Category: Race Central

Race Central Stories

  • Timothy Peters Collects 11th Career Win In Last Lap Thriller At Talladega

    Timothy Peters Collects 11th Career Win In Last Lap Thriller At Talladega

    The final race in the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series took place Saturday afternoon in Talladega, Alabama and as always, it proved once again anything is possible and nothing is over until the checkered flag falls.

    This was the case for Timothy Peters who earned his third win at Talladega Superspeedway after an incident with leader Noah Gragson on the last lap.

    “We had a great run,” Peters told MRN Radio. “You know, at the end, it’s pretty much game on and everyone for themselves. We’re good with all of our teammates. I messed up on that initial start and let that 88 (Matt Crafton) hang me out, but we made up for it at the end. I hate it that the big one was started, but you know, I couldn’t see the replay very good a minute ago on TV. Block or whatever, you’re going for the win.”

    “Without Mike Beam giving me that call, I wouldn’t even be here,” he told MRN Radio. So thank you to him, Maury Gallagher, Spencer Gallagher, the whole 25 team for working their butts off and I’m just glad to be a part of it. The plane ride home is going to be really nice. ”

    David Gilliland and Spencer Gallagher set the front row in qualifying late Friday afternoon.

    The first stage was 20 laps and it went green without any incidents. Playoff driver and Las Vegas winner, Grant Enfinger, took the checkered flag in the first stage. There were some issues on pit road, however, as David Gilliland was penalized for pitting outside the box and given a one lap penalty. The No. 16 of Brett Moffitt was penalized for an uncontrolled tire.

    Stage 2 took place on lap 25-lap 40. Like the first stage, there were no incidents until Moffitt and Austin Hill had damage in the remaining laps. This time, David’s son, Todd Gilliland, won Stage 2.

    The third and final stage began on Lap 45 with 48 to go and it saw several incidents all the way to the checkered flag. It started on Lap 48 when Tanner Thorson spun on the backstretch to bring out a caution.

    Then the expected big one was seen with 35 to go. The No. 47 of Chris Fontaine was clipped by the No. 24 of Justin Haley, which saw Fontaine go back up the track and several others were involved including John Hunter Nemechek, Ben Rhodes, Justin Fontaine, Bo LeMastus, Parker Kligerman, Matt Crafton, and Johnny Sauter. During the pit stops, Enfinger was penalized for removing equipment (a gas can).

    After a red flag, the restart came with 31 laps to go. Austin Hill was penalized for passing Jennifer Jo Cobb underneath the yellow line. Enfinger took the lead with 22 to go. As laps were winding down, playoff hopeful, Moffitt had a flat right rear and had to make a pit stop.

    With 12 to go, Todd Gilliland was spun and hit the inside wall after contact with Enfinger.

    This saw the race resume with six to go. Gragson was out front trying to hold off the field for his first win since Kansas in May. However, too many trucks had good runs and there was aggressive pushing. On the last lap, Gragson was turned by eventual race winner Timothy Peters. Gragson’s truck got air and others started wrecking as well.

    NASCAR had no choice but to throw the caution. Peters was in the right spot at the right time to take home his 11th career win, his third at Talladega.

    It was his last race of the season in the No. 25 GMS Racing Chevy.

    “Everyone was wanting to win, wanting to block,” Peters told MRN Radio. “I’m wanting to win too. This was my last go around of the three-race stint. At the end of the day, I was going for it.”

    Johnny Sauter, Brett Moffitt, Noah Gragson, Grant Enfinger, Justin Haley, and Matt Crafton all move on to the Round of 6 that begins at Martinsville Speedway Saturday, Oct. 27.

    Ben Rhodes and Stewart Friesen were eliminated from competing for the championship.

     

  • Full weekend schedule for Talladega

    Full weekend schedule for Talladega

    Staff Report | NASCAR.com

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be in action at Talladega Superspeedway while the NASCAR Xfinity Series is off. The Monster Energy Series heads to the second race of the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs, while the Camping World Truck Series Playoffs enters the final race of the Round of 8. Check out the full schedule below, which is subject to change.

    Note: All times are ET

    FRIDAY, Oct. 12
    10:05-10:55 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice, FS2 (Follow live)
    11:35 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS2 (Follow live)
    5:35 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS2 (Follow live)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    1:45 p.m.: Matt Crafton, Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes
    2 p.m.: Bubba Wallace
    2:15 p.m.: Noah Gragson and Brett Moffitt
    2:25 p.m.: Stewart Friesen, Justin Haley and Johnny Sauter
    2:45 p.m.: Ty Dillon
    3 p.m.: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    3:15 p.m.: Lyn St. James
    3:35 p.m.: NASCAR/Talladega Superspeedway

    SATURDAY, Oct. 13
    11:05 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fr8Auctions 250 (94 laps, 250.04 miles), FOX (Follow live)
    4:35 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    9:45 a.m.: Alex Bowman
    10 a.m.: Chase Elliott
    10:15 a.m.: Aric Almirola
    12:30 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    3:15 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race
    4 p.m.: Clint Bowyer
    6:15 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying

    SUNDAY, Oct. 14
    2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 1000Bulbs.com 500 (188 laps, 500.008 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Follow live)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    5:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

    MORE: How to find NBCSN

  • Elliott Wins Dover Securing his Round of 8 Spot

    Elliott Wins Dover Securing his Round of 8 Spot

    Chase Elliott wins the Gander Outdoors 400 at Dover International Speedway after a thrilling final 10 laps to advance to third round of playoffs.

    “Just perseverance and good adjustments throughout the day. It was just a great effort. I appreciate everybody and all my partners, NAPA, Valvoline, Hooters, SunEnergy1, Chevrolet, Mountain Dew, and Kelley Blue Book. It’s been an up-and-down year, I feel like. To have this race slip away last year makes the day that much more sweet.” Elliott said.

    Kyle Busch started on the pole for Sunday afternoon’s race since qualifying was rained out on Friday. The top 12 cars were playoff drivers.

    It was rough early on for Jimmie Johnson. He was not able to start the race because he had a lower ball joint failure. He joined the field on lap 10.

    Kevin Harvick took the lead from Kyle Busch on lap 14. He was able to extend his lead pretty good early on in the race.

    On lap 73, leaders started to make green flag stops. The pit cycle resulted in Joey Logano passing Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. taking the lead because he did not pit.

    Things got worse for Jimmie Johnson after getting penalized for pitting outside the box. His day went from bad to worst. Harvick was able to retake the lead from Stenhouse Jr. on lap 82 when Stenhouse went to pit.

    Harvick won Stage 1. Only 14 drivers were on the lead lap by the end on Stage 1. Alex Bowman was able to pass Paul Menard to reclaim the free pass position.

    Joey Logano rolled out the pits ahead of Harvick during the stage caution. Harvick was able to retake the lead from him on the restart. Chase Elliott was penalized for an uncontrolled tire during his pit stop. He then went in the pits to pull out a fender.

    Clint Bowyer started to show some speed in Stage 2. He was able to move himself into 2nd after passing Joey Logano on lap 159. He slowly started to crack down on Harvick’s lead.

    After green flag pit stops during Stage 2, Kevin Harvick was able to retake the lead. Going into lap 200, he had led 167 laps. It had been a dominating race for Harvick going into the final stage.

    Things got a little dicey for him when he was trying to lap Alex Bowman. He made some contact with Bowman before putting him a lap down. This battle gave Bowyer an advantage to reach Harvick’s tail.

    Harvick won Stage 2. Aric Almirola started to make a run up front as he was able to take 5th place from his teammate Kurt Busch near the end of Stage 2.

    Kyle Larson was penalized for speeding in the pits putting him a lap down and in 17th for the restart. It is not the run Larson wanted as it is looking like he is going to need a win to advance to the next round.

    Harvick was the leader for the restart to start the final stage. He was able to jump in front of Bowyer and extend his lead right away. There was a point in the race where Stewart-Hass Racing took the top four positions.

    The first two stages were caution free other than the end of the stage cautions. Problems for Denny Hamlin occurred when he reported he had a loose wheel. Also, on lap 314 Stenhouse Jr. hit the wall but no caution came out.

    Drama began in the final 100 lap. As the green flag pit stops started Kyle Busch was penalized for being too fast. Harvick had to take his car back to pit road on lap 321 because he felt that he had a loose wheel. The lead was then handed to Almirola and Harvick ended up in the 14th position after his unscheduled stop.

    A caution came out on lap 338 for debris and Harvick was in position for the free pass. The cars came to pit road during the caution and Brad Keselowski took two tires giving him the lead for the restart. Martin Truex Jr. was hit with a speeding penalty as well as for Johnson. It was a race that Johnson will want to forget.

    Almirola took the lead from Keselowski on the restart on lap 348. The two tires for Keselowski obviously didn’t work as he lost a couple more positions.

    Harvick was able to take a lot of spots back after he restarted 13th. Elliott made contact with Bowyer giving him the fourth position on lap 356.

    Bowyer had a flat tire go down on lap 381, this was a huge moment for him as he fell out of the top eight in the playoff standings as a result.

    With less than 15 laps, Kurt Busch was able to get under a second of Almirola’s lead. The lapped cars were making a big impact in the battle for the lead until a caution came out after Bowyer slammed the wall on lap 392. Harvick was able to make it to fifth during the run.

    New leaders emerged when Almirola gave up the lead after electing to pit during the caution. Elliott and Keselowski lead the field to the restart on lap 396 and then Almirola got involved in a big wreck with Keselowski also taking Bowman with them. These were all playoff drivers involved.

    “The No. 2 (Brad Keselowski) kind of got tagged and started wrecking. I thought he was going to get to the bottom of the race track faster than he did. Dover is typically so self-cleaning, but he slid a little longer than I thought he would and I kind of just center-punched him. Watching the replay there was really nowhere to go.” Bowman said.

    Overtime was in affect at the end of the race when Elliott led the field for the restart securing his ticket to the round of 8. Almirola, Bowyer, Larson and Bowman are all under the cutoff in the playoff standings heading into Talladega.

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway for the 1000blubs.com 500 at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Monster Energy Cup Series
    Unofficial Race Results for the 49th Annual Gander Outdoors “400” – Sunday, October 7, 2018
    Dover International Speedway – Dover, DE – 1. – Mile Concrete
    Total Race Length – 404 Laps – 404. Miles

    Pos St Car Driver Team Make
    1 9 9 Chase Elliott (P) NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
    2 15 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
    3 6 22 Joey Logano (P) Shell Pennzoil Ford
    4 16 20 Erik Jones Craftsman Toyota
    5 7 41 Kurt Busch (P) Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford
    6 2 4 Kevin Harvick (P) Busch Outdoors Ford
    7 14 3 Austin Dillon AAA Chevrolet
    8 1 18 Kyle Busch (P) Interstate Batteries Toyota
    9 21 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford
    10 19 19 Daniel Suarez ARRIS Toyota
    11 8 12 Ryan Blaney (P) PPG Ford
    12 10 42 Kyle Larson (P) Credit One Bank Chevrolet
    13 11 10 Aric Almirola (P) Smithfield Ford
    14 4 2 Brad Keselowski (P) Wurth Ford
    15 3 78 Martin Truex Jr. (P) 5-hour ENERGY/Bass Pro Shops Toyota
    16 18 21 Paul Menard Menards/Tarkett Ford
    17 17 31 Ryan Newman Waste Masters Solutions/22 in 22 Chevrolet
    18 20 1 Jamie McMurray GEARWRENCH Chevrolet
    19 22 24 William Byron # Hendrick Autoguard Chevrolet
    20 28 6 Matt Kenseth Wyndham Rewards Ford
    21 25 95 Regan Smith Dumont JETS Chevrolet
    22 24 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger ClickList Chevrolet
    23 29 43 Bubba Wallace # World Wide Technology Chevrolet
    24 26 38 David Ragan MDS Transport Ford
    25 23 37 Chris Buescher Scott Products Chevrolet
    26 27 34 Michael McDowell Love’s Travel Stops Ford
    27 31 32 Matt DiBenedetto Can-Am/Wholey Ford
    28 12 88 Alex Bowman (P) Axalta Chevrolet
    29 30 13 Ty Dillon GEICO Chevrolet
    30 33 72 Corey LaJoie Factor One Source Chevrolet
    31 37 96 * Jeffrey Earnhardt Xtreme Concepts/iK9 Toyota
    32 35 23 JJ Yeley(i) Toyota
    33 34 00 Landon Cassill(i) StarCom Fiber Chevrolet
    34 36 51 BJ McLeod(i) Jacob Companies Ford
    35 5 14 Clint Bowyer (P) Haas VF1/Rush Truck Centers Ford
    36 13 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet
    37 32 15 Ross Chastain(i) Use Your Melon Drive Sober Chevrolet
    38 39 52 * Harrison Rhodes The Medicine Shoppe Chevrolet
    39 38 66 * Timmy Hill(i) Ternio Toyota

     

    Follow on Twitter for updates: @BryanR_305

  • Harvick finishes sixth after dominant drive at Dover

    Harvick finishes sixth after dominant drive at Dover

    Kevin Harvick wore his signature shades and sarcastic smile, on pit road after the race. He was disappointed that a dominant victory slipped away, and a good points day didn’t make it better.

    “I don’t care about points. I’d rather win.”

    It was Harvick’s race to lose, and he found a way to lose it.

    In the midst of a woodshed whooping, Harvick pitted from the lead with 80 laps to go. He pitted again a lap later with a loose wheel, caused by a lug nut knocking off the valve stem to his right-front tire. He returned to the race a lap down.

    “I can’t control where the lug nuts fly. Our Busch Beer Ford was really fast, and that’s about it.”

    A caution got Harvick back on the lead lap. He avoided the multi-car pileup on the backstretch with three laps to go.

    “Yeah, we were just lucky there. We were dodging and weaving and being in the right place. I guess that makes up for the bad luck on losing the race with a dominant car.”

    His charge through the field stalled out at sixth, where his day ended.

    He took command of the race on the 16th lap. Aside from a few laps during two green flag pit cycles and Joey Logano beating him off pit road under the first caution, it was his to lose.

    Harvick led a total of 251 laps and swept the stages.

    He leaves Dover with the points lead.

  • Bell wins again at Dover

    Bell wins again at Dover

    DOVER, Del. – Rookie Christopher Bell captured another NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) victory on Saturday in the Bar Harbor 200 at Dover International Speedway in the elimination Playoffs race.  With this win, Bell became the winningest rookie in series history with six victories.

    “It’s the means the world. To be able to have the season we had, it’s been a career year for me. It’s all credit to everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and my crew chief Jason Ratcliff. Everyone that works at the shop to put these Camry’s together. We have really fast cars every time we go to the track. All of our partners deserve it.” Bell said.

    Cole Custer finished second, Justin Allgaier third, Ryan Preece fourth and Spencer Gallagher finished fifth.

    “Our car was pretty solid. It was a lot about track position and we had to work on our car throughout the day, but the car was awesome at the end. We just needed a tick more.” Custer said.

    Bell also advances to the Round of 8 along with Custer, Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric (7th), Austin Cindric(8th) , Elliott Sadler(11th), Tyler Reddick(14th) and Matt Tifft(15th).

     

    XFINITY Series Race
    Unofficial Race Results for the 33rd Annual Bar Harbor “200” presented by Sea Watch International – Saturday, October 6, 2018
    Dover International Speedway – Dover, DE – 1. – Mile Concrete
    Total Race Length – 200 Laps – 200. Miles

    Pos St Car Driver Team Make
    1 2 20 Christopher Bell # (P) Rheem Toyota
    2 7 00 Cole Custer (P) Haas Automation Ford
    3 3 7 Justin Allgaier (P) BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
    4 11 18 Ryan Preece Craftsman Toyota
    5 4 23 Spencer Gallagher Allegiant Chevrolet
    6 5 19 Brandon Jones (P) Menards/Atlas Toyota
    7 1 21 Daniel Hemric (P) South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet
    8 8 22 Austin Cindric # (P) Discount Tire Ford
    9 12 42 John Hunter Nemechek Chevrolet
    10 19 11 Ryan Truex (P) LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet
    11 6 1 Elliott Sadler (P) OneMain Financial Chevrolet
    12 18 5 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
    13 15 4 Ross Chastain (P) DE Office of Hwy. Safety FALSE
    14 14 9 Tyler Reddick # (P) BurgerFi Chevrolet
    15 10 2 Matt Tifft (P) Surface Sunscreen Chevrolet
    16 20 16 Ryan Reed (P) Drive Down A1C Lilly Diabetes Ford
    17 9 3 Shane Lee Childress Vineyards Chevrolet
    18 17 39 Ryan Sieg RSS Racing Chevrolet
    19 13 60 Chase Briscoe Ford Ford
    20 16 51 Jeremy Clements RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet
    21 21 36 Alex Labbe # stickystuff.com/James Carter Attorney Chevrolet
    22 24 90 Brandon Brown Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes Chevrolet
    23 28 0 Garrett Smithley Heroes Haven Chevrolet
    24 34 52 David Starr ATS/Whataburger Chevrolet
    25 39 78 Vinnie Miller # CorvetteParts.net Chevrolet
    26 22 01 Landon Cassill teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet
    27 29 66 Timmy Hill CrashClaimsR.Us Dodge
    28 30 8 Matt Mills # J.F. Electric Chevrolet
    29 35 55 Bayley Currey(i) Rollin Smoke Barbeque/Touched by Pros Toyota
    30 25 35 Joey Gase SPARKS Chevrolet
    31 38 45 Josh Bilicki # Prevagen Toyota
    32 31 76 Spencer Boyd # Grunt Style Chevrolet
    33 23 38 JJ Yeley RSS Racing Chevrolet
    34 26 40 Chad Finchum # Smithbilt Homes/The Preserve Toyota
    35 40 74 Mike Harmon Dodge
    36 37 13 Carl Long OCR Gaz Bar Toyota
    37 27 15 BJ McLeod teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet
    38 36 89 Morgan Shepherd Visone RV Chevrolet
    39 32 93 Jeff Green RSS Racing Chevrolet
    40 33 99 Stephen Leicht Chevrolet
  • Full weekend schedule for Dover

    Full weekend schedule for Dover

    Staff Report | NASCAR.com

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series will be in action at Dover International Speedway while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off. The Monster Energy Series heads to the first race of the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs, while the Xfinity Series Playoffs enters the final race of the Round of 12. Check out the full schedule below, which is subject to change.

    Note: All times are ET

    FRIDAY, Oct. 5
    11-11:50 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    12:05-12:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    2:30-3:20 p.m.: Xfinity Series final practice, NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    3:40 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBC Sports App – Canceled – Lineup

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    9:30 a.m.: Ryan Blaney
    9:45 a.m.: Joey Logano
    10 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    10:40 a.m.: Justin Allgaier, Ross Chastain and Austin Cindric
    12:15 p.m.: Kyle Larson
    12:30 p.m.: Bubba Wallace
    1:30 p.m.: Chase Briscoe
    4:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying

    SATURDAY, Oct. 6
    11-11:50 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series second practice, CNBC/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    12:05 p.m.:Xfinity Series Pole Qualifying, NBCSN comes on 12:30 p.m. ET/NBC Sports App carries at noon ET (Follow live)
    1:30-2:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)
    3 p.m.: Xfinity Series Bar Harbor 200 presented by Sea Watch International (200 laps, 200 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    5 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Xfinity Series race

    SUNDAY, Oct. 7
    2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Gander Outdoors 400 (400 laps, 400 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Follow live)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    5:15 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

  • Blaney wins electrifying Inaugural Bank of America ROVAL 400 as Round of 16 concludes

    Blaney wins electrifying Inaugural Bank of America ROVAL 400 as Round of 16 concludes

    Ryan Blaney wins the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway after passing two cars in the final turn of the last lap of the race. This marks his first win of the year and his first at a road course.

    This is a race that will be talked about for years to come. Jimmie Johnson, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones championship dreams came to an end this afternoon.

    It only took six laps for Kyle Larson to take the lead from polesitter Kurt Busch as he then cruised to take the first stage of the race.

    For several Playoff drivers, problems emerged early on.  Hamlin had to pit on lap six because of an issue with his hood. The first caution was brought out on Lap 13 as the No. 51 of Stanton Barrett crashed into the wall on turn one.

    Another Playoff driver that had some issues early on was Erik Jones. Jones got stuck in a three-wide mess on a restart going into turn one. The nose of his car got smashed up as he was put in a must-win situation.

    The pit strategy was different for all drivers during the race. Some cars elected to pit before the end of Stage 1 while some were seen pitting during the break with a few including leader Larson not pitting until the start of Stage 2. Stage 1 concluded with important stage points going to drivers like Alex Bowman, Blaney, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer.

    Larson gave up the lead on lap 38 to Blaney as he entered pit road for the first time all afternoon. The strategy by Larson, Truex, and Kyle Busch was to run the race with only two stops to pit road.

    On Lap 45 William Byron was slow on the track as Aric Almirola crashed into the wall trying to avoid him. He had to pit and was penalized for an uncontrolled tire. Brad Keselowski pitted from the second position with 11 laps to go in Stage 2 which basically secured the stage win for Blaney.

    Larson was back to the lead at the start of the final stage because he stayed out during the stage caution.

    On Lap 59 Austin Dillon crashed into the wall trying to avoid Chris Buescher, bringing out a caution for debris. The Daytona 500 winner bent the wheel after hitting the wall. On lap 65 Dillon hit the wall again and took his car to the garage. His championship run came to an end after the incident.

    Aric Almirola ran into more trouble on Lap 69 spinning into the grass while Buescher was spinning into the wall bringing out a caution. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led the field into the restart losing the lead shortly to Brad Keselowski.

    More trouble erupted for Erik Jones spinning forcing him down to the apron. This almost secured that his run for the championship was over.

    “It’s unfortunate, you get put three-wide and there’s only so much you can do as a driver. It’s too bad and we’ll have to move on from here and get ready for next year. You hate to be knocked out of the Playoffs this early, but it is what it is.” Jones said.

    Things started to heat up when Larson caught Keselowski with 26 Laps left. It was a good battle for the lead for a few laps but Keselowski was able to take off and continue his lead.

    Most of the cars on the lead pack were told that they were short on fuel to make it to the end. Bubble driver Alex Bowman played it safe and pitted from the 15th position to be good to the end. This got a few other drivers to pit for fuel as well.

    Late race drama occurred as a caution came out with under 10 laps to go.

    The fuel mileage spectacle continued since none of the leaders pitted for fuel. The restart resulted in a hard wreck going into the first turn wiping out Keselowski, Larson, and William Byron. Larson went from being very comfortable to advancing to the next round, to barely making it. His damage was heavy.

    “I knew that it was going to be tough to turn getting into (turn) 1. I didn’t know that all of us were going to go in there and not be able to turn at all. I was going to struggle to make the corner and then the No. 2, he just went head-on into the wall. I was hoping I would have enough room to squeak by him, but I got into him and destroyed the right-front of our car.” Larson said.

    Keselowski is lucky to have a win and was already locked into the next round.

    “I was just asking Ricky. I don’t know. The whole field went down into turn one it looked like and we all went straight. I don’t know. Maybe we all overdrove it. Maybe the track had something on it. I don’t know. I got in the corner. I didn’t feel like I got in it, I got in hard, but not like ridiculously hard and it just locked up. I couldn’t get the tire to unlock, so I felt really, really dumb when I hit the wall and then I got back in the care center and saw the replay and saw everybody kind of did the same thing.” Keselowski said.

    Johnson and Truex Jr. battled until the final turn of the last lap for the race win which resulted in contact which sent both cars spinning, allowing Blaney to capture the win.

    “Last corner desperation behind us, that’s what you get. I gave him (Jimmie Johnson) the inside lane and he had the run through (turn) four and I was real tight down there. I let him have the inside going down inside coming out of four there to the chicane. He just over-drove it and was never going to make it and used me as brakes and turned us both around. It sucks, we could have raced side-by-side off the last corner for a win and that would have been cool. The fans would have been digging it, but instead, we finished 14th and he’s locked out of the Playoffs. I guess that’s what he gets.” Truex Jr. said.

    Johnson, Almirola and Larson finished in a three-way tie giving the advantage to Larson and Almirola to advancing into the Round of 12.  “I’m so proud of these guys. We’re moving on to the Round of 12 and we’ll go get ‘em in Dover.” Almirola said.

    The seven-time champion will have to wait another year for number eight.  “I Took myself out of a shot at the championship and obviously affected their day which I feel bad about,” Johnson said.

    It was probably the craziest race in a long time as we now turn to the Round of 12 starting at Dover next Sunday.

     

    Unofficial series points standings after the inaugural Bank of America ROVAL 400
    1. Kyle Busch (P) 18 3055
    2. Kevin Harvick (P) 4 3050 -5
    3. Martin Truex Jr. (P) 78 3038 -17
    4. Brad Keselowski (P) 2 3025 -30
    5. Clint Bowyer (P) 14 3015 -40
    6. Joey Logano (P) 22 3014 -41
    7. Kurt Busch (P) 41 3014 -41
    8. Ryan Blaney (P) 12 3013 -42
    9. Chase Elliott (P) 9 3008 -47
    10. Kyle Larson (P) 42 3006 -49
    11. Aric Almirola (P) 10 3001 -54
    12. Alex Bowman (P) 88 3000 -55
    13. Jimmie Johnson (P) 48 2097 -958
    14. Austin Dillon (P) 3 2066 -989
    15. Denny Hamlin (P) 11 2053 -1002
    16. Erik Jones (P) 20 2041 -1014

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race
    Unofficial Race Results for the inaugural Bank Of America Roval 400 – Sunday, September 30, 2018
    Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course – Concord, NC – 2.28 Mile Paved
    Total Race Length – 109 Laps – 248.52 Miles

    Pos St Car Driver Team Make
    1 9 12 Ryan Blaney (P) Menards/Pennzoil Ford
    2 8 1 Jamie McMurray DC Solar Chevrolet
    3 7 14 Clint Bowyer (P) Mobil 1/Advance Auto Parts Ford
    4 3 88 Alex Bowman (P) Axalta Chevrolet
    5 1 41 Kurt Busch (P) Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford
    6 4 9 Chase Elliott (P) SunEnergy1 Chevrolet
    7 2 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger ClickList Chevrolet
    8 6 48 Jimmie Johnson (P) Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet
    9 19 4 Kevin Harvick (P) Jimmy John’s New 9-Grain Wheat Sub Ford
    10 15 22 Joey Logano (P) Shell Pennzoil Ford
    11 29 31 Ryan Newman Grainger/American Red Cross Chevrolet
    12 27 11 Denny Hamlin (P) FedEx Freight Toyota
    13 28 32 Matt DiBenedetto Superior Logistics Services Inc. Ford
    14 13 78 Martin Truex Jr. (P) Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota
    15 32 95 Regan Smith Procore Chevrolet
    16 30 38 David Ragan MDS Transport Ford
    17 10 37 Chris Buescher Maple Cheerios Chevrolet
    18 18 34 Michael McDowell K-LOVE Radio Ford
    19 20 10 Aric Almirola (P) Smithfield Ford
    20 33 72 Cole Whitt Rinnai Chevrolet
    21 17 19 Daniel Suarez Lenox Toyota
    22 26 13 Ty Dillon GEICO Chevrolet
    23 11 8 * Daniel Hemric(i) Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet
    24 35 7 * Ross Chastain(i) SOKAL Media Group Chevrolet
    25 5 42 Kyle Larson (P) Clover/First Data Chevrolet
    26 37 96 * Jeffrey Earnhardt iK9/Xtreme Concepts Toyota
    27 31 15 Justin Marks(i) GoPro Motorplex/Pickers Vodka Chevrolet
    28 36 23 JJ Yeley(i) Adirondack Tree Surgeons Toyota
    29 38 00 Landon Cassill(i) Dairi O Chevrolet
    30 12 20 Erik Jones (P) Reser’s Toyota
    31 25 2 Brad Keselowski (P) Alliance Truck Parts Ford
    32 14 18 Kyle Busch (P) M&M’s Toyota
    33 22 21 Paul Menard Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
    34 21 24 William Byron # Unifirst Chevrolet
    35 16 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Rehydrate Ford
    36 34 43 Bubba Wallace # World Wide Technology Chevrolet
    37 23 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. SunnyD Ford
    38 40 66 * Timmy Hill(i) Ternio Toyota
    39 24 3 Austin Dillon (P) Dow Chevrolet
    40 39 51 Stanton Barrett Jacob Companies Ford
  • Briscoe Earns First XFINITY Win On Charlotte Roval

    Briscoe Earns First XFINITY Win On Charlotte Roval

    Chase Briscoe earned his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series win in Saturday’s Race For The Cure 200 on Charlotte’s Roval, becoming the first driver to earn the checkered flag on the new layout.  Briscoe took the checkered flag 1.478 seconds ahead of Justin Marks, who started off his final NASCAR weekend on a high note. Pole sitter Austin Cindric took home third, with Ryan Preece and Christopher Bell rounding out the top-five. Matt Tifft, Cole Custer, Kaz Grala, Tyler Reddick, and Daniel Hemric rounded out the top-10.

    Although competitors were uncertain about the race on Saturday thanks to some wild practice and testing sessions, Saturday’s event proved to be tame as there were only five cautions during the race’s 55 laps, slowing the field down for 10 laps. Briscoe proved the dominant car, leading 33 of those laps after starting ninth.

    Briscoe was quick to thank team co-owner Tony Stewart, a fellow Indiana native and dirt track staple, in helping his approach to taking on the Roval.

    “This is unreal,” Briscoe said. “I was four seconds off in practice, and my guys stuck behind me and kept working with me. It’s just an honor and privilege to drive a race car and to do it for my hero, Tony Stewart, and get a win.”

    “It’s huge to me. Everybody had to adapt to [the Roval] and figure it out, and I don’t know that I’m necessarily the best at it, but I felt like I just tried not to hit anything, and this thing hardly has a scratch on it.”

    Playoff contenders Justin Allgaier and Ryan Truex had the worst luck of the playoff drivers, as both found contact with the wall or other drivers. Coming off of pit road in the second stage contact with the 22 of Cindric sent Allgaier around, where the 39 of Ryan Sieg piled into his left rear. Allgaier rebounded for a 15th-place finish, keeping himself well above the playoff bubble line.

    Truex found the wall in the first turn on lap 35, collecting Brendan Gaughan, Michael Annett, Ty Majeski, Andy Lally, and Dylan Mercott. Truex would finish 16th in the final running order.

    The next race on the XFINITY Series schedule will be at Dover International Speedway for the Bar Harbor 200, which will be at 3:00 PM ET on NBCSN.

    NASCAR Xfinity Series Race
    Unofficial Race Results for the 37Th Annual Drive For The Cure 200 Presented By Blue Cross Blue Shield Of North Carolina – Saturday, September 29, 2018
    Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course – Concord, NC – 2.28 Mile Paved

    Pos St Car Driver Team Make
    1 9 98 Chase Briscoe Ford Performance Ford
    2 4 42 Justin Marks Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet
    3 1 22 Austin Cindric # (P) MoneyLion Ford
    4 10 18 Ryan Preece Rheem Toyota
    5 13 20 Christopher Bell # (P) GameStop Fallout 76 Toyota
    6 7 2 Matt Tifft (P) Nexteer Chevrolet
    7 6 00 Cole Custer (P) Haas Automation Ford
    8 14 61 Kaz Grala # IT Coalition Ford
    9 3 9 Tyler Reddick # (P) BurgerFi Chevrolet
    10 2 21 Daniel Hemric (P) South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet
    11 15 16 Ryan Reed (P) Drive Down A1C Lilly Diabetes Ford
    12 16 4 Ross Chastain (P) teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet
    13 5 36 Alex Labbe # Larue/Cyclops Gear Chevrolet
    14 17 1 Elliott Sadler (P) OneMain Financial Chevrolet
    15 12 7 Justin Allgaier (P) Vannoy Construction Chevrolet
    16 11 11 Ryan Truex (P) LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet
    17 18 3 Brendan Gaughan South Point Hotel/Beard Oil Distributing Chevrolet
    18 19 51 Jeremy Clements RepairableVehicles.com/Travers Tool Chevrolet
    19 25 23 Spencer Gallagher Allegiant Chevrolet
    20 23 5 Michael Annett TMC Chevrolet
    21 21 01 Lawson Aschenbach teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet
    22 22 19 Brandon Jones (P) Juniper Toyota
    23 29 35 Joey Gase Sparks Chevrolet
    24 28 45 Josh Bilicki # Prevagen Toyota
    25 36 0 Garrett Smithley teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet
    26 30 74 Ray Black II  Isokern Chevrolet
    27 34 52 David Starr Xtreme Cleaners Chevrolet
    28 37 40 Chad Finchum # Smithbilt Homes Dodge
    29 35 76 Spencer Boyd # Grunt Style Chevrolet
    30 33 8 Dylan Murcott Chevrolet
    31 40 78 Vinnie Miller # JAS Expedited Trucking Chevrolet
    32 24 66 Timmy Hill Leithcars.com Toyota
    33 26 15 Katherine Legge AirTec Chevrolet
    34 8 60 Ty Majeski Ford Ford
    35 32 55 Bayley Currey(i) Rollin Smoke Barbeque/Touched By Pros Toyota
    36 27 39 Ryan Sieg Night Owl Chevrolet
    37 20 90 Andy Lally Alpha Prime USA Chevrolet
    38 31 13 Landon Cassill OCR Gaz Bar Dodge
    39 39 93 Jeff Green RSS Racing Chevrolet
    40 38 38 JJ Yeley RSS Racing Chevrolet
  • Kurt Busch captures inaugural pole at Charlotte Roval

    Kurt Busch captures inaugural pole at Charlotte Roval

    Kurt Busch won the Busch Pole Award Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the inaugural running of the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 featuring a unique 2.28-mile, 17-turn, road course.

    His 106.868 mph lap in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford earned him his fourth pole of the season and the 26th of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career. Bush was the only Ford driver at the top of the leaderboard with Chevrolets scoring seven of the top 10 starting positions.

    Busch, a playoff contender, spoke about the significance of the pole, saying, “It’s pretty special to get the pole at an inaugural event and to do it here at the Roval, I mean, there’s so much going on. There’s so much that everybody has to manage, crew chief, lead engineer, myself, engine tuners, everybody chipped in on this 41 car the right way. We had a plan for the first two rounds and it paid off. I struggled this year qualifying at Watkins Glen and at Sonoma, so we came here with a plan and it worked. Some conventional wisdom and thinking played out with our pole run today, but thanks to the guys, Monster Energy, Haas Automation, and Ford. We’re on the pole for the Roval.”

    AJ Allmendinger’s expertise on road courses was evident as he will start beside Busch after qualifying second with a lap speed of 106.811 mph in what will be his final season in the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet.

    “It’s a crazy race track, for sure,” he said. “It’s like my Champ Car days. It’s a street course in the infield there. The walls are on both sides and if you make a small mistake, you’re going to pay the price for it. To me, it makes for a lot of fun because you’ve got to be on point. You’ve got to be aggressive but you can’t be over-aggressive. I could nit-pick both my laps and say there’s a lot more out there, but you could easily try to get that and find yourself in the wall. My strategy (for Sunday) is to go out there and try to win. I’ve got no job, it doesn’t matter. I’m going there trying to win.”

    Alex Bowman (P), Chase Elliott (P) and Kyle Larson (P), rounded out the top five qualifiers. Jimmie Johnson (P), Clint Bowyer (P), Jamie McMurray, Ryan Blaney (P) and Chris Buescher will start in sixth-10th, respectively.

    Bowman was pleased with his effort but said, “Well I didn’t think we would qualify third on the Roval, so this was a nice surprise! Greg (Ives) and this Axalta team made some great changes after practice, which made the car a lot better in some of the turns. I messed up off the bus stop, so I think the biggest thing on Sunday will be minimizing mistakes. I’m glad to be up toward the front to start this race and hopefully, we can stay up front all day on Sunday and have a clean Axalta Camaro ZL1 at the end of the day.”

    Johnson spoke about the significance of starting up front.

    “Track position is going to be super important after that first stage and we are after stage points,” he said. “Strategy is going to play a huge role in this race, and the first guy with enough fuel and tires for the finish is going to be in great, great shape. But we need points in each segment and then obviously a good result at the end. So, starting this close to the front is a huge, huge help.”

    Playoff drivers Erik Jones, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Joey Logano qualified 12th-15th, respectively, with Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola starting 19th and 20th. The remaining drivers vying for the championship will start in the back half of the field, including Austin Dillon (24th), Brad Keselowski (25th) and Denny Hamlin (27th).

    The Charlotte Roval course has proved to be challenging as evidenced by several incidents during practice and qualifying. It will also serve as an elimination race and cut the Playoff field from 16 drivers to 12. Only three drivers have clinched a spot in the next round – Kyle Busch, Keselowski and Truex. Bowyer, Johnson, Jones and Hamlin are currently below the cutoff.

    Hamlin may face the biggest hurdle as he enters the race ranked last in the Round of 16. During qualifying, he hit the outside wall and damaged the rear of his car. The Joe Gibbs Racing team made repairs to the No. 11 and were able to make another qualifying run to start 27th. However, the decision was made to go to a backup car which means Hamlin will start from the rear of the field.

    Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 will be televised on NBC at 2 p.m. with radio coverage by PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Starting Line Up
    Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course
    The Inaugural Bank of America ROVAL 400

    1 41 Kurt Busch (P) Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford
    2 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger ClickList Chevrolet
    3 88 Alex Bowman (P) Axalta Chevrolet
    4 9 Chase Elliott (P) SunEnergy1 Chevrolet
    5 42 Kyle Larson (P) Clover/First Data Chevrolet
    6 48 Jimmie Johnson (P) Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet
    7 14 Clint Bowyer (P) Mobil 1/Advance Auto Parts Ford
    8 1 Jamie McMurray DC Solar Chevrolet
    9 12 Ryan Blaney (P) Menards/Pennzoil Ford
    10 37 Chris Buescher Maple Cheerios Chevrolet
    11 8 Daniel Hemric(i) Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet
    12 20 Erik Jones (P) Reser’s Toyota
    13 78 Martin Truex Jr. (P) Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota
    14 18 Kyle Busch (P) M&M’s Toyota
    15 22 Joey Logano (P) Shell Pennzoil Ford
    16 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Rehydrate Ford
    17 19 Daniel Suarez Lenox Toyota
    18 34 Michael McDowell K-LOVE Radio Ford
    19 4 Kevin Harvick (P) Jimmy John’s New 9-Grain Wheat Sub Ford
    20 10 Aric Almirola (P) Smithfield Ford
    21 24 William Byron # Unifirst Chevrolet
    22 21 Paul Menard Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
    23 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. SunnyD Ford
    24 3 Austin Dillon (P) Dow Chevrolet
    25 2 Brad Keselowski (P) Alliance Truck Parts Ford
    26 13 Ty Dillon GEICO Chevrolet
    27 11 Denny Hamlin (P) FedEx Freight Toyota
    28 32 Matt DiBenedetto Superior Logistics Services Inc. Ford
    29 31 Ryan Newman Grainger/American Red Cross Chevrolet
    30 38 David Ragan MDS Transport Ford
    31 15 Justin Marks(i) GoPro Motorplex/Pickers Vodka Chevrolet
    32 95 Regan Smith Procore Chevrolet
    33 72 Cole Whitt Rinnai Chevrolet
    34 43 Bubba Wallace # World Wide Technology Chevrolet
    35 7 Ross Chastain(i) SOKAL Media Group Chevrolet
    36 23 JJ Yeley(i) Adirondack Tree Surgeons Toyota
    37 96 Jeffrey Earnhardt iK9/Xtreme Concepts Toyota
    38 00 Landon Cassill(i) Dairi O Chevrolet
    39 51 Stanton Barrett Jacob Companies Ford
    40 66 Timmy Hill(i) Ternio Toyota
  • Full weekend schedule for Charlotte

    Full weekend schedule for Charlotte

    Staff Report | NASCAR.com

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series will be in action at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off. The Monster Energy Series heads to the final race of the Round of 16 in the NASCAR Playoffs, while the Xfinity Series Playoffs continues the Round of 12. Check out the full schedule below, which is subject to change.

    Note: All times are ET

    THURSDAY, Sept. 27

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    1:20 p.m.: Matt Tifft
    4:30 p.m.: Justin Allgaier and Austin Cindric

    FRIDAY, Sept. 28
    12:05-12:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN5) (Results)
    1:05-1:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (Results)
    3:00-3:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App(Canada: TSN App) (Results)
    4:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN5) (Results)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    10:30 a.m.: Clint Bowyer
    10:45 a.m.: Joey Logano
    11 a.m.: Ryan Blaney
    11:15 a.m.: Aric Almirola
    11:30 a.m.: JTG Daugherty Racing
    1:30 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    1:45 p.m.: Austin Dillon
    2:15 p.m.: Richard Childress Racing
    5:45 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying

    SATURDAY, Sept. 29
    11:00-11:50 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series second practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (Follow live)
    12:10 p.m.: Xfinity Series Pole Qualifying, CNBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (Follow live)
    1:30-2:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, CNBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN2) (Follow live)
    3 p.m.: Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (55 laps, 125.4 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN2) (Follow live)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    Noon: Sonoma Raceway announcement with Steve Page, Jeff Gordon and Marcus Smith
    1:40 p.m. DeAngelo Williams, Drive for the Cure 200 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield Honorary Pace Car Driver
    5:15 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Xfinity Series race

    SUNDAY, Sept. 30
    2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America Roval 400 (109 laps, 248.52 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN2) (Follow live)

    PRESS PASS (Watch live)
    10:45 a.m.: Sherry Pollex, Honorary Pace Car Driver
    11 a.m.: Daniel Hemric, Baseball Hall of Famer Chipper Jones and Matt Duff, former Major League Baseball pitcher
    11:20 a.m.: Smokey Yunick Award
    12:45 p.m.: Ron Rivera, Grand Marshal
    5:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race