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  • Larson claims fifth checkered flag of 2021 at Watkins Glen

    Larson claims fifth checkered flag of 2021 at Watkins Glen

    Victory No. 5 was awarded to the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Watkins Glen International after Kyle Larson led the final 26 of 90 laps and fended off his teammate and a hard-charging Chase Elliott to win the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, August 8. The victory was Larson’s fifth of the season, which reignited his challenge for this year’s NASCAR Cup Series title.

    The starting lineup was based on a performance metric formula, weighing the driver’s and owner’s results from a previous Cup event, the owner points position and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. With that, Brad Keselowski, who is set to join Roush Fenway Racing as a driver and co-owner in 2022, started on pole position and was joined on the front row with teammate Joey Logano.

    Prior to the event, Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell started at the rear of the field due to their respective cars not complying with the technical rules related to the rear window air deflector. As a result, Alan Gustafson, Elliott’s crew chief, and Adam Stevens, Bell’s crew chief, have been suspended from participating in today’s Cup event along with being fined $25,000. Both competitors were docked 10 points. Engineer Tom Gray served as an interim crew chief for Elliott while car chief Chris Sherwood was atop the pit box of Bell’s team.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Keselowski managed to pull ahead of teammate Logano to assume an early advantage through the first turn and heading into the Esses. Through the Esses, the backstretch, the chicane and the seven-turn, 2.45-mile road course, Keselowski managed to lead the first lap while the field battled jostled for positioning.

    Following the first lap, Ryan Newman spun in Turn 1, but he managed to continued and the race proceeded under green.

    By the third lap, Keselowski was still leading by three-tenths of a second over teammate Logano, with Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. in the top five. Ryan Blaney was in sixth followed by Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Kevin Harvick and Alex Bowman.

    Through the first five laps of the event, Keselowski, racing in the No. 2 Wabash National Ford Mustang, continued to hold a slim lead over teammate Logano’s No. 22 Verizon 5G Ford Mustang and Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. By then, Elliott and Bell were mired back in 23rd and 26th.

    On the ninth lap, Keselowski got loose while leading and spun in Turn 6. Keselowski’s misfortune allowed teammate Logano to slip by and take the lead just as the competition caution flew scheduled on Lap 10. Larson moved up to second place followed by Truex, Hamlin and Blaney while Keselowski, who quickly recovered following his spin, fell back to sixth.

    Under the competition caution, names like Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Elliott, Michael McDowell, Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Preece, rookie Chase Briscoe and others pitted while the rest led by Logano remained on the track.

    When the race restarted on Lap 12, Logano managed to pull ahead of Larson and retain the lead through the first turn and heading into the Esses. While Larson kept Logano in his sights, Truex and Hamlin were in third and fourth while Reddick battled Blaney, Byron and Kyle Busch for a spot in the top five. 

    By Lap 15, Logano continued to lead by three-tenths of a second over Larson while third-place Truex and fourth-place Hamlin were approximately a second behind. By then, Reddick retained fifth ahead of Blaney, Byron, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Alex Bowman. Behind, Austin Dillon was in 11th ahead of Erik Jones, Keselowski was in 14th behind Matt DiBenedetto, Aric Almirola was in 15th in front of Ross Chastain and Bell, Elliott and Kurt Busch were in 18th and 20th, Briscoe was in 21st, Daniel Suarez and Bubba Wallace were in 22nd and 25th and Ryan Newman was in 26th ahead of Stenhouse and Michael McDowell.

    Not long after, some competitors led by Blaney and including Harvick, DiBenedetto, Ryan Newman, Chastain, Briscoe, Cole Custer, Wallace, Bell and Almirola pitted under green. The following lap, Truex pitted just as the pit road entrance closed to signal the end of the first stage nearing.

    Back on the track, Logano continued to lead by nearly half a second over Larson and more than a second over Hamlin. Despite being pressured by Larson, Logano managed to maintain the lead and capture the first stage victory on Lap 20, thus claiming his fourth stage victory of the season. Larson settled in second followed by Hamlin, Reddick, Byron, Kyle Busch, Bowman, Elliott, Austin Dillon and Erik Jones.

    Under the stage break, a majority led by Logano pitted while others led by Stenhouse and Truex remained on the track.

    The second stage started on Lap 22. At the start, Briscoe, who restarted on the second row, made a bold three-wide move in a bid for the lead. Truex, however, was able to take over the lead over Briscoe through the first turn and the Esses. Behind, Kevin Harvick made his way to fourth ahead of Blaney, Bell and Matt DiBenedetto.

    Approaching Lap 24, the caution flew due to James Davison stalling his car near Turns 6 and 7. By then, Truex was leading by more than a second over Briscoe, with Stenhouse, Harvick and Bell running in the top five. Behind, Blaney spun through the Bus Stop, but he managed to continue. In addition, Keselowski pitted to address a braking issue to his car. 

    Under caution, names like Keselowski, Suarez, rookie Anthony Alfredo, Blaney and RC Enerson pitted while the rest led by Truex remained on the track.

    When the race restarted on Lap 27, Truex managed to retain the lead while Harvick, a former Glen winner who is pursuing his first victory of the season, muscled his way into the runner-up spot. Briscoe fell back to third ahead of Bell, DiBenedetto and Stenhouse.

    By Lap 30, Truex continued to lead by more than two seconds over teammate Bell, who out-braked Harvick entering the Bus Stop the previous lap to take over the runner-up spot. Briscoe and DiBenedetto were in the top five followed by Chastain, Stenhouse, Logano, Custer and Larson. Behind, Elliott, who was running in the mid-20s, pitted under green after he flat-spotted his tires.

    With three laps remaining in the second stage, Bubba Wallace and Corey LaJoie pitted under green. By then, Truex was leading by three seconds over teammate Bell.

    When the second stage concluded on Lap 40, Truex remained uncontested as he claimed his fifth stage victory of the season. Bell settled in second, trailing by more than three seconds, while Harvick, Larson, Briscoe, Chastain, DiBenedetto, Hamlin, Logano and Kyle Busch were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, some featuring Hamlin pitted while the rest led by Truex remained on the track.

    With 47 laps remaining, the final stage started. At the start, Truex launched ahead while Bell withstood his ground over Harvick to retain the runner-up spot. Through the Esses, the backstretch and the bus stop, the field settled in a single-file line as Truex remained at the front ahead of teammate Bell.

    At the halfway mark on Lap 45, Truex was leading by three-tenths of a second over teammate Bell while Larson was in third and trailing by more than six-tenths of a second. Chastain and Harvick were in the top five followed by Briscoe, Kyle Busch, Byron, Logano and DiBenedetto. Behind, Austin Dillon was in 11th ahead of Newman and Aric Almirola, Keselowski was in 15th behind teammate Blaney, Hamlin and Elliott were in 16th and 18th, Kurt Busch was in 21st ahead of Reddick and Wallace was in 24th ahead of Bowman and Suarez.

    Two laps later, Bell and Larson issued a challenge for the lead on Truex past the start/finis line and entering the first turn, but Truex managed to fend off the near three-wide battle from both competitors past the first turn and through the Esses.

    With 40 laps remaining, the top-three competitors — Truex, Bell and Larson — were separated by less than a second, with Truex continuing to lead over teammate Bell and Larson. Chastain and Harvick continued to run in the top five ahead of Briscoe, Kyle Busch, Byron, DiBenedetto and Hamlin. By then, Elliott moved up to 11th ahead of Logano.

    Four laps later, what became an intense three-car battle for the lead dwindled down to two after Larson locked up his brakes and bumped into Bell, thus sending Bell’s No. 20 Stanley Toyota Camry spinning in Turn 1, though he continued under green. 

    With Bell out of contention, Truex was leading by more than a second over Larson. Behind, Harvick and Chastain pitted under green. Back on track, another green-flag incident occurred in Turn 1 after Keselowski locked up entering the first turn and spun, clipping teammate Logano in the process as both Penske competitors spun and sustained damage to their respective Mustangs.

    In the ensuing laps, names like Briscoe, DiBenedetto, Newman and McDowell pitted under green. Truex, the race leader, also pitted along with runner-up Larson, giving the lead to Hamlin while Elliott moved up to second.

    With 30 laps remaining and a variety of pit strategy occurring, Hamlin continued to lead while Elliott surrendered the runner-up spot to pit. By then, names like Blaney, Bowman, Almirola, Chris Buescher, Wallace, Alfredo, Josh Bilicki, Reddick and Stenhouse had made a pit stop.

    On Lap 63, Kurt Busch took over the top spot after Hamlin brought his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry for fuel. Two laps later, Kurt Busch pitted and Larson, who had managed to squeak ahead of Truex on pit road during his previous pit stop, emerged with the lead. By then, Custer and Suarez pitted.

    With 15 laps remaining, Larson was leading by nearly three seconds over Truex and nearly seven seconds over Elliott, who was the fastest competitor on the track. Behind, Kyle Busch and Byron were in the top five followed by Hamlin, Bell, Harvick, Chastain and Briscoe. 

    Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Larson continued to lead by less than five seconds over Truex, who also had the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE piloted by Elliott in his rearview mirror.

    Not long after, Elliott overtook Truex’s No. 19 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry to move into the runner-up spot. By then, Elliott was more than five seconds behind teammate Larson.

    With five laps remaining, Larson maintained an advantage of approximately five seconds over teammate Elliott while Truex was trailing by more than seven seconds.

    Two laps later, Larson’s advantage was cut down to more than three seconds as Elliott continued to close in on his Hendrick Motorsports teammate. By then, the leaders were mired in lapped traffic.

    When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson was leading by less than three seconds over teammate Elliott, who was given a final opportunity to win the event after starting at the rear of the field.

    Through the first turn, the Esses, the bus stop and the final corners, Larson was able to streak across the finish line and grab the win and the checkered flag by more than two seconds over teammate Elliott.

    In addition to claiming his fifth victory of the season, Larson captured his 11th NASCAR Cup Series career win and his second on a road course after winning at Sonoma Raceway in June. Larson also recorded the 10th Cup victory of the season for Hendrick Motorsports. With that, Larson, who signed a two-year contract extension to remain at Hendrick Motorsports nearly a month ago, drew himself into a tie with fifth-place finisher Denny Hamlin for the lead in the regular-season standings.

    “Yeah, it’s awesome,” Larson said on NBCSN. “I mean, it really just shows how good the organization is, all the people that they’ve assembled at their race shop, all the men and women. All four of us could not be getting these wins like we have been without them. Thanks to them, and thanks to everybody else I get to race for. Chase was already catching me pretty quick, even with me being in open track, so when I caught those, I think, four cars and got into [Anthony Alfredo] right here, I thought I would look at my mirror and [Elliott] would be right on me, but thankfully had a comfortable enough gap to where I could make a mistake like that…Thanks for everything you guys do for me, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, [crew chief] Cliff Daniels, this whole 5 bunch. Another amazing car. I could tell from about Lap 3 after I stopped making a bunch of mistakes that we were going to have a car that could win today.”

    Elliott, who started at the rear of the field following a pre-race technical issue that left his crew chief Alan Gustafson suspended for the remainder of the day, settled in second place as he came one spot short in winning at The Glen for a third consecutive time.

    “I made too many mistakes to get the win, unfortunately, and made it too late in the race,” Elliott said. “Super proud of our team. Been kind of an uphill battle all day, but everybody was just super prepared coming into the day, and our NAPA team just did a really good job of fighting it. If I hadn’t have let them down there, I think we would have had a shot at it, but congrats to Kyle [Larson, race winner], Cliff, all the guys on the No. 5 [team]. Happy for everybody at HMS. Hendrick Motorsports has been working extremely hard, and not only do the people deserve to win, but Mr. [Rick] Hendrick deserves to win. Really happy for him, and I’ll try to clean some things up and make less mistakes next time. Maybe it’ll work out.”

    Behind, Truex came home in third place while teammates Kyle Busch and Hamlin finished in the top five.

    Byron finished in sixth followed by Bell, Harvick, Briscoe and Reddick.

    Twenty-five of the 37 competitors in the field finished on the lead lap, with James Davison being the only competitor to retire due to electrical issues.

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

    With three races remaining until the 2021 Cup Playoffs commences, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson are tied for the lead for the regular-season lead. Currently, 13 competitors (Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola, William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell and Michael McDowell) are guaranteed Playoff spots based on winning at least once throughout the regular season. Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Tyler Reddick continue to occupy the remaining three vacant spots to the Playoffs as winless competitors, with Reddick ahead by 15 points over teammate Austin Dillon, 135 over Chris Buescher, 147 over Matt DiBenedetto, 148 over Ross Chastain, 188 over Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 190 over Bubba Wallace, 219 over Chase Briscoe and 223 over Daniel Suarez.

    Results.

    1. Kyle Larson, 27 laps led

    2. Chase Elliott

    3. Martin Truex Jr., 34 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    4. Kyle Busch

    5. Denny Hamlin, six laps led

    6. William Byron

    7. Christopher Bell

    8. Kevin Harvick

    9. Chase Briscoe

    10. Tyler Reddick

    11. Matt DiBenedetto

    12. Ross Chastain

    13. Kurt Busch, two laps led

    14. Ryan Blaney

    15. Austin Dillon

    16. Aric Almirola

    17. Chris Buescher

    18. Cole Custer

    19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., one lap led

    20. Alex Bowman

    21. Michael McDowell

    22. Joey Logano, 11 laps, Stage 1 winner

    23. Bubba Wallace

    24. Corey LaJoie

    25. Ryan Newman

    26. Anthony Alfredo, one lap down

    27. Erik Jones, one lap down

    28. Ryan Preece, one lap down

    29. Justin Haley, one lap down

    30. Kyle Tilley, one lap down

    31. Daniel Suarez, two laps down

    32. Quin Houff, two laps down

    33. Josh Bilicki, two laps down

    34. RC Enerson, two laps down

    35. Brad Keselowski, three laps down, nine laps led

    36. Garrett Smithley, three laps down

    37. James Davison – OUT, Electrical

    Next on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the series’ inaugural event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course layout, which will occur on Sunday, August 15, at 1 p.m. ET on NBC. 

  • Weekend schedule for Watkins Glen

    Weekend schedule for Watkins Glen

    NASCAR heads to Watkins Glen International this weekend for a full schedule of racing. It will be the first time back at the 2.45-mile road course since 2019.

    The ARCA Menards Series starts off the action Friday evening. The Camping World Truck Series and the Xfinity Series compete back to back Saturday and the Cup Series closes out the activities Sunday afternoon.

    Chase Elliott has won the last two Cup Series events at Watkins Glen and is considered the favorite heading into the weekend. Kyle Busch and Elliott have the most wins at Watkins Glen among active drivers, with two victories each. Brad Keselowski will start on the pole with teammates Joey Logano starting in second and Ryan Blaney in third.

    There have been 26 Xfinity Series races at Watkins Glen with 15 different race winners. In 2019, Austin Cindric became the youngest winner in the history of the track. He was 20 years, 11 months and one day old. JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier will start on the pole.

    The Camping World Truck Series returns to Watkins Glen for the regular-season finale Saturday afternoon. It’s the series’ first time back at the track since 2000 and Austin Hill will lead the way from the pole. There have only been five previous Truck Series races at the track with four different winners. Ron Hornaday won the first two races, going to victory lane in 1996 driving a Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet, and again in 1997 driving for Billy Hess Racing. Joe Ruttman won in 1998, Ron Fellows in 1999 and Greg Biffle won the last Truck race held at Watkins Glen in 2000.

    There will be no practice or qualifying for the Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series.
    The starting lineups were determined by the following metrics formula established by NASCAR.

    • 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
    • 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, August 6

    3:15 p.m. – 4 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series Practice/Qualifying
    6 p.m.: ARCA Series Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen (41 Laps, 100.45 Miles)
    TV/Radio: FS1, MRN

    Saturday, August 7

    12:05 p.m.: Truck Series Driver Intros (Drivers standing by trucks)
    12:30 p.m.: Truck Series United Rentals 176 (Stages 20/45/72 Laps, 176.4 Miles)
    Pole: Austin Hill
    TV/Radio: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    3:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Driver Intros (Drivers standing by cars)
    4 p.m.: Xfinity Series Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200 (Stages 20/40/82 Laps, 200.9 Miles)
    Pole: Justin Allgaier
    Defending Winner: Austin Cindric
    TV/Radio: CNBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Sunday, August 8

    2:20 p.m.: Cup Series Driver Intros (Drivers standing by cars)
    3 p.m.: Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen (Stages 20/40/90 Laps, 220.5 Miles)
    Pole: Brad Keselowski
    Defending Winner: Chase Elliott
    TV/Radio: NBCSN, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Watkins Glen Data

    Season Race #: 23 of 36 (08-08-21)
    Track Size: 2.45-miles
    Track Type: Multi-Elevational Road Course
    Number of Turns: 7
    Race Length: 90 laps / 220.5 miles
    Stage 1 & 2 Lengths: 20 laps (each)
    Final Stage Length: 50 laps

    Watkins Glen: Qualifying Data

    Track qualifying record: Marcos Ambrose, Ford (129.491 mph, 68.113 secs.) on 08-09-14.
    2019 pole winner: Chase Elliott, Chevrolet (127.297 mph, 69.287 secs.) on 08-04-19.

    • Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick lead all active NCS drivers in starts at Watkins Glen with 19 starts each.
    • Chase Elliott leads the series among active drivers in average starting position at Watkins Glen with a 6.000 in four starts.
    • Five of the 22 NCS pole winners at Watkins Glen are active this weekend.  Kyle Busch (2), Chase Elliott (1), Denny Hamlin (1), AJ Allmendinger (1), and Kurt Busch (1).
    • Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, and Jeff Gordon lead the series in poles at Watkins Glen with three each.
    • Kyle Busch leads all active NCS drivers in poles at Watkins Glen with two.
    • Five drivers have won multiple poles in the NCS at Watkins Glen.  Kyle Busch is the only active driver with multiple WGI poles (two).
    • The youngest NCVS Watkins Glen pole winner is Chase Elliott (08/4/2019 at 23 years, 8 months, 7 days).
    • Seven different manufacturers have won at least one NCS pole at Watkins Glen.  They are led by Chevrolet with 15 poles, followed by Ford (8), Toyota (four), Dodge, Mercury, Oldsmobile and Pontiac (one each).

    Watkins Glen: Race Data

    Track race record: Martin Truex Jr., Toyota (104.132 mph, 02:07:03) on 08-06-17.
    2019 race winner: Chase Elliott, Chevrolet (98.523 mph, 02:14:17) on 08-04-19.
    2020 pole/race winner: The series did not compete in 2020 due to the pandemic.

    • Seven of the 23 NCS winners at Watkins Glen are active this weekend.  Chase Elliott (2), Kyle Busch (2), Martin Truex Jr. (1), Denny Hamlin (1), Joey Logano (1), AJ Allmendinger (1), and Kevin Harvick (1).
    • Tony Stewart leads the NCS in wins at Watkins Glen with five victories (2002, ’04, ’05, ’07 and ’09).
    • Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch lead all active NCS drivers in wins at Watkins Glen with two wins each.
    • Consecutive WGI Race Winners:  Jeff Gordon (1997, 1998, 1999), Mark Martin (1993, 1994, 1995), Chase Elliott (2018, 2019), Marcos Ambrose (2011, 2012), and Tony Stewart (2004, 2005).
    • The youngest NCS Watkins Glen winner is Chase Elliott (08/05/2018 at 22 years, 8 months, 8 days).
    • A total of 10 of the 37 NCS races at Watkins Glen have been won from the pole or first starting position, making it the most proficient starting position in the field at 27%.
    • Kurt Busch leads the series among active NCS drivers with the most starts at Watkins Glen without visiting Victory Lane at 19 starts.
    • 18 different organizations have won in the NCS at Watkins Glen and nine are active this weekend.  Hendrick Motorsports (8), Joe Gibbs Racing (7), Roush Fenway Racing (3), Richard Childress Racing (2), Richard Petty Motorsports (2), JTG Daugherty Racing (1), Team Penske (1), Stewart-Haas Racing (1) and Wood Brothers Racing (1).
    • Six different manufacturers have won in the NCS at Watkins Glen.  It is led by Chevrolet with 19 victories, followed by Ford with eight, Pontiac and Toyota with four each and Buick and Mercury each have one.
    • Erik Jones leads all active NCS drivers in average finishing position at WGI with a 6.333 in three starts.
    • Kyle Busch leads the NCS in laps led at Watkins Glen among active drivers with 247 in 15 starts.

    Top 12 Driver Ratings at Watkins Glen

    Chase Elliott – 120.4
    Kyle Busch – 110.5
    Erik Jones – 104.8
    Martin Truex Jr – 99.9
    Brad Keselowski – 99.4
    AJ Allmendinger – 94.9
    Kurt Busch – 92.9
    Daniel Suarez – 92.5
    Kevin Harvick – 90.5
    Denny Hamlin – 90.0
    Kyle Larson – 88.2
    Ryan Blaney – 85.4

    Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2019 races (15 total) among active drivers at Watkins Glen International. Series did not compete at WGI in 2020 due to the pandemic.

  • Preece to make 100th Cup career start at The Glen

    Preece to make 100th Cup career start at The Glen

    Competing in his third full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Ryan Preece is within reach of a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Cup event at Watkins Glen International, the driver of the No. 37 JTG-Daugherty Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will achieve 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

    A native of Berlin, Connecticut, Preece made his Cup debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September 2015. By then, he was a veteran and a former champion in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Driving the No. 98 car for Premium Motorsports, Preece started 37th and finished 32nd in his series debut. He returned for the final four Cup races of the season, where he finished 42nd, 36th, 37th and 38th in the following races at Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway and at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    In September 2018, Preece was named a full-time Cup driver of the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for JTG-Daugherty Racing for the 2019 season, replacing AJ Allmendinger. By then, Preece was coming off two strong part-time seasons in the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing, where he earned one victory apiece in each season.

    Making his debut with JTG-Daugherty Racing in the 2019 Daytona 500, Preece dodged a series of late multi-car incidents to finish in eighth place, which also marked his first top-10 result in NASCAR’s premier series. After finishing no higher than 16th during the following eight races, Preece notched a career-best third-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in April. He went on to earn another top-10 result, seventh, at Michigan International Speedway in August before finishing in 26th place in the final standings and in the runner-up spot for the 2019 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title behind Daniel Hemric.

    Preece continued to drive for JTG-Daugherty Racing for the 2020 season, but he transitioned from the No. 47 car to the No. 37 car formerly driven by Chris Buescher. During the season-opening Daytona 500, Preece was in position for a strong result until he was eliminated in a multi-car wreck in the final laps. His best results throughout the season were ninth place at Bristol Motor Speedway in September and 10th place at Talladega Superspeedway in October before finishing in 29th place in the final standings.

    Though he remained at JTG-Daugherty Racing for the 2021 season, Preece’s team entered this season without a charter and a guaranteed entry for all Cup races. In addition, Preece’s team only had sponsorship guarantees for 24 of the 36-race schedule. Uncertain of the future, Preece commenced the season on a strong note by finishing in sixth-place in the Daytona 500 despite being involved in a multi-car wreck on the final lap. He went on to finish ninth the following week at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

    Through the first 22 Cup events of this season, Preece has recorded three top-10 results, an average-finishing result of 22.1 and is ranked in 26th place in the regular-season standings, with plans on completing the remaining 14 events of 2021.

    Through 99 previous starts in the Cup circuit, Preece has achieved one top-five result, eight top-10 results and 25 laps led.

    Preece is primed to make his 100th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, August 8, at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car to achieve 1,000 Cup career starts at The Glen

    Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car to achieve 1,000 Cup career starts at The Glen

    A significant milestone start is in the making for the Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car, which is currently competing in its 29th full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series and being piloted by William Byron. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s event at Watkins Glen International, the No. 24 HMS car will reach 1,000 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

    The No. 24 car competing under the Hendrick Motorsports banner made its debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in November 1992, the final event of the season, with Jeff Gordon, a California-Indiana native who was competing in the Xfinity Series, piloting the car after being recruited by team owner Rick Hendrick. Starting 21st, Gordon finished 31st in his series debut after retiring due to an accident. Gordon’s Cup debut was one of three headlines highlighting the 1992 Atlanta event, with the others being seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty making his 1,184th and final career start in NASCAR and driver/owner Alan Kulwicki capturing the season’s championship over Bill Elliott.

    Gordon competed as a full-time HMS competitor in the 1993 Cup season, driving the No. 24 HMS Chevrolet Lumina led by crew chief Ray Evernham. Despite the season being a winless one, Gordon achieved a pole, seven top-five results and 11 top-10 results before finishing in 14th place in the final standings. In addition, Gordon captured the 1993 Cup Rookie-of-the-year title.

    The following season, it took the first 11 races of the schedule for Gordon to capture his first victory in NASCAR’s premier series, which occurred in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway following a late two-tire pit stop call from Evernham that gave Gordon the track position to win. The victory was also the first for the No. 24 overall in NASCAR history. Eight races later, Gordon achieved his second Cup career win in the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition to his first two NASCAR Cup career victories, Gordon recorded a pole, seven top-five results and 14 top-10 results before finishing in eighth place in the final standings.

    In 1995, Gordon won seven of the 31 races in the schedule and he managed to beat seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt by 34 points to capture his first NASCAR Cup Series championship, which was also a first for Hendrick Motorsports.

    From 1996 to 2000, Gordon and the No. 24 HMS car achieved 43 race victories, 23 poles, 98 top-five results and 118 top-10 results. They also captured back-to-back Cup championships in 1997 and 1998 along with two Daytona 500s (1997 and 1999), a second Brickyard 400 title (1998), four Southern 500s (1995-98), two Coca-Cola 600s (1997 and 1998) and two All-Star Races (1995 and 1997). By then, Gordon surpassed 50 Cup career victories. During the 2000 season, the No. 24 team was led by crew chief Brian Whitesell, who won three races with Gordon.

    In 2001, Gordon and the No. 24 HMS team received a new crew chief, Robbie Loomis, a former crew chief for Richard Petty and Petty Enterprises. During the season, Gordon drove the No. 24 Chevrolet to six victories, six poles, 18 top-five results and 24 top-10 results. He also added a third All-Star title and a third Brickyard 400 victory to his resume. When the season concluded, Gordon went on to claim his fourth Cup championship.

    From 2002 to 2004, Gordon and HMS’ No. 24 team earned 11 victories, 13 poles, 44 top-five results, 65 top-10 results and top-five results in the final standings, with a best result of third place in 2004. By then, Gordon surpassed 60 Cup career victories.

    In 2005, Gordon kickstarted the season on a high note when he drove the No. 24 Chevrolet Monte Carlo to his third Daytona 500 victory, which marked his 70th career win in the Cup circuit. Despite winning two more times during the following eight races, Gordon failed to make the Playoffs following an inconsistent regular-season stretch. He managed to achieve a win at Martinsville Speedway in October before settling in 11th place in the final standings. By then, the driver and team welcomed Steve Letarte as their new crew chief.

    Following the 2006 season, where Gordon won twice, made the Playoffs and finished sixth in the final standings, Gordon and the No. 24 HMS Chevrolet team achieved a productive 2007 Cup season, where the driver won six races and notched seven poles, 21 top-five results, a modern-era record 30 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 7.3. The victories in 2007 totaled Gordon’s career victories to 81 as he also surpassed the late Dale Earnhardt for sixth place on the all-time wins list. Despite leading the standings for the majority of the season, Gordon settled in the runner-up position in the final standings and 77 points shy of a fifth Cup title to teammate Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team.

    In 2008, Gordon and the No. 24 HMS team went winless for the first time since 1993, with the driver managing four poles, 13 top-five results, 19 top-10 results and a seventh-place result in the final standings. He rebounded the following season by winning at Texas Motor Speedway in April, which snapped a 47-race winless drought for Gordon and the No. 24 team. Gordon went on to record a pole, 16 top-five results, 25 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 10.2 before finishing in third place in the final standings behind teammates Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin. During the 2010 season, however, Gordon and the No. 24 team went winless for the second time in three seasons. The four-time Cup champion only achieved a pole, 11 top-five results and 17 top-10 results before settling in ninth place in the final standings.

    Entering the 2011 season, Hendrick Motorsports reshuffled its crew chief lineup that saw Letarte paired with Dale Earnhardt Jr. while Gordon and the No. 24 Chevrolet team were led by crew chief Alan Gustafson. It only took the first two races into the 2011 season for Gordon, Gustafson and the No. 24 team to snap a career-long 66-race winless drought and return to Victory Lane at Phoenix Raceway in February following a late battle with former teammate Kyle Busch. The driver and team went on to win at Pocono Raceway in June and at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September. By then, Gordon achieved his 85th Cup career victory and was ranked in third place on the all-time wins list behind Richard Petty and David Pearson. Including the three victories, Gordon and the No. 24 team achieved a pole, 13 top-five results, 18 top-10 results and a spot in the Playoffs before finishing in eighth place in the final standings.

    The 2012 Cup season was a roller coaster season for Gordon and the No. 24 HMS team, which started the season with a harrowing rollover accident in the Shootout at Daytona in February followed by an engine failure in the Daytona 500 and seven results outside of the top 20 through the first 11 scheduled events. After finishing in the top 10 in six of the following nine events, Gordon notched a rain-shortened victory at Pocono Raceway in August and placed himself in contention to make the Playoffs. Despite finishing 21st and 28th the following two weekends, Gordon earned three consecutive top-three results and secured the final spot in the Playoffs. While he achieved another round of three consecutive top-three results through the first four races of the Playoffs, Gordon’s title hopes came to an end midway by October. The low point of his career occurred at Phoenix in November, when Gordon intentionally wrecked championship contender Clint Bowyer in the closing laps as a result of an earlier on-track contact between the two. The incident led to a brawl in the garage as Gordon was fined $100,000 and docked 25 points. Gordon, though, rebounded the following week at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the final event of the 2012 season, when he held off Bowyer in a fuel-mileage battle to win and claim his 87th Cup career victory. When the season concluded, Gordon managed to claim 10th place in the final standings.

    After finishing in sixth place in the final standings in 2013 while recording a single victory at Martinsville in October, Gordon and the No. 24 HMS team won four races in 2014 (Kansas Speedway in May, Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, Michigan International Speedway in August and at Dover International Speedway in September). By then, Gordon surpassed 90 Cup career victories. He went on to record three poles, 14 top-five results and 23 top-10 results as he entered the Playoffs as a title favorite. A late incident and brawl with Brad Keselowski at Texas in November, however, prevented Gordon and the No. 24 team from earning a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November as Gordon concluded the season in sixth place in the final standings. 

    Coming off a strong 2014 season, Gordon announced in January 2015 that the upcoming Cup season would be his last as a full-time competitor. Gordon kickstarted his final NASCAR season by winning his second pole award for the Daytona 500. The achievement also marked Gordon’s 23rd consecutive season of winning a pole in a Cup season. Despite finishing 33rd in the 500 following a last-lap wreck and earning 13 top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, Gordon managed to secure a spot in the Playoffs for the 11th and final time in his career. At Martinsville in November, Gordon secured the lead late and fended off veteran Jamie McMurray in a two-lap shootout to score his 93rd Cup career win and earn a one-way ticket to the Championship Round at Homestead. His final hopes for a fifth time, however, came to an end after Gordon finished sixth in the finale and third in the final standings in his 797th and final start in HMS’ No. 24 car.

    Following Gordon’s retirement, Chase Elliott, the 2014 Xfinity Series champion from Dawsonville, Georgia, took over the driving responsibilities of the No. 24 HMS Chevrolet SS with continuous support from Alan Gustafson for the 2016 season. In his first laps in the No. 24 car, Elliott won the pole position for the season-opening Daytona 500 and became the youngest pole-sitter of the 500 at age 20. During the main event, however, Elliott finished 37th following an early accident. He rebounded the following week at Atlanta by finishing eighth and recording his first top-10 result in the Cup Series. While he did not achieve a victory in his rookie season, Elliott achieved his first two Cup career poles, 10 top-five results, 17 top-10 results and a spot in the 2016 Cup Playoffs before finishing in 10th place in the final standings. Elliott also claimed the Rookie-of-the-Year title in his first season piloting the iconic No. 24 HMS car.

    In a similar fashion to the previous season, the No. 24 HMS car commenced the 2017 Cup season on pole position for the Daytona 500 as Elliott achieved his second consecutive 500 pole. Finishing in 14th place in the 500, Elliott and the No. 24 team went on to achieve 12 top-five results, 21 top-10 results and a spot in the Playoffs before finishing in fifth place in the final standings. By then, Elliott had collected seven runner-up results in his first two Cup seasons.

    For the 2018 season, William Byron, the reigning Xfinity Series champion from Charlotte, North Carolina, took over the No. 24 HMS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as a full-time Cup rookie while Elliott transitioned to sport his father Bill’s famous number, 9. In addition, former Cup championship-winning crew chief Darian Grubb was named crew chief for Byron and the No. 24 team while Gustafson remained as Elliott’s crew chief. In his first full-time Cup season while piloting the No. 24 car, Byron recorded four top-10 results before finishing in 23rd place in the final standings. Despite an inconsistent season, Byron managed to capture the 2018 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title over Bubba Wallace as he became the third competitor to achieve the rookie title as driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 car.

    In 2019, Byron and the No. 24 team received a new crew chief as Chad Knaus, seven-time Cup championship-winning crew chief who was a pit crew member of the No. 24 car in the mid-1990s, inherited the leadership role for the team following a 17-year run with Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 HMS team. The new relationship between Byron and Knaus commenced on a high note when Byron rocketed the No. 24 Chevrolet to pole position for the Daytona 500. Despite finishing 21st in the 500 following a late multi-car wreck, Byron earned nine top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, which were enough for him to make his first appearance in the Playoffs. His title hopes, however, came to an end following the second round as Byron and the No. 24 team finished in 11th place in the final standings. While he did not record a victory, Byron earned a career-high five poles, five top-five results. 13 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 14.9.

    The No. 24 car commenced the 2020 season on a strong note when Byron won the second Bluegreen Vacations Duel event at Daytona prior to the Daytona 500. The 500 event, however, ended on a disappointing note for Byron, who wrecked early and settled in 40th, dead last. Through the first 25 regular-season event, Byron recorded eight top-10 results and was above the top-16 cutline to the Playoffs by a mere margin. Everything changed, though, during the following event at Daytona in August when Byron notched his first Cup career victory and secured his spot in the Playoffs. By then, he joined Jeff Gordon as the only competitors to achieve a victory in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports car. Byron also snapped a two-year winless drought for crew chief Chad Knaus, who appeared in the Playoffs for a 17th consecutive season. Following an early exit in the Playoffs following the first round, however, Byron went on to finish 14th in the final standings.

    This season, Byron and the No. 24 team received a new crew chief as Ryan “Rudy” Fugle joined Hendrick Motorsports and replaced Knaus, who became HMS’ vice president of competition. The move was a reunion for Byron and Fugle, who guided Byron to seven NASCAR Truck Series wins in 2016 when Byron competed for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Three races into this season, Byron and Fugle captured a dominating win at Homestead, which marked Byron’s second Cup career triumph following two consecutive results outside of the top 20 to start the new season. The victory was also a first for Fugle in the Cup circuit.

    Through the first 22 Cup events of this season, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports car piloted by Byron has achieved a win, a pole, eight top-five results and 14 top-10 results, with the team currently ranked in sixth place in the regular-season standings.

    Through 999 previous starts, HMS’ No. 24 car has achieved four championships, 95 victories, 90 poles, 364 top-five results, 558 top-10 results and 26,514 laps led with three different competitors.

    The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports car is set to make its 1,000th career start in NASCAR’s premier series at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, August 8, with the race scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman assessed L1 penalties after New Hampshire

    Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman assessed L1 penalties after New Hampshire

    NASCAR issued L1 penalties to the No. 9 team of Chase Elliott and the No. 48 team of Alex Bowman Thursday afternoon. It was determined that the teams had violated Section 20.6.1e in the NASCAR Rule Book.

    The rule under engine assembly states that when the long block is sealed, “the engine must be used in the same vehicle number the next time it is used.”

    As a result of the infraction, both teams had 25 points deducted from the driver and team owner standings. Alan Gustafson, the No. 9 team crew chief, and Greg Ives, the No. 48 crew chief, were each issued a $50,000 fine.

    NASCAR also suspended Hendrick Motorsports executive vice president and general manager, Jeff Andrews, and Scott Maxim, HMS director of track engine support, for the next Cup Series event.

    Hendrick Motorsports issued a statement on the penalties.

    “Due to an administrative error, one of our sealed engines assigned to the No. 9 car was unintentionally allocated to our No. 48 team at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Although the engine passed technical inspection and absolutely no competitive advantage was gained, we acknowledge NASCAR’s process was not followed correctly in this instance. The rules regarding the assignment of sealed engines are clear, and we understand and respect their decision to issue a penalty. We apologize for the mistake and have taken steps to ensure it will not be repeated.”

    All of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers are currently eligible to advance to the Playoffs. The penalty moves Elliott (2 wins) from fifth place to sixth in the standings while Bowman (3 wins) remains in 11th place. Kyle Larson is currently second with four wins and William Byron, with one win, is third.

    There are only four Cup Series races left in the regular season with the next scheduled race at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 8.

  • Almirola defies the odds with a wild, weather-shortened win at New Hampshire

    Almirola defies the odds with a wild, weather-shortened win at New Hampshire

    In a race mired with precipitation, an early accident eliminating two former Cup champions and a 10-lap reduction due to darkened skies, Aric Almirola erased his difficult regular-season stretch by scoring an upset win in the weather-shortened Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the 50th event at the Magic Mile, on Sunday, July 18.

    The Tampa, Florida, native capitalized late to lead twice for 25 laps and fend off a hard-charging Christopher Bell to return to Victory Lane in the NASCAR Cup Series following a 98-race winless drought.

    The starting lineup was based on a performance metric formula, weighing the driver’s and owner’s results from a previous Cup event, the owner points position and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. With that, Kyle Busch started on pole position and was joined on the front row with teammate Martin Truex Jr.

    Prior to the event, Quin Houff, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece and BJ McLeod dropped to the rear of the field due to multiple pre-race inspection issues. Bubba Wallace also started at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments.

    When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Kyle Busch launched his No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry ahead of teammate Truex and the field through the first two turns.

    With the field fanning out to two lanes through the backstretch, Kyle Busch led the first lap and was able to retain the lead despite an early challenge from teammate Truex. Behind, Chase Elliott was in third followed by Kurt Busch, winner of last weekend’s Cup event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Alex Bowman. Denny Hamlin, the regular-season points leader, settled in sixth ahead of Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell, winner of Saturday’s Xfinity event at New Hampshire.

    On the fifth lap, the caution flew when both Kyle Busch and Truex, the two leaders, wrecked in Turn 1 after both got loose entering the turn due to the slick conditions on the track as a result of rain falling on the track. Behind, Hamlin got loose while battling Bowman and spun, though he continued without sustaining any serious damage. While Hamlin remained on the track, Busch and Truex pitted to have their respective Toyota Camrys assessed for the damage.

    Not long after, the field was brought to pit road and the race was red-flagged on the eighth lap as the rain picked up around the circuit and the cloudy skies. At the time of the caution and delay, Elliott emerged as the leader followed by Kurt Busch, Bowman, Bell and Ryan Blaney while Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick were in the top 10.

    During the delay, Kyle Busch and his crew retired from the event due to the damage on the car.

    “We started the race under a mist,” Kyle Busch said on NBCSN. “It never should have gone green to begin with, but then it kept getting worse and worse lap over lap. The lap before, I went into [Turn] 1 and it shoved the nose really bad, and I was able to keep it under control. It wasn’t bad enough. The next time I went down there, hell, I lifted at the flag stand, maybe a little past the flag stand, don’t get too dramatic, and just backed it in. We’ve been talking about it for two laps that it was raining. There’s no sense in saying what I want to say, it doesn’t do you any good. We’re done, we’re going home. It’s over. There’s no fixing that thing.”

    Nearly two hours later amid the track-drying process, the red flag was lifted and the field returned to the track under the competition caution, which was initially scheduled for Lap 30. Prior to the start, NASCAR announced that Joey Logano, who pitted under the caution period while the pit road was closed, will be held two laps on pit road due to his crew working on the car during the red flag period. 

    Under caution, some led by Hamlin pitted while the rest led by Elliott pitted. During the pit stops, Ryan Preece was penalized for speeding while exiting pit road. Meanwhile, Truex was able to remain in the race following repairs to his No. 19 Reser’s Toyota Camry from his pit crew.

    When the race restarted on green on Lap 23, Elliott was challenged by Kurt Busch for the lead, which the latter succeeded the following lap. Two laps later, however, Elliott returned the favor entering the backstretch and reassumed the lead as Christopher Bell joined the party.

    By Lap 30, Elliott was leading by nearly half a second over Bell, who was followed by Blaney, Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski. Reddick was in sixth followed by Bowman, Chastain, Larson and Harvick.

    A few laps later, the caution returned due to rookie Anthony Alfredo spinning in Turn 4 following contact with Bubba Wallace. Under caution, some like Bowman, Larson, William Byron, Aric Almirola, Chris Buescher, rookie Chase Briscoe and Daniel Suarez pitted while the rest led by Elliott remained on the track.

    When the race restarted on Lap 38, Elliott and Bell battled for the lead for one full lap until Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE managed to clear Bell’s No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry through Turns 1 and 2. Behind, Cody Ware spun in Turn 2, but the race remained under green.

    As the field fanned out and the competitors battled for positions, Team Penske’s Blaney and Keselowski were in third and fourth followed by Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick.

    On Lap 42, Blaney overtook Bell for the runner-up spot. By then, Harvick moved into the top five while Kurt Busch fell back to sixth ahead of Reddick and Matt DiBenedetto.

    Through the first 50 laps of the event, Elliott was leading by nearly half a second over Blaney while Bell, Keselowski and Harvick were in the top five. Reddick was in sixth followed by Chastain, DiBenedetto, Kurt Busch and Hamlin. Austin Dillon was in 12th behind Cole Custer, teammates Bowman, Byron and Larson were in 14th, 15th and 16th, Aric Almirola was in 19th in front of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Truex was mired back in 22nd, Ryan Newman and Briscoe were in 24th and 25th ahead of Wallace and Daniel Suarez was in 27th. Logano, meanwhile, was in 33rd and a lap behind.

    By Lap 60, Elliott continued to lead by a tenth of a second over Blaney. Behind, Keselowski moved up to third while Bell and Harvick battled for fourth ahead of Tyler Reddick.

    Two laps later, Blaney overtook Elliott for the top spot as he became the fourth different leader of the race. In the ensuing laps, Blaney started to extend his advantage to more than a second.

    Amid the overcast weather and the bizarre start, Blaney was able to remain in the lead with a comfortable advantage and claim the first stage victory on Lap 75, thus claiming his fourth stage victory of 2021. Behind, Keselowski prevailed over a late battle with Elliott to settle in second while Harvick and Reddick were scored in the top five. Scored in the top 10 were Bell, Hamlin, Chastain, DiBenedetto and Larson.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Harvick exited with the lead followed by Hamlin, Reddick, Keselowski, Elliott and Blaney.

    The second stage started on Lap 82 with Harvick and Hamlin on the front row. At the start, Harvick rocketed away from the field on the outside lane while Hamlin struggled to launch on the inside lane, which allowed Reddick to move into second place and the field to stack up and fan out to multiple lanes through the first two turns. 

    The following lap, Elliott battled Reddick for the runner-up spot while Hamlin was locked in a battle with Keselowski for fourth. Meanwhile, Harvick was out in front by more than half a second.

    By Lap 90, Harvick was leading by more than a second over Elliott while Keselowski, Reddick and Hamlin were in the top five. Blaney was mired back in sixth followed by Larson, Chastain, Bell and Almirola.

    At the Lap 100 mark, Harvick remained as the leader by more than one second over Elliott while third-place Keselowski was trailing by less than three seconds. Hamlin retained fourth place ahead of Blaney, Reddick, Chastain, Larson, Almirola and Bell. Bowman was in 11th ahead of Kurt Busch, DiBenedetto, Custer and Stenhouse. Byron was in 16th followed by Truex and Austin Dillon, Wallace was in 19th ahead of Chris Buescher, Newman was in 21st ahead of Suarez and Erik Jones, Michael McDowell was in 25th behind Ryan Preece and Briscoe was back in 29th. Logano, meanwhile, was in 30th and still a lap behind.

    Ten laps later, Harvick continued to lead by more than a second over Elliott and nearly three seconds over Keselowski, who had Hamlin challenging him for a top-three spot. Another 10 laps later, Harvick stabilized his advantage to eight-tenths of a second over Elliott and more than three seconds over the new third-place competitor, Hamlin.

    On Lap 128, the caution flew due to Quin Houff spinning and making contact with the Turn 3 outside wall following contact with Ryan Newman. At the time of caution, Austin Dillon pitted despite pit road being closed at the time of his service.

    Under caution, the leaders returned to pit road and Harvick retained the lead after exiting pit road ahead of Hamlin, Keselowski, Elliott and Almirola. During the pit stops, Blaney, who dropped from first to fifth during the first stage caution period, dropped from fifth to ninth under the recent caution.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 135, Harvick and Hamlin, both of whom were seeking their first victory of the season, pulled ahead while Almirola challenged Keselowski for third place.

    A lap later, a three-wide battle ensued between Almirola, Elliott and Larson through Turns 1 and 2 before Larson prevailed ahead of the two for fourth place entering Turn 3. Behind, Blaney, Chastain and Bell battled for seventh while Harvick retained the lead ahead of Hamlin.

    Shortly after, the caution returned due to a two-car spin through the backstretch involving Wallace and Chris Buescher. In the midst of the incident and the caution, Logano received another free pass to return to the lead lap.

    When the race restarted on Lap 144, Harvick received another strong start to muscle away with the lead ahead of Keselowski while Hamlin was mired back in third ahead of the field after he struggled at the start.

    Two laps later, Keselowski, sporting a sleek blue and black scheme to his No. 2 eCascadia Ford Mustang, took over the lead ahead of Harvick and Hamlin.

    By Lap 150 and right at the halfway mark, Keselowski was leading by more than a second over Harvick while Hamlin, Blaney and Almirola were in the top five. Scored in the top 10 were Elliott, Larson, Chastain, Reddick and Bell.

    By Lap 175, Keselowski continued to lead by less than two seconds over Harvick, with Blaney and Hamlin in third and fourth. Almirola, meanwhile, continued to run in fifth ahead of Elliott.

    While Harvick started to close back in on Keselowski for the lead, Keselowski was able to retain a reasonable advantage over Harvick and claim his second stage victory of the season after winning the second stage on Lap 185. Harvick settled in second followed Blaney, Hamlin, Almirola, Elliott, Larson, Reddick, Chastain and Kurt Busch.

    Under the stage break, the leaders returned to pit road and Keselowski retained the lead after exiting with the lead followed by Harvick, Blaney, Almirola, Larson and Hamlin. Following the pit stops, however, Hamlin returned to pit road due to a missing lug nut.

    With 109 laps remaining and the skies above the track darkening, the final stage started as teammates Keselowski and Blaney started on the front row. At the start, Keselowski peaked ahead of Blaney and Harvick to retain the lead. While Penske’s Keselowski and Blaney battled for the lead, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Harvick retained third ahead of teammate Almirola, Larson, Bell and Chastain.

    Six laps later, Blaney, who kept teammate Keselowski in his sights, took the lead, though Keselowski refused to give in and with a potential dark weather-ending race looming.

    Down to the final 100 laps of the event, teammates Blaney and Keselowski battled for the top spot while Harvick narrowed the deficit to half a second. Meanwhile, Logano, who was two laps behind earlier in the race, was in 10th.

    Under the final 100 laps, both Blaney and Keselowski refused to surrender as they continued to battle intensely for the lead through every turn and corner, but with neither prevailing over the other. Harvick, meanwhile, continued to close in behind the two Penske Ford competitors.

    With 90 laps remaining, the top-three competitors were separated by six-tenths of a second as Blaney continued to lead by less than half a second over teammate Keselowski and six-tenths of a second over Harvick. Not far behind, Almirola was behind by more than a second while Larson was in fifth. Logano, meanwhile, was in eighth. 

    Ten laps later, Blaney, who earlier prevailed over his intense battle with teammate Keselowski, was ahead by less than nine-tenths of a second over Keselowski. Behind, Almirola moved up to third place ahead of teammate Harvick while Larson remained in fifth. Logano was up in seventh, Reddick was in ninth ahead of Bowman, Kurt Busch and Elliott were back in 13th and 14th, Truex was in 16th and Hamlin was mired back in 18th in between William Byron and Daniel Suarez.

    Another five laps later, the advantage for Blaney over teammate Keselowski grew to more than a second while third-place Almirola was trailing by two seconds.

    Under the final 65 laps of the event, Almirola overtook Keselowski for the runner-up spot while Blaney continued to lead by more than a second. Harvick, meanwhile, was more than three seconds behind while Larson remained in fifth, but behind by less than five seconds.

    Approaching the final 60 laps of the event, Almirola caught Blaney and started to challenge him for the lead. Despite repeated attempts from Almirola, Blaney managed to remain in front of Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang. 

    Then with 55 laps remaining, Almirola emerged with the lead following a pass on Blaney through Turns 2 and 3 before clearing him for good in Turn 4. 

    Just then, pit stops under green ensued as Elliott pitted along with Austin Dillon, Kurt Busch Keselowski, Newman and others. Harvick also pitted along with Bell, Logano, Larson, Blaney and race leader Almirola.

    Under the final 45 laps of the event and with most of the leaders having made a pit stop, DiBenedetto, who has yet to pit, was leading ahead of Byron and Keselowski, who had fresh tires and enough fuel to the finish. Almirola was mired back in fourth while Wallace was in fifth ahead of Bell.

    Not long after, Almirola overtook Keselowski for third place, but he was more than 18 seconds behind race leader DiBenedetto.

    With 36 laps remaining, Almirola overtook Byron for the runner-up spot while DiBenedetto continued to lead by more than 13 seconds. Behind, Keselowski and Bell overtook Byron for spots in the top five while Blaney was in sixth ahead of Harvick, Logano, Larson and Reddick.

    Down to the final 30 laps of the event, DiBenedetto, who drives for the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team but has no current racing plans established for 2022, continued to lead by less than six seconds over a hard-charging Almirola. Bell, meanwhile, was in third, less than eight seconds behind, while Keselowski and Blaney were in the top five.

    Three laps later, DiBenedetto, who was aiming for a shortened event and for his first Cup victory, surrendered the lead to pit for two tires and fuel. With DiBenedetto out of contention, Almirola returned to the lead with Bell behind by less than two seconds.

    With 20 laps remaining, Almirola was leading by more than a second over Bell. Keselowski remained in third while Blaney and Harvick battled for fourth. DiBenedetto, meanwhile, was in 13th.

    Just then, NASCAR declared that the event will be shortened to a final 10-lap dash to the checkered flag due to darkness looming around the track and with no lights installed around the Magic Mile. By then, Almirola continued to lead by more than a second over Bell with third-place Keselowski trailing by more than four seconds as the race remained under green.

    Down to the final five laps of the event, Almirola, who was struggling to lap Austin Dillon, was leading by more than six-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Bell. Meanwhile, Logano was up in fourth ahead of teammate Blaney and Harvick.

    When the final lap of the darkened event started, Almirola continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second over Bell. Despite Bell’s final lap effort for the win, Almirola remained ahead and he was able to come back around to claim his first checkered flag in more than two seasons.

    With the win, Almirola, who came into the event in 27th place in the regular-season standings and a long shot in the Playoff battle, scored his third NASCAR Cup Series career victory and he achieved his first win in NASCAR’s premier series since October 2018 at Talladega Superspeedway. In addition, he became the 13th different competitor to be guaranteed a spot in the 2021 Cup Playoffs based off of winning throughout the regular-season stretch and he recorded the first victory of the season for Stewart-Haas Racing.

    “This is by far one of my favorite racetracks,” Almirola said on NBCSN. “I love coming up to the New England area and racing. I love this racetrack. I had this race won a couple years ago and I gave it away. I lost it, and I am so glad to win a race here with this race team. God is so good. We’ve been through so much and I’ve just stood the test and kept the faith. The team, everybody, they’ve just been working so hard. There have been so many people that have just continued to support us through the crappiest year ever, and, man, this feels so good for them. My pit crew, they did a phenomenal job on pit road. All the guys that work on this car, they just keep fighting. They just keep digging, bringing the best race car they can bring every week and it is no doubt, we have struggled, but, guess what? We’re going Playoff racing!”

    Bell, who was aiming for a weekend sweep after winning Saturday’s Xfinity event at New Hampshire, settled in second place for his second runner-up result in three weeks.

    “I didn’t know how may laps [NASCAR] cut it short, but definitely whenever I saw the board and saw that we were eight laps short, it stings man,” Bell said. “I felt like I probably had a little better pace than [Almirola] and I was able to get to him. I know lapped cars were giving him a bad time, but I was able to get to him. It was going to be a heck of a race, but really proud of everyone on this Rheem Pristine Auction Camry. They did really good. Everyone on this 20 crew, we didn’t start out the greatest and then we were really good, probably the best we were all day right there at the end of the race. That’s all you can ask for is to have a shot at it and just wish we had eight more laps.”

    Keselowski, who led 53 laps, came home in third place followed by teammates Logano, who rallied from two laps behind, and Blaney, who led 64 laps.

    Harvick, who led 66 laps, ended up in sixth followed by Larson, Chastain, Bowman and Hamlin.

    DiBenedetto, who pitted late for fuel, settled in 11th in front of Truex, Reddick, Cole Custer and Stenhouse. Kurt Busch came home in 16th, Elliott ended up in 18th behind Austin Dillon, Byron finished 21st behind Daniel Suarez, Wallace ended up in 26th behind Michael McDowell and rookie Chase Briscoe finished 27th.

    There were 14 lead changes for 10 different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 47 laps. 

    With four races remaining until the 2021 Cup Playoffs commences, Denny Hamlin continues to lead the regular-season standings by 13 points over Kyle Larson. Currently, 13 competitors (Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch, William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell and Michael McDowell) are guaranteed Playoff spots based on winning at least once throughout the regular season. Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Tyler Reddick occupy the remaining three vacant spots to the Playoffs as winless competitors, with Reddick ahead by five points over teammate Austin Dillon, 121 over Chris Buescher, 143 over Matt DiBenedetto, 144 over Ross Chastain, 170 over Bubba Wallace, 172 over Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and 195 over Daniel Suarez.

    Results.

    1. Aric Almirola, 25 laps led

    2. Christopher Bell

    3. Brad Keselowski, 53 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    4. Joey Logano

    5. Ryan Blaney, 64 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    6. Kevin Harvick, 66 laps led

    7. Kyle Larson

    8. Ross Chastain, three laps led

    9. Alex Bowman

    10. Denny Hamlin, one lap led

    11. Matt DiBenedetto, 20 laps led

    12. Martin Truex Jr.

    13. Tyler Reddick

    14. Cole Custer

    15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    16. Kurt Busch, one lap down

    17. Austin Dillon, one lap down

    18. Chase Elliott, one lap down, 53 laps led

    19. Erik Jones, one lap down

    20. Daniel Suarez, one lap down

    21. William Byron, one lap down

    22. Ryan Preece, one lap down

    23. Corey LaJoie, one lap down

    24. Ryan Newman, one lap down

    25. Michael McDowell, one lap down

    26. Bubba Wallace, one lap down

    27. Chase Briscoe, two laps down

    28. Justin Haley, two laps down 

    29. Chris Buescher, three laps down

    30. BJ McLeod, five laps down

    31. Cody Ware, eight laps down

    32. Anthony Alfredo, eight laps down

    33. Garrett Smithley, 10 laps down

    34. Josh Bilicki, 13 laps down

    35. Quin Houff – OUT, Accident

    36. James Davison – OUT, Clutch

    37. Kyle Busch – OUT, Accident

    The NASCAR Cup Series will be taking the next two weekends off for the Tokyo Summer Olympics before returning to action at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, August 8, which marks the series’ fifth road course event of 2021. The event is scheduled to occur at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN. 

  • Weekend schedule for New Hampshire

    Weekend schedule for New Hampshire

    NASCAR heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for a weekend of competition with the Cup and Xfinity Series. The Camping World Truck Series is off but is set to return Saturday, August 7 at Watkins Glen International.

    Kaulig Racing driver Jeb Burton will start on the Xfinity Series pole which was determined by the driver’s finishing position in the previous race. Burton finished second to Kyle Busch last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    Kyle Bush will start on the Cup Series pole in his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 after being awarded the pole using the following NASCAR metrics formula.

    • 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
    • 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
    • 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

    There are only five races remaining in the Cup Series regular season. Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. have already clinched a spot in the 16-driver postseason Playoffs.

    The Xfinity Series regular-season has eight races left before the Playoffs begin. Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger and Austin Cindric have already clinched a spot in the 12-driver field.

    All times are Eastern

    Saturday, July 17

    12:45 p.m.: Whelen Modified Tour – Whelen 100 – NBC Sports Gold Trackpass

    3 p.m.: Xfinity Series – Ambetter Get Vaccinated 200
    Distance: 211.6 miles (200 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 45, Stage 2 ends on Lap 90, Final Stage ends on Lap 200
    NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Jeb Burton

    Note: The ARCA Menards Series will also compete Saturday, July 17, at Berlin Raceway. The Zinsser SmartCoat 200 (200 laps/88 miles) will air live at 8 p.m. ET on MAVTV with a live stream available on NBC Sports Gold’s TrackPass.

    Sunday, July 18

    3 p.m.: Cup Series – Foxwoods Resort Casino 301
    Distance: 318.46 miles (301 Laps)
    Stage 1 ends on Lap 75, Stage 2 ends on Lap 185, Final Stage ends on Lap 301
    NBCSN/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
    Pole: Kyle Busch

    New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data
    Season Race #: 22 of 36 (07-18-21)
    Track Size: 1.058-mile
    Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 2 to 7 degrees
    Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 2 to 7 degrees
    Banking/Frontstretch: 1 degree
    Banking/Backstretch: 1 degree
    Frontstretch Length: 1,500 feet
    Backstretch Length: 1,500 feet
    Race Length: 301 laps / 318.46 miles
    Stages 1 Length: 75 laps
    Stages 2 Length: 110 laps
    Final Stage Length: 116 laps

    New Hampshire Qualifying Data
    Track qualifying record: Brad Keselowski, Ford (140.598 mph, 27.090 secs.) on 09-21-14.
    2019 pole winner: Brad Keselowski, Ford (136.384 mph, 27.927 secs.) on 07-19-19.
    2020 pole winner: None due to pandemic restrictions.
    • Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch lead all active drivers in NCS starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with 37 each.
    • Erik Jones leads the NCS in an average starting position at New Hampshire with an 8.4 in five starts; followed by Kyle Busch with a 9.3 in 30 starts.
    • Ryan Newman leads the NCS in poles at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with seven poles (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2011 sweep, 2013).
    • Eight of the 22 NCS pole winners at New Hampshire are active this weekend. Ryan Newman (7), Brad Keselowski (3), Kyle Busch (3), Kevin Harvick (2), Jimmie Johnson (1), Clint Bowyer (1), Kurt Busch (1), and Martin Truex Jr. (1).
    • Five different manufacturers have won a pole in the NCS at New Hampshire; led by Chevrolet (18), Ford (10), Toyota (eight), Dodge (six), and Pontiac (one).

    New Hampshire Race Data
    Track race record: Jeff Burton, Ford (117.134 mph, 02:42:35) on 07-13-97.
    2019 race winner: Kevin Harvick, Ford (104.062 mph, 03:03:37) on 07-21-19.
    2020 race winner: Brad Keselowski, Ford (100.372 mph, 03:10:22) on 08-02-20
    • Seven of the 24 NCS New Hampshire Motor Speedway winners are active this weekend. Kevin Harvick (4), Denny Hamlin (3), Kurt Busch (3), Kyle Busch (3), Ryan Newman (3), Joey Logano (2), and Brad Keselowski (2).
    • Kevin Harvick (2006, 2016, 2018, 2019) leads active drivers in wins at New Hampshire with four victories.
    • Four drivers have posted consecutive wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (2003 sweep), Kurt Busch (2004 sweep), Matt Kenseth (2015 fall, 2016 spring), and Kevin Harvick (2018, 2019).
    • The first starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field in the NCS at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, producing more winners (six) than any other starting position (12.2%).
    • The deepest in the field that an active race winner has started at New Hampshire is 32nd, by Kurt Busch in the summer of 2003.
    • Joe Gibbs Racing leads the series in wins at New Hampshire in the NCS with 11 victories.
    • Denny Hamlin leads NCS in average finishing position at New Hampshire with a 9.6 in 27 starts.
    • Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in laps led at New Hampshire with 1,128 laps led in 30 starts.

    Top 10 Driver Ratings at New Hampshire
    Denny Hamlin……………………… 104.5
    Brad Keselowski…………………… 100.9
    Kyle Busch…………………………. 100.0
    Kevin Harvick………………………… 98.8
    Martin Truex Jr……………………… 95.5
    Chase Elliott…………………………. 91.1
    Kurt Busch……………………………. 89.3
    Kyle Larson………………………….. 87.9
    Ryan Newman………………………. 87.3
    Ryan Blaney…………………………. 86.8
    Cole Custer………………………….. 85.5
    Joey Logano…………………………. 83.2
    Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2020 races (29 total) among active drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

  • Mike Bugarewicz to call 200th Cup race as crew chief at New Hampshire

    Mike Bugarewicz to call 200th Cup race as crew chief at New Hampshire

    A significant milestone start is in the making for Mike “Buga” Bugarewicz, crew chief for Aric Almirola and the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team in the NASCAR Cup Series. By participating in this weekend’s event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Bugarewicz will call his 200th Cup career race as a crew chief.

    A native of Lehighton, Pennsylvania, Bugarewicz earned a B.S. and a M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State before joining Roush Fenway Racing as an engineer in December 2005, which marked the beginning of his racing career. From 2006 to 2013, Bugarewicz worked as an engineer within the Roush organization, where he also worked with names like Danny O’Quinn, David Ragan, Paul Menard, Matt Kenseth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    In 2014, Bugarewicz became a lead race engineer for veteran driver Kevin Harvick, crew chief Rodney Childers and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet team. The season was one to remember for Bugarewicz as Harvick, who was in his first season with SHR, captured five victories, eight poles, 14 top-five results, 20 top-10 results and the season’s Cup championship.

    Following a productive 2015 season with Harvick, where Harvick won three races before settling in second place in the final standings, Bugarewicz was named a Cup Series crew chief for three-time champion Tony Stewart and the No. 14 SHR Chevrolet team for the 2016 season, which marked Stewart’s final full-time season as a NASCAR competitor. A month prior to the season, however, Stewart suffered a back injury after being involved in a sand buggy accident outside of San Diego. With Stewart hospitalized and forced to miss the early portion of the upcoming season, Bugarewicz spent the first eight Cup events of the season and of his career with Brian Vickers and Ty Dillon. During this span, Vickers, who made five starts, finished as high as seventh at Martinsville Speedway in April while Dillon, who competed in the other three events, finished as high as 15th at Phoenix Raceway in March.

    At Richmond Raceway in April, Stewart was medically cleared to return to racing. In his first race with Bugarewicz, Stewart finished 19th. The following race at Talladega Superspeedway, Stewart, with relief help from Ty Dillon, was credited with a sixth-place result before he competed the following six races through the entire distance.

    Then at Sonoma Raceway in June, Bugarewicz achieved his first NASCAR victory as a crew chief when Stewart prevailed over a late battle with former teammate Denny Hamlin to snap an 84-race winless drought and collect his 49th Cup career win, a victory that also placed the No. 14 team in a guaranteed spot to make the Playoffs. After winning at Sonoma, Bugarewicz and Stewart earned four top-five results and recorded enough points through the final 10 regular-season events to secure their spot in the 2016 Cup Playoffs. Their run in the Playoffs, however, came to an end following the Playoff’s Round of 16, where Stewart finished 16th, 23rd and 13th in a three-race postseason stretch and missed the cutline to the Round of 12. Bugarewicz and Stewart went on to finish in 15th place in the final standings.

    Bugarewicz remained as crew chief for SHR’s No. 14 team in 2017 with the organization swapping manufacturers from Chevrolet to Ford. With Stewart retired, Bugarewicz was paired with veteran Clint Bowyer, who was named Stewart’s successor of the No. 14 car. Participating in all but two of the 36-race schedule, Bugarewicz and Bowyer achieved six top-five results, 13 top-10 results and an average result of 15.0. They, however, did not make the Playoffs as Bowyer settled in 18th place in the final standings.

    Following the first five events of the 2018 Cup season, Bugarewicz returned to Victory Lane when Bowyer scored a dominating win at Martinsville Speedway, the sixth event of the schedule, in March and snapped a 190-race winless drought. Ten races later, they won for the second time of the season at Michigan International Speedway in June, which was a rain-shortened event. Making the 2018 Cup Playoffs, Bugarewicz and Bowyer remained in title contention through the Round of 8, where they fell short of making the Championship Round and contending for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. Nonetheless, Bugarewicz and Bowyer achieved two victories, nine top-five results and 16 top-10 results before finishing in 12th place in the final standings.

    Remaining as crew chief for Bowyer and SHR’s No. 14 Ford team in 2019, Bugarewicz guided the driver and team to a pole, seven top-five results, 18 top-10 results and through the first two rounds of the Playoffs before finishing in ninth place in the final standings. By then, Bugarewicz had called more than 100 Cup races as a crew chief.

    For the 2020 season, Stewart-Haas Racing reshuffled most of its crew chief lineup, placing Bugarewicz as crew chief for Aric Almirola and the No. 10 SHR Ford Mustang team for the upcoming season. Bugarewicz achieved a second consecutive consistent season as he led Almirola to six top-five results, 18 top-10 results and through the first two rounds of the Playoffs before settling in 15th place in the final standings.

    Thus far, Bugarewicz and Almirola have recorded a pole, one top-five result and two top-10 results through the first 21 Cup races of the 2021 season. They also achieved a victory in the first Bluegreen Vacations Duel event at Daytona International Speedway in February and the NASCAR All-Star Open at Texas Motor Speedway in June. They are currently ranked in 27th place in the regular-season standings.

    Through 199 previous Cup appearances, Bugarewicz has achieved three victories, two poles, 34 top-five results and 76 top-10 results while working with five different competitors. 

    Bugarewicz is set to call his 200th Cup race as a crew chief at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 18, with the race scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Larson: Larson, looking to add to his season wins total of five, finished a disappointing 18th at Atlanta, hindered by a late speeding penalty.

    “I almost got lapped,” Larson said. “It was definitely not my finest moment. That being said, it was also not my worst moment.”

    2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 13th at Atlanta.

    “I was penalized for speeding entering the pits midway through the race,” Hamlin said. “One place you won’t see me speeding entering is Victory Lane.”

    3. Kyle Busch: Busch was strong all day at Atlanta but had to settle for the runner-up position as older brother Kurt took the win.

    “Kurt doesn’t win the race if Ross Chastain doesn’t block for him,” Busch said. “I’ll remember Ross Chastain for this. No, not because I’m out for revenge, but it’s probably the only thing for which Chastain will be remembered.”

    4. Chase Elliott: Elliott started on the pole at Atlanta and finished seventh.

    “I’m still winless at Atlanta Motor Speedway,” Elliott said. “With Georgia being my home state, that’s very disappointing. I’ve had good finishes here; I’ve just never been quite able to bring it home.”

    5. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished fourth in the Quaker State 400, giving Hendrick Motorsports its top finish.

    “We’re used to Kyle Larson being the fastest on this team,” Bowman said, “but ironically, Kyle wasn’t the fastest because he was going too fast.”

    6. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex started from the rear but powered his way to the front and took third.

    “My car failed pre-race inspection twice,” Truex said. “I’d like to tell you we had no idea the car would fail inspection, but that would mean I would fail a lie detector test.”

    7. Kurt Busch: Busch seized the lead from Kyle Busch on Lap 236 and held his younger brother off the rest of the way, winning at Atlanta and punching his ticket to the playoffs.

    “It was an intense Busch vs. Busch battle,” Busch said. “And you certainly don’t want to come out on the losing end. It reminded me of another Busch vs. Busch battle, from when Kyle and I were kids when our Mom and Dad would battle to determine which parent had to spend time with us. And you definitely didn’t want to come out on that losing end.”

    8. Joey Logano: Logano finished 14th in the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta on a so-so day for Penske Racing.

    “Penske hasn’t won a Cup race since April,” Logano said. “Just to clarify, that’s April of 2021, although it seems longer ago.”

    9. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 11th at Atlanta.

    “We just weren’t very competitive,” Harvick said. “It’s just a shame we couldn’t be a part of that Kurt Busch-Kyle Busch battle. Put my Busch Light car in that scrum, and we’re halfway to a six-pack, which means it’s 7 a.m. somewhere in a NASCAR infield.”

    10. William Byron: Byron struggled at Atlanta and finished 20th in the Quaker State 400.

    “Atlanta is definitely not my favorite track,” Byron said. “In fact, given the choice to ‘take it or leave it,’ I would choose to leave it….off the NASCAR schedule entirely.”

  • Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Harvick and Logano sound-off over Atlanta redesign

    Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Harvick and Logano sound-off over Atlanta redesign

    After news of the Atlanta Motor Speedway re-pave and reconfiguration on July 6, drivers are sounding off about their lack of input in the decision.

    The announced changes include decreasing the width of the track from 55 feet to 40 feet and increasing the 24-degree banking to 28 degrees. Soon after, various drivers stated that they had not been consulted about the changes.

    Marcus Smith, President and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, responded to the concerns about the Atlanta Motor Speedway news, stating, “We definitely talked to drivers.”

    Comments from SMI director of operations Steve Swift earlier this week did nothing to ease the tension.

    “We tried to do what’s good for the sport, and Marcus does talk to the drivers to gauge feedback on what works well for them and he feeds us that information, and I say this with jest a little,” Swift said, “but when a driver is happy the fans aren’t.

    While no drivers have come forward to say they were consulted, several have candidly shared their thoughts on the lack of communication.

    No one has been more direct than Kyle Busch.

    “If they’re going to narrow it up 15 feet, whatever it is, that’s the whole bottom groove,” he said. “We’re not going to be able to run around here 3 wide. You’re going to be stuck at two wide. It’s going to be as wide as Darlington. So trying to run around here at 210 mph, because if they don’t put plates on it, you’re going to be going way too fast.

    “Just think about it. Everybody needs to just think. There ain’t nobody thinking. Brains for sale. Never used. Operating racetracks.”

    Sunday before the Cup Series race at Atlanta, several drivers were questioned about the current state of affairs.

    Brad Keselowski confirmed that there was discord among the drivers.

    “I think there are some frustrations that come up time and time again where we’re working together until we’re not, and that can be frustrating, he said. “I sense a lot of those emotions through the garage area right now.”

    Joey Logano also questioned why the drivers were kept out of the loop.

    I think something I’ve learned over the last few years is everyone can bring something different to the table. When you bring 10 other people around that might change your perspective,” he explained. “We didn’t have the opportunity to do that.”

    Kevin Harvick was blunt in his assessment of the Atlanta repave and why the drivers were not consulted.

    “I’m just of the opinion that they don’t care. They just do what they want.”

    Denny Hamlin addressed the media Saturday and perhaps summed it up best.

    “I think we could help. We’re an asset. We are the biggest asset that NASCAR and these tracks could have if they just tell us their goals. We may not agree with the goal but we can help them get to where they want to go.”

    No one doubts the importance of fans. Without them, there would be no racing. But, it’s the drivers who strap in and put their lives on the line to entertain those fans. One perspective should never overshadow the other.