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Tag: Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

  • Buescher: ‘We are going one round at a time right now’

    Buescher: ‘We are going one round at a time right now’

    Asked what his strategy is now that he’s in the Chase, Chris Buescher says he’s taking it one round at a time.

    Speaking to the media during Chase Media Day at the Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago, the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford was asked what’s his plan of attack now that he’s in the Chase.

    “We are going one round at a time right now,” Buescher said. “We are trying to look ahead to the next three races. We have been so focused on getting into the Chase that now that we are here we haven’t thought too much past that. I feel like we are prepared to go into this next couple.”

    Buescher made his way into the Chase with a win in the rain-shortened Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway. In the five races since, he’s finished 30th, fifth, 35th, 17th and 24th for a 22.2 finishing average, which is four and a half spots better than his season finishing average.

    Despite the stats, the reigning 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion believes he can make it into the second round of the Chase.

    “I think we can make it into the second round. Consistency was a huge part of our championship last year,” Buescher said referring to his 2015 championship in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. “We were able to get a couple wins and be right there with the guys we were racing every week. That was a big part of it. For this first three races, I definitely think consistency will play a really big part of it. You can’t have that one bad week and expect to recover in the two remaining. You really need to be smooth throughout all of it and make sure you are there after Dover. Then you can reevaluate and decide how you will treat the next couple of rounds.”

  • We’re going racing in Miami

    We’re going racing in Miami

    The time for talk is over and the time for racing is now!

    After an hour delay by rain, track drying is almost complete as of this post’s publishing and we’re set to crown a champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    According to SB Nation meteorologist Brian Neudorff, rain is still a possibility.

    However, it’s much less likely as the day goes into the night.

    There will be a competition caution on lap 25.

    If the race goes past 7:00, it will switch over to NBCSN.

  • Race update: It’s raining in Florida

    Race update: It’s raining in Florida

    It appears we forgot to leave one thing back in Phoenix.

    The start of the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway is currently on hold due to down-pouring showers. A line of showers is passing over the track at the moment as one would expect in Florida.

    Current radar models show the skies will be clear after 4:00.

    At the time this piece was published, the rain began to let up and the air titans were sent back out to dry it.

    Should the rain not interrupt the drying process, we should have the cars under green by 4:00.

    NBC has said that if the race goes past 7:00, it will be moved to NBCSN.

  • Homestead Ford EcoBoost 400 Preview

    Homestead Ford EcoBoost 400 Preview

    It has been a wild ride these last 35 races, but all good things must come to an end.

    This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its final trek of the season down to South Florida to run the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It’s the 36th and final race of the 2015 season.

    Homestead-Miami Speedway is a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) intermediate speedway located in Homestead, Florida. Born out of the destruction of Hurricane Andrew, it’s played host to the NASCAR XFINITY Series season finale since 1995. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first came to Homestead in 1999. The inaugural race was won by Anthony Wayne “Tony” Stewart. It was his third win of his record-setting rookie season.

    In 2002, the season finale race was moved from Atlanta Motor Speedway to Homestead-Miami Speedway for both the Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series.

    Some of you might not be old enough to remember, but there was a time when Homestead wasn’t putting on great races. When it was first built, it basically was Indianapolis and the racing mirrored it. In 1997, the track was reconfigured into the oval it looks like today. However, the turns were almost flat.

    In 2003, the track was repaved and the banking was changed from flat to progressive. What I remember most from that race was Bill Elliott leading the race coming out of Turn 2 on the final lap when he had a tire go down. Bobby Labonte drove by him on the backstretch and took the checkered flag. Little did I know that it would also be his final win.

    Photo: Sherryl Creekmore/NASCAR
    Photo: Sherryl Creekmore/NASCAR

    In 2004, Kurt Busch clinched the NASCAR title by a mere eight points over Jimmie Johnson in a race that, ironically, a tire coming off his car saved his championship hopes.

    Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR
    Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

    In 2010, Denny Hamlin came into Homestead with a 15 point lead over Johnson. Just about everything that could go wrong for him that weekend did go wrong for him that weekend. He had a lousy qualifying effort, was sent sliding through the grass on the backstretch and couldn’t recover to anything better than a 14th-place finish. A runner-up finish by Johnson clinched his fifth consecutive Sprint Cup Series championship.

    In 2011, we were given the closest points finish in NASCAR history when Tony Stewart tied in points with Carl Edwards. The tiebreaker went to Stewart on his five wins to Edwards’s one.

    Had he finished second that day, it would have been Edwards celebrating with the title trophy. It’s also worth noting that Stewart had to work his way up through the field more than once that day.

    It really goes to show just how important is winning in NASCAR.

    Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
    Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

    The championship battle was just as dramatic in 2012. Johnson had the race in his hands until he was black-flagged for a missing lug nut. It went from bad to worse when he destroyed the suspension of his car coming back onto pit road.

    Brad Keselowski survived to score the first title for himself and the captain Roger Penske.

    Jeff Gordon took over the race lead with 15 laps remaining and held off Clint Bowyer to score his 87th career victory and first at Homestead.

    Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
    Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

    Last year, Gordon started on the pole and flat out dominated the race by leading 161 of the 267 laps. Near the end of the race, he and Alan Gustafson – since they were out of the title picture – opted to play it conservative and he came home in 10th.

    Joey Logano possibly had the race won until a bad pit stop relegated him to a 16th-place finish.

    Denny Hamlin was toward the front most of the race. Unfortunately, he had nothing and finished seventh.

    Ryan Newman came within half a second of the win and the title last year, but had to settle for bridesmaid.

    In the end, it was Kevin Harvick who played his cards right, stood atop the podium and won the title for the first time in his career.

    Now let’s look at the championship four.

    Photo: Chris Trotman/Getty Images
    Photo: Chris Trotman/Getty Images

    First at 3/2 to win the title and 7/2 to win the race (Vegas Insider) is Kevin Michael Harvick.

    In 14 starts, he’s amassed one win, six top fives (42.86 percent), 12 top-10’s (85.71 percent), 190 laps led, an average finish of 7.6, one DNF and is the defending race winner.

    Coming into this race, Harvick has three wins, 22 top fives (62.86 percent), 27 top-10s (77.14 percent), 2248 laps led, 8.9 average finish, 8.7 average finish in the intermediate races and has tied a NASCAR record with 12 runner-up finishes in one season (Bobby Allison had 12 in 1972). However, his 12.2 average finish in the nine Chase races this season is the worst of the four championship drivers.

    With that said, I would be shocked if the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet isn’t up front on Sunday.

    Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
    Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

    Next at 11/4 to win the title and 6/1 to win the race is Kyle Thomas Busch.

    His stats at Homestead are less than stellar. In 10 starts, he’s accumulated zero wins, one top-five (10 percent), three top-10s (30 percent), 237 laps led, a 23.1 average finish and two DNF’s.

    This season, he missed the first 11 races after breaking his legs in the XFINITY Series race at Daytona in February. After making his return in the Coca-Cola 600, he’s compiled four wins, 11 top fives (45.83 percent – the percentage is his top-fives divided by to the number of races Busch has started), 15 top-10s (62.5 percent), 694 laps led, an 11.2 average finish and an 8.3 average finish in the intermediate races.

    Now Busch winning the title Sunday would probably not sit well with a large portion of NASCAR nation given he missed the first 11 races because of his injury. Personally, I don’t have a problem with it because he satisfied NASCAR’s requirements to make it in the Chase.

    I would expect to see the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to be up near the front Sunday.

    Photo: Chris Trotman/Getty Images
    Photo: Chris Trotman/Getty Images

    Now coming down the red carpet at 3/1 to win the title and 10/1 to win the race is Martin Lee Truex Jr.

    In 10 career starts, he garnered zero wins, three top-fives (30 percent), 7 top-10s (70 percent), 108 laps led, an average finish of 10th and one DNF.

    This season, Truex has one win, eight top fives (22.86 percent), 22 top-10s (62.86 percent), 564 laps led, an average finish of 12.2 and an 8.7 average finish in the intermediate races.

    If Truex wins the title, he and Furniture Row Racing would be the first single-car team to do so since Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress Racing in 1994.

    What really makes his title story compelling is that Furniture Row Racing is this single-car team well outside the NASCAR universe in Denver, Colorado. Barney Visser’s operation has scratched and clawed for the last 10 years in order to finally become one of the top teams in the Sprint Cup Series.

    I guarantee you that no one, not even Visser, foresaw the success they’d have this season. Coming off the 2013 season that saw Kurt Busch take the team to the Chase, they had a dramatic falloff in performance. It was compounded by issues in Truex’s personal life when his longtime business partner/girlfriend Sherry Pollex was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

    But in a four-race stretch in May and June, Truex dominated the field by leading a combined 454 of the combined 1267 laps at Kansas, Charlotte, Dover and Pocono. It was at the Tricky Triangle where he ended a  two-year winless drought and scored his third career win.

    Since that win, his performance was either hit or miss. His longest stretch of top-10 finishes was three. In spite of this, expect to see the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet to battle for the win.

    Photo: Robert Laberge/NASCAR via Getty Images
    Photo: Robert Laberge/NASCAR via Getty Images

    Finally, we have the legend making his 797th and final career start on Sunday. At 7/2 to win the title and 10/1 to win the race, it will be arguably the greatest walk-off performance in sports history should the race be won by Jeffrey Michael Gordon.

    In 16 starts at Homestead, he’s garnered one win, seven top fives (43.75 percent), 12 top-10s (75 percent), 244 laps led, a 10.6 average finish, one DNF and he dominated this race a year ago on his way to a 10th-place finish.

    Despite what some of you think, it’s really not been a horrid season for Gordon. In 35 races, he has a win, five top fives (14.29 percent), 20 top-10s (57.14 percent), 256 laps led, an average finish of 13.9 and a 13.3 average finish in the intermediate races.

    Why his title story would be awesome needs no explaining. But I’ll explain anyway.

    When Gordon came into the sport in 1992, NASCAR, despite racing in other parts of the United States for its entire history, was still largely seen as a Southern sport. This kid from California with the mullet transcended the boundaries of the NASCAR world and brought this sport to the national level from his appearances on shows like Live with Regis & Kelly and hosting Saturday Night Live.

    It wasn’t just his charisma and ability to work the media that made him a legend, it’s also his on-track accomplishments. In 796 starts, he has won 93 times, earned 81 poles, finished in the top-five 325 times (a batting average of .408), has 474 top-10 finishes (54.55 percent), has led nearly 25-thousand laps (24,920), has a 12.5 career average finish, captured four titles and nearly 300-thousand miles driven in the sport.

    Photo: Tucker White
    Photo: Tucker White

    Gordon is the reason I came into the sport many years ago. I only wish that I could have seen him win a race in person. The closest I came to accomplishing the former was this picture I took of the start of the 57th running of the Daytona 500.

    Regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s race, Gordon will no doubt go down as arguably the greatest driver in the history of NASCAR and one of the greatest in the history of auto racing. I truly believe his name is up there with the likes of Michael Schumacher, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna, Mario Andretti, A. J. Foyt, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and many, many more.

    Short of team orders, I’d drive to Las Vegas and bet that Hendrick Motorsports is pulling all their resources to make sure Big Daddy rides into the Florida sunset with his long, overdue fifth championship.

    So will Happy repeat as champion? Will Rowdy finally break through and win his first title? Will Truex break out of journeyman status and win the title for Denver? Will the legend himself go out on top with the greatest walk-off performance ever seen?

    Find out this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on NBC. You can also catch the radio broadcast at 2:00 on the Motor Racing Network. Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace will be in the booth. Dave Moody will work Turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley will work Turns 3 and 4. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley and Steve Post will work pit road.

  • Race update: There Will Be a Chase Race at Phoenix Tonight

    Race update: There Will Be a Chase Race at Phoenix Tonight

    We’ll decide who’s going to the championship finale at Homestead under the lights at Phoenix International Raceway Sunday night. It will be televised on NBCSN.

    The race was originally scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET but was postponed due to rain. After hours of rain showers, drying the track, more rain showers, people tweeting their favorite Jeff Gordon moments and more rain, we’re getting closer to starting the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500.

    According to the latest radar, we’re good to race for the rest of the night with no more significant precipitation heading the way of Jeff Gordon Raceway.

    As of right now, track drying is proceeding accordingly and we should get going shortly with a projected start time of approximately 9 p.m. When this race does get underway, there will be a competition caution on lap 40. Pit road speed is 40 mph and the fuel window is roughly 80 laps.

    In the unlikely event this race doesn’t get underway tonight, it will be run tomorrow. NASCAR has not yet set a definite time for the race if it is postponed until Monday.

    Jimmie Johnson, who won the pole position in qualifying Friday, will lead the field to green. The Chase drivers will take the green flag in the following order: Kurt Busch, 2nd; Carl Edwards, 4th; Martin Truex Jr., 5th; Kevin Harvick, 8th; Kyle Busch, 10th; Gordon, 11th; Joey Logano, 14th; Brad Keselowski, 18th.

    Jeff Gordon is the only driver who has secured his berth in the final race at Homestead next week which will determine the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, leaving seven drivers to compete for the remaining three spots.

    The race will be broadcast on NBCSN with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

     

  • Race Update: Cup Race at Phoenix Under a Weather Delay

    Race Update: Cup Race at Phoenix Under a Weather Delay

    Today’s race at Phoenix is under a weather delay.

    Rain showers have put the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway scheduled to start at 2:45 p.m. Eastern time on hold.

    The latest radar shows the rain is breaking up, but more is on the way from the southwest.

    Weather.com has the chance of rain ranging between 15 and 20 percent until 7:00 Eastern.

    The sun has emerged from the clouds and the air titans are on track at the moment. We expect the race to get underway and finished tonight. Television coverage will be moved to NBCSN

     

  • Johnson Fires the Six Shooters Deep in the Heart of Texas

    Johnson Fires the Six Shooters Deep in the Heart of Texas

    Jimmie Johnson denied Brad Keselowski a date with immortality by stealing the victory in Texas on Sunday.

    The driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet led only six laps on his way to scoring his 75th career victory, fifth win of the season and sixth at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Johnson said that he “just kept pressure on him (Keselowski). I could see that he was really tight and that was the first I had seen him that vulnerable all day. I just kept the pressure on him, kept searching for line. He saw me coming on the top and protected it. I just kept trying to put pressure on him hoping for a mistake. He got real loose off of Turn 2 and I had a big run down the backstretch and drove it in really far into Turn 3 hoping to hear clear. Once I did I knew I was home free.”

    The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford led 312 of the 334 laps on his way to getting passed for the win and finishing runner-up.

    “The 48 car had mega turn that last run and I couldn’t keep the turn and it kept pushing real bad. I did everything I could to hold him off, but he was way faster that last run. Their team did a hell of a job and found speed and my team did a hell of a job too. We led 300-some laps and these debris yellows always favor someone and it wasn’t our day for them to favor us. I am still very proud of our effort today. We will have a great shot at winning next week. We really needed to win this one and I know I gave it my all,” said Keselowski.

    Kevin Harvick led 11 circuits on his way to rounding out the podium in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. Kyle Busch led one lap and finished his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in fourth. Carl Edwards rounded out the top-five in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished sixth followed by Kurt Busch in seventh. Martin Truex Jr. finished eighth, Jeff Gordon finished ninth and Jamie McMurray rounded out the top-10.

    Joey Logano was the only Chase driver outside the top-10. A flat tire 11 laps into the race relegated him to a 40th-place finish.

    Jeff Gordon leaves Texas with a two-point lead over Kyle Busch. Harvick leaves in third place, three points behind the leader. Martin Truex Jr. leaves Texas in fourth, six points back. Carl Edwards is fifth in the standings, 13-points back. Keselowski leaves in sixth place, 25 points behind Gordon. Kurt Busch is seventh (-34) and Logano leaves at the bottom of the title contender  rankings, 69 points back.

    Now mathematically unable to race his way in next week, the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford must win at Phoenix in order to race for the championship at Homestead.

    “Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches. We will be ready for Phoenix. This team is strong, Logano said.

     

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – AAA Texas 500
    Texas Motor Speedway
    Fort Worth, Texas
    Sunday, November 08, 2015

        1. (8) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 334, $462976.

        2. (1) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 334, $394391.

        3. (2) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 334, $280475.

        4. (3) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 334, $242766.

        5. (13) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 334, $170575.

        6. (10) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 334, $171240.

        7. (7) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 334, $157615.

        8. (23) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 334, $160910.

        9. (18) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 334, $172351.

        10. (27) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 334, $158556.

        11. (26) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 334, $156576.

        12. (6) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 334, $153326.

        13. (20) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 334, $120440.

        14. (21) Brian Scott(i), Chevrolet, 334, $127748.

        15. (14) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 334, $142973.

        16. (11) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 334, $116140.

        17. (30) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 334, $137398.

        18. (24) Aric Almirola, Ford, 334, $143526.

        19. (12) Greg Biffle, Ford, 333, $137148.

        20. (16) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 333, $120765.

        21. (28) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 333, $113540.

        22. (19) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 333, $137240.

        23. (15) David Ragan, Toyota, 333, $132079.

        24. (32) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 332, $130910.

        25. (36) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 331, $104265.

        26. (17) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 330, $126123.

        27. (39) Cole Whitt, Ford, 330, $115398.

        28. (43) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 330, $120587.

        29. (41) David Gilliland, Ford, 329, $108340.

        30. (35) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, 329, $103130.

        31. (37) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 329, $99915.

        32. (40) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, 329, $99690.

        33. (34) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, 329, $99473.

        34. (33) Michael McDowell, Ford, 328, $99240.

        35. (38) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 328, $99040.

        36. (42) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, 326, $98810.

        37. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Accident, 304, $126510.

        38. (9) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 304, $111852.

        39. (29) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 296, $134355.

        40. (4) Joey Logano, Ford, 268, $132988.

        41. (31) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Engine, 236, $81780.

        42. (22) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Accident, 52, $104994.

        43. (25) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, Accident, 26, $74280.

  • Keselowski Grabs the Pole at Texas

    Keselowski Grabs the Pole at Texas

    Brad Keselowski will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday. The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford won the pole with a time of 27.421 and a speed of 196.929 mph.

    Keselowski said that his “Wurth Ford Fusion has been really good since we unloaded. Very similar to where we were at Kansas, really fast in practice and really fast in qualifying. But we just need that to say with us in the race and we didn’t get that in Kansas.” He also joked that he’s glad to “have the first pit stall and we get to keep it this time. We are really excited about the race Sunday.”

    Kevin Harvick was second with a time of 27.552 and a speed of 195.993 mph.

    Harvick said that he practically “ran the same speed in all three rounds there. Didn’t quite have the raw speed in the first round, but this is a racetrack where you want the car to keep going as long as you can. Felt like we had a good start to our race trim practice today and going to have a good spot to start on Sunday.”

    Kyle Busch was third with a time of 27.591 and a speed of 195.716 mph.

    He said that while he doesn’t “need to win, we would love to win. I feel like this is a good opportunity for us to have a really good day and for us to score a victory. We come to every race trying to win and this one’s no different. I hope that Texas will bode well for us and we can score that win. If not, a solid top-five finish is exactly what we need. That’s where we need to be at the end of the day and carry on that momentum and go into Phoenix and hope for another solid day there.”

    Joey Logano qualified fourth with a time of 27.633 and a speed of 195.419 mph. Kyle Larson rounded out the top-five with a time of 27.644 and a speed of 195.341 mph.

    Erik Jones, driving in place of the suspended Matt Kenseth, will make his second career Sprint Cup Series start from the sixth starting position.

    Jones said that his qualifying run was “a really good effort for us. We made the final round at Kansas as well so it’s cool to make the final round in both our starts. We’ll see where it goes from here, obviously we’ve got a long ways to go yet for Sunday, 500 miles. This definitely helps everybody’s confidence a little bit for that.”

    Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top-10.

    Carl Edwards qualified 13th followed by Jeff Gordon, who locked himself into the championship race at Homestead with a win last Sunday at Martinsville, qualified 18th. Martin Truex Jr. was the lowest qualifying Chase driver in 23rd.

    Joey Gase and Reed Sorenson failed to qualify for the race.

    Complete Starting Lineup for the AAA Texas 500:

    1. Brad Keselowski
    2. Kevin Harvick
    3. Kyle Busch
    4. Joey Logano
    5. Kyle Larson
    6. Erik Jones
    7. Kurt Busch
    8. Jimmie Johnson
    9. Denny Hamlin
    10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    11. Danica Patrick
    12. Greg Biffle
    13. Carl Edwards
    14. Clint Bowyer
    15. David Ragan
    16. Kasey Kahne
    17. Casey Mears
    18. Jeff Gordon
    19. Ryan Newman
    20. Paul Menard
    21. Brian Scott
    22. Tony Stewart
    23. Martin Truex Jr.
    24. Aric Almirola
    25. Ryan Blaney
    26. Austin Dillon
    27. Jamie McMurray
    28. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    29. Trevor Bayne
    30. AJ Allmendinger
    31. Alex Bowman
    32. Sam Hornish Jr.
    33. Michael McDowell
    34. JJ Yeley
    35. Brett Moffitt
    36. Landon Cassill
    37. Michael Annett
    38. Matt DiBenedetto
    39. Cole Whitt
    40. Jeb Burton
    41. David Gilliland
    42. Ryan Preece
    43. Justin Allgaier
  • Keselowski Heads First Practice Session at Texas

    Keselowski Heads First Practice Session at Texas

    Brad Keselowski topped the chart in the first practice session on Friday at Texas Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 27.403 and a speed of 197.059 mph. Kevin Harvick placed his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet with a time of 27.492 and a speed of 196.421 mph. Carl Edwards showed his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 27.516 and a speed of 196.249 mph. Kyle Larson brought his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet to fourth with a time of 27.533 and a speed of 196.128 mph. Joey Logano rounded out the top-five in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 27.551 and a speed of 196.000 mph.

    Jamie McMurray finished his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in sixth. Ryan Blaney finished his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in seventh. Erik Jones, driving in place of the suspended Matt Kenseth, finished his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in eighth. Greg Biffle finished his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in ninth. Kurt Busch rounded out the top-10 in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.

    Kyle Busch finished 11th, Jeff Gordon finished 19th and Martin Truex Jr. was the lowest-finishing Chase driver in 20th.

    The Sprint Cup cars are back on track this evening for qualifying at 6:45.

    NSCS Practice 1
    Texas Motor Speedway
    11th Annual AAA Texas 500
    Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Fri, November 06, 2015 @ 01:58 PM Eastern
    ===========================================
    Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
    ===========================================
    1 2 Brad Keselowski Wurth Ford 27.403 197.059 7 7 —.— —.—
    2 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet 27.492 196.421 8 8 -0.089 -0.089
    3 19 Carl Edwards Sport Clips Toyota 27.516 196.249 18 18 -0.113 -0.024
    4 42 Kyle Larson Target Plaid Chevrolet 27.533 196.128 24 24 -0.130 -0.017
    5 22 Joey Logano AAA Insurance Ford 27.551 196.000 20 20 -0.148 -0.018
    6 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet 27.566 195.893 17 17 -0.163 -0.015
    7 21 Ryan Blaney(i) Snap-On Tools Ford 27.568 195.879 7 7 -0.165 -0.002
    8 20 Erik Jones(i) DeWalt Toyota 27.593 195.702 21 21 -0.190 -0.025
    9 16 Greg Biffle Ortho Ford 27.613 195.560 7 9 -0.210 -0.020
    10 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 27.635 195.404 19 19 -0.232 -0.022
    11 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Crispy Toyota 27.639 195.376 18 18 -0.236 -0.004
    12 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet 27.658 195.242 17 17 -0.255 -0.019
    13 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota 27.664 195.200 8 10 -0.261 -0.006
    14 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 27.672 195.143 8 8 -0.269 -0.008
    15 15 Clint Bowyer Maxwell House Toyota 27.680 195.087 16 16 -0.277 -0.008
    16 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 27.707 194.897 11 11 -0.304 -0.027
    17 3 Austin Dillon Dow Packaging/H-E-B Chevrolet 27.711 194.868 7 7 -0.308 -0.004
    18 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Sonic Ford 27.728 194.749 9 9 -0.325 -0.017
    19 24 Jeff Gordon Axalta Chevrolet 27.729 194.742 20 20 -0.326 -0.001
    20 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 27.736 194.693 7 9 -0.333 -0.007
    21 31 Ryan Newman Quicken Loans Chevrolet 27.742 194.651 14 14 -0.339 -0.006
    22 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet 27.754 194.567 9 9 -0.351 -0.012
    23 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger/Scott Products Chevrolet 27.765 194.489 19 19 -0.362 -0.011
    24 55 David Ragan Aaron’s Online Dream Machine Toyota 27.770 194.454 17 17 -0.367 -0.005
    25 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 27.780 194.384 10 10 -0.377 -0.010
    26 27 Paul Menard Schrock/Menards Chevrolet 27.783 194.363 13 13 -0.380 -0.003
    27 14 Tony Stewart Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 27.815 194.140 20 22 -0.412 -0.032
    28 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford 27.815 194.140 7 7 -0.412 -0.000
    29 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 27.943 193.251 11 11 -0.540 -0.128
    30 33 Brian Scott(i) Shore Lodge Chevrolet 27.943 193.251 5 7 -0.540 -0.000
    31 7 Alex Bowman Nikko RC/Toy State Chevrolet 28.004 192.830 17 17 -0.601 -0.061
    32 26 JJ Yeley(i) Overture Promotions Toyota 28.089 192.246 9 9 -0.686 -0.085
    33 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 28.104 192.143 23 23 -0.701 -0.015
    34 95 Michael McDowell Tommy Williams Drywall Ford 28.237 191.238 10 10 -0.834 -0.133
    35 34 Brett Moffitt # Visit Dallas Ford 28.241 191.211 21 21 -0.838 -0.004
    36 23 Jeb Burton # Dr Pepper/Estes Toyota 28.288 190.894 9 9 -0.885 -0.047
    37 51 Justin Allgaier Texas Lottery Chevrolet 28.300 190.813 20 20 -0.897 -0.012
    38 35 Cole Whitt Moen Ford 28.350 190.476 15 19 -0.947 -0.050
    39 46 Michael Annett Pilot Flying J Chevrolet 28.404 190.114 12 12 -1.001 -0.054
    40 38 David Gilliland Love’s Travel Stops Ford 28.415 190.040 14 16 -1.012 -0.011
    41 40 Landon Cassill(i) CRC/O’Reilly Auto Parts Chevrolet 28.424 189.980 32 32 -1.021 -0.009
    42 83 Matt DiBenedetto # Dustless Blasting Toyota 28.555 189.109 11 11 -1.152 -0.131
    43 32 Joey Gase(i) Zak Products/Donate Life Texas Ford 28.767 187.715 14 14 -1.364 -0.212
    44 62 Reed Sorenson Toyota 28.846 187.201 9 9 -1.443 -0.079
    45 98 Ryan Preece Xyience Chevrolet 29.075 185.727 24 24 -1.672 -0.229

    Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
    * No driver ran 10 consecutive laps during this practice.
    *Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

     

  • AAA Texas 500 Preview

    AAA Texas 500 Preview

    Leave the car at home this weekend, hop on your trusty steed and ride out west because NASCAR is riding into the Lonestar State.

    This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Fort Worth, Texas for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. It will be the 34th race of the season, eighth of the Chase and second of the Eliminator Round.

    I’m just going to say this up front. If you expect to see a good race at Texas, don’t. Speaking only for myself, Texas is near the bottom of my list of favorite tracks. I’ve seen very few races that could pass as good here. I’ve seen so much nothing here over the years that I’ve set my expectations for Texas at zero. The aero package we used this year didn’t make it any better.

    The only thing that gives me hope that this will be worth watching is that it’s the middle race of this round. As we’ve seen the last two years, the middle race of the Challenger, Contender and Eliminator Rounds have the biggest water-cooler moments.

    The powder keg erupted on pit road last year at Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)
    The powder keg erupted on pit road last year at Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington /Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)

    New Hampshire last year had the second half wreck fest, Charlotte had the hauler scuffle between Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski and Texas had the pit road brawl involving Jeff Gordon and his crew fighting Keselowski and his crew.

    This season we saw Kevin Harvick dominate Loudon before running out of gas with two laps to go and needing to win Dover to advance and then we had Joey Logano turning Kenseth to win Kansas.

    Each race of this year’s Chase has given us moments to talk about for days (be it good or bad) and that alone gives me hope that Texas will be watchable.

     

    (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)
    Kevin Harvick will look to fire the six-shooters in Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington /Getty Images for TMS)

    Kevin Harvick

    Kevin Harvick enters the weekend at 9/2 as the odds-on favorite (Vegas Insider). While he’s been dominant this season, his stats at Texas are hit or miss. He’s finished in the top-10 in 52 percent of his 25 starts, has 13 top-10 finishes in 25 starts, but he has only finished in the top-five in 20 percent of his starts (five top-five finishes in 25 starts). He’s also only led 104 laps at Texas in his career and until this past April, he never led more than two laps in a single race. In his last two starts at Texas, Harvick has finished runner-up in both and led 96 laps when NASCAR was last in Denton County, Texas. Expect to see the driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet to be up front on Sunday.

     

    Joey Logano will look to climb out of the points deficit he's in. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)
    Joey Logano will look to climb out of the points deficit he’s in. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for TMS)

    Joey Logano

    Next is the 5/1 driver that’s been on the biggest hot streak as of late, Joseph Tomas Logano. His stats at Texas technically aren’t stellar (only five top-five and five top-10 finishes in 14 starts) but his five races at Texas with Team Penske have been among his best of any track. In his last five races, he’s finished fifth, third, first, 12th and fourth. That’s an average finish of fifth. While he’s only led 159 laps at Texas, 129 of those were in the last five races. In the nine intermediate races this season, Logano has a 5.1 average finish. With a 37-point hole to dig out of and Phoenix being Harvick’s playground, expect the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford to race like hell for the checkered flag Sunday.

     

    Look for "Bad Brad" to make some noise this Sunday. Photo Credit: Barry Albert
    Look for “Bad Brad” to make some noise this Sunday. (Photo Credit: Barry Albert)

    Brad Keselowski

    Next at 6/1 is Brad Keselowski. Like Logano, his career stats at Texas aren’t great. With only five top-10 finishes and three top-five finishes, you might be quick to write him off. However, in his last five starts, he’s finished ninth, sixth, 15th, third and fifth. That’s a 7.3 average finish. He’s led 273 laps in his career, 164 in the last four races. While he’s not toward the top of my picks to win, I’d expect to see him near the front Sunday.

     

    Jimmie Johnson will look to fire off the six-shooters again this weekend. (Photo by Sarah Glenn/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)
    Jimmie Johnson will look to fire off the six-shooters again this weekend. (Photo by Sarah Glenn/Getty Images for TMS)

    Jimmie Johnson

    Finally, we come to the driver who’s both 6/1 and the all-time wins leader at Texas Motor Speedway. His name is Jimmie Kenneth Johnson. In 24 starts, he’s finished in the top-five in half of his starts and 75 percent in the top-10. In the last seven races, he’s finished second, first, sixth, first, 25th, first and first. He’s also won the last three fall races at Texas, and in pretty dominant fashion. In the five races he led a lap in, he led  no fewer than 128 laps. His laps led total in each race has been 156, 168, zero, 255, zero, 191 and 128. That’s an average of 128 laps. I know Johnson hasn’t been up front much since winning at Dover in May and he’s only led 41 laps since Daytona in July, but my money is on the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to continue his streak of being the only driver to have won at least one Chase race every year.

     

    To find out who’ll fire off the six-shooters in victory lane, tune into the AAA Texas 500 Sunday at 2:00 p.m. on NBC. The radio broadcast can be heard on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM radio (subscription required). You’ll hear Doug Rice, Mark Garrow and Wendy Venturini in the booth, Rob Albright and Pat Patterson in the turns and Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan, Jim Noble and Steve Richards on pit road. The lineup is always subject to change.