Category: RC NASCAR Cup

Race Central NASCAR Cup Series news and information

  • Logano wins pole as Penske sweeps front row for second straight week

    Logano wins pole as Penske sweeps front row for second straight week

    At Phoenix International Raceway, it was Brad Keselowski grabbing the pole with his Team Penske teammate Joey Logano second. This weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it was the opposite as Joey Logano grabbed the pole with Keselowski second.

    Logano would lap the track at 27.939 seconds to score his eighth career Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Award. The lap also marks a new track record for the mile and a half oval.

    “They do a great job,” Logano said. “I told (Keselowski) we’re 1-to-1 now. Two weeks right off the bat to have a front row is awesome for Penske. It’s a privilege to drive these cars. Everything is clicking. Now we just need to put it all together and win the big one.”

    This weekend marked the second time NASCAR has used the Knock-Out Qualifying format for the Sprint Cup Series. In the first 25 minute session, Brian Vickers set the quickest time ahead of Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Austin Dillon and Clint Bowyer. Then in the second session, Logano was quickest ahead of Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex Jr. and Keselowski.

    Keselowski went out and set the quickest time early in the last session, though it was Logano that was able to top it later. Keselowski would end up second, only three hundreths off of the pole.

    “I knew Joey was going to beat it,” he commented. “You know if you leave it out there, your teammate was going to get it. either way, it’s still a great front row – two weeks in a row. It doesn’t feel great to be second, so I know how he felt last week.”

    Clint Bowyer would qualify third for his first top 10 start of 2014, followed by rookie Austin Dillon and Jimmie Johnson. Johnson is looking for his fifth career win at Las Vegas this weekend.

    Last year’s Rookie of the Year Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was second, followed by McMurray, Aric Almirola, Vickers and Ryan Newman.

    Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top 12.

    Kasey Kahne would barely missed getting into the top 12 by a hundreth of a second. The driver of the No. 5 Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet attributed that to not being able to get a solid lap in following wasted time due to a flat tire. Kahne would have a tire go flat and had to wait for NASCAR to allow him to change it with another tire the team had in their inventory.

    “There’s just so much going on down here,” Kahne said. “When we had the flat tire, it took so long to get approved. There was no one around. If there’s going to be this much going on and hectic, they’ve got be aware and have more people knowing what’s going on.”

    Kahne was followed by his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon. Last week’s winner Kevin Harvick would qualify 16th.

    Once again, there were concerns following qualifying with regards to the cooling issues. Team are not allowed to use the cooling machines and as a result, drivers are riding around the apron to cool their cars.

    “Riding the apron has to be done for cooling, but it’s the most dangerous thing I’ve done,” Vickers commented. “If he slips up at all, I’m done. I know we’re all working on it but something needs to be done.”

  • Kevin Harvick Destroys Field for Phoenix Victory

    Kevin Harvick Destroys Field for Phoenix Victory

    Kevin Harvick, though, known as, “The Closer,” for the past couple of seasons, Harvick did it all on Sunday, leading 224 of the 312 laps, as he went on to easily cruise to victory at The Profit for CNBC 500, Presented by Small Business Fueling America.

    Over the offseason, after driving for Richard Childress Racing for 13 years, Kevin Harvick switched to Stewart-Haas Racing. In just his second start with his new team, Harvick has already found his way to victory lane. Harvick’s victory was his 24th in 468 career starts in NASCAR’s elite series. Harvick’s win was his fifth at PIR, leading all drivers.

    “Enthusiasm is contagious at SHR. You are only as good as the people around you,” Harvick said. “It is quite an honor to be apart of that.”

    When asked about the advantages of being a part of SHR, compared to RCR, Harvick mentioned Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, and Danica Patrick. Stewart is a three-time series champion, Kurt Busch won the championship in 2004, and Danica Patrick is a driver that wants to get better. “It’s a hard sport. It’s really hard to win. Celebrate every win like it is your last because you never know when it is going to be your last one.”

    Dale Earnhardt Jr., last weeks Daytona 500 champion, finished second, with Brad Keselowski coming home third. “Got to congratulate Kevin. Those guys were two-tenths faster than everyone during practice. That was just phenomenal,” Earnhardt Jr. said. Before the final caution, Earnhardt Jr., had run his fastest lap of the race. However, Jr., could not make any ground on Harvick on the following restart. “We just didn’t have enough laps,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We needed about ten laps and we did not have ten laps.”

    Brad Keselowski, who swept the poles for the weekend, was third, leading 4 laps. At the tweet up before the race, Keselowski said, “The cars are easier than ever to drive solo, but harder than ever in traffic.” Keselowski led four laps and praised Kevin Harvick on a dominating win.

    Joey Logano finished fourth, following his Team Penske teammate, Keselowski, after a solid weekend in the desert.

    Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finished fifth and sixth, as Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, and Jamie McMurray completing the top 10.

  • Kevin Harvick Tops Morning Practice

    Kevin Harvick Tops Morning Practice

    Kevin Harvick, a four-time winner at Phoenix International Raceway, paced Saturday morning practice, logging in 42 laps during the session, including the quickest one.

    Harvick was simply fast. The driver of the #4 Budweiser Chevrolet was the only driver during the morning practice to break 137 mph at 137.757 mph. Jamie McMurray was second quickest in his No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy with a speed of 136.830, which was just ahead of Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, rookie, Kyle Larson, at 136.380 mph.

    Daytona 500 champion, Dale Earnhatdt Jr., came in fourth with a speed of 136.664 mph, with Brad Keselowski, the pole-sitter for Sundays race, rounding out the top five.

    Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, and Joey Logano, rounded out the top 10.

    Final practice for the Sprint Cup Series is scheduled for 2 p.m ET on Fox Sports 1.

    On Friday afternoon, NASCAR debuted knockout qualifying. Team Penske teammates, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, will lead the field to green on Sunday at The Profit on CNBC 500 presented by Small Business Fueling America. Coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

  • Brad Keselowski Knocks Out Logano for Phoenix Pole

    Brad Keselowski Knocks Out Logano for Phoenix Pole

    Brad Keselowski had a game plan coming into the debut of NASCAR’s version of knockout qualifying. Keselowski turned a lap of 139.384 mph on Friday to set a new track record at Phoenix International Raceway, knocking out fellow Team Penske teammate, Joey Logano.

    It was Keselowski’s fourth career pole and his first since New Hampshire last season. Keselowski ran two laps in the opening segment, placing second behind Logano, then ran five laps in the final segment, which was fast enough for the pole.

    Keselowski said that the new qualifying format fits his style. “I’m curious to see the feedback we get from our fans whether or not they liked it,” Keselowski said. Despite the new format, Keselowski added that he believed, “Nine times out of ten, the fastest cars will be out front.”

    Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won the Daytona 500, last Sunday, rounded out the top five. Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top 12 who survived the first round cut-offs.

    Hamlin, 2012 spring winner at Phoenix, attempted to pull a buzzer beater at the end of the second round. Technically, the ten minutes concluded before Hamlin crossed the finish line to complete his lap. NASCAR allowed the lap to count. However, it did not make a difference in Hamlin’s overall starting position for Sunday.

    Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s Vice President for Competition, came to the media center, to answer questions. When asked about why NASCAR did not allow drivers to cool their engines off on pit road, Pemberton said that some drivers privately told NASCAR, “Do not let anyone talk you into putting cool-down units.” Drivers were forced to coast around the track to cool their engines, in an attempt to save their equipment, as they were not allowed to do so on pit road.

    The overall reaction was mixed for the debut of knockout qualifying. There were people who favored single-car-qualifying, other people loved the new format, others did not understand the format at all, and there were those that were upset about Fox Sports 1 being delayed 13 minutes. It’s going to be fun the rest of this weekend.

  • A Joyous Dale Earnhardt Jr. Holds On for His Second Daytona 500 Victory

    A Joyous Dale Earnhardt Jr. Holds On for His Second Daytona 500 Victory

    Emotions ran high at the end of the 56th Annual Daytona 500 as Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his first victory in the Great American race since 2004. It had been a long ten years since he last won in 2004. The years were filled with plenty of close finishes including three runner-ups, but Earnhardt Jr. could never close the deal. That all changed Sunday night as Earnhardt Jr. held off a storming pack in route to victory lane.

    A very long day began early Sunday afternoon and finished in the late hours of the day. Drivers who finished the race had waited out the rain, survived crashes, and fought like heck for a shot at the victory. They all poured their heart and soul into the biggest race of the year, which gave us all a reminder on just how big this race actually is.

    A long rain delay took up much of the afternoon as drivers, teams, and fans waited six hours, 21 minutes, and 40 seconds from the first rain drops to see the cars finish the event. The wait was well worth it as once the lights went on, action immediately picked up.

    It wasn’t until after the halfway point that Dale Earnhardt Jr. first led the race. After a round of pit stops concluded around Lap 130, it was Earnhardt Jr. out front. Not too long after he took the lead was when the first of four major wrecks of the day unfolded.

    With 55 laps remaining, calamity struck as Kevin Harvick got into Brian Scott coming off of turn 4. Scott drifted up into Aric Almirola, sending Almirola spinning across the track. Almirola tagged Austin Dillon and Danica Patrick as he came down the track, creating chaos all around.

    Other drivers involved included David Gilliland, Michael Waltrip, Paul Menard, Justin Allgaier, Parker Kligerman, Kasey Kahne, Marcos Ambrose, Josh Wise and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Most drivers involved only suffered slight damage, but Waltrip and Gilliland were among the drivers who had to go to the garage.

    The next multi-car incident occurred with 38 laps remaining. Austin Dillon got into Kyle Larson in turn 3, sending Larson’s car around in the middle of the pack. Others piled-in as cars scrambled all around. The wreck also included Marcos Ambrose, Michael Annett, Brian Vickers, Terry Labonte, Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, Brian Scott, and Jamie McMurray. Once again, a majority of the drivers involved suffered little damage and continued racing.

    Earnhardt Jr. led the field on the ensuing restart. He and Greg Biffle had quite the battle for the lead going as they stayed side-by-side for many laps. Biffle’s teammate Carl Edwards was the next to battle Earnhardt Jr. out front, but Earnhardt Jr. figured out a way to maintain the lead.

    The sixth caution of the race was for a third multi-car incident. Again, Austin Dillon was the trigger as he gave teammate Ryan Newman a bump going into turn 3. That sent Newman into the wall and eventually around. Others including Parker Kligerman, Cole Whitt, Brian Scott, Justin Allgaier, and Terry Labonte suffered damage.

    A green-white-checker finish followed as a very long Daytona 500 was set to conclude. Earnhardt Jr. led the inside lane to green as he had to battle Brad Keselowski on the outside. Keselowski couldn’t keep up too well as the outside somewhat faded and Earnhardt Jr. was able to stay in control of the charge at the front.

    Earnhardt Jr. played an incredible amount of defense on the final laps as he had to keep back a hard charging Denny Hamlin and Keselowski. As the fourth and final accident of the day took place behind the leaders off of turn 4, it was Earnhardt Jr. holding off Hamlin to the line.

    The victory was Earnhardt Jr.’s first since the June 2012 race at Michigan. The win also marked Earnhardt Jr.’s second Daytona 500 victory and first in ten years.

    “I didn’t know if I’d ever get the chance to feel that (Daytona 500 victory) again” Earnhardt Jr. said in victory lane. He then elaborated about trying so hard over the past few years and finally getting the elusive victory.

    The free-for-all feeling this Daytona 500 had to it wasn’t just for fun as it marked the beginning of the new season. The season of winning it could be called as wins are a driver’s ticket to the Chase. Dale Earnhardt Jr. likely punched his ticket into the postseason with this victory.

    After winning both the Sprint Unlimited and the Budweiser Duel, Hamlin would finish second in the Daytona 500, followed by Brad Keselowski and Hendrick Motorsports teammmates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

    Matt Kenseth finished sixth, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Greg Biffle, Austin Dillon and Casey Mears.

  • Showers put Daytona 500 under rain delay; race to restart at 8:30pm EST

    Showers put Daytona 500 under rain delay; race to restart at 8:30pm EST

    On lap 39 at 2:13 p.m. EST, the 56th annual Daytona 500 was red-flagged as light rain fell from the sky.

    A steady rain has continued to fall, with NASCAR sending the Air Titan track drying system on track at 4:17 p.m. EST. However, the rain stopped around 6:30 and NASCAR has been working since to get the racing surface dry to finish off the biggest race of the season.

    NASCAR announced at approximately 7 p.m. that they are planning to resume the race at 8:30 p.m. EST. NASCAR allowed teams to send out two crew members to remove the tarps from the cars, clean windshield, remove tape and hook up generators at 8 p.m. EST. NASCAR added that teams will be allowed to adjust tire pressure closer to the restart time and drivers also can change visor on their helmet.

    Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch is the current leader after starting 37th due to a poor qualifying effort. Busch won the Camping World Truck Series opener on Friday night. Kasey Kahne is second, followed by Denny Hamlin, Brian Vickers and Paul Menard.

    So far, the race has been slowed by a pair of cautions with the first caution flying due to debris after Kyle Larson got into the outside wall. The second caution would fly at lap 35 for Martin Truex Jr. blowing his motor.

    “Super disappointing,” Truex said, who was competing in his first points race for Furniture Row Racing. “I mean it’s definitely a tough break for the team. The car was super-fast today and I went to bed last night thinking that this was my best shot ever to win the Daytona 500. The car was just so good and we were just riding around, biding our time, being patient and trying to get to the end of this thing.”

    Truex Jr. qualified second for the race and was scheduled to start on the front row, though had to start the race in the rear due to being involved in a wreck in the Budweiser Duel.

  • Budweiser Duels Set the Field for the Daytona 500

    Budweiser Duels Set the Field for the Daytona 500

    Duel #1 

    The first Budweiser Duel was a fairly uneventful race. Austin Dillon took the lead at the start and most drivers lined up behind him in more of a “freight train” race. Kevin Harvick and A.J. Allmendinger were on the move with Allmendinger being fairly aggressive in his racecar. Reed Sorenson ended his race after a flat tire caused by issues with a brake caliper that sent him to the garage by halfway.

    Matt Kenseth took the lead from Dillon and pretty much never looked back. Dale Earnhardt Jr. gambled on not taking any tires on his pit stop, even though he slid pretty good getting into his pits and flat spotted his tires, hanging on to see if the tires would hold out until the end of the race. The race itself was caution free, with an exciting finish between Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, and Kasey Kahne, with Matt Kenseth coming out the victor of the first duel.

    It was announced after the race that Kevin Harvick’s car had failed post race inspection which will send him to the rear of the field for the Daytona 500.

    Duel #2

    Brad Keselowski took off in the lead and for a while it looked like he was going to be the driver to beat. For the most part the drivers once again were pretty much single file. Kurt Busch had a good run along Landon Cassill and Casey Mears, however Mears would run out of gas with two laps to go. Pit stops took place with 24 laps to go out of the 60 lap race. This would put the end to Brad Keselowski’s good run as he was caught leaving pit road too fast and had to make a drive through penalty.

    When pit stops were done, Denny Hamlin emerged as the new leader and took control of the race. As the final laps neared the drivers started to jockey for position and it was only a matter of time before something happened. On the last lap Jimmie Johnson was in the outside lane and ran out of gas triggering a seven car pile-up which would send Clint Bowyer upside down but luckily landing on all four tires instead of flipping more. Other cars involved were Michael Waltrip who took a pretty hard hit into the inside wall, Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards, David Ragan, and Martin Truex Jr. After the smoke cleared Denny Hamlin was declared the winner.

    In closing, seven out of the eight rookies did make it into the Daytona 500. Failing to make the field was Eric McClure, Ryan Truex, Joe Nemechek, Morgan Shepherd, and Michael McDowell. Several cars from the second duel will more than likely need to go to their back up cars sending them to the rear of the field for the Daytona 500 Sunday.

    Official Starting Lineup for the Daytona 500 per nascar.com

    Drivers marked with “#” signifies a rookie; a “(i)” signifies a driver is not eligible to earn points

    Pos No. Driver Sponsor
    1 3 Austin Dillon # DOW Chevrolet
    2 78 Martin Truex. Jr. Furniture Row Chevrolet
    3 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota
    4 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
    5 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
    6 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
    7 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
    8 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet
    9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard Chevrolet
    10 27 Paul Menard Peak/Menards Chevrolet
    11 98 Josh Wise Curb Records Ford
    12 33 Brian Scott (i) Whitetail Chevrolet
    13 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford
    14 21 Trevor Bayne (i) Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
    15 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger/USO Chevrolet
    16 42 Kyle Larson # Target Chevrolet
    17 38 David Gilliland Love’s Travel Stops Ford
    18 40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman Racing Chevrolet
    19 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet
    20 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota
    21 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
    22 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet
    23 26 Cole Whitt # Speed Stick Gear Toyota
    24 32 Terry Labonte C&J Energy Services Ford
    25 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
    26 52 Bobby Labonte Phoenix Construction Chevrolet
    27 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet
    28 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet
    29 23 Alex Bowman # Dr. Pepper Toyota
    30 99 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford
    31 55 Brian Vickers Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota
    32 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet
    33 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford
    34 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Nationwide Insurance Ford
    35 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford
    36 7 Michael Annett # Pilot/Flying J Travel Centers Chevrolet
    37 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota
    38 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
    39 36 Reed Sorenson Golden Corral Chevrolet
    40 51 Justin Allgaier # Brandt Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
    41 30 Parker Kligerman # Swan Energy Toyota
    42 66 Michael Waltrip BlueDEF/AAA Toyota
    43 34 David Ragan CSX – Play It Safe Ford

    Failed to qualify: No. 35 Eric McClure, No. 83 Ryan Truex, No. 87 Joe Nemechek, No. 93 Morgan Shepherd, No. 95 Michael McDowell

    Withdrew: No. 77 Dave Blaney

     

     

  • Lap by Lap: Budweiser Duel 2 won by Denny Hamlin

    Lap by Lap: Budweiser Duel 2 won by Denny Hamlin

    Denny Hamlin would hold off Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon to win the second Budweiser Duel as a wreck happened behind them after Johnson ran out of fuel.

     

    Lap 1 Truex leads ahead of Jeff Gordon

    Lap 2 Truex and Keselowski side-by-side for the lead down the backstretch.

    Lap 3 Keselowski to the lead ahead of Truex

    Lap 5 Keselowski leads as Hamlin and Gordon are side-by-side for second. Keselowski pulls ahead with Gordon and Edwards in toe.

    Lap 8 Keselowski leads Edwards Gordon Scott

    Lap 13 Keselowski leads Edwards Gordon Scott KuBusch Cassill Mears Regan Larson McMurray

    Lap 17 Larson pulls out of line – McMurray goes by for ninth.

    25 to go A whole whack of the field pit including leader Keselowski. He brings Edwards, Gordon, Johnson, McMurray, KuBusch off pit road. Hamlin leads

    24 to go Hamlin heads down pit road with Mears

    23 to go Keselowski too fast off pit road – he will have to serve a penalty. Hamlin keeps the lead.

    22 to go McClure heads down pit road. Hamlin leads Keselowski (who needs to serve penalty), KuBusch, Gordon. Keselowski ducks down pit road to serve his penalty. Hamlin leads KuBusch and Gordon.

    20 to go Hamlin leads as Gordon and Johnson run side-by-side for the lead. Keselowski got a flat tire while serving his penalty

    19 to go Hamlin leads KuBusch and Gordon

    15 to go Hamlin leads KuBusch Gordon Johnson McMurray

    2 to go Mears, in a transfer spot, is out of gas.

    Coming to the flag……big huge wreck. Truex, Johnson, McMurray, Bowyer, M Waltrip, Ragan, Edwards. Bowyer did a barrel roll in the air. Started due to contact with McMurray and Johnson; Johnson commented that he was out of fuel and trying to get out of the way.

    Denny Hamlin crosses the finish line ahead of Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Paul Menard.

  • Lap by Lap: Budweiser Duel 1 won by Matt Kenseth

    Lap by Lap: Budweiser Duel 1 won by Matt Kenseth

    Matt Kenseth would hold off an impressive move on the last lap by Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne to win the first of the two Budweiser Duels at Daytona International Speedway.

     

    Lap 1 Dillon and Biffle side-by-side for the lead. Dillon ahead by a car as Earnhardt and Biffle are side-by-side for second.

    Lap 4 Dillon leads Earnhardt Ambrose Harvick

    Lap 12 Dillon leads Earnhardt Ambrose Harvick Allmendinger Gilliland Whitt Wise Logano Stewart

    Lap 14 Kenseth starts a line on the bottom while the top five run single-file.

    Lap 15 Dillon leads Earnhardt and Ambrose while Kenseth and Harvick are side-by-side. Kenseth moves a little head and Harvick slams down behind Kenseth. Earnhardt slides down in front of Kenseth and takes the lead from Dillon. Earnhardt leads Kenseth Harvick.

    Lap 16 Sorenson has to bring his car to pit road as the engine doesn’t sound good.

    Lap 17 Earnhardt leads Kenseth Harvick Almirola

    Lap 18 Earnhardt leads as Kenseth and Almirola are side-by-side for second. Down the back, Earnhardt pulls ahead with Kenseth and Harvick in toe.

    Lap 24 Earnhardt and Harvick side-by-side for the lead

    Lap 25 Earnhardt leads Kenseth Kahne Biffle

    Lap 28 Kenseth takes the lead from Earnhardt

    Lap 29 Kenseth leads as Earnhardt and Biffle are side-by-side

    Lap 32 Kenseth leads Earnhardt Ambrose

    24 to go Kenseth leads a group down pit road including Ambrose Biffle Harvick KyBusch Stewart. Earnhardt to the lead

    23 to go Earnhardt leads the second group down pit road ahead of Kahne Stenhouse Newman Whitt.

    20 to go Kenseth leads with help from the lap car of McDowell. Harvick runs second with pack two.

    18 to go Harvick chases the lap car out so he is on Kenseth’s bumper. Kahne runs third followed by Ambrose Almirola Wise Kligerman

    12 to go Kenseth leads Harvick

    10 to go

    9 to go Kenseth leads Harvick Kahne Ambrose Earnhardt Newman Logano Vickers Patrick Allmendinger

    5 to go Logano pulls out of the single-file train to o for the lead.

    4 to o Kenseth leads Harvick Kahne Earnhardt Ambrose

    FL Harvick pulls out, Kahne makes it three-wide

    Kenseth wins ahead of Harvick by 2 one-hundreths of a second, Kahne third by 6 one-hundreths of a second. Ambrose. Earnhardt. Wise. Almirola. Gilliland. Newman. Stewart. Whitt. Bifle. Patrick. Bowman.

    To the house: Vickers, Logano, Kligerman, Dillon, Stenhouse, KyBusch, McDowell, Nemechek, Sorenson.

    Dillon is of course locked in to the front row pole spot via his qualifying effort last Sunday.

    With Stewart locking himself in, that opens up the champion’s provisional to Kurt Busch

  • Denny Hamlin leads Budweiser Duel final practice

    Denny Hamlin leads Budweiser Duel final practice

    In the final practice of the Budweiser Duel, Denny Hamlin would lead the speed charts with a lap of 45.096 seconds.

    Hamlin dominated the Sprint Unlimited last Saturday, dominating on his way to victory after a three-wide pass late in the race. Hamlin will look to win his Budweiser Duel as he will start 11th in the second of the two races that set the line-up for the Daytona 500.

    Kasey, who starts 11th in the first Duel, was second fastest at a lap of 45.097 seconds. Michael Waltrip was third fastest, followed by the Roush-Fenway Fords of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Greg Biffle.

    Front Row Motorsports’ Eric McClure was sixth as he looks to start his first Daytona 500, followed by Clint Bowyer, Brian Scott, Matt Kenseth and pole sitter Austin Dillon.

    While the first practice session had a pair of wrecks, the second session ran clean.

    The Budweiser Duels will take to the track at 7 p.m. EST tomorrow night. Fox Sports 1 will have the race live on television while MRN Radio will be doing the live radio broadcast.