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Race Central NASCAR Cup Series news and information

  • Joey Logano Scores Sprint Cup Pole at Richmond

    Joey Logano Scores Sprint Cup Pole at Richmond

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Row 1

    1st Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford

    2nd Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota

    Row 2

    3rd Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Miller Lite Ford

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

    Row 3

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

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

    Row 4

    7th Carl Edwards, No. 19 ARRIS Toyota

    8th Kurt Busch, No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet

    Row 5

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

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

    Row 6

    11th Kyle Larson, No. 42 Target Chevrolet

    12th Austin Dillon, No. 3 DOW Chevrolet

    Row 7

    13th Ryan Newman, No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet

    14th Danica Patrick, No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet

    Row 8

    15th Casey Mears, No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet

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

    Row 9

    17th Brian Scott, No. 33 Shore Lodge Chevrolet

    18th Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Brandt Chevrolet

    Row 10

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

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

    Row 11

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

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

    Row 12

    23rd Jeff Gordon, No. 24 3M Chevrolet

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

    Row 13

    25th Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota

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

    Row 14

    27th Michael Annett, No. 46 Switch Hitch Toyota

    28th Trevor Bayne, No. 6 AdvoCare Ford

    Row 15

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

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

    Row 16

    31st Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet

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

    Row 17

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

    34th Cole Whitt, No. 35 MDS Ford

    Row 18

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

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

    Row 19

    37th Brett Moffit, No. 34 Dockside Ford

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

    Row 20

    39th Michael McDowell, No. 95 Thrivent Financial Ford

    40th Reed Sorenson, No. 98 Premium Motorsports Ford

    Row 21

    41st Brian Scott, No. 33 Shore Lodge Chevrolet

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

    Row 22

    43rd JJ Yeley, No. 26 Maxim Toyota

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Richmond

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Richmond

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the XFINITY Series head to Richmond International Raceway this weekend. All on-track action can be seen on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. The Camping World Truck Series is off. Please see the full schedule below.

    All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, Sept. 10:

    On Track:

    2:30-3:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    5-5:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra (Canceled due to weather)

    GarageCam: (Watch live)

    2 p.m.: XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    2:45 p.m.: Patrick Starpoli 
    3 p.m.: William Byron
    3:15 p.m.: Noah Gragson
    4:15 p.m.: Brian Scott

    Friday, Sept. 11:

    On Track:

    10-11:55 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    1-2:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    3:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    5:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    7:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Virginia529 College Savings 250 (250 laps, 187.5 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra

    GarageCam: (Watch live)

    12:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    9 a.m.: Ryan Newman
    9:15 a.m.: Clint Bowyer
    Noon: Carl Edwards
    2:55 p.m.: Denny Hamlin
    3:15 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    6:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying
    9:30 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race

    Saturday, Sept. 12:

    On Track:

    7:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 (400 laps, 300 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    10:30 p.m.: Post Sprint Cup Series Race

  • Carl Edwards Wins First ‘Back to Tradition’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

    Carl Edwards Wins First ‘Back to Tradition’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

    Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Darlington Raceway was not your typical Southern 500. For starters, it was held on its traditional Labor Day weekend date, something diehard NASCAR fans have been clamoring for since this date was taken away from them after 2003.

    It featured a new low-downforce package with aerodynamic changes as well, adding an unknown quality to the atmosphere of the 66th annual Bojangles Southern 500. Surprisingly, it was also the longest race of the year, coming in at four hours and 28 minutes, due to the high number of cautions, a record 18.

    For Carl Edwards, it was a unique event, as he captured his first victory at Darlington Raceway and 25th career win. It all came down to a seamless pit stop during the 18th caution and a flawless restart that gave him the lead with eight laps remaining in the race. Edwards held off Brad Keselowski and claimed the checkered flag in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, celebrating with his own tradition, his trademark backflip.

    It was a fitting victory for Edwards who has been a vocal advocate for the low-downforce setup.

    “I don’t think I can get in trouble for how much I liked it, but I loved it; this is as good as it gets,” Edwards said. “This is what it’s about. We’re sliding cars, tires are falling off, this is the style of racing, if there’s any chance we can run this in the Chase, I hope we can do it. It was an awesome day.”

    Although Edwards gave his pit crew credit for the win, it was a combined driver and team effort. On Lap 62, under caution, Edwards did not pit with the rest of the lead-lap cars. When he went to pit road on Lap 89, a caution for a crash involving Michael Annett trapped Edwards two laps down. It took him about 200 laps to drive his way back to the front of the field.

    Edwards described the victory as “really special” and went on to say, “This is what we needed. We just needed a shot in the arm and needed to have a good night like this. All over, it’s cool.

    Denny Hamlin led 57 laps, finishing third, followed by Joey Logano who led 29 laps, in fourth. Kevin Harvick led 44 laps and finished fifth.

    “I hope I never forget those last 25 laps,” Edwards continued. “That was really fun, and the restart was fun, but truly racing with Brad and Kevin was a blast. I really had a good time.”

    Pole-sitter Keselowski dominated much of the race, leading six times for 196 laps and finishing in second place. He spoke about the new aero package after winning the Coors Light Pole award Saturday, saying he thought that NASCAR was moving in the right direction. His failure to win the Southern 500 didn’t alter his opinion.

    “It separates the race car drivers from the pretends, and that’s the way it should be,” he reiterated.

    Another highlight of the Southern 500 was driver Tony Stewart who finished in 15th place but for a brief moment, had the crowd on their feet, as he took the lead on Lap 212 for 10 laps.

    Kyle Busch accomplished what some doubted was possible. After missing 11 races when he was injured at the beginning of the season, he secured his spot in the Chase with a seventh place result that locked him into the top 30 in the Cup Series points standings.

    “Making the Chase was something we weren’t all sure was possible after my injuries,” Busch said. “It’s a great opportunity to be with these guys on this M&M’S Crispy team. They’re working really hard at Joe Gibbs Racing, we’ve got a lot of speed, and I think all four cars have a really good shot at this championship.

    “I had my hands full tonight. I think I just got a little behind on what our adjustments needed to be for the race, but our whole team just really turned this thing around, and it turned out to be a solid finish for us.”

    With the return to Labor Day weekend, Darlington and NASCAR presented the first “return to tradition” spectacular at Darlington complete with new signage, ‘70s music, throwback paint schemes, a bevy of NASCAR legends including Hall of Famers and more, to a near capacity crowd. It was an event to be remembered and one that will continue through a five-year plan that promises to offer more of the same in the coming years.

    Next week, the action intensifies as NASCAR travels to Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 12 for the last regular-season race before the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship playoffs begins. Television coverage will be provided by NBC Sports Network.

     

  • Keselowski Takes Coors Light Pole at Kentucky

    Keselowski Takes Coors Light Pole at Kentucky

    By Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service

    DARLINGTON, S.C. – With two races left before the start of the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Brad Keselowski got the momentum builder he needed with Saturday’s pole-winning effort at Darlington Raceway.

    “Boy, this feels good,” said Keselowski, who toured the treacherous 1.366-mile Lady in Black in 27.492 seconds (178.874 mph) to edge Kurt Busch for the top starting spot in Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 (7 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

    The Coors Light Pole Award was Keselowski’s first of the season, his first at Darlington and the ninth of his career. The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has but one top five to his credit in six previous starts at the track “Too Tough to Tame,” but NASCAR’s switch to a low-downforce configuration for this race seemed to suit the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

    “For my team, we haven’t had, to date I would say, as strong of a year as what we had last year, and I think that kind of wears on everybody a little bit, including myself,” Keselowski said. “But I feel like we have positive momentum, and you always want to see results that showcase that, and this is one of those results that I feel like we can carry for the next 12 weeks.

    “I’m just really pleased with today’s qualifying effort and the momentum we’re carrying.”

    With tire fall-off a clear reality at Darlington, Busch set the fast speed of the time trials in the first round, running 179.501 mph to edge Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (179.389 mph) by .017 seconds. Through each subsequent round, the top speeds declined as tires accumulated wear, with Keselowski leading both the second and final sessions, the latter of which determines the pole winner.

    Kevin Harvick, last year’s winner from the pole, qualified third at 177.415 mph, followed by Joey Logano (177.319 mph) and Jeff Gordon (177.192 mph).

    Harvick, though, didn’t seem particular worried.

    “I feel a lot better about it in race trim than I did in qualifying trim,” said the reigningSprint Cup champion. “We try to concentrate on that the most because there is so much falloff. The cars are going to slide around so much that I really feel like the cars need to be as manageable as you can make them throughout the night.

    “It’s really not about the first two or three laps. You’ve got to be able to stay in there and be able to maneuver your car and be comfortable and keep it off the wall for at least 400 miles so that you can be around at the end. So, we’ll try to take care of our car and make sure we do everything right and get our car adjusted so that we’re ready for the last 100 miles of the race.”

    There was plenty of suspense throughout the three rounds of knockout qualifying.Denny Hamlin, pole winner for Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race at the Lady in Black, had to bump his way into the top 24 late in the opening round.

    Three-time Darlington winner Jimmie Johnson was the last driver to punch a ticket to the second round, bumping Matt DiBenedetto by .009 seconds for the 24th spot. But Johnson’s run ended with a 19th-place run in the second session.

    Trying to squeeze enough speed out of her No. 10 Chevrolet, Danica Patrick tagged the outside wall during her final run in the first round, forcing the team to roll out a backup car. Accordingly, Patrick will start from the rear of the field on Sunday.

    Fast in Friday’s practice, Greg Biffle also sustained damage to his No. 16 Ford after contact with the wall in the second round. Biffle was credited with a 24th-place qualifying effort, and his team opted to try to repair the car, rather than resorting to a backup.

    Note: Josh Wise, Timmy Hill and Travis Kvapil failed to make the 43-car field.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Darlington Raceway

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Darlington Raceway

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the XFINITY Series head to Darlington Raceway for a Labor Day racing weekend. All on-track action can be seen on NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. The Camping World Truck Series is off this weekend.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Sept. 4:

    On Track:

    11 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    1-1:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    3-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    4:30-6:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    6:30 p.m.: NASCAR America Live – NBCSN

    GarageCam: (Watch live)
    10:30 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series
    12:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    9:40 a.m.: Chase Elliott
    9:55 a.m.: Joey Logano
    10:15 a.m.: Matt Kenseth
    1:30 p.m.: Aric Almirola
    2 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    2:30 p.m.: Bill Elliott

    Saturday, Sept. 5:

    On Track:

    11:45 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    1 p.m.: NASCAR America Live – NBCSN
    1:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    3 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series: Countdown to Green – NBC
    3:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 (147 laps, 200.8 miles) – NBC/Live Extra

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    2:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying
    5:45 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race

    Sunday, Sept. 6:

    On Track:

    5 p.m.: NASCAR America Sunday – NBCSN
    6 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Countdown to Green – NBCSN
    7 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 (367 laps, 501.3 miles) -NBC/Live Extra
    11 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap – NBCSN
    Midnight: NASCAR Victory Lane – FOX Sports 1

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    11 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Race

     

  • Logano Holds Off Harvick to Defend Bristol Night Race Title

    Logano Holds Off Harvick to Defend Bristol Night Race Title

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    BRISTOL, Tenn. – With Kevin Harvick hounding him mercilessly for 63 laps, Joey Logano kept his No. 22 Team Penske Ford out front after taking the lead on a Lap 438 restart and held on to win Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.Successfully defending last year’s victory at Thunder Valley, Logano won his third race of the season, his second at the .533-mile short track and the 11th of his career.Harvick recovered from two pit road speeding penalties to finish second, a mere .220 seconds behind Logano. Polesitter Denny Hamlin ran third, and Clint Bowyer got a much-needed fourth place result in his No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota.

    It was a fascinating Chase over the final 63 laps, as Harvick would bury his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet into the corner at the top of the track, catch Logano in the turns and watch as Logano dived to the bottom on corner exit and pull away.

    “There’s not much time to look in the rearview mirror, but I realized how different his line was than mine,” Logano said. “He’d drive in so hard and almost get to my back bumper, and then I’d drive off really good.

    “It’s kind of interesting to watch a race like that when two cars are a similar speed, but in two completely different ways. That’s what’s so fun about Bristol is you can drive the car about five or six different ways and make it fast, so it’s fun to race here.”

    Harvick said Logano’s ability to diamond the corner gave the Ford an advantage when it came to working traffic.

    “He was just one step ahead of me in traffic,” Harvick said. “I couldn’t get my car to rotate across the center like I needed it to, and every time I tried to force it, it would snap the back out. He was able to go in really high and before the center of the corner drive down the corner and I was just having to wait just a split second to be able to put the throttle back down, and I couldn’t do that, that huge diamond all the way to the bottom like he could, and that was really beneficial for him through traffic…

    “He was able to get those huge runs up off the exit of the corner and just stayed one step ahead of me through traffic, I felt like, and in clean air we probably were a little faster, but it didn’t really matter. I had to be in front of him to show that.”

    Brad Keselowski came home fifth, followed by Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, who led a race-high 192 laps but was hit with a pit road speeding penalty on his last stop under yellow on Lap 432.

    Logano took over from there and racked up 176 laps out front in a race that saw 14 lead changes among five drivers. The runner-up finish was Harvick’s 10th of the season.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished ninth, followed by Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray, who solidified their positions in the fight for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berths on points. McMurray and Newman are 10th and 11th in the standings, respectively, the highest-scored drivers without a victory this season.

    Given that there have been only 11 different winners in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this year, at least three drivers are certain to qualify for the Chase on points.

    Kyle Busch, a four-time winner, and 29th in the standings, also moved closer to locking up a Chase berth, padding his advantage to 46 points over 31st-place Cole Whitt. Busch, who missed the first 11 events of the season because of injury, must remain in the top 30 for the next two races to qualify for the Chase.

    Busch wasn’t pleased when NASCAR flagged him for the speeding penalty, but he made a masterful drive from the rear of the field to eighth place.

    “I was proud of Kyle, keeping his cool and getting back up, because I think that gave us some more points, some more cushion there,” team owner Joe Gibbs said. “I think he’s doing a really good job of focusing and not losing his poise.”

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – IRWIN Tools Night Race
    Bristol Motor Speedway
    Bristol, Tennessee
    Saturday, August 22, 2015

    1. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 500, $365198.
    2. (7) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 500, $262605.
    3. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 500, $195330.
    4. (10) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 500, $190166.
    5. (9) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 500, $166213.
    6. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 500, $167786.
    7. (3) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 500, $121995.
    8. (2) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 500, $175286.
    9. (20) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 500, $135970.
    10. (18) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 500, $145670.
    11. (21) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 500, $142826.
    12. (14) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 500, $138468.
    13. (16) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 500, $147896.
    14. (11) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 499, $124060.
    15. (22) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 498, $150985.
    16. (19) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 498, $122685.
    17. (31) Aric Almirola, Ford, 497, $150171.
    18. (26) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 497, $133905.
    19. (40) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 497, $134049.
    20. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 496, $151521.
    21. (8) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 496, $113535.
    22. (15) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 496, $101285.
    23. (28) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 496, $128468.
    24. (29) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 496, $111635.
    25. (17) Greg Biffle, Ford, 496, $134018.
    26. (25) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 495, $130818.
    27. (32) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 495, $109440.
    28. (23) Martin Truex Jr, Chevrolet, 495, $127175.
    29. (33) Cole Whitt, Ford, 495, $112278.
    30. (27) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, 495, $103385.
    31. (30) Michael McDowell, Ford, 495, $97275.
    32. (36) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 494, $109712.
    33. (42) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 493, $99555.
    34. (38) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, 492, $96895.
    35. (34) Josh Wise, Ford, 491, $96760.
    36. (37) David Gilliland, Ford, 488, $104675.
    37. (43) Mike Bliss(i), Chevrolet, 486, $96505.
    38. (39) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 480, $91228.
    39. (41) Timmy Hill(i), Ford, 476, $87165.
    40. (4) David Ragan, Toyota, Accident, 443, $110479.
    41. (12) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Accident, 356, $107073.
    42. (13) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, Engine, 110, $112101.
    43. (35) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, Engine, 0, $71665.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 96.89 mph.
    Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 45 Mins, 02 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.220 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 8 for 52 laps.
    Lead Changes: 14 among 5 drivers.


    Lap Leaders: D. Hamlin 1-26; Kyle Busch 27-52; D. Hamlin 53; Kyle Busch 54-127; D. Hamlin 128-154; Kyle Busch 155-224; J. Logano 225-252; C. Edwards 253-280; Kyle Busch 281-302; C. Edwards 303-345; J. Logano 346-350; C. Edwards 351-353; J. Logano 354-432; B. Keselowski 433-436; J. Logano 437-500.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Busch 4 times for 192 laps; J. Logano 4 times for 176 laps; C. Edwards 3 times for 74 laps; D. Hamlin 3 times for 54 laps; B. Keselowski 1 time for 4 laps.

    Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick – 908; J. Logano – 865; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 819; B. Keselowski – 793; J. Johnson – 792; M. Truex Jr – 771; M. Kenseth – 753; Kurt Busch – 713; D. Hamlin – 712; J. McMurray – 696; R. Newman – 683; P. Menard – 674; J. Gordon – 672; C. Edwards – 666; C. Bowyer – 655; A. Almirola – 620.

     

  • Hamlin Wins Coors Light Pole at Bristol

    Hamlin Wins Coors Light Pole at Bristol

    By Reid Spencer|NASCAR Wire Service

    BRISTOL, Tenn. – If it’s pole day in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Joe Gibbs Racing must be celebrating.

    Denny Hamlin powered his No. 11 Toyota around .533-mile Bristol Motor Speedway in 14.602 seconds (131.407 mph) on Friday to win the pole for Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race (on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET).

    In breaking Kevin Harvick’s August 2014 track qualifying record by .005 seconds, Hamlin won his second Coors Light Pole Award of the season, his third at Bristol and the 22nd of his career.

    JGR swept the top three spots in qualifying for the second straight week, having accomplished the feat last Saturday on the two-mile track at Michigan International Speedway. The pole was JGR’s fifth straight on an oval track (AJ Allmendinger, in a JTG Daugherty Chevrolet, claimed the top starting spot for the Aug. 9 race on the road course at Watkins Glen).

    Hamlin edged teammate Kyle Busch (131.263 mph) by .016 seconds. Carl Edwards (130.655 mph) took the third starting spot, followed by David Ragan in a Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota (130.460 mph) and Joey Logano in a Team Penske Ford (130.344 mph).

    Hamlin also won the pole for Friday night’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race.

    “To have that two nights in a row here is hopefully going to pay dividends,” Hamlin said. “We’re excited. Bristol’s been a great track for me in the past, and we’ve got nothing to lose this weekend, just gearing up for the Chase, so I think our FedEx team’s ready.”

    Hamlin has a victory at Bristol in addition to his two poles, and with a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup position guaranteed by virtue of his victory at Martinsville in April, he can go all-out for a win on Saturday night without fear of consequences.

    Busch fought handling issues in the final two rounds of knockout qualifying and went for broke on his final attempt in the last round.

    “We were just a little too free there the second segment and the first run of the third segment,” Busch said. “It’s a little edgy up there, so you try not to push too hard, but still make a good lap and come back safely.

    “Then there at the end we tried a ‘Hail Mary’ and it worked. It picked us up speed, but it didn’t pick us up that spot.”

    Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Clint Bowyer andJimmie Johnson grabbed the sixth through 10th spots on the grid, respectively. The qualifying effort was Stenhouse’s best of the year.

    Jeff Gordon will start 24th in his last race at Bristol as a full-time Sprint Cup driver.

    Travis Kvapil, Jeb Burton and Reed Sorenson failed to make the 43-car field.

    Irwin Tools Night Race Starting Lineup:

     

    bristolstartinglineup

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Bristol Motor Speedway

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Bristol Motor Speedway

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series all head to Bristol Motor Speedway this week. Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series practices, qualifying sessions and races can be seen on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. Camping World Truck Series events will be televised on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2. Please see the full schedule below.

    All times are Eastern.

    Wednesday, Aug. 19:

    On Track:

    11 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
    4:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 2
    5 p.m.: NASCAR America – NBCSN
    6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub – FOX Sports 1
    6:15 p.m.: Whelen Modified Tour Bush’s Beans 150 (150 laps, 79.95 miles)
    8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 presented by ZLOOP (200 laps, 106.6 miles) – FOX Sports 1

    Friday, Aug. 21:

    On Track:

    9-11:25 a.m.: XFINITY Series final practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    1:30-2:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/Live Extra
    3:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    5 p.m.: NASCAR America Live – NBCSN
    5:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    7 p.m.: XFINITY Series Countdown to Green – NBCSN
    7:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Food City 300 (300 laps, 159.9 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    10:15 a.m.: AJ Allmendinger
    10:30 a.m.: Matt Kenseth
    10:45 a.m.: Clint Bowyer
    1 p.m.: Elliott Sadler
    3:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    6:45 p.m.: Post-NSCS Qualifying Press Conference
    9:45 p.m.: Post-NXS Race Press Conference

    Saturday, Aug. 22:

    On Track:

    5 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay: Bristol – FOX Sports 2
    6 p.m.: NASCAR America Saturday – NBCSN
    7 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series: Countdown to Green – NBCSN
    7:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Irwin Tools Night Race (500 laps, 266.5 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra
    11 p.m.: NASCAR Post-Race Show – NBCSN
    Midnight: NASCAR Victory Lane – FOX Sports 1

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    10:45 p.m.: Post-NSCS Race Press Conferences

  • Matt Kenseth Cruises To Dominant Sprint Cup Victory At Michigan

    Matt Kenseth Cruises To Dominant Sprint Cup Victory At Michigan

    By Reid Spencer

    BROOKLYN, Mich.—From Matt Kenseth’s point of view, the competition package NASCAR used at Michigan International Speedway could well have had a big, bright bow on it.

    The Coors Light Polesitter for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, Kenseth quickly exhibited his mastery of the high-drag aerodynamic package, leading 146 of 200 laps in winning for the third time this season, the third time at Michigan and the 34th time in his career.

    The 2003 premier series champion had to survive a restart with 13 laps left, after Jimmie Johnson spun off Turn 4 to cause the eighth and final caution of the race. With a push from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, Kenseth cleared Kevin Harvick after the Lap 187 restart and went on to win by 1.722 seconds.

    “Denny did a spectacular job pushing me,” Kenseth said of the last run. “From the restart zone to about Turn 2 was like a superspeedway race–whoever got locked up—and those Chevys could really hook up.

    “Denny did a heck of a job giving me a good push there to get by. Honestly, the toughest one was with the 3 (Dillon, with the two drivers swapping the lead after a restart on Lap 131). We went back and forth a few times and made some contact there, and it was hard to get away from him. My car took about five laps to get going, but once it got going, it was pretty stellar.”

    Harvick ran out of fuel under green on Lap 114 but recovered to finish second. Martin Truex Jr. ran third, followed by Austin Dillon (who started from the rear of the field after an engine change) and Hamlin.

    Kenseth’s victory was the fifth for Joe Gibbs Racing in the last six Sprint Cup races but Kenseth stopped short of declaring the JGR cars the favorites for the series championship this year. There are three regular-season races left before the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs start at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 20.

    “It’s early to talk favorites—there’s so much racing to do, and there are 16 teams (in the Chase) that are capable of winning races on a weekly basis as well as a championship,” Kenseth said. “It’s one week at a time like always.

    “It’s been a great week, and we’ve had a great couple months. We definitely have some momentum built. The guys gave us a rocket today and gave us rockets the last couple months. We’re just going to work hard to try to keep it rolling.”

    Harvick, the reigning series champion, has finished second in five of his last six starts at Michigan, and he notched his seventh runner-up result since winning his second race of the season at Phoenix in March.

    “We had an up and down day, that’s for sure,” Harvick said. “The first half of the race or so (we) really struggled with the handling of the car. The guys did a great job of getting that, and then ran out of gas and came back and didn’t lose a lap and were able to have a good enough handling car to drive back up through there.

    “Just really proud of my team and everything that they did. I didn’t have anything for the 20 (Kenseth) today, but for everything that we overcame, it was still a good day.”

    Despite starting from the rear of the field, Kyle Busch finished 11th, solidified his position in the top 30 in points and moved closer to a spot in the Chase. Now 29th in the standings, Busch leads 30th-place Justin Allgaier by 18 points and 31st-place Cole Whitt by 23.

    A four-time winner since returning from an 11-race injury absence, Busch must be in the top 30 after 26 races to lock up a spot in the Chase.

    Clint Bowyer’s Chase hopes took the hardest hit on Sunday. After running consistently in the top five, Bowyer’s No. 15 Toyota bounced off the outside backstretch wall on Lap 126—the result of contact with Ryan Newman’s Chevrolet—and careened into the inside wall.

    Bowyer finished 41st and dropped one position in the standings to 15th, 23 points ahead of Aric Almirola in 16th and 26 ahead of Kasey Kahne in 17th. Bowyer currently is in the final Chase-eligible position. If the next three races produce one or more unique winners, however, his Chase spot could be in serious jeopardy.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Pure Michigan 400
    Michigan International Speedway
    Brooklyn, Michigan
    Sunday, August 16, 2015

    1. (1) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 200, $226586.

    2. (7) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 200, $185285.

    3. (22) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 200, $137130.

    4. (4) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $150746.

    5. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200, $114000.

    6. (3) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 200, $97890.

    7. (10) Joey Logano, Ford, 200, $137348.

    8. (17) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 200, $130540.

    9. (14) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 200, $141756.

    10. (9) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 200, $107415.

    11. (6) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 200, $132906.

    12. (24) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 200, $98790.

    13. (34) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200, $118098.

    14. (30) Aric Almirola, Ford, 200, $126501.

    15. (11) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 200, $103615.

    16. (18) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 200, $118431.

    17. (21) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 200, $132826.

    18. (13) David Ragan, Toyota, 200, $114879.

    19. (15) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 200, $113610.

    20. (16) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 199, $102340.

    21. (5) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 199, $113754.

    22. (25) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 198, $127390.

    23. (20) Greg Biffle, Ford, 198, $117023.

    24. (19) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 198, $82390.

    25. (23) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 198, $93415.

    26. (27) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 198, $93015.

    27. (35) Cole Whitt, Ford, 198, $102823.

    28. (26) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 198, $115573.

    29. (28) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 197, $106398.

    30. (32) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 197, $98798.

    31. (33) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 197, $93062.

    32. (36) David Gilliland, Ford, 197, $88915.

    33. (29) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, 197, $80840.

    34. (38) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, 197, $80740.

    35. (39) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 197, $80565.

    36. (31) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 196, $80515.

    37. (41) Josh Wise, Ford, 196, $80454.

    38. (37) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, 194, $75877.

    39. (8) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 190, $119741.

    40. (42) Travis Kvapil(i), Chevrolet, 190, $67805.

    41. (12) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 164, $97963.

    42. (40) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, Overheating, 51, $67805.

    43. (43) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, Parked, 9, $56305.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 143.455 mph.
    Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 47 Mins, 18 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.722 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 8 for 31 laps.
    Lead Changes: 16 among 8 drivers.
    Lap Leaders: M. Kenseth 1-22; A. Dillon 23-40; M. Kenseth 41-59; J. Gordon 60; Kyle Busch 61-62; M. Kenseth 63-75; C. Bowyer 76; M. Kenseth 77-98; K. Harvick 99-113; C. Edwards 114-116; M. Kenseth 117-122; C. Edwards 123-124; A. Dillon 125; M. Kenseth 126-164; Kyle Busch 165-172; A. Almirola 173-175; M. Kenseth 176-200.
    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Kenseth 7 times for 146 laps; A. Dillon 2 times for 19 laps; K. Harvick 1 time for 15 laps; Kyle Busch 2 times for 10 laps; C. Edwards 2 times for 5 laps; A. Almirola 1 time for 3 laps; C. Bowyer 1 time for 1 lap; J. Gordon 1 time for 1 lap.
    Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick – 866; J. Logano – 818; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 784; M. Truex Jr. – 755; B. Keselowski – 754; J. Johnson – 752; M. Kenseth – 751; Kurt Busch – 683; D. Hamlin – 670; J. Mcmurray – 663; P. Menard – 654; R. Newman – 649; J. Gordon – 648; C. Edwards – 628; C. Bowyer – 616; A. Almirola – 593.

  • Kenseth Wins Coors Light Pole at Michigan

    Kenseth Wins Coors Light Pole at Michigan

    By Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service

    BROOKLYN, Mich. — Matt Kenseth’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota crew woke a sleeping giant just in time for qualifying for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN) at Michigan International Speedway.

    But Kenseth jokingly credited a sleepless night — brought on by worry over teammate Denny Hamlin’s lack of punctuality — for his pole-winning effort in Friday’s time trials at the two-mile track.

    Getting the most out of the high-drag aerodynamic package in force at the event at Michigan, Kenseth covered the distance in 36.458 seconds (197.488 mph) to win his third Coors Light Pole Award of the season, his first at MIS and the 16th of his career.

    Hamlin (196.990 mph) was second fastest, and Carl Edwards (196.276 mph) claimed the third starting spot, as Joe Gibbs Racing swept the top three positions on the grid for the 23rd Sprint Cup race of the season.

    Austin Dillon (195.918 mph) qualified fourth as the top Chevrolet in the field, followed by Tony Stewart (195.477 mph) in a Chevrolet and Kyle Busch (195.450 mph) in the fourth JGR Toyota. Joey Logano, last week’s winner at Watkins Glen, qualified 10th as the only Ford driver to crack the top 12.

    Based on practice speed, Edwards was a favorite to win the pole, but Kenseth, who was 10th on the speed chart in the opening practice session, closed the gap in time from qualifying.

    “We were a long ways off Carl in practice, and I don’t even know what changes they made, but they changed a lot of stuff that really woke this thing up and had some speed,” Kenseth said. “I knew I got through (Turns) 1 and 2 good, but Denny put up such a fast lap, and I got into (Turn) 3, and I was bound and determined that I was going to make it wide open.

    “I had the first half of the corner. It was the second half that was starting to get exciting. I got sliding up the track and bogged down a little bit. I wasn’t sure that we were going have it, but I have to say thanks to those guys (the crew). They gave me a car with a lot of speed.”

    In Hamlin’s view, Busch’s return from an injury has achieved a critical mass of four talented, veteran drivers at JGR who can benefit from each other’s expertise.

    “When you have drivers that you can feed off of, like the three teammates that I have, it makes a difference, and so that’s where you’re seeing the results,” Hamlin said.

    That didn’t prevent the driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry from throwing a barb toward the 43-year-old teammate who beat him for the pole.

    “Matt was probably too old to remember to lift there,” Hamlin said of Kenseth’s qualifying run.

    Kenseth provided a different perspective.

    “I could say it’s because I didn’t get enough sleep,” Kenseth said. “I flew up with Denny today, and he likes to come to everything at the last minute. I didn’t sleep last night thinking that we weren’t going to make it up here, so it’s really just for lack of sleep. I get to credit Denny for the pole.”

    Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Logano completed the top 10. Reed Sorenson failed to make the 43-car field.

    Complete Starting Lineup:

    Michigan Pure 400 starting lineup August 2015