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Race Central NASCAR Cup Series news and information

  • Larson Fastest at New Hampshire in First Practice

    Larson Fastest at New Hampshire in First Practice

    Kyle Larson topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 28.430 and a speed of 133.971 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was second in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 28.591 and a speed of 133.217 mph. Kyle Busch was third in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 28.607 and a speed of 133.142 mph. Ryan Blaney was fourth in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 28.672 and a speed of 132.840 mph. Jamie McMurray rounded out the top-five in his No. 1 Ganassi Chevrolet with a time of 28.703 and a speed of 132.697 mph.

    Denny Hamlin, who posted the 25th-fastest single lap, ran the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 130.047 mph.

    With 20 minutes to go in the session, Hamlin got loose exiting Turn 4, spun down the track and hit the inside wall head-on. His team elected to roll out his backup car.

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  • New Hampshire – Did You Know?

    New Hampshire – Did You Know?

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend for the Overton’s 301. There are 39 drivers entered into the event with only eight regular season races remaining before the playoffs begin.

    Rusty Wallace won the inaugural Cup Series race at New Hampshire, the Slick 50 300, in a Penske Pontiac on July 11, 1993, after starting from 33rd place. It was his fifth win of the year but Wallace would go on to capture five more, giving him his most victories in a single season, with 10. It was his only win at the Loudon, New Hampshire track.

    But did you know that the first race at New Hampshire was also Davey Allison’s final race? He finished third, behind Wallace and Mark Martin, scoring his sixth top five of ’93. The following day Allison lost his life in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway.

    There have been 44 Cup Series events at New Hampshire, one each year from 1993 through 1996, with two per year since then. Twenty-four different drivers have won at the 1.058-mile track. Among active drivers, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman lead with three wins each. Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch are also multiple winners with two victories each. But did you know that Jeff Burton leads all drivers with four trips to Victory Lane at Loudon?

    As the regular season draws to a close, capturing a checkered flag may be the only ticket into the playoffs. For Bowyer (15th), Kenseth (16th) and Logano (17th), time is running out. Kenseth is the defending race winner and after losing his ride with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018, he may have the most to prove.

    Winning the Coors Light Pole could be a key element in accomplishing that goal. Did you know that the pole is the most proficient starting position at New Hampshire? Five of the 44 races (11.3 percent) have been won from first place while another three have been won from second place.

    Denny Hamlin could also benefit from a victory. He’s currently 14th in the playoff picture and he goes into New Hampshire with the best driver rating of 102.7 along with two wins, eight top fives and 13 top 10s.

    Jimmie Johnson can never be counted out especially with three previous wins, 10 top fives, one pole and the second-best driver rating (101.0). Brad Keselowski has the third-best driver rating (99.3) with one win in 2014, six top fives and three poles.

    Kyle Busch remains winless this year. Could this be the track where he changes that? He has two victories, nine top fives, 13 top 10s and two poles with the fourth-best driver rating (98.1). But did you know that he also has three runner-up finishes at Loudon?

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. is another driver hoping to secure a spot in the playoffs with a trip to Victory Lane in his final full-time season. He has a 97.4 driver rating, the sixth-best, with eight top fives and 15 top 10s. In addition, he leads the way in green-flag speed (125.183) and ranks third in green-flag passes (1,242).

    On-track action begins Friday with practice followed by Coors Light Pole Qualifying at 4:45 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The Cup Series Overton’s 301 will close out the weekend at 3 p.m. ET as we get one step closer to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

    In the meantime, check out this slideshow for some of the most memorable moments in New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s history.

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

     

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for New Hampshire

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for New Hampshire

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the XFINITY Series travel to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend. Saturday night will feature the XFINITY Series Overton’s 200 while the Cup Series closes out the competition Sunday afternoon with the Overton’s 301. Both races will be broadcast on NBCSN.

    Please check below for the complete schedule of events. All times are Eastern.

    Friday, July 14:

    On Track:
    11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – NBC Sports App/NBCSN joins in at 11:45 a.m.
    1-1:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – NBCSN
    3-3:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN
    4:45 p.m.: Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    11 a.m.: Cup Series
    2:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    10:15 a.m.: Joey Logano
    10:45 a.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    11 a.m.: Kyle Busch
    11:15 a.m.: Blake Koch, Daniel Hemric and Dakoda Armstrong
    1:30 p.m.: Ryan Newman
    1:45 p.m.: Chase Cabre, Harrison Burton and Chase Purdy
    5:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Qualifying

    Saturday, July 15:

    On Track:
    10-10:55 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – NBC Sports App
    11:05 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – CNBC
    12:30-1:25 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN
    4 p.m.: XFINITY Series Overton’s 200 (200 laps, 211.6 miles) – NBCSN

    Press Conference:  (Watch live)
    6:30 p.m.: Post-NASCAR XFINITY Series Race

    Sunday, July 16:

    On Track:
    3 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton’s 301 (301 laps, 318.46 miles) – NBCSN

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    6:30 p.m.: Post-Cup Series Race

    Race Details:

    NASCAR XFINITY Series
    Race: Overton’s 200
    Date: Saturday, July 15
    Time: 4 p.m. ET
    TV: NBCSN, 3:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 211.6 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
    Race: Overton’s 301
    Date: Sunday, July 16
    Time: 3 p.m. ET
    TV: NBCSN, 2:30 p.m. ET
    Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Distance: 318.46 miles (301 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 75), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 150), Final Stage (Ends on lap 301)

    Complete TV Schedule

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

     

  • Keselowski and Johnson Among Those Eliminated by Multi-Car Wrecks at Kentucky

    Keselowski and Johnson Among Those Eliminated by Multi-Car Wrecks at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Three multi-car wrecks during the Quaker State 400 ended the night of a number of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers at Kentucky Speedway.

    Rounding Turn 3 on Lap 88, Brad Keselowski was running inside of Clint Bowyer when his car got loose and spun out. He clipped the left-rear corner of Bowyer and sent him spinning as well. Jimmie Johnson, coming up on the spinning Keselowski, had nowhere to go, took a critical hit to the right-front wheel-well, veered up the track and slammed the wall in Turn 4.

    Bowyer continued on with his race and finished 13th, but the night was over for Johnson and Keselowski.

    “I just got in an aero wake and it pulled me around,” Keselowski said. “I knew I was in a bad spot. I was trying to lay up but there is only so much you can lay up here because you get ran over from behind. The air pulled me around. It sucks. I feel bad for everyone on the Miller Lite Ford team and I think I tore up two or three other guys and that sucks for them. I don’t know. It is kind of a tough spot to be in on these tracks where they are kind of one groove. You can’t just lay up everytime. You give up too many spots or get ran over from behind. If you drive in with someone close to you the car just spins out. It just sucks but it is what it is. We have to find a way around it and we didn’t today.”

    The next wreck occurred after the ensuing restart on Lap 94 when Kasey Kahne tried to force his way inside of Trevor Bayne, sending him spinning and sending himself into the wall in Turn 1.

    “It was just a restart, I had a run on the No. 6 and I got under him getting into Turn 1 down the front stretch and he just drove over my front end, pretty simple,” Kahne said.

    The final multi-car wreck occurred in overtime.

    As race leader Martin Truex Jr. came to the line to take the white flag, Darrell Wallace Jr. ran Matt Kenseth up high in Turn 4, pushing him out of the racing groove and into the marbles, where he got loose and spun out in front of teammate Daniel Suarez, who t-boned the drivers side of Kenseth’s car. Austin Dillon, who was following Suarez, slammed into the back of him and hooked him towards the wall as he turned down towards and through the grass.

    David Ragan was also involved as he drove over the grass with the words “restart zone” painted over it to avoid Kenseth and Suarez.

    Dillon was the only one who was available for comment afterwards and said, in short, he “had nowhere to go.”

    “We were committed to the top for the final restart, so I had nowhere to go when they spun in front of me. It was a rough end to a challenging night,” he said.

    Of the drivers involved, Keselowski left Kentucky highest in points in eighth, followed by Johnson in ninth. Bowyer leaves 10th, while Kenseth leaves 11th. Suarez left 19th, Kahne left 22nd and Ragan left 28th.

  • Larson Ends Weekend with Runner-Up Finish at Kentucky

    Larson Ends Weekend with Runner-Up Finish at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Calling Kyle Larson’s weekend at Kentucky Speedway an adventure would be quite an understatement.

    First, his car failed inspection so many times in qualifying that he didn’t even post a lap and started dead last. Even on raceday, it took more than one attempt to finally clear tech inspection. And they did so with less than 30 minutes to go before the start of the Quaker State 400.

    Starting dead last, Larson moved his way through the field and made it all the way up to third by the conclusion of the first stage. But he was sent to the tail-end of the field on the following restart for speeding on pit road and was forced to work up through the field a second time.

    While he didn’t score any stage points in the second stage, a result of finishing outside the top-10, He found  himself running top-five in the closing laps of the race itself.

    With race leader Martin Truex Jr. pulling out to a 15-second lead in the closing laps, it looked as though Larson would have to settle for just a top-five. But that all went out the window when Kurt Busch’s engine expired on the frontstretch with two laps to go.

    While Truex opted to stay out, Larson and a company of others elected to pit. He exited third (fourth in the running order) and restarted behind Truex, who chose the outside line, on the overtime restart.

    He gave a push to shove Truex out ahead coming to the green, but ended up behind Kyle Busch. Exiting Turn 2, however, Larson got underneath him, powered by and cleared him going into Turn 3.

    A four-car wreck exiting Turn 4 ended the race under caution and locked in a runner-up finish for Larson.

    He said afterwards that he wasn’t sure what he could’ve done to catch Truex.

    “Yeah, I don’t know what we could have done to beat him,” Larson added. “He was obviously pretty fast with the lead there. It would have been fun to get to race him because I felt like I had the second best car today; and it would have been interesting to get a restart with him earlier and get to hang with him that last run there. But, we brought the Target Chevy home second after not being able to qualify and having to start last in the race and then having my speeding penalty there. I guess I was just a little too fast leaving my stall and got a penalty. So, I’ve got to clean that stuff up. I’m mad at myself that I made that mistake. I don’t really know if it affected the outcome, but you never know.”

    Larson leaves Kentucky the points leader, retaining a one-point lead over Truex.

  • Truex Dominates and Survives Overtime Restart to Win at Kentucky

    Truex Dominates and Survives Overtime Restart to Win at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Martin Truex Jr. put on a clinic in the Quaker State 400, leading the most laps and sweeping the stages, but had to out-duel the field in overtime to win for the third time this season at Kentucky Speedway.

    Restarting in overtime, Kyle Larson shoved Truex out ahead of the field and a multi-car wreck in Turn 4 coming to the white flag ended the race under caution, rendering the victory to Truex.

    It’s his 10th victory in 423 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career starts.

    Larson finished runner-up, followed by Chase Elliott on the bottom step of the podium.

    Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five.

    Erik Jones, Jamie McMurray, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-10.

    RACE RECAP

    Busch led the field to the green flag at 7:49 p.m. He led the first 29 laps before Truex edged him out at the line on Lap 30. Busch regained it the following lap, but Truex drove him back down to take it and win the first stage.

    Busch took back the lead on the ensuing Lap 88 restart exiting Turn 2. But as was the case in the first, Truex reeled him in, passed him on Lap 136 and won the second stage. Joey Logano broke up the Busch/Truex parade up front by bypassing pit road under the stage break and taking the race lead, only to lose it on Lap 171.

    Truex then built himself up a 12-second lead, only surrendering the lead under a cycle of green flag stops with 43 laps to go, which he took back with 39 to go. Kurt Busch’s blown engine on the frontstretch with two to go brought out the race’s eighth caution, setting up the overtime finish.

    CAUTIONS

    Caution flew for the first time on Lap 31 as a scheduled competition caution due to rain that pelted the track the whole weekend. The second flew on Lap 81 for the end of the first stage. The third caution flew on Lap 88 for a three-car wreck in Turn 3 involving Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson. The fourth flew on Lap 95 for a two-car wreck in Turn 2 involving Kasey Kahne and Trevor Bayne. The fifth flew on Lap 112 when Bayne went spinning in Turn 4. The sixth flew on Lap 138 when Joey Gase hit the wall in Turn 2. The seventh flew for the end of the second stage.

    NUTS & BOLTS

    The race lasted two hours, 55 minutes and 57 seconds at an average speed of 138.604 mph. There were nine lead changes among four different drivers and nine cautions for 39 laps.

    Larson leaves with a one-point lead over Truex.

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  • Kyle Busch Captures Cup Series Pole at Kentucky

    Kyle Busch Captures Cup Series Pole at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag tomorrow night after winning the pole for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway.

    Inclement weather forced NASCAR to cancel the final round of qualifying.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota scored the pole with a new track record time of 28.379 and a speed of 190.282 mph.

    It’s his 22nd career pole in 444 career starts.

    Martin Truex Jr. will start second with a time of 28.392 and a speed of 190.194 mph. Matt Kenseth will start third with a time of 28.460 and a speed of 189.740 mph. Jamie McMurray will start fourth with a time of 28.464 and a speed of 189.713 mph. Denny Hamlin will round out the top-five with a time of 28.468 and a speed of 189.687 mph.

    Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski will round out the top-10.

    Kyle Larson didn’t post a lap after failing to pass tech inspection on multiple tries. He’ll start 40th.

    No driver failed to make the race.

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  • Larson Fastest in Final Cup Practice at Kentucky

    Larson Fastest in Final Cup Practice at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Kyle Larson topped the chart in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 28.695 and a speed of 188.186 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was second in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 28.848 and a speed of 187.188 mph. Chase Elliott was third in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 28.892 and a speed of 186.903 mph. Ryan Blaney was fourth in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 28.961 and a speed of 186.458 mph. Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 28.991 and a speed of 186.265 mph.

    Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top-10.

    Larson posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 181.516 mph.

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  • Kenseth Doesn’t Expect JGR to be an Option Next Season

    Kenseth Doesn’t Expect JGR to be an Option Next Season

    SPARTA, Ky. — Matt Kenseth’s announcement that he doesn’t expect to return to Joe Gibbs Racing next season set off the 2017 silly season domino chain.

    It wasn’t a case of giving a vague answer that could be misinterpreted. He outright said he doesn’t think returning to JGR next season is an option.

    “I don’t think so. I don’t think it is (an option). Like I said, I don’t have a ride at this moment for next year. I haven’t worked on anything real hard, but I don’t think I will have the option to race at JGR next season, unfortunately,” he said.

    Compounding the dilemma for the 2003 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion is that he doesn’t have a ride for next season. While his name has been brought up a time or two in the discussion on drivers to replace Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet, it’s important to note Hendrick Motorsports already has two young drivers, Alex Bowman and William Byron, waiting in the pipeline.

    With the wave of young drivers rising up through the NASCAR ranks in the last few seasons, it would appear Kenseth’s days are numbered, especially with rides hard to come by. But at the end of the day, he’s not panicking yet.

    “I’m not really worried about it,” he added. “As of today, I do not have a job for next year. So I certainly hope to still be racing next year. I think I got some wins left in me and, hopefully, I can race for championships. But right now, my focus is finishing up this year. As we talked about, it’s been kind of a slow start. Has not been a good year, at all. Not nearly up to my standards or my teams’ standards. So trying to get back to victory lane and, hopefully, get qualified for the playoffs here and have a shot at the playoffs is pretty much my focus at this point.”

  • McMurray Fastest in First Cup Practice at Kentucky

    McMurray Fastest in First Cup Practice at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Jamie McMurray topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 28.911 and a speed of 186.780 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was second in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 28.963 and a speed of 186.445 mph. Kyle Larson was third in his No. 42 Ganassi Chevrolet with a time of 29.017 and a speed of 186.098 mph. Ryan Blaney was fourth in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 29.023 and a speed of 186.059 mph. Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 29.042 and a speed of 185.938 mph.

    Denny Hamlin, Danica Patrick, Clint Bowyer, Chase Elliott and Erik Jones rounded out the top-10.

    Busch posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 183.148 mph.

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