crafton 3 times for 49 laps; C. Custer 2 times for 19 laps; T. Reddick 1 time for 4 laps; J. Sauter 1 time for 4 laps.
    Top 10 in Points: M. Crafton – 329; T. Reddick – 317; J. Sauter – 299; E. Jones # – 296; J. Townley – 260; C. Hayley # – 254; S. Gallagher # – 251; D. Hemric # – 246; T. Peters – 245; B. Kennedy – 238.

     

  • In First XFINITY Race Since Accident, Kyle Busch Wins at Michigan

    In First XFINITY Race Since Accident, Kyle Busch Wins at Michigan

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    BROOKLYN, Mich. – In his first NASCAR XFINITY Series race back from a broken right leg and left foot, Kyle Busch proved conclusively that he hasn’t lost a step.

    Taking advantage of contact between the Chevrolet of Kevin Harvick and the Ford of polesitter Joey Logano—as those two drivers were battling for the lead—Busch passed Chase Elliott for the lead on lap 122 of 125 and held on to win Saturday’s Great Clips 250 at Michigan International Speedway.

    Busch’s series-best 71st victory, his second at the two-mile track, came nearly two months after the driver of the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was sidelined by a brutal Feb. 21 crash into a concrete wall in Turn 1 at Daytona International Speedway.

    Busch returned to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series action in the Sprint All-Star Race in May but deferred his XFINITY Series comeback to Saturday’s race at Michigan.

    “It feels good,” Busch said after climbing from his car in Victory Lane. “This is only a preliminary for what we’ve got to do on Sundays (in the Sprint Cup Series), but it’s a start. You’ve got to start somewhere, right?

    “I can’t say enough about this team. (Crew chief) Chris Gayle did an awesome job today with this race car. We messed up a little bit today on a pit call, but we made up for it. Hard racing today, man. It was crazy, the side-by-side action we got here. The track’s kind of widening out, lending itself to some cool action.”

    After a restart on Lap 116, the race unraveled for Logano and Harvick. As the two drivers fought for the lead in Turn 3, with Logano to the outside, Harvick’s Chevrolet got loose and washed up the track into Logano’s Ford.

    The right rear of Logano’s Ford brushed the outside wall, but both drivers were able to continue, albeit after losing several positions. Harvick finished sixth, and Logano, who led a race-high 54 laps came home seventh.

    Harvick took responsibility for the incident.

    “I just got loose underneath him,” Harvick explained. “I had a huge run down the back straightaway. That late in the race, I figured I need to try to win the race, and I got in there, and he was on the outside of me, but it was too late to not have contact at that point.

    “So totally my fault. I just got loose under him going for the win.”

    Harvick’s mea culpa was little consolation for Logano, who had the race’s dominant car for most of the day.

    “We were racing for a win here, and it just seems like he drove in there pretty hard trying to slide me,” Logano said. “I drove up in there, too, and he got loose underneath me and got into my left rear and up we both went into the race track.

    “It’s unfortunate. I had a fast Discount Tire Ford, obviously the winning car, leading a ton of laps and up there at the end of the race. I was racing hard, and he just drove over his head a little bit.”

    Despite his runner-up finish, Elliott left Michigan disappointed he couldn’t find a way to keep Busch behind him in the closing laps.

    “I’ll be honest—second does not feel good, to me at least,” Elliott said. “I thought we had a car good enough to compete today… We finally got ourselves in position there. We had two even-numbered restarts where we were six and fourth (in the preferred outside lane) that put us in position there to have an opportunity on that last restart.

    “Obviously, the 22 (Logano) would have been really hard to beat, and Kevin got into him by accident and moved him up the racetrack. Obviously, that opened up our opportunity to have a shot at the win… (Kyle) is really good at what he does, and I don’t really have an excuse for it. So, yeah, he outran me.”

    Kyle Larson finished third, followed by Chris Buescher, who extended his series lead to 25 points over Ty Dillon, who came home 13th. Elliott is third in the standings, 35 points back.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Great Clips 250 benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America
    Michigan International Speedway
    Brooklyn, Michigan
    Saturday, June 13, 2015

    1. (11) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 125, $52773.
    2. (12) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 125, $41458.
    3. (4) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 125, $26229.
    4. (20) Chris Buescher, Ford, 125, $31031.
    5. (16) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 125, $27396.
    6. (7) Kevin Harvick(i), Chevrolet, 125, $19450.
    7. (1) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 125, $28607.
    8. (14) Aric Almirola(i), Ford, 125, $19040.
    9. (2) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 125, $25518.
    10. (13) Denny Hamlin(i), Toyota, 125, $19490.
    11. (8) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 125, $24362.
    12. (6) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 125, $24185.
    13. (9) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 125, $23932.
    14. (15) Alex Bowman(i), Chevrolet, 125, $17805.
    15. (3) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Ford, 125, $25779.
    16. (18) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 125, $23552.
    17. (17) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 125, $23501.
    18. (5) Paul Menard(i), Chevrolet, 125, $17701.
    19. (19) Ryan Reed, Ford, 124, $23400.
    20. (10) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 124, $23850.
    21. (23) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, 124, $23273.
    22. (22) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, 124, $23218.
    23. (32) Eric McClure, Toyota, 124, $23168.
    24. (33) Peyton Sellers #, Chevrolet, 123, $23091.
    25. (24) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 122, $23191.
    26. (29) Cale Conley #, Toyota, 122, $22965.
    27. (35) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 122, $22914.
    28. (34) Martin Roy, Chevrolet, 122, $22838.
    29. (36) Josh Reaume #, Chevrolet, 121, $22787.
    30. (37) Jimmy Weller, Chevrolet, 120, $23037.
    31. (27) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Accident, 111, $22682.
    32. (40) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 107, $22621.
    33. (21) David Starr, Toyota, Accident, 105, $22580.
    34. (26) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, Accident, 105, $22559.
    35. (28) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 79, $22530.
    36. (25) Blake Koch, Toyota, Electrical, 74, $20909.
    37. (38) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, Transmission, 32, $19909.
    38. (39) Carl Long, Dodge, Vibration, 31, $12909.
    39. (31) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 2, $11909.
    40. (30) CJ Faison, Toyota, Electrical, 0, $10909.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 132.567 mph.
    Time of Race: 01 Hrs, 53 Mins, 09 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.477 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 8 for 26 laps.
    Lead Changes: 13 among 7 drivers.
    Lap Leaders: J. Logano(i) 1-9; B. Scott 10-15; K. Busch(i) 16-29; B. Scott 30-33; K. Busch(i) 34-42; J. Logano(i) 43-73; P. Menard(i) 74-78; C. Buescher 79-88; A. Almirola(i) 89; J. Logano(i) 90-92; C. Buescher 93-105; J. Logano(i) 106-116; C. Elliott 117-121; K. Busch(i) 122-125.
    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Logano(i) 4 times for 54 laps; K. Busch(i) 3 times for 27 laps; C. Buescher 2 times for 23 laps; B. Scott 2 times for 10 laps; P. Menard(i) 1 time for 5 laps; C. Elliott 1 time for 5 laps; A. Almirola(i) 1 time for 1 lap.
    Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 489; T. Dillon – 464; C. Elliott – 454; R. Smith – 434; D. Wallace Jr. # – 428; E. Sadler – 414; B. Scott – 394; R. Reed – 378; B. Gaughan – 378; D. Suarez # – 369.

  • Kyle Busch wins Great Clips 250 Benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America race

    Kyle Busch wins Great Clips 250 Benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America race

    BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 13, 2015) — In a race that saw action all over the track on Saturday, perhaps the most impressive pass came with four laps remaining in the Great Clips 250 Benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America.

    Kyle Busch chased down Chase Elliott with less than 10 laps remaining to put pressure on the 2014 Series Champion. Busch passed Elliott with four laps remaining and held on for the victory.

    It marked Busch’s 71st victory in the NASCAR XFINITY Series

    Busch called it a very emotional win on his first trip back in the XFINITY series this year.

    “You never know when it’s your last, obviously that’s for sure after Daytona and what happened,” he added. “It is certainly really good to be back in Victory Lane and I can’t say enough about my wife and my family, everyone that pushed me so hard to get me back in the race cars and doing what I love to do.”

    Busch had to fight off a number of attacks from a bunch of very competitive cohorts, especially late in the race when he got around Chase Elliott with four laps remaining to win by just under one half second. Kyle Larson ended up third, followed by current series points leader Chris Buescher, Elliott Sadler, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano, both of whom appeared on the verge of winning late in the race before coming in contact with each other with seven laps remaining.

    Harvick had cut down under Logano, then moved up rather unexpectedly, with both drivers brushing the wall and falling to sixth and seventh, respectively, where they would finish. That gave the lead to Elliott, but not for long. Four laps later Busch made a bold move, passing four cars with help from a push by Harvick.

    “Our car was really fast and I felt like if we could just get to clean air then we could probably hold everyone off,” Busch explained, “but it was going to be hard to pass that 22 (Logano). Fortunately, Harvick took care of that for us.”

    Harvick took full responsibility for the scrape with Logano. “It was totally my fault,” he said.

    Logano, who led a race high 54 laps, unhappily agreed with Harvick.

    “We were racing for a win here and it just seems like he (Harvick) drove in there pretty hard in trying to slide me,” Logano added. “I drove up in there too and he got loose underneath me and got into my left rear and up we both went into the wall. I was racing hard and he just drove over his head a little bit.”

    Next up Sunday is the Quicken Loans 400. Tickets are available by phone at 800-354-1010.

     

  • Kasey Kahne Wins FireKeepers Casino Hotel Pole Day

    Kasey Kahne Wins FireKeepers Casino Hotel Pole Day

    Kahne will lead field to Quicken Loans 400 green flag

    BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 12, 2015) – Kasey Kahne had to get a little footloose but then danced to the FireKeepers Casino Hotel pole position today for the Quicken Loans 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race scheduled for Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

    “I got through turns one and two pretty good,” Kahne explained following his 27th career Sprint Cup Series pole in 411 attempts. “And then in turn three I was like man, I was a little loose there and I was back-pedaling more than I wanted to, so I pushed harder in turn three and I started to kind of slide the nose. I had to backpedal and go back down.

    “I knew it killed my exit a little, but it was still a great lap. Our Great Clips Chevrolet had speed in all three runs, so I knew we’d have a shot today, so that was cool. It’s been a while since we’ve had a pole.”

    Kahne’s speed of 201.992 miles per hour was just great enough to edge Kevin Harvick, who finished second with a speed of 201.613.

    Kahne is now tied with NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Terry Labonte for 25th on the all-time series pole list. It was also Kahne’s first pole and ninth top-10 start in 2015.

    Harvick, who registered the fastest practice lap today, garnered his 11th top-10 start this year and 11th in 29 races at MIS.

    “I do know that I got everything out of it, but all the qualifying rounds were within seventh-hundredths of each other,” Harvick said. “The guys were doing a great job and Kasey just got a little bit better lap there, than we did.”

    Brad Keselowski was third fastest, followed by Carl Edwards and Ryan Blaney, driving for the famed Wood Brothers. It was the 86th consecutive race at MIS for the Wood Brothers.

    Nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, Michigan International Speedway is NASCAR’s fastest track and the Great Escape, a venerable NASCAR national park where fans can get away and enjoy the very best in racing and camaraderie. It’s the love of racing and the thrill of a great time for race fans and drivers alike.

    Keep up with Michigan International Speedway via Twitter @MISpeedway or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MISpeedway. Android and iPhone can now download Discover MIS, the official app of MIS, on Google Play and iTunes.

     

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  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Michigan and Gateway Motorsports Park

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Michigan and Gateway Motorsports Park

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series head to Michigan International Speedway this weekend while the Camping World Truck Series travels to Gateway Motorsports Park. Please check below for the full schedule.

    All times Eastern.

    Friday, June 12:

    On Track:

    11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
    1-2 p.m.: XFINITY Series practice – FOX Sports 1
    2:30-3:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
    4:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 2

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    10:15 a.m.: Joey Logano
    10:40 a.m.: Kyle Larson
    1:45 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    2:15 p.m.: Clint Bowyer
    2:30 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr. and Joe Garone
    5:15 p.m.: Post NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying (time approx.)

    Saturday, June 13:

    On Track:

    9-9:55 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
    10:15 a.m.: XFINITY Series qualifying – FOX Sports 1
    10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series final practice
    Noon-12:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
    1:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Great Clips 250 Benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America (125 laps, 250 miles) – FOX Sports 1
    5:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series qualifying – FOX Sports 2
    8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol Presents the Drivin’ for Linemen 200 brought to you by Ameren (160 laps, 200 miles) – FOX Sports 1 

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    11:15 a.m.: Cole Whitt and Nate Burleson
    3:15 p.m.: Post NASCAR XFINITY Series race (time approx.)

    Sunday, June 14:

    On Track:

    1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans 400 (200 laps, 400 miles) – FOX Sports 1 

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    9:15 a.m.: Brad Keselowski and Dave Pericak
    10 a.m.: Ryan Newman, Mark Dantonio and Bill Emerson
    4:15 p.m.: Post NASCAR Sprint Cup race (time approx.)