Tag: Greg Ives

  • JR Motorsports to attempt Cup debut with Justin Allgaier in 2025 Daytona 500

    JR Motorsports to attempt Cup debut with Justin Allgaier in 2025 Daytona 500

    JR Motorsports (JRM) will attempt to etch a new chapter to its illustrious racing legacy by fielding a NASCAR Cup Series entry for the first time on this year’s 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

    Justin Allgaier, the reigning Xfinity Series champion from Riverton, Illinois, who pilots the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro entry for JRM in the Xfinity division, has been named the driver of JRM’s No. 40 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry throughout the upcoming Daytona Speedweeks as he attempts to secure the organization’s first participation in both a NASCAR’s premier series event and in the Great American Race.

    With Allgaier named the driver of JRM’s first Cup entry, Greg Ives, the 2014 Xfinity championship-winning crew chief, will work atop the pit box of the No. 40 entry that will be sponsored by Traveller Whiskey, the latter of which was created by 10-time Grammy Award-winning artist and country singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton.

    The news comes as JRM is coming off its 19th consecutive campaign in the Xfinity circuit, where the organization achieved its fourth championship with Allgaier, the latter of whom notched his first championship within NASCAR’s top three national touring series in his 14th campaign in the Xfinity Series. Throughout the 2024 season, Allgaier also notched two race victories and utilized consistency throughout the Xfinity Playoffs en route to his first title. He has amassed 25 career victories through 471 current starts in the Xfinity circuit.

    To date, Allgaier has made 82 career starts in the Cup Series division. He made his first four career starts in NASCAR’s premier series in 2013 before he spent the following two seasons as a full-time Cup competitor, all of which occurred with Turner Scott Motorsports. After scaling back down to the Xfinity circuit to join JRM, beginning 2016, the Illinois native would only make a total of seven additional Cup starts in five over the next nine seasons (2016, 2020-22, 2024). His most recent Cup start was the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he piloted the No. 5 Chevrolet entry for Hendrick Motorsports as an interim competitor for Kyle Larson, the latter of whom was competing in the Indianapolis 500 and was unable to participate in the Coke 600 overall due to inclement weather.

    Should Allgaier qualify for this year’s Daytona 500, it would mark his third overall start in the Great American Race and his first since the 2015 Cup season. Currently, Allgaier’s best result in the Daytona 500 is 27th, which occurred in 2014. His best result in a Cup event is eighth, which occurred at Bristol Motor Speedway in April 2015.

    “This is an incredible honor to be driving JR Motorsports’ inaugural entry into the Cup Series, and to do it with not only Dale and Kelley, but Chris Stapleton and Traveller Whiskey makes this even more special,” Allgaier said. “Entering into the DAYTONA 500 has been a goal of this company for a long time and I know that we are going to have everything we need to go out and contend for the win. This is going to be special for sure.”

    The news of JRM’s attempted Cup debut for the 2025 Daytona 500 also brought excitement for both Chris Stapleton and Dale Earnhardt Jr., the latter of whom is the team owner of JRM and a two-time champion of the Great American Race. Since debuting in the Xfinity division in 2005, JRM has amassed 88 career victories, including seven in 2024 and once with Earnhardt Jr. as the driver at Richmond Raceway in April 2016. The organization is set to field four full-time entries in 2025, with Allgaier and Sammy Smith along with rookies Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch scheduled to compete as full-time competitors. Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen, both of whom compete in the Cup Series for Trackhouse Racing, will also pilot a fifth JRM entry in select Xfinity events for the upcoming racing season.

    Ironically, JRM’s announcement of its attempted Cup debut comes 10 years and three days to the date, January 12, where the organization first announced its expansion from the Xfinity circuit by fielding a part-time entry in the Craftsman Truck Series division, an expansion that would result with the organization competing in the series on a full-time basis for only the 2016 season and nab a total of two victories during the 2015 season.

    “We’ve been waiting for the right moment for JR Motorsports,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “With Justin winning the Xfinity Series championship and Chris Stapleton’s undeniable star power, the planets aligned for this perfect opportunity to enter this year’s DAYTONA 500.”

    “Traveller Whiskey joining JR Motorsports for their inaugural entry into the Cup Series at the DAYTONA 500 feels like a very natural partnership,” Stapleton added. “I’m honored to be apart of this historic moment with Dale and Kelley [Earnhardt Miller], and excited to see Justin race the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet in Daytona.”

    JRM is an unchartered entry for this year’s Daytona 500 festivities. This means that Allgaier will have to earn a starting spot for the Great American Race. He will have to either rely on his speed during the Busch Light Pole Qualifying session on February 12 at 8:15 p.m. ET or through his result in the Daytona Duels scheduled for February 13 at 7 p.m. ET to outduel additional non-chartered entries. Both sessions will air on FS1.

    The 2025 Daytona 500 is scheduled for February 16 with a coverage time slated to commence at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Byron, Hendrick Motorsports scheduled for final Xfinity start of 2024 at Watkins Glen

    Byron, Hendrick Motorsports scheduled for final Xfinity start of 2024 at Watkins Glen

    The No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry from Hendrick Motorsports is scheduled to make its 10th and final appearance of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season this upcoming weekend at Watkins Glen International for the Mission 200 at The Glen with the reigning Daytona 500 champion William Byron at the helm of the wheel for the event.

    This past February, Hendrick Motorsports revealed its 10-race Xfinity Series schedule for its No. 17 “all-star” entry, which marked an increase to the organization’s third part-time campaign in the series after campaigning in four events in 2022 before returning for six in 2023. The 10-race schedule to the 2024 season featured all four of Hendrick’s Cup Series stars (Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson) and road-course ringer Boris Said each taking turns pilot the No. 17 car at least once. Throughout the schedule, Brandon McSwain, the lead engineer of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry in the Cup Series piloted by Byron, worked as the No. 17 entry’s crew chief in four events Byron competed in while former Xfinity championship-winning crew chief Greg Ives returned to work with the rest of the organization’s “all-star” lineup in the remaining six events.

    Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro entry commenced the 2024 season at Phoenix Raceway in early March, where Byron finished in 23rd place after he scraped the backstretch’s outside wall while trying to dodge a late multi-car wreck.

    Then two weeks later, Kyle Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, capitalized on a last-lap tussle involving rookie Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill amid two overtime shootouts to steer the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet entry to its first victory in the Xfinity Series at Circuit of the Americas. The victory occurred after Larson had pitted for fresh tires during a late-caution period prior to the overtime shootouts and was able to quickly weave his way to the front after restarting in 21st place. It also occurred after the Elk Grove, California, native started at the rear of the field due to his crew replacing a cracked brake rotor to the entry. With the victory, Larson recorded Hendrick Motorsports’ first Xfinity victory since Tony Stewart made the last accomplishment at Daytona International Speedway in 2009 and the organization’s first on a road course venue in the series.

    Two months later, Byron would finish in 11th place in his second start of the 2024 season at Darlington Raceway before Chase Elliott drove the No. 17 entry to his first Xfinity victory of the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway during Memorial Day weekend. Elliott’s Charlotte victory occurred after the 2020 Cup Series champion methodically drove his way from his 30th-starting spot and utilized pit strategy to lead the final 18 laps and beating runner-up Brandon Jones by half a second to notch his sixth career victory in the series and his first since winning the 2016 opener at Daytona. The victory marked a special moment for both Elliott and crew chief Greg Ives, both of whom won the Xfinity title with JR Motorsports in 2014, as the duo notched Hendrick Motorsports’ fifth series’ victory at Charlotte and the first since Kyle Busch made the last accomplishment in 2005. To date, Elliott also notched the 25th Xfinity career victory for Hendrick Motorsports.

    Two races later, Boris Said settled in 28th place at Sonoma Raceway after he started at the rear of the field in a backup car and was collected in a late multi-car wreck. Alex Bowman would then make his only Xfinity start of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway two races later, where he finished ninth, before Larson recorded a strong third-place run at the Chicago Street Course in early July after leading 12 laps. The Chicago event would mark Larson’s second and final Xfinity start of the 2024 season.

    A week later, Byron steered the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet entry to a third-place result at Pocono Raceway. Recently, Elliott finished fourth in his second and final Xfinity start of the 2024 season at Darlington Raceway.

    Through nine starts this season, Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 17 Chevrolet entry notched two victories, five top-five results and six top-10 results. To go along with the pair of victories at Circuit of the Americas and Charlotte, the top-five and top-10 results recorded for the entry are more than the entry’s previous recordings over the previous two seasons with an expanded schedule. In total, Hendrick Motorsports has notched 11 top-five results, including the two victories, and 13 top-10 results in 19 on-track appearances.

    For Byron, this upcoming weekend will mark his third Xfinity career start at Watkins Glen International, with his best series’ result being a 10th place run during his championship season in 2017. The Charlotte native will also strive for redemption at this course after he nearly won at The Glen in 2022, where he started on pole position, led a race-high 35 of 82 laps and was battling for the victory during a five-lap shootout until contact with Ty Gibbs sent both spinning through the Inner Loop turn. Byron would continue and settle in 25th place as Larson, who was piloting a HendrickCars.com-sponsored entry for JR Motorsports, would proceed to win the race.

    Byron and the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro team from Hendrick Motorsports are scheduled to compete in the upcoming Mission 200 at The Glen for a final pursuit of a checkered flag in 2024. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Saturday, September 14, and air at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Hendrick Motorsports returns the No. 17 entry for an expanded Xfinity schedule in 2024

    Hendrick Motorsports returns the No. 17 entry for an expanded Xfinity schedule in 2024

    Hendrick Motorsports will be fielding the No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro entry sponsored by HendrickCars.com for 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series events, an increase from the previous two seasons, featuring five accomplished competitors throughout the 2024 season.

    William Byron, the 2024 Daytona 500 champion, will first field the HMS No. 17 “all-star” entry at Phoenix Raceway on March 9. He will also compete at Darlington Raceway on May 11, Pocono Raceway on July 13 and conclude the entry’s 10-race program by competing at Watkins Glen International on September 14.

    During Byron’s four-race Xfinity slate, Brandon McSwain, a lead engineer for Byron and the No. 24 HMS team in the Cup Series who graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a mechanical engineering degree, will also serve as Byron’s Xfinity crew chief.

    Kyle Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, will return to pilot the No. 17 HendrickCars.com entry at Circuit of the Americas on March 23 and at the Chicago Street Course on July 6 while Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, will compete at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25 and at Darlington Raceway on August 31.

    Lastly, Alex Bowman, a three-time Daytona 500 pole winner, will make his lone Xfinity start of the season in the No. 17 entry at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 22 while Boris Said, an accomplished road-course ringer with victories in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, will return to compete at Sonoma Raceway on June 8. Said, a former champion of the Rolex Sports Car Series GT Class, with a single victory across the Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series, is also a partner at Hendrick Automotive Group’s BMW of Murrieta in Murrieta, California.

    For the events where Bowman, Elliott, Larson and Said pilot the No. 17 entry (six races total), Greg Ives, the 2014 Xfinity Series championship-winning crew chief with 10 Cup Series victories, will return to call the shots atop the No. 17 pit box.

    “The No. 17 is a big part of our story, and it would be special to see it win – and win often – during our 40th anniversary season,” Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group, said. “The sponsorship has been a big success for HendrickCars.com and our dealerships, and we’re pleased to add more races and take it to another level in 2024. It’s victory lane or bust.”

    Hendrick Motorsports first fielded the No. 17 HendrickCars.com entry in four Xfinity events in 2022, where Bowman, Byron and Larson contributed to a combined two poles, three top-five results and 71 laps led. The entry returned for six events in 2023, where Bowman, Byron, Rajah Caruth, Elliott and Larson contributed to a single pole, three top-three results, four top-10 results and 68 laps led.

    Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry is set to make its first start of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season with William Byron at Phoenix Raceway for the Call 811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200 on March 9. The event’s broadcast time is scheduled to commence at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Greg Ives to reach 200 Cup starts as crew chief following Michigan

    Greg Ives to reach 200 Cup starts as crew chief following Michigan

    A significant milestone is in the making this weekend for Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE driven by Alex Bowman in the NASCAR Cup Series. When the Cup Series completes its upcoming doubleheader races at Michigan International Speedway, Ives will achieve 200 starts in NASCAR’s premier series as a crew chief.

    A native of Bark River, Michigan, Ives graduated from Michigan Technological University with an engineering degree in 2003 and joined Hendrick Motorsports as a mechanic for the No. 24 Chevrolet team driven by Jeff Gordon the following year. As a lead engineer for the No. 48 Chevrolet team driven by Jimmie Johnson and led by crew chief Chad Knaus, Ives was part of Johnson’s historic run of winning five consecutive Cup championships from 2006 to 2010.

    Following the 2012 season, Ives spent the next two seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as a crew chief for Regan Smith in 2013 and rookie Chase Elliott in 2014. In his two-year role as crew chief, Ives achieved his first five career wins, two poles, 23 top-five results and 44 top-10 results. In addition, he achieved his first NASCAR championship in 2014 with Elliott.

    In July 2014, Ives was named crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS team for the 2015 NASCAR Cup Series season following the departure of veteran Steve Letarte, who joined NBC Sports as an analyst. Nine races into his rookie season as a Cup crew chief, Ives notched his first career win with Earnhardt Jr. in May 2015 at Talladega Superspeedway, the same venue where he also achieved his first Xfinity career win in 2013 with Regan Smith. Throughout the 2015 season, the combo also won at Daytona International Speedway in July and at Phoenix Raceway in November while racking up 16 top-five results and 22 top-10 results. When the final checkered flag of the 2015 Cup season waved, they concluded the season in 12th in the final standings.

    The 2016 season was an eventful season for Ives and the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team. For the first 18 races, Earnhardt Jr. drove the No. 88 car to five top-five results and six top-10 results, and they were situated in 13th place in the regular-season standings. The following race, however, Earnhardt Jr. was sidelined due to suffering concussion-like symptoms. When Earnhardt Jr. opted out of racing for the remainder of the 2016 season, Ives worked with Alex Bowman and Jeff Gordon for the final 18 races. With Gordon, the No. 88 team achieved two top-10 results and seven laps led. With Bowman, the team achieved a pole position at Phoenix in November along with three top-10 results and 200 laps led.

    In 2017, Ives reunited with Earnhardt Jr. with Earnhardt receiving medical clearance to return to racing. Following the first eight races of the season, where the combo only achieved one top-five result, Earnhardt Jr. announced his retirement from full-time NASCAR racing following the 2017 season. Three months later, Bowman was named as Earnhardt Jr.’s successor of the No. 88 Chevrolet with Ives to continue to lead the team. Throughout the 2017 season, though he was absent for two races, Ives achieved one top-five result, eight top-10 results and two poles with Earnhardt Jr. before concluding the season in 21st in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 100 Cup starts as a crew chief.

    In 2018, following Earnhardt Jr.’s retirement and with Bowman behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro, the combo started off on a high note by winning the pole position for the Daytona 500. Throughout the season, however, Bowman and Ives achieved three top-five results and 11 top-10 results. Though they made the Playoffs, they concluded the season in 16th in the final standings.

    The following season, it took until the first 16 races into the new season for Bowman to achieve his first Cup career win at Chicagoland Speedway in June. Bowman’s victory also snapped a three-year winless drought for Ives and the No. 88 team since their last victory in November 2015. Throughout the 2019 season, the two achieved seven top-five results and 12 top-10 results as they made the Playoffs again before concluding the season in 12th in the final standings, four spots higher than the previous season.

    Through the first 20 races of this season, Bowman and Ives have achieved one victory at Auto Club Speedway in March. They have also achieved two top-five results and six top-10 results, and they are one of 10 teams to be guaranteed a spot in the 2020 Cup Playoffs. Heading into this weekend’s doubleheader races at Michigan, Ives’ home track, the U.P. native has achieved five career wins, four poles, 34 top-five results and 70 top-10 results in his sixth year as a Cup crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports.

    Catch Greg Ives’ milestone at Michigan on August 9 at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Bowman to make 100th start with Hendrick Motorsports at Texas

    Bowman to make 100th start with Hendrick Motorsports at Texas

    When the green flag waves in the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 19, Alex Bowman will reach a significant milestone in his racing career. By starting this Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at the Lone Star state, Bowman will make his 100th Cup start in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.

    When the 2015 season concluded, Bowman had competed in his first two full-time seasons in the Cup Series between BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing. His best finishes between the two seasons was 13th at Daytona in July 2014 and 16th at Talladega in May 2015. Prior to the 2016 season, however, Bowman was left without a full-time ride after Tommy Baldwin Racing decided to replace Bowman with Regan Smith for the upcoming Cup season. All the Arizona native had in his racing schedule for 2016 was a nine-race stint in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports.

    Through July and following his first five races with JRM, Bowman finished in the top 10 in all of his starts, which included a third-place result at Dover in May. Then, an opportunity made way for him when Dale Earnhardt Jr., two-time Daytona 500 champion and one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers, experienced concussion-like symptoms and did not participate in the upcoming Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July 2016. During the race, Bowman had a strong run in his first Cup race in Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Nationwide/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS led by crew chief Greg Ives. Despite running in the top 10 the majority of the run, he cut a tire on Lap 272 of 301 and finished 26th, but he still left New Hampshire satisfied with his run while receiving the opportunity to compete alongside NASCAR’s elite. Bowman and four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon would, ultimately, fill in the No. 88 Chevrolet for the remainder of the 2016 season when the concussion symptoms sidelined Earnhardt Jr. Competing in nine of the remaining 13 Cup races, Bowman recorded three top-10 results, including a career-best sixth place at Phoenix in November on a weekend where he recorded his first Cup career pole. He also competed in four more Xfinity races with JR Motorsports and earned two more top-10 results.

    Based on winning the pole position at Phoenix, Bowman piloted the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet in the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona in February 2017, where he finished third after battling Kyle Busch on the final lap. While Earnhardt Jr. returned to racing full time for the 2017 season, Bowman, again, was left without a full-time ride within NASCAR’s three major division series, making only one start in the NASCAR Truck Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway with GMS Racing in February, where he finished sixth. In April, Earnhardt Jr. announced his retirement from racing full time in the Cup Series and was a leading advocate for Bowman to replace him. On July 20, Bowman was officially named the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide/AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports for the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season. For the remainder of the 2017 season, Bowman competed in two Xfinity Series races in the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro for Chip Ganassi Racing. In October at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he notched his first Xfinity career victory after leading the final 32 laps. He finished eighth in his other start at Phoenix in November.

    In his first run in the No. 88 Chevrolet in 2018, Bowman won the pole position for the 60th running of the Daytona 500 with a pole-winning speed at 195.644 mph in 46.002 seconds. Leading 13 laps, he finished 17th in the 500 after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. Finishing no higher than 13th in the first five races of the 2018 season, Bowman recorded his first top-10 result, seventh, the following race at Martinsville Speedway. Two races later, he recorded his first career top-five result, fifth, at Bristol Motor Speedway. For the remaining 18 races of the regular season, Bowman recorded seven more top-10 results, including a career-best third place at Pocono Raceway in July, to make his Playoffs. With finishes of 19th, 12th and fourth in the three races of the Round of 16 in the Playoffs, he advanced to the Round of 12. The following round, he recorded finishes of 28th, 33rd and ninth, and was eliminated from title contention. Ultimately, he concluded the season in 16th in the final standings. During his first full-time season racing for Hendrick Motorsports, Bowman recorded three top-five results, 11 top-10 results and an average result of 17.0. In May, he competed in the Monster Energy Open at Charlotte Motor Speedway and won the first segment to advance to his first All-Star Race, where he finished last of the 21-car field following an accident in the third stage.

    Bowman started the 2019 Cup season by qualifying on the front row for the Daytona 500, starting alongside teammate and pole-sitter William Byron, and finishing fifth in the rain-shortened Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona. For the first nine races of the season, he finished no higher than 11th. By then, he surpassed 50 starts with HMS. In April at Talladega Superspeedway, Bowman notched a career-best second place behind teammate Chase Elliott. He went on to finish in the runner-up spot the following two races at Dover and at Kansas. The following week, he finished third in the Monster Energy Open, but he advanced to the All-Star Race after winning the Fan Vote, where he finished eighth. For the next four races, he finished no higher than seventh. In June at Chicagoland Speedway, Bowman prevailed in a late battle with Kyle Larson to score his first NASCAR Cup Series career win. With the victory coming in his 134th series career start, Bowman became the 18th competitor to win driving for Hendrick Motorsports and the 192nd competitor to win a Cup race. He also recorded the first victory for the No. 88 HMS Chevrolet team led by crew chief Greg Ives since November 2015 at Phoenix, an accomplishment last made by Earnhardt Jr. The win at Chicagoland guaranteed the Arizona native a spot for the 2019 Cup Playoffs. In the three races featured in the Round of 16 in the Playoffs, Bowman recorded finishes of sixth, 23rd and second to advance to the Round of 12. For the second round, however, he recorded finishes of third, 37th and 11th, and was eliminated from championship contention. He went on to finish 12th in the final standings while recording seven top-five results, 12 top-10 results and an average result of 14.4.

    This season, Bowman recorded his second Cup career victory at Auto Club Speedway in March after leading a race-high 110 of the event’s 200-scheduled laps. He has also recorded two top-five results, five top-10 results and an average result of 16.9 through the first 17 Cup races of the 2020 season. He is coming off an eighth-place result in the All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, which occurred on July 15, and is ninth in the regular-season standings, trailing points leader Kevin Harvick by 177 points. He is, nonetheless, guaranteed a spot in the 2020 Playoffs by virtue of his victory at Auto Club. He is also scheduled to remain as driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Hendrick Motorsports after signing a one-year contract extension with the 12-time championship-winning team in May.

    Catch Bowman’s milestone start with Hendrick Motorsports in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas on July 19, which will air at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Hot 20 – Capital City 400 in Richmond should be as iconic as the Southern 500

    Hot 20 – Capital City 400 in Richmond should be as iconic as the Southern 500

    For a race that has been around since 1958, it is a damn shame that it does not carry the proper branding to link it over the decades to the time it was claimed by the likes of Speedy Thompson, Cotton Owens, and Joe Weatherly. Let us properly honor it and refer to this Saturday night’s contest in Richmond, Virginia as the Federated Auto Parts Capital City 400.

    It is a race that was won by Hall of Famer Richard Petty seven times. Five times it went to Hall of Famer Bobby Allison. Four-time winners included Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Rusty Wallace. The winner of three Capital City events, looking to join the legends on Saturday, is Denny Hamlin. This race has history. It has pedigree. It should mean something.

    Unlike Hamlin’s win last weekend, which means about as much as Joey Logano’s spring win at Richmond. Failure to pass post-race inspection means that Darlington win has been encumbered. Unlike Logano, Hamlin already has a win in the bank, so it matters little. Nice trophy, though.

    For the final time, this race is the last chance for those not yet in the Chase to make their mark. That distinction goes to the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis next season. The instructions to each and every driver is a simple one. Win it. It is the last shot for young guns Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez to make it this season. Veterans Clint Bowyer and Logano are in the same boat. At least Logano’s encumbered win came at Richmond in the spring, so maybe there lies some hope. It is the last opportunity in his career for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Winning Saturday night will be everything. With those loose lug nuts biting him at Darlington, Travis Mack sits in for the suspended Greg Ives as Junior’s crew chief this weekend.

    For some, it is also another chance to do something memorable, to interest sponsors to keep them in a decent seat for next season. Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne both have wins, but they need to convince somebody to lay out the big bucks to see their hands on the wheel of a fast car in 2018. Matt Kenseth might make the Chase, but he needs a place to land when it is over. Danica Patrick is said to need some help. Maybe a lot of help. A win would be great for them all, but time is also winding down to turn heads.

    Geico signed on for more years with Ty Dillon, but I got to tell you, those sponsors can be pretty touchy. Just ask Suarez. He hands out some donuts on a tv segment and his Subway sponsorship disappears. Donuts compete with Subway as a breakfast menu item? Hell, I didn’t even know I could eat donuts for breakfast. I do now. Mom lied to me. Maybe I will have me a donut on my way to Quiznos.

    As long as no one currently winless upsets the apple cart, the top sixteen among our Hot 20 head to the Chase. However, just three points separate Chase Elliott, Kenseth, and Jamie McMurray. If a first-time winner comes along this weekend, one of those three would wind up losing their game of musical chairs.

    With NBC’s analyst Rutledge Wood driving the honorary pace car, expect the first crash of the night to take place prior to the opening lap.

    1. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4 WINS (1000 Pts)
    When they reset the points after Richmond, he will remain firmly atop the leader board.

    2. KYLE LARSON – 3 WINS (884 Pts)
    Was running with an Outlaw gang last weekend…and so were his parents.

    3. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 3 WINS (653 Pts)
    When will Jimmie return from vacation?

    4. KYLE BUSCH – 2 WINS (893 Pts)
    Running a distant second in playoff points.

    5. DENNY HAMLIN – 2 WINS (785 Pts)
    It might be a NASCAR secret, but a win at Richmond and Hamlin drives with the legends.

    6. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2 WINS (761 Pts)
    Tried to look like Rusty last weekend, wound up looking more like Harpo.

    7. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 2 WINS (536 Pts)
    When you get a bank for a sponsor and scream their slogan in victory, they come back for more.

    8. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN (867 Pts)
    Had the pole and a Top Ten at Darlington, but things have been pretty relaxing since Sonoma.

    9. RYAN BLANEY – 1 WIN (629 Pts)
    Less pressure being the son of Dave, than it was for being the son of Richard, Bobby, and Dale.

    10. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (624 Pts)
    No trips to Victory Lane since the Daytona 500 and he has some hearts to win and cash to entice.

    11. RYAN NEWMAN – 1 WIN (604 Pts)
    Childress has two drivers in the Chase…but for how long?

    12. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN (473 Pts)
    Sometimes a win means a lot…

    13. KASEY KAHNE – 1 WIN (464 Pts)
    Sometimes a win does not mean enough.

    14. CHASE ELLIOTT – 737 POINTS
    Seventh best in points, but seven who have done less have a victory or two or three to their names.

    15. MATT KENSETH – 735 POINTS
    What is the case for Chase, the same goes for Matt…and Jamie.

    16. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 734 POINTS
    Does not have to win, but he should be encouraged to at least beat Chase and Matt to the line.

    17. CLINT BOWYER – 643 POINTS
    If the minimum Chase eligibility was tagged at 500 points, life would have been so much easier.

    18. ERIK JONES – 611 POINTS
    Five straight Top Tens, but needs a Top One this weekend.

    19. JOEY LOGANO – 605 POINTS (1 Win)
    Won at Richmond in the spring. Maybe a win in the fall might actually mean something.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 538 POINTS
    A win and he is in. Same goes for the ten drivers behind him.

     

  • Four Gears: Chris Buescher, crew chief swaps, road courses and ‘ringers’

    Four Gears: Chris Buescher, crew chief swaps, road courses and ‘ringers’

    Time to cycle through the transmission for this week’s edition of Four Gears.

    This week, our staff takes a look at some of the hot topics in the world of NASCAR. We discuss Chris Buescher getting into the Chase, ponder if Hendrick Motorsports should make some crew chief swaps, move a road course into the Chase and wonder if the bygone days of the “road course ringers” are a good thing or a bad thing for NASCAR.

    FIRST GEAR: Chris Buescher enters this weekend six points behind 30th in points. After his shocking win at Pocono, can the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford get into the top 30 and steal a spot in the 2016 Chase?

    On the one hand, I want to lean towards no because their performance has been no better than a 27.8 average finish. On the other hand, given Chris Buescher’s relationship with Jack Roush, perhaps Roush Fenway Racing and the folks at Ford Performance might step in to ensure that he makes the Chase. I think, for this week, the jury is out. — Tucker White

    Absolutely. Chris Buescher is the most underrated rookie in the Sprint Cup Series right now, and although he hasn’t had the results that Ryan Blaney or Chase Elliott has he’s made the most of his Front Row Motorsports equipment. He’s good on his equipment as well as with his equipment, and keep in mind he’s no slouch on road courses, having won at Mid-Ohio in 2014. — Joseph Shelton

    If Roush is going to be providing more support to the team after that win, they should be in the top 30 by a comfortable margin. — Michael Finley

    SECOND GEAR: Paul Menard has had a down year in general, but Richard Childress Racing changed his crew chief last week and Menard responded by being fast all weekend. Save for a third at Indianapolis due to a late charge by Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports has struggled ever since Sonoma. With Darian Grubb waiting in the wings at HMS, should Hendrick hit the panic button and make some crew chief changes or should any possible changes wait until the end of the year?

    I think it worked at Richard Childress Racing because they’ve been up on performance this year. Hendrick Motorsports is just down right now. Regardless of whatever is plaguing HMS all of a sudden this season, I have my doubts that swapping crew chiefs mid-season will make that much of a difference. —  Tucker White

    Maybe making the changes at year’s end would be the best, and it’ll have to be something more than Crew Chiefs. Maybe some key faculty changes as well. HMS also had a down year in 2000, winning only four races, but after making appropriate changes they took home the 2001 championship. Following what they did all those years ago could help. — Joseph Shelton

    Yes, they should reunite Greg Ives with Chase Elliott and Alan Gustafson with Jeff Gordon, then replace Keith Rodden with Grubb for Kahne. It’s obvious the 5 team needs a shake-up, and Ives worked so well with Elliott in the XFINITY Series they would be better together. — Michael Finley

    THIRD GEAR: Entering Watkins Glen weekend, the track president has projected a record crowd for a race that has arguably put on some of the best races of the past few years. Should NASCAR move this race into the Chase or is it better not to mess with perfection?

    I’ve been pushing for a road course in the Chase for years. I know we only run it two times a year, but if Talladega can be in the Chase, which isn’t my way of saying it shouldn’t be in the Chase, there’s no reason we can’t have a road course in the Chase. — Tucker White

    A thousand times yes. Road course racing defines the true spirit of NASCAR, and Watkins Glen never fails to put on an excellent show. It should be in the Chase as well. We try to determine the season champion by using the Chase; NASCAR should recognize that an over-saturation of cookie cutter racetracks isn’t an accurate way to determine a champion. Add a road course! — Joseph Shelton

    It should be moved to between Bristol and Darlington so that the regular season ends on a strong note with four really good racetracks. — Michael Finley

    FOURTH GEAR: With only one road course “ringer” in the field this week (Boris Said in the No. 32 Ford), it seems the days of road course specialists are at best numbered. Is this good or bad for the sport?

    Perhaps I’m not the best to speak on this because I came into this sport long after the days when the series regulars started to out-perform the road course “ringers,” but I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing for NASCAR because I believe it truly speaks to the talent of the drivers in NASCAR. It shows they’re capable of more than just turning left for three hours. They can also drive the cars left and right on road courses with muscle and technique. These are traits of a true road course racer and it speaks volumes on just how great the drivers in this sport are. — Tucker White

    I loved the days of road course ringers, especially Boris Said. But now that the days of road ringers are about gone, it is good for the sport. Those guys who make the field week in and week out, are the focus of the sport and the focus should be on them and their talent on the track, no matter if the track is a road course or a short track. — Joseph Shelton

    It’s a bad thing because the ringers ensured there would be some different guys near the front rather than the same old, same old. It created a variety that wasn’t available at other tracks and made both road course races more special — Michael Finley

    Please join us again next week and become a part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comment section below.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Phoenix Quicken Loans 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Phoenix Quicken Loans 500

    From a rain delayed and a rain-shortened race in the Valley of the Sun, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 28th annual Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

    Surprising:  Two rookie crew chiefs had to make the tough calls that saw one of their drivers win the race and the other make the Chase.

    “We kind of knew that once past halfway we’d see a couple more cautions,” Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s rookie crew chief Greg Ives said after scoring the victory. “So that rain started to pop up again and we’re on two long green-flag runs there, and we just saw it coming.  We didn’t know if it was going to happen before we pitted or after, but we knew at some point it was going to happen, and we elected to kind of pit, be one of the first few to pit.”

    “I think somebody got us one lap early, and our pit selection at pit stall 33 there allowed us to, when the caution came out, finish our pit stop and cross the start-finish line and allowed us to be scored the leader.”

    Cole Pearn, Martin Truex Jr.’s rookie crew chief, called his driver to pit road when an unfortunate caution came out shortly thereafter. Truex was able to finish 14th, which was just good enough to secure his spot in the Championship four.

    “I was real concerned until I looked at the scoreboard, and I was like, okay, we’re going to be fine.  We’re going to be back on the lead lap if we get going here, and really the only guy we were racing was one car ahead of us, so we felt okay about it,” Truex said. “It’s definitely obviously an exciting day for everybody at Furniture Row Racing and me and just super proud of my team for the season we’ve been able to put together.”

    Not Surprising:  It was lucky 13 for Chevrolet as they secured their 13th consecutive Manufacturer’s Championship thanks to Dale Junior’s win.

    “Winning the Manufacturers’ Championship is one of the goals we set at the beginning of every season,” Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports said. “This award is the result of great teamwork by the owners, drivers, crew chiefs, crews and technical partners. Special thanks to the Chevrolet powertrain team, along with the engine shops at Hendrick Motorsports and Earnhardt-Childress Racing for delivering the right combination of power, fuel economy, and reliability throughout the entire season.”

    “Congratulations to everyone who has made this special achievement possible for Chevrolet.”

    Surprising:  The Sunoco Rookie of the Year race is surprisingly close with just one race remaining.   Brett Moffitt currently has 196 points while Matt DiBenedetto sits at 192 points in the rookie battle.

    DiBenedetto was the highest finishing rookie at Phoenix, finishing 28th while Moffitt finished 36th.

    Not Surprising:  Joey Logano was not the only driver who was hoping to see a restart before the rains came to end the race.

    “I think it would have been pretty interesting to see what Joey did on that restart, I will say that,” four-time champion and 2015 championship contender Jeff Gordon said. “But I didn’t want to get caught up in whatever was going to happen.”

    “I was going to do whatever I had to do try to win the race if I had a chance to restart,” Logano said after being bumped out of the battle for the Sprint Cup. “I guess it just wasn’t in the cards.”

    Surprising: Even after finishing runner-up at a track where he has so often dominated, Kevin Harvick was still trying to figure out whether he was on the right side or the wrong side.

    “We made great adjustments overnight and got that little bit of balance that we were looking for from practice. “Just the way that the caution fell, I didn’t get all my distance back on the racetrack under green and Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) was able to beat us out,” Harvick said. “But hey, you lose some and you win some like that.”

    “Sometimes you’re on the right side of it, and sometimes you’re on the wrong side of it. Today we were on the wrong side of it, but in the big picture we’re on the right side because we’re racing for a championship next week.”

    “So, I’m just really proud of everybody on our team.”

    Not Surprising:  Roush Fenway Racing had another bad day at the track in Phoenix. Greg Biffle was the highest RFR driver, finishing 25th.  Both Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. struggled as well, with Bayne suffering a pit road speeding penalty to finish 34th and Stenhouse involved in an incident with Joey Gase, limping home to a 41st place run.

    “That was disappointing,” Stenhouse said after the race.  “We had a decent run here earlier in the spring and I think we could have had a decent finish.  We will put this behind us and head to Homestead for the final race of the year. We’ve struggled this year, but my guys have never given up.”

    Surprising:  The Busch brothers were prime examples of making little mistakes, however, the end result was far from similar.

    Kurt Busch made a little mistake, jumping the initial start, for which he was penalized and had to serve a pass-through penalty. Busch recovered to finish seventh, but it was not enough to advance him to the final four.

    “I don’t even think it was a penalty,” Kurt Busch said after the race. “It’s not even a call in my mind.”

    “We had a great season. We won two races, sat on three poles,” Busch continued. “We did everything possible to put polish on a season like that and get out there with elbow grease and work hard at it. There is some tarnish that is sitting there, polish and polish and that is all I kept doing this whole year.”

    Brother Kyle Busch also made a little mistake, but his ended up being not so costly. Busch pitted too close to the wall and lost several positions, however, bounced back to finish fourth and advance to the final four.

    “I had a little mishap on pit road, just overshot my marks a little bit, being a little bit slick and got my guys too close to the wall, but past that we had a really good race car,” Kyle Busch said. “The M&Ms Camry was fast.  I felt like we had a good top-three, top-four race car and long runs seemed to be our friends and we got some of those tonight, so couldn’t be more pleased to finish where we did and be more pleased to go to Homestead.

    Not Surprising:  With his Chase hopes dashed, Brad Keselowski now has his hopes set on a high five.

    “It was a long day for everybody and to have it end like that wasn’t surprising.  We kept adjusting on it, but it’s a short race and who knows?  Maybe that last run we would have had something, but that’s not the way it played out,” the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford said. “The highest we can get is fifth in points now, so I’d like to pull that off and take advantage of that opportunity when we get to Homestead next week.”

    The NASCAR season will now finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway with four surprisingly distinct storylines. Two of the contenders have already been champions, one Kevin Harvick looking to go back to back and one Jeff Gordon looking to close out his career with his fifth championship.

    The other two drivers in the Sprint Cup hunt could write the surprising storylines of being first-time champs, with Kyle Busch hoping to play the role of comeback kid and Martin Truex Jr. as the little engine that could.

    The 17th Annual Ford EcoBoost 400 will run on Sunday, November 22 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, in Homestead, Florida. And in less than a week, the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion will be crowned.

  • The Final Word – Talladega Produces the 100th Cup Victory by an Earnhardt

    The Final Word – Talladega Produces the 100th Cup Victory by an Earnhardt

    Family. Why do we watch these races, even the most boring among them when there are so many other things we could be doing? It is our sense of family that keeps us tuning in.

    It is similar as to why fans of the Chicago Cubs endure the disappointment, year after year. That would be due to sticking with their beleaguered “family” members over the seasons. You know, such kin as Hack Wilson, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, Bruce Sutter, and Ron Santos, to name just a few from the past. Their highs and lows on the field were their fans’ highs and lows. They were all in it together. They still are.

    In NASCAR, it is also all about family. It was started by a family and has featured such families as the Pettys and Allisons. We were thrilled by their success and crushed by their tragedies. They were and remain a part of us.

    Thus, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke a decade-long drought at a track he once ruled to win his sixth race at Talladega on Sunday, one of our own had come through. This is a track on which his late father triumphed ten times and this is where his boy had a run of four in a row. When Dale Sr. died, a lot of fans adopted the lad as a son or brother. We mourned with him, we mourned for him, and we followed him. It just dawned on me that I am 18 years older than Junior, old enough to have been his dad. Not a good one, mind you, not at that age, but old enough. I would rather like to think I would have made one hell of an older brother.

    Family. When the car was not so good at Richmond, Greg Ives had some explaining to do. Not to Junior, not to owner Rick Hendrick, but to his eight-year-old daughter. She does not take such disappointments lightly. Last week, she suffered a bad break near her elbow, and the driver offered his crew chief a chance to fly home to be with her. However, a certain eight-year-old told her daddy to stay right where he was. Ives had a job to do, and on Sunday he and Junior completed the task by winning at Talladega. It was Ives’ first on the box, the 24th victory for the racer over his Cup career and, yes, the 100th Cup victory by an Earnhardt.

    It would seem that one of the toughest people associated with this team spent the weekend back in Charlotte mending and cheering on her favorite crew chief and driver. She no doubt will be doing the same this Saturday night when her daddy and his friend are in Kansas. That day also marks the 23rd anniversary of when I first met my wife, Amy, and on that day we will be celebrating my niece Katie’s third birthday. Yes, we will be spending Saturday following that good ole NASCAR tradition. We will be with our family here as we watch members of our other family race in Kansas.

  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. Still Chasing First Win of the Season

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. Still Chasing First Win of the Season

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished fourth in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, capturing his third top five in three races this season. Two third place finishes at Daytona and Atlanta plus a fourth Sunday at Vegas sounds good on paper but Earnhardt is looking for more.

    “Sounds a little bit less than we did last year, I think we were first, second, second – so, we have to step it up a little bit,” he said laughing.”

    Earnhardt led twice for four laps but was no match for Kevin Harvick. The No. 88 team decided to take a gamble on the last pit stop, taking only two tires, in an effort to steal the lead from the dominant Harvick. It was a risky call but one that Earnhardt felt was justified.

    “We didn’t put lefts (tires) on it; made it a gamble. I like to gamble. I liked the call. I love being aggressive,” he stated after the race. “We were going to drive up there and pass that No. 4 (Kevin Harvick). So, we had to take a chance. Second, fifth, fourth, whatever; it really don’t matter if you don’t win.”

    Unfortunately, the end result was an ill-handling car.

    “I got really loose. I had a real bad vibration on that last run and I was really, really loose,” Earnhardt explained. “We’ve been running the track bar pretty much even the whole race, and at the end there I had it down three inches on right side trying to save my butt. Maybe it was worn-out lefts, I don’t know. The left side (tires) is new and a little softer compound, maybe we just took it a little bit too far.”

    Although he was somewhat disappointed with today’s finish, Earnhardt is certain that his next win is imminent.

    “This year, our cars are racing up there. So, we think we’ve got the cars better than we had last year. Hendrick, overall, has great speed. The engine department is doing awesome and we’re going to get one,” he predicted.

    “I want to win! We’re going to get there.”

    So far this season, Earnhardt’s partnership with new crew chief, Greg Ives, has produced impressive results and Earnhardt is his biggest supporter.

    Just last week, he praised Ives, saying, “Greg is great at communicating. Our communication is natural, feels good. He’s a pretty decent cheerleader, too, for myself, the team. Man, he’s going to be something else for a while around that garage. I’m glad to be able to work with him there.”

    After Sunday’s race at Las Vegas, Earnhardt’s enthusiasm spilled over onto twitter.

    “I am so excited about our team! Getting a group THIS talented & focused is rare,” he tweeted. “Been doing this gig a long time and I know how lucky I am.”

    Earnhardt is now second in the Sprint Cup standings, nine points behind leader, Harvick. The only missing piece is a trip to victory lane and if Earnhardt’s confidence is any indication, it could happen sooner rather than later.