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Race Central NASCAR Cup Series news and information

  • Kyle Busch Fastest at Bristol in Second Cup Practice

    Kyle Busch Fastest at Bristol in Second Cup Practice

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Busch topped the chart in second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest with a time of 14.890 and a speed of 128.865 mph. Erik Jones was second in his No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 14.915 and a speed of 128.649 mph. Denny Hamlin was third in his No. 11 Gibbs Toyota with a time of 14.970 and a speed of 128.176 mph. Kevin Harvick was fourth in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet with a time of 14.980 and a speed of 128.091 mph. Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top-five in his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 14.990 and a speed of 128.005 mph.

    Jones posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 127.178 mph.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/C1708_PRAC2.pdf”]

  • The Performance of Joe Gibbs Racing Early On

    The Performance of Joe Gibbs Racing Early On

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — When you look at the performance of Joe Gibbs Racing, compared to the last year or two, it’s not hard to understand why one would see a problem.

    The Huntersville, North Carolina racing stable is the deepest into a season without a win from any driver since 2007 when Denny Hamlin broke through with a win at Loudon. Two of their drivers, Matt Kenseth and Daniel Suarez, are outside the top-10 in points as well. All four drivers combined have no more than three top-10 finishes (Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth with three and Hamlin and Daniel Suarez with two) and only Busch and Kenseth have a top-five on the season. Busch has led the second-most laps of any driver this season with 413, but the only other Gibbs driver to lead a lap is Hamlin with 28.

    Busch admitted that the organization hasn’t been strong from the start.

    “I would have to say that obviously, we’re not as strong this year out of the gate, I think last year’s win total was a lot more than this year. I feel as though we’re competitive and we’re close, but we’re not there,” he said.

    Compare their performance to Martin Truex Jr. of JGR affiliate Furniture Row Racing.

    Truex not only has a win and has led almost as many laps as Busch but he has amassed stage wins to rack up the playoff points that come with winning the stages.

    “There’s things we’re seeing other teams doing that we haven’t necessarily ventured off into yet and some of those things, whether they’re better for you or worse for you, it may depend on what the wind tunnel says or what the K & C numbers say and things like that. We’re working on all those things though,” Busch said.

    But the Gibbs drivers go to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend where they have a combined 10 wins amongst them. Two of the four, Busch and Kenseth, occupied the top-five spots in the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice for the Food City 500 and all but Suarez placed in the top-10 in practice.

    Busch also noted that it’s too early for concern and you should ask the question deeper into the season.

    “I don’t think there’s any reason for cause for concern yet, but ask me that question again in about 10 weeks,” he added.

  • Jones Fastest in First Cup Practice at Bristol

    Jones Fastest in First Cup Practice at Bristol

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Erik Jones topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota was the fastest with a time of 15.009 and a speed of 127.843 mph. Kyle Busch was second in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 15.098 and a speed of 127.090 mph. Ryan Blaney was third in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 15.110 and a speed of 126.989 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was fourth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota with a time of 15.113 and a speed of 126.964 mph. Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-five in his No. 20 Gibbs Toyota with a time of 15.144 and a speed of 126.704 mph.

    Denny Hamlin, who ran the sixth-fastest single lap, posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 125.657 mph.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/C1708_PRAC1.pdf”]

  • Qualifying Rained Out at Thunder Valley

    Qualifying Rained Out at Thunder Valley

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway has been canceled due to rain.

    The starting lineup for Sunday’s race will be set by owner’s points and Kyle Larson will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday.

    All on-track activities for Friday weren’t wiped out, however. The NASCAR XFINITY Series will get on the track at 2:00 p.m. for their only practice of the week and the Cup Series hits the track at 3:00, barring further inclement weather.

    Food City 500 Starting Line Up:

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Bristol-starting-lineup-C1708_STARTROW.pdf” title=”Bristol starting lineup C1708_STARTROW”]

  • Should Non-Variable Banking Return to Bristol?

    Should Non-Variable Banking Return to Bristol?

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Applying VHT to the bottom groove at Bristol has made it the preferred way around once more. It begs the question, however, if digging up what remains of the progressive banking and restoring the steep 36 degree incline would be more effective.

    Following the 2007 Food City 500, the banking was reconfigured with progressive banking to eliminate the one-groove racing. It was successful in that regard, but it came at the cost of cars beating and banging, tempers flaring and declining attendance.

    Last August, Bristol Motor Speedway announced it was treating the bottom lane of the turns with VHT TrackBite, which is a custom formulated resin used to increase traction in racing. The result was largely successful and the preferred groove around the circuit was the bottom, with slight diminishing returns deeper into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

    So it was little surprise that late last month, Bristol announced that the VHT would be used again.

    “We applied the treatment to the lower groove in the four turns and coming out of the straightaways,” Jerry Caldwell, executive vice-president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway said. “The substance really just helps rubber stick to the track. And then we brought in a tire machine that we used to drag the track for a while to get rubber down and give drivers some grip so they can get down there and hang with that upper groove.”

    But is it more effective than the old steep banking? And since the point of the VHT was to bring the racing groove back to the bottom, why not bring back the steep banking?

    Kurt Busch, who’s no stranger to success at Thunder Valley, said, in short, “you have to adjust….”

    “We’re not just gonna go dig up Augusta, Georgia because the golfers don’t like the new tee boxes. You have to adjust to the millions of dollars that Bristol Motor Speedway invested into the track’s new surface and we’re trying to find that right combination,” he said.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Bristol – Updated

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Bristol – Updated

    NASCAR travels to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR XFINITY Series this weekend. Saturday’s XFINITY Series Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 will be broadcast on Saturday on FS1 at 1 p.m. The action wraps up on Sunday with the Food City 500 at 2 p.m. on FOX. Radio coverage for both events will be carried by PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Kyle Larson enters the race at the top of the MENCS points standings. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has six starts at Bristol with two top 10s and a driver rating of 87.4. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Matt Kenseth has the series-best driver rating (100.9) with four wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s and two poles. There are 39 drivers on the entry list for the Food City 500.

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

    Friday, April 21:

    On Track:
    2-2:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice – FS1
    3-3:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice – FS1
    4:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1 – Canceled due to rain

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    9:30 a.m.: Kurt Busch
    10:30 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    10:45 a.m.: Chase Elliott
    11 a.m.: XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash drivers: Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett, Darrell Wallace Jr.
    1:45 p.m.: Trevor Bayne
    2:15 p.m.: Kyle Busch
    3:55 p.m.: Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    11 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – Canceled

    Saturday, April 22:

    On Track:
    8:30-9:25 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice – FS1
    9:35 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    11-11:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
    1 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 (300 laps, 159.9 miles) – FS1
    Stage 1 (Ends on lap 85), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on lap 300)

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    3 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

    Sunday, April 23: – All activities canceled due to rain

    On Track:
    2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 (500 laps, 266.5 miles) – FOX
    Stage 1 (Ends on lap 125), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 250), Final Stage (Ends on lap 500)

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    5:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race (time approx.)

    Monday, April 24:

    On Track:
    12:20 p.m.: Driver Introductions
    12:53 p.m.: Presentation of Colors: Grundy High School JROTC Color Guard
    12:53 p.m.: Invocation: Mike Rife, Vansant Church of Christ, Vansant, Virgina
    12:54 p.m.: National Anthem: TBD
    12:56 p.m.: Flyover TOT by: (4) T-38s 49th Fighter Training Squadron from Columbus AFB, Mississippi (Turn 1 to Turn 4)
    12:56 p.m.: Food City Salute Commercial (Colossus TV)
    12:57 p.m.: Bristol August Video (Colossus TV)
    12:58 p.m.: Bristol Motor Speedway Hype Video (Colossus TV)
    1 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr Congratulations Food City Video (on Colossus TV)
    1:01 p.m.: “Drivers, Start Your Engines”: Kerry Earnhardt and Kelley Earnhardt Miller
    1:07 p.m.: Start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 (500 laps, 266.5 miles), FOX

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

    Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

    Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 Entry List

    Odds to win NASCAR Food City 500
    Kyle Busch +550
    Joey Logano +604
    Kyle Larson +650
    Kevin Harvick +705
    Chase Elliott +705
    Brad Keselowski +750
    Martin Truex Jr +908
    Matt Kenseth +1207
    Denny Hamlin +1207
    Jimmie Johnson +1214
    Clint Bowyer +2554
    Jamie McMurray +3077
    Dale Earnhardt Jr +3605
    Ryan Blaney +3605
    Kurt Busch +3605
    Erik Jones +5000
    Kasey Kahne +5000
    Ryan Newman +6000
    Austin Dillon +7500
    Ricky Stenhouse Jr +7500
    Field (Any Other Driver) +255

    Food City 500 Entry List:

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Bristol-Cup-Series-Entry-List-C1708_PREENTNUM.pdf” title=”Bristol Cup Series Entry List C1708_PREENTNUM”]

  • Johnson Wins at Texas; Dominant Blaney Finishes 12th

    Johnson Wins at Texas; Dominant Blaney Finishes 12th

    Jimmie Johnson took his seventh Texas Motor Speedway victory and his first victory of 2017 on Sunday, holding off Kyle Larson by 0.340 seconds to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. Johnson, who has struggled mightily in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, also earned his second top-10 of the season.

    “I guess I remembered how to drive, and I guess this team remembered how to do it! I’m just real proud of this team. What a tough track and tough conditions. We were really in our wheelhouse and we were just able to execute all day. Thanks to everybody at Lowe’s and Chevy and the fans and a ton of sponsors,” Johnson said.

    Although the Chad Knaus-led No. 48 crew wound up in Victory Lane, it was the No. 21 Ford of Ryan Blaney who was the dominant car of the day, leading 148 laps and winning the first two stages of the day. However, Blaney was only able to manage a 12th-place at the end of the race after being penalized for sliding through his pit box during his final pit stop.

    “Our car today was really strong,” said Blaney. “We made really good adjustments to get our car to where we needed it to be. If you would have asked me yesterday if our car would have been so great during the first couple of stages, I wouldn’t have thought so.”

    On sliding through his pit box, he said, “It was kind of an unfortunate deal. We were pinned between the 4 and the 88 at a weird angle, and I hurt us on that one for sure and we weren’t able to pass anyone after that.

    Blaney’s Team Penske Brother-In-Arms Joey Logano managed a gutsy pit play and finished third, while polesitter Kevin Harvick finished fourth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished fifth for his first top-10 of the season.

    Brad Keselowski finished in sixth, while Jamie McMurray earned a seventh-place run. Martin Truex Jr. had a strong car early on as well, leading 49 laps, but faded back to eighth at the end. Chase Elliott and Kurt Busch rounded out the top-10.

    Eight cautions slowed down the race for the day, with the most serious being on lap 11, a three-car accident involving Reed Sorenson, Gray Gaulding, and Jeffrey Earnhardt in Turn 2, with Earnhardt receiving the brunt of the accident by backing into the wall hard and ending his day.

    Larson’s runner-up finish maintained his point lead over Chase Elliott by 17 points.

    Ty Dillon was the highest-finishing rookie of the race, finishing in 17th, while Daniel Suarez took his No. 19 Toyota in the 19th-position as the second-highest rookie.

    The next race will be on April 23, at Bristol Motor Speedway.

     

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race – O’Reilly Auto Parts 500
    Texas Motor Speedway
    Fort Worth, Texas
    Sunday, April 9, 2017
    1. (24) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 334.
    2. (32) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 334.
    3. (4) Joey Logano, Ford, 334.
    4. (1) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 334.
    5. (37) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 334.
    6. (5) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 334.
    7. (6) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 334.
    8. (7) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 334.
    9. (33) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 334.
    10. (10) Kurt Busch, Ford, 334.
    11. (3) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 334.
    12. (2) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 334.
    13. (12) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 334.
    14. (11) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 334.
    15. (34) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 334.
    16. (8) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 334.
    17. (14) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 334.
    18. (18) Aric Almirola, Ford, 334.
    19. (20) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 334.
    20. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 334.
    21. (38) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 333.
    22. (36) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 333.
    23. (13) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 333.
    24. (19) Danica Patrick, Ford, 333.
    25. (17) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 333.
    26. (9) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 332.
    27. (27) * JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 330.
    28. (21) David Ragan, Ford, 329.
    29. (15) Landon Cassill, Ford, 329.
    30. (28) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 327.
    31. (26) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 327.
    32. (23) * Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, 326.
    33. (25) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 322.
    34. (29) Gray Gaulding #, Toyota, 322.
    35. (30) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 319.
    36. (22) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 314.
    37. (40) * Derrike Cope, Toyota, 313.
    38. (35) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 303.
    39. (39) * Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, Engine, 104.
    40. (31) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, Accident, 9.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 147.137 mph.
    Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 24 Mins, 18 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.340 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 8 for 35 laps.
    Lead Changes: 16 among 6 drivers.
    Lap Leaders: K. Harvick 1-15; R. Blaney 16-32; K. Harvick 33-36; R. Blaney 37-88; M. Truex Jr. 89-92; R. Blaney 93-125; M. Truex Jr. 126; R. Blaney 127-172; K. Harvick 173-219; B. Keselowski 220-223; J. Logano 224-228; M. Truex Jr. 229-272; J. Johnson 273; J. Logano 274-290; K. Harvick 291-301; J. Logano 302-317; J. Johnson 318-334.
    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): R. Blaney 4 times for 148 laps; K. Harvick 4 times for 77 laps; M. Truex Jr. 3 times for 49 laps; J. Logano 3 times for 38 laps; J. Johnson 2 times for 18 laps; B. Keselowski 1 time for 4 laps.
    Stage #1 Top Ten: 21,78,1,4,2,42,14,17,22,18
    Stage #2 Top Ten: 21,48,1,42,24,41,4,2,88,78

  • Texas Motor Speedway – Did You Know?

    Texas Motor Speedway – Did You Know?

    This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Truck Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. With his victory at Martinsville, Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski became the first driver to grab multiple wins this season. But did you know that Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, the two most successful active teams in NASCAR, are winless after six races?

    Texas may be the perfect track for these teams to rebound. HMS driver Jimmie Johnson has the best overall driver rating (107.1) at the 1.5-mile track but so far this year his best finish was ninth place at Phoenix. However, with a track-record six wins, history may be on his side.

    Or maybe Chase Elliott will break through and capture his first win at Texas. He had two top-fives in his 2016 rookie season and is currently in second place in the standings, only four points behind leader, Kyle Larson.

    JGR’s Kyle Busch is also hungry for a win especially after last week’s race at Martinsville where he led a race-high 274 laps only to see victory elude him. He has scored two checkered flags at Texas and is the defending race winner with 11 top fives, 12 top 10s and one pole at Texas.

    But the bigger story may be the newly repaved track surface that was completed during the offseason. Did you know that the entire track was repaved and an extensive drainage system was added on the frontstretch and backstretch? Turns 1 and 2 were also reconfigured with the banking reduced from 24 to 20 degrees and the racing surface widened from 60 to 80 feet through Turns 1 and 2.

    Some of the drivers have expressed concerns about the unpredictability of heading to Texas to compete on the new surface, especially since there will be no opportunity for pre-race testing.

    “To head into Texas with no formal tire test, no official track mapping, let ’er rip, this is new territory for our sport,” Stewart-Hass Racing’s Kurt Busch said. “I think it shows how much we’re having to adapt on the fly. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? It doesn’t matter. It’s what it is, and it’s unique the way we’re headed in there to go 215 mph with no track time.”

    JGR driver Matt Kenseth, who has the second-best driver rating of 104.7 at Texas, calls it “unprecedented,” adding, “I don’t think that we’ve ever gone to a newly paved race track without some sort of a test day, a tire test, or something along those lines.”

    There’s no doubt that this weekend will likely test the skills of even the best driver but let’s look at some statistics to set the stage.

    Did you know that four active drivers have multiple wins at Texas Motor Speedway? Johnson leads the way with six followed by JGR’s Denny Hamlin, Kenseth and Kyle Busch with two each. Roush Fenway Racing leads the Cup Series in victories with nine while Hendrick Motorsports has eight and Joe Gibbs Racing has six.

    There have been 32 MENCS races at Texas, one each year from 1997-2004 and two per season since 2005, resulting in wins by 18 different drivers. But did you know that 78.1 percent (25 of 32) have been won from a top-10 starting position? And, to narrow it down more, starting in third place has produced more wins (six) than any other starting position.

    Don’t miss the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Sunday, April 8 at 1:30 p.m. on FOX as the 2017 season continues at Texas Motor Speedway. While you’re waiting, check out the gallery below for a preview of the paint schemes we’ll see this weekend.

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

    Texas paint schemes

     

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Texas

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Texas

    This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the XFINITY Series travel to Texas Motor Speedway. The drivers will practice on the newly repaved track for the first time Friday, April 7 in preparation for Saturday’s NXS My Bariatric Solutions 300 race and Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 event. Both races will be televised on FOX.

    Kyle Busch is the defending MENCS race winner at Texas with two victories, 11 top fives, 12 top 10s and one pole at the 1.5-mile track with the third-best driver rating (102.4). Chase Elliott, who is still searching for his first win, enters the Cup Series race with the series-best average finish of 4.500. The struggling Jimmie Johnson has the potential to turn his season around with a much-needed victory based on his six wins, 14 top fives, 20 top 10s and one pole in the Lone Star State.

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

    Friday, April 7:

    On Track:
    Noon-2:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice – FS1
    2:30-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice – FS1
    5-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
    6:15 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    11:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
    4:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    10:30 a.m.: Daniel Suarez
    10:45 a.m.: Chris Buescher
    11 a.m.: Clint Bowyer
    11:15 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    11:30 a.m.: Brendan Gaughan, Daniel Hemric and Brennan Poole
    3 p.m.: Trevor Bayne
    3:15 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    4:15 p.m.: Tony Stewart and Christopher Bell
    6 p.m.: Texas Motor Speedway Announcement
    7:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)

    Saturday, April 8:

    On Track:
    9:30-10:25 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Practice – FS1
    10:35 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    Noon-12:50 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – FS2
    1:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series My Bariatric Solutions 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – FOX – Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    4 p.m.: Post-NASCAR XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

    Sunday, April 9:

    On Track:
    1:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 (334 laps, 501 miles) – FOX – Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    10:30 a.m.: JTG Daugherty Racing Announcement
    5:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race (time approx.)

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

    Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

    My Bariatric Solutions 200 Entry List

    O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Entry List:

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Texas-Cup-Entry-List-C1707_PREENTNUM.pdf” title=”Texas Cup Entry List C1707_PREENTNUM”]

     

     

  • Martinsville Cup race filled with spins and carnage

    Martinsville Cup race filled with spins and carnage

    MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Short track racing is known for being chocked full of race cars with sheet metal beaten senseless by the battles on track, and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway was no exception.

    The mayhem started early in the day when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun in Turn 3 on lap 69, after contact from Paul Menard.

    It continued on lap 106 when Jamie McMurray, dealing with a left-rear tire rub, suffered a tire blowout and spun out into the wall in Turn 3.

    “I think the No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson) got into my left-rear and it got the body on the tire,” McMurray said when asked what happened. “We elected to stay out because if you pit here and you lose two or three laps, I really don’t think you can make those up.  In hindsight, I guess I wish we were talking that chance now instead of sitting here, but had a good car and just cut a tire down.”

    He finished last for the third time in his career (LASTCAR.info).

    On lap 123, Dale Earnhardt Jr. got loose exiting Turn 2 and spun out on the backstretch, with some help from Ryan Blaney.

    The first of two multi-car wrecks occurred on lap 288. Exiting Turn 4, Erik Jones bounced off the frontstretch wall. He came down in front of Austin Dillon who nudged him out of the groove in Turn 1, but was himself turned by Denny Hamlin. The domino effect led to massive damage on Kurt Busch’s car and Daniel Suarez’s car.

    “Somebody checked up in front of us in the outside lane and jammed it up. No place to go,” Busch said.

    A few laps later, Busch blew a left-front tire and slammed the wall in Turn 3 with 205 laps to go.

    With 192 to go, Gray Gaulding spun out in Turn 3, as did Reed Sorenson with 167 to go.

    With 109 to go, Jeffrey Earnhardt blew a right-front tire and slammed the wall exiting Turn 2.

    Matt DiBenedetto spun out in Turn 3 with 94 to go.

    The second multi-car wreck flew with 69 to go. Hamlin was driving under Danica Patrick for the pass going into Turn 3 when he got loose on her inside and spun Patrick into the wall. The domino effect resulted in Trevor Bayne pushing Hamlin into the wall and Earnhardt slamming into the back of teammate Kasey Kahne, puncturing the radiator.

    “It just ain’t got much of a front bumper on it to begin with,” Earnhardt said, “So, when you get in the back of somebody that hard it’s going to knock the top of the radiator off. It knocked the fitting off the top of the radiator and we are out.”

    The final spin of the race came from Truex going around in Turn 4 with 69 to go.