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Tag: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Texas

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Texas

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex, with his ticket already punched to the championship round, finished sixth in the AAA Texas 500.

    “I’m feeling no pressure,” Truex said. “My spot in the finale is guaranteed. Heck, not only am I sitting pretty, I’m laying pretty. And in a quick plug for a former sponsor, I’m laying pretty on a Denver Mattress.”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started on the pole and won the AAA Texas 500 to earn a spot in the championship finale at Homestead.

    “I overcame a penalty in the pits for having equipment over the wall too soon,” Harvick said. “I warned my crew to keep their ‘equipment’ properly holstered. Otherwise, this race could have become the ‘XXX Texas 500.’”

    3. Joey Logano: Logano finished fourth at Texas and sits fourth in the playoff points standings.

    “Tensions will be high at Phoenix,” Logano said. “If Denny Hamlin and I are racing for a spot in the finale and we crash, you can best believe there will be a confrontation. And it’s gonna take more than just one of my crewmen to pull Hamlin off of me.”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch finished seventh at Texas.

    “I’m going to Phoenix with the intention of winning,” Busch said. “I’m not going to guarantee a win, because I don’t want to end up putting my foot in my mouth. I’d rather put my foot on a pedal on my floorboard because I’m gonna be ‘clutch.’”

    5. Denny Hamlin: An early spin ruined Hamlin’s day at Texas, resulting in a 28th-place finish. Hamlin is fifth in the points standings and will likely need a win at Indianapolis to advance.

    “The pressure will be immense at Phoenix,” Hamlin said. “Stomachs will be in knots. So, the desert will bring the dry heat, and the dry heaves.”

    6. Kyle Larson: Larson finished 12th at Texas and is currently seventh in the playoff points standings.

    “Bubba Wallace may have spun himself intentionally,” Larson said. “And that really screwed me. I don’t understand why Bubba is intentionally spinning when it happens enough accidentally.”

    7. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished fifth at Texas, posting his seventh top-five of the season.

    “The Formula 1 Grand Prix Of The United States was going down in Austin,” Byron said. “So, for a day, Texas was the racing capital of the world. As for traffic and parking issues, there was a ‘mess in Texas.’”

    8. Ryan Blaney: Blaney took eighth in the AAA Texas 500.

    “I’ll likely need to win at Indianapolis to make it to Homestead,” Blaney said. “I’m somewhat confident I can do it. I just need a little extra motivation. So I’m reading ‘The Little Engine That Could,’ because I think I can, I think I can.”

    9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski crashed in Stage 1 at Texas and finished a disappointing 39th in the AAA Texas 500.

    “I got a little greedy,” Keselowski said, “and as a result, I collected Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. This is all new for both of us because I’m not used to being out of the championship hunt and Ricky’s not used to being in a crash in which he wasn’t to blame.”

    10. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished 32nd at Texas after an accident ruined his chances of a solid finish.

    “I brushed the wall 9 laps into the race,” Elliott said. “Now, I’m really behind the 8-ball, which means I have to win. Well, I guess that’s my ‘cue.’”

  • Harvick wins pole for AAA Texas 500, Jones to start second

    Harvick wins pole for AAA Texas 500, Jones to start second

    Kevin Harvick wheeled his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang to a 28.465-second lap at 189.707 mph around the Texas Motor Speedway to earn the pole for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500. The pole was Harvick’s second at the speedway in 34 races and sixth overall of 2019.

    “I think the key to the lap was knowing that you had to be wide open and kind of did a halfway qualifying run yesterday and worked most of the day on race runs and making sure we ran enough laps to know where our car was,” said Harvick.

    Joe Gibbs Racing driver Erik Jones put his No. 20 Toyota on the outside of Row 1 with a lap of 28.588 at 188.890 mph. Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, and Alex Bowman rounded out the top-five.

    Harvick and Hamlin were the only Playoff drivers to qualify in the top-10, as the other six drivers in the Round of 8 will start in the top-20. Joey Logano will start 11th, with a lap of 28.755 seconds, while Kyle Busch will start on the outside of Row 6 with a lap of 28.764 seconds.

    Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Ryan Blaney will start in positions 13-15, while Martin Truex Jr. will be starting from the 17th spot with a lap of 28.863.

    The AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway will start at 2 p.m. CT on NBCSN/SiriusXM Channel 90.

  • Weekend Schedule for Texas Motor Speedway

    Weekend Schedule for Texas Motor Speedway

    This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series head to the 1.5-mile oval at Texas Motor Speedway. The defending race winners are Kevin Harvick in the Cup Series and Cole Custer in the Xfinity Series. The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series is off but will return on Nov. 8 at ISM Raceway.

    Only two races remain in the Playoffs Round of 8 to determine who will make it to the Championship 4 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    See the current standings listed below for both series.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, November 1

    2:05 – 2:55 p.m. – Xfinity Series First Practice (NBCSN)

    3:05 – 3:55 p.m. – Cup Series First Practice (NBCSN)

    4:05 – 4:55 p.m. – Xfinity Series Final Practice (NBC Sports App)

    5:05 – 5:55 p.m. – Cup Series Final Practice (NBC Sports App)

    Saturday, November 2

    5:35 p.m. – Xfinity Series Qualifying (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – CNBC

    7:05 p.m. – Cup Series Qualifying impound (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – CNBC/ PRN

    8:30 p.m. – Xfinity Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Xfinity Series race (Stages 45/90/200 Laps) – NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, November 3

    3 p.m. – Cup Series AAA Texas 500 Cup Series race (Stages 85/170/334 Laps) – NBCSN/PRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Playoff standings prior to Texas Motor Speedway

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series:

    1. Martin Truex Jr. – 4102 points

    2. Denny Hamlin – 4082 points

    3. Kyle Busch – 4075 points

    4. Joey Logano – 4072 points

    5. Kevin Harvick – 4058 points

    6. Ryan Blaney – 4057 points

    7. Kyle Larson – 4048 points

    8. Chase Elliott – 4028 points

    NASCAR Xfinity Series:

    1. Christopher Bell – 3106 points

    2. Cole Custer – 3095 points

    3. Tyler Reddick – 3094 points

    4. Justin Allgaier – 3059 points

    5. Chase Briscoe – 3057 points

    6.Michael Annett – 3047 points

    7. Noah Gragson – 3042 points

    8. Austin Cindric – 3029 points

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Despite rumors, Nemechek to Front Row Motorsports could be needed change for entire organization

    Despite rumors, Nemechek to Front Row Motorsports could be needed change for entire organization

    With the Cup Series returning to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, one of the biggest headlines heading into Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 is the debut of John Hunter Nemechek. He will be filling in for Front Row Motorsports rookie Matt Tifft, who has been sidelined for the remainder of the 2019 season with medical issues.

    Although Nemechek’s primary obligation is finishing up his rookie XFINITY Series campaign with the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet group, there are rumors circulating that this could be a tryout for the 22-year-old driver since he has no plans for next season. FRM staple David Ragan is set to retire after this season, leaving one of the three seats open in the organization.

    At this moment, Nemechek has made it clear that all he wants to do is go out and earn the respect of the other Cup drivers, telling SiriusXM Speedway’s Dave Moody:

    “The storyline is we want to go and have a quiet weekend for us, just run as many laps as we possibly can and gain as much experience and just have a solid weekend. That’s our goal. It’s all new for me, I’ve never driven a Cup car before so it’s going to be a whole new process and whole new learning curve.”

    However, should Nemechek go and do just that in the final three races, he could be a possible option for a vacant seat in an FRM Ford. That would mean that FRM would have two drivers under 25-years-old, and with Michael McDowell planning on being at FRM in 2020 despite the plan not being set in stone just yet, the organization may very well be on a renewed path instead of just being a home for drivers late in their Cup career.

    Granted, that may not have been the case. But since the team’s inception in 2005, they’ve only won two events. At Talladega Ragan led a 1-2 finish in the 2013 Aaron’s 499 with David Gilliland close behind. Chris Buescher won a fog-shortened Pocono event in 2016 and made one Playoff appearance. This is after the team had been home to drivers such as Gilliland, Travis Kvapil, Josh Wise, and John Andretti.

    But as in Buescher’s case, FRM has shown itself to be a good place for drivers looking to learn the rank-and-file of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup racing. Buescher has gone on to record strong runs with JTG-Daugherty Racing and now finds himself going to the No. 17 Roush-Fenway Ford in 2020. Tifft has established himself as a solid driver in the No. 36 with a top-10 at Daytona in July and 15 top-25 finishes in 32 starts.

    Adding Nemechek to the FRM stable could put the team into a renewed position, where instead of being an organization housing Cup drivers who weren’t established as well elsewhere, they could become an organization that builds (or rebuilds) itself around the future stars of the sport. FRM has become an organization that continues to grow over the years, and not even the expansion to three full-time teams is enough to slow the team down.

    Should Nemechek go for a full rookie campaign with FRM in 2020, there’s going to be no guarantee of success with the team. But there will be ample opportunity for both Nemechek and FRM to continuously grow in Cup racing, and FRM may be the step Nemechek needs to take to earn both respect and success as he advances in his NASCAR career.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Martinsville

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Martinsville

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex started third, led 464 of 500 laps, and won at Martinsville Speedway in dominating fashion.

    “I dominated in such fashion,” Truex said, “that the race became quite a borefest. I encouraged NASCAR officials to throw a ‘no-competition’ caution.”

    2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started on the pole at Martinsville and finished fourth at Martinsville.

    “Joey Logano and I had words after the race,” Hamlin said. “Joey gave me a light shove, ran away, and I went after him. Then I got taken down by one of Joey’s crew members. I would describe Joey like I would a car that completes all the laps in a race—‘still running.’”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished seventh at Martinsville to start Round 3 of the playoffs solidly.

    “There wasn’t a whole lot of action during the race,” Harvick said, “but things picked up afterward. Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin had a confrontation on pit road. This means ‘war.’ Unfortunately, in today’s NASCAR, with pit crew interference so common, it’s only a ‘war of words.’”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch struggled at Martinsville and finished 18th.

    “I’ll have to contend with Aric Almirola for the rest of the season,” Busch said. “We made contact on the track and Almirola said he would ‘make it hell’ for me in the future. To that I say, ‘Hell yeah!’”

    5. Kyle Larson: Latson took ninth in the First Data 500 at Martinsville.

    “I’ve been racing with a fractured rib I suffered at Talladega,” Larson said. “It’s really affected my breathing. I think the only cure is a win, which would allow me to breathe easier.”

    6. Joey Logano: Logano came home eighth at Martinsville despite contact with Denny Hamlin that left Logano suffering a cut tire.

    “I confronted Hamlin after the race,” Logano said. “I just wanted an apology. He told me he wanted to consult with his ‘Joey Logano apology consultant’ prior to issuing an apology. That turned out to be Martin Truex Jr. At that point, I knew I wasn’t getting an apology.”

    7. William Byron: Byron took the runner-up spot at Martinsville as Martin Truex Jr. won easily.

    “Truex was unstoppable,” Byron said. “Once he got to the front, he was gone. He was so fast, he didn’t just say, ‘See ya!’ He said, ‘See ya, at Homestead!’”

    8. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished fifth in the First Data 500.

    “I’m pleased with my finish,” Blaney said. “But I’m only sixth in the playoff points standings. So, to my fans, I say, ‘If you’re gonna pull for someone, don’t pull for me. Pull for Martin Truex Jr. to win the next 2 races. That’s best for my playoff hopes.”

    9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished third at Martinsville.

    “Roger Penske was awarded the Presidential Medal Of Freedom from Donald Trump on Thursday,” Keselowski said. “Roger reciprocated by sending a moving truck to the White House, which probably wasn’t the best idea.”

    10. Chase Elliott: Elliott blew an engine in practice and was forced to start at the back of the field. It didn’t get any better as an engine failure left Elliott with a 36th-place finish.

    “I’m not sure what’s going on with our engines,” Elliott said. “We talked to our engine department once, and they said things were fine. Obviously a lie. We asked them again and were told there were no problems. Again, not true. So, we have a big problem with ‘re-lie-ability.’”

  • Martin Truex Jr. dominates to win at Martinsville and advance to Championship 4

    Martin Truex Jr. dominates to win at Martinsville and advance to Championship 4

    MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Martin Truex Jr. led a record-setting 464 laps dominating the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway to score his seventh victory of the season. It was his 26th NASCAR Cup Series win, the first at the .526-mile track and his 12th top-10 finish in 28 starts at Martinsville.

    It also locks Truex into the Championship 4 for a shot at the series title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in three weeks.

    “I’m just really happy about it, obviously,” said Truex. “I’ve been trying to work on getting a Martinsville win for a long time. It’s a tough track. It’s one that, you know, everybody I think wants to win at, the history here, and it’s such a big part of NASCAR. 

    “Really proud of everybody on our team for what they did and the car they brought, the pit stops today were incredible and the guys did a great job. So just all around a great day. To lead that many laps here is pretty incredible.”

    While Truex stole the show in Victory Lane, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano provided the encore with an altercation after the race. The tension was a result of an incident on Lap 458 when the two made contact causing Logano to hit the outside wall. What started as a discussion quickly turned into a wrestling match.

    “Yeah, I just wanted to talk to him about it and was pretty frustrated,” Logano explained.

    “He just kind of came off the corner like there wasn’t another car on the outside of him and ruined our day, a shot at the win for sure. We probably weren’t going to beat the 19 but we had a top-five for sure coming our way, but we were just able to survive there.

    “I don’t really know what happened because once he started hitting me, he didn’t lift, he just kept finishing me off. We ran each other fine all day, so I don’t know. I don’t really know what happened.”

    The situation escalated when Logano shoved Hamlin and ended with both crews pulling the drivers apart. Not surprisingly, Hamlin’s take on the disagreement was quite different.

    “We were having a discussion,” he said. “Everything was civil, and then, like Joey does, he does a little push and then runs away. So that’s Joey. Scared. He said, ‘Do you want to go?’ I said, ‘Yes, I’m here.’ But then he runs away.”

    Hamlin also insinuated that the contact was incidental.

    “I got close off of Turn 4,” he said. “It looks like we got together and it looks like collateral damage. He blew a tire.”

    William Byron turned in a strong performance but had to settle for second place, his 13th top-10 finish this year.

    “This isn’t a place that I’ve loved coming to,” said Byron, “and it just clicked this weekend. The things we did with the car going into qualifying and then obviously our race. So, I’m super excited, but second is not super fun either. So, we’ll try to get one spot better next time.”

    Brad Keselowski finished third followed by Hamlin in fourth and Ryan Blaney in fifth.  Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Logano, Kyle Larson and Ryan Newman rounded out the top-10 at Martinsville.

    Truex, Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Logano are currently the top four drivers in the points standings but Truex is the only driver locked into the Championship 4. Kevin Harvick (-14), Ryan Blaney (-15), Larson (-24) and Chase Elliott (-44) are all below the cut line with only two races remaining before the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 17.

    Tune in next Sunday as the Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Weekend Schedule for Martinsville

    Weekend Schedule for Martinsville

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Gander Outdoors Truck Series head to Martinsville Speedway this weekend. The Xfinity Series is off.

    The Playoffs continue with the first race in the Cup Series Round of 8 while the Truck Series drivers compete in the second race of their Round of 6.

    Joey Logano is the defending Cup Series race winner while Johnny Sauter returns to defend his 2018 Truck Series victory at the 0.526-mile paperclip.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, October 25

    11 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: Truck Series Rookie Practice (Rookie Drivers Only) – No TV

    12:05 p.m. –  12:55 p.m.: Truck Series First Practice – No TV

    2:05 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.: Truck Series Final Practice – No TV

    Saturday, October 26

    9:05 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.: Cup Series First Practice – CNBC/NBC Sports App/MRN

    10:05 a.m.: Truck Series Qualifying – Impound (Single Vehicle/Two Laps All Positions) – FS1

    12 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.: Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN

    1:30 p.m.: Truck Series NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 – (Stages 50/100/200 Laps = 105.2 Miles) – FS1/MRN

    4:35 p.m.: Cup Series Qualifying – Impound (Single Vehicle/Two Laps All Positions) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN

    Sunday, October 27

    3 p.m.: Cup Series First Data 500 – (Stages 130/260/500 Laps = 263 Miles) – NBCSN/NBC Sports App/MRN/ SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Cup Series Round of 8 Drivers:

    1. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 4,046 points
    2. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 4,042 points
    3. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 4,037 points
    4. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford, 4,030 points
    5. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, 4,028 points
    6. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 4,024 points
    7. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, 4,011 points
    8. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford, 4,009 points

    Truck Series Round of 6 Drivers:

    1. Brett Moffitt, No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet, 3,085 points

    2. Stewart Friesen, No.52, Halmar Friesen Racing Chevrolet, 3,062 points
    3. Austin Hill, No.16, Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota, 3,052 points
    4. Matt Crafton, No.88 ThorSport Racing Ford, 3,041 points
    5. Tyler Ankrum, No.17 DGR-Crosley Toyota, 3,040 points
    6. Ross Chastain, No.45  Niece Motorsports Chevrolet, 3,039 points

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Kansas

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Kansas

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas in a cut-off race that narrowed the field to eight drivers.

    “Anytime it’s an elimination race,” Hamlin said, “things can get crazy. So, even though this race was sponsored by Hollywood Casino, ‘all bets were off.’”

    2. Kyle Busch: Busch took third in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas.

    “This is the time of year when pressure builds,” Busch said. “That was evident in Saturday’s Xfinity race when Daniel Hemric and Cole Custer were involved in an altercation. Things got physical, and a little sexy, because the ‘fight’ was really just a very intense hug.”

    3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished sixth in the Hollywood Casino 400 and joins Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin in the Playoff Round of 8.

    “It’s me, Denny, and Kyle,” Truex said. “Some people would call that ‘Two Men And A Baby.’”

    4. Kevin Harvick: Inspection issues forced Harvick to start 40th but he worked his way through the field to post a ninth. He heads to Round 3 of the Playoffs in fifth, 18 out of first.

    “I didn’t even get to qualify,” Harvick said. “But there’s something cool about starting at the back of the field. Starting at the ‘ass-end’ of the field, you get a true perspective of the ‘ass-end’ of talent in this series.”

    5. Kyle Larson: Larson finished 14th in the Hollywood Casino 400 and is seventh in the Playoff points standings, 35 out of first.

    “I had a run-in with the lapped car of Joey Gase,” Larson said. “He was in my way and I needed to be somewhere, so I moved him. It’s football season so I gave Joey the ‘punt, the pass, and the kick (to the curb).’”

    6. Joey Logano: Logano survived a late accident and slide through the grass to finish 17th at Kansas and advanced to the Round of 8, where he’ll be the sole representative of Penske Racing.

    “I feel like it’s me against the world,” Logano said. “So, I’m gonna go out there and be a ‘world beater.’ Unfortunately, no one will care, because the general opinion of me is a ‘world of indifference.’”

    7. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished second at Kansas which was good enough to secure the final playoff spot.

    “That was close,” Elliott said, “and I get the cigar. And, as the kids say, it was ‘lit.’”

    8. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished 21st at Kansas and heads to Martinsville eighth in the Playoff points standings.

    “I’m last among the eight drivers in the Playoff field,” Blaney said. “I feel like I’m the forgotten driver in the Playoffs. But I very well could quietly sneak in and eliminate the rest of the field. Then you could call me ‘champion,’ and Kurt Busch could call me ‘assassin.’”

    9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 18th at Kansas and narrowly missed advancing to the next round of the Playoffs.

    “Had a late caution came out just a fraction of a second later,” Keselowski said, “I’d be in the Playoff field. But we all know NASCAR wanted that extra restart. I’d like a do-over because I have some ‘un-finish-ed’ business I’d like to take care of.”

    10. William Byron: Byron finished fifth at Kansas and failed to make the Playoff Round of 8.

    “You probably heard about the flock of birds flying into the NASCAR Hall Of Fame,” Byron said. “I guess they really wanted to get in. But come on birds, show some manners. Don’t you know, ‘Birds of a feather knock together.’”

  • Kurt Busch remembers favorite moment racing with Dale Earnhardt

    Kurt Busch remembers favorite moment racing with Dale Earnhardt

    Kansas City, KS – At the Charlotte Roval this year, Kurt Busch surpassed the career total starts that Dale Earnhardt had at 676 in his NASCAR Cup Series career. After this weekend, Busch now has 680 starts in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

    Busch is one of the few active drivers in today’s sport that was lucky enough to race against Dale Earnhardt back in the day. In fact, the Las Vegas native raced with Earnhardt for seven races in the year 2000, Busch’s partial rookie season in the Cup Series. Those races were at Dover, Martinsville, Charlotte, Rockingham, Phoenix, Homestead and what was then the season finale at Atlanta.

    “It was fun to have and intimidating with those races against Dale Sr.,” Busch said. “I raced against him seven times and it was amazing. You could feel his presence on the track and the intimidator factor was there.”

    Busch even recalls a moment that has always stuck with him throughout his career.

    “My favorite moment with him was my first qualifying attempt at Dover. I qualified 10th. As I walking back to the garage, he came up to me and said, “Son, I didn’t think you were ever going to lift.”

    “At the time, I didn’t know whether to take it as a compliment or if I was doing something wrong, because Dale Sr. would intimidate you every time he saw you.”

    Kurt Busch only finished ahead of Earnhardt one time in his Cup Series career, which came at Homestead-Miami Speedway back in November of 2000 when Busch finished ahead of
    Earnhardt in 19th while Earnhardt placed 20th.

  • Hamlin hangs on to win in overtime restart at Kansas

    Hamlin hangs on to win in overtime restart at Kansas

    Kansas City, KS – After two attempts in overtime, Denny Hamlin held on to win at Kansas Speedway for his fifth victory this season. It’s his second victory at Kansas and his first since 2012.

    Hamlin took the lead on Lap 227 and never looked back to score the victory in the conclusion of the Round of 12.

    “Everything is good,” Hamlin said about the win. “The cars are fast, we’re executing well. I feel like I’m giving the right information to the crew chief to let him make adjustments if he needs to make it faster. I thought practice was a telling sign for us. Every time we came into the pits to work on it, when it came out, it was better. We did a really good job of making our car better throughout the weekend. We didn’t qualify all that well, being 23rd or so. I knew we were going to have a car that was going to go to the front and that’s what we had.”

    Prior to the Hollywood Casino 400, Daniel Hemric qualified on the front row for his first career pole in his career. Kevin Harvick didn’t get to put a qualifying lap down due to failing inspection and as a result, the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing driver started last. Stages were 80/80/107 laps to make up the 267-lap race.

    Stage 1: Lap 1- Lap 80

    There were barely any incidents during the first stage. However, there were many lead changes. Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Hamlin, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano all swapped the lead between each other. The yellow flew late in Stage 1 on Lap 76 for debris in Turn 4 after contact was made between Roush Fenway Racing teammates Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Newman. Newman got the worse of the damage and wound up in last place.

    A late-stage restart came on Lap 78. Logano won the stage after Larson’s crew had trouble during the caution prior to the restart. Chase Elliott, Daniel Suarez, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Hamlin, Erik Jones and Stenhouse were the top-10 finishers.

    During the stage break, Kyle Busch’s team had to fix the right side quarter panel of his car after damage from the restart. Alex Bowman was also on pit road to fix his damage.

    Stage 2: Lap 86- Lap 160

    Just a few laps after the start of Stage 2, Larson made contact with the No. 66 of Joey Gase which sent him spinning toward the inside grass. This brought the caution out on Lap 113. The leaders came down pit road to make a pit stop under the caution. During that round of pit stops, playoff drivers Kyle Busch and Larson were penalized. Larson was penalized for an uncontrolled tire and Busch for too many crew members over the wall.

    From there, Hamlin took the lead on Lap 124 and went on to win the second stage. Blaney, Truex, Byron, Elliott, Harvick, Logano, Paul Menard, Clint Bowyer and Busch completed the top-10 finishers for Stage 2.

    Stage 3: Lap 166- Lap 277

    There was a long green-flag during the final stage. Hamlin had the dominant car, taking the lead on Lap 126 and leading for 93 laps. After green-flag pit stops, a caution came on Lap 265, just two laps before the race ended.

    The No. 43 of Bubba Wallace’s tire hub broke off coming out of Turn 2 forcing the race to go into overtime. The No. 36 of Matt Tifft was also involved.

    After the caution, the field was bunched up to do it all over again and hope to complete the race in two laps. However, right before Hamlin took the white flag, an accident on the front stretch occurred. Keselowski and Suarez made contact with each other off Turn 4. Hemric, Logano and Austin Dillon were also involved.

    Despite the two overtime restarts, Hamlin held off a hard charging Chase Elliott for the win.

    “It just depends,” Hamlin said in regard to winning his first championship. “We believe a successful year is making it to Homestead. Anything can happen in one race. I don’t think you should necessarily deem your season off one race. I think this year as a whole, we consider this a successful season, even if something were to happen in the next round. We certainly wouldn’t be pleased about it but everyone tries to do the best of their job and let the chips fall where they may. We’re not going to let one race dictate whether this year is a success or not.”

    Hamlin finished eighth in Stage 1, won Stage 2 and led three times for 153 laps to earn six playoff points.

    The Hollywood Casino 400 was a cut off race and Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney all advanced to the Round of 8 that begins next weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

    Official Results

    1. Denny Hamlin, won Stage 2, led 153 laps
    2. Chase Elliott, led four laps
    3. Kyle Busch
    4. Kurt Busch
    5. William Byron, led one lap
    6. Martin Truex Jr., led 33 laps
    7. Erik Jones
    8. Clint Bowyer
    9. Kevin Harvick
    10. Jimmie Johnson
    11. Alex Bowman, led seven laps
    12. Ryan Preece
    13. Chris Buescher
    14. Kyle Larson, led 60 laps
    15. Matt DiBenedetto
    16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    17. Joey Logano, won Stage 1, led four laps
    18. Paul Menard
    19. Brad Keselowski, led two laps
    20. Austin Dillon
    21. Ryan Blaney, led two laps
    22. Ty Dillon, one lap down
    23. Aric Almirola, three laps down
    24. Michael McDowell, three laps down
    25. Matt Tifft, four laps down
    26. David Ragan, four laps down
    27. Ross Chastain, five laps down
    28. Corey LaJoie, five laps down
    29. Parker Kligerman, six laps down
    30. J.J. Yeley, six laps down
    31. Daniel Hemric, OUT, Crash
    32. Daniel Suarez, OUT, Crash
    33. Reed Sorenson, nine laps down
    34. Garrett Smithley, 10 laps down
    35. Bubba Wallace, OUT, Crash
    36. Josh Bilicki, 15 laps down
    37. Landon Cassill, OUT, Vibration
    38. Joey Gase, OUT, Crash
    39. Timmy Hill, OUT, Too Slow
    40. Ryan Newman, OUT, Crash

    Up Next: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers take to Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 27 to begin the Round of 8.