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  • Kyle Busch Fastest in First Cup Practice at Richmond

    Kyle Busch Fastest in First Cup Practice at Richmond

    Kyle Busch posted the fastest time in first Sprint Cup Series practice at Richmond International Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 22.318 and a speed of 120.979 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was second in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 22.379 and a speed of 120.649 mph. Denny Hamlin was third in his No. 11 JGR Toyota with a time of 22.397 and a speed of 120.552 mph. Kasey Kahne was fourth in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 22.418 and a speed of 120.439 mph while Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-five in his No. 20 JGR Toyota with a time of 22.461 and a speed of 120.208 mph.

    Jeff Gordon was sixth in his No. 88 HMS Chevrolet. Joey Logano was seventh in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Carl Edwards was eighth in his No. 19 JGR Toyota. Jamie McMurray was ninth in his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Kyle Larson rounded out the top-10 in his No. 42 CGR Chevrolet.

    Busch posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 119.781 mph. Truex was second at an average speed of 119.458 mph. Edwards was third at an average speed of 118.840 mph.

    The Sprint Cup Series is back on track at noon for final practice.

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  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick started on the pole after qualifying was rained out and finished second at Darlington.

    “We faltered in the pits once again,” Harvick said. “We are losing so much time during pit stops, I understand the problem, this time, was a faulty air gun. Maybe it had trouble with lug nuts, but that gun had no problem shooting me in the foot.”

    2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski suffered a late loose wheel at Darlington and finished ninth. He is second in the Sprint Cup points standings.

    “That was the second of two loose wheel incidents,” Keselowski said. “I haven’t seen this many problems with a wheel since the invention of the wheel.

    “On another disappointing note, I was docked 10 points for failing a post-race inspection at Michigan. But I guess I should have seen it coming because NASCAR officials told me it was time for a ‘10-point inspection.’”

    3. Joey Logano: Logano finished fifth in the Bojangle’s Southern 500 at Darlington, posting his ninth top-five result of the season.

    “Bojangles is famous for its chicken,” Logano said. “Ryan Newman says I am too.”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch started sixth at Darlington and finished 11th.

    “How about that fight after the Camping World Truck Series race between Cole Custer and John Hunter Nemechek?” Busch said. “Nemechek’s actions were cold-blooded; Custer’s response was Cole-blooded. I wouldn’t be surprised if NASCAR takes the victory away from Nemechek. If that happens, then the son of the man known as ‘Front Row Joe’ will be known as ‘Front Row No.’”

    5. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex led 28 laps and held off the hard-charging Kevin Harvick down the stretch to win the Bojangle’s Southern 500 at Darlington. It was Truex’s second win of the season.

    “Having Harvick chasing me only made me go faster,” Truex said. “Everyone knows, especially Brad Keselowski, that Harvick does his best ‘pushing’ when he’s behind you.”

    6. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin led 13 laps and came home fourth in the Southern 500, registering his eighth top five of the year.

    “The Sprint Cup race lacked the exciting finish of the Camping World Truck Series race,” Hamlin said. “John Hunter Nemechek incited the ire of Cole Custer, and Custer responded with a flying takedown. I see a Bass Pro Shops promotion in the future for those two guys, because that’s textbook ‘bait and tackle.’”

    7. Kurt Busch: Busch was wrecked with 40 laps to go at Darlington when Paul Menard’s lost control after his left-rear tire went flat. Menard slid up the track, sending Busch into the wall. Busch finished 34th.

    “I don’t blame Menard,” Busch said. “He was totally innocent. For me to blame him for the crash would be like someone accusing a girlfriend of being a hired assassin.”

    8. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished a disappointing 19th at Darlington, the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver to finish outside the top 11.

    “Trust me,” Edwards said, “I know what it’s like to be an outsider. But that’s okay. When you’re an outsider at a NASCAR race, you have plenty of company, because porta-potties are known as ‘outsiders.’”

    9. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished sixth at Darlington, joining Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin in the top 10.

    “I can certainly relate to Cole Custer,” Kenseth said. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to tackle a rival driver. But racing isn’t football. Sure, there are similarities, like ‘false starts’ and ‘interference’ and ‘helmets.’ But there is considerable diversity in the two sports, such as NASCAR’s lack of diversity.”

    10. Kyle Larson: One week after winning at Michigan, Larson was again strong at Darlington, leading 45 laps on his way to a third-place finish.

    “I’m brimming with confidence,” Larson said. “And, unlike Kevin Harvick, I have nothing but good things to say about my pit crew. While Harvick is critiquing at the wrong moment, I’m peaking at the right moment.”

  • Truex Wins the Southern 500

    Truex Wins the Southern 500

    DARLINGTON, S.C. — After 500 miles around the lady in black, it was Martin Truex Jr. who found himself in Gatorade victory lane.

    Kevin Harvick led the field to the green flag at 6:26 p.m. under mostly sunny skies. The race was dominated by Harvick and ran caution free for over 90 laps. It came out for the first time on lap 92 after Trevor Bayne spun out trying to get on pit road. It trapped all but Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. down a lap or more, and forced them to take a wave around.

    The race got back underway on lap 103 and remained green for nine laps before Brian Scott went spinning in turn 2 to bring out the second caution.

    When the race returned green on lap 118, it settled into another green flag long run that saw Harvick take the lead from Keselowski on lap 141 and a cycle of green flag stops on lap 162.

    Just past halfway, Tony Stewart got into Scott and sent him into the backstretch wall on lap 205. This got Stewart called to the NASCAR hauler after the race.

    After it returned to green on lap 211, Jimmie Johnson got loose exiting turn 4, turned down the track and hit the wall head on.

    The race turned into more of a start and stop mode after it restarted on lap 218. Thirty-one laps later, the fifth caution flew after Jeffrey Earnhardt made contact with the wall. Matt Kenseth assumed the race lead after opting not to pit.

    It restarted on lap 265. Harvick found himself back in the lead with 94 laps to go. The sixth caution flew with 87 laps to go for an incident with AJ Allmendinger and Ryan Blaney. Denny Hamlin exited pit road with the race lead.

    There was also the engine expiration of the 14 car with 48 laps to go and an accident with Kurt Busch and Paul Menard in turn 2.

    When the final caution flew with 17 laps to go after Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola tangled in turn 2, Harvick was sitting in the lead. But as has plagued him for many recent races, he had a bad pit stop on top of other bad pit stops and Truex exited pit road with the race lead.

    Eventually, the race restarted, Truex pulled away and won the race.

    “This is just – this is unbelievable,” Truex said. “So many people to thank obviously. I’ve always loved this race track. I’ve led a lot of laps here in my career. I feel like just something always happened and just so proud to get to victory lane with this group. The pit crew was flawless tonight. They won us the race. They took a lot of heat from last week with what happened. I’m glad he’s (Ryan Newman) not riding home with me – he’d be waiting a while. But just a big weekend for us to – we’ve had a terrible string of back luck. We’ve had super-fast race cars. Auto-Owners Insurance, this is their second race with us and one more with us this year and really excited for them. They went a little retro. I’ve got my zoot suit. This is something here that’s really special to us – I ran this wheel today and it’s real special to take that thing to victory lane. We do a lot with our foundation for ovarian and pediatric cancer. It’s awareness month for both of those diseases, so big day for us there, but just can’t say enough about this team and Barney Visser (team owner) and Toyota and TRD (Toyota Racing Development) – the engines have been unbelievable this year – and Bass Pro Shops and Furniture Row, Denver Mattress and everybody that’s made this possible. Cole Pearn (crew chief) and these guys are just amazing. I knew when the bad luck would stop coming we’d start racking them off.

    “We do a lot with our foundation for ovarian and pediatric cancer. It’s awareness month for both of those diseases, so big day for us there, but just can’t say enough about this team and Barney Visser (team owner) and Toyota and TRD (Toyota Racing Development) – the engines have been unbelievable this year – and Bass Pro Shops and Furniture Row, Denver Mattress and everybody that’s made this possible. Cole Pearn (crew chief) and these guys are just amazing. I knew when the bad luck would stop coming we’d start racking them off and tonight we weren’t the best car for once and we actually won, so that was really cool and just couldn’t be more excited to win at Darlington, the Southern 500. I’ve been wanting to win this thing a long time and got to thank Sprint, the fans were great – tons of fans here today – and really excited. Glad they stuck around for a good finish and I don’t know – I could go on and on for hours I guess.”

    It’s his fifth career victory in 394 Sprint Cup Series starts, second of 2016, the 11th top-10 finish of the season, first win at Darlington Raceway and fifth top-10 at Darlington.

    “Well, it just was frustrating to lead laps here throughout my career and even in years when we didn’t run that well at teams I was on, we seemed to run well here and felt like we let a few slip away,” he added. “It was worth the wait for sure, so we’ll do some celebrating tonight and just can’t thank everybody enough again – everybody at (Joe) Gibbs (Racing), all those guys, great teammates – just so many people I need to thank. The pit crew – man, I can’t say it enough, what a job they did tonight. I appreciate them.”

    It’s also the first multi-win season of his career.

    Harvick led a race-high of 214 laps on his way to a runner-up finish in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet.

    “Our team in the garage did a great job,” Harvick said. “They brought the fastest race car to the track once again and we just didn’t do a good job on pit road and gave it away.”

    It’s his 20th top-10 finish of the season and ninth in 20 starts at Darlington.

    Kyle Larson led 42 laps on his way to rounding out the podium in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

    “It was long,” Larson said of how his race went. “My spotter said we were halfway and I was like ‘are you kidding me we still have however many to go?’ But it was a good night. We had to fight pretty hard to get to the top four or five. Our pit stops weren’t great there in the beginning, but they rebounded and we had some good stops there at the end to maintain. The last probably five or six stops I thought were pretty good. We were able to get past Denny (Hamlin) and get to the lead and lead some laps. We had a really good car out front. In traffic, I was just too tight for a little while and as we went I would get too loose on exit, but I found some lines that worked for me and that helped, but a tough race. It is good to come back after the win last week and finish third.”

    Denny Hamlin led 13 laps on his way to a fourth-place finish in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Joey Logano rounded out the top-five in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

    When asked if that means anything at this point, he said “it just doesn’t matter if it isn’t a win. At this point, I guess momentum means something so I guess something matters. I disagree that I didn’t have anything for them. I did on the long run. We were the fastest car on the long run every time. We hit a lot of short runs at the end and that would kill us. I lost two or three spots every restart for the first five or six laps and then it would kick in and off I would go. I was fighting to get them back. We kind of hurt ourselves there with restarts tonight. We needed to go green from about 100 to go. We would have been good then.”

    Matt Kenseth led 10 laps on his way to a sixth-place finish in his No. 20 JGR Toyota. Kasey Kahne finished seventh in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Ryan Newman led nine laps on his way to an eighth-place finish in his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Brad Keselowski led 47 laps on his way to a ninth-place finish in his No. 2 Penske Ford. Chase Elliott rounded out the top-10 in his No. 24 HMS Chevrolet.

    Kyle Busch, who led one lap, finished 11th.

    Eighteen cars finished the race on the lead lap and 32 were running at the finish.

    The race lasted three hours, 57 minutes and 54 seconds at an average speed of 126.437 mph. There were 14 lead changes among eight different drivers and 10 cautions for 52 laps.

    Harvick leaves Darlington with a 43-point lead over Keselowski in the points standings.

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  • Keselowski Fastest in Final Darlington Cup Practice

    Keselowski Fastest in Final Darlington Cup Practice

    DARLINGTON, S.C. — Brad Keselowski topped the chart in final Sprint Cup Series practice at Darlington Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 28.157 and a speed of 174.649 mph. Kurt Busch was second in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet with a time of 28.257 and a speed of 174.031 mph. Jimmie Johnson was third in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 28.259 and a speed of 174.019 mph. Kasey Kahne was fourth in his No. 5 HMS Chevrolet with a time of 28.318 and a speed of 28.318 and a speed of 173.656 mph. Paul Menard rounded out the top-five in his No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 28.351 and a speed of 173.454 mph.

    Greg Biffle was sixth in his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Carl Edwards was seventh in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was eighth in his No. 17 RFR Ford. Denny Hamlin was ninth in his No. 11 JGR Toyota. Trevor Bayne rounded out the top-10 in his No. 6 RFR Ford.

    Biffle posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 170.536 mph. Martin Truex Jr., whose fastest single lap was 15th fastest, was second at an average speed of 170.449 mph.

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  • Johnson Fastest in First Cup Practice at Darlington

    Johnson Fastest in First Cup Practice at Darlington

    DARLINGTON, S.C. — Jimmie Johnson topped the chart in first Sprint Cup Series practice at Darlington Raceway.

    The driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 27.937 and a speed of 176.025 mph. Denny Hamlin was second in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 28.091 and a speed of 175.060 mph. Ryan Blaney was third in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 28.147 and a speed of 174.711 mph. Kyle Larson was fourth in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 28.174 and a speed of 174.544 mph. Ryan Newman rounded out the top-five in his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 28.178 and a speed of 174.519 mph.

    Brad Keselowski was sixth in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford. Chase Elliott was seventh in his No. 24 HMS Chevrolet. Martin Truex Jr. was eighth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Paul Menard was ninth in his No. 27 RCR Chevrolet. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top-10 in his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

    Johnson posted the fasted 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 173.389 mph. Hamlin was second at an average speed of 173.144 mph.

    The Sprint Cup Series is back on track at 1:30 p.m. for final practice.

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  • McMurray: ‘Everyone wants the chance to get in a really good car and Alex has done…a phenomenal job’

    McMurray: ‘Everyone wants the chance to get in a really good car and Alex has done…a phenomenal job’

    DARLINGTON, S.C. — Speaking from experience as having started as a substitute driver, Jamie McMurray said every driver “wants the chance to get in a really good car” and that Alex Bowman is doing “a phenomenal job.”

    Talking to the media during a teleconference on Friday morning, the driver of the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was asked what a driver like Bowman is going through in a substitute role for a big name driver such as Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    “Well, if you are a driver that is trying to make it in the sport there is no better position to be put in than to get in a car like that, because you know that you have an opportunity, maybe not to win, but you are in a car that is capable of winning and running up front and showing guys what you can do if you are in the right equipment,” McMurray said.

    “Everyone wants the chance to get in a really good car and Alex has done, I think, a phenomenal job at jumping right in and having a lot of speed and racing well. The flip side of that is if you get in that car and you don’t run well, then you lose your opportunity at maybe ever getting that shot again. I think that Alex has, even though he hasn’t pulled off a win, he has had really good speed and I think to me what sticks out the most is he is not even really in a car every week. If you were in a truck every week or a XFINITY car week in and week out and then you were filling in that would be one thing. But he hasn’t really been racing that much this year.

    “To jump in and do what he has done at a track like Loudon which is one style or racing and then to go to a place like Michigan, that is completely different he has just done an awesome job. I know that probably for him the phone is not ringing as much as he wants it to, but he is going to get an opportunity because to me he has really shown that he is capable of it.”

    McMurray is no stranger to the role of substitute driver. He came into the Sprint Cup Series as a substitute driver in the then No. 40 Dodge for Ganassi Racing after Sterling Marlin broke his neck in a wreck at Kansas Speedway in a season where he was near the top of the points standings for most of the season. He made his debut with a 26th place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. In his second career start the very next week, McMurray led a race high of 96 laps on his way to scoring his first career victory in Cup at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    “I had raced my whole truck and Busch Series at the time, in cars that I think my Busch car had won like one or two races in seven or eight years,” he said. “It wasn’t necessarily a winning car, and then all of a sudden I got in Sterling’s car that had I think won a couple of races earlier that year and it had led the points up to that point, it was a really good car. So, there is a lot of pressure on you to run well because you know that you are in a car that is capable of winning. So, really nervous and then once we won in Charlotte it was like super relieving because not only is that a confidence builder for you, but I think in all the people that are around you.”

  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. Out for the Rest of the 2016 Season

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. Out for the Rest of the 2016 Season

    DARLINGTON, S.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. won’t return to the driver’s seat for the remainder of 2016.

    Hendrick Motorsports announced today that the driver of the No. 88 HMS Chevrolet has not been medically cleared to compete for the rest of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

    Earnhardt has sat out the last six races after being diagnosed with symptoms of a concussion that his doctors say were triggered by his wreck at Michigan in June. He’s been undergoing regular evaluation at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program under the direction of Dr. Micky Collins and with Charlotte neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty.

    “I wish I could return to the No. 88 team this season,” Earnhardt said. “To say I’m disappointed doesn’t begin to describe how I feel, but I know this is the right thing for my long-term health and career. I’m 100 percent focused on my recovery, and I will continue to follow everything the doctors tell me. They’re seeing good progress in my test results, and I’m feeling that progress physically. I plan to be healthy and ready to compete at Daytona in February. I’m working toward that.”

    Earnhardt also mentioned that he’s received overwhelming support from both inside and outside the Hendrick organization.

    “The support from both inside and outside the race team has been overwhelming. Everyone has been so encouraging and positive, from my teammates and sponsors to my family, friends and fans. It’s motivating and humbling at the same time.”

    Team owner Rick Hendrick said he knows “how hard Dale has worked and how frustrating this is for him. He wants to be back, and we want him back, but we want it to be for the long haul. We’ve had incredible support from everyone involved with the team, including all of our sponsors. They’ve put Dale’s health first every step of the way.”

    Alex Bowman and Jeff Gordon will continue to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet for the remainder of the season as they’ve been doing for the last six races.

    Hendrick Motorsports also released their driver schedule for the 88 car detailing which race will feature which driver. Gordon will drive the car in four of the final 12 races (Darlington, Richmond, Dover and Martinsville). Bowman will pilot the car in the other eight (Chicagoland, Loudon, Charlotte, Kansas, Talladega, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead).

    “Jeff and Alex will give us a great opportunity over the rest of the season,” Hendrick added. “Jeff is one of the best of all time and knows our system. He brings things to the table that no one else can. Alex is a young driver with a lot of talent, and he will give us a fresh perspective. We know they’re not only capable of running up front and giving us a chance to win, but they’ll help us get better.”

  • Four Gears: Lower Downforce, Young Guns, XFINITY Series and Darlington

    Four Gears: Lower Downforce, Young Guns, XFINITY Series and Darlington

    It’s time to cycle through the transmission for another edition of Four Gears.

    This week, our resident NASCAR analysts rate the three races that used the lower downforce package and  give their takeaways from it. We also consider what three first-time winners this past weekend says about the level of talent with the young guns in the Truck, XFINITY and Cup Series as well as rate the quality of racing in the XFINITY Series over the last five races given the mix of tracks in those five races. Finally, we discuss whether the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is still among the crown jewel events of NASCAR.

    FIRST GEAR: How would you rate each of the three races – Michigan 1, Kentucky and Michigan 2 – that were run with the lower downforce package on a scale of 1-10 and what are your takeaways from the package?

    Michigan 1, I’d rank it 7/10. Although the racing at times was decent, the race itself was average for Michigan. Joey Logano just had the field in check that day, although Chase Elliott had the lead going into the final quarter of the race. He botched the restart, however, and Logano retook the lead and won the race.

    Kentucky, 7/10: Having been on assignment for this entire race weekend, the lower downforce package saved this race. Hard as rock tires and a freshly paved surface made passing extra difficult. But even with the new surface, the lower downforce made these cars a handful to drive. I remember watching a whole mess of cars spinning out and slamming the wall because of the lack of downforce.

    Michigan 2, 7/10: It was another average race for Michigan. Kind of like the first time around, the racing could be decent at times, but it was so hard to pass too. It seemed like clean air proved real key for the race leader on the long green runs. In the end, it had a nice finish that saw Kyle Larson finally earn his first trip to victory lane. Or in his case, burnout through victory lane. — Tucker White

    Michigan 1, I’d rank a 6/10 because although the racing was decent at best, this package is normally supposed to host good racing. Logano dominated that show and although it was good for him, ultimately, the race wasn’t fun to watch.

    Kentucky, 7/10. Racing was a little bit more fun to watch and the best car won the race.

    Michigan 2 was 8/10. There were multiple race leaders, close racing, and it does help that Larson finally got that first win. — Joseph Shelton

    Michigan 1: 6

    Kentucky: 7

    Michigan 2: 8

    It seems like the more this package is run, the better the racing gets. That’s a pretty good deal there. — Michael Finley

    SECOND GEAR: This past weekend, all three national series had first-time winners. What does a weekend like this say about the level of talent with the young guns, be it in the Truck, XFINITY or Sprint Cup Series?

    It says two things: This sport is in no danger of talent saturation when the elder statesmen hang up the helmet for at least the next 25 years and corporate America should really consider attaching themselves to one of the available young guns who’s looking for a sponsor. — Tucker White

    NASCAR has gotten a lot of grief for being a playground for rich kids with connections in recent years, but considering these winners it’s clear to see that you have to have a modicum of talent in order to succeed in this sport. Moffitt, McDowell, and Larson are all talented drivers whose persistence paid off. That tends to happen when drivers are doing something right. — Joseph Shelton

    There is so much young talent in this sport, but sponsors really do need to start taking chances for the good of the industry. After a decent rookie campaign in Cup last season (for the level of equipment he was in), Brett Moffitt has struggled to find work since and was well on his way to becoming just another promising driver that flamed out before this last weekend. I think Brett Moffitt deserves a big shot in the XFINITY or Truck series more than certain ride buyers who only have big team rides because Daddy wrote a check. — Michael Finley

    THIRD GEAR: Since the last weekend of July, the XFINITY Series has raced a standalone event at Iowa, a companion event with the Sprint Cup Series at Watkins Glen, a standalone at Mid-Ohio, a companion event with the Sprint Cup Series at Bristol and a standalone event at Road America. What’s been your take on the quality of racing from this five-race stretch and should NASCAR make the XFINITY schedule more like this?

    I’ve given the XFINITY Series so much grief this season and for good reason. This season has showcased some abysmal, lackluster racing. It’s often been Sprint Cup Lite. That’s nothing compared to making the schedule more and more a mirror image of the Sprint Cup Series schedule instead of making it more unique to the XFINITY Series itself, which illustrates my biggest problem with the XFINITY Series today.

    But with that said, this five-race stretch has been quite awesome to watch. The only lackluster race during the stretch was Watkins Glen, and even that was more meh than bad.

    The best race of that stretch was Bristol. Watching the race from the press box, the first half anyway, I was blown away seeing guys run the bottom groove at Bristol again. It was also fun to see these guys try and run around the entire turn through the night to see what groove was faster. I was even outside the media center in Turn 4 to photograph the finish when Kyle Busch and Larson wrecked right in front of me.

    To answer the last part of the question, not just yes, but Hell Yes! NASCAR should make the schedule more like this five-race stretch. — Tucker White

    This stretch has held some of the best racing in the series. I hope NASCAR sees this stretch as something that defines what the fans want in the XFINITY Series, not the same song, different dance. It has been an enjoyable month for the division, so not looking forward to it going back to the Kyle Busch show. — Joseph Shelton

    I’ve always thought that going to a more balanced, half road course, half oval series, would do the XFINITY Series wonders. It would make a niche for the series that isn’t there now and would deter Cup teams from putting huge budgets into full-time rides because there wouldn’t be nearly as big a technical advantage. Part of the reason Gibbs has been great the last couple of seasons is because it’s much easier to transfer data from the XFINITY Series to Cup after the Cup cars reduced their horsepower a couple of seasons ago. — Michael Finley

    FOURTH GEAR: The Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is this weekend. Is it still among the crown jewel events of NASCAR? If so, where would you rank it?

    To put it simply, the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is still a crown jewel event in NASCAR. If you had asked me a few years ago, I would’ve put the Coca-Cola 600 ahead of the Southern 500. But it’s prestige, to a degree, has been tarnished by lackluster racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the last few years. The combination of returning Darlington Raceway to its rightful place on Labor Day weekend and the low downforce package not only produced the best race of the 2015 season but shot the prestige of the Southern 500 back up a few notches. The biggest race in NASCAR will always be the Daytona 500, but the Bojangles’ Southern 500 is a clear second. — Tucker White

    The Southern 500 at Darlington will always be a crown jewel in NASCAR. Before Daytona and the 500, Darlington was the be-all, end-all of the sport. It has the history and the levity; it’ll always be a sacred place for stock car racing. — Joseph Shelton

    It’s the second biggest race in the sport. Daytona is Daytona and the Coca-Cola 600 has had some boring-to-bad races the past few years that has hurt the prestige of the race just a little bit. Meanwhile, only people actively working in the industry think Indianapolis is still a special race for the most part, as evidenced by all the empty grandstands every year. Finally, Homestead puts on some great races, is in a great location, and crowns the Sprint Cup champion but just doesn’t have the history yet of the other four tracks I talked about. The Southern 500 is almost always a great race, has a great theme, and has more history than any other race on the calendar. — Michael Finley

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Michigan

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Michigan

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished fifth at Michigan and maintained the lead in the Sprint Cup points standings. He leads second-place Brad Keselowski by 25 points.

    “Kyle Larson ran a great race,” Harvick said, “as did runner-up Chase Elliott. Those are two of the youngest drivers in NASCAR. Their combined age is 44. So, you could say ‘Youth was served’ on Sunday at Michigan, but not before ID’s were checked.”

    2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished third at Michigan, posting his 11th top-five result of the season.

    “Recent wind tunnel testing showed that Fords are at an aerodynamic disadvantage to the Chevys and Toyotas,” Keselowski said. “Who cares? You know what I say to the wind tunnel engineers when the No. 2 Miller Lite is set for testing? ‘Blow me.’”

    3. Joey Logano: Logano started on the pole at Michigan and led 24 laps en route to a 10th-place finish.

    “That’s my second pole at Michigan this season,” Logano said. “This is amazing! Usually, when I hear the word ‘pole,’ it’s preceded by the word ‘bean.’”

    4. Kyle Busch: Busch suffered an early spin at Michigan and fell a lap down before eventually finishing 19th. He is sixth in the points standings, 103 out of first.

    “The No. 18 car got away from me,” Busch said, “much like the No. 5 car ‘got away from me’ when I was a young, stubborn pain in the butt with Hendrick Motorsports. But I’ve matured. Now, I’m an older, stubborn pain in the butt with Joe Gibbs Racing.”

    5. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin qualified third and raced to a ninth-place finish at Michigan, posting his 13th top-10 result of the year.

    “Congratulation to Kyle Larson,” Hamlin said. “He has a ton of talent and is going to be challenging for wins for years to come. Kyle epitomizes the future of NASCAR because he’s white.”

    6. Kurt Busch: Busch took 12th in the Pure Michigan 400, joining Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick in the top 12.

    “Our other teammates, Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick, had mediocre days,” Busch said. “Danica hasn’t had a top-12 finish all year. She’s lucky she has a job, and she’s lucky that Tony is fond of her. There’s nothing that Tony likes more than a meal ticket, and that’s being a meal ticket.”

    7. Carl Edwards: Edwards started ninth in the Pure Michigan 400 and finished seventh, two spots behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin in seventh.

    “Michigan’s two-mile D-shaped layout is a really fast track,” Edwards said. “Top speeds approached 220 miles per hour. That’s pure speed, and that’s certainly fitting in the Pure Michigan 400. Brooklyn, Michigan is proud to host this race, and I’m sure the town of Flint, Michigan would be proud to host the ‘Pure Water 400.’”

    8. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex struggled to a 20th-place finish in the Pure Michigan 400.

    “The day belonged to Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott,” Truex said. “I never really was competitive. In the Furniture Row’s chair department parlance, I took a ‘back seat’ to those guys.”

    9. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson started second and led 37 laps at Michigan on his way to a sixth-place finish.

    “We had a slow pit stop just past the midway point,” Johnson said. “That’s because the gas man had a problem getting the fuel in the tank. For this race, my gas man earned an octane rating of zero.”

    10. Kyle Larson: Larson passed Chase Elliott on a restart with nine laps remaining to capture the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The win secured a spot for Larson in the Chase For The Cup, which begins September 18 at Chicagoland.

    “I made Elliott my ‘Target,” Larson said, “and the Chase was on. That was a sponsor plug, a rival driver plug, and a plug for the NASCAR postseason in one sentence. I have truly arrived in this sport.”

  • Chase Elliott says he just needed a better restart at the end

    Chase Elliott says he just needed a better restart at the end

    Asked what he needed on the last few laps to have gotten the win, Chase Elliott said he just needed “a better restart.”

    The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet will be able to say he finished runner-up in both races in the backyard of Chevrolet. He led 31 laps and was in prime position to score his first career victory in the Sprint Cup Series after he exited pit road ahead of eventual race winner Kyle Larson on the final round of green flag stops with 54 laps to go.

    He assumed the lead with 31 laps to go and was pulling away from Larson until a tire carcass from the No. 46 of Michael Annett brought out the caution with 13 laps to go.

    On the restart with nine laps to go, he spun the tires, Larson got a shove by Brad Keselowski and took the lead. Elliott made quick work of Keselowski, but couldn’t run down the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in the closing laps.

    After the race, he was asked what he needed to get the win.

    “Just a better restart again,” he said. “That was what it was all about for sure. Once that guy (Larson) got out front it was really hard to pass.”

    As is usually the case with Elliott, he put most of the blame on himself.

    “My guys did such a good job today of making the most of pit road,” he added. “That was the only place you could make a large sum of ground in a short period of time. They did exactly what I asked them to do. I said ‘you guys are going to have to bail me out here I messed up.’ They did they got us the lead just like I asked and I gave it away again.  It’s one of those things where you do or you don’t and I didn’t. You just got to recognize your mistakes, look at the positives I guess and move on down the road.”

    When asked if he was frustrated and/or disappointed during his post-race media availability, Elliott said he’d “be lying if I said I wasn’t. If I wasn’t, that would mean I didn’t care. So, you know, for me, just have to try to take the positives out of it, recognize an issue when you see one. There’s only one way to fix it, and that’s to hit it head on. No need of hiding from it. Just try to fix it. Hope you have more opportunities to improve and to show that you can do it down the road…there’s no guarantees in life. There’s certainly no guarantees in racing. Have to recognize that, and like I said, hit it head on.”

    The same mishap befell him back in June on a late restart at Michigan where he spun the tires leading the race and lost the victory to Joey Logano.

    Elliott leaves Michigan 11th in points and 14th on the Chase grid if the Chase started today.