Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Category: Race Central

Race Central Stories

Edwards Gambles, Wins Coca-Cola 600

Carl Edwards scored his first win of the season, first with Joe Gibbs Racing and first points race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, winning the 56th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday night. Edwards outdistanced Greg Biffle and third place Dale Earnhardt Jr., in a fuel mileage race to the checkered flag.

Edwards inherited the lead when Martin Truex Jr. and others were forced to make green flag pit stops during the final 20 laps. Truex, who led a race-high 131 laps, raced back to fifth place just behind fourth-place finisher and pole sitter Matt Kenseth.

“What a big day of racing,” said Edwards. “I can’t believe this. I’m going to have a Coke with my Subway sandwich. This is pretty big to me. I don’t think it has sunk in yet.”

Rounding out the Top 10 were Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch.

Coca-Cola 600 Post Race Notes

Winner – Carl Edwards (No.19 Subway Toyota) “What a big day of racing. I can’t believe this. It’s the 300th victory for Toyota. I’m going to have a Coke with my Subway sandwich. This does not feel like one of my 24 wins. This is pretty big to me. I just cannot thank Joe Gibbs, and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, enough. Everyone took a big chance on making this fourth team happen. Up to this point in the year, we had just basically done a good job of pulling it all together and we have not delivered the results we wanted. But to get this win, and put ourselves in a position to be in the Chase, to be able now to take a deep breath, step back and work on all the little things to be a championship level team. This is just a huge opportunity. I don’t think it has sunk in yet.”

Darian Grubb – Crew Chief (No. 19 Subway Toyota) “It was a struggle of a day for us. We qualified pretty well and just kind of fell back there. We started working our way back up through after a couple of adjustments we made. Two runs from the end, we realized this had the potential to be a fuel mileage race. That next-to-last caution came out 12 laps before our fuel window. Everybody pitted there and just basically had enough fuel in it. When the last caution came out we were really surprised a lot of people didn’t come down and pit. We took four (tires) and filled up and were good to go.”

Joe Gibbs – Team owner “That was awesome. I was so focused on Denny (Hamlin) at that point and he was sick. So, I kind of lost track of everything. I looked at Darian (Grubb) and said ‘we can’t make it can we?’ He made an awesome call.”

Second Place – Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ortho Ford) “I’m really excited for the team and the organization. They have been working really, really hard on our cars. It’s been well documented how bad we have been running. So, it feels good. The car was good and had a lot of speed. That was a big improvement. We hadn’t had that in probably a year. So, I’m super excited about that. Because of that and where we were running, it gave us the opportunity to try and stretch the fuel window and make it. With two to go, the fuel light came on. I had to start shutting it off trying to preserve what we had. I was excited to see the checkered flag.”

Third Place – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet) “It was tough, but we (already) got a win, so it didn’t really matter. I had to hope the guys in front of me would run out of gas. We got beat as far as speed. We just had to try to go for a win there. We didn’t have a fast enough car to beat the 41 (Kurt Busch) or the 78 (Martin Truex Jr.). We just had to do something different. We had to gamble. We’ll work on it and try and get some more wins.”

May 25, 2015
NSCS Recap: Fuel strategy gives Carl Edwards first win at Charlotte

May 24, 2015

By Reid Spencer

CONCORD, N.C. – Will the mystery winner of Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 enter and sign in please?

Hint: It’s the guy who does back flips every time he takes the checkered flag.

But for the first 370 of 400 laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway, no one would have picked Carl Edwards or his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota as the likely winner of the season’s 12th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin had spent the lion’s share of time at the head of the field, but none of that mattered when Edwards got 62 laps out of his last tank of fuel and took the checkered flag 4.785 seconds ahead of Greg Biffle, who also was on a fuel-saving strategy.

In fact, the top four finishers all stretched their gas mileage after pit stops under caution on Lap 337. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran third, followed by polesitter Matt Kenseth and Truex, who led a race-high 131 laps.

Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Hamlin (53 laps led), Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch (118 laps led) completed the top 10. Kyle Busch came home 11th in his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points race of the season, after missing the first 11 races of the season because of injuries sustained Feb. 21 at Daytona.

The victory was Edwards first of the season, his first for Joe Gibbs Racing, his first at Charlotte and the 24th of his career.

“It’s so cool to get this win—we’ve had such bad luck,” said Edwards, who joined Joe Gibbs Racing as the organization’s fourth Sprint Cup driver after the 2014 season. “And we were the slowest of the (JGR cars) tonight, but we had (crew chief) Darian (Grubb) on the box. He made the right call, he put us in a position to win, and it worked. …

“This is truly a gift. I took advantage of it to win, and we’ll get better.”

In all likelihood, the victory will propel Edwards into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. It was also Toyota’s 300th national series victory in the manufacturer’s 300th Sprint Cup start.

But after the very early stages of the race, Edwards wasn’t a factor until fuel strategy came into play in the closing laps.

Soon after Jimmie Johnson spun off Turn 4 on Lap 90 to cause the second caution of the afternoon, the race evolved into a two-car contest between the Chevrolets of Kurt Busch and Truex.

Within two laps of a restart on Lap 95, Busch drove from ninth to the lead, passing Joey Logano for the top spot on lap 97. From that point, Busch and Truex swapped stints at the head of the field, and by the time Johnson spun off Turn 4 and smacked the inside wall on Lap 273 to bring out the caution flag for the fifth time, Busch had racked up 118 laps led and Truex 59.

But another quick yellow flag on Lap 282 for Ryan Blaney’s blown engine created the opportunity for divergent strategies and scrambled the running order. Truex was one of nine drivers who stayed out under the caution, but both Harvick and Kurt Busch came to pit road for fresh rubber and restarted 10th and 11th, respectively, on lap 292.

Gradually, methodically, Harvick and Kurt Busch drove back toward the front, but the contrarian strategies introduced another major player into the mix. Denny Hamlin surged to the front of the field and led 53 laps before pitting with a loose wheel on Lap 363 and giving up the lead.

That put Truex back in front, with Harvick chasing, and both drivers needing one more pit stop to get to the end of the race.

Edwards, Biffle, Earnhardt and Kenseth, on the other hand, stopped with 62 laps left, and the decision to come to pit road and gamble on fuel proved decisive—and stole a victory from Truex’s dominant car.

Biffle put pressure on Edwards in the closing laps, until he momentarily lost fuel pressure with two circuits left.

“Running where we were running, it gave us the opportunity to try and stretch the fuel window and make it,” Biffle said. “I was putting a lot of pressure on Carl there. I started going with about 10 laps to go. The crew chief (Matt Puccia) told me ‘Save all you can, just stay in front of the 88 (Earnhardt),’ and I made a decision that I was going to try and beat Carl. I got pretty close to him there, and then with two to go, the fuel light came on that the fuel pressure was low, and so I came around and had to start pushing the clutch in and shutting it off and coasting and try and preserve what fuel I had to make it back.

“So excited to see the checkered flag. I wasn’t sure I was going to stretch two laps of gas out of it. But it was probably on the straightaway it sucked some air and started flashing the fuel pressure. I was able to run it around the corners and didn’t have any more issues, but stayed in front of the 88, finished second, big boost for the team, but probably a bigger boost for the team was how we ran tonight on the race track.”

If Biffle had mixed feelings about finishing second, Truex was disconsolate.

“Hell, I didn’t even know guys could make it on gas,” Truex said. I didn’t know what was going on. Just can’t catch a break there. I’m proud of the guys for an awesome race car. All my guys in Denver (where Furniture Row Racing is based) are putting a great car together. I don’t know what to do about that.

“We had a great car. Had a chance at it and it stinks to come up short like that on fuel mileage. I’ve never once in my whole career gained positions on a fuel mileage deal. I don’t know what I have to do to catch a break on them deals. It is what it is. Just proud of my guys for what they brought–we will get one.”

Note: Late in the race, Hamlin reported feeling ill in his car and complained of a severe headache. He was taken to the infield care center after the race, and team owner Joe Gibbs said his driver was dehydrated, was given an IV and was feeling better after the treatment.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Coca-Cola 600

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Concord, North Carolina

Sunday, May 24, 2015

               1. (3) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 400, $363390.

               2. (4) Greg Biffle, Ford, 400, $277263.

               3. (15) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 400, $217255.

               4. (1) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 400, $252716.

               5. (10) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 400, $182350.

               6. (19) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 400, $166570.

               7. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 400, $172911.

               8. (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 400, $143720.

               9. (8) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 400, $174045.

               10. (14) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 400, $140045.

               11. (17) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 400, $157301.

               12. (33) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 400, $128685.

               13. (2) Joey Logano, Ford, 400, $161793.

               14. (23) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 400, $120735.

               15. (18) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 400, $156371.

               16. (11) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 400, $147271.

               17. (21) Aric Almirola, Ford, 399, $146046.

               18. (28) Chase Elliott(i), Chevrolet, 399, $103910.

               19. (22) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 399, $136826.

               20. (24) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 399, $140368.

               21. (12) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 399, $132399.

              22. (20) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 398, $111760.

               23. (34) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 398, $128993.

               24. (26) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 398, $128305.

               25. (9) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 398, $129468.

               26. (31) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 397, $116518.

              27. (27) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 397, $141210.

               28. (37) Cole Whitt, Ford, 396, $113343.

               29. (30) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 395, $125618.

               30. (25) Michael McDowell, Ford, 394, $97335.

               31. (40) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, 393, $97185.

               32. (36) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 393, $95560.

               33. (39) David Gilliland, Ford, 392, $115957.

               34. (42) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 392, $95285.

               35. (38) Josh Wise, Ford, 392, $98135.

               36. (43) Alex Kennedy #, Chevrolet, 389, $97535.

               37. (29) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 382, $102761.

               38. (41) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, Engine, 377, $89413.

               39. (32) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 375, $85350.

               40. (13) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 370, $129286.

               41. (7) David Ragan, Toyota, Engine, 353, $105164.

               42. (16) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, Engine, 281, $73350.

               43. (35) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, Accident, 135, $77850.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 147.803 mph.

Time of Race: 04 Hrs, 03 Mins, 34 Secs. Margin of Victory: 4.785 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 8 for 39 laps.

Lead Changes: 22 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   M. Kenseth 0; C. Edwards 1-2; M. Kenseth 3-27; D. Gilliland 28; M. Kenseth 29; J. Logano 30-43; D. Hamlin 44-63; K. Harvick 64-78; Kurt Busch 79; B. Keselowski 80; K. Harvick 81-90; M. Truex Jr. 91; B. Keselowski 92-93; J. Logano 94-96; Kurt Busch 97-189; C. Edwards 190-191; M. Truex Jr. 192-236; Kurt Busch 237-260; M. Truex Jr. 261-329; D. Hamlin 330-362; M. Truex Jr. 363-378; K. Harvick 379; C. Edwards 380-400.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Truex Jr. 4 times for 131 laps; Kurt Busch 3 times for 118 laps; D. Hamlin 2 times for 53 laps; M. Kenseth 2 times for 26 laps; K. Harvick 3 times for 26 laps; C. Edwards 3 times for 25 laps; J. Logano 2 times for 17 laps; B. Keselowski 2 times for 3 laps; D. Gilliland 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick – 473; M. Truex Jr. – 432; J. Logano – 407; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 401; J. Johnson – 393; B. Keselowski – 381; M. Kenseth – 372; J. Mcmurray – 353; J. Gordon – 346; K. Kahne – 345; R. Newman – 343; A. Almirola – 339; P. Menard – 336; Kurt Busch – 327; D. Hamlin – 321; C. Edwards – 312.

May 25, 2015
Austin Dillon Dominates NASCAR XFINITY Race at Charlotte

By Reid Spencer

CONCORD, N.C. – For the second straight Saturday, Denny Hamlin had the chance to hold off a race’s strongest car for the victory.

Unlike last Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, however, there were too many laps left after the final restart in Saturday’s Hisense 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series, and polesitter Austin Dillon powered past Hamlin on Lap 186 of 200 to finish the race where he belonged—at the front of the field.

By the time he crossed the finish line, Dillon was 2.692 seconds ahead of Hamlin, who had taken the lead during a restart on Lap 167 that saw Dillon fall back to fourth from the inside lane by the time the leaders exited Turn 2.

One by one, Dillon picked off Regan Smith, Kahne and Hamlin on the way to his second XFINITY Series victory of the season, his first at Charlotte and the fourth of his career.

Kahne ran third behind Dillon and Hamlin, followed by Smith and rookies Darrell Wallace Jr. and Daniel Suarez. Ty Dillon came home seventh and trimmed the series lead of 11th-place finisher Chris Buescher to four points.

Dillon led 163 laps and held an advantage of more than six seconds during a 54-lap green-flag run that preceded the second caution of the race on Lap 110.

How good was Dillon’s No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet?

“I didn’t want to get out of this thing,” Dillon said in Victory Lane. “This thing drove so good. It was a heck of a race there with Denny at the end and Kasey (Kahne). I had to go right there in lapped traffic (to make the winning pass).

“I knew if I didn’t hurry up and get in front of him right there, the tires might equalize (in terms of grip).”

But when Dillon picked the inside lane for what proved to be the final restart—after a caution for Kyle Fowler’s wreck in Turn 1—Hamlin seized what he considered a fortuitous opportunity and surged into the lead.

“I thought when the 33 gave us the outside, that was a big advantage for us if we could stay with him through Turns 1 and 2,” said Hamlin, who last Saturday held off Kevin Harvick in the final 10-lap shootout to win the all-star race. “We (did), and it allowed us to get position on him and even get him shuffled a few spots.

“That was all good, but his car was just so fast he just overcame that track position.”

Hamlin lost the lead when the lapped car of Peyton Sellers stayed low and forced Hamlin’s No. 54 Toyota to pass on the outside.

“I needed to stay on the bottom,” Hamlin said. “My car was best on the bottom. His car was pinned to the bottom as well. So I needed all of the lapped cars to move up high, and all of them did, except for the 97 (Sellers). He gave us the high line. That just killed us and killed our chances from that point, once the 33 got to our inside.”

Dillon chose the inside line because his car had worked well on the bottom for the entire race to that point.

“My spotter (Andy Houston) made the fact that we should have probably taken the top, and I had been on the bottom all day, so I chose the bottom again,” Dillon said. “I just didn’t want to let these guys down (his crew). The Rheem car was so fast…

“I thought about it, and I probably should have used the top, just because I would have had the run down the backstretch. It seems that, as the race goes on, that the outside can stop spinning the tires, and the rubber lays down…

“Andy made the point, and it all worked out, but I’ll definitely learn from that, for sure.”

Smith, Wallace, Suarez and Ty Dillon qualified for next week’s XFINITY Dash4Cash competition at Dover as the top four finishers among series regulars. Those drivers will compete for $100,000 in next Saturday’s race at Dover, with the top finisher among them claiming the prize.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Hisense 300

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Concord, North Carolina

Saturday, May 23, 2015

               1. (1) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200, $70854.

               2. (4) Denny Hamlin(i), Toyota, 200, $45242.

               3. (8) Kasey Kahne(i), Chevrolet, 200, $35150.

               4. (15) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 200, $34424.

               5. (2) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Ford, 200, $35548.

               6. (19) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 200, $29090.

               7. (9) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $27577.

               8. (16) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200, $27640.

               9. (11) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 200, $25831.

               10. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 200, $25997.

               11. (14) Chris Buescher, Ford, 200, $24514.

               12. (10) Ryan Reed, Ford, 200, $23983.

               13. (24) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 200, $23375.

               14. (13) Kevin Harvick(i), Chevrolet, 200, $16895.

               15. (7) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 200, $23170.

               16. (18) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 200, $22287.

               17. (21) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 200, $22060.

               18. (17) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 199, $21832.

               19. (6) Aric Almirola(i), Ford, 199, $15806.

               20. (3) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 197, $22255.

               21. (25) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 196, $21554.

               22. (32) David Starr, Toyota, 196, $21497.

               23. (30) Blake Koch, Toyota, 196, $21448.

               24. (22) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 195, $21381.

               25. (28) Chad Boat(i), Chevrolet, 194, $15496.

               26. (35) Jimmy Weller, Chevrolet, 193, $21311.

               27. (34) Kyle Fowler(i), Toyota, 192, $15275.

               28. (38) Peyton Sellers #, Chevrolet, 192, $21240.

               29. (23) John Wes Townley(i), Chevrolet, 191, $21194.

               30. (36) Eric McClure, Toyota, 189, $21449.

               31. (20) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, Engine, 187, $21113.

               32. (39) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 186, $21067.

               33. (5) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 183, $15097.

               34. (26) Cale Conley #, Toyota, 146, $20991.

               35. (27) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, Transmission, 141, $20957.

               36. (37) Carl Long, Dodge, Engine, 129, $19499.

               37. (33) BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, Fuel Pump, 58, $18499.

               38. (31) Jamie Dick, Chevrolet, Accident, 45, $17499.

               39. (29) Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, Electrical, 40, $10499.

               40. (40) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 2, $9499.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 139.824 mph.

Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 08 Mins, 44 Secs. Margin of Victory: 2.692 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 3 for 22 laps.

Lead Changes: 9 among 7 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   A. Dillon(i) 1-98; D. Wallace Jr. # 99; K. Kahne(i) 100; D. Suarez # 101; L. Cassill 102-105; A. Dillon(i) 106-111; K. Harvick(i) 112-122; A. Dillon(i) 123-166; D. Hamlin(i) 167-185; A. Dillon(i) 186-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): A. Dillon(i) 4 times for 163 laps; D. Hamlin(i) 1 time for 19 laps; K. Harvick(i) 1 time for 11 laps; L. Cassill 1 time for 4 laps; D. Suarez # 1 time for 1 lap; K. Kahne(i) 1 time for 1 lap; D. Wallace Jr. # 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 401; T. Dillon – 397; C. Elliott – 373; D. Wallace Jr. # – 371; R. Smith – 360; E. Sadler – 352; B. Scott – 350; R. Reed – 320; D. Suarez # – 320; B. Gaughan – 309.

May 23, 2015
Kenseth Wins Coors Light Pole Award at Charlotte

Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

CONCORD, N.C. – After powering to his second pole of the season on Thursday night,Matt Kenseth will start NASCAR’s longest race from the most advantageous position—with his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota getting serviced in the most advantageous pit stall.

Kenseth ran his fastest lap of the night (194.252 mph) in the third and final round of knockout qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway and secured the top spot on the grid for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM), the 12th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season.

The Coors Light Pole Award was Kenseth’s first at Charlotte and the 15th of his career. Kenseth, who covered the 1.5-mile distance in 27.799 seconds, was a whopping .204 seconds faster thanJoey Logano (192.836 mph), whose No. 22 Team Penske Ford will start beside Kenseth’s Camry on the front row.

“I think starting up front is important at this track,” Kenseth said. “It typically goes through a lot of changes here, especially if the sun is out for the beginning of the race. You want to have good track position, good pit selection—all those things—so if you get a little bit off and you’re chasing the setup or the track changes, you have a little bit of a buffer being toward the front, hopefully…

“All the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas had some speed tonight, and that was encouraging.”

Carl Edwards (192.733 mph) was third in his No. 19 JGR Toyota, followed by Greg Biffle in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford (192.226 mph) and NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winner Denny Hamlin in his No. 11 JGR Toyota (192.007 mph).

Surprisingly, in consecutive seasons that have seen domination of the intermediate speedways by the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet of reigning series champion Kevin Harvick and the No. 48 Chevy of six-time champ Jimmie Johnson, Toyotas and Fords claimed the top seven qualifying positions for the 600.

To Logano, however, the absence of a Chevrolet from the top five spots on the grid for the first time this season isn’t hugely significant.

“Those guys have been fast in the race—that’s where their speed really shines,” Logano said. “They qualify good–don’t get me wrong—but in the race they shine a little bit more. You’re talking about the 4, the 41 (Kurt Busch) and the 48. Those are the ones that stand out.

“And I’m sure they’ll be fast when it comes to race time. Qualifying’s a different animal. You use a completely different setup, and qualifying can kind of mask over some issues you have in race trim a lot of times. … I wouldn’t (read) too much into it.”

Notes: All four Hendrick Motorsports entries failed to advance to the final round of knockout qualifying, but Kasey Kahne had a valid excuse. A cut tire prevented him from posting a quick qualifying laps. As a result, the three-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600 will start 33rd on Sunday …Jeb Burton, Mike Bliss, Travis Kvapil, Jeff Green and Brendan Gaughan failed to make the 43-car field. The 48-car turnout for qualifying was the largest since 49 entries showed up for the season-opening Daytona 500.

May 21, 2015
NASCAR Racing Schedule for Charlotte Motor Speedway May 21 – May 24

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series head to Charlotte Motor Speedway for Memorial Day weekend. Please check below for the weekend schedule of events.

All times Eastern.

Thursday, May 21:

On Track:

2:30-3:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
4-4:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series practice – FOX Sports 1
5:30-6:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
7:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1

TV Schedule:

5 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FOX Sports 1
8:30 p.m.: One Hot Night: The 1992 NASCAR All-Star Race – FOX Sports 1

11 p.m.: FOX Sports Live – FOX Sports 1

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

1:30 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson
1:45 p.m.: Kevin Harvick
2:15 p.m.: Chris Buescher and Elliott Sadler
4:55 p.m.: Goodyear Gives Back announcement with Martin Truex Jr.; Mike Helton, Vice Chairman, NASCAR; Stu Grant, GM of Global Race Tires, Goodyear; Kris Kienzl, Marketing Manager, Goodyear; Martin C. Boire, Executive Director, Support Our Troops
5:15 p.m.: Kyle Busch
8:15 p.m. (approx): NSCS post-qualifying

Friday, May 22:

On Track:

No on-track activities

TV Schedule:

6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FOX Sports 1

Saturday, May 23:

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 Hisense 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – FOX (Green Flag 2:46 p.m. approx)

TV Schedule:

12:30 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition – FOX Sports 1
2:00 p.m.: XFINITY Pre-race – FOX
10 p.m.: FOX Sports Live – FOX Sports 1

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

9:15 a.m.: Hisense with Denny Hamlin
4:45 p.m. (approx.): XFINITY post-race

Sunday, May 24:

On Track:

6 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 (400 laps, 600 miles) – FOX

(Green Flag 6:16 p.m. approx)

TV Schedule:

4 p.m.: – NASCAR RaceDay – FOX Sports 1
5:30 p.m.: NSCS Pre-race – FOX
11 p.m.: FOX Sports Live – FOX Sports 1
12 a.m.: NASCAR Victory Lane – FOX Sports 1

Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

10:30 p.m. (approx): NSCS post-race news conference

May 21, 2015
Chris Buescher Wins in Thrilling Finish at Iowa Speedway

By: Robert Gray

NEWTON, Iowa — Chris Buescher and all but one driver battling at the front of the pack yearned for one last caution.

The lone exception?

Chase Elliott, who, fully fueled, had powered to a commanding lead and near-certain win in Sunday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series 3M 250 at Iowa Speedway.

Two laps remained. Elliott’s trip to Victory Lane loomed. Then, it happened.

Jamie Dick, running mid-pack, hit the wall and spun, drawing a caution flag.

Buescher — his No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford packed with fuel and four fresh tires — smiled, charging hard and low on the restart to cap a temper-tinged and thrill-filled race with a green-white-checkered triumph at the 7/8-mile short track.

“When that happened, I knew we had an awesome shot at it,” said Buescher, who raced to the series standings lead by eight points over Ty Dillon, who finished 14th.

Buescher had on-track help — namely from Roush Fenway teammate, Darrell Wallace Jr., who provided a strong nudge as the race went green.

Maybe more than a nudge.

“(He) gave us a heck of a shot on the restart,” said Buescher, who relegated Elliott to second while notching his first win of the season and Roush Fenway’s fifth in 11 XFINITY Series races at Iowa. “It was a hard hit. That was almost a crash. It was exactly what we needed to get going and get to the inside and be able to pull this win off.”

Elliott took the runner-up finish in stride. He led 114 laps. His car ran fast all day long. The late-race pit strategy — partly because of minor right-side damage, he pitted on lap 177 while other leaders stayed out — nearly paid off.

“That’s racing some days,” said Elliott, who like Buescher enjoys a series-leading five top-five finishes this season. “You make a decision — and I think it was a good one. We had some right-side damage and it was good to come in and make sure that was OK rather than to face the opposite of that, cutting down a tire and have a day like we did in Talladega. So I think it was the right move.”

Erik Jones climbed from 35th to take third. Brian Scott and Ryan Blaney completed the top five.

Jones started near the rear of the field because Drew Herring qualified the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota on the pole while Jones remained in Charlotte.

By the Lap 60 competition caution, Jones had raced into the top 10, but couldn’t find enough speed in the ensuing laps to advance past third.

“We worked ourselves into a good position,” Jones said. “A long day coming from the back.”

Buescher — who raced outside the top 10 in both XFINITY Series Iowa races last season — merely needed to come from the second row.

He’d reluctantly accepted the waning laps would mostly entail driving in “points mode,” as Dillon had pitted late after running in the top eight most of the day.

“I hate points racing,” Buescher said. “I despise it. When that caution came out — watched it happen right in front of me — it was like, All right, this is it. This is what we need. We need to come in and get some tires and get back rolling here.’”

That he did, right to the top, for now, at least.

“This is big,” Buescher said.

Black Flag: The race was marred by a temper-stoked wreck. Brennan Poole — who felt rival J.J. Yeley had struck him intentionally early in the race — spun Yeley out on lap 153. Yeley’s car sustained damage, but he was unharmed. Poole drew the black flag and told the Motorsports Racing Network, “It happens.” Yeley said the early-race encounter was unintentional and described his mood as “very furious.”

“Hopefully NASCAR gets a hold of him before I do,” Yeley added.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – 3M 250
Iowa Speedway
Newton, Iowa
Sunday, May 17, 2015

1. (4) Chris Buescher, Ford, 259, $91509.
2. (6) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 259, $70020.
3. (1) Erik Jones (i), Toyota, 259, $57688.
4. (3) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 259, $40566.
5. (13) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 259, $36811.
6. (8) Darrell Wallace Jr, Ford, 259, $33637.
7. (14) Ben Rhodes, Chevrolet, 259, $32286.
8. (5) Brandon Jones (i), Chevrolet, 259, $31236.
9. (10) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 259, $30106.
10. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 259, $30123.
11. (7) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 259, $28617.
12. (16) Ryan Reed, Ford, 259, $28062.
13. (18) John Wes Townley (i), Chevrolet, 259, $27532.
14. (9) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 258, $27003.
15. (19) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 258, $26873.
16. (20) David Starr, Toyota, 258, $26321.
17. (21) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 257, $26094.
18. (2) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 257, $27042.
19. (24) Cale Conley #, Toyota, 257, $25615.
20. (25) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 257, $25888.
21. (15) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 257, $25261.
22. (23) Blake Koch, Toyota, 256, $25130.
23. (40) Kenny Wallace, Toyota, 256, $18978.
24. (29) Todd Bodine, Chevrolet, 255, $24828.
25. (30) Jamie Dick, Chevrolet, 255, $24852.
26. (22) Boris Said, Toyota, 254, $24575.
27. (31) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 253, $24449.
28. (33) Peyton Sellers #, Chevrolet, 252, $18298.
29. (36) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 247, $18171.
30. (37) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 247, $18345.
31. (39) John Jackson, Dodge, 247, $17889.
32. (17) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, Accident, 215, $23778.
33. (27) Eric McClure, Toyota, Accident, 160, $23662.
34. (26) JJ Yeley, Toyota, Accident, 151, $23551.
35. (32) Ryan Ellis (i), Toyota, Electrical, 99, $17436.
36. (35) BJ McLeod (i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 68, $15678.
37. (28) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, Suspension, 42, $14678.
38. (12) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Parked, 39, $19678.
39. (34) Charles Lewandoski, Toyota, Brakes, 4, $12678.
40. (38) Carl Long, Toyota, Electrical, 0, $11678.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 94.242 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 24 Mins, 17 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.523 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 9 for 54 laps.
Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: 0; D. Suarez # 1-48; C. Buescher 49-66; C. Elliott 67-144; C. Buescher 145-180; R. Blaney 181; C. Buescher 182-219; C. Elliott 220-255; R. Reed 256-257; C. Buescher 258-259.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): C. Elliott 2 times for 114 laps; C. Buescher 4 times for 94 laps; D. Suarez # 1 time for 48 laps; R. Reed 1 time for 2 laps; R. Blaney 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 368; T. Dillon – 360; C. Elliott – 337; D. Wallace Jr – 331; B. Scott – 326; R. Smith – 320; E. Sadler – 317; R. Reed – 288; B. Gaughan – 283; D. Suarez # – 281.

May 17, 2015
Hamlin Holds Off Harvick for Sprint All-Star Race Victory

CONCORD, N.C.— With a deft move with three laps left in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin delivered the first victory in the non-points showcase event to Joe Gibbs Racing and to Toyota.

As he drove into Turn 1 to start Lap 107, with Kevin Harvick glued to his bumper and ready to make a run at the million-dollar first prize, Hamlin moved up a lane in the corner and took Harvick’s line away, causing Harvick’s No. 4 Chevrolet to lose momentum.

“It was more defense than anything, but it turned into offense for me,” Hamlin said. “He (Harvick) kept getting closer and closer, and eventually he gets to that right rear quarter panel, and your race is done. Initially, I was looking in my mirror, and I knew it was going to be a defensive move to take his line.

“But I was just going to have to do something different, because I was starting to lose time. My laps time were dropping off, and I just had to do something different to try to salvage a win, and that was obviously the key move for us.”

Harvick didn’t disagree with that assessment.

“I had committed to the center of the corner and just really lost the front of the car up the racetrack, had to get out of the throttle,” Harvick explained. “As soon as Denny moved up that one time it kind of took the air off… Once I got to the middle of the corner the car just washed all the way up the race track and I had to lift way out of the gas to get the car back off the wall.”

If that was the on-track move that made the difference, the real Saturday night heroes were the crew members on Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota, who gained five spots for their driver during mandatory four-tire pits stops before the race’s final 10-lap segment.

Hamlin led the field to the green for the final segment and stayed in front the rest of the way, beating Harvick to the finish line by .823 seconds.

Kurt Busch ran third, followed by Jeff Gordon (making his final All-Star appearance), Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch, who showed excellent speed in his first competition since breaking his right leg and left foot in an XFINITY Series race at Daytona on Feb. 21.

Brad Keselowski took the lead after the first segment, thanks to a two-tire call by crew chief Paul Wolfe. Though Kurt Busch started the second segment with four fresh tires, Keselowski was able to keep the No, 41 Chevrolet at bay throughout the run.

Kurt Busch led one lap during the battle, nosing ahead at the stripe, but Keselowski pinned him down on the inside through Turns 1 and 2 and regained the top spot. Ultimately, Keselowski finished .349 seconds ahead of Busch in segment No. 2.

Both Keselowski and Busch took four tires between the second and third segments, and Keselowski led every lap en route to winning the third segment. Kevin Harvick got past Busch for second with four laps left.

But Kurt Busch restarted fifth to begin segment No. 4 and split the middle with a bold move into Turn 1. Three laps into the run, Busch passed Denny Hamlin for the lead, with Hamlin suffering the consequences of a two-tire track-position call that put him on the front row for the start of the segment.

Keeping Harvick a safe distance behind him, Busch won the fourth segment by 1.693 seconds over his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, and the cars entered pit road during the caution before the final 10-lap shootout in order of average finish over the first four segments.

The top five entering the pits were Keselowski, Busch, Kasey Kahne, Harvick and Jeff Gordon, but Hamlin was first off pit road from stall No. 1, and Keselowski drew a speeding penalty that dropped him to the back of the field for the start of segment No. 5.

“I knew that was the race, and I went for it,” said Keselowski, who sped up in the final timed segment in an effort to beat Hamlin off put road.

That left Hamlin and Busch on the front row for the restart, with Harvick and Kahne behind them.

Notes: Kahne passed Hamlin, the pole winner on Lap 15 and went on to win the first segment… Danica Patrick took her car behind the wall with engine issues on lap 58 but returned to the track during segment No. 4, having lost 32 laps for repairs… Greg Biffle, who transferred into the All-Star race from Friday night’s Sprint Showdown, brushed the Turn 4 wall twice during the first segment and was never a factor thereafter.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Saturday, May 16, 2015

1. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 110, $1,045,009.
2. (20) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 110, $249,784.
3. (16) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 110, $149,735.
4. (9) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 110, $119,705.
5. (17) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 110, $114,705.
6. (19) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 110, $108,705.
7. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 110, $102,555.
8. (11) Joey Logano, Ford, 110, $101,555.
9. (3) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 110, $100,555.
10. (7) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 110, $99,555.
11. (13) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 110, $98,530.
12. (4) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 110, $97,530.
13. (2) Greg Biffle, Ford, 110, $96,530.
14. (8) Aric Almirola, Ford, 110, $96,030.
15. (12) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 110, $95,430.
16. (14) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 110, $95,155.
17. (10) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 110, $95,030.
18. (18) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 110, $94,930.
19. (15) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 110, $94,830.
20. (6) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 78, $94,730.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 106.452 mph.
Time of Race: 01 Hrs, 33 Mins, 00 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.923 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 4 for 0 laps.
Lead Changes: 7 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: D. Hamlin 1-14; K. Kahne 15-25; B. Keselowski 26-32; Kurt Busch 33; B. Keselowski 34-75; D. Hamlin 76-77; Kurt Busch 78-100; D. Hamlin 101-110.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): B. Keselowski 2 times for 49 laps; D. Hamlin 3 times for 26 laps; Kurt Busch 2 times for 24 laps; K. Kahne 1 time for 11 laps.

May 17, 2015
Kahne Takes Truck Series Win at Charlotte in Dramatic Drag Race to Checkered Flag

CONCORD, N.C.—Driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports, in the organization’s second start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, polesitter Kasey Kahne won a two-lap drag race against Erik Jones to earn his fifth victory in six starts in the series.

Kahne’s victory in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway denied the dominant No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota of Jones, who led 88 laps but ran a disappointing second after a late caution forced a green-white-checkered-flag finish that took the race five laps past its scheduled distance of 134 laps.

In his six Truck Series starts, Kahne has five wins and a second-place finish.

Kahne’s margin of victory was a mere .005 seconds, tied for second closest in series history behind the .002-second margin of Kyle Busch over Aric Almirola at Talladega in October 2010.

“Jones was really fast,” Kahne said. “He was kind of in a league of his own when he could get to clean air. I knew if we could stay back and stay with him (on the final restart), as long as he didn’t get to clean air, it would be all right. I was able to side-draft, and it worked out perfect to get back to the line.”

Less than half a lap before Jones would have taken the white flag—after Jones made a deft pass for the lead to the outside on Lap 131—Daniel Hemric’s accident in Turn 1 caused the fifth caution of the night, sending the race to overtime.

Jones picked the outside lane for the final restart on Lap 138, but couldn’t clear Kahne, who side-drafted Jones’ Toyota Tundra off the final corner and beat him to the stripe.

In the wake of last week’s misfortune at Kansas Speedway, where Jones led 151 of 167 laps but ran short of fuel while leading late in the race, Friday night’s result left the young driver bitterly disappointed.

“It’s really a shame that we can’t bring it home,” Jones said. “I really thought tonight was the night. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t do it. It just sucks. I don’t know what to say. It just really, really hurts. I can’t believe it, man. I really wanted this one, and it’s hard to come home second.”

Interestingly, though Kahne and Jones qualified on the front row, both drivers had to start the race from the rear of the field, Kahne for an unapproved adjustment (changing a broken shock) and Jones for arriving late to the drivers’ meeting.

But by Lap 26, after the first caution, Jones had the lead, a position he maintained until the late caution gave Kahne the opportunity he needed.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – NC Education Lottery 200
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Friday, May 15, 2015

1. (1) Kasey Kahne (i), Chevrolet, 139, $48454.
2. (2) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 139, $36563.
3. (9) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 139, $26622.
4. (7) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 139, $22672.
5. (4) Brad Keselowski (i), Ford, 139, $17402.
6. (11) John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, 139, $17157.
7. (17) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 139, $16592.
8. (3) Matt Tifft, Toyota, 139, $16481.
9. (22) Justin Boston #, Toyota, 139, $16342.
10. (18) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 139, $17182.
11. (16) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 139, $15761.
12. (6) Scott Lagasse Jr., Chevrolet, 139, $15566.
13. (15) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 139, $15427.
14. (13) Cameron Hayley #, Toyota, 139, $15316.
15. (19) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 139, $15606.
16. (10) Ben Kennedy, Toyota, 139, $15295.
17. (5) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 139, $15040.
18. (20) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 138, $14984.
19. (30) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 137, $14929.
20. (29) Kyle Fowler (i), Chevrolet, 136, $15373.
21. (23) Tyler Tanner, Chevrolet, 136, $13546.
22. (8) Ray Black Jr. #, Chevrolet, 135, $13485.
23. (27) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 135, $12457.
24. (26) Caleb Holman, Chevrolet, 133, $12430.
25. (28) Wendell Chavous #, Chevrolet, Engine, 132, $12525.
26. (21) Mason Mingus, Chevrolet, Accident, 114, $12347.
27. (14) David Gilliland (i), Ford, Vibration, 84, $12318.
28. (31) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, Accident, 62, $12071.
29. (12) Korbin Forrister #, Chevrolet, Steering Box, 38, $12016.
30. (24) Justin Jennings, Chevrolet, Electrical, 33, $11516.
31. (25) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, Electrical, 26, $10016.
32. (32) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Suspension, 9, $9016.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 128.947 mph.
Time of Race: 01 Hrs, 37 Mins, 01 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.005 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 5 for 25 laps.
Lead Changes: 12 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Kahne(i) 0; B. Keselowski(i) 1-4; M. Crafton 5-22; J. Jennings 23; M. Crafton 24-25; E. Jones # 26-65; M. Crafton 66-69; E. Jones # 70-108; T. Reddick 109; E. Jones # 110; K. Kahne(i) 111-130; E. Jones # 131-138; K. Kahne(i) 139;.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): E. Jones # 4 times for 88 laps; M. Crafton 3 times for 24 laps; K. Kahne(i) 2 times for 21 laps; B. Keselowski(i) 1 time for 4 laps; J. Jennings 1 time for 1 lap; T. Reddick 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: M. Crafton – 217; E. Jones # – 201; T. Reddick – 199; J. Sauter – 182; J. Townley – 160; T. Peters – 158; C. Hayley # – 153; J. Boston # – 149; S. Gallagher # – 145; D. Hemric # – 136.

May 16, 2015
Biffle, Bowyer, Patrick Take Different Routes into Sprint All-Star Race

CONCORD, N.C.— Greg Biffle led every lap of the caution-free first 20-lap segment of Friday night’s Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Clint Bowyer needed an early caution in the second segment to validate crew chief Brian Pattie’s four-tire call.

Though they arrived at the finish line through different routes, Biffle and Bowyer earned the two transfer spots into Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (May 16 on FOX Sports 1 at 7 p.m. ET) and will compete for the million-dollar top prize.

Ninth-place finisher Danica Patrick also made the field for NASCAR’s glamour non-points race at the 1.5-mile speedway, as the first multiple winner of the Sprint Fan Vote.

Biffle, who put a Roush Fenway Racing car into the Sprint All-Star Race for the 16th straight year, ran away from the rest of the field in the first segment, beating Bowyer to the stripe by 1.583 seconds, and took his car to the garage.

“I’m really excited,” said Biffle, who started second and traded paint with pole winner Paul Menard before assuming the top spot on the first lap. “We’ve worked really hard and we had good track position. We qualified well. It seems like we’re getting our cars a little bit better.

“We know we still have work to do, but when it got out in clean air it was pretty fast, and we were able to hold off Clint and have a pretty good lead. I definitely didn’t want to see a caution flag. I wasn’t ready for a restart and mix it up again, but we’re pretty happy with the car…

“I’ve never been so excited to win half a race in my life.”

Martin Truex Jr. was one of four drivers who changed two tires during the break between segments, and the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet took the lead after close-quarters racing to start segment No. 2. But a caution for J.J. Yeley’s spin out of Turn 4 slowed the field on Lap 22, and put Bowyer in position to take advantage of his four fresh tires.

After two laps of breathtaking three-wide racing, Bowyer surged past Truex and Kyle Larson to take the lead for good. His winning margin over second-place Menard was 1.521 seconds, as Truex fell back to third and Larson pitted under green with a cut tire.

“You definitely don’t want to be known as the winner of the Sprint Showdown, but it’s better than going home,” quipped Bowyer, who like Biffle has suffered through an extended victory drought. “I’m glad we’re a part of that show… I almost did a burnout.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Sprint Showdown
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Friday, May 15, 2015

1. (2) Greg Biffle, Ford, Winner (Segment 1), 20

1. (4) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, Winner (Segment 2) 40,
2. (1) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 40,
3. (7) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 40,
4. (13) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 40,
5. (11) Chase Elliott(i), Chevrolet, 40,
6. (5) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 40,
7. (15) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 40,
8. (14) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 40,
9. (8) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 40,
10. (9) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 40,
11. (3) David Ragan, Toyota, 40,
12. (10) Michael McDowell, Ford, 40,
13. (17) David Gilliland, Ford, 40,
14. (23) Cole Whitt, Ford, 40,
15. (21) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 40,
16. (22) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, 40,
17. (19) Josh Wise, Ford, 40,
18. (24) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, 40,
19. (26) Jeff Green(i), Chevrolet, 40,
20. (28) Alex Kennedy #, Chevrolet, 40, .
21. (29) Tanner Berryhill #, Chevrolet, 39,
22. (27) Brendan Gaughan(i), Chevrolet, 39,
23. (12) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 39,
24. (6) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 38,
25. (25) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 37,
26. (16) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Electrical, 22,
27. (20) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, Engine, 20,
28. (18) Mike Bliss(i), Ford, Vibration, 6,

Average Speed of Race Winner: 102.37 mph.
Time of Race: 00 Hrs, 35 Mins, 10 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.521 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 2 for 0 laps.
Lead Changes: 4 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: 4; G. Biffle 1-20; M. Truex Jr. 21-22; K. Larson 23; C. Bowyer 24-40.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): G. Biffle 1 time for 20 laps; C. Bowyer 1 time for 17 laps; M. Truex Jr. 1 time for 2 laps; K. Larson 1 time for 1 lap.

May 15, 2015
Kasey Kahne Earns First Career Truck Pole at Charlotte

Making his 2015 Camping World Truck Series debut, Kasey Kahne earned his first career Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Award of the season on Friday night Charlotte Motor Speedway. Turning his No. 00 JR Motorsports Chevrolet at 181.342 mph around the 1.5-mile oval, Kahne — who led Thursday’s opening practice — will start from the top position later tonight in theNC Education Lottery 200 (8:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1).

Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Erik Jones will start alongside Kahne in the front row, propelling his No. 4 ride at 181.008 mph to claim the second position on the leaderboard. Jones also led Thursday’s final practice at Charlotte.

Rounding out the top five for tonight’s 200-mile event are Jones’ KBM teammate Matt Tifft (180.511 mph), BK Racing owner and Sprint Cup veteran Brad Keselowski (180.499 mph) and NTS Motorsports’ Daniel Hemric (180.270 mph), respectively.

Reigning series champion Matt Crafton advanced to the final round of qualifying and will roll off the grid ninth in his No. 88 ThorSport Toyota.

During the second round of qualifying, Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Justin Boston spun off Turn 4, bringing out the first caution during the three rounds. The No. 54 driver will start 22nd in tonight’s NC Education Lottery 200. The second round saw a bit of chaos in its final minutes, as several drivers failed to complete a lap and GMS Racing’s Spencer Gallagher spun off Turn 4. Gallagher will roll off the grid 18th tonight.

May 15, 2015