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  • Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 pit crew wins NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge at North Wilkesboro

    Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 pit crew wins NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge at North Wilkesboro

    In the return of NASCAR’s Pit Crew Challenge at a revived venue, the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota TRD Camry pit crew piloted by rookie Ty Gibbs and led by crew chief Chris Gayle achieved an advantage in their quest to make the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race by winning the All-Star Pit Crew Challenge at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Friday, May 19.

    The No. 54 JGR pit crew executed the top four-tire pit service time of the day at 13.012 seconds, which was enough to best 36 challengers and their respective pit crews as they claimed the $100,000 bonus. The result also awarded Gibbs, the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion from Charlotte, North Carolina, the pole position for the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Open which will comprise 100 laps and occur on Sunday, May 21, at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

    This year’s Pit Crew Challenge made its first return since 2012 and served as part of NASCAR’s revival to the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, with the last NASCAR competition occurring in 1996 and was won by four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon.

    During the Pit Crew Challenge, which determined the starting lineup for the All-Star Open and two 60-lap Heat Races, which will determine the official starting lineup for the All-Star Race, the 37 competitors who participated in the challenge drove their respective cars into a pit stall prior to entering and stopping at their assigned for their pit service, which would start the time. Once the pit crew completed the four-tire service, the competitors exited their pit stall and crossed the stall after their own, which would complete the time.

    With the top starting spot for the All-Star Open, Gibbs, a 2023 Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year contender who is currently campaigning in his first full-time season in NASCAR’s premier series, will attempt to race his way into this first All-Star Race event that will occur on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. Gibbs’ pit crew led by crew chief Chris Gayle include car chief Nate Bellows, fueler Peyton Moore, jackman Darrell Edwards, front-tire changer Blake Houston, rear-tire changer Mike Hicks and carrier Jacob Holmes.

    “All credit to [the pit crew],” Gibbs said on FS1. “To be honest with you, I don’t think you should be interviewing me. You should be interviewing those guys. They work so hard. Thank you to all those boys out there. All those guys work so hard, so I appreciate them and all they do. I’m excited. We’ll see what happens. [I’m] Excited that NASCAR brought this [pit crew challenge] back. I really appreciate them giving these pit crew guys a shot.”

    Joining Gibbs on the front row for the All-Star Open will be Josh Berry, who will also be making his fourth start as an interim competitor in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for the injured Alex Bowman. Despite Bowman and the No. 48 team’s eligibility for this year’s All-Star Race after winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2022, Berry does not meet any automatic eligibility criteria for the event as he will attempt to race his way into the main event on Sunday. Nonetheless, the No. 48 pit crew delivered on Friday with the fifth overall and second for the All-Star Open pit stop time at 13.677 seconds.

    Corey LaJoie will line up in third place for his starting spot for the All-Star Open while Harrison Burton, Justin Haley, Michael McDowell, Todd Gilliland, Ryan Preece, Aric Almirola and AJ Allmendinger will start in the top 10.

    NASCAR All-Star Open Lineup (including pit stop time)

    1. Ty Gibbs (13.012 seconds)

    2. Josh Berry (13.677 seconds)

    3. Corey LaJoie (13.911 seconds)

    4. Harrison Burton (14.091 seconds)

    5. Justin Haley (14.294 seconds)

    6. Michael McDowell (14.509 seconds)

    7. Todd Gilliland (14.707 seconds)

    8. Ryan Preece (14.760 seconds)

    9. Aric Almirola (14.776 seconds)

    10. AJ Allmendinger (15.796 seconds)

    11. Josh Bilicki (18.281 seconds)

    12. Ty Dillon (18.447 seconds)

    13. Chandler Smith (19.004 seconds)

    14. Ryan Newman (20.300 seconds)

    15. Noah Gragson (20.886 seconds)

    16. JJ Yeley (21.066 seconds)

    Meanwhile, Daniel Suarez and Chris Buescher were also left victorious after both achieved pole positions for the two Heat Qualifying Races that will occur on Saturday, May 20, beginning at 7:20 p.m. ET on FS1.

    For Suarez, who received the second-fastest pit service from his No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team led by crew chief Travis Mack at 13.297 seconds, he will lead a group of 11 competitors overall to the start of the first Heat event, with the first Heat event determining the starting lineup of the inside lane for the All-Star Race. Joining him on the front row will be Chase Elliott, whose No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 pit crew posted the fourth-overall pit stop time at 13.572 seconds.

    “[The pit crew] are legends,” Suarez said. “I’m very, very fortunate to have an amazing pit crew. We have amazing people and it’s showing. It’s amazing that we’re gonna have a good starting spot [for the Heat Race]. The car is pretty good. I’m confident that we’re gonna be able to keep our track position, have some fun and hopefully, be fighting for the big trophy on Sunday.”

    Buescher, who received the third-fastest pit service from his No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford Mustang team led by crew chief Scott Graves at 13.381 seconds, will lead a group of 10 competitors to the start of the second Heat event that will follow suit at 8:15 p.m. ET on FS1 and determine the starting lineup of the outside lane for the All-Star Race. Joining him on the front row will be Austin Dillon, whose No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 pit crew posted the sixth-overall pit stop time at 13.712 seconds.

    “That was awesome,” Buescher said. “I’m so proud of our group. You’re interviewing the wrong person. I had nothing to do with [the result]. I just got it for [the pit crew] and they did a heck of a job. [I’m] Gonna be watching all the on-track activities here these next two days and be ready for this race. We had a really good car in practice too, so I’m pumped right now. That’s awesome.”

    Heat Race #1 Lineup

    1. Daniel Suarez (13.297 seconds)

    2. Chase Elliott (13.572 seconds)

    3. Joey Logano (13.835 seconds)

    4. Denny Hamlin (14.089 seconds)

    5. Chase Briscoe (14.674 seconds)

    6. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (15.063 seconds)

    7. Austin Cindric (14.154 seconds)

    8. Kevin Harvick (15.579 seconds)

    9. Ryan Blaney (18.819 seconds)

    10. Christopher Bell (20.064 seconds)

    11. Erik Jones (21.359 seconds)

    Heat Race #2 Lineup

    1. Chris Buescher (13.381 seconds)

    2. Austin Dillon (13.712 seconds)

    3. William Byron (13.867 seconds)

    4. Ross Chastain (14.373 seconds)

    5. Kyle Larson (14.697 seconds)

    6. Martin Truex Jr. (15.115 seconds)

    7. Bubba Wallace (15.167 seconds)

    8. Brad Keselowski (18.044 seconds)

    9. Kyle Busch (19.531 seconds)

    10. Tyler Reddick (21.034 seconds)

    With the starting lineups for both the All-Star Open and the All-Star Race Heat events set, the first All-Star Race Heat event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, May 20, at 7:20 p.m. ET on FS1 followed by the second All-Star Race Heat event that will follow suit at 8:15 p.m. ET on FS1. The All-Star Open is scheduled to occur on Sunday, May 21, at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1 while the All-Star Race will follow suit at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, all at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

  • The Final Word – Bristol, we have a problem

    The Final Word – Bristol, we have a problem

    Bristol is not Las Vegas, Phoenix, Fort Worth or Charlotte. There are reasons to go to the Virginia-Tennessee border. The country is beautiful. On Sunday, it appears a lot of people were taking in the scenery. They sure in hell were not at the race track.

    NASCAR is in serious trouble. Sure, we have commented on the dropping ratings and crowds for years. The pretty people who once made it the thing to be part of have all disappeared and even the sponsors rarely do anything special in their commercials as they did a decade or more ago. We knew things were not great. Then we saw the grandstands at Bristol on Sunday.

    They were “optimizing the stadium configuration for the spring race only” the track folks announced, taking “a more frontstretch and backstretch approach.” That was their way of explaining why not a single soul was sitting in the large stretches at either end of the facility. Not a soul. No doubt the buses arrived to take the sight seers out on their tour and off they went. Not a candy wrapper to be found.

    “To create a more energetic atmosphere” was what was to be enjoyed by the token few left behind. I can smell the bovine excrement from here. In a stadium that is built for 146,000 fans, only an estimated 38,000 bothered to show up for the prizes and to be revved up during the cautions and stage breaks. When one of your most iconic tracks, one that can be counted on to serve up some great action, looks as abandoned as North Wilkesboro, you have a problem. An Apollo 13 kind of problem.

    Sometimes a race can be highly entertaining. Daytona was. Bristol was. Everything in between was not. They actually sucked. I wager that the “action” presented in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix, California, Martinsville, and Texas earned the sport not one single new fan. Not one. Instead, they probably sent a few more former fans packing. When they quit turning out at a track like Bristol, disaster looms on the horizon.

    Want a quick easy fix? How about announcers who entertain you in a fashion the race is not. NBC finally got it, with the style of broadcasting delivered by Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Rick Allen and company keeping us tuned in just to hear what those boys and girls might say. On FOX, their style depends on the race being worth to watch, as their commentary does not provide a diversion for when it is not. Thus far, six of the eight have not.

    Now, take that NBC-style commentary with his broadcasters who might tell you what is happening, who might make you think, who certainly will make you laugh, and pipe it through as a channel on the scanners worn by those in the crowd. I am sure it would add to the experience a whole lot more than massive sections of empty seats and a few prizes. If they can not fix the racing, at least fix the experience.

    After 15 years of watching the sport closely, of commenting on it weekly, it simply became a chore for me. I am not the only one. Next year, NASCAR once again attacks its own tradition. For 11 seasons (2004-2014) they moved the Southern 500 out of its usual Labor Day spot. They even dropped the Southern 500 moniker for a time. When they finally returned to tradition, we thought they might have learned something. They did not. Next season, the former Firecracker 400 July race at Daytona moves to the fall, to be replaced by the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. The track at Indy is iconic, the NASCAR racing there is always horrid. Almost unwatchable,

    They keep saying the current schedule is stagnant. Who in hell are “they?” Are “they” people who actually go to the races, who are continuing family traditions with an annual trek to Daytona in the summer on their own dime? I sincerely doubt it. The tracks are not stagnant. The dates are not stagnant. The damn racing experience and the television commentary are what is stagnant. If you want to do something, fix that.

    Next week it is Richmond. Not bad. Two weeks after that, it is Talladega. Always great. After the shock we got at Bristol, I just hope they have enough fans left to fill at least half of the seats. I am taking nothing for granted.

  • The Final Word – Who in their right mind would enter a brand new machine at Martinsville?

    The Final Word – Who in their right mind would enter a brand new machine at Martinsville?

    Back in 1949, Martinsville was a dirt track. Fifteen cars started the 100 lap event in the opening year of what was to become the Cup series. Red Byron won it in a 1949 Oldsmobile. A brand new car. In those days, there was little modifications done in the strictly stock division. Now tell me, after seeing what became of the car of Daniel Suarez, who in their right mind would put a brand new strictly stock car in a race at Martinsville?

    Kind of makes you wonder why you would put a brand new strictly “stock” car in a 500-lap contest on what is now a paved track in 2017? At least the boys back at the shop are guaranteed work. This time out it was a Ford driven by Brad Keselowski who came up with a victory and a grandfather clock. It was his second win of the season and a 55-point bonanza for the driver who was in the Top Five in each of the first two stages before pulling away for all the marbles.

    Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott also picked up at least 50 points on the day, finishing second and third. Both contenders were strong throughout but just did not have enough to challenge over the final few laps. While remaining winless, the pair is solidly among the best of the rest, along with Joey Logano.

    Logano had an interesting day. He got tagged for his crew leaping over the pit wall too early in the first stage. In the second stage, he had to pit under green when he cut a tire. On a short track usually not that forgiving, he still brought his car home in fourth.

    Jamie McMurray had a nice running car. A top-10 car at least. He tried to extend the life of a tire that had already shuffled off this mortal coil just prior to the end of the first stage. The track said no, and after pounding the wall, his day was done after 105 laps, finishing last and earning one lousy point.

    Same fate for Kurt Busch. At least he was still out there, extending a less than promising day until he got caught up in a little mishap. Just a handful of laps later, cutting a tire and finding the wall himself on lap 295 allowed him to go visit McMurray in the garage.

    Do not speed in the pits. Just a little advice to keep one ahead of the mess, but it comes too late for Dale Earnhardt Jr. After being sent to the rear of the field, a seven car jam up on turn three pushed in his Chevy McChevy face and punctured his radiator. There was no fixing that on pit road, so he joined Jamie and Kurt at the hot dog stand. At least he earned eight big points, but still no Top Tens and remains buried in 25th place in the standings, 40 points out of a playoff spot.

    Suarez saw his jalopy reduced to modified hot rod proportions, and Denny Hamlin hit Danica Patrick in the mess that collected Junior while putting his car face first where it should not go. After that, it did not go anywhere. Both drivers finished 30th and beyond.

    Chris Buescher, who is not among our “27 relevant drivers” was on Sunday. An 11th place run was just fine for the No. 37 Bush’s Beans boys. Though he remains a couple of spots behind Junior in the rankings, he is tied with Patrick for 27th place overall. That almost makes the lad relevant. If you remember, the 24-year-old was not exactly high on our list last season, yet he made the Chase by winning at Pocono in August. We might have to keep an eye on this gent in Texas and beyond.

    Thirty-eight cars were entered at Martinsville. Forty-three once was the maximum, but that was reduced to 40 for last season. They had a full field at Daytona, just 39 in each of the four races after that, and now 38 last Sunday. The last time they had such a short field was 1996, with entry lists of 37 at one race at Bristol as well as both races at North Wilkesboro. Just 36 ran each of two runs that season at Martinsville.

    It would seem fewer folks are willing to put their brand new strictly “stock” machines on that track, or any track, these days.

  • The Final Word – Dover and the FedEx 400 Benefiting Jimmie Johnson

    The Final Word – Dover and the FedEx 400 Benefiting Jimmie Johnson

    Jimmie Johnson. Four wins in 2015. Ten wins at Dover. Seventy-four wins over the course of his career, just two shy of Dale Earnhardt’s total. Six championships. Gee, I wonder if he might ever make the Hall of Fame?

    He becomes only the fifth driver in NASCAR history to claim such dominance at a single track. Mind you, we’ve long been placing his name alongside such drivers as…

    -Richard Petty (Daytona – 10, Martinsville – 15, North Wilkesboro – 15, Richmond – 13, Rockingham – 11)

    -David Pearson (Darlington – 10)

    -Darrell Waltrip (Bristol – 12, Martinsville – 11, North Wilkesboro – 10)

    -Dale Earnhardt (Talladega – 10)…not counting the nine each he won at Atlanta, Bristol, and Darlington.

    Kevin Harvick was the runner-up and with two wins he holds the same position amongst the season leaders. Kyle Larson was third, but like the fourth place Aric Almirola, a win is what they need to be in the Chase. Martin Truex Jr. was sixth, but with a 140-point advantage over Clint Bowyer in the standings, he is still very good to go. Bowyer is 17th on the season and ninth on Sunday. The rest of the day’s Top Ten, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard and Jeff Gordon, remain solidly in the Top Sixteen, at least for now.

    For some, this day was in the pits, or at least that is where great days went to die. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick were in the Top-Fifteen, but were left wondering if not for pit penalties just what kind of day they might have had. Same for the 19th place Carl Edwards.

    Truex was amongst two that dominated early while Denny Hamlin led 118 laps including the opening 41 circuits. After a wreck caused by Bowyer that also caught Kurt Busch, Hamlin finished 21st, Busch 31st.

    As for brother Kyle, he looked strong the entire race, or at least the 90 percent he ran. With 25 to go, he and Brian Scott wrecked, leaving the younger Busch 36th. After missing so much of the season due to his Daytona injuries, he will need to win at least once and make up the 168 gap between himself and the 30th ranked Justin Allgaier over the next 13 events to make the playoff hunt. That is a gain of 13 per race. On Sunday, he gained just seven points on the 42nd placed Allgaier. It still can be done.

    Landon Cassill was 23rd on the day. The 26-year-old has been making the news, though off the track. After the World 600, he ran the 14-miles from the track to the Hall of Fame…on foot. Last Wednesday, he became Beckham Bear Alan Cassill’s dad. Pretty sweet.

    What is better, Cup action or IndyCar? Whatever you believe, it is not worth choking your fiancé over. It was a lovely domestic scene in Indiana as both were hitting the suds all day, then with he making dinner and her listening to the action from Indianapolis, the topic reared its ugly head. It appears that both are fine, but he does need a lawyer. No word as to whether the engagement is off or not.

    Dover had its moments and a few surprises. Actually, not a bad way to spend your Sunday afternoon. As for Pocono next weekend, Earnhardt comes in after sweeping 2014 while each of his Hendrick teammates has claimed the previous three. Gordon has six in total, Johnson three, but Hamlin could spoil the party having four of his own. Now, if only Bowyer will let him get to the finish.