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  • Martin Truex Jr. Celebrates Victory and Life after Pocono Win

    Martin Truex Jr. Celebrates Victory and Life after Pocono Win

    The challenges of the last year and a half seemed to vanish as Martin Truex Jr. drove his No. 78 Chevy into victory lane after winning Sunday’s Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 at Pocono Raceway to end a 69-race winless streak. It was his third career Sprint Cup win, his first with Furniture Row Racing and the first for crew chief Cole Pearn.

    But this victory was about so much more than mere numbers. Its significance transcends breaking a losing streak, leading the most laps or cementing his standing in the Chase. This was about beating the odds, both professionally and personally.

    Last year was one of the lowest points in Truex’s life as he struggled with his new team managing only five top-five finishes the entire season. But Truex remained committed to the small single-car team led by owner Barney Visser. His biggest test, however, came as longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex underwent treatment for cancer.

    Truex was inspired by her strength, saying, “She showed me what she was made of and I was like, wow, if she can do that then I can do this, this is easy.”

    This season has seen a resurgence of Truex’s career, perhaps sparked by Pollex’s remission. The couple hugged after he climbed out of his car and one can only imagine the myriad of emotions they experienced in that brief moment, particularly since Truex lost his grandmother this week.

    “Sherry is here healthy and is excited as I am and everything is going well for her,” said Truex.

    “It never gets any better than this,” he exclaimed. “It takes time to heal things especially with what Sherry and I went through. This just kind of makes you forget all about it. Tomorrow we are still going back to normal life. We always try to remember that and be ourselves and remember why we are here and how lucky we are to be doing this. I just feel super blessed to be with this group of guys. They are super impressive and I’m just proud to drive cars for them.”

    Truex’s win was popular within the NASCAR community. Even second place finisher, Kevin Harvick, said, “If you’re going to lose to somebody today, that’s a great person to lose to.”

    “You look at everything, personally and professionally Martin and Sherry have dealt with,” he continued, “and you have to be super-happy for them. To see them have that bright spot is something I think the whole garage will support and be happy with.”

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. agreed, saying, “I’m just happy for him. I know he’s been through a lot of stuff, both inside the car and outside the car the last several years. He’s been able to get into a good opportunity with good people. He’s got a team that believes in him. They’ve come a long way over the last several years.”

    Truex was humbled by the support of his fellow competitors.

    “It means a lot, it really does, because there’s going to come a time when racing and where you finish in races doesn’t matter,” Truex said. “What’s going to matter is kind of the legacy you leave and how people look at the person that you are. So that means a ton to me to have that respect, and, honestly, it’s kind of humbling.”

    Sometimes winning isn’t everything. Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. Today was one of those days.

  • Crafton Takes the Win in Late Restart at Texas

    Crafton Takes the Win in Late Restart at Texas

    By John Sturbin
    NASCAR Wire Service

    Matt Crafton insists he had “a blast” racing Daniel Suarez Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway, including a pair of late-race restarts that secured victory in the 19th annual WinStar World Casino & Resort 400.

    Crafton continued his recent domination of NASCAR’s intermediate racetracks, hammering out the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory over an aggressive Suarez. The two-time reigning series champion, Crafton recorded his eighth career victory by 0.569-seconds.

    “I had a blast racing with Daniel there at the end,” said Crafton, who scored his third victory and seventh top-10 finish of 2015. “We were literally running in the center of the racetrack and up against the wall in Turns 3 and 4, and you really have to work the throttle and drive the thing.”

    Crafton was cruising with a lead of 6.866-seconds over Suarez after cycling into the lead following a round of green flag pit stops. But a caution on Lap 149 of the scheduled 167 for fluid on the track from the blown engine of Timothy Peters’ No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra bunched the field after pit stops. Crafton chose the outside lane for the restart on Lap 154, and Suarez grabbed the lead before Crafton was able to regain his momentum and retake the point on Lap 155.

    Crafton and Suarez were running 1-2 when rookie Daniel Hemric spun the No. 14 California Clean Power Chevrolet in Turn 2, bringing out the night’s fifth caution. When the race went green on Lap 166, Crafton used the outside lane to power around Suarez exiting Turn 4 en route to his third win of the season and second consecutive June night race at TMS.

    “The restarts were hairy,” said Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Ideal Door/Curb Records Toyota fielded by ThorSport Racing. “We got a pretty good start on that last one and ran side-by-side-by-side. The tires were newer on the first one (restart) and you can run along the bottom wide-open. I knew if I didn’t get him clear he might have won the race.”

    That restart was highlighted by near-contact between the two, with Suarez saving his truck as it began to slide down the banking.

    “You mean when we were bouncing off each other?” Crafton asked with a smile. “That was fun in Turn 1. I said, no harm, no foul.”

    Suarez, driver of the No. 51 ARRIS Toyota fielded by Kyle Busch Motorsports, posted his first top-10 finish in his TMS debut and sixth top-10 of 2015. Suarez also finished second last Friday night to Tyler Reddick’s No. 19 Bulldog Ford fielded by Brad Keselowski Racing on Dover International Speedway’s “Monster Mile.”

    “There was one point – not the last one (restart) – I really think I had a shot (at Crafton) because we had on new tires,” said Suarez, a native of Mexico. “Maybe all of us had new tires and I was able to be a little more aggressive. I knew the second restart, I really tried for one lap (to take the lead) and I was so loose to the right side of my truck. The last thing I wanted to do was wreck that fast truck. I like to bring complete trucks back to the shop. I’m not sure if I could do something different there. I need to see what Matt did, what I did, what I could do better, what I could do faster. Like I said, I do my homework and try to be better for the next time.”

    John Wes Townley finished a career-best third in the No. 05 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Silverado, topping his previous best result of fourth on the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    “The last caution was the break we really needed,” Townley said. “Before we had a bad set of tires and fell off quite a bit. Didn’t quite have it for Crafton, so congratulations to him. It is nice to get a career-best and definitely be showing progress. We’re getting better and better and I’ve got to thank Zaxby’s and Hendrick horsepower.”

    Crafton won last year’s event here on fuel mileage, a strategy he and crew chief Carl “Junior” Joiner mapped-out en route to victory on the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway last month. Crafton also prevailed on the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway, a sister facility to TMS, in Race No. 2 of the season.

    Crafton led a career-best 118 laps en route to victory here last June, snapping a 26-race TMS winless streak. “All of them are great,” said Crafton, referring to his mounting win total. “Last year, just getting that first cowboy hat (at TMS) was very sweet. But all the victories are great.”

    Crafton led a race-high 77 laps to 68 for pole-sitter Erik Jones, who experienced battery-related electrical problems in his No. 4 Special Olympics World Games Toyota after leading 68 early laps. Jones fell a lap down during his first pit stop on Lap 83 to change the first of three batteries and ended up 15th, two laps down.

    Crafton exited Texas with a 25-point lead over Reddick headed into the next race at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill., on June 13.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – WinStar World Casino 400
    Texas Motor Speedway
    Fort Worth, Texas
    Friday, June 05, 2015

    1. (2) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 167.
    2. (3) Daniel Suarez(i), Toyota, 167.
    3. (5) John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, 167.
    4. (4) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 167.
    5. (6) Austin Theriault #, Ford, 167.
    6. (10) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 167.
    7. (8) Cameron Hayley #, Toyota, 167.
    8. (11) Justin Boston #, Toyota, 167.
    9. (9) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 167.
    10. (12) Ben Kennedy, Toyota, 167.
    11. (16) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 166.
    12. (13) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 166.
    13. (15) Mason Mingus, Chevrolet, 166.
    14. (19) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 165.
    15. (1) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 165.
    16. (18) Ray Black Jr. #, Chevrolet, 164.
    17. (17) Tyler Tanner, Chevrolet, 164.
    18. (21) Korbin Forrister #, Chevrolet, 160.
    19. (20) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 157.
    20. (22) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 152.
    21. (7) Timothy Peters, Toyota, Engine, 147.
    22. (14) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 127.
    23. (24) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, Engine, 49.
    24. (25) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Engine, 47.
    25. (27) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Clutch, 23.
    26. (23) Justin Jennings, Chevrolet, Electrical, 12.
    27. (26) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, Electrical, 10.
    28. (29) Donnie Neuenberger, Chevrolet, Engine, 8.
    29. (30) Michael Affarano(i), Chevrolet, Vibration, 6.
    30. (28) Adam Edwards, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 5.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 134.396 mph.
    Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 51 Mins, 50 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.569 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 5 for 21 laps.
    Lead Changes: 19 among 9 drivers.
    Lap Leaders: E. Jones # 1-4; M. Crafton 5-10; E. Jones # 11-21; R. Black Jr. # 22; M. Crafton 23; E. Jones # 24-71; M. Crafton 72-74; T. Tanner 75-79; E. Jones # 80-84; M. Crafton 85-118; D. Suarez(i) 119-121; T. Peters 122-126; T. Reddick 127; C. Hayley # 128-130; J. Boston # 131; M. Crafton 132-152; D. Suarez(i) 153-154; M. Crafton 155-164; D. Suarez(i) 165; M. Crafton 166-167.
    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Crafton 7 times for 77 laps; E. Jones # 4 times for 68 laps; D. Suarez(i) 3 times for 6 laps; T. Tanner 1 time for 5 laps; T. Peters 1 time for 5 laps; C. Hayley # 1 time for 3 laps; R. Black Jr. # 1 time for 1 lap; T. Reddick 1 time for 1 lap; J. Boston # 1 time for 1 lap.
    Top 10 in Points: M. Crafton – 305; T. Reddick – 280; E. Jones # – 273; J. Sauter – 257; J. Townley – 227; C. Hayley # – 215; D. Hemric # – 211; S. Gallagher # – 209; T. Peters – 207; J. Boston # – 205.

     

  • Kurt Busch Wins Coors Light Pole Award in Pocono

    Kurt Busch Wins Coors Light Pole Award in Pocono

    Seth Livingstone, NASCAR Wire Service

    LONG POND, Pa. — NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying can be fraught with twists, turns and unexpected bumps in the road.

    Friday’s qualifying session at Pocono Raceway, which saw Kurt Busch capture the Coors Light Pole for Sunday’s Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400, had them all.

    Throughout the day, Turn 2, the Tunnel Turn, had been a major topic of concern.

    “There are grocery store parking lots around the country that are jealous of those three bumps that have developed there,” said Busch, speculating that an offseason beautification project with water feature, enhancing the exterior tunnel entry, somehow created the lumpy racing surface.

    “To me, if they could just go ahead and take some bumps like that and put them over in the other corners too, it would be even better,” said Carl Edwards. “It adds something. As long as it’s not breaking parts, I believe it gives us an opportunity to set up passes.”

    Ultimately, the issue with the bumpy track took a back seat when Denny Hamlin spun in Turn 1 in the final minute of qualifying, halting the session with 39 seconds remaining and preventing himself and four other drivers from posting a time in the final round.

    “It really is a bizarre set of circumstances,” said Jimmie Johnson, a winner of four races this season but one of the drivers left in the qualifying cold. “It’s just unfortunate (for) the guys that were on the track. But as long as NASCAR is consistent (with the rule) through all three series, then we will take our medicine and just deal with it. We (start) ninth. That is the best we’ve been in a while.

    Joey Logano, the last driver not from Hendrick Motorsports to win at Pocono, was not so forgiving. Logano said he already had a ‘headache’ thanks to the bumps, and that was before his lap in progress was negated by Hamlin’s spin.

    “A car spins out and they throw a red flag for it and then you don’t get an opportunity to go out and make a lap,” Logano said. “I don’t understand it. It makes me mad. I don’t get it. We didn’t even have a chance to try to put our car up front.”

    Busch suggested that Pocono Raceway attempt to grind the bumps prior to Sunday’s race. Earnhardt was encouraged that Pocono Raceway CEO Brandon Igdalsky was not only aware of the situation, but planning to take action before the Sprint Cup Series returns in late July.

    “I feel like they understand that while we can probably get through this weekend with what’s back there right now, it’s probably not in their best interest to leave it as-is,” Earnhardt said. “It will continue to get worse and I don’t think that we can get our race cars through there if it gets much worse than it is.”

    Carl Edwards finished second in qualifying. “My plan with Denny (Joe Gibbs Racing teammate) almost worked out,” Edwards joked. “But he didn’t spin early enough to keep Kurt from catching me.”

    Martin Truex Jr. qualified third in the Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet, unaware that the session had been cut short but well aware of the challenges in Turn 2.

    “It’s wild,” he said. “The first time through there, I thought either our car was way off or there’s something wrong with the race track. The bumps are 10 times bigger than they were last year, which is crazy. You’re going across bumps that are 8-10 inches tall and, literally, the tires are coming off the ground.”

    Jeff Gordon qualified fourth and series leader Kevin Harvick, who posted the fastest lap in each of the first two qualifying sessions, was fifth. Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne were the other drivers who were burned by Hamlin’s spin, having waited too long to attempt a lap in the five-minute session.

    Kurt Busch noted during practice that he was losing speed in Turns 1 and 3 and elected to focus on the vast majority of the course, not the troubles in Turn 2. His team also overcame a “wrong gear ratio in the transmission in third gear.”

    “There was so much disconnect when we first got here,” said Busch, whose third pole of the season was the 19th of his career. “We had to drop back, reboot with (crew chief) Tony Gibson, (engineer) Johnny Klausmeier, the whole gang. Today was a big group-bonding day and a strength-building day on what this No. 41 team can do together.”

    With 43 race entries, all drivers qualified for Sunday’s race.

    Tony Stewart, mired in 28th in the point standings, was forced to a backup car after a crash coming out of the Tunnel Turn in the 36th minute of Friday’s practice session.  Stewart was 28th in the first round of qualifying and failed to advance. “Driver error,” said Stewart, who has managed just one top-10 finish this season. “I was already past the bump. I got loose on the exit (of the turn) and couldn’t catch it.”

    Pocono starting lineup June 2015

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Pocono and Texas

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Pocono and Texas

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway this weekend while the Camping World Truck Series travels to Texas Motor Speedway. The XFINITY Series is off but will return June 13 at Michigan. Please check below for the full schedule.

    All times Eastern.

    Thursday, June 4:

    On Track:

    5:30-6:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series practice
    7:30-8:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series final practice

    Friday, June 5:

    On Track:

    Noon-1:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
    4:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series qualifying – FOX Sports 1
    6:15 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Qualifying – FOX Sports 1
    9 p.m.: WinStar World Casino 400 – FOX Sports 1 (Green Flag 9:19 p.m. approx.)

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    10:30 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    2:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    3 p.m.: Joey Logano
    3:15 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    5:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying (time approx.)

    Saturday, June 6:

    On Track:

    9-9:55 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
    11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice – FOX Sports 1

    Sunday, June 7:

    On Track:

    1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 (160 laps, 400 miles) – FOX Sports (Green Flag 1:20 p.m. approx.)

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    9:15 a.m.: Kyle Larson
    3:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race (time approx.)

  • Jimmie Johnson Notches Historic Tenth Win at Monster Mile

    Jimmie Johnson Notches Historic Tenth Win at Monster Mile

    He may have qualified in the fourteenth position, but Jimmie Johnson did what he usually does at the Monster Mile, scoring another win, his tenth in fact in the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway.

    And with that, the driver of the No. 48 Lowes Pro Services Chevrolet also made history, becoming just the fifth driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history to have ten or more victories at a single track, joining Richard Petty, David Person, Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt.

    “I felt like it was going to be a game of inches today,” Johnson said. “We were able to leap frog some guys on some pit stops.”

    “It all came together for us very late but we were able to get that tenth win.”

    “It was so great to be able to come here and compete for it,” Chad Knaus, crew chief, said. “I didn’t really realize we were doing that. To be able to run the way we did was great.”

    “We didn’t qualify as well as we wanted but Jimmie got us to fifth quite quickly. Finally we started to put it together and once Jimmie was in position to battle for the lead, he did it.”

    “I couldn’t be prouder. It was pretty awesome.”

    Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 ditech Chevrolet, finished second while the driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet Kyle Larson finished third.

    “We got really tight and then we freed up a lot and got better,” Larson said. “We gained a couple spots each time.”

    “Our first good run of the year and hopefully we have many more.”

    “Once the track bar broke, we were pretty much in a box,” Harvick said. “But all in all, the team did a great job. Dover has been a good race track for us. We’ve led laps but haven’t quite finished it off yet.”

    “But a good solid day.”

    This was Harvick’s 13th top-10 finish in Dover and his 12th top-10 finish for the season. He leads the point standings by 44 over Martin Truex Jr.

    Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne rebounded from a 25 place qualifying position to finish fourth in his No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet. And rounding out the top-5 was Aric Almirola in the No. 43 Smithfield Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports.

    “I earned my money today that is for sure,” Almirola said. “This Smithfield Ford Fusion was a handful most of the day. It started off extremely tight. Trent Owens and the guys made really good adjustments on the car and got it better and better.”

    “Finally we weren’t the lucky dog, we raced and stayed on the lead lap and when the caution came out we got a chance to restart with the leaders. That was the big break for us.”

    “Every time we would get the lucky dog I had to start dead last and 30-40-50 laps the leaders were right back on me. It was a great day for us, a really good point’s day for us.”

    “I am proud of Trent Owens and all the guys at Richard Petty Motorsports. They have been working their guts out trying to bring better cars to the race track week in and week out.”

    “We have to get better qualifying. That is our Achilles heel right now. We start too deep in the field every week. All in all it was a good day for us and I am ready to go to Pocono.”

    Martin Truex Jr. led many laps but finished sixth. Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top ten in the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks.

    The full finishing results are as follows:

    2015 NSCS FedEx 400 Race Results

    Fin Str Car Driver Team Lap Pts BPts Status TLd LLd
    1 14 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet 405 47 4 Running 1 23
    2 6 4 Kevin Harvick ditech Chevrolet 405 43 1 Running 2 91
    3 3 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet 405 41 Running
    4 25 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet 405 40 Running
    5 23 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 405 39 Running
    6 2 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 405 40 2 Running 3 131
    7 11 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s/Cessna Chevrolet 405 37 Running
    8 18 27 Paul Menard Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet 405 36 Running
    9 20 15 Clint Bowyer AAA Insurance Toyota 405 36 1 Running 1 1
    10 22 24 Jeff Gordon 3M Chevrolet 405 34 Running
    11 5 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 405 33 Running
    12 19 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 404 33 1 Running 1 28
    13 15 55 David Ragan Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 404 31 Running
    14 16 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 403 31 1 Running 1 3
    15 33 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 403 29 Running
    16 26 14 Tony Stewart Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 403 28 Running
    17 7 16 Greg Biffle Safety-Kleen Ford 403 27 Running
    18 17 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 402 26 Running
    19 8 19 Carl Edwards Stanley Toyota 402 26 1 Running 1 3
    20 30 7 Alex Bowman Chevrolet 402 24 Running
    21 1 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Cares Toyota 402 24 1 Running 4 118
    22 28 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Twisted Tea Ford 400 22 Running
    23 43 40 Landon Cassill(i) CRC Brakleen Chevrolet 400 0 Running
    24 29 47 AJ Allmendinger Scott Products Chevrolet 400 20 Running
    25 32 38 David Gilliland The Pete Store Ford 399 19 Running
    26 37 35 Cole Whitt Ford 399 18 Running
    27 21 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 399 17 Running
    28 38 34 Brett Moffitt # Dockside Logistics Ford 398 16 Running
    29 40 23 JJ Yeley(i) Dr Pepper Toyota 397 0 Running
    30 35 26 Jeb Burton # Maxim Fantasy Sports Toyota 396 14 Running
    31 13 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 396 13 Running
    32 36 83 Matt DiBenedetto # Burger King Toyota 395 12 Running
    33 12 3 Austin Dillon DOW Chevrolet 395 11 Running
    34 41 62 Brendan Gaughan(i) Chevrolet 392 0 Running
    35 42 32 Mike Bliss(i) CorvetteParts.net Ford 391 0 Running
    36 10 18 Kyle Busch Skittles Toyota 374 9 1 Accident 2 7
    37 9 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford EcoBoost Ford 373 7 Running
    38 27 33 Brian Scott(i) ACME Chevrolet 372 0 Accident
    39 4 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 346 5 Suspension
    40 39 98 Josh Wise Ford 346 4 Electrical
    41 34 46 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet 317 3 Running
    42 24 51 Justin Allgaier AccuDoc Solutions/FOE Chevrolet 310 2 Running
    43 31 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 221 1 Running

    # = Rookie, Fin = Finish, Str = Start, Pts = Total Points, BPs = Lap Leader Bns Pts, TLd = Times Led, LLd = Laps Led. (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

     

     

     

  • Chris Buescher Coasts on Fumes to Checkered Flag in Buckle Up 200

    Chris Buescher Coasts on Fumes to Checkered Flag in Buckle Up 200

    After contact with his teammate Darrell Wallace Jr., Chris Buescher gambled on fuel and nursed his No. 60 Roush Performance Products Ford to the checkered flag in the Buckle Up 200 at the Monster Mile. This was also Buescher’s first victory in three races at Dover International Speedway.

    “I never know what to believe and you never know how much you need to save,” Buescher said. “We were really just trying to go easy on the throttle and then at the end, we just had to let it coast at least half of the straightaway.”

    “It was really tough to do and I felt like we were going really slow,” Buescher said. “You have to convince yourself to do it. But we made it to the end and we had enough to do a burnout.”

    “It was nerve-wracking for sure,” Scott Graves, Buescher’s crew chief said. “You know you’re close and you don’t know exactly how much it was going to take. But we knew we were going to be OK when everyone else came in and we had a lap to play with at the end.”

    “Once we got down to that point, I was feeling better about it.”

    This is Buescher’s second Xfinity Series win of the season and with the win, he maintained the points lead over Ty Dillon by 15 points.

    Buescher’s victory, however, was not without controversy due to the contact with teammate Bubba Wallace, who cut a tire and soldiered on to finish a disappointing 17th.

    “It is my teammate so I can’t really say much,” Wallace said. “I asked the spotter after the race and he said we got run over. I was saving fuel there and Chris just ran over me and he ends up winning.”

    “It should be interesting Monday morning. We just got run over. It sucks that it was my teammate,” Wallace continued. “I was saving fuel. I didn’t think I was holding him tight and the next thing you know we are almost in the fence.”

    “The crappy part about it is we had a really strong Ford EcoBoost Mustang and we couldn’t get off pit road to save us and we got caught in dirty air and then we were in fuel saving mode. I thought we were doing okay until that little incident. I would say I am happy Roush won but I am not.”

    Matt Kenseth, behind the wheel of the No. 20 Reser’s Toyota, overcame an early tire issue to finish in the runner up position.

    “We had a great race car and I actually thought it was all going to work out for us,” Kenseth said. “I had to pit out of sequence and that let us a set of tires short. We got to stay out and lead some at the end and I honestly didn’t think that anyone could run that long on fuel.”

    “We came up a little short but we had a really, really fast race car.”

    This was Kenseth’s 13th top-10 finish in 21 races at the Monster Mile and is his third top-10 finish in the 2015 season.

    Regan Smith, driver of the No. 7 Breyers Chevrolet, took the checkered flag in the third spot. He also scored the $100,000 Dash for Cash honors provided by the Xfinity Series.

    “We had to work hard overnight because I didn’t like where the race car was,” Smith said. “They made good adjustments and we had very fast pit stops.”

    “Fuel mileage races are frustrating though,” Smith continued. “I haven’t been on the good end of one yet. Disappointed about that but proud of the effort today.”

    Smith advised that he had a child so that is where he intended to utilize the $100,000 bonus from the Dash for Cash. This was Smith’s fourth top-10 finish in 11 races at the Monster Mile.

    In spite of it being his nineteenth birthday, Erik Jones suffered another heartbreak in the Xfinity Series race after disappointment in the Truck race the night before. Jones missed pit road and then got a speeding penalty to boot, however, was able to soldier on to finish in the ninth position.

    “I just missed it,” Jones said. “It’s tough to get onto pit road here. I should have practiced it. It just didn’t work out at the end.”

    There was also another crash involving Ryan Blaney, Brian Scott and Jamie Dick. The initial incident was between Blaney and Brian Scott, the latter of whom started spinning. Unfortunately, Jamie Dick then plowed into Scott with violent impact.

    “The 22 (Blaney) was kind of out of control and he got real loose off (Turn) 4 so I got a run to his inside going into Turn 1. I just feel like he didn’t give me any room,” Scott said. “I went in there and he was stuck to my door. It just caused me to just suck around. As soon as I turned down in the corner I was loose.”

    “It sucks. I guess it’s a product of restarts here at Dover. That (second hit) hurt.”

    The 18 slipped a little bit off of four and the 2 got inside of us and must have got loose or something,” Blaney said. “Unfortunately we got in the fence there. It was unfortunate because I would have liked to see where it went.”

    “It was only lap 50 and I wish we could have raced more than that. They put it back together and we got what we got. It has been a rough last couple weeks for us. Hopefully we can get it turned around eventually.”

    Austin Dillon finished fourth, Kasey Kahne fifth and Chase Elliott, Brendan Gaughan, Ty Dillon, Erik Jones and Jeremy Clements rounded out the top-ten.

    2015 NXS Buckle Up 200 Race Results

    Fin Str Car Driver Team Lap Pts BPts Status TLd LLd
    1 2 60 Chris Buescher Roush Performance Products Ford 200 47 4 Running 1 10
    2 3 20 Matt Kenseth(i) Reser’s Toyota 200 0 Running 1 51
    3 10 7 Regan Smith Breyers Chevrolet 200 41 Running
    4 8 33 Austin Dillon(i) Rheem Chevrolet 200 0 Running 1 17
    5 7 88 Kasey Kahne(i) Ragu Chevrolet 200 0 Running
    6 14 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 199 38 Running
    7 11 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Chevrolet 199 37 Running
    8 12 3 Ty Dillon WESCO Chevrolet 199 36 Running
    9 6 54 Erik Jones(i) Monster Energy Toyota 199 0 Running 2 70
    10 15 51 Jeremy Clements RepairableVehicles.com/AllSouthElectric.com 198 34 Running
    11 17 16 Ryan Reed Lilly/American Diabetes Association Ford 198 33 Running
    12 18 42 Brennan Poole DC Solar Chevrolet 198 32 Running
    13 24 44 David Starr Zachry Toyota 198 31 Running
    14 19 43 Dakoda Armstrong WinField Ford 198 30 Running
    15 16 25 John Wes Townley(i) Zaxby’s Chevrolet 198 0 Running
    16 21 4 Ross Chastain # Heroes Haven Chevrolet 198 28 Running
    17 1 6 Darrell Wallace Jr. # Ford EcoBoost Ford 197 28 1 Running 3 52
    18 23 28 JJ Yeley Big Barrel Country Music Festival Toyota 197 26 Running
    19 4 18 Daniel Suarez # ARRIS Toyota 197 25 Running
    20 20 39 Ryan Sieg Uncle Bob’s Self Storage Chevrolet 197 24 Running
    21 13 1 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Ford 196 23 Running
    22 28 1 Landon Cassill Meding’s Seafood/Iron Source Chevrolet 195 22 Running
    23 37 26 CJ Faison Deputy Builders Toyota 194 21 Running
    24 30 24 Eric McClure Hefty Toyota 193 20 Running
    25 32 97 Peyton Sellers # Vroom Brands Chevrolet 193 19 Running
    26 34 0 Harrison Rhodes # teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet 192 18 Running
    27 33 15 BJ McLeod(i) BYBExtremeFighting.com Chevrolet 191 0 Running
    28 38 70 Derrike Cope Circle Track Warehouse Chevrolet 187 16 Running
    29 35 52 Joey Gase Donate Life Chevrolet 179 15 Running
    30 25 8 Blake Koch LeafFilter Gutter Protection Toyota 171 14 Accident
    31 36 13 Timmy Hill(i) Braille Battery/Grafoid Dodge 159 0 Suspension
    32 29 90 Mario Gosselin VR Victoriaville Chevrolet 147 12 Running
    33 26 14 Cale Conley # IAVA Toyota 135 11 Accident
    34 9 22 Ryan Blaney Hertz Ford 131 10 Running
    35 40 74 Mike Harmon In Memory of David Torteotot Dodge 113 9 Suspension
    36 5 2 Brian Scott ACME/Kraft Singles Chevrolet 63 8 Accident
    37 22 55 Jamie Dick Viva Auto Group Chevrolet 62 7 Accident
    38 27 40 Carl Long Braille Battery/Grafoid Toyota 33 6 Engine
    39 39 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 33 5 Overheating
    40 31 19 Jeff Green TriStar Motorsports Toyota 3 4 Vibration

    # = Rookie, Fin = Finish, Str = Start, Pts = Total Points, BPs = Lap Leader Bns Pts, TLd = Times Led, LLd = Laps Led. (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

     

  • Buescher Tames the Monster; Scores Roush Fenway’s 17th Win at Dover

    Buescher Tames the Monster; Scores Roush Fenway’s 17th Win at Dover

    Roush Fenway scores NASCAR record-extending 321st win

    DOVER, Del. (May 20, 2015) – Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher took over the race lead with 10 laps remaining inSaturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race at the ‘Monster Mile’ of Dover International Speedway and was able to hang on, conserving enough fuel in his No. 60 Roush Performance Ford for the final 10 miles, as the XFINITY points leader claimed his second victory in the last three races.  Buescher started the race on the outside of the front row by pole winner and teammate Bubba Wallace. After the one-two start, the two battled late for the lead, before Wallace had to pit with a flat tire after the two Fords made contact.

    “Almost impossible,” Buescher said of his third career XFINITY Series win. “They were telling me we needed to get a couple laps and I was lifting 10 car lengths early and they were telling me to lift another 50 early. I was clutching it a lot those last 15 laps trying to save all we had there and get all we could. I felt we were still keeping a pretty consistent pace and we were able to get the lead there and it was a matter of setting our own pace and holding on.

    “That was tough,” said Buescher of the late battle with Wallace. “We are sitting there and he was saving a lot more fuel than I was because they were shorter and I was able to run into the corner harder but I couldn’t do anything with the track being pretty narrow and two guys racing for the win.

    “We got side by side and it got pretty free but this Roush Mustang was good all weekend. The race wasn’t exactly where we needed to be but then (crew chief) Scott Graves pulled great strategy and the team did a nice job and we got to victory lane with this Ford.”

    Wallace, who led 52 laps after starting on the pole, had to settle for a 17th-place finish. Ryan Reed scored an 11th-place finish, while Elliott Sadler rounded out the Roush Fenway effort at Dover in 21st.

    The win is Roush Fenway’s sixth in the XFINITY Series at Dover and its 17th NASCAR victory at the ‘Monster Mile’. Wallace’s pole is Roush Fenway’s third in the NXS at Dover and its 11th in NASCAR action.

    In addition, the victory was Roush Fenway’s record-extending 321st win in NASCAR competition. It was the team’s record 136thvictory in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.  It is also the record extending 93rd victory for the No. 60 Ford under the Roush Fenway umbrella.

    With the lead Buescher extended his XFINITY Series points lead to 15, and he is joined in the top eight in the standings by Wallace (5th), Sadler (6th) and Reed (8th).  Roush Fenway has now one three times this season in XFINITY action.

  • Tyler Reddick Burns Down Monster Mile’s House with Truck Win

    Tyler Reddick Burns Down Monster Mile’s House with Truck Win

    Tyler Reddick, driving the No. 19 BBR Music Group Ford for Brad Keselowski Racing, burned down Monster Mile’s house and headed to Victory Lane for the second time this season. Reddick took the lead late in the race and never let go to take the checkered flag in the 16th annual Lucas Oil 200.

    This was also Reddick’s first win at the infamous Monster Mile.

    “We worked really hard for this,” Reddick said. “I knew we had a top-five truck at the start of the race. It’s great to get a win for everybody back home and a great way to get the season started for us.”

    Owner Brad Keselowski was also very proud of his young driver, especially since he is in contention for the championship just eleven points shy of leader Matt Crafton.

    “It certainly was a great day but for us and it was kind of a landmark day,” Keselowski said. “We’ve got a lot to be proud of and we’ve got our focus on the championship. Tyler ran a partial season last year and a full season this year but it’s still his first season. So, it’s nice to see that come together the way it has and it’s going to be an exciting finish from here.”

    “There is a lot of racing left to do but I think you saw today that there are so many great competitors out there. The championship battle will come down the end and these wins are going to make the difference.”

    Reddick’s win was not without controversy as he had a run in with Jennifer Jo Cobb, who was incredibly annoyed and expressed her anger by staying on the track and sharing a gesture or two before taking the obligatory ambulance ride to the care center.

    “We were in lap traffic early on in the race and Jennifer pulled up as I was trying to pass another vehicle,” Reddick said. “She looked like she was going to get me three-wide and then she closed the door.”

    “So, I rode up to try to avoid getting in the back of her but she just got loose when I was right behind her and ended up spinning. It’s a real shame and I understand when something like that happens”

    “I just feel really bad for her for that happening to them and their team.”

    Daniel Suarez, behind the wheel of the No. 51 ARRIS Toyota, finished second in the race. This was his first top-ten finish at Dover and his fifth top-10 finish in 2015.

    “Well for sure the whole of 2015 so far has been different from my 2014,” Suarez said. “I’m very lucky. To have fast race cars every weekend is just great.”

    “I feel like I’m learning a lot every single weekend. Kyle (Busch) has been helping us as well. We are getting closer and closer.”

    The most disappointed driver yet one who finished in the third spot was Erik Jones, whose two-tire strategy simply did not pan out the way he wanted.

    “I was in on the call and we just didn’t have the time left. It was a solid day for us but it’s just a shame that we couldn’t bring it home,” Jones said. “It’s definitely frustrating and even more frustrating at this moment.”

    “It just really hurts being that close to a win and it’s a bummer for this race team. But we made a call to take two and that was a lot of laps on lefts. And it showed at the end.”

    “We’ll take it and move on and just keep getting better.”

    Jones was the highest finishing rookie of the race.

    Daniel Hemric, Matt Crafton, Ben Kennedy, Ryan Blaney, Brandon Jones, Johnny Sauter and Tyler Young  rounded out the top-ten finishers.  The complete race results are as follows:

    2015 NCWTS Lucas Oil 200 Race Results

    .Fin Str Trk Driver Team Lap Pts BPts Status TLd LLd
    1 4 19 Tyler Reddick BBR Music Group Ford 200 47 4 Running 3 40
    2 5 51 Daniel Suarez(i) ARRIS Toyota 200 0 Running
    3 2 4 Erik Jones # Special Olympics World Games Toyota 200 42 1 Running 1 50
    4 19 14 Daniel Hemric # California Clean Power Chevrolet 200 40 Running
    5 3 88 Matt Crafton Rip It/Menards Toyota 200 40 1 Running 1 3
    6 18 11 Ben Kennedy Local Motors Toyota 200 38 Running
    7 1 29 Ryan Blaney(i) Cooper Standard Ford 200 0 Running 1 33
    8 12 33 Brandon Jones # AGRA Industries Chevrolet 200 36 Running
    9 16 98 Johnny Sauter Smokey Mountain/Curb Records Toyota 200 35 Running
    10 25 2 Tyler Young Randco Industries/Young’s Building Supplies 199 34 Running
    11 20 7 Ray Black Jr. # Scubalife.com Chevrolet 199 34 1 Running 1 1
    12 13 23 Spencer Gallagher # Allegiant Travel Chevrolet 199 32 Running
    13 10 0 Cole Custer Haas Automation Chevrolet 198 33 2 Running 5 67
    14 15 86 Brandon Brown Coastal Carolina University Chevrolet 196 30 Running
    15 22 94 Timmy Hill Testoril Chevrolet 195 29 Running
    16 21 82 Austin Hill Empire Racing Ford 192 28 Running
    17 27 8 Korbin Forrister # Tilted Kilt Chevrolet 190 27 Running
    18 17 5 John Wes Townley Zaxby’s Chevrolet 178 26 Running
    19 24 50 Travis Kvapil BurnieGrill.com Chevrolet 178 25 Running
    20 14 17 Timothy Peters Red Horse Racing Toyota 136 25 1 Accident 3 5
    21 7 13 Cameron Hayley # Carolina Nut Company Toyota 136 24 1 Running 1 1
    22 6 8 John H. Nemechek # MeetBall Chevrolet 136 22 Running
    23 31 74 Tim Viens RacedaySponsor.com Chevrolet 127 21 Rear End
    24 28 1 Ryan Ellis Chevrolet 90 20 Accident
    25 8 54 Justin Boston # ROKMobile.com Toyota 65 19 Accident
    26 32 6 Norm Benning Chevrolet 61 18 Suspension
    27 23 45 BJ McLeod Chevrolet 56 17 Ignition
    28 26 63 Justin Jennings Mittler Bros Machine & Tools/Ski Soda Chevrolet 33 16 Accident
    29 11 15 Mason Mingus 811 Call Before You Dig Chevrolet 32 15 Accident
    30 9 97 Jesse Little Carolina Nut Company Toyota 32 14 Accident
    31 29 36 Tyler Tanner Mittler Bros Machine & Tools/Ski Soda Chevrolet 15 13 Vibration
    32 30 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb POW-MIAFamilies.org Chevrolet 12 12 Accident

     

  • Denny Hamlin Scores Pole; Martin Truex Jr. Starts Second

    Denny Hamlin Scores Pole; Martin Truex Jr. Starts Second

    In the 46th annual FedEx 400, it was only fitting that the No. 11 FedEx Cares Toyota, piloted by Denny Hamlin, scored the pole position, with a speed of 160.121 mph and a time of 22.483 seconds.

    With his pole run, Hamlin has now secured that honor in three of the six races at the Monster Mile.

    “It’s great,” Hamlin said of his first place starting spot. “Our car has been running great. We’re getting better and this kind of shows it.

    “We still haven’t won here but we’ve been a lot more competitive. Whatever about this qualifying just suits my style. We’ve qualified well here in the past and haven’t raced well but I’m confident that on Sunday we will be contenders.”

    Hamlin not only credited participating in a Goodyear tire test for at least a portion of his qualifying success, but he also paid tribute to the FedEx employees, whom he represents.

    “It’s so special,” Hamlin said. “The FedEx Cares car is about the employees and the hours they spend volunteering. My team just brought me another fast Camry.

    “The extra laps here I got from the test gives me that extra confidence. Overall, we’re just clicking away, getting a little better as the season goes.”

    Martin Truex Jr., behind the wheel of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet, took the outside pole in the same car that had raced just several days ago at Charlotte. Truex was just a bit slower than Hamlin, with a time of 22.539 seconds and a speed of 159.723 mph.

    “We were close,” Truex said. “For whatever reason, the car got really tight. Missed it a little bit but had an awesome race car. The team hit it damn near perfect. Another good day and can’t wait to see what we can do on Sunday.”

    What made Truex’s qualifying run so extraordinary was that his team in Denver turned the Charlotte car into the Dover car in almost 24 hours.

    “It’s just awesome to see the effort put in,” Truex said. “I’m thankful for all the hard work back in Denver. This car got back there from Charlotte Monday night and had to leave to come here Tuesday night. Awesome job by my team to turn that car around.

    “Everyone is very excited about how we’ve been running and everyone can just taste that victory. They are working extra hard to do whatever it takes to get over that extra hump.

    “I have to say thanks to everyone and I love driving their cars.”

    This was also Truex’s best qualifying effort of the season to date.

    The third place starter for the race will be Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet. Larson qualified in 22.545 seconds and a speed of 159.681 mph.

    “It’s an aggressive race track, which suits my style,” Larson said. “It’s a good start and it’s been awhile since I’ve been in the media center.

    “Looking forward to trying to get faster and we have good pit selection. I’m hoping for a good race on Sunday.”

    Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch round out the top ten in the starting lineup.

    Jeb Burton was the fastest qualifying rookie and will start in the 35th position.

    The full starting lineup for the FedEx 400, which is set to kick off shortly after 1:00 PM on Sunday afternoon on FOX Sports, is as follows:

    2015 NSCS FedEx 400 Starting Lineup

    Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
    1 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Cares Toyota 22.483 160.121
    2 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 22.539 159.723
    3 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet 22.545 159.681
    4 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 22.546 159.674
    5 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 22.557 159.596
    6 4 Kevin Harvick ditech Chevrolet 22.571 159.497
    7 16 Greg Biffle Safety-Kleen Ford 22.573 159.483
    8 19 Carl Edwards Stanley Toyota 22.609 159.229
    9 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford EcoBoost Ford 22.635 159.046
    10 18 Kyle Busch Skittles Toyota 22.645 158.975
    11 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s/Cessna Chevrolet 22.683 158.709
    12 3 Austin Dillon DOW Chevrolet 22.743 158.29
    13 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 22.657 158.891
    14 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet 22.668 158.814
    15 55 David Ragan Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 22.69 158.66
    16 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 22.716 158.479
    17 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 22.747 158.263
    18 27 Paul Menard Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet 22.76 158.172
    19 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 22.761 158.165
    20 15 Clint Bowyer AAA Insurance Toyota 22.764 158.144
    21 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 22.771 158.096
    22 24 Jeff Gordon 3M Chevrolet 22.773 158.082
    23 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 22.773 158.082
    24 51 Justin Allgaier AccuDoc Solutions/FOE Chevrolet 22.83 157.687
    25 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet 22.746 158.27
    26 14 Tony Stewart Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 22.773 158.082
    27 33 Brian Scott(i) ACME Chevrolet 22.779 158.04
    28 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Twisted Tea Ford 22.832 157.673
    29 47 AJ Allmendinger Scott Products Chevrolet 22.834 157.66
    30 7 Alex Bowman Chevrolet 22.886 157.301
    31 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 22.912 157.123
    32 38 David Gilliland The Pete Store Ford 22.922 157.054
    33 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 22.98 156.658
    34 46 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet 22.983 156.638
    35 26 Jeb Burton # Maxim Fantasy Sports Toyota 22.985 156.624
    36 83 Matt DiBenedetto # Burger King Toyota 23.114 155.75
    37 35 Cole Whitt Ford Owner Points
    38 34 Brett Moffitt # Dockside Logistics Ford Owner Points
    39 98 Josh Wise Ford Owner Points
    40 23 JJ Yeley(i) Dr Pepper Toyota Owner Points
    41 62 Brendan Gaughan(i) Chevrolet Owner Points
    42 32 Mike Bliss(i) CorvetteParts.net Ford Owner Points
    43 40 Landon Cassill(i) CRC Brakleen Chevrolet Owner Points

    (i) Ineligible for Driver Points in this Series,
    # Denotes Rookie

    Source: Timing and Scoring provided by NASCARMedia/NASCAR Statistics

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover International Speedway May 28 – May 31

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover International Speedway May 28 – May 31

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series head to Dover International Speedway this weekend. Please check below for the full schedule.

    All times Eastern.

    Thursday, May 28:

    On Track:

    2-4:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series final practice

    TV Schedule:

    5 p.m.: NASCAR America – NBC Sports Network
    6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FOX Sports 1

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    1:15 p.m.: Cole Custer, John Hunter Nemechek and Jesse Little

    Friday, May 29:

    On Track:

    10-10:55 a.m.: XFINITY Series practice – FOX Sports 1
    11 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
    12:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1
    2-3:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
    3:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1
    5:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 200 (200 laps, 200 miles) – FOX Sports 1 (Green Flag 5:48 p.m. approx.)

    TV Schedule:

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

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    10 a.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    10:15 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    12:25 p.m.: Ty Dillon and Darrell Wallace Jr.
    2 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    2:15 p.m.: Carl Edwards
    3:10 p.m.: Denny Hamlin
    4:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series qualifying (time approx.)
    7:15 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series race (time approx.)

    Saturday, May 30:

    On Track:

    10-10:55 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
    11:15 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1
    1-1:50 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
    2:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It or Ticket It (200 laps, 200 miles) – FOX (Green Flag 2:46 p.m. approx.)

    TV Schedule:

    Noon: TUDOR United SportsCar Championship – Detroit Belle Isle – FOX Sports 2
    12:30 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – Weekend Edition – FOX Sports 1

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    4:45 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series race (time approx.)

    Sunday, May 31:

    On Track:

    1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks (400 laps, 400 miles) – FOX Sports 1 (Green Flag 1:15 p.m. approx.)

    TV Schedule:

    11:30 a.m. NASCAR RaceDay – Dover – FOX Sports 1 3 a.m.,

    NASCAR Victory Lane – FOX Sports 1

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    4:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series race (time approx.)