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Tag: Erik Jones

  • The Final Word – The Great American Demolition Derby sure was not boring to watch

    The Final Word – The Great American Demolition Derby sure was not boring to watch

    So, you want a car just like the one that won the Daytona 500, eh? Well, you get yourself a sparkling new Ford Fusion. Splash it up with some red on the hood, and basic black the rest of the way around. Polish it up so it is real shiny and pretty. Then take a Louisville Slugger and beat on that beauty from stem to stern. Just to make it more authentic, squeeze it up tight against the right door frame of the garage as you put it to bed. Now…splash beer and some Monster Energy drink all over the sucker, and you will be living the Kurt Busch Daytona experience.

    One lap is all he led in a car that was among 35 that had suffered some damage in some wreck over the course of the day. In the end, Ryan Blaney wanted a piece of him, but the gap only got wider as they came to the line. Chase Elliott wanted it bad, but a car does not run so good when it is out of fuel on the final lap. Kyle Larson’s entry coughed and sputtered, and that allowed the Busch ship to set sail for Victory Lane. For the newly married former Cup champ, this marked his first win on the sport’s biggest stage.

    Things did not go so well for his younger brother. Kyle Busch was among a crew that pitted early, then tucked back in at the tail of the lead lap, just in front of leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. When a rear tire blew, Busch went for a spin and while Erik Jones and Matt Kenseth then piled up into him, Earnhardt clipped the wreckage to remove his front right fender to end the day for the quartet.

    Next week, you might notice some pulled threads that once held the logo on a certain driver’s fire suit, the logo just above the big M&M endorsement. They might be a sponsor for now, but post-wreck Kyle had an observation he wished to share with the world.

    “Obviously Goodyear tires are not very good holding air,” he remarked. “So, it’s very frustrating when we have that down here every single year we’ve been here.” A ringing endorsement if I ever heard one.

    Fifteen cars were left on the lead lap. Ten others were still running. Fifteen more were parked in the garage. Under the new rules, if you could not return to pit road and make repairs using original parts and racing tape in five minutes, your race is over. Along with Busch, Jones, Kenseth, and Earnhardt, there was Junior’s nephew Jeffrey Earnhardt, Brad Keselowski, Jamie McMurray, Daniel Suarez, Ty Dillon, the couple of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick, Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Chris Buescher, and D.J. Kennington. Make that thirteen Americans, a Mexican, and a Canadian.

    Might I suggest that NASCAR introduce a new experience for their fans? They pay to watch the race from a suite, and all drivers out of the race then join them. That would have been one hell of a room at Daytona, but I wonder if they had a venue large enough.

    One complaint. No, it is not about the stages, which were won by Rowdy Busch and Kevin Harvick. I did not really mind the format, to be honest. However, as I am intelligent enough to remember what series I am watching, maybe return the names of the drivers to the windshield instead of “Monster Energy.” I thought doing so a few years back was a nice gesture to help fans identify who was who even if the car number was not visible. I wonder whose idea it was to rescind that nice gesture in favor of extra splash for the sponsor?

    For Monster Energy, it was a good beginning for them. Even the car they sponsor won the race. Now, there are some who do not think this was racing. Maybe they are right. However, it was damned entertaining television. Let us hope that Sunday in Atlanta is just as memorable, if not a little kinder on the folks who have to deal with the carnage back at the shop.

  • Finley Factor: 2017 Championship Picks

    Finley Factor: 2017 Championship Picks

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion: Timothy Peters

    Peters’ situation in the Truck Series is one of the most stable in all of NASCAR. Since winning his first race for Red Horse Racing in his first start for the Truck Series team in 2010, he hasn’t missed a single race. Last season was the first time since 2008 that the veteran didn’t find victory lane, but it was statistically his best season since finishing runner-up in points in 2012. Peters made the inaugural Truck Series Chase and the championship four but his ninth in the season finale was behind the other three Truck drivers. Peters has been a model of consistency, with only one points finish outside of the top-five since 2011. The 36-year-old from Virginia is the best Truck series veteran to have never won the series championship- expect that to change in 2017.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Champion: William Byron

    With Matt Tifft being the lone full-time JGR Toyota and just about everybody else in the series either being a fellow rookie, a teammate of Byron’s, or in a relatively underfunded ride, Byron has to be the favorite. When it comes to drivers moving teams, Byron’s decision to leave Toyota to go over to Hendrick Motorsports was the surprise of last year’s Silly Season. Byron was dominant last year, winning seven truck races after entering the season with just one career start in the series. He just missed out on making it to the championship four at Homestead but won the race anyway. Byron was so good that NASCAR’s new playoff point structure seems to be structured more to prevent such a dominant driver from being so easily eliminated in the Chase, rather than an answer to Jimmie Johnson’s season last year as some in the media argued.

    Of the entire flock of full-time drivers this season in the XFINITY Series, Byron is probably the favorite to win a championship in most people’s eyes and there’s no real argument against that. JR Motorsports does a great job of teaching young drivers, with Brad Keselowski being its first graduate and Chase Elliott being its latest. Byron is even stepping into the same car that Elliott drove to a championship his own rookie year; there’s not a lot to go against Byron with besides “He’s a rookie!” or “He’s never even made a start in the series!”, none of which will matter when we get to Homestead and he’s one of the final four.

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion: Erik Jones

    I love making risky picks. I picked Kyle Larson to win it all last season; it was a genius pick at Richmond when Larson was red hot entering the Chase and it was a stupid pick at Dover when Larson was one of the first eliminated in the Chase.

    This isn’t a risky pick.

    Erik Jones is a rookie who will be competitive out of the gate. Erik Jones will win races. Erik Jones will become the first driver to win a championship in their rookie season.

    Jones has been fast in everything he’s gotten into. When Kyle Busch went down at Daytona in 2015, it speaks volumes that Gibbs wanted Jones to sub for him on day one but had to wait because he was a Truck Series rookie with little experience running big racetracks.

    In three races subbing for Busch in 2015, Jones performed very well for an 18-year-old Truck Series rookie. He was on his way to contending for a win in his very first start at Kansas before spinning out. That’s pure insanity. He won a Truck Series championship that season with an average finish of 6.3, then came up to the XFINITY Series in 2016. Jones had consistency problems but was seemingly unstoppable if the car that week was good-to-great and didn’t lose out on strategy.

    Toyota seems to be in the best position of the three manufacturers this season. Ford teams are a huge question mark right now. We don’t know if adding four teams will be too big of a strain on the Roush-Yates engine department and we don’t know if Stewart-Haas Racing is going to be able to just continue being great immediately following the move to the blue oval.

    Meanwhile, on the Chevrolet side, Hendrick Motorsports presents the biggest challenge to the Toyota dominance of the series but with possibly only two teams. Dale Earnhardt Jr. might take a while to get back up to speed and there are no real signs that show Kasey Kahne significantly improving this season. Chip Ganassi Racing will be interesting to watch, but Larson may be distracted by contract talks and cars get slower if the driver is leaving after the season. Finally, Richard Childress Racing and its satellite teams are probably a year or two from becoming a race-to-race challenge for the rest of the competition.

    Now, this pick has one caveat to it. It’s assuming that Furniture Row Racing will receive the same level of support as it did last season when Martin Truex Jr. basically ran the fifth JGR car. As long as this new second car team is getting the same attention as Truex’s team this year, there’s no reason the No. 77 won’t be running at full speed by Charlotte in May.

    Jones should be able to get over his consistency problems. Chris Gayle will be a rookie crew chief to go along with his rookie driver, but he isn’t new to being a crew chief; he won 12 races last season working with a variety of drivers in the No. 18 on route to making it to Homestead in the championship four in owner’s points. JGR crew chiefs who move up to the Cup Series rarely strike out; Gayle might not have Kyle Busch in his car this season but he will have a younger, somewhat similar driver.

    Jones has a lot to prove. With William Byron’s dominant season in the Truck Series, Daniel Suarez winning the XFINITY Series championship, and Chase Elliott’s impressive rookie season, Jones will be out to prove himself as the best of the young coup invading NASCAR. He hasn’t proven many people wrong so far.

     

  • The Final Word – NASCAR is back, but what gives with that points system?

    The Final Word – NASCAR is back, but what gives with that points system?

    A new season dawns upon us this weekend, with the Clash at Daytona this Saturday, to be followed by Sunday qualifying for the Daytona 500. After a couple of months sitting around watching world events and gleefully upsetting some with my witty political commentary, it is back to things involving gears and grease. So, much happen since we last chatted?

    A new points system; well, that ought to be great. Right? Wrong. Let me illustrate. Bob finishes first after the first 60 laps of the Daytona 500. He gets 10 points for doing so. Bob is sitting first after 120 laps. He gets another 10 points. Bob finishes the race, lap 200, in 21st. Bob gets an additional 16 points. Then there is Bill. He finishes the first segment in 11th. No points for Bill. Same thing after the second segment. Then over the final laps of the race, Bill is right up there challenging for the win. Bill falls just short. Bill gets 35 points for finishing second. Bob, when you add it all up, finishes 21st yet he has 36 points, one more point than Bill, who finished the race in second. Sounds just bloody wonderful. What is not to like, eh?

    Pardon me, but I am Canadian, which not only explains the “eh” but also my apology. The Duels will award from 1 to 10 points to the top 10 finishers in each race to count in the season standings. There are changes to how playoff points are awarded, but more on that later. It still comes down to win a race, more than likely make the Chase, and that is all that matters for the moment.

    No Canadians among Cup drivers. No Tony Stewart. No Jeff Gordon…but didn’t we say that last year? No Greg Biffle, at least for the time being. No Carl Edwards. No one seems exactly sure if he is just sitting one out or looking for a seat in the U.S. Senate. I wonder how secure Sen. Claire McCaskill, who comes up for re-election in 2018, is feeling these days?

    We have Clint Bowyer back in a real car, replacing Stewart. Daniel Suarez sits in for Edwards. Chris Buescher kind of replaces Biffle, in a car with ties to Jack Roush and JTG Daugherty Racing. Erik Jones sits in a brand new ride as the long-awaited teammate for Martin Truex Jr. Oh, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back from his medically enforced vacation. That pretty much covers those who matter…at least those who matter at the moment.

    Wreck a car, park a car. No new shiny noses. No new rear or side panels. You have five minutes to fix the beast on pit row, and if that does not do the trick, a driver’s day is done. Bad news for him, great news for those poor sots back in the garage. If the car is wrecked, it is Miller Time.

    Sorry. I mean, Monster Energy time! Sprint hung up, and now we have a new title sponsor. Of course, for me it was Cup and it remains Cup. If you raced five years in Cup, you are limited to just 10 races in the junior circuit and seven in the trucks this season. They race none of those circuits’ Chase races. See, not all changes are bad. Some are downright about time.

    Still, that points system kind of sucks. Maybe it is just me. By the way, it is good to have you back.

  • The View From My Recliner: Pre-Clash Edition

    The View From My Recliner: Pre-Clash Edition

    After taking the holidays to recharge and fight this never ending cold, it’s time to park myself in the recliner and share my view of what is going on in the world of NASCAR.

    To be honest, the view right now is foggy at best. There are a ton of questions that need to be answered. Some we will never find out the true answer (How long is the contract with Monster Energy and how much did they pay to sponsor the premiere series?) and many others we will find out on the track.

    Last year, the Charter system was going to help give owners something tangible for their teams if they decide to get out. This off-season, we have watched so many charters move around that it is hard to figure out who actually owns charters.

    According to NASCAR.com, here is the updated charter shuffle as we get close to the Clash.

    Premium Motorsports sold this Charter to Furniture Row Racing for its second team, the No. 77. In 2016, the Charter was leased by the No. 46 team of HScott Motorsports.

    Richard Petty Motorsports is leasing the No. 44 Charter to the No. 32 team of Go Fas Racing in 2017 and Roush Fenway Racing will lease the No. 16 Charter to JTG Daugherty Racing’s newly formed second team (No. 37) in 2017.

    Near the end of the 2016 season, Tommy Baldwin Racing sold its Charter to Leavine Family Racing.

    HScott Motorsports’ No. 15 Charter was sold to Premium Motorsports and Go Fas Racing is leasing the No. 32 Charter to the No. 21 team of Wood Brothers Racing.

    Circle Sport and The Motorsports Group merged operations to field the No. 33 team with the Charter Circle Sport had. In 2016, Circle Sport partnered with Leavine Family Racing to field the No. 95 for the season.

    BK Racing sold the No. 83 Charter to Front Row Motorsports, who is leasing the Charter to TriStar Motorsports for the 2017 season.

    This charter shuffling makes me worry about the sport’s future. That is something we can attack later in the season.

    Three big questions in 2017:

    1. Will the new even lower downforce package help the racing product?
    2. How big are the sponsor issues at Stewart-Haas Racing with plenty of inventory available on the 10 and 14 cars?
    3. Will there be a surprise driver who makes the playoffs like Chris Buescher did in 2016?

    Three things I think will happen:

    1. Dodge will announce they will return to the sport with a surprise team in the lead of the effort.
    2. Danica Patrick will be replaced at Stewart-Haas Racing by Matt Kenseth.
    3. William Byron replaces Kasey Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports, Erik Jones replaces Kenseth at Joe Gibbs Racing and Kahne replaces Jones at Furniture Row Racing.

    Enjoy the wreck fest this Saturday and we’ll talk next week with my thoughts on the Clash and the new race formats.

  • Hot 20 – If dreams do come true, why not a Dale Earnhardt 500 at Talladega?

    Hot 20 – If dreams do come true, why not a Dale Earnhardt 500 at Talladega?

    With more than a month left in the old year, talk about the new is already starting to dominate. Tony Stewart is now retired, with Clint Bowyer no doubt thrilled at the chance to get back into quality equipment as his replacement. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is getting ready to return to racing, though that message from fiance Amy Reimann seems to indicate he never really left. Greg Biffle has left Jack Roush after all these years, with his old ride apparently being put on blocks for next season.

    Dear NASCAR: Please start branding your races so they might one day become stand alone marquee events. Along with the Daytona 500, the Southern 500, and the Brickyard 400, change it back to the World 600 at Charlotte and summertime should mark the Firecracker 400 at Daytona. While we are at it, who would not want to win at Talladega, taking the Hellmann’s Dale Earnhardt 500, or STP’s Richard Petty 500 at Martinsville? A Ridgeway grandfather clock with the King’s face on the face. Hey, it is not our circus, but we have grown fond of some of the monkeys.

    Jimmie Johnson has another trinket to keep polished. NASCAR, in its stupidity, has few iconic events, we know, but Johnson has won them all. Daytona 500? Twice. Southern 500? Twice. World 600? Four times. Brickyard 400? Four more. Ten-time winner at Dover. Nine at Martinsville. Did anyone mention seven Cup championships? Is it too early to wonder about an eighth? Jimmie Johnson is a living, breathing active iconic legend of the sport. Enjoy him while we can.

    Most athletes are done by the time they hit 40. NASCAR is lucky in that way, but even at that age folks start asking the drivers “how much longer?” once they hit the milestone. Johnson, Junior, Biffle, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick have already reached the peak of that mountain. The good news is that young gents such as Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Dillon have already arrived, with Ty Dillon coming soon, along with the likes of Erik Jones and Darrell Wallace Jr. Those are just the ones with decent rides, either at this level or the one just below. Like XFINITY champ Daniel Suarez, for instance.

    Elliott, Cup’s top rookie, turns 21 within the week. There are 50 drivers younger than him with some experience in the Cup, XFINITY, Camping World, or ARCA series. Harrison Burton finished 22nd in a truck race, third in an ARCA event. Jeff Burton’s boy turned 16 in October. Cole Custer does not turn 19 until January, yet was 10th best in the trucks this season, with a pair of XFINITY Top Tens to his credit in just five attempts. Tomorrow’s stars are coming.

    Let us not rush things, though. 2016 gave us a nice mix of seasoned veterans and fuzzy-cheeked talent, as our Hot 20 bears out.

    1. JIMMIE JOHNSON (5 WINS – 11 T5 – 16 T10) 5040 PTS
    Gunning for eight in 2017. What, too soon?

    2. JOEY LOGANO (3-16-26) 5037 PTS
    I will never forget what he and Brittany did to honor the family of Jake Leatherman.

    3. KYLE BUSCH (4-17-25) 5035 PTS
    If NASCAR was Canadian, would Kyle be sponsored by Smarties?

    4. CARL EDWARDS (3-9-18) 5007 PTS
    Not at the front of the field in the end, but left as the class of the field.

    5. MATT KENSETH (2-8-19) 2330 PTS
    With the Biff leaving, that ole Roush gang have now all departed for greener pastures.

    6. DENNY HAMLIN (3-12-22) 2320 PTS
    Average finish over the final 21 races was 8.5. Thirtieth at Charlotte ruined everything.

    7. KURT BUSCH (1-9-21) 2296 PTS
    Was better in the first half than the second. The good news is that 2017 begins with the first half.

    8. KEVIN HARVICK (4-17-27) 2289 PTS
    Best damn driver in NASCAR this season is a champion…just not for this year.

    9. KYLE LARSON (1-10-15) 2288 PTS
    Second-best 20-something driver this season, and seems to have designs on #1 in the next.

    10. CHASE ELLIOTT (0-10-17) 2285 PTS
    Not all Rookies of the Year are stellar choices, but this one most definitely is.

    11. MARTIN TRUEX JR. (4-8-17) 2271 PTS
    Next year, Erik Jones becomes his new teammate. If the boy wins, soda pop for everyone.

    12. BRAD KESELOWSKI (4-16-22) 2267 PTS
    Brad does not think the format led to great racing last week. Brad did not have my television.

    13. JAMIE MCMURRAY (0-2-12) 2231 PTS
    Joined by Larson, McMurray gave boss Chip Ganassi a pair in the Top Five last Sunday.

    14. AUSTIN DILLON (0-4-13) 2223 PTS
    Some wags figure if Woody from Toy Story drove in NASCAR, he would look a lot like Austin.

    15. TONY STEWART (1-5-8) 2211 PTS
    As iconic as Johnson, Petty, Earnhardt, Gordon, L. Petty, Pearson, Yarborough and Waltrip

    16. CHRIS BUESCHER (1-2-2) 2169 PTS
    Proof that one race can make a season.

    17. KASEY KAHNE (0-3-13) 898 PTS
    2004’s top rookie teams with a seven-time champ, a 13-time most popular, and 2016’s top rookie.

    18. RYAN NEWMAN (0-2-10) 895 PTS
    If he had actually been driving a Caterpillar, the car would have looked better after last Sunday.

    19. A.J. ALLMENDINGER (0-2-9) 830 PTS
    If getting the wave around works good enough to claim eighth at Homestead, why not?

    20. RYAN BLANEY (0-3-9) 812 PTS
    Turns 23 on New Year’s Eve. Talk about welcoming in a new year twice at the same party.

  • Kyle Busch Wins at Phoenix, as Championship 4 XFINITY Field is Set

    Kyle Busch Wins at Phoenix, as Championship 4 XFINITY Field is Set

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    AVONDALE, Ariz. – It was just another routine Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway for Kyle Busch.

    But nothing else in the Ticket Galaxy 200 was at all ordinary.

    All the drama unfolded behind Busch, as eight drivers scrambled for four positions in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase’s Championship 4 Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Busch led 190 of 200 laps on the way to his 10th NASCAR XFINITY Series victory of the season, his 10th at the one-mile track and the 86th of his career, extending his own series record.

    Busch beat runner-up Austin Dillon to the finish line by 6.115 seconds. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran third in his first XFINITY Series start since 2013.

    “It means a lot,” said Busch, who won his 170th race across NASCAR’s top three touring series. “That’s what we set out to do tonight, and we’ve been really fast here at Phoenix.

    “We’ve had some great race cars and Chris Gayle (crew chief) and all these guys do such a great job each and every week preparing these things – and it’s fun to win here.”

    Justin Allgaier and Daniel Suarez secured spots in the Championship 4 with respective fourth and fifth-place finishes, as did Erik Jones, who recovered from a pit road mistake on Lap 93 to finish 10th.

    But the real tension waited until after the race, when Elliott Sadler sat anxiously on pit road as NASCAR officials decided whether loose lug nuts would cost Sadler, the 13th-place finisher, the services of his crew chief, Kevin Meendering, in the season finale.

    NASCAR found two loose lug nuts, and that means Meendering will serve a suspension next week. Sadler did not know who his crew chief will be at Homestead – though he was lobbying, somewhat facetiously, for team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. to take over the pit box.

    “The emotions of the last 30 minutes have been tough,” Sadler said. “We knew one was loose, and one was in question. Kevin’s pretty much become my best friend, and Kevin’s made me a race car driver again this year.

    “We’ve saved our Darlington car – our best car – for Homestead. We’ve put all our eggs in that car. We’ve done everything right as a race team to go to Homestead with a legitimate shot of walking away a champion. Now that we know he’s going to be suspended, it’s going to be tough.”

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Managing Director Wayne Auton said there was never a possibility of Sadler losing his spot in the Championship 4.

    “At the end of the race, we bring all the cars down to the entrance of pit road for inspection of the wheels and the lug nuts,” Auton said. “We observed that the No. 1 car had two lug nuts not secured to the wheel. With that being said, all the teams were very much aware at the start of the Chase of the violations that could come about.

    “We’ve advised the team that they’re going to be looking for a crew chief for next week and a monetary fine of about $10,000. It’s clearly in the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series rule book.”

    Blake Koch finished eighth and lost the final Championship 4 position to Sadler by four points. Joining Koch on the Chase sidelines were Ryan Reed, who finished sixth, and Brendan Gaughan and Darrell Wallace Jr., who were wrecked and eliminated before the race was 150 laps old.

    Gaughan, who needed a victory to advance to Homestead, was playing fuel strategy when his right front tire went flat on the frontstretch on Lap 138. Gaughan pounded the Turn 1 wall and retired in 35th place.

    “It was about to play out the way we wanted,” Gaughan said after exiting the infield care center. “Did not want to be the caution. Did not want to hit that hard – but we took a shot.”

    Wallace’s grandmother had passed away during the week before the race, and the No. 6 Ford carried her name, “Granny Jan,” above the driver’s door. On Lap 148, Koch ducked to the inside off Turn 4 and knocked Wallace’s Mustang into the inside frontstretch wall.

    “My grandmother was giving me the ride of my life,” Wallace said, his voice breaking with emotion. “That was the most fun I have had all year. Just circumstances took us out. It’s just hard. Thanks, Granny, I love you. We will go on to Homestead and let her ride again.”

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Ticket Galaxy 200
    Phoenix International Raceway
    Avondale, Arizona
    Saturday, November 12, 2016

     

    1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200.
    2. (8) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.
    3. (13) Ricky Stenhouse Jr(i), Ford, 200.
    4. (9) Justin Allgaier (C), Chevrolet, 200.
    5. (6) Daniel Suarez (C), Toyota, 200.
    6. (3) Ryan Reed (C), Ford, 200.
    7. (22) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.
    8. (4) Blake Koch (C), Chevrolet, 200.
    9. (11) Brad Keselowski(i), Ford, 200.
    10. (2) Erik Jones (C) #, Toyota, 200.
    11. (14) Brennan Poole #, Chevrolet, 200.
    12. (17) Aric Almirola(i), Ford, 200.
    13. (10) Elliott Sadler (C), Chevrolet, 200.
    14. (15) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200.
    15. (19) Justin Marks, Chevrolet, 200.
    16. (20) Cole Whitt(i), Toyota, 200.
    17. (24) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 199.
    18. (16) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 199.
    19. (12) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 199.
    20. (21) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 199.
    21. (30) Brandon Gdovic, Chevrolet, 199.
    22. (26) Ryan Preece #, Chevrolet, 199.
    23. (33) Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 197.
    24. (32) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 197.
    25. (36) BJ McLeod #, Ford, 197.
    26. (37) Brandon Hightower, Dodge, 196.
    27. (35) Austin Theriault(i), Chevrolet, 196.
    28. (40) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 191.
    29. (39) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 190.
    30. (38) DJ Kennington, Ford, Engine, 165.
    31. (23) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Accident, 150.
    32. (5) Darrell Wallace Jr (C), Ford, Accident, 148.
    33. (18) Corey LaJoie, Toyota, Accident, 148.
    34. (34) Garrett Smithley #, Chevrolet, Accident, 145.
    35. (25) Brendan Gaughan (C), Chevrolet, Accident, 136.
    36. (27) Ray Black Jr #, Chevrolet, Accident, 103.
    37. (28) Jeff Green, Ford, Accident, 90.
    38. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Accident, 54.
    39. (31) Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, Brakes, 14.
    40. (29) Matt DiBenedetto(i), Toyota, Vibration, 3.

     

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  97.31 mph.
    Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 03 Mins, 19 Secs. Margin of Victory:  6.115 Seconds.
    Caution Flags:  6 for 39 laps.
    Lead Changes:  6 among 4 drivers.

    Lap Leaders:   K. Busch(i) 0; E. Jones (C) # 1-3; K. Busch(i) 4-95; T. Dillon 96-100; K. Busch(i) 101-152; J. Allgaier (C) 153-154; K. Busch(i) 155-200.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Busch(i) 3 times for 190 laps; T. Dillon 1 time for 5 laps; E. Jones (C) # 1 time for 3 laps; J. Allgaier (C) 1 time for 2 laps.

    Top 10 in Points: D. Suarez (C) – 3,111; E. Sadler (C) – 3,102; E. Jones (C) # – 3,097; J. Allgaier (C) – 3,096; B. Koch (C) – 3,092; R. Reed (C) – 3,089; D. Wallace Jr (C) – 3,048; B. Gaughan (C) – 3,032; B. Poole # – 2,178; T. Dillon – 2,174.

     

  • Hot 20 – NASCAR’s Cup Drivers Runneth over to Swamp the XFINITY and Camping World Series

    Hot 20 – NASCAR’s Cup Drivers Runneth over to Swamp the XFINITY and Camping World Series

    Bless NASCAR’s pea-pickin’ hearts. You have to admit that they keep on trying. With both the junior and truck circuits pretty much irrelevant these days due to the inclusion and the total domination of Cup drivers, NASCAR once again is trying to do the right thing.

    Cup drivers are already banned from the season finales in both minor leagues. Now those with five years Cup experience, not registered to drive for points, can not race in any of those other versions of the Chase, their regular season finales, or the XFINITY “Dash 4 Cash” events. Still, that leaves Cup drivers eligible to race in 10 of the remaining 21 junior races, along with seven of the remaining 15 truck races.

    That means that instead of racing 16 junior contests and winning nine, defending Cup champion Kyle Busch gets to start only 10 times next year. Then he could turn the seat over to, say, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin to fill in for the other 11 rides available. Cup drivers could still dominate for much of the season, though next year they would have to share those opportunities. It is a step forward, but we will have to see if it will be enough to return the spotlight on those who should be showcased in those divisions.

    In 29 events, regular XFINITY drivers claimed 11 of them. Erik Jones took four, Elliott Sadler three, Daniel Suarez a couple, with the others going to Justin Marks and Sam Hornish Jr. Eighteen went to Cup drivers, with half of that total taken by Busch, including their Chase race at Kansas. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson have also won and, with less than five years Cup experience, the restrictions would not apply to either of them. Still, it beats doing nothing but will it be enough to stop the major leaguers from moonlighting to kick some minor league butt most weeks?

    This Sunday, the contenders and pretenders of the Cup circuit head to Martinsville, Virginia. A win earns a free pass to race for the title in Homestead next month. A wreck, and then Texas and Phoenix get a lot more stressful. Eight contenders, but only four will be in the running when it counts.

    Among our Hot 20, Kevin Harvick has been best over the course of the season. That means nothing come Sunday.

    1. KEVIN HARVICK – 4000 PTS
    Would have a 37 point lead if season-long points were still the determining factor…over Keselowski.

    2. DENNY HAMLIN – 4000 PTS
    If you see him in a photo with good friend Michael Jordan, Denny is the short one.

    3. JOEY LOGANO – 4000 PTS
    Last year, he was the guy to beat coming out of Talladega…and so they did.

    4. KYLE BUSCH – 4000 PTS
    Four Cup wins, nine XFINITY triumphs, and a pair of truck flags…he will beat up on anybody.

    5. KURT BUSCH – 4000 PTS
    Harvick was just trying to help me with my contact lenses in pit road. What a pal!

    6. CARL EDWARDS – 4000 PTS
    Some days you race, and some days you ride. Guess what kind of day he had at Talladega.

    7. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 4000 PTS
    Eight-time Martinsville winner will duel one more time with 9-time…Jeff Gordon.

    8. MATT KENSETH – 4000 PTS
    Spent a lovely Sunday with Kyle and Carl, but he probably will need to race at Martinsville.

    9. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 2191
    Driving a magic dragon last week. Its name was Puff.

    10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2168 PTS
    Next year, Kansas replaces Talladega as the elimination race. Good for him, but boring for us.

    11. AUSTIN DILLON – 2163 PTS
    His last win was back in August in Bristol’s Xfinity race.

    12. CHASE ELLIOTT – 2156 PTS
    His last win was back in February in Daytona’s Xfinity race.

    13. KYLE LARSON – 2155 PTS
    Sure, he won back in June in Pocono’s Xfinity race, but don’t forget that Cup win at Michigan.

    14. TONY STEWART – 2141 PTS
    Down to his final four.

    15. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 2110 PTS
    23rd in the spring, but second last fall. Time to turn that frown upside down?

    16. CHRIS BUESCHER – 2109 PTS
    A single win leaves Blaney, Bayne, Patrick, Menard, Biffle, Almirola, and Bowyer far behind him.

    17. KASEY KAHNE – 803 PTS
    Hendrick drivers have won the past four Martinsville Chase races. Why not another?

    18. RYAN NEWMAN – 794 PTS
    #noneckguysmatter

    19. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 717 PTS
    Back among the cool kids after a good run at Talladega.

    20. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 717 PTS
    Second at Martinsville this spring gives hope for this fall run.

  • Bowman, Busch Quickest In Dover XFINITY Practices

    Bowman, Busch Quickest In Dover XFINITY Practices

    The two XFINITY practices on Friday in preparation for Saturday’s race at Dover International Speedway fought against the weather and although one session ended up going off without any issues, the second session was cut short due to rain.

    Session one featured Kyle Busch putting down a lap at 157.729 mph, the fastest of the session by a wide margin. Busch was over three-tenths of a second faster than teammate Erik Jones in second. Busch enters this weekend looking for his ninth win of the XFINITY Series season and the 16th of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing. Jones enters this weekend three points out of the advancing field in the XFINITY Series Chase and needs to have a good run on Saturday to continue racing for a championship.

    Alex Bowman was third fastest followed by Austin Dillon who was fourth. Joey Logano looks to bring the Team Penske No. 22 Ford to victory lane for the first time this season and started the weekend off by running fifth in practice.

    In the second practice session, Bowman was the fastest on the board when rain came roughly halfway through the session. Bowman has had quite an adventure since the last time he raced at Dover; this spring he ran his first NASCAR race of the year and opened some eyes by finishing third. Since then, he’s had great runs for JR Motorsports in the XFINITY Series and has had some good runs subbing for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Sprint Cup Series.

    Busch was second in this session and Logano followed close behind in third. Points leader Elliott Sadler was fourth and Justin Allgaier was fifth.

    Outside of rain in the second session, there were no major incidents during either session.

     

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  • Jones scores the XFINITY pole at Kentucky

    Jones scores the XFINITY pole at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Erik Jones will lead the field to the green flag in tonight’s XFINITY Series race in the bluegrass state.

    The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota scored the pole for the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 after posting a time of 28.845 and a speed of 187.207 mph. It’s his 11th career pole in 53 XFINITY Series starts, eighth of the season and first in four races at Kentucky Speedway.

    Daniel Suarez will start second in his No. 19 JGR Toyota after posting a time of 28.966 and a speed of 186.425 mph. Elliott Sadler will start third in his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet after posting a time of 29.059 and a speed of 185.829 mph. Ty Dillon will start fourth in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet after posting a time of 29.101 and a speed of 185.561 mph. Sam Hornish Jr. will round out the top-five starters in his No. 2 RCR Chevrolet after posting a time of 29.123 and a speed of 185.420 mph.

    Matt Trifft will start sixth in his No. 18 JGR Toyota. Brendan Gaughan will start seventh in his No. 62 RCR Chevrolet. Ryan Blaney will start eighth in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Darrell Wallace Jr. will start ninth in his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Justin Allgaier will round out the top-10 in his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet.

    Brennan Poole will start 11th and Josh Berry will round out the 12 drivers that made the final round of qualifying.

    Brandon Jones will start 14th, Blake Koch will start 15th, Ryan Reed will start 16th and Ryan Sieg will round out the Chase drivers in 19th.

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  • Jones Fastest at Kentucky in Final XFINITY Practice

    Jones Fastest at Kentucky in Final XFINITY Practice

    SPARTA, Ky. — Erik Jones topped the chart in final XFINITY Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota posted the fastest time in the final practice session with a time of 28.720 and a speed of 188.022 mph. Matt Tifft was second in his No. 18 JGR Toyota with a time of 28.958 and a speed of 186.477 mph. Sam Hornish Jr. was third in his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 29.020 and a speed of 186.079 mph. Austin Cindric was fourth in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 29.344 and a speed of 184.024 mph. Daniel Suarez rounded out the top-five in his No. 19 JGR Toyota with a time of 29.378 and a speed of 183.811 mph.

    Brendan Gaughan was sixth in his No. 62 RCR Chevrolet. Brandon Jones was seventh in his No. 33 RCR Chevrolet. Ty Dillon was eighth in his No. 3 RCR Chevrolet. Justin Allgaier was ninth in his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Darrell Wallace Jr. rounded out the top-10 in his No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

    Elliott Sadler was 12th, Ryan Reed was 13th, Brennan Poole was 16th, Ryan Sieg was 17th and Blake Koch rounded out the Chase drivers in 19th.

    The XFINITY Series is back on track tomorrow afternoon at 4:45 for qualifying.

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