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  • Elliott wins inaugural Daytona Road Course event

    Elliott wins inaugural Daytona Road Course event

    In the inaugural running of the Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on a humid afternoon, Chase Elliott extended his dominance on road courses after holding off Denny Hamlin in a three-lap dash to grab a thrilling win at the world center of racing.

    Throughout the race, Elliott dominated as he led a race-high 34 of the event’s 65-scheduled laps and won the first stage. Despite having a huge advantage erased in the closing laps due to a single-car incident, he withstood a challenge from his fellow competitors, including Hamlin, and navigated his way through the turns to cross the finish line in first place. The victory was Elliott’s second of the season, his fourth on a road course event and the eighth of his overall Cup career.

    The starting lineup was determined using a new formula based on three statistical categories: current owner points position, the results from the previous race and the fastest lap from the previous race. As a result, Kevin Harvick started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Denny Hamlin. 

    Stanton Barrett, a racer who is also a Hollywood stuntman, and Kaz Grala, who filled in as a relief competitor for Austin Dillon in Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE due to Dillon suffering COVID-19 symptoms, started at the rear of the field due to driver changes. Corey LaJoie also started at the rear of the field due to failing pre-race inspection twice along with Timmy Hill, who dropped to the back due to unapproved adjustments.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, the entire field made it through the first three turns inside Daytona’s infield without any issues nor early drama. At the front, Hamlin took the lead and was followed by teammate Kyle Busch. Meanwhile, Harvick dropped back to third in front of Martin Truex Jr. and just as the field made its way through Turn 6, exiting the infield and towards the speedway banking in Turn 7. When the entire field returned back to the start/finish line following two chicanes and no early incidents occurring, Hamlin led the first lap with Kyle Busch trailing behind him. 

    The following lap, Kyle Busch made a move underneath teammate Hamlin at the chicane turn near the backstretch to take the lead and lead a lap for himself. Shortly after, Hamlin reassumed the lead and started to pull away from his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, who had locked up his front tires and front brakes. Behind. Truex moved up to third place followed by Harvick, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Matt DiBenedetto. 

    On the fourth lap, Kyle Busch made an unscheduled pit stop for four fresh tires after locking up and flat spotting his tires. By the time he returned on the track, he was back in 34th place.

    At the front and with the first five laps of the race complete, Hamlin was ahead by three seconds over teammate Truex followed by Harvick, Elliott and Logano. DiBenedetto was in sixth place ahead of Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer and rookie Christopher Bell. Behind, Aric Almirola was in 11th ahead of William Byron and Erik Jones while Ryan Blaney was in 14th ahead of teammate Brad Keselowski. Bubba Wallace was in 19th ahead of rookie Cole Custer, Ryan Newman was in 21st, Alex Bowman was in 23rd ahead of Chris Buescher and Kaz Grala was in 27th behind Daniel Suarez. Rookie Tyler Reddick was in 29th while veterean Brendan Gaughan was scored in 37th.

    While the field continued to smoothly navigate the turns and corners of Daytona’s road course layout, Truex emerged with the lead after passing teammate Hamlin on the ninth lap. Following the second chicane through Turns 13 and 14, however, Hamlin made an unscheduled pit stop for four fresh tires and to address smoke, a tire rub and minimal damage near the left front fender, all a result of getting into the back of Truex after Truex took the lead from Hamlin. Earlier, J.J. Yeley spun at the chicane/bus stop area near Turns 9 and 10, but he proceeded without sustaining any damage and with the race proceeding under green.

    With Hamlin dropping to the back, Truex was ahead by more than three seconds over Elliott while Logano, Harvick and Johnson were running inside the top five. Shortly after, Harvick made a planned pit stop for four tires under green. 

    As the laps in the first stage continued to dwindle, a multitude of competitors that included Kurt Busch, Bell, Blaney, Bowman, Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth pitted as part of a strategic plan. 

    With two laps remaining in the second stage, Truex made a pit stop just as the entrance to pit road closed. At the front, Elliott assumed the lead followed by Logano. For one final lap, Elliott was able to stabilize his large advantage to win the first stage on Lap 15 and for his sixth stage victory of the season. Logano settled in the runner-up spot followed by Johnson, Bowyer and DiBenedetto. Jones, Byron, Truex, Custer and Ryan Preece settled in the top 10. Behind, Bowman limped back to pit road in a cautious pace after he suffered a flat left rear tire to his No. 88 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE.

    Under the stage break, some that included Elliott, Johnson, Clint Bowyer, DiBenedetto, Jones, Custer, Suarez, Preece, Byron and Stenhouse pitted while the rest led by Logano, Hamlin and Harvick remained on track.

    The second stage proceeded under green on Lap 17, and Logano maintained the advantage through the first two turns until Hamlin mounted a challenge in Turn 3. Through the Turn 4 dogleg area, Hamlin emerged with the lead followed by Harvick and Kurt Busch while Logano was locked into a battle for fourth place with Truex. 

    By the time the field returned to the start/finish line, Logano had fallen back to sixth place while Truex moved up to third place. Harvick and Blaney were behind Truex while Hamlin was leading by more than a second. Behind the leaders, Kyle Busch was in 11th place behind Michael McDowell, Bell and Ty Dillon.

    On Lap 20, Hamlin was still leading over teammate Truex, who continued to intimidate his teammate for the lead. Harvick stabilized himself in third place followed by a bevy of competitors led by Kurt Busch, Blaney and Keselowski. By then, Elliott was in ninth while Kyle Busch was in eighth. Behind, Logano dropped back to 15th while racing on old tires. Shortly after, Logano made a pit stop under green for fresh tires, a move that cost him track position and time from the leaders.

    On Lap 22, Truex and his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry reassumed the lead after passing teammate Hamlin through the chicane/bus stop the previous lap. By then, Kyle Busch and Elliott moved up to sixth and seventh behind Blaney.

    Two laps later, Kyle Busch, who was in seventh place behind Blaney, locked up his front tires entering Turn 6 after entering the corner with rapid speed and spun his No. 18 Snickers Toyota Camry. He proceeded without any damage, but was back in 13th. By then, Truex was still ahead by more than two seconds over teammate Hamlin followed by Elliott, who was the fastest car on the circuit.

    With the laps in the second stage dwindling, Johnson made a pit stop under green along with Suarez, McDowell, Bell, Almirola, DiBenedetto, Keselowski, Wallace, Ty Dillon, rookie John Hunter Nemechek, Jones, Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Buescher, Grala, Harvick and Elliott. Shortly after, Truex surrendered the lead to also pit with teammate Hamlin back atop the leaderboard. Following his stop, however, Truex was issued a speeding penalty and was directed to start at the rear of the field for the stage of the final stage.

    Thanks to a huge advantage and with no late challenges mounted behind his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry, Hamlin cruised to the second stage win on Lap 30 and for his fifth stage victory of the season. Bowyer settled in second followed by Blaney, Byron and Stenhouse. Preece, Elliott, Harvick, Kurt Busch and LaJoie settled in the top 10. Truex crossed the start/finish line in seventh, but was penalized due to his pit road speeding penalty and was not awarded any stage points as a result.

    Prior to the conclusion of the second stage, Bayley Currey relieved J.J. Yeley for the remainder of the race after the cooling system in Yeley’s car failed, resulting in Yeley collapsing from exhaustion and from the heat after exiting his car, and making a trip to the infield care center.

    Under the stage break, some of the lead lap competitors led by Hamlin, Bowyer and Blaney pitted while others led by Elliott, Harvick and Kurt Busch remained on track and with the lead for the start of the final stage.

    With dark clouds hovering above the skies and the track, the final stage commenced with 33 laps remaining and with Elliott and Harvick leading the field. At the start, Elliott rocketed with the lead followed by Kurt Busch and McDowell. Through Turns 2 and 3, Harvick, who dropped back to fourth, was bumped by Bell and spun through the grass and back across the racing surface in Turn 3. Fortunately, the entire field dodged him and Harvick continued without sustaining any serious damage.

    Three laps later, Elliott was still leading by more than three seconds over Kurt Busch and nearly five seconds over McDowell. Johnson was in fourth place followed by Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Logano. Hamlin was in 11th, Byron was in 16th. Blaney was in 19th, Truex was in 21st and Harvick was all the way back in 37th.

    Shortly after, the caution flew due to lightning reports. After running a few laps under caution, the field made its way to pit road and the competitors parked the cars with the race entering a 30-minute hiatus under red flag.

    When the weather cleared following a delay of more than 31 minutes, the competitors returned to their cars and returned to the track under cautious pace. Under caution, a number of competitors that included Jones, Byron, Stenhouse, Preece, Truex, Newman, Grala, Reddick, Suarez, Bowman, Custer, Ty Dillon, LaJoie, Gaughan, Timmy Hill, rookie Brennan Poole and Garrett Smithley pitted while the rest led by Elliott and Kurt Busch remained on the track.

    With 26 laps remaining, the race resumed under green and Elliott cleared the field with the lead through Turns 1 and 2. Behind, Kurt Busch settled in second followed by McDowell. Johnson, who locked up the brakes entering Turn 3, withstood a challenge from Kyle Busch and Keselowski to retain fourth place. He would eventually take over third place through the superspeedway bankings in Turns 7 and 8 while Kyle Busch moved up to fourth place. 

    A lap later, Elliott was ahead by more than two seconds over Kurt Busch with Johnson trailing behind. McDowell was still in fifth place, but was being pressured by Bowyer and Hamlin for more. Meanwhile, Keselowski was in eighth ahead of Bell and Logano, DiBenedetto was in 12th behind Jones, Grala was in 14th ahead of Wallace, Blaney was in 16th ahead of Almirola, Truex was in 20th, Byron was in 22nd and Harvick was in 27th behind Reddick.

    With 22 laps remaining, Elliott extended his advantage to more than five seconds over Kyle Busch followed by Johnson and Kurt Busch. Way behind the leaders, Harvick, who was in 26th and trying to work his way back to the front, locked up his brakes behind Ty Dillon and spun in Turn 6, thus dropping him all the way back to the rear of the field by the time he re-fired his car and continued. 

    A lap later, Keselowski, who was running in ninth, missed the turn in the backstretch chicane and made a pit stop under green for four fresh tires. Shortly after, with 20 laps remaining, a number of competitors that included Logano, Kenseth, Harvick, Kurt Busch, McDowell, Jones, Keselowski, DiBenedetto made a pit stop under green. Bell also made a trip to pit road after spinning in Turn 6. Another few laps later, Johnson, Bowyer, Reddick and Wallace made a trip to pit road.

    With 17 laps remaining, Elliott made a pit stop under green followed by Hamlin and Buescher. During the pit stops, Kyle Busch, who missed the chicane through Turns 13 and 14 before he pitted, took his car to the garage due to a brake rotor failure. The late mechanical issue cost Busch another opportunity of notching his first victory of the season.

    At the front, with 16 laps remaining, Truex was leading followed by Grala, Bowman, Stenhouse and Custer. Blaney, who was in sixth, pitted, but was assessed a pit road speeding penalty. A lap later, Truex made a pit stop under green, though the service was slow due to damage on the left front fender. Truex’s move to pit road moved Grala, a newcomer in the Cup Series and a relief competitor for Austin Dillon, to the lead followed by Bowman. Behind, Elliott, who was running on four fresh tires and full fuel to make it to the end, was in fourth while Johnson and Hamlin were battling for sixth place on the track.

    With 12 laps remaining, Grala and Bowman pitted and Elliott moved back into the lead followed by Hamlin and Johnson, both of whom were trailing by nearly 11 seconds. Bowyer was in fourth place followed by Truex, McDowell, Byron and Logano, all of whom were trailing by 12 seconds or more.

    With the laps of the overall race continuing to dwindle and with less than 10 laps remaining, Elliott and his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE continued to lead by more than 10 seconds over Hamlin with Johnson trailing by nearly 12 seconds. Just when it seemed that Elliott could cruise to the win, the caution flew with five laps remaining. Behind the leaders, Kyle Busch, who returned on the track after his brakes were repaired and was multiple laps behind, broke loose and spun in Turn 8, exiting the first turn banking, before he made contact with the outside wall. With both of Busch’s rear tires flat and with more damage on his No. 18 Toyota, the caution evaporated the big advantage Elliott had over Hamlin. Following his recent incident, Busch limped his car back to the garage and retired for the remainder of the race.

    Under caution, some competitors that included Logano, McDowell, Bell, Almirola, Preece, Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Jones, Reddick and Keselowski pitted while the rest led by Elliott, Hamlin and Johnson remained on track.

    With three laps remaining, the race restarted and Elliott cleared the field with the lead through the first turn. Hamlin settled in second followed by Johnson while Buescher made a late charge through the first three turns for a top-five spot over Truex, Byron and Bowyer. When the field made its way through the chicane/bus stop in Turns 9 and 10, LaJoie spun from behind, but he proceeded with no caution flying.

    With two laps remaining and with more battling around the track ensuing, Elliott was still leading by half a second over Hamlin with Johnson and Truex trailing by two seconds. When Elliott started the final lap, he was still leading by nearly four-tenths of a second over Hamlin, who continued to pressure Elliott for the lead. Behind, Wallace, who was in position for a top-10 spot, spun in Turn 1, but the race proceeded under green.

    Through the infield turns and entering the first chicane on the backstretch, Hamlin was still trailing Elliott by two car lengths and continued to close in to the rear bumper of Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet. Entering the final chicane in Turns 13 and 14, Hamlin drew himself right to the rear bumper of Elliott, but the run was not enough for him to navigate his way around Elliott as Elliot managed to beat Hamlin by two-tenths of a second to grab the win and his first checkered flag since Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

    Elliott’s victory was the third of the season for Hendrick Motorsports and the fourth for Chevrolet as he also became the fifth multi-time winner of this year’s Cup season. In addition, Hendrick Motorsports notched its 19th road-course victory (the most of all Cup teams). With the win, Elliott has won the last three Cup road course races and the last four of six road course races dating back to August 2018, and he became the first competitor to win three consecutive road course races since Tony Stewart made the last accomplishment in 2004 and 2005.

    “What a NAPA Camaro,” Elliott said on the frontstretch in front of a select number of fans in attendance. “Our guys did a phenomenal job. [I] Had a phenomenal car. I don’t think I did anything very special today. I think [crew chief] Alan [Gustafson], [lead engineer] Tom [Gray] and all of our guys did a really good job of hitting it there at the start. [They] Made a couple of really small adjustments, I felt like there, that first stop and was able to leave it after that. Appreciate everybody that makes this happen and thanks to the fans. Good to see you guys back. Thanks to all of our partners. Big special thanks to [road racers] Jordan Taylor and Boris Said for reaching out and being willing to help this weekend. Some road-course ringers. So, I tried to lean on them. Luckily, everything worked out.”

    Though Elliott was thrilled with his historic win at Daytona, he acknowledged that there was still work needed for him and his team to be more competitive and contend for more wins, points and positions on track with the 2020 Cup Playoffs approaching.

    “We’ve been struggling these past few weeks,” Elliott added. “We really struggled at Michigan. [I] Didn’t know, for sure, if we were gonna be good here, but felt like if we were, we really needed to capitalize. Running eighth or seventh or whatever we did at Michigan, an extra five bonus points could be the difference in you making it to the next round once this deal starts. We’ll keep the pedal down and try to keep pushing. Looking forward to getting on down the road.”

    Hamlin settled in the runner-up spot for his 13th top-five result of the season followed by teammate Truex, who claimed his eighth top-five finish of this season. Johnson finished fourth in his penultimate run at Daytona while Buescher made a late rally to achieve a fifth-place result.

    “I kept [Elliott] honest there,” Hamlin said. “He had such good drive off [the corners] I couldn’t do anything with him. I just would have liked to have stayed closer to him to put a little pressure on entries. My entries were the strong point against him, but I was giving him four car lengths so he could kind of drive the entries the way he wanted to make sure he got a good exit. I wasn’t quite clean enough the last few laps, but I definitely gave myself a chance. Those last couple corners, I felt like I did as much as I could to get to him and tried to do it the right way.”

    “It was a lot of fun out there today,” Truex added. “This track was a lot more fun than I anticipated it being. No question we had the speed to be a challenger there. Thought we had a chance to win, no doubt about it. Just got caught speeding on pit road. That stinks. Had to go to the rear and then got damage so we had to go to the rear again. We passed a lot of cars that last run. I know we had the speed at the end there, we were faster than anyone. Just ran out of time, but that’s how it goes. Proud of everybody on the team and still feeling really good about these road courses. I had a lot of fun and did what we needed to do to come back, so it’s always good.”

    Bowyer, Grala, Byron, Logano and McDowell rounded out the top 10. Jones, Bowman, Keselowski, Kurt Busch and DiBenedetto ended their runs in the top 15. Harvick ended his run in 17th, Newman finished 19th in his first race at Daytona since his harrowing accident in the Daytona 500 in February and Wallace dropped all the way back to 25th behind Almirola.

    There were 13 lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured four cautions for seven laps.

    Despite his 17th-place result, Harvick continues to lead the regular-season series standings by 118 points over Hamlin and 136 points over Keselowski.

    Results.

    1. Chase Elliott, 34 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    2. Denny Hamlin, 16 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    3. Martin Truex Jr., 10 laps led

    4. Jimmie Johnson

    5. Chris Buescher

    6. Clint Bowyer

    7. Kaz Grala, three laps led

    8. William Byron

    9. Joey Logano, one lap led

    10. Michael McDowell

    11. Erik Jones

    12. Alex Bowman

    13. Brad Keselowski

    14. Kurt Busch

    15. Matt DiBenedetto

    16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    17. Kevin Harvick

    18. Tyler Reddick

    19. Ryan Newman

    20. Ty Dillon

    21. Christopher Bell

    22. Cole Custer

    23. Ryan Preece

    24. Aric Almirola

    25. Bubba Wallace

    26. Matt Kenseth

    27. Daniel Suarez

    28. Brennan Poole

    29. Timmy Hill

    30. James Davison

    31. Ryan Blaney

    32. Corey LaJoie

    33. Quin Houff, one lap down

    34. J.J. Yeley, one lap down

    35. John Hunter Nemechek – OUT, Accident

    36. Garrett Smithley – OUT, Battery

    37. Kyle Busch – OUT, Accident, one lap led

    38. Stanton Barrett, 16 laps down

    39. Brendan Gaughan – OUT, Transmission

    Next weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series will run a pair of races on back-to-back dates at Dover International Speedway. The first Dover race will commence on Saturday, August 22, at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN while the second will occur the following day on Sunday, August 23, at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Keselowski to make 400th Cup start at Daytona RC

    Keselowski to make 400th Cup start at Daytona RC

    With the NASCAR Cup Series set to race for the first time at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, Brad Keselowski is set to achieve a milestone start of his racing career. By taking the green flag at Daytona on Sunday, August 16, Keselowski will reach 400 career starts in the Cup Series and in his 11th full-time season in the series.

    A native of Rochester Hills, Michigan, Keselowski was already a rising star in the 2008 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, racing for JR Motorsports, when he made his first two Cup career starts late in the season. Driving the No. 25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for Hendrick Motorsports, Keselowski finished 19th in his Cup debut at Texas Motor Speedway on November 2 followed by the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, where he finished 23rd.

    The following season, aside from competing on a full-time basis with JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, Keselowski competed on a part-time basis in the Cup Series between the No. 25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 09 Miccosukee Resorts & Gaming Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing. At Talladega Superspeedway, in his fifth series start, Keselowski battled and made contact with Carl Edwards on the final lap through Turn 4 to grab the lead and notch his first Cup career victory in upset fashion while Edwards spun, was hit by Ryan Newman and went airborne before colliding against the catch fence while upside down and came to a halt shy of the finish line. The victory was also the first for James Finch, owner of Phoenix Racing, as Keselowski also secured a starting spot for the 2009 All-Star Race. Through August 2020, Keselowski is one of 11 competitors to record a first Cup career victory at Talladega.

    Keselowski competed in a total of 12 Cup races throughout the 2009 season between Phoenix Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, and earned four top-10 results (his victory at Talladega included). For the final three Cup races of the 2009 season, Keselowski drove the No. 12 Dodge for team owner Roger Penske. His best result was a 25th-place result in the season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway in November.

    For the 2010 season, Keselowski competed on a full-time basis for the Penske organization in both the Xfinity and Cup Series. He made his Daytona 500 debut in February, where he finished 36th after being involved in an early multi-car wreck. After finishing 21st and 26th the next two races, he was primed for a top-10 run the following race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It was during the closing laps, however, where Carl Edwards, who was irritated from being involved in an earlier incident caused by Keselowski, intentionally spun Keselowski in Turn 4 as Keselowski’s No. 12 Dodge went airborne, flipped over and made hard contact against the outside wall before rolling back on all four wheels and coming to rest against the top lane in Turn 1. Despite the incident, Keselowski emerged uninjured as NASCAR would park Edwards for the remainder of the race. Keselowski struggled throughout his first full-time Cup season, though he earned his first career pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September, recorded a seventh-place result in the All-Star Race in May and recorded back-to-back 10th-place results in October. When the 2010 Cup season concluded, he settled in 25th in the final standings. Keselowski, nonetheless, had a breakout season in the Xfinity Series, where he won six races, recorded 29 top-10 results and achieved the series championship, the first for himself and the first for Roger Penske

    In 2011, Keselowski remained with the Penske organization, but transitioned to the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge led by his Xfinity championship crew chief Paul Wolfe. For the first 12 Cup races into the season, Keselowski recorded one top-five result (third at Darlington Raceway in May) and one pole (Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May) while he finished outside the top 20 five times. At Kansas Speedway in June, Keselowski gambled on fuel in the closing laps to beat Dale Earnhardt Jr., his mentor, and claim his second Cup triumph. The victory was Keselowski’s first since winning at Talladega in 2009, the first of the season for the Penske organization and the first Cup victory for Paul Wolfe.

    In August, Keselowski was in a testing session at Road Atlanta when he was involved in a vicious accident, where he made head-on contact into a concrete wall at nearly 200 mph, and broke his left ankle. Despite the injuries that also included back pains, Keselowski continued to race in the Cup Series. Not long after the accident, Keselowski held off Kyle Busch to claim his second victory of the season at Pocono Raceway. After finishing second and third the next two races, Keselowski responded back by claiming his unprecedented third win of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway under the lights. With a sixth-place finish the following race at Atlanta, Keselowski locked himself into the 2011 Playoffs. Throughout the postseason, he earned four top-five results before he settled in an impressive fifth place in the final standings.

    Keselowski started the 2012 season with his second consecutive DNF in the Daytona 500 after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. Three races later, Keselowski prevailed in a late battle with Matt Kenseth to win at Bristol Motor Speedway for his first victory of the season. Throughout the 26 regular-season stretch, Keselowski achieved wins at Talladega in May and at Kentucky Speedway in June as he secured a spot into the 2012 Playoffs. By then, he also surpassed 100 Cup career starts.

    During the first Playoff race at Chicagoland Speedway in September, Keselowski prevailed in a late battle with Jimmie Johnson to win for the fourth time of the season as his quest for the Cup title over Johnson ignited. Two races later, Keselowski achieved his unprecedented fifth win of the season at Dover International Speedway following a late battle on fuel mileage. By then, Keselowski was leading the championship standings. Though Keselowski continued running and earning top-10 results throughout the Playoffs, Johnson reassumed the points lead following back-to-back victories at Martinsville Speedway and at Texas Motor Speedway in late October and early November. Then, during the following race at Phoenix, Keselowski was back atop the standings after dodging a handful of incidents in the final laps and taking advantage of Johnson wrecking out midway into the race to finish sixth. Entering the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Keselowski was leading the standings by 20 points over Johnson. When the checkered flag flew in the finale, Keselowski finished in 15th place, but he achieved his first Cup championship while Johnson was eliminated late in the race due to a rear gear issue. The Cup championship was the first for Keselowski in his third season in competition, the first for Roger Penske and the last for Dodge with the manufacturer withdrawing from the sport following the 2012 season.

    Piloting a Ford Fusion, Keselowski started off the 2013 season with four consecutive top-five finishes. Despite earning 11 top-10 results throughout the 26 regular-season stretch, inconsistent results and failing to achieve a win throughout the regular season cost him an opportunity to defend his title as he failed to make the Playoffs. Nonetheless, he earned five top-five results for the remaining 10 races, which included his lone win of the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October, before he concluded the season in 14th place in the final standings.

    Keselowski rallied back the following season with three consecutive top-three results to start the season, which included a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as he secured his spot into the 2014 Playoffs. He went on to earn victories at Kentucky, New Hampshire and at Richmond, and he recorded the 400th all-time win for Team Penske as he entered the Playoffs with the top seed based on his four regular-season wins. He started the Playoffs by winning at Chicagoland Speedway and advancing into the second round. In the first two races of the second round, Keselowski was involved in incidents on the track and was left in the danger zone of not advancing into the third round of the Playoffs. Though he made rivals for his aggressive driving, among which included Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart, he responded back by winning at Talladega and securing a spot into the third round of the Playoffs. Keselowski’s late misfortunes, however, continued, starting at Martinsville, where he was involved in a late multi-car accident late in the race, followed by Texas, where he made contact with Jeff Gordon on a late restart, an incident that cost Gordon a shot for the victory and led to a brawl on pit road following the race. Despite finishing fourth the following race at Phoenix, Keselowski was eliminated from title contention and he went on to conclude the season in fifth place in the final standings. Though he came up short in achieving his second Cup title, he earned a career-high six victories, a career-high five poles and 20 top-10 results.

    Throughout the 2015 season, Keselowski achieved one victory (Auto Club Speedway in March), nine top-five results and a career-high 25 top-10 results before he concluded the season in seventh place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 200 Cup career starts. From 2016 to 2017, Keselowski won a total of seven races, including his first victories at Daytona, Atlanta and Martinsville, and achieved 43 top-10 results with a best points result of fourth place in 2017 after making it all the way to the Championship Round. By then, he surpassed 300 Cup career starts.

    In 2018, Keselowski won the non-point Clash at Daytona International Speedway in February, but went winless for the first 24 races of the season. The following race at Darlington Raceway, Keselowski won the Southern 500 and achieved his first crown-jewel event win in NASCAR. He backed it up the following race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Brickyard 400, while recording the first NASCAR Cup victory at Indianapolis for Roger Penske. For the 2018 Playoff opener at Las Vegas, Keselowski won and achieved the 500th win for Team Penske across motorsports. Despite winning three races in consecutive weeks, he concluded the season in eighth place in the final standings after being eliminated from title contention following the second round.

    Last season, Keselowski recorded the first victory for the new Ford Mustang in the Cup Series at Atlanta, the second race of the season. He went on to win at Martinsville in March and at Kansas in May. Though he achieved 19 top-10 results, he was eliminated from title contention following the second round of the Playoffs and he concluded the season in eighth place in the final standings and for the second year in a row.

    This season, through the first 22 races of the 2020 Cup season and his first full season with crew chief Jeremy Bullins, Keselowski has won three times (Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, Bristol in May and at New Hampshire in July) to tally his win column to 33. He has also achieved six stage wins, nine top-five results and 16 top-10 results. He is currently ranked in second place in the regular-season standings and trails points leader Kevin Harvick by 137 points. A day after winning at New Hampshire, Keselowski also announced that he will be remaining with Team Penske for the 2021 Cup season.

    Catch Keselowski’s milestone start in the inaugural Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on August 16 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Johnson and Byron rally for top-12 runs at Michigan

    Johnson and Byron rally for top-12 runs at Michigan

    It was a long, sunny afternoon for Hendrick Motorsports’ drivers Jimmie Johnson and William Byron at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, August 9, that resulted in both competitors struggling for the majority of the race despite starting towards the front. When the checkered flag flew, both HMS competitors salvaged top-12 results and remain in a battle against one another for a Playoff spot with the postseason nearing its starting phase.

    For Byron, his race started off on a high note when he moved up to start on the front row due to multiple cars starting at the rear of the field. When the green flag waved, the Charlotte native battled hard with Clint Bowyer for the field on the opening lap before the latter prevailed. Even though he never made a bid for the lead, Byron kept his No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE towards the front and running inside the top five. When the first stage concluded, he was scored in sixth place as he collected a handful of stage points towards the Playoffs. Jumping to second place for the start of the second stage, Byron dropped out of the top five and continued to downslide throughout the run. By the time the second stage concluded, he had fallen all the way back to 17th. Restarting 14th for the final stage under 65 laps remaining, he spent the majority of the run inside the top 15 before making a late charge for a top-10 spot. When the checkered flag flew, however, Byron crossed the line in 12th place. Despite the struggles throughout the race, Byron’s 15th top-10 result of this season kept him and his No. 24 team 26 points above the top-16 cutline, with Byron holding sole possession of the 16th and final transfer spot to the Playoffs with four regular-season races remaining.

    “Hard fought day for us at Michigan today and this weekend overall really,” Byron said. “After this weekend, we came out of Michigan with a bit larger of a points gap than we started, which is good. Hopefully we can go on to the road course at Daytona and keep building that point buffer. I think we’re really good at road courses so hopefully, we can run well there despite it being an unknown. I’m looking forward to it though and the challenge it will bring. I will definitely be doing a lot of iRacing this week to get ready for it.”

    Teammate Johnson also had a long run that ended up with a decent result. Starting in the second row, Johnson was competitive at the start of the race as he muscled his way into the runner-up spot. Following the first 15 laps, however, he had fallen back to seventh after he got loose in Turn 3 and lost a handful of spots. From there, Johnson and his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE continued to slide backwards as he dropped out of the top 10. He was unable to work his way back into the top 10 as he concluded the first stage on Lap 40 in 11th, missing an opportunity of collecting a stage point by one position. Despite starting in fourth place for the second stage, the seven-time champion continued to struggle with keeping pace with the leaders. When the second stage concluded on Lap 85, he was scored in 14th. Johnson struggled at the start of the final stage, falling back towards the top 20, but he rallied back into the top 15 as the run progressed. Even though he had a shot for a top-10 finish in the closing laps, it was not enough as Johnson finished in 11th place in his 38th and final run at Michigan. With his 12th top-15 result of this season, Johnson is tied with Erik Jones in being 26 points below the cutline as he attempts to make his final postseason appearance in his swan song season of full-time racing.

    “We put up a good fight today,” Johnson said. “Track position was important, and we fought the balance most of the day. I’m looking forward to the [Daytona] road course and both Dover races.”

    For the remaining half of Hendrick Motorsports’ four-car lineup, Chase Elliott was the lone Hendrick competitor to finish in the top 10 (ninth) while Alex Bowman ended his race in 36th following tire issues.

    Byron and Johnson, along with their teammates and fellow competitors, will return for next weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series inaugural race on the Daytona International Speedway road course layout, which will occur on August 16 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Byron to surpass 150 starts across NASCAR following Michigan

    Byron to surpass 150 starts across NASCAR following Michigan

    In the midst of his battle for a postseason berth this season, William Byron is also set to achieve a significant milestone of his racing career. By competing in the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader races at Michigan International Speedway, Byron will reach and surpass 150 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series (Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series).

    A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, and a student at Liberty University, Byron’s debut within NASCAR’s three major division series came in November 2015 at Phoenix Raceway and in the No. 9 Liberty University Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Truck Series. By then, he had achieved the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series (ARCA) East championship and was named as a full-time driver for KBM for the 2016 Truck Series season. Byron’s Truck debut at Phoenix in 2015 was cut short six laps into the event following a multi-truck wreck.

    Byron started the 2016 campaign with a 13th-place result at Daytona, which was followed by a 32nd-place result at Atlanta due to an engine failure and a third-place result at Martinsville Speedway. At Kansas Speedway in May, Byron benefitted from an accident on the final lap and final corner involving leaders Johnny Sauter and Ben Rhodes to achieve his first Truck Series career win in his fifth series start. Following his first victory, Byron’s season skyrocketed with sensational results that included wins at Texas Motor Speedway, Iowa Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Pocono Raceway and at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. By then, he was a member in the postseason and deemed a title favorite. Everything, however, came to a crushing defeat at Phoenix in November when Byron’s engine blew up and the mechanical issue prevented the Charlotte native and his No. 9 Toyota team from transferring to the Championship Round with an opportunity of winning the title. Despite the misfortune, he rebounded by winning the finale at Homestead and concluding the season in fifth in the final standings. Overall, Byron concluded the season with seven victories (the most among a Truck rookie candidate), three poles, 11 top-five results, 16 top-10 results, 727 laps led and an average result of 9.2. In addition, he was named the 2016 Truck Rookie of the Year as he also recorded the owners’ title for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

    In August 2016, Byron signed a multi-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports that included an opportunity for him to race in the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series season with JR Motorsports. Driving the No. 9 Liberty University/AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro led by crew chief Dave Elenz, Byron commenced his rookie Xfinity season with a ninth-place result at Daytona. Twelve races into the season, he finished in the top 10 six times. At Michigan in June, Byron was edged by Denny Hamlin by 0.012 seconds. The following race at Iowa Speedway, Byron was not to be denied as he scored his first Xfinity triumph. He responded again the following race by achieving his second series career victory at Daytona International Speedway. Three races later, Byron recorded another win of the season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway following an intense battle with Paul Menard. Through 31 of 33 Xfinity races, Byron recorded three victories, two poles, 10 top-five results and 20 top-10 results as he was also a member of the Playoffs. At Phoenix in November, Byron benefitted from a late two-tire pit stop to win and clinch his spot to the Championship Round at Homestead. During the finale at Homestead, Byron made a late pass on teammate and championship rival Elliott Sadler to finish in third place and achieve his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship over Sadler, teammate Justin Allgaier and Daniel Hemric. In addition to achieving his first NASCAR Xfinity title and becoming the second rookie candidate to win the series title, Byron recorded the second championship for JR Motorsports.

    The 2018 season provided a new start of Byron’s racing career as he graduated to the NASCAR Cup Series to pilot the iconic No. 24 AXALTA/Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 led by crew chief Darian Grubb. Byron started his rookie Cup season on a down note, finishing 23rd in the Daytona 500 and achieving one top-10 result through the first 18 races of the season. The end of July and beginning of August provided Byron’s highest moments of the season as he achieved back-to-back top-10 results at Pocono Raceway and at Watkins Glen International. Overall, Byron wrapped up his rookie Cup season with four top-10 results, 61 laps led and an average result of 22.1. He was also able to wrap up the 2018 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title over Bubba Wallace.

    In 2019, Byron was paired with seven-time championship-winning crew chief Chad Knaus, who was formerly with seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson. The Charlotte native started a new season of racing on a high note by winning his first Cup career pole position for the 61st running of the Daytona 500. With his accomplishment, Byron became the third competitor to win the pole for the 500 driving the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He led 44 laps throughout the 500 and was in position of posting a strong result until a late wreck left him in 21st place in the final running order. Byron’s highest result for the following five races was 15th at Auto Club Speedway in March. At Texas, where he made his 100th across NASCAR’s three major division series, Byron recorded his first top-10 result of the season (sixth). For the remaining 20 regular-season races, Byron achieved three top-five results, eight top-10 results and three additional poles as he made his first appearance as a Cup postseason contender. He went on to achieve four more top-10 results and another pole before concluding the season in a career-best 11th place in the standings. Though he did not win a race, Byron notched career-high stats that included five top-five results, 13 top-10 results, five poles, 233 laps led and a best average result of 14.9. His other highlight to the season was winning the first stage of the All-Star Open at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May in a photo finish over Bubba Wallace, a win that transferred Byron and the No. 24 team to the All-Star Race. He finished ninth in the main event.

    This season, Byron started off with early momentum by winning the second Duel qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway and to line up in fourth place for the Daytona 500. He, however, finished last of the 40-car field following a wreck past the one-quarter mark of the race. Through the first 20 races of this season, he has achieved six top-10 results and an average result of 17.6. He is 15 points above the top-16 cutline with six regular-season races remaining until the 2020 Cup Playoffs field is determined.

    In his 149 previous starts across NASCAR’s three major division series, Byron has achieved 11 wins, 10 poles, 28 top-five results, 61 top-10 results and over 1,300 laps led.

    Catch Byron’s milestone start at Michigan on August 8 at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • 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.

  • Byron records top-10 result at Kansas; moves back inside Playoff cutline

    Byron records top-10 result at Kansas; moves back inside Playoff cutline

    The final scoreboard of Thursday’s Super Start Batteries 400 at Kansas Speedway had William Byron in 10th place, but the finish was not indicative of Byron’s late run towards the front as he was in position of potentially achieving his first NASCAR Cup Series career win amid an up-and-down 2020 season.

    Byron’s run at Kansas started with veteran Keith Rodden calling the shots atop the No. 24 AXALTA/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE pit box while Chad Knaus, who is expecting the birth of his second child with his wife Brooke, opted to remain in North Carolina and assist via communication inside the HMS shop throughout the race.

    Starting 15th based on a random draw, Byron fell back to within the top 20 and was scored in 20th when the competition caution flew on Lap 25. Following a four-tire pit stop, including fuel and a chassis adjustment to tighten the No. 24 car, Byron struggled throughout the first stage and during a long run under green. When the first stage concluded, Byron was back in 23rd.

    The second stage was where the Charlotte native improved as he worked his way back inside the top 20. Following a caution for a single-car spin near the 100-lap mark, Byron gained 14 points on pit road and moved into seventh following a two-tire pit stop. On the ensuing restart, however, Byron fell out of the top 10 and out of the top 15 as he continued to battle loose conditions to his car. When the second stage concluded, Byron was back in 20th.

    The final stage was where Byron started to flex his muscles and make something happen in his quest to race his way back into Playoff contention. After dodging a series of multi-car wrecks and carving his way back towards the top 15, starting with 101 laps remaining, Byron and Rodden opted to roll the dice and remain on track on old tires while everyone else pitted prior to a restart with 68 laps remaining. On the ensuing restart under green, Byron battled with Denny Hamlin for one full lap behind he emerged out in front. After leading five laps, Byron was overtaken by Brad Keselowski for the lead. Though he was running on four old tires, Byron was able to keep pace with Keselowski. With 46 laps remaining, the flaming No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet was back at the front as he started to extend his advantage to nearly three seconds. Still needing a final pit stop to make the race to its distance the caution, the caution Byron was hoping for came out for a single-car incident on the backstretch. Under caution, Byron pitted for fuel and for two fresh right-side tires only as he exited with the lead followed by teammate Alex Bowman, who also opted for a two-tire stop.

    Four laps later, Byron battled dead even with Bowman before Bowman overtook Byron for the lead. Following another late caution and another late restart, both Byron and Bowman dropped out of the top five and from race-winning contention while a handful of competitors on four fresh tires moved up to the front. When the checkered flag flew, a race won by Hamlin, Byron was able to hold on to finish 10th, two spots behind teammate Bowman. Byron’s other Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson, finished 12th and 32nd.

    While it was not a win at a track where Byron won his first NASCAR Truck Series back in 2016, the 10th-place result was Byron’s best following a three-race stretch outside the top 10 and since finishing seventh at Pocono Raceway in June. It also marked his sixth top-10 result of this season. Coming into Kansas, Byron was two points below the top-16 cutline to make the Playoffs. Now, the Charlotte native holds sole possession of the 16th and final spot to the Playoffs by 10 points with seven regular-season races remaining until the 2020 Playoffs commences.

    “It was a solid finish for us – we needed that for sure for the Playoffs,” Byron said. “We started the race way off. We were really loose – just really struggling. The guys, Keith and everybody made a lot of great adjustments throughout the race. It really got us in a position where we could attack. As soon as we got probably 10 laps on our tires, the car felt pretty good. We just stayed out there on no tires, really ran there with [Keselowski] and was able to pass him back for the lead. I thought we were looking really good. Unfortunately, the two tires didn’t really work out for us there at the end. I think we just had too many laps on the left side and struggled there.”

    Byron, along with his Hendrick Motorsports teammates and his fellow Cup competitors, will return for the next scheduled race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on August 2, which will air at 3 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.

  • Elliott records first All-Star triumph at Bristol

    Elliott records first All-Star triumph at Bristol

    In front of a packed grandstand and with an orange-colored neon glowing underneath his No. 9 UniFirst/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE under the lights, Chase Elliott held off Kyle Busch in a 15-lap dash to the checkers to win the 36th running of the NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway following a dominating performance. The victory marked Elliott’s first All-Star triumph as he became the 25th Cup competitor to win the annual race.

    The starting lineup was based on a random draw. Martin Truex Jr. drew the pole position, but he dropped to the rear of the field due to failing pre-race inspection twice. Alex Bowman, who drew the second-place starting position, led the field to the start alongside Ryan Blaney.

    When the green flag waved for the start of the race and the first stage, spanning 55 laps, Bowman, who started on the outside lane, jumped to an early lead. After leading the first two laps, Blaney emerged with the lead. Behind, Kevin Harvick was in third, trailing by a second to Blaney, while teammates Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth battled for fourth, trailing by more than three seconds. 

    On the seventh lap, just as Kevin Harvick moved into the runner-up spot, Brad Keselowski made the slightest of contact to the left rear quarter panel of Kurt Busch while battling for fourth, which sent Busch’s No. 1 Monster Energy/Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE spinning through Turn 1 as the first caution flag flew. Busch was able to keep his car off the wall and proceed with no significant damage while also being dodged by the oncoming field. Under the first caution, he along with Justin Haley made a pit stop.

    The race restarted with 40 laps remaining in the first stage, and Blaney retained the lead following a strong start on the outside lane. Harvick settled into second followed by Bowman, Joey Logano and Chase Elliott, who made contact with Keselowski to move up the leaderboard. Keselowski settled in sixth followed by Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman while Matt Kenseth and Erik Jones were scored in the top 10. Behind the leaders, Matt DiBenedetto made contact with the outside wall entering Turn 3 after making contact with William Byron when Byron checked up, but he proceeded under green. 

    Ten laps later, Blaney was still ahead by nearly a half second over Harvick. Bowman was trailing by more than two seconds while Logano and Elliott battled for fifth. Four laps later, Elliott pulled off a bump-and-run move to move into fourth after passing Logano.

    While the laps in the first segment continued to dwindle under green, Blaney continued to stabilize his lead over Harvick by approximately half a second. Elliott was in third followed by Bowman and Jones while Almirola, Logano, Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Newman were in the top 10. Jimmie Johnson was in 11th followed by Denny Hamlin while Matt Kenseth had fallen back to 15th, one position ahead of Truex. Rookie Cole Custer and Justin Haley, both of whom were making their All-Star debuts, were in 17th and 18th, while Kurt Busch was mired in 20th, the rear of the field.

    With nine laps remaining in the first stage, Blaney lapped Kurt Busch as Harvick started to narrow the deficit to himself and Blaney. Behind, Elliott was behind by around a second while being one of the fastest cars on the track. Despite encountering DiBenedetto, who was on the verge of going a lap down, Blaney was able to hold off Harvick to emerge as the leader when the first stage concluded. DiBenedetto was able to remain on the lead lap while Kurt Busch received the free pass to return on the lead lap under the stage break.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Harvick assumed the lead followed by Elliott, Blaney, Jones and Bowman.

    When the second stage, spanning 35 laps, commenced, Harvick jumped to an early advantage on the outside lane while Elliott and Blaney battled for the runner-up spot. The caution returned a lap later when Newman got loose entering Turn 4 and spun towards the bottom lane, where he made minimal contact with the inside wall. He was able to drive back to pit road for tires and repairs.

    Five laps later, the race resumed under green and Harvick, again, jumped to an early advantage on the outside lane. The following lap, Elliott bolted his way to the lead on the outside lane when Harvick briefly fell off the pace. Four laps later, Elliott, Harvick and Blaney were separated by above half a second while fourth-place Bowman trailed by nearly two seconds. Keselowski was in fifth behind Bowman while Logano, Bowyer, Hamlin, Almirola and Kyle Busch settled in the top 10.

    With 10 laps remaining in the second stage, Elliott was still ahead by three-tenths of a second over Harvick while Blaney trailed by more than a second as the 20-car field settled in racing in a single file line. 

    Though Harvick remained within sight of Elliott, the Georgia native in the No. 9 Chevrolet was able to stabilize his advantage as he also started to extend it to nearly a second. With no interferences within sight in front or behind him, Elliott was able to retain the lead at the time the second stage concluded.

    Under the stage break, Blaney remained on track while the rest of the field pitted. Following the pit stops, Keselowski was the first to exit off pit road after having two left-side tires changed on his car. Elliott, the first with four fresh tires, followed pursuit along with Harvick and DiBenedetto, who also had two tires changed on his car. Logano was fifth over Bowman.

    Once the third stage spanning, 35 laps, commenced, Blaney, restarting on old tires, benefitted on the outside lane to retain the lead followed by teammate Keselowski, Elliott and Harvick. Three laps later, Elliott made contact to the rear bumper of Keselowski entering Turn 4 to pull himself beneath Keselowski while challenging for the runner-up spot. Two corners later, Elliott and Keselowski raced three wide with Harvick in Turn 2 before Keselowski settled back into the runner-up spot followed by Elliott and Harvick.

    With 23 laps remaining in the third stage, Blaney was ahead of a four-car battle for the lead as Keselowski and Elliott with Harvick trailing. Shortly after, Elliott pulled the bump-and-run move on Keselowski in Turn 1 to move into the runner-up spot as he quickly pursued Blaney for the lead. 

    Approximately 10 laps later, Elliott passed Blaney to reassume the lead. With the stage reaching its final 10 laps, he started to stretch his advantage to nearly a second over Blaney while teammate Keselowski and Kyle Busch caught him for position. While Keselowski and Kyle Busch continued to battle for third, Elliott was able stabilize his advantage to above half a second over Blaney to win the third stage.

    Under the stage break, some of the leaders led by Elliott and Blaney remained on track while others led by Harvick, Logano and Bowman pitted. The decision to pit for Harvick and others moved teammates Kyle Busch and Hamlin up to the top five.

    At the start of the final stage, spanning 15 laps, Elliott retained the lead following a strong launch, but he was pursued by Blaney and Kyle Busch while Keselowski fell back to fourth ahead of Hamlin. With 10 laps remaining, Elliott was ahead by less than half a second over Kyle Busch, who made a late appearance towards the front. Keselowski and Hamlin trailed the front two leaders while Blaney had fallen back to fifth with his tires starting to wear out. Harvick, racing on fresh tires, was back in seventh behind Jones and was running out of time to race back to the front. 

    Though Kyle Busch remained within sight of Elliott, he was unable to narrow the deficit between himself and Elliott nor was he able to find another groove/lane with his No. 18 M&M’s/Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry to pass him. On the final lap, Elliott was able to stabilize his advantage for a final circuit to race back to the finish line under the checkered flag and win the All-Star Race by 0.418 seconds over Busch while cashing in over a million dollars.

    With the victory, Elliott recorded the ninth All-Star win for Hendrick Motorsports, (becoming the fourth HMS competitor to win the featured race), the 19th for the Chevrolet nameplate and the first for veteran crew chief Alan Gustafson. He also became the third youngest winner of the All-Star event at age 24 years, seven months and 18 days. As an added bonus, Elliott is guaranteed a spot in the All-Star Race for the next 10 seasons.

    In addition, the Elliotts joined the Earnhardts as the only father-son duo to win the All-Star Race. Ironically, Elliott joined his father, Bill, as the only drivers to win the All-Star Race at a different track from Charlotte Motor Speedway, (Bill won the All-Star Race at Atlanta in 1986).

    After taking the checkered flag, Elliott greeted his crew members, performed a smokey burnout and saluted the fans while receiving a chorus of cheers under the lights. With a crowd of above 20,000 in attendance for the race, this marked the largest crowd gathering for a NASCAR race since May and amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Oh, my gosh! I can’t believe it,” Elliott said in front of a roaring crowd on FS1. “What a better night to have fans back than tonight. I mean, y’all are awesome. There’s nothing like Bristol. There’s nothing like the lights here. There’s nothing like racing here. I’ve never won here – what a race to do it. Just really proud of our team tonight and rebounding. We’ve had a really tough couple of weeks and just felt like we had kind of gotten off base and I felt like I was struggling. Just tried to hit the reset button this week, and came out and put on a great performance – great car. Just can’t thank all our partners enough, everybody that makes this happen. All those No. 9 hats and t-shirts up in the stands – love to see it…Bristol is an electric atmosphere that is unlike any other [racetrack] that we go to. [I] Couldn’t be more excited. We’re gonna celebrate this one, for sure, and we’ll take that million dollars back to Georgia. Why don’t we?”

    Kyle Busch, who won the All-Star Race in 2017, settled in the runner-up spot for his sixth top-five result in the All-Star event followed by Kevin Harvick, who fell short in winning his third All-Star event.

    “We’re trying hard and we’re running okay, but it seemed like we were mired in 10th place for much of that race tonight and the last couple of adjustments really helped us,” Busch said. “[Crew chief] Adam [Stevens] did a great job helping the car and making it better. I got a good restart and went from 12th all the way up to fifth [in the final 15-lap stage] so that was a huge bonus for us getting that track position. Overall, just got to keep fighting. I think that’s like four, five six second places this year, what do you do? You just have to keep going.”

    “There were a couple laps there that I had to spend a little more time in traffic than I needed to to get back to the front, but our Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang guys did a good job,” Harvick said. “I think that was the right call [for tires]. That was our only chance. We weren’t gonna beat [Elliott] where we were sitting on the same tires, so it all came down to getting past those cars for the first couple laps, but, in the end, it was definitely one lane. Much different than I thought it was gonna be.”

    Keselowski finished fourth followed by Hamlin while Blaney, who led a race-high 72 laps, settled in sixth on old tires.

    “We managed to win Stage 1 but fought a tight condition most of the race,” Blaney said. “I should have pitted at the end of Stage 2, but it was a fun event and glad to see fans back in the stands at Bristol tonight. We’ll be ready to go racing for real on Sunday in Texas.”

    Logano, Bowman, Almirola and Truex rounded out the top 10. DiBenedetto, Haley and Custer finished 13th, 14th and 16th in their first All-Star attempts while Johnson finished 17th in his 19th and final All-Star appearance.

    In addition to the neon glow under 16 of the 20 cars and the packed grandstands, this year’s All-Star Race featured the implementation of the “choose rule” format, which allowed all competitors to choose their lanes for all restarts, and the exposure of sponsors alongside the cars, where the numbers were moved from the door towards the rear wheels with the sponsors gaining a greater presence alongside the cars for a race.

    All 20 participants of the 2020 All-Star Race finished on the lead lap. There were six lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 13 laps.

    Results.

    1. Chase Elliott, 60 laps led, Stage 2 & 3 winner

    2. Kyle Busch

    3. Kevin Harvick, six laps led

    4. Brad Keselowski

    5. Denny Hamlin

    6. Ryan Blaney, 72 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    7. Joey Logano

    8. Alex Bowman, two laps led

    9. Aric Almirola

    10. Martin Truex Jr.

    11. Erik Jones

    12. William Byron

    13. Matt DiBenedetto

    14. Justin Haley

    15. Clint Bowyer

    16. Cole Custer

    17. Jimmie Johnson

    18. Matt Kenseth

    19. Ryan Newman

    20. Kurt Busch

    The NASCAR Cup Series will return on July 19 to race at Texas Motor Speedway as part of a triple-header weekend. The race will air at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Johnson returns to racing, finishes 18th at Kentucky

    Johnson returns to racing, finishes 18th at Kentucky

    A week after COVID-19 symptoms kept him from competing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his first absence from racing in the NASCAR Cup Series since November 2001, Jimmie Johnson came into Kentucky Speedway pursuing vengeance and momentum for the remainder of his final full-time season in the sport. In the late stages of Sunday’s Quaker State 400 at the Bluegrass State, it appeared that Johnson was en route to a strong finish or a potential win in over 100 races and at one of few race tracks the seven-time champion had yet to check off his bucket list. It all, however, came to a crushing end with less than 20 laps remaining after contact from former Cup champion Brad Keselowski sent Johnson sideways and out of contention.

    Starting 20th based on a random draw, Johnson was able to gain four spots prior to the competition caution on Lap 25. Throughout the remainder of the first stage, which went green, Johnson and his No. 48 Ally/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was able to work his way into the top 15 and was scored in 11th when the stage concluded.

    In the second stage, Johnson restarted within the top 15 and was able to carve his way into the top 10 for the first time. Running as high as seventh and following a round of green flag pit stops, a late caution and a one-lap shootout to the stage’s conclusion, Johnson settled in eighth.

    The final stage was where Johnson flexed his muscles as he moved into the top five, running as high as third before he settled in fourth. He made a pit stop under green with less than 60 laps remaining. Not long after, the field would pit under green, but the caution returned due to debris reported on the track. Once the field cycled through, Johnson, who had made another pit stop after making slight contact with the wall prior to the caution, was scored in ninth. On the ensuing restart with 30 laps remaining, he made a bold three-wide move in Turn 1 to move up to sixth. He would work his way up to third when the caution returned following a single-car wreck entering Turn 2.

    Then, on the following restart with 19 laps remaining, Johnson was prepared to establish a late challenge for the lead when he and Keselowski made contact on the frontstretch that sent Johnson’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet spinning in the infield grass. He was, however, able to straighten his car without sustaining any further damage, but the damage was done as Johnson’s shot for a win evaporated. For the remaining laps, Johnson, who restarted towards the tail end of the lead lap, could work his way back to 18th, one spot ahead of teammate Alex Bowman, when the race concluded. Teammate William Byron finished 11th while Chase Elliott, who started the race strong, was shuffled all the way back to 23rd.

    With his 18th-place result, Johnson holds sole possession of the 16th and final transfer spot to the 2020 Cup Playoffs by 24 points over Austin Dillon with nine races remaining until the Playoff field is determined.

    Catch Johnson in the upcoming NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, an event won by Johnson a record-leading four times, but his first time racing the special annual event at Bristol, Tennessee. The race will air on July 15 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Allgaier’s return to Cup Series at Indy cut short

    Allgaier’s return to Cup Series at Indy cut short

    It has been an eventful weekend for Justin Allgaier. From receiving a call to fill in for one of NASCAR’s icons to pulling double duty between two of the sport’s major division series at a famed racetrack, the Illinois native, who races as a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, was aiming for a strong result in his return to the sport’s premier series. Instead, Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at the Brickyard did not fall in the favors for Allgaier and the No. 48 Ally/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team after a bizarre wreck on pit road left them out of contention and exiting early in the race.

    For Allgaier, it started on Friday, July 3, when he was called to serve as an interim driver of the No. 48 Ally/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who had tested positive for COVID-19 along with his wife, Chani, and was unable to compete in the Cup Series for the first time in 663 races, none since November 2001. In addition to Johnson and his wife, one member of Johnson’s crew went under self-quarantine due to coming into contact with the driver during the last few days. Johnson’s positive test of COVID-19 was something that Hendrick Motorsports quickly alerted NASCAR and was following all the necessary guidelines under the sport’s COVID-19 guidelines.

    Based on a random draw, the No. 48 team led by crew chief Cliff Daniels was due to start fourth, but the driver change sent Allgaier to the rear of the field when the green flag waved at Indy. For the first 12 laps, Allgaier was able to methodically work his way up to 30th when the competition caution flew. Things changed, however, under caution when Allgaier was entering pit road. It was past the pit road entrance when he was caught up in a pileup as a result of a stack up. In the ensuing chaos, Allgaier was hit in the rear end by rookie Brennan Poole, ran into the back of Corey LaJoie and pinned the right-rear tire changer of Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 crew against Blaney car before coming to rest alongside Ryan Preece’s crumbled car with significant front nose damage.

    Following a red flag period spanning more than 11 minutes, the No. 48 crew went to work to repair the car. By the time the damage was repaired, Allgaier returned to the track in 39th, multiple laps down. Shortly after a restart on Lap 20, the right-front tire blew on the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet and Allgaier was off the pace while trying to make his way back to pit road. Shortly after, crew chief Daniels made the call for Allgaier to park the car in the garage as his race came to an end.

    “[Poole], actually, got in the back of me,” Allgaier said after being released from the infield care center. “I didn’t know if I got [hit] the gentleman on [Blaney’s crew] or not. Once the wreck started happening in front of us and we all got bottled-up there, one car after another were getting run into. It’s just a shame. I hate it for these guys on this Ally No. 48 [team]. They’ve done such a great job. They’ve prepared so well for the circumstances. Obviously, our hearts and thoughts are for Jimmie and his family right now. That’s the most important piece of all this is getting him back to the race track soon. And, I wanted to do well for them today and it’s disappointing to be standing here talking to [TV interviewer] unfortunately. But we’ll go on. I don’t know what next week looks like yet. We’ll go run the Xfinity Series race and go have a good shot at it. It’s a disappointing way to end the Brickyard 400.”

    Allgaier’s 37th-place result in his 77th Cup career start, first since August 2016 at Bristol Motor Speedway, was a result he did not have in mind, especially at a track where he won at in the 2018 Xfinity Series season and coming off his seventh-place result in the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit the day before. Nonetheless, he remained humble and thankful for the opportunity to race at Indianapolis in the iconic No. 48 machine and for Johnson, who is scheduled to retire at the conclusion of this season following an illustrious racing career.

    “I told Mr. [Hendrick] and I told Jimmie as well just how honored I was that they would ask me to be in this role. It means a lot. It means a lot as a driver. It means a lot to everybody involved and my family. Hopefully, I get the opportunity to do it again.”

    There are no current plans established for Johnson’s return to racing nor for the No. 48 Ally/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team in terms of driver plans for next weekend’s Cup race at Kentucky Speedway. He may return only after receiving clearance from his physician and has two negative COVID-19 test results spanning 24 hours apart. His initials plans of testing an IndyCar vehicle for Chip Ganassi Racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Wednesday, July 8, has been cancelled.

    Allgaier will return for the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series’ doubleheader weekend at Kentucky Speedway on July 9 and 10, which will both air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. The NASCAR Cup Series will return for its next scheduled race at Kentucky on July 12 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1.