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Race Central NASCAR Cup Series news and information

  • Sprint Cup Qualifying Rained Out at Chicagoland

    Sprint Cup Qualifying Rained Out at Chicagoland

    Qualifying for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race has been rained out.

    Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway following rain washing out the first practice which led to qualifying this afternoon being canceled. This is in line with NASCAR’s custom of not sending cars out for qualifying if practice is rained out.

    The Sprint Cup Series will be back on track for their first practice session following the Camping World Truck Series pole qualifying. Their remaining two practice sessions start Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

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  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Chicagoland

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Chicagoland

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series will all compete at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

    All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, Sept. 15:

    On Track:
    4-4:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series First Practice
    6:30-7:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice

    Chase Media Day: (Watch live)
    3:05 p.m.: Live Driver Interviews

    Friday, Sept. 16:

    On Track:
    12:30-1:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    1:30-2:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series First Practice – NBC Sports App
    3-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBC Sports App
    4:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    6:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol E15 225 (150 laps, 225 miles – FS1

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    Noon: XFINITY Series
    1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    11 a.m.: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Race Team Introduction
    11:15 a.m.: Blake Koch, Ryan Sieg and Dakoda Armstrong
    11:30 a.m.: Daniel Hemric, Timothy Peters and Cole Custer
    11:45 a.m.: Justin Allgaier
    12:30 p.m.: Matt Tifft
    1:15 p.m.: Joliet Township Announcement
    7:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)
    10:15 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race (time approx.)

    Saturday, Sept. 17:

    On Track:
    10:30-11:25 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Second Practice – CNBC
    11:45 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    1:30-2:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App
    3 p.m.: XFINITY Series Drive for Safety 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBC/NBC Sports App

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

    Sunday, Sept. 18:

    On-Track:
    2:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    5:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Race (time approx.)

     

  • Newman: ‘I just got Tony Stewarted’

    Newman: ‘I just got Tony Stewarted’

    RICHMOND, Va. — Ryan Newman had choice words for Tony Stewart following a Chase-ending late race wreck at Richmond.

    The 14th caution of the Federated Auto Parts 400 flew with 36 laps to go for a multi-car wreck in turn 3 that brought out the red flag for 20 minutes and 23 seconds. It started when Tony Stewart came down across the nose of Newman and got hooked into the inside wall. The wreck collected Carl Edwards in the process.

    As the two continued back up the track, Newman was hit in the rear by David Ragan and sent into the path of Dylan Lupton. Lupton’s N0. 83 Toyota ended up climbing up the side of Newman’s car.

    Brian Scott also suffered major damage in the wreck after slamming into Ragan’s No. 23 Toyota.

    “I just got Tony Stewarted,” Newman said. “It’s unfortunate we were rebounding from a tough day and then he cut across my nose in Turn 1. I had a good run on him and then I bumped him a little bit in Turn 2, but that is because he took both of us loose. And then he just drove across my nose on the back straightaway.

    “He has got issues. We all know he’s got issues. He proved it again tonight. I was clearly inside of him getting into Turn 1, he cut across my nose, I was on the brakes, on the apron and I hit him coming off of Turn 2, but only because I got loose, I was on the apron. The next thing I know he is driving across my nose on the back straightaway because he’s Tony Stewart and he thinks he owns everything. It’s unfortunate, but shouldn’t expect anything less from him.”

    Newman comes up 40 points short of making the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

  • Hamlin Survives Wreckfest Regular Season Finale to Win at Richmond

    Hamlin Survives Wreckfest Regular Season Finale to Win at Richmond

    RICHMOND, Va. — Denny Hamlin out-lasted a caution-heavy short track Saturday night in the capital of Virginia to add to his Chase stats.

    The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led the field to the green flag this evening at 7:47. It didn’t take long for the first caution to fly on lap 11 for Ryan Blaney suffering a tire blowout, slamming the wall in turn 1 and kiss his chance of making the Chase goodbye.

    After the race restarted on lap 16, it settled into a calmer state where the only item worth noting was Martin Truex Jr. taking the lead on lap 52. The second caution flew on lap 85 for AJ Allmendinger spinning out in turn 4. During the caution, Kurt Busch assumed the race lead after missing his pit stall completely and Greg Biffle turned Tony Stewart around on pit road.

    After the race restarted on lap 92, it went back under yellow after Chase Elliott suffered a tire blowout and slammed the wall on the frontstretch.

    The race restarted on lap 100 and it remained green for the next 100 laps. During the run, Truex took back the race lead. The caution flew after Jimmie Johnson suffered a tire blowout and slammed the wall in turn 1.

    After halfway is when the race turned into a wreckfest.

    The list of cautions included debris, David Ragan suffering a tire blowout and slamming the wall in turn 1, Paul Menard rear-ending the wall, Casey Mears wrecking, Michael Annett suffering a tire blowout and slamming the wall in turn 2, Carl Edwards suffering a suspension failure, Allmendinger again, Matt Kenseth slamming the wall in turn 2, Allmendinger a third time, a multi-car wreck in turn 3 involving Stewart and Ryan Newman, and Regan Smith wrecking in turn 3 with two laps to go to force overtime.

    In the end, Hamlin held off Truex in overtime to win the Federated Auto Parts 400.

    “It feels great,” Hamlin said of how it felt to win at Richmond again. “I’ll tell you, our cars were really running well. Wheels and the whole group just gave me a great car. Really got it tuned in there the last half of the race. Just good restarts, finally everything just kind of worked well for us all day. I didn’t think staying out was the right thing to do, but great call there, and actually, I got this from one of our Toyota guests on his birthday day today. He gave me this. He said it helped him get through tough times, so kept that in the car, and thank Eli for that.”

    It’s his 29th career victory in 388 Sprint Cup Series starts, his third of 2016, third at Richmond International Raceway, 15th top-10 finish of the season and 12th in 21 races at Richmond.

    Larson led 15 laps on his way to a runner-up finish in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

    It’s his 10th top-10 of the season and first in six races at Richmond.

    Truex, who led a race of 193 of 400 laps on his way to rounding out the podium in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota.

    Brad Keselowski finished fourth in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford. Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-five in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.

    Kasey Kahne finished sixth in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Jamie McMurray finished seventh in his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Kurt Busch led three laps on his way to an eighth-place finish in his No. 41 SHR Chevrolet. Kyle Busch finished ninth in his No. 18 JGR Toyota. Joey Logano rounded out the top-10 in his No. 22 Penske Ford.

    Jeffrey Earnhardt, who led two laps, finished 27th. Regan Smith, who led two laps, finished 29th. Matt Kenseth, who led three laps, finished 38th.

    Twenty-four cars finished the race on the lead lap and 32 were running at the finish.

    The race lasted three hours, 33 minutes and 31 seconds at an average speed of 85.778 mph. There were 21 lead changes among seven different drivers and 16 cautions for 89 laps.

    With the Chase reset, Kyle Busch and Keselowski exit Richmond tied for the points lead. The complete Chase Grid is as follows:

    1. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (four wins, 2012 points)
    2. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Team Penske Ford (four wins, 2012 points)
    3. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (three wins, 2009 points)
    4. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet (two wins, 2006 points)
    5. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (two wins, 2006 points)
    6. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota (two wins, 2006 points)
    7. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (two wins, 2006 points)
    8. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (two wins, 2006 points)
    9. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford (one win, 2003 points)
    10. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet (one win, 2003 points)
    11. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet (one win, 2003 points)
    12. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet (one win, 2003 points)
    13. Chris Buescher, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford (one win, 2003 points)
    14. Chase Elliott, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (on points, 2000 points)
    15. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (on points, 2000 points)
    16. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet (on points, 2000 points)

     

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  • Edwards knows what to expect if there’s a role reversal from April

    Edwards knows what to expect if there’s a role reversal from April

    RICHMOND, Va. — Carl Edwards says if there’s a reversal of roles from Richmond in April, he knows exactly what to expect.

    Speaking to the media just after the first practice session for the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway yesterday, the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was asked if he would have any reservations about making his race-winning move from April again if circumstances dictated.

    “I can still feel Coach (Joe) Gibbs’ (team owner) presence here from last time I was sitting here after the race,” Edwards said. “Kyle (Busch) and I talked. We actually talked about it last night – Denny (Hamlin) was nice enough to give me a ride here and we joked around about it a little bit, but I think right now both of us having wins I think we all know that right now this is an opportunity for us to go race, have as much fun as we can, race each other as hard as we possibly can, so I don’t know.”

    This past April in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond, Edwards tapped the rear bumper of Kyle Busch in turn 4 on the last lap to score the victory. Edwards said in victory lane that, while it was a big question for him, he decided to give Busch a nudge since Busch took the line he was going to take.

    “Well, yeah, it was a huge question,” he said after the race in April. “Kyle’s (Busch) an amazing teammate and it’s like he got really slow there at the end. Something happened that last lap. It was like his rear tires went off or something. He went down into (turn) one and I dove it in and I got to him and I thought, ‘Man, I’ve got something.’ And he went to get down to the bottom and park it in three and four and I had already decided to go down there so I thought, ‘Man, I’m going to give him a little nudge,’ and we both have got wins and we’re racing for fun getting these trophies and just an awesome day.”

    He acknowledged that he knows what’s coming if the circumstances dictate.

    “I know if I were put in the position and the roles were reversed, I know exactly what to expect tomorrow night, but I plan on racing as hard as I can for the victory,” he added.

  • Buescher Focused on Clinching a Chase Berth at Richmond

    Buescher Focused on Clinching a Chase Berth at Richmond

    The great state of Texas has produced two Cup champions in NASCAR’s history. Terry Labonte is the only driver from the Lone Star State to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, known for his two Cup championships and incredible consistency. His younger brother, 2000 Champion Bobby, moved to North Carolina in his teens but was born and raised in Texas. Neither driver fits the stereotypical Texas mold of loud wins and loud mouths; both were known more for being quiet and for their cool, calm demeanor under pressure.

    Chris Buescher, the first full-time Sprint Cup driver for Texas since Bobby Labonte stopped racing full time in 2013, enters Richmond on the Chase bubble, with an 11 point cushion. Buescher’s surprise win at a rain-shortened Pocono event last month was the first win for a Texan since Bobby’s last win, the 2003 season finale at Homestead-Miami.

    Buescher is trying to become the first Sprint Cup driver from Texas to make the Chase. Terry Labonte only ran one full season under the Chase format before retirement while Bobby never made the Chase in 10 seasons of trying. He would also be the first non-Team Penske Ford to make the Chase since 2014.

    Speaking with the media Friday after finishing 26th and 28th in the only two Cup practices of the weekend. Buescher is approaching this weekend not loud and proud, but cool and smooth.

    “We are going to control what we can control and do our best to have a good, clean race,” Buescher said. “Stay out of trouble. All the normal things you try to do. Go out here and try to have a good run at Richmond.”

    But the 23-year-old isn’t going to be a push-over come Saturday night.

    “We are not in a full defensive mode,” Buescher said. “We can’t go out and just try to run every lap and stay out of everyone’s way and that will be enough. We don’t have that luxury. We are coming out here to race aggressively for every position, every point we can possibly get, without taking unnecessary risk.

    “If it is a matter of not being three-wide into a corner and giving up that position, we will give that up. If it is two-wide racing someone hard so we can get by someone we have been faster than, we will race them as hard as we possibly can to maximize our day. We can only control what we can control. That is pretty much our game plan.”

    In some ways, it’s like his approach to winning Pocono last month. When the rain came and Buescher parked on pit road with the lead, he didn’t look overcome with emotion. He wasn’t happy or complaining at the officials to call the race early. He simply waited, seemingly totally in control of the situation.

    “If we can see the 23 car and we can see David (Ragan) then, for the most part, we will know we are okay,” Buescher continued. “We need to be on the same lap obviously or preferably a lap ahead if possible but if we are in distance to where we can be around him and racing him then that is not 11 spots. That is what we will focus on.

    “We have to be careful. There are guys like Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman that will be racing extremely aggressive trying to get into this thing. We have to be careful around certain drivers. We are going out there to race, though. When I talk about unnecessary risk, David Ragin isn’t one that we need to sit there and knock the doors off each other, knowing we can be a couple spots behind him and still be safe.”

    A lot of young drivers today opt for that risky approach; just look at John Hunter Nemechek last week at MoSport. With Buescher, though, he doesn’t seem to be feeling the pressure. Saturday night will be the most important race of his life up to this point, but he’s treating it as just another weekend. Even if he is feeling pressure, he’s not letting it affect his composure.

    Although it’s unlikely Buescher’s small Front Row Motorsports team has the resources to compete for a championship, simply making it in is an accomplishment. It’s a first and his style to get in would mirror two certain former champions, all three from the same state.

  • Denny Hamlin Captures Sprint Cup Pole at Richmond

    Denny Hamlin Captures Sprint Cup Pole at Richmond

    Denny Hamlin captured the pole for the 2016 Federated Auto Parts 400 after turning a lap of 122.344 mph. Hamlin, who was born in nearby Chesterfield, Virginia, took  risks by going out first in the final two rounds and ended up beating the more conservative teams that waited until the last few minutes.

    Richmond might just be Hamlin’s second best track after Martinsville. He has recorded two wins and has led over 1400 laps in 20 starts, but what might be more impressive has been his consistency. He has finished every race he has started at Richmond and has an average finish of 10.6. He has also completed 8,000 of 8,010 laps. With nothing on the line if he doesn’t win at Richmond, thanks to his two previous wins this season guaranteeing him a Chase berth, he’ll leave it all on the track on Saturday night.

    Kyle Larson ended qualifying in second place. Like Hamlin, he will clinch a spot on the Chase Grid after starting his No. 42 Chevrolet on Saturday. Larson has a lot of momentum going into the Chase, having three of his six top-five finishes this season come in the last six races.

    Matt Kenseth is the defending winner of this race, and on Friday he started his weekend off well by qualifying third. Kenseth’s dominant win came after leading 352 of 400 laps.

    Jamie McMurray will start fourth and is the lone driver among the top five who has not clinched a spot in the Chase. McMurray comes into this weekend with a 22 point cushion over Ryan Newman. A repeat winner and Chris Buescher falling out of the top 30 would clinch a spot in the Chase for McMurray regardless of what happens.

    Kurt Busch will start fifth after being fastest in the first two rounds. Busch has two wins at Richmond, with the most recent coming at last year’s spring race. Martin Truex Jr. qualified in sixth place.

    Kasey Kahne will start seventh. Kahne can make it on points but would need to gain 22 points on Newman and would also need Buescher to finish the night out of the top 30.

    Austin Dillon will roll off eighth on the grid. Dillon enters with a 31 point advantage and should make the Chase as long as nothing disastrous happens.

    Newman will start 15th on Saturday night as he tries to fight his way into the Chase. Newman begins the night with a 22 point deficit and needs to either make up that ground on McMurray or hope that Buescher falls out of the top 30.

    Buescher starts 31st and is entering Richmond 30th in points, 11 ahead of 31st David Ragan. Buescher needs to end Saturday within the top 30 in points in order to use his Pocono win last month to get into the Chase. Ragan starts 21st.

    Chase Elliott struggled in qualifying and will roll off 34th on Saturday. The good news for Chase Elliott fans is that with a 39 point cushion, Elliott won’t have much to worry about unless there is a new winner.

    Cole Whitt was the lone driver that did not qualify.

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  • Austin Dillon Rates his Season as 6.5/10

    Austin Dillon Rates his Season as 6.5/10

    When asked to rate his season on a scale of 1 to 10, Austin Dillon gave himself a 6.5/10.

    Speaking to the media earlier this afternoon at Richmond International Raceway, Dillon was asked to rate his season on a scale of 1 to 10.

    “I would say it’s a 6.5/7, let’s say 6.5 because I feel like we could get the half point back with some mistakes we made throughout the center of the year,” Dillon said. “We would be at a 7 and I think that would have us locked in the Chase right now. We are pretty close to locked in, but you never know what happens when it comes to race day.”

    Twenty-five races into the 2016 season, the driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet has had a career season with four top fives, up 300 percent from 2015, 10 top 10’s, up 100 percent from 2015, a pole position and a 14.8 finishing average. While he’s only led eight laps this season, down from 39 the year before, he currently sits 12th in points and nine points ahead of the Chase cutoff.

    Despite all this, Dillon says mistakes have prevented him from being in a more comfortable position going into the final race of the regular season.

    “I would have liked to have been at the 7 at this point, so there is a half point or a point that I would like to have back just because of mistakes that we made as a group and as a company that put us behind,” he added. “I really think we had a solid year starting and in the middle we just kind of dropped off because of certain things, we had brake failures, we had different things that happened that didn’t go our way, but we have learned from them and able to capitalize and have that 6.5 at this point.”

  • Mears Fastest in Final Cup Practice at Richmond

    Mears Fastest in Final Cup Practice at Richmond

    Casey Mears topped the chart in final Sprint Cup Series practice at Richmond International Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 22.396 and a speed of 120.557 mph. Kyle Larson was second in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 22.482 and a speed of 120.096 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was third in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 22.536 and a speed of 119.808 mph. Jamie McMurray was fourth in his No. 1 CGR Chevrolet with a time of 22.563 and a speed of 119.665 mph. Tony Stewart rounded out the top-10 in his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet with a time of 22.573 and a speed of 119.612 mph.

    Greg Biffle was sixth in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Denny Hamlin was seventh in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Jimmie Johnson was eighth in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Kurt Busch was ninth in his No. 41 SHR Chevrolet. Joey Logano rounded out the top-10 in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

    Carl Edwards, whose fastest single lap was 20th fastest in his No. 19 JGR Toyota, posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 116.652 mph.

    The Sprint Cup Series is back on track at 5:45 p.m.

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  • Kyle Busch Fastest in First Cup Practice at Richmond

    Kyle Busch Fastest in First Cup Practice at Richmond

    Kyle Busch posted the fastest time in first Sprint Cup Series practice at Richmond International Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 22.318 and a speed of 120.979 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was second in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 22.379 and a speed of 120.649 mph. Denny Hamlin was third in his No. 11 JGR Toyota with a time of 22.397 and a speed of 120.552 mph. Kasey Kahne was fourth in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 22.418 and a speed of 120.439 mph while Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-five in his No. 20 JGR Toyota with a time of 22.461 and a speed of 120.208 mph.

    Jeff Gordon was sixth in his No. 88 HMS Chevrolet. Joey Logano was seventh in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Carl Edwards was eighth in his No. 19 JGR Toyota. Jamie McMurray was ninth in his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Kyle Larson rounded out the top-10 in his No. 42 CGR Chevrolet.

    Busch posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 119.781 mph. Truex was second at an average speed of 119.458 mph. Edwards was third at an average speed of 118.840 mph.

    The Sprint Cup Series is back on track at noon for final practice.

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