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  • 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.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/C1627_STARTROW.pdf” title=”c1627_startrow”]

  • Johnson: ‘I’d rather be dominating and be on top’

    Johnson: ‘I’d rather be dominating and be on top’

    When asked if he relishes being the “underdog,” Jimmie Johnson said he’d rather be on top dominating.

    Speaking to the media on Chase Media Day at the Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago, the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet responded to the question of liking the idea of being overlooked to prove everybody wrong.

    “No,” Johnson said plainly. “Hell, I’d rather be dominating and be on top and be the top pick. I don’t like where we’re at. We’re working hard. There’s a lot of optimism and a lot of great things happening. We just need to deliver consistently and execute at the track.

    The 2016 season for the six-time Sprint Cup Series champion is on pace to be his worst career season to date in terms of statistics. After 26 races, he’s amassed only two wins, seven top fives and 10 top-10 finishes. He’s on track to finish with the fewest top 10s in a season of his career, his 266 laps led have been the fewest of any season in his career, his finishing average for the season is teetering on being the lowest in his career and he finished a race in last place for the first time in his career this season with a 40th place finish at Watkins Glen International.

    It’s also been three years since his sixth championship, he’s yet to win the title in the elimination format of the Chase, has yet to advance past the second round, didn’t advance out of the first round last year and hasn’t won more than a single race in the Chase since 2013.

    Despite the stat of not making it past round 2 during the time of year that’s historically been his playground, Johnson isn’t worried.

    “Well, it’s only two years,” he said. “Everybody makes a big deal out of I haven’t won a championship in a while. I guess it’s 10 years since my first championship, so there’s only four years I’ve missed. I don’t think that’s too bad of a stat.”

  • Chase Elliott Says his Rookie Season has had Ups and Downs

    Chase Elliott Says his Rookie Season has had Ups and Downs

    Asked to describe his rookie season, Chase Elliott said it’s had ups and downs.

    Speaking to the media on Chase Media Day at the Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago, the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was asked to size up his first year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

    “It’s had its ups and downs, for sure,” Elliott said. “I’m proud of some moments, not so proud of others. But, you know, we’ve given ourselves a couple opportunities to contend for a couple wins, which I think is good. Not so good to not be able to capitalize on those opportunities. As I’ve said before, that’s disappointing.

    “I think you have to look at the positives of the fact that we were able to, you know, be a contender some this year, which I think is good. Other weeks, we’ve had our struggles, like anybody else. But I think we’ve got to put the positives together and get ready for these next few weeks.”

    Elliott’s rookie season in the Sprint Cup Series has been above average in terms of stats. While he’s still searching for his first win, he’s amassed two poles, seven top fives and 13 top 10s in 26 starts. He’s been as high as sixth in points this season and starts the Chase 14th. His best race came back in Pocono in June where he led a race-high of 51 laps before he was caught behind a gaggle of cars on different pit strategies and finished fourth.

    When asked if he thought he’s exceeded expectations in his rookie season, he said “It’s hard to say or for me to judge. It’s not really for me to judge.

    “But for us, I’m definitely proud to be here. I’m excited about it. I think it’s a great opportunity. You know, we want to try to do the best job we can each week like we always say. But I’m proud of it nonetheless.”

  • 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.”

  • 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.)

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Chicagoland myAFibRisk.com400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Chicagoland myAFibRisk.com400

    In the first race of the 10-race Chase to the championship here is what was surprising and not surprising from 15th Annual myAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

    Surprising:  While Denny Hamlin proved he was better than the rest of the field, coming back from an early spin to win the first race of the Chase, he also proved he was better than one of basketball’s greatest.

    “The first thing I’m going to do is text Michael Jordan,” Hamlin said in the media center after the race. “He texted me on Wednesday.  Jordon said he was in Monte-Carlo.  I popped in his head like I always do, which I thought was a little odd.

    “He says, I know you’re about to head into the playoffs.  I just want you to know I’ve never admitted to anybody that anyone is better than me at anything my whole life.  But if you win this race this weekend, I will admit that you’re a better driver than I am.

    “So the first thing I’m going to do is text him and say, Admit it, I’m better than you, and I want everyone to know.”

    With the ‘W,’ Hamlin advances to the Contender round of the championship and also ties NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen for 27th on the all-time Series win list.

    Not Surprising:  Remember when Carl Edward’s nickname was ‘Concrete Carl’ for all of his wins on those types of tracks?  Well, that moniker might now be changed to ‘Comeback Carl’ as the driver of the No. 19 Stanley Toyota finished in the runner-up spot after going down a lap earlier in the race.

    “I had a speeding penalty.  I set us back there,” Edwards said. “We knew if maybe we get our lap back, get back up there, we’d be all right.

    “Overall we planned on the racetrack changing a lot.  I felt like my guys did a great job getting the car tuned in for the end.  I felt like all of us as a group at JGR worked great together this weekend.”

    This was Edwards’s fourth top-10 finish in 11 races at Chicagoland and it was his 10th top-10 finish of the season.

    Surprising:  He may have achieved Iron Man status, but he certainly might have traded all that for just a little more rubber instead at this first race in the Chase.

    Jeff Gordon tied Ricky Rudd with 788 consecutive starts, however, the driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet stayed out on old tires instead of coming to pit, causing him to go from leading the race to finishing 14th.

    “I knew we were going to have a tough time with old tires like that,” Gordon said.  “Gosh, it would have been so much sweeter if I’d been in Victory Lane right now.

    “I’m very proud of all that I’ve achieved in this sport. There’s a lot of stats that are awesome numbers. This is one of them. And we’ve got nine more to go.”

    Not Surprising:  After recovering from his close encounter with Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick has a simple one-word recovery plan. He just plans to win.

    “I just held my ground and he just slammed into the side of the door like I wasn’t even there,” the driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet said after his wreck with Johnson that led to his 42nd place finish. “So, the spotter was telling me four-wide and I guess he just figured that he’d come up the race track.

    “But, I’m just really proud of everybody on our Jimmy John’s/Budweiser team for not giving up and doing all the things they had to do to get the car back on the track and we’ve just got to go win one of these races.”

    Surprising:  Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet was apparently readying himself for a pilgrimage after his third place Chicagoland finish.

    “This is a long journey through these next 10 weeks,” Busch said. “We weren’t given a hall pass now, through Loudon and through Dover. We’ve just got to work hard as a team and saddle-up.”

    This was Busch’s ninth top-10 finish in 15 races at Chicagoland Speedway.

    Not Surprising:  The mantra of every child known to man was echoed by one Chase driver Joey Logano, who basically said ‘It wasn’t me’ after the first Chase race.

    Of his restart issue where the No. 48 and the No. 4 cars mixed it up, Logano replied, “I had nothing to do with that. The 48 went three-wide bottom and I was just sitting there. I was no part of it.”

    And of the restart of Jeff Gordon that NASCAR reviewed and pronounced good, the driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford said, “I felt like the 24 jumped it once, but NASCAR isn’t calling it so we just need to push it.”

    Logano qualified second and finished the Chicagoland race in the sixth spot.

    “I felt like we were in the catbird seat on that restart starting sixth with new tires. I had a good start and got three-wide. The 18 got tight and fenced us. We lost all the spots that we should have gained. I felt like we were in the position that we needed to be in to win this thing.”

    Surprising:  While Hamlin punched his Chase ticket, there was no ticket, especially one of the speeding variety, for his teammate Matt Kenseth.

    “I definitely didn’t speed anywhere today,” Kenseth said. “We really struggled.  We had probably a 15th-place car at best and barely hung onto the lead lap all day and got the right line on the restart.

    “Jason made some good adjustments, guys never quit.  We were in the right line at the restart.  Everybody got bottled up.  I think passed seven or eight of them in the first corner, another two or three the next set of corners.

    “Somehow we wound up fifth.  We definitely finished way better than we deserved today.  But that’s what you have to do in these things, you have to try to take your days and try to make them the best you can.”

    Not Surprising:  Martin Truex Jr. came close to losing it at Chicagoland, in fact losing out on his top-10 finishing record and slipping to finish 13th instead.

    “You can’t win the Chase in the first race but you can sure lose it,” Truex said. “We didn’t lose it today but finishing 13th after running solidly in the top-10 for almost the entire race is very disappointing.

    “We didn’t have the speed to get back up there at the end. Though we didn’t have a great race car today, it was sure better than 13th. We’ll regroup and go after it in New Hampshire next week.”

    Surprising:  Two drivers, who no doubt had Chase expectations coming into the 2015 season, showed they could still mix it up with the best. Kyle Larson and Aric Almirola both finished better than many of the Chasers, in fact in seventh and 10th respectively.

    Not Surprising:  Sometimes drivers are fans and sometimes not. After this race, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was not alone in not being a fan of restarts while Tony Stewart was all about proving that Ryan Newman should be his fan.

    “Those debris cautions, I’m not a fan of them,” Junior said after finishing 12th in his No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet.

    Tony Stewart, on the other hand, was not only signing autographs for fans before the race but also autographing the back of Newman’s shirt, no doubt for a bit of luck.

    Newman, one of the Chase contenders, finished fourth while Stewart finished well back in the 25th position.

    “I did what I had to do,” Newman said. “I was a lap down and took the wave around. That last caution was a blessing for us. Big improvement for where we were last year in the Chase. We just have to keep focused on our own deal.”

    The second race in the Chase will occur at New Hampshire Motor Speedway next weekend on Sunday, September 27, 2015. The Sylvania 300 will begin at 2:00 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN.

     

  • Kyle Busch Outruns Teammate Matt Kenseth for Chicagoland XFINITY Win

    Kyle Busch Outruns Teammate Matt Kenseth for Chicagoland XFINITY Win

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    JOLIET, Ill.—In a race where teammates raced like archrivals to the checkered flag, Kyle Busch surged ahead of Matt Kenseth with a crossover move on the next-to-last lap and won the Furious 7 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race by .791 seconds over his Joe Gibbs Racing stablemate at Chicagoland Speedway Saturday night.The two JGR cars were the clear class of the field, but after they swapped the lead three times on Laps 176 through 178, Busch pulled out to an advantage of more than one second over Kenseth. With Busch trying to save a half-lap of fuel, however, Kenseth closed the gap in the waning laps and roared past his teammate on Lap 199, as both drivers were trying to dodge the lapped car of John Wes Townley.With Kenseth powering his No. 20 Toyota deep into Turn 3 after making the pass, Busch was able to cross over and retake the lead to the inside as Kenseth lost momentum.

    Busch pulled away on the final lap to win his fourth XFINITY Series race of the season, his fourth at Chicagoland and the 74th of his career, extending his own series record.

    Busch’s car, however, was too low on all four corners when the ride height was measured during post-race inspection. NASCAR is taking the car to its tech center in Concord, N.C., for further evaluation. If penalties are warranted, they will be announced next week.

    Darrell Wallace Jr. used fuel-mileage strategy to perfection in finishing third, coaxing 67 laps out of his last tank of gas. Paul Menard ran fourth, followed by Ty Dillon, who moved into second place in the series standings, trailing leader Chris Buescher (seventh on Saturday) by 25 points.

    Defending XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott ran 14th and dropped one position to third in points, 28 behind Buescher.

    Busch thought he had control of the race when he passed Kenseth for the lead on Lap 178 of 200 and began to pull away.

    “I thought when I got to him and I cleared him and drove away by a second-plus, it was over, and I said, ‘OK. Thank you—I can breathe a little bit,” Busch said. “Then he started running us back down, and I tried to go back to the top and I was loose up there again when I went back there.

    “Just had to battle through there. He was right there, though… Once he lost his momentum off of (Turn) 4, it was over. That was some fun racing, though.”

    Kenseth, who thought he had the faster car, was understandably disappointed with the outcome.

    “I had the best car tonight, and I got beat by a better driver,” said Kenseth, who also would have preferred for Townley not to have been in the mix when the outcome of the race was decided.

    “It would have been nice if he’d gotten the heck out of the way, I’ll tell you that,” Kenseth said. “Chase (Elliott) was very courteous. He was already a lap down, and he moved down and gave us the top because he knew that’s where we were racing…

    “Clyde Torkel (a reference to Townley derived from the movie Stroker Ace), he just stuck it right between us. I got around him, and he passed me back when I was trying to race Kyle for the win. That was disappointing.”

    Wallace’s third-place finish was a career best for the driver of the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, who is battling sixth-place finisher Daniel Suarez for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.

    “I try not to let (the rookie contest) worry me too much, but I would say it’s good seeing me pass that 18 (Suarez) on the restarts every once in a while,” Wallace said. “As long as we’re finishing ahead of him, it will be a close battle all the way to the end.”

    Suarez currently leads the points battle 251 to 225.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Furious 7 300
    Chicagoland Speedway
    Joliet, Illinois
    Saturday, September 19, 2015

    1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200, $91612.
    2. (2) Matt Kenseth(i), Toyota, 200, $63647.
    3. (12) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Ford, 200, $62603.
    4. (7) Paul Menard(i), Chevrolet, 200, $38368.
    5. (4) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $40385.
    6. (3) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 200, $37001.
    7. (8) Chris Buescher, Ford, 200, $34943.
    8. (19) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 200, $33833.
    9. (9) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 200, $32734.
    10. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 200, $32818.
    11. (10) Ryan Reed, Ford, 200, $31338.
    12. (14) Kasey Kahne(i), Chevrolet, 200, $24784.
    13. (16) John Wes Townley(i), Chevrolet, 199, $30230.
    14. (17) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 199, $30716.
    15. (18) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 199, $29577.
    16. (25) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, 199, $29241.
    17. (13) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 199, $28753.
    18. (26) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199, $28491.
    19. (22) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 199, $28280.
    20. (15) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 199, $28568.
    21. (23) Blake Koch, Toyota, 199, $27957.
    22. (6) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 199, $21841.
    23. (30) David Starr, Toyota, 196, $27705.
    24. (32) Mason Mingus(i), Chevrolet, 195, $27595.
    25. (27) Michael Self, Chevrolet, 194, $27608.
    26. (31) Jimmy Weller, Chevrolet, 194, $27347.
    27. (34) Eric McClure, Toyota, 193, $27237.
    28. (33) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 193, $27115.
    29. (37) Martin Roy, Chevrolet, 190, $26964.
    30. (39) Josh Reaume #, Chevrolet, 182, $27153.
    31. (35) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 174, $26697.
    32. (21) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, Engine, 142, $26586.
    33. (20) Cale Conley #, Toyota, Overheating, 140, $26470.
    34. (38) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Engine, 129, $26358.
    35. (5) Ryan Blaney, Ford, Accident, 108, $26671.
    36. (24) Benny Gordon, Toyota, Rear Gear, 105, $18040.
    37. (40) Derek White, Dodge, Electrical, 14, $17040.
    38. (36) TJ Bell(i), Toyota, Vibration, 13, $16040.
    39. (28) Dexter Bean, Chevrolet, Suspension, 6, $15040.
    40. (29) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 3, $14040.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 136.709 mph.
    Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 11 Mins, 40 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.791 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 5 for 22 laps.
    Lead Changes: 15 among 7 drivers.


    Lap Leaders: K. Busch(i) 1-23; R. Chastain # 24; B. Scott 25-29; K. Busch(i) 30-40; M. Kenseth(i) 41-73; D. Suarez # 74-75; J. Townley(i) 76; M. Kenseth(i) 77-92; K. Busch(i) 93-136; M. Kenseth(i) 137-144; D. Wallace Jr. # 145-147; B. Scott 148-149; M. Kenseth(i) 150-175; K. Busch(i) 176; M. Kenseth(i) 177; K. Busch(i) 178-200.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Busch(i) 5 times for 102 laps; M. Kenseth(i) 5 times for 84 laps; B. Scott 2 times for 7 laps; D. Wallace Jr. # 1 time for 3 laps; D. Suarez # 1 time for 2 laps; J. Townley(i) 1 time for 1 lap; R. Chastain # 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 945; T. Dillon – 920; C. Elliott – 917; R. Smith – 894; E. Sadler – 839; D. Wallace Jr. # – 838; D. Suarez # – 830; B. Scott – 825; B. Gaughan – 798; R. Reed – 716.

     

  • John Hunter Nemechek Gets First Truck Series Victory at Chicagoland

    John Hunter Nemechek Gets First Truck Series Victory at Chicagoland

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    JOLIET, Ill.—One of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ youngest drivers struck a blow for old-school racing on Saturday morning at Chicagoland Speedway.

    Stretching his fuel mileage beyond the capabilities of most of his of competitors, John Hunter Nemechek rolled across the finish line 12.014 seconds ahead of Tyler Reddick, who was also saving fuel, to score his first victory in the series in the American Ethanol e15 225.

    At 18 years, 3 months and 8 days, Nemechek is the fourth-youngest winner in the series, and he accomplished the victory with a skeleton crew working on a team owned by his father, Joe Nemechek.

    Nemechek, a current member of the NASCAR Next class, came to pit road for the last time on Lap 94, topping off under caution one lap before the race returned to green and managed to squeeze 56 laps out of his last tank of gas. Inheriting the lead on Lap 149 of 150 when Keystone Light Polesitter Kyle Larson ran out of fuel and brought his car to pit road, Nemechek ran out of gas off the final corner and coasted across the stripe.

    “We got to top off there with one to go, and he (crew chief Gere Kennon) told me to save fuel, save fuel that last run, and that’s what we ended up doing,” John Hunter Nemechek said. “I ran out coming out of Turn 4. It was great strategy that he had worked up in his mind.

    “I should know never to doubt him.”

    When Nemechek took the green flag for the last time on Lap 96, Kennon figured the No. 8 Chevrolet was four laps short of finishing the race but didn’t give his driver the specific numbers.

    “I just told him to save,” Kennon said. “It got to 10 (laps) to go, and I said, ‘Just slow down—just save.’ He didn’t say anything back, and I was like, ‘He may not know how to save.’ I told him to slow down even more, and it all worked out.’

    Exclusive of Joe Nemechek and son, Kennon is one of nine full-time employees supporting the Truck Series operation.

    “You have to think,” Joe Nemechek said. “Gere Kennon and myself—we’re thinkers. We’re old-school thinkers. You had to figure stuff out back in the past, not with engineering, but with the old-school way of thinking ‘How do you make it better?’ And we’ve been able to do that.”

    John Hunter Nemechek is quick to acknowledge the financial and emotional commitment his father has made to his racing effort.

    “He has everything invested in me, and he believes in me, so, without him, none of this would be possible, and I wouldn’t be here today,” John Hunter said.”

    With his runner-up finish, Reddick took over second place in the series standings, 10 points behind leader Erik Jones, who finished sixth. Two-time defending series champion Matt Crafton suffered two pit road penalties, ran out of fuel and finished 14th, three laps down, to fall to third in points, 11 behind Jones.

    Timothy Peters led 41 laps and finished third, followed by Daniel Suarez, who overcame two pit road penalties to run fourth. Johnny Sauter led a race-high 52 laps and came home fifth.

    The race was originally scheduled to take place Friday night but was postponed due to rain until this morning.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – American Ethanol E15 225
    Chicagoland Speedway
    Joliet, Illinois
    Saturday, September 19, 2015

    1. (11) John H. Nemechek #, Chevrolet, 150, $46978.
    2. (4) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 150, $41217.
    3. (5) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 150, $29417.
    4. (6) Daniel Suarez(i), Toyota, 150, $19769.
    5. (3) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 150, $21861.
    6. (8) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 150, $18948.
    7. (1) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 149, $16558.
    8. (19) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 149, $18724.
    9. (18) Matt Tifft, Toyota, 149, $18640.
    10. (13) John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, 149, $19534.
    11. (21) Ray Black Jr. #, Chevrolet, 148, $18500.
    12. (9) Ben Kennedy, Toyota, 148, $18360.
    13. (12) Austin Theriault #, Ford, 147, $18332.
    14. (2) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 147, $19276.
    15. (17) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 147, $18620.
    16. (7) Cameron Hayley #, Toyota, 146, $18137.
    17. (10) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 145, $18053.
    18. (30) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 144, $18025.
    19. (22) Justin Jennings, Chevrolet, 144, $18169.
    20. (28) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 143, $18386.
    21. (16) Chad Finley, Ford, 141, $15607.
    22. (32) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 102, $16580.
    23. (27) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 96, $16551.
    24. (25) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 93, $15523.
    25. (14) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 90, $15645.
    26. (20) Mason Mingus, Chevrolet, Accident, 79, $15468.
    27. (26) Korbin Forrister #, Chevrolet, Engine, 41, $15439.
    28. (23) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, Vibration, 25, $15206.
    29. (29) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Vibration, 18, $15150.
    30. (15) Jesse Little, Toyota, Engine, 14, $14650.
    31. (31) Caleb Roark, Chevrolet, Brakes, 14, $13150.
    32. (24) Tyler Tanner, Chevrolet, Engine, 5, $12150.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 120.715 mph.
    Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 51 Mins, 50 Secs. Margin of Victory: 12.014 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 3 for 23 laps.


    Lead Changes: 11 among 7 drivers.
    Lap Leaders: K. Larson(i) 1-18; T. Reddick 19; K. Larson(i) 20-31; J. Sauter 32; R. Black Jr. # 33-34; J. Sauter 35-85; K. Larson(i) 86-94; T. Peters 95-135; K. Larson(i) 136-138; D. Suarez(i) 139-141; K. Larson(i) 142-148; J. Nemechek # 149-150.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Sauter 2 times for 52 laps; K. Larson(i) 5 times for 49 laps; T. Peters 1 time for 41 laps; D. Suarez(i) 1 time for 3 laps; J. Nemechek # 1 time for 2 laps; R. Black Jr. # 1 time for 2 laps; T. Reddick 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 10 in Points: E. Jones # – 628; T. Reddick – 618; M. Crafton – 617; J. Sauter – 576; D. Hemric # – 519; C. Hayley # – 517; T. Peters – 512; J. Townley – 500; S. Gallagher # – 488; B. Kennedy – 483.

     

  • Harvick Starts Up Front after Coors Light Qualifying Canceled

    Harvick Starts Up Front after Coors Light Qualifying Canceled

    By Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service

    JOLIET, Ill. — Kevin Harvick will start the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup from the same position he ended last year’s playoff — in the No. 1 spot.

    When torrential rain at Chicagoland Speedway wiped out Friday’s time trials at the 1.5-mile track, Harvick earned the Coors Light Pole position for Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN) by virtue of having posted the fastest lap during opening practice.

    With heavy rains forecasted for the afternoon, most drivers focused on mock qualifying runs during practice, anticipating the field for the opening Chase race would be set according to practice speeds. Harvick was the only driver to top 188 mph in the opening session, running a lap at 188.317 mph.

    Joey Logano, a Championship 4 competitor in 2014, will start on the outside of the front row, after running 187.911 mph in practice. With Brad Keselowski third quickest and Martin Truex Jr. fourth, Chase drivers claimed the top four starting spots and six of the top seven.

    Ryan Newman will start sixth and Kyle Busch seventh in the 400-mile event.

    “First off,” Harvick said, “I’m just most proud of my team for having a fast race car and coming to the track and having a plan and doing all the things that they did to pay attention to the weather and put a lot of emphasis on trying to lay a fast lap down, just like everybody else, to get a good starting position with the way that the weather was (looking).”

    Logano and his team spent the entire 85-minute practice session in qualifying trim, expecting time trials to be rained out.

    “We looked at the forecast and knew there was a good chance of rain,” Logano said. “Any time that happens, you focus in on qualifying in practice a little bit more. We haven’t been in race trim yet … Really, I felt like it was qualifying during practice.

    “We were really trying to top the chart because we really felt like that was where we were going to start — at the end of practice.”

    Harvick, on the other hand, started in race trim to get a feel for the track before he moved to a qualifying setup.

    “We started in race trim because (Crew chief) Rodney (Childers) and I felt like this is one of those places … it’s a hard place to drive around because it’s so rough, and the timing and rhythm of the race track is something that, as a driver, you need to be able to get into that rhythm before you go into qualifying trim.”

    Two Chase drivers who failed to post strong practice speeds — Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin — will start 26th and 29th, respectively, in Sunday’s race. Other Chasers secured spots on the grid as follows: Kurt Busch (ninth), Jeff Gordon (10th), Jimmie Johnson (11th), Matt Kenseth (12th), Jamie McMurray (13th), Carl Edwards (14th), Paul Menard (16th) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (19th).

    A major casualty of the cancellation was Ryan Blaney, who was ninth fastest in opening practice in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford but will not start the race under rainout rules (because of fewer qualifying attempts this year). This is the third time this season Blaney has been knocked out of a race by rain.

    Michael McDowell and Travis Kvapil also failed to make the 43-car field.

    Starting Lineup for  MyAFibRisk.com 400

    Chicagoland starting lineup

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Chicagoland

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Chicagoland

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series head to Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. All Sprint Cup and XFINITY on-track action can be seen on NBC Sports Live Extra. The Camping World Truck Series events will be shown on FOX Sports 1. Please see the full schedule below.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Sept. 18:

    On Track:

    10 a.m.-12:25 p.m: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FOX Sports 1
    12:30-1:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    2-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    4:35 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1 – Canceled due to rain  (Results, set by rule book)
    6:45 p.m: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra Canceled due to rain  (Results, set by rule book)
    8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol E15 225 (150 laps, 225 miles) – FOX Sports 1 – Postponed until Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET  (TV – FOX Sports 2)

    GarageCam: (Watch live)

    Noon: Sprint Cup Series
    1:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    11 a.m.: Danica Patrick
    11:30 a.m.: Aric Almirola
    12:15 p.m.: Chase Elliott
    2:45 p.m.: Erik Jones
    3 p.m.: Jerry West
    3:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    7:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – Canceled due to rain
    10:15 p.m.: Post-Camping World Truck Series Race  –Canceled due to rain

    Saturday, Sept. 19:

    On Track:

    10:30 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol E15 225 (150 laps, 225 miles) – FOX Sports 2
    1:30-2:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – CNBC/Live Extra
    2:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    4:30-5:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    6 p.m.: XFINITY Series Furious 7 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    12:30 p.m.: Daytona International Speedway Announcement – Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III and Jeffrey Earnhardt, driver of the No. 32 Go Green Racing Ford
    8:15 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race

    Sunday, Sept. 20:

    Special Event (Watch live)

    1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Driver/Crew Chief Meeting

    On Track:

    3 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series myAFibRisk.com 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    11:30 a.m.: Jim Campbell (Chevrolet U.S. Vice President of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports), Dave Pericak (Director, Ford Performance) and Ed Laukes (Vice President of Marketing, Performance and Guest Experience for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.)
    6:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Race

     

    TV Schedule

    Friday, Sept. 18:

    8 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Setup – FOX Sports 1

    Saturday, Sept. 19:

    12:30 p.m.: TUDOR United SportsCar Championship: Circuit of the Americas – FOX Sports 2
    4 p.m.: NASCAR America Live – NBCSN
    5:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green – NBCSN

    Sunday, Sept. 20:

    11:30 a.m.: NASCAR Race Day – FOX Sports 1
    1:30 p.m.: NASCAR America Sunday – NBCSN
    2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Countdown to Green – NBCSN
    6:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Show – NBCSN
    7 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap – NBCSN
    Midnight: NASCAR Victory Lane – FOX Sports 1