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Race Central NASCAR XFINITY Series news and information

  • Suarez Fastest in First XFINITY Practice at Bristol

    Suarez Fastest in First XFINITY Practice at Bristol

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Daniel Suarez topped the chart in first XFINITY Series practice at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 15.223 and a speed of 126.046 mph. Regan Smith was second in his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 15.255 and a speed of 125.782 mph followed by Kyle Busch who was third in his No. 18 JGR Toyota with a time of 15.263 and a speed of 125.716 mph. Austin Dillon was fourth in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 15.310 and a speed of 125.330 mph while Erik Jones rounded out the top-five in his No. 20 JGR Toyota with a time of 15.346 and a speed of 125.036 mph.

    Brad Keselowski was sixth in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford and Justin Allgaier was seventh in his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet. Ty Dillon was eighth in his No. 3 RCR Chevrolet. Blake Koch was ninth in his No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet as JJ Yeley rounded out the top-10 in his No. 44 TriStar Motorsports Toyota.

    Busch posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 124.005 mph. Suarez was second at an average speed of 123.858 mph. Jones was third at an average speed of 123.654 mph.

    The XFINITY Series is back on track later today at 3:30 p.m. for final practice.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/N1622_PRAC1.pdf”]

  • Hendrick Adds Byron to his Portfolio

    Hendrick Adds Byron to his Portfolio

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — Hendrick’s stock might go even higher after the news that starting next season, William Byron will be racing under the Hendrick umbrella.

    Hendrick Motorsports announced today that they signed the current driver of the No. 9 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota to a multi-year agreement. The agreement has him racing for JR Motorsports in a full-time XFINITY Series ride starting in 2017.

    “William is a special person and a special talent,” said team owner Rick Hendrick. “It’s been impressive to watch him come up through the ranks and have success at every level. What he’s already accomplished this season has been remarkable. On top of all his ability, he’s a terrific young man from a great family, and we think he has a very bright future with our organization.”

    Byron says that it was always “a dream of mine to drive for Hendrick Motorsports. I have so much respect for the way Mr. Hendrick supports his people and encourages everyone to work together. This is the biggest announcement and biggest opportunity of my life, and I will do everything I can to make the most of it. I’m proud to be part of this team.”

    Byron is no stranger to the Hendrick umbrella as he drove for JRM’s late model program in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, he scored a victory and 11 top-10 finishes on his way to finishing second in points to teammate Josh Berry.

    “I owe so much to Dale Jr. and everyone at JRM for taking a chance on me in 2014,” Byron said. “Looking back, I know none of this would’ve happened without that opportunity.”

    He continued on with HScott Motorsports in K&N East Series competition where he won the championship.

    Last October, he was signed by Kyle Busch to drive full-time in the Camping World Truck Series for 2016. In 13 races, he’s set a NASCAR record for most wins by a rookie in the Truck Series with five wins, seven top-fives, eight top-10’s, 414 laps led and currently leads the points.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Bristol

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Bristol

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series all head to Bristol Motor Speedway this week. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

    All times are Eastern.

    Wednesday, Aug. 17:

    On Track:
    9:30-10:25 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series First Practice – FS1
    11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FS1
    4:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS2
    8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 (200 laps, 106.6 miles) – FS1
    Radio: MRN and SiriusXM Radio

    Press Conference: (Watch Live)
    10 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Post-Race (time approx.)

    Thursday, Aug. 18:

    On Track:
    1-2:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – NBC Sports App
    3:30-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBC Sports App

    Press Conference: (Watch Live)
    3 p.m.: Ty Dillon

    Friday, Aug. 19:

    On Track:
    10-11:25 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series First Practice – NBC Sports App
    12:30-1:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBC Sports App and USA 
    3:15 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBC Sports App
    5:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – USA
    7:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Food City 300 (300 laps, 159.9 miles) – USA
    Radio: PRN and SiriusXM Radio

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    Noon: Sprint Cup Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    8:30 a.m.: Chris Buescher
    8:45 a.m.: Trevor Bayne
    9 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
    9:15 a.m.: Austin Dillon
    9:30 a.m.: Matt Tifft
    11:35 a.m.: Carl Edwards
    11:50 a.m.: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    4:15 p.m.: Charlotte Motor Speedway with Chase Elliott
    6:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Post-Qualifying (time approx.)
    9:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Post-Race (time approx.)

    Saturday, Aug 20: 

    On Track:
    8 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race (500 laps, 266.5 miles) – NBCSN – POSTPONED until Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on CNBC
    Radio: PRN and SiriusXM Radio

    Press Conference: (Watch live)
    Sprint Cup Series Post-Race (following end of race)

     

     

    Complete NASCAR TV Schedule and Channel Finder

     

     

  • No Timing Zone Increase for Bristol

    No Timing Zone Increase for Bristol

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — The trend of increased timing zones won’t include this weekend’s events at Thunder Valley.

    As first reported by Dustin Long of NBC Sports, NASCAR will not increase the number of timing zones for this week’s events at Bristol Motor Speedway. The number will remain at 14 instead of 18. NASCAR decided not to increase them because it’s comfortable with the number of zones in place.

    NASCAR has experimented with increased timing zones since the Brickyard 400 race weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The additional timing lines were also used at Pocono Raceway and Watkins Glen International for the Sprint Cup, XFINITY and Truck Series races.

    Speeding penalties in the last three races are up 375 percent compared to the previous three races of Daytona, Kentucky and New Hampshire.

    In spite of the decision to not increase the timing zones, Bristol is notorious for speeding penalties. The last four Sprint Cup races have averaged roughly 11 speeding penalties issued. The Food City 500 this past April had 17 speeding penalties issued, which remains the highest number of speeding penalties issued in one race this season.

  • Justin Marks Prevails In Wet And Wild Mid-Ohio Challenge

    Justin Marks Prevails In Wet And Wild Mid-Ohio Challenge

    Justin Marks conquered the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday, driving the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet to a rain-soaked Victory Lane. The newest track on the XFINITY Series schedule, Mid-Ohio has only hosted four races in the last four seasons but Saturday’s race showed that the 2.258-mile road course may be the hardest track on the schedule.

    In 75 laps, there were eight cautions taking up 32 laps. Most of these cautions were due indirectly to rain on the racetrack. The fourth race in the history of NASCAR to be run in the rain, Saturday featured quite possibly the hardest rains ever seen during an active stock car race. Thus, many drivers ended up off the racetrack multiple times, whether by run-off due to a lack of grip or losing control of the car and spinning out.

    At the end of the day, Marks wheeled his Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet through the carnage and took the checkered flag. Marks, who won eight Grand-Am races including the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona, used his experience driving in heavy rain to lead 43 laps. It’s the California native’s first XFINITY series win in the 25th start for the part-time driver; Marks drives the No. 42 in races Kyle Larson does not compete in.

    Coming in second was Ohio native Sam Hornish Jr., who started on the pole and looked to be the favorite before the rain came in. Ryan Blaney ended up third while Ty Dillon followed up his third last year with a fourth this year. Justin Allgaier rounded out the top five.

    Andy Lally finished seventh in Mario Gosselin’s usual car after Gosselin hired the Grand-Am champion to race for him. Lally responded by running in the top five for much of the day before getting the team its first ever top 10.

    Alon Day was running eighth on the final lap before a spin knocked him back to 13th. Day, who recorded the best finish ever for MBM Motorsports, made history by becoming the very first NASCAR driver from Israel.

    Points leader Elliott Sadler finished ninth and increased his points lead to 25 points over Daniel Suarez. Suarez struggled to a 23rd finish after getting stuck in the sand pit off turn four on lap 28 and lost a lap.

     

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Mid-Ohio-unofficial-results.pdf” title=”Mid-Ohio unofficial results”]

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Mid-Ohio

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Mid-Ohio

    The XFINITY Series heads to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend for some road course competition. The Sprint Cup Series and Camping World Truck Series are off. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Aug. 12:

    On-Track:
    9-10:25 a.m.: XFINITY Series Opening Practice – NBC Sports App and Live Leaderboard
    11:35 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBC Sports App and Live Leaderboard
    6:15 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – USA/NBC Sports App and Live Leaderboard

    Saturday, Aug. 13:

    On-Track:
    3:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series’ Mid Ohio Challenge (75 laps, 169.35 miles) – USA/NBC Sports App and Live Leaderboard

    Post Race:
    6:15 p.m.: XFINITY Series Post Race coverage – USA

     

    Complete TV Schedule and Channel Finder

     

    XFINITY Series News and Notes via NASCAR:

    Mid-Ohio: The Second of Three Road Courses on the NXS Schedule

    This season, the NASCAR XFINITY Series is scheduled to compete on three road courses: Watkins Glen International, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Road America. While all three have distinct attributes, Mid-Ohio takes a little from both WGI and Road America and rolls it into one.

    Much like Watkins Glen with a track length of 2.45-miles, Mid-Ohio stretches 2.085-miles through the hills of Ohio.

    And similarly to Road America with its 14 turns, Mid-Ohio packs in 13 turns on its very competitive multi-elevational course.

    In three series races at Mid-Ohio, there have been three different winners and three different pole winners. Neither last season’s pole winner (Alex Tagliani) or race winner (Regan Smith) are entered this weekend.

    Fourth New Winner Guaranteed at Mid-Ohio

    In three NASCAR XFINITY Series races at Mid-Ohio there have been three different winners, and with none of the former winners entered this weekend, a fourth new winner is guaranteed.

    AJ Allmendinger won the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Mid-Ohio in 2013 driving for car owner Roger Penske. In 2014, Chris Buescher took home the victory at Mid-Ohio driving for car owner Jack Roush. And last season, Regan Smith took the lead on the final lap with an aggressive move on Alex Tagliani in the last turn to win the race driving for car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Road Aces: Piquet, Hornish and Habul Came To Win

    Three drivers who will be fun to watch on the curves of Mid-Ohio this weekend are Nelson Piquet Jr., Sam Hornish Jr., and Kenny Habul. All three are known road course ringers who have a good chance to win this weekend.

    Nelson Piquet Jr., from Brasilia, Brazil, will be driving the Biagi DenBeste Racing No. 98 Ford Mustang owned by Fred Biagi and guided by crew chief Jon Hanson. This will be Piquet’s first series start since 2013. In 37 career series starts, he has posted one win (Road America), one top five and seven top 10s. Since 2013, Piquet has spent his time mastering his road racing expertise by competing in Formula E; winning two races and claiming the title in his first season (2014).

    Sam Hornish Jr., a Defiance, Ohio native, has assumed the role of closing pitcher for NASCAR XFINITY Series teams who want to bring in an ace part-time with a solid chance to win. This season, he has made two starts, both at Iowa Speedway, winning the first and finishing in the top 10 in the second. His average finish this season is a 3.5. Now he rolls into Mid-Ohio with something to prove. In his last start on the Ohio road course back in 2014, he won the pole, but due to a miss-shift, blew the engine and finished 30th. He looks to redeem himself this weekend, driving the Richard Childress Racing No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro with veteran crew chief Gil Martin.

    For the second weekend in a row, Kenny Habul will be in the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro. Habul has been working with crew chief David Elenz and this past weekend at Watkins Glen the pair started 23rd and finished 17th. Habul has made three starts at Mid-Ohio, posting an average finish of 28.3.

    Win and You’re In: NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase Cutoff Is Looming

    Only six races are left in the NASCAR XFINITY Series regular season. With so few remaining until the Chase cutoff, each race becomes even more important to the drivers looking to secure their spots in this season’s playoffs. Currently, only Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez and Elliott Sadler have clinched a spot in the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase, having won races and accumulated enough points to lock themselves inside the top 30 in points. That leaves nine spots up for grabs in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase..

    Any of the top 12 drivers in the NASCAR XFINITY Series current standings could clinch a spot in the Chase with a win. Of the top 12 in points, only one has a NASCAR XFINITY Series road course win – Brendan Gaughan at Road America in 2014. Gaughan is currently sixth in points having posted two top fives and nine top 10s. He has completed 99.78% of the scheduled laps this season – tied for series-most with Elliott Sadler. Gaughan’s best series finish at Mid-Ohio was 12th last season.

    Ty Dillon (67 races since last win) and Justin Allgaier (64 races since last win) are both hungry for a victory this season. Dillon is third in points on the strength of six top fives and 12 top 10s this season. Dillon led five laps last weekend at WGI and finished 11th, he finished third at Mid-Ohio last season.
    Allgaier is driving for the No. 7 JR Motorsports team that Regan Smith won with at Mid-Ohio last season. He is coming off a seventh-place finish last weekend at WGI and in one career start at Mid-Ohio, finished eighth in 2013.

    Chase Bubble: Dancing Along The Cut Off Line

    Time is running out in the NASCAR XFINITY Series regular season and drivers hoping to make the Chase on points are facing that reality. With each finish that much more important, the pressure on the drivers teetering along the cutoff line has to be immense. Blake Koch currently holds the final Chase berth in 12th with Ross Chastain and Dakoda Armstrong looking to take his position this weekend.

    In the final NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase spot in 12th-position is Blake Koch, who is currently just two points ahead of 13th-place Ross Chastain. Koch’s season has been marred with DNFs (three), but this has been the best season of his career. He’s posted two top 10s and an average finish of 19.2. Koch has made three starts at Mid-Ohio, producing a best finish of 24th last season.

    With a slim deficit of two points, 13th-place Ross Chastain is waiting on any slip by Koch to capitalize. Chastain is in this position due to his consistency. In 20 starts, he has an average finish of 19.4 with just one DNF on the season. Chastain made his series debut at Mid-Ohio last season where he started 32nd and drove up to a 19th-place finish.

    Chastain is not the only driver within striking distance of making the Chase. Dakoda Armstrong is 14th in the standings, just nine points behind 12th-place Koch. Armstrong has run well this season, posting one top five and an average finish of 19.6. Armstrong has made two starts at Mid-Ohio, registering a top-10 finish and an average finish of 16.5.

    Points Get Tight At The Top – Both current standings leader Elliott Sadler and second-place Daniel Suarez are already locked into the Chase, but are locked in a tight battle for the top spot in the standings. This past weekend Suarez closed the 19-point gap between himself and Sadler to 11 points following a fourth-place finish at Watkins Glen International.

    Clauson Honored With Decal – To honor the life of Bryan Clauson, NASCAR XFINITY Series teams will run decals on the cars racing at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend. The BC decal will be placed on the A-Post of all cars in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

    Bryan Clauson decal to run on NXS cars at Mid Ohio

  • Logano Wins Second Straight Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen

    Logano Wins Second Straight Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen

    Joey Logano finally broke through and brought a Team Penske Ford to victory lane in the 2016 XFINITY Series.

    Logano started on the pole and dominated most of the day, leading 67 of 82 laps and cruised to victory after teammate Brad Keselowski had to pit late due to a broken track bar. It’s Logano’s 26th career XFINITY Series victory and his third straight overall victory at Watkins Glen after sweeping the XFINITY/Cup weekend last year.

    The event was a marathon, with multiple cars spinning out in most areas of the road course. The most eventful of these incidents was a lap 18 accident between Todd Bodine and Ryan Sieg in the esses. With the field close together due to a recent restart and the accident happening at the fastest, tightest portion of the racetrack, many cars got caught up while trying to avoid it. Some of them included Darrell Wallace Jr., Blake Koch, Tomy Dressi, and perennial XFINITY Series winner Kyle Busch. The widespread carnage caused a near half hour red flag and helped ensure Penske’s dominance over the remaining race.

    Another bizarre incident happened on lap 59 in the inner loop, when the front of former Daytona 500 champion Derrike Cope’s Chevrolet just kind of blew up. The best way to describe it was that it looked like a small bomb had gone off in the engine. Cope was uninjured and NASCAR has impounded the car to find out exactly what happened to it.

    Paul Menard, in a rare XFINITY Series start for Richard Childress Racing, brought his Chevrolet home second. “The Penske cars are just really fast here,” Menard said after the race. “I think they won the last several races here from the front row. We made our Chevrolet a lot quicker throughout the race. We had a good qualifying spot and could not do the restarts early in the run.

    “We played with air pressure and track bar and hit on something that last run. We ran 22 laps straight with our fastest laps being run at the end of that run. Really happy with the way the car was throughout the run. It just struggled a little bit on those restarts.”

    Kyle Larson finished third after leading two laps after the mid-way point during green flag pit stops. “Our Chevy was really good after about eight laps, but just took way too long to get going, especially with this last set of tires,” the driver of the No. 42 Cessna Chevrolet said following the race. “I had no grip for a few laps. I’d chatter the front every corner and slide the back on exit.

    “I tried to slow my entry up, but I’d still get loose on exit. So it finally came to us, but it took too long. We were still able to get third, but thought had we been able to fire off on short runs, we may have had a shot.”

    Daniel Suarez was the only non-Cup driver who finished in the top five in fourth. Trevor Bayne ended the day fifth in his only XFINITY start of the season so far. Elliott Sadler finished sixth and continued leading the point standings by 11 points over Suarez.

     

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Watkins Glen

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Watkins Glen

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series travel to Watkins Glen this weekend while the Camping World Truck Series is off. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

    All times are Eastern.

    Thursday, Aug. 4:

    On-Track:
    1-2:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice  
    3:30-4:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Second Practice  

    Friday, Aug. 5:

    On-Track:
    10-10:55 a.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN
    12:30-1:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN
    3-4:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN
    4:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    9:30 a.m.: XFINITY Series
    Noon: Sprint Cup Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    10:45 a.m.: Chris Buescher
    11:15 a.m.: Chase Elliott
    Noon: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    2:05 p.m.: Carl Edwards
    6 p.m..: Post-XFINITY Series Qualifying (time approx.)

    Saturday , Aug. 6: 

    On Track:
    12:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – CNBC
    2 p.m.: XFINITY Series Zippo 200 at The Glen (82 laps, 200.9 miles) – CNBC
    Radio: MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Press Conferences:
    1:30 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Qualifying (time approx.)
    4:30 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Race (time approx.)

    Sunday, Aug. 7: 

    On-Track:
    2:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at The Glen (90 laps, 220.5 miles) – USA
    Radio: MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Press Conferences:
    5:30 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Race (time approx.)

     

    Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

     

    Sprint Cup Race Notes via NASCAR:

    Mr. Versatility – Logano Readies To Display Road-Course Prowess Once Again

    Joey Logano showed he can race on any type of track last year when he swept the Watkins Glen International NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series contests. In addition to his Sprint Cup Series road-course win last year, he also visited Victory Lane at a short track (Bristol), two restrictor-plate tracks (Daytona and Talladega) and two 1.5-mile ovals.

    He returns to Watkins Glen – which features a new racing surface this season – with his sights set on two more victories.

    Logano has finished seventh or better in four of his last five starts at Watkins Glen: fifth in 2011, 32nd in 2012, seventh in 2013, sixth in 2014 and first in 2015.

    In his last two starts at NASCAR’s other road course – Sonoma Raceway – Logano has finished fifth (2015) and third (2016).

    The Middletown, Connecticut native has exhibited good form lately with seven top 10s in his last nine starts, including five top fives. On the season, Logano has one win, eight top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in 21 starts.

     Chase Crasher – Allmendinger All-In At The Glen

    AJ Allmendinger knows he has to follow Rule number 76 this weekend – “No excuses. Play like a champion.”

    Allmendinger crashed the Chase with a win at Watkins Glen International in 2014 and will try to do it again in 2016 with a visit to Victory Lane in Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen. The road-course ace realizes he won’t have a better opportunity to take a checkered flag the rest of the season.

    In seven career starts at Watkins Glen International, Allmendinger owns one win, two top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 10.1.

    Beast At The Glen – Track Record-Holder Stewart Goes For Sixth Win At Watkins Glen International

    Tony Stewart owns the track wins record at Watkins Glen International with five victories. He hasn’t crossed the finish line first there since 2009, but will attempt to add his sixth track win in Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen.

    In addition to his five wins, Stewart boasts seven top-two, and 10 top-10 finishes at the Central New York road course. From 2002-09, he finished worse than second at Watkins Glen International only once (11th in 2003).

    The rejuvenated Stewart has more top fives and one less top 10 through 13 starts this year than in his last two seasons combined. He has four top-five finishes in his last six races.

    Gordon Prepares For 800th Start, Fifth Win At The Glen

    Jeff Gordon will make his 800th career start – and his third consecutive race in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr. – in Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen.

    Gordon will be the ninth driver to make his 800th start, joining: Richard Petty (1,185), Ricky Rudd (906), Terry Labonte (890), Dave Marcis (883), Mark Martin (882), Kyle Petty (829), Bill Elliott (828) and Darrell Waltrip (809).

    A win on Sunday would tie Gordon with Tony Stewart for the Watkins Glen track record for victories with five. In 23 starts at the Central New York road course, he claims four wins, six top fives and nine top 10s. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is NASCAR’s all-time leader in road-course wins with nine.

    Following Watkins Glen, Gordon will make at least one more start for Earnhardt, at Bristol. Gordon has placed 13th at Indianapolis and 27th at Pocono as a sub for Earnhardt the last two races.

    Kenseth Set To Make 600th Start

    Matt Kenseth will make his 600th career start in Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen.

    For his career, Kenseth boasts 38 wins (tied for 19th in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history), 167 top fives, 299 top 10s, 17 poles and 10,851 laps led.

    At Watkins Glen, Kenseth has one top five and six top 10s in 16 starts. He did finish fourth at Watkins Glen last year and ninth in 2014, but has only led three laps there.

    This season, Kenseth is one of five drivers with multiple wins (Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson). He has two wins, four top fives, nine top 10s and a 14.1 average finish.

    Five More Clinch Chase Spot

    Though their spots were all but assured as is because of a race win, five drivers clinched spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Pocono. They are Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Martin  Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin.

    Boardwalk Empire’s Jack Huston To Serve As Official Pace Car Driver

    Jack Huston, star of the upcoming action adventure “Ben-Hur” from Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures will drive the 2016 Toyota Camry Pace Car to kick off Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen. Mark Burnett and Roma Downey – who are working with NASCAR on a scripted television series – are executive producers of “Ben-Hur”. Huston previously starred for four seasons on Boardwalk Empire and played mobster Pete Musane in “American Hustle.”

     

  • Erik Jones Checks Out On Field, Wins XFINITY Series Race At Iowa

    Erik Jones Checks Out On Field, Wins XFINITY Series Race At Iowa

    Erik Jones continued the dominance of Joe Gibbs Racing in the XFINITY series on Saturday by winning the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway in his No. 20 DeWalt Toyota. Jones won his third career race and his third of the season by passing Ty Dillon’s No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for the lead with 16 laps to go and won the race having led 154 of 250 laps.

    “It’s a great day,” Jones said after the race. “We had a great car. One that definitely deserved to win the race. The fastest car I feel like won tonight, which is always a good feeling. It was an awesome day for us.

    “I feel like we deserved to win when we came here earlier this year, we had a really fast car. It was nice to get some redemption for that one.”

    It’s the 13th win in the first 19 races of the season for JGR.

    Jones led most of the race from his start on the front row in second before the final caution with 100 laps to go. Jones had a mediocre pit stop and was beaten off pit road by Dillon and Elliott Sadler. Dillon was able to keep a comfortable lead for the next 60 or so green flag laps before fading away to being 3.533 seconds behind Jones in second at the finish.

    “I want the win so bad,” said a disappointed Dillon, who has not won since 2014 at Indianapolis. “That was all I had. They (Joe Gibbs Racing) are good right now. That was all I had.

    “I’m proud of my guys. They gave us a great opportunity tonight. My heart’s been broken every race since Indy. I want to get in victory lane again. We’re close; we just have to get a little better.”

    Sadler finished third and took over the points lead after Daniel Suarez struggled after that last caution. First, Suarez got into Josh Berry on the last restart. Then, he was forced to retire from the race with 76 laps to go due to engine problems. The Monterrey, Mexico native ended the night 30th after starting from the pole.

    Brennan Poole roared his way through the field from his starting position of 25th to fourth by the time the checkered flag waved. It’s just the second top five in the young Chip Ganassi Racing driver’s career. Dakoda Armstrong, in the No. 18 Toyota for JGR this week instead of his usual ride with JGL Racing, rounded out the top five in fifth.

    All told there were seven lead changes among four leaders, with the field being shown the yellow caution flag six times. Darrell Wallace Jr. had two accidents during the race and ended the night in 27th.

    Sam Hornish Jr., the part-time driver who led 183 of 250 laps en route to a victory at Iowa in June for JGR, finished sixth in this race for Richard Childress Racing. Brad Keselowski was the only Sprint Cup series regular in the field and returned to Pocono with a finish in eighth for his efforts.

    Complete Results:

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/NXS-Race-at-Iowa-Unofficial-Results-7-30-16.pdf”]

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Pocono and Iowa Plus Clinch Scenarios

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Pocono and Iowa Plus Clinch Scenarios

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Camping World Truck Series travel to Pocono Raceway this weekend while the XFINITY Series competes at Iowa Speedway. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, July 29:

    On Track – Pocono:
    11 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series First Practice – NBCSN
    12:30-1:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series First Practice – FS1
    3-3:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FS1
    4:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN

    On Track – Iowa:
    5-5:50 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – NBCSN will start coverage at 5:30 p.m. on a delay  
    7-8:20 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN

    Garage Cam: (Watch live)
    10:30 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series
    Noon: Camping World Truck Series

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    9:30 a.m.: Danny Stockman (Crew chief for the No. 27 Sprint Cup team) and Richard Childress Racing Competition Director Dr. Eric Warren
    9:45 a.m.: Brad Keselowski
    10 a.m.: Matt Kenseth
    10:15 a.m.: Daniel Hemric
    1:30 p.m: Jeff Gordon
    2:30 p.m.: Kyle Busch
    2:45 p.m.: Joey Logano
    3 p.m.: Kyle Larson
    5 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)

    Saturday, July 30:

    On Track – Pocono:
    9:05 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
    11 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice – NBCSN
    1 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Pocono Mountains 150 (60 laps, 150 miles) – FS1
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    On Track – Iowa:
    4:15 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN
    8 p.m.: XFINITY Series US Cellular 250 (250 laps, 218.75 miles) – NBCSN
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Press Conferences: (Watch live)
    10 a.m.: Aric Almirola
    3 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race (time approx.)

    Sunday, July 31: 

    On Track – Pocono:
    1:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Pennsylvania 400 (160 laps, 400 miles), NBCSN – POSTPONED TO MONDAY at 11:00 a.m. on NBCSN – Green Flag: 11:07 a.m.
    Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

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

    Race Notes via NASCAR:

    6 Races Left Until The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

    Only five Chase berths remain with six races left until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – Pocono, Watkins Glen, Bristol, Michigan, Darlington and Richmond.

    A visit to Victory Lane gets a winless driver into the Chase as long as he/she is in the top 30 in the points standings.

    The drivers who will get into the Chase because of wins are: Brad Keselowski (4 wins), Kyle Busch (3), Carl Edwards (2), Jimmie Johnson (2), Matt Kenseth (2), Kevin Harvick (1), Kurt Busch (1), Joey Logano (1), Martin Truex Jr. (1), Denny Hamlin (1) and Tony Stewart (1).

    Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman are the only currently winless drivers who have visited Victory Lane at Pocono Raceway – the site of Sunday’s race.

    Below are the remaining tracks after Pocono and winless drivers who have visited Victory Lane at them:

    Watkins Glen: AJ Allmendinger
    Bristol: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne
    Michigan: Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne
    Darlington: Greg Biffle, Regan Smith
    Richmond: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman

    Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Official Clinch Scenarios

     Five drivers have officially clinched berths in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup (assuming they start the remaining races in the regular season): Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth.

    For this weekend, these drivers have the potential to officially clinch:

    • Kevin Harvick (1 Win, 671 Points, +434 Points Ahead of 31st) – Clinches with a win.
    • Kurt Busch (1 Win, 627 Points, +390 Points Ahead of 31st) – Clinches with a win.
    • Joey Logano (1 Win, 606 Points, +369 Points Ahead of 31st) – Clinches with a win.
    • Martin Truex Jr (1 Win, 573 Points, +336 Points Ahead of 31st) – Clinches with a win.
    • Denny Hamlin (1 Win, 542 Points, +305 Points Ahead of 31st) – Clinches with a win.

    All of the above drivers have already clinched a top 30 spot, but need to clear the multiple wins hurdle. So, there’s a decent potential for no clinches this weekend if a zero-win driver wins or an already clinched driver wins.

    Complete NASCAR TV Schedule