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  • Harvick records milestone win for Ford at Dover, clinches regular-season championship

    Harvick records milestone win for Ford at Dover, clinches regular-season championship

    The moment Kevin Harvick, who started 17th, stormed to the lead in the the closing laps of the first stage, it was lights out for the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford compared to the rest of the competition. From there, Harvick went on to sweep both stages and storm to a dominating win in the second Drydene 311 event at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, August 23.

    The victory was Harvick’s seventh of the season, third at Dover and the 56th of his NASCAR Cup Series career. In addition, Harvick notched the 700th Cup career win for Ford and he clinched his first regular-season championship after maintaining the lead in the regular-season standings by 134 points over Denny Hamlin.

    The starting lineup was based on the results from Saturday’s Cup event, where only the top-20 finishers were inverted for Sunday’s race. With that, Matt DiBenedetto started on pole position and was joined on the front row by Ryan Newman.

    Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman started at the rear of the field after they elected to race in backup cars on Sunday along with Garrett Smithley due to an engine change.

    When the green flag waved, DiBenedetto took off with the lead and he led the first lap while Aric Almirola worked his way to second place after passing Newman. Behind, Austin Dillon was in fourth while Chris Buescher moved up to fifth.

    Shortly after, Ryan Blaney moved up into the top five as he was running in fourth place behind Newman and in front of Austin Dillon, teammate Tyler Reddick and Buescher. 

    While the competitors around the track continued to battle early and hard for positions, the caution flew around the fifth lap when contact from Joey Logano entering Turn 4 got Ricky Stenhouse Jr. loose as Stenhouse spun and made contact with the inside wall backwards. In the ensuing chaos, Chase Elliott sustained damage to the front nose of his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE after running into the rear bumper of Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry while Garrett Smithley and Joey Gase spun entering Turn 4 as Gase made hard contact with the outside wall.

    Following the wreck, Elliott and Gase retired while Kyle Busch, Stenhouse and Smithley continued. Under caution, Erik Jones made a pit stop after he sustained minimal damage to his No. 20 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 11, Almirola and his No. 10 Smithfield Hometown Original Ford Mustang gained a strong start on the inside lane to take over the lead from DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers Racing’s No. 21 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang. Behind, Blaney moved up to second place while DiBenedetto settled in third place ahead of Newman. Reddick moved up to fifth place in front of teammate Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski. 

    Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin and his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry were in 12th place in front of William Byron while Jimmie Johnson and his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE were in 15th in front of Kevin Harvick. Martin Truex Jr. was in 17th ahead of Bubba Wallace and Matt Kenseth. Kurt Busch was back in 22nd while Alex Bowman was in 24th. Jones was in 27th while Kyle Busch was back in 29th. 

    Following the first 20 laps, Almirola was leading by a second over Blaney followed by DiBenedetto, Reddick and Austin Dillon. Behind Logano moved up to eighth place after passing Newman while rookie Cole Custer was scored in seventh behind Keselowski. Buescher, on the other hand, had fallen back to 10th in front of Clint Bowyer.

    Six laps later, on Lap 26, the battling behind the leaders continued to ensue as Hamlin moved into the top 10 after passing Newman. Just behind him, Harvick moved up to 11th while Truex was in 13th ahead of Buescher. Shortly after, Harvick passed Hamlin for 10th place while Truex moved up to 12th. Meanwhile, Byron was in 13th place and running two spots ahead of teammate and rival for the final Playoff spot, Johnson. Way behind, Kyle Busch was in 24th while Kurt Busch was in 25th.

    Just past the Lap 30 mark, the caution returned due to debris spotted on the track. Under caution, most of the leaders led by Almirola, DiBenedetto and Keselowski pitted while others led by Blaney, Byron and Kurt Busch remained on track.

    When the race restarted on Lap 39, Blaney took off with the lead following a strong start on the outside lane while Byron moved up to the runner-up spot. By the following lap, DiBenedetto, the first one on fresh tires, made his way up to third place followed by Keselowski while Kurt Busch fell back to fifth place. Behind, Austin Dillon was in sixth place in front of Johnson, Almirola, Logano and Custer. Harvick was up in 11th and primed to move back into the top 10 while Bowyer, Hamlin and Truex were in 13th, 14th and 15th.

    By Lap 50, Blaney and his No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang were leading by more than a second over Byron and his No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. DiBenedetto, Keselowski and Kurt Busch continued to run inside the top five while Almirola passed Johnson to move into seventh place. Harvick and Logano were in ninth and 10th while Bowyer, Hamlin and Truex continued to run within the top 15. Wallace was in 17th in between Alex Bowman and Jones while Buescher and Kenseth were in the top 20. Newman was back in 22nd ahead of Daniel Suarez while Kyle Busch was back in 25th in between Ty Dillon and rookie Christopher Bell.

    Six laps later, Harvick continued his march to the front as he passed Austin Dillon and Kurt Busch to move up to sixth while Johnson continued to retain ninth place ahead of Logano. Towards the front, Keselowski muscled his way to third place and DiBenedetto and Almirola continued to battle while Harvick joined the party.

    With all the battling around the track continuing to take place, Blaney was still leading by more than a second over Byron. By Lap 62, however, Harvick moved up to third place after passing Keselowski. Four laps later, Harvick and his No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang moved into second place after passing Byron as he started to reel in to race leader Blaney for the first stage win with a fast car.

    On the penultimate lap of the stage, Harvick took the lead from Blaney following a pass on the outside lane and he was gone from there as he claimed the first stage on Lap 70 and his sixth stage victory of the season. Blaney settled in second behind Harvick while Byron, Almirola, and Keselowski were scored in the top five followed by Logano, DiBenedetto. Johnson, Kurt Busch and Austin Dillon.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Harvick retained the lead following a stellar stop from the No. 4 pit crew. Blaney exited second ahead of Byron, Logano and Keselowski. Following the pit stops, however, Almirola was sent to the rear of the field due to speeding on pit road.

    Shortly after, the red flag was displayed and the race was halted for more than 12 minutes due to safety workers repairing the concrete/pavement in between Turns 3 and 4.

    Once the engines re-fired, the cars returned under cautious pace and the racing under green resumed on Lap 78, Harvick rocketed away with the lead on the outside lane followed by Blaney and Logano while Byron fell back to fourth. Behind, Hamlin and Keselowski battled for fifth place while Truex, Johnson and DiBenedetto were battling in the top 10 ahead of Bowyer and his No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Mustang.

    More than 10 laps later on Lap 90, Harvick was still leading by more than a second over Blaney and more than two seconds over Logano and Byron with Hamlin trailing by more than four seconds and Keselowski by more than five seconds. With Byron in fourth, teammate Johnson was in eighth ahead of DiBenedetto, Bowyer and Kurt Busch. Rookies Custer and Reddick were in 12th and 14th while Jones was in 15th ahead of Wallace, Kenseth and Kyle Busch. Almirola was back in 21st ahead of Austin Dillon and Bell while Newman was in 25th.

    Just shy of the Lap 100 mark, the caution returned due to a spin involving Corey LaJoie in Turn 2 following contact with Ty Dillon. Under caution, the leaders pitted and Logano emerged with the lead after exiting first ahead of Harvick and Blaney while Truex and Hamlin exited inside the top five ahead of Byron. Following the pits stops, however, Johnson was sent to the rear of the field due to speeding on pit road. 

    When the race restarted on Lap 106, Logano and Harvick battled dead even through Turns 1 and 2 before Logano and his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang prevailed by clearing Harvick and the field. Blaney, Hamlin and Truex continued running in a single-file lane in the top five followed by Byron, Keselowski, Bell, Kurt Busch and DiBenedetto. Soon after, Bell and DiBenedetto battled intensely for ninth place with Custer and Bowyer trailing behind.

    At the front, Harvick started to intimidate Logano for the lead. After spending the previous few laps trying to gain a run and navigate his way around Logano, Harvick prevailed and reassumed the lead on Lap 115. Meanwhile, Byron was in sixth while Johnson was up to 23rd.

    By Lap 130, with the field settling into single-file racing, Harvick was still leading by more than a second over Logano with Blaney trailing by less than three seconds. Hamlin and Truex were still in the top five followed by Byron. Keselowski, Kurt Busch, DiBenedetto and Bowyer continued racing in the top 10 while Almirola was in 13th in between Bowman and Reddick. Austin Dillon was in 15th ahead of Jones, Johnson, Kenseth, Buescher and Kyle Busch. Wallace was back in 23rd ahead of Newman and Michael McDowell.

    Ten laps later and on Lap 140, Harvick was at the front of the field by more than two seconds over Logano with Blaney and Hamlin trailing by less than five seconds. 

    Another twenty five laps later and past the halfway mark, Harvick extended his advantage to more than seven seconds over Penske teammates Logano and Blaney. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Hamlin and Truex were in fourth and fifth as both continued to reel in the Penske teammates. Behind, Byron was in fifth place while teammate Bowman, racing in a backup car, was in sixth. Behind, Johnson was up in 12th in between Stewart-Haas Racing’s Bowyer and Almirola while Kurt Busch was in 10th behind Keselowski and Custer. DiBenedetto was in 15th ahead of Buescher and Reddick while Kyle Busch was in 19th. Behind, competitors like Jones, Newman, Wallace, McDowell, Bell, Ryan Preece, LaJoie, Suarez and Ty Dillon were pinned a lap behind the leaders.

    By Lap 180 and with the laps in the second stage winding down, Harvick continued to extend his advantage as he was leading by more than eight seconds over Logano. Behind, Hamlin and Truex made a three-wide move on Blaney as Hamlin moved up to third place in front of Truex while Blaney was back in fifth place in front of Byron.

    With no challengers mounting close behind his fast car, Harvick streaked across the start/finish line to claim the second stage on Lap 185 for his seventh stage victory of the season. By then, he clinched the regular-season championship and will earn an extra 15 points towards the 2020 Cup Playoffs in September. Logano settled behind Harvick followed by Hamlin, Truex and Blaney. Byron, Bowman, Custer, Johnson and Keselowski were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Harvick retained the lead followed by Logano, Hamlin, Truex, Byron and Blaney. Prior to the start of the final stage, Hamlin opted to restart beneath Harvick on the front row while Logano restarted in the second row and on the outside lane next to Truex’s No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry.

    With approximately 190 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Harvick rocketed away with the lead. Logano moved up to second place ahead of Hamlin and Truex while Byron, Bowman and Blaney battled for more. Johnson was in 10th place ahead of Kurt Busch while Almirola worked his way back to 12th in front of teammate Bowyer. DiBenedetto was back in 15th while Kyle Busch was in 18th ahead of Reddick. Jones, meanwhile, was in 27th and pinned a lap behind the leaders.

    At the Lap 200 mark and with 111 laps remaining, Harvick was leading by more than a second over Logano with Hamlin trailing by more than two seconds and Truex and Byron trailing by less than four seconds.

    With 100 laps remaining, Harvick’s advantage extended to more than two seconds over Logano while Hamlin and Truex were stabilized in third and fourth. Byron was in fifth, four spots ahead of teammate Johnson with Almirola trailing Johnson. Almirola and Bowyer were in 10th and 11th followed by Kurt Busch. DiBenedetto was still in 15th while Kyle Busch made his way up to 16th.

    Four laps later, the caution returned when rookie Quin Houff got loose and spun in Turn 1 from the outside lane and down to the banking. Under caution, the leaders pitted and Harvick retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Logano, Hamlin, Truex, Bowman and Byron.

    With 90 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Harvick, once again, jumped ahead with the advantage. While Hamlin and Logano pursued Harvick for the lead, Truex retained fourth place ahead of Bowman, Byron and Blaney while Bowyer passed teammate Custer for eighth place. Behind, Johnson was back in 13th behind Keselowski and ahead of Kyle Busch while Kurt Busch and DiBenedetto were back in 17th and 18th.

    With less than 85 laps remaining, Hamlin dropped off the pace and made an unscheduled pit stop to address a loose wheel as his hopes of winning two Dover races in one weekend evaporated.

    At the front, Harvick continued to lead by two seconds over Logano while Truex trailed by more than three seconds. Hamlin’s misfortune moved Hendrick Motorsports’ teammates Bowman and Byron back into the top five while Stewart-Haas Racing’s Bowyer and Almirola battled for seventh place. Johnson moved back into 10th place behind Custer while Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch moved up to 13th and 15th.

    Less than 60 laps remaining, Harvick’s advantage grew to more than three seconds over Logano while Truex trailed the leaders by less than five seconds. Behind Bowman and Byron, Almirola was up in sixth place in front of Blaney while Johnson was in ninth in between teammates Bowyer and Custer. Not long after, Bowyer and Johnson passed Blaney and then, Johnson passed Bowyer to move into seventh place.

    With 50 laps remaining and with dark clouds starting to overshadow the track, Harvick was leading by more than four seconds over Logano while Truex trailed by five seconds. Byron was in fifth place while Johnson continued his march towards the front in seventh place. By then, Blaney had fallen back to 11th place while Custer and Austin Dillon occupied the final spots in the top 10.

    With less than 40 laps remaining, Harvick’s advantage grew to more than five seconds over Logano as he was also navigating his way through lapped traffic. Meanwhile, Johnson passed Almirola to move up to sixth place as he started to pursue his teammate/Playoff rival Byron for more.

    Down to under 25 laps remaining, the caution returned when LaJoie made contact with the Turn 3 outside wall after cutting a right-front tire. The caution all but evaporated Harvick’s advantage of more than five seconds over Logano, Truex and Bowman while Johnson was behind Byron by more than a second for fifth place.

    Under caution, the leaders pitted and Johnson emerged with the lead following a gusty two-tire pit stop. Harvick exited in second followed by Harvick, Truex, Bowman, Logano and Byron.

    With 17 laps remaining, the racing under green resumed as Johnson and his No. 48 Chevrolet retained the lead for three turns. Through Turns 3 and 4, however, Harvick was back in command with the lead as Johnson retained second place in front of Truex. Byron, meanwhile, was in fourth place.

    Four laps later, Truex moved into second place as Johnson had teammates Byron in the No. 24 car and Bowman in the No. 88 car in his rearview mirror. Another four laps later and with 10 laps remaining, Harvick extended his lead to nearly three seconds over Truex while Johnson was still in third place just ahead of teammates Byron and Bowman. Behind, Kyle Busch battled Custer for the final spot in the top 10.

    For the final five laps, while the field around the track continued to battle for positions, Harvick was long gone from the field and he had enough of a big cushion over Truex to streak his No. 4 Ford across the finish line and grab another win to a dominating season and in his quest for his second Cup championship.

    With 56 Cup career wins, Harvick moved into a tie with Kyle Busch for ninth place on the all-time NASCAR Cup wins list. In addition, Harvick became the third competitor to clinch the regular-season title since its inception in 2017 as he also recorded the 63rd Cup career win for Stewart-Haas Racing.

    “I have to thank everybody on our Mobil 1 Ford Mustang,” Harvick said in Victory Lane on NBCSN. “Congratulations to Ford on their 700th Cup win. Just really got to thank everybody on this team. [Crew chief] Rodney [Childers] and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing for overcoming what happened yesterday with the track bar, being able to nail the balance today. Man, what a year. What a seven years. Just really, really proud of everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing for being able to drive this car. Week after week, they just put so much effort into making this thing go fast and it’s just been a great year. I love the grit about our race team. I think that’s what Gene Haas and Tony Stewart have built at Stewart-Haas Racing. Sometimes, we don’t have the fastest car, but we have guys that are willing to just suck it up and win. We have a weak link on that day, somebody else is gonna carry the team. Just really proud of that because that’s what it’s all about. You’re only as good as the people around you, and we have great people.”

    Truex rallied from vibration issues in the closing laps to finish in the runner-up spot for the second day in a row. Compared to Saturday’s run in the late stages, Truex had nothing for race winner Harvick.

    “Definitely not the same way [as Saturday],” Truex said. “I thought, if anything, we were probably a little bit worse today. We tried some things overnight, definitely didn’t do what we hoped it would do. Live and learn. It was a tough day. The Bass Pro Camry had good speed. It was just a handful again. Just never could get it to do what we wanted it to do. We fought hard, we battled. We executed well. Came home with a good result. We’ll keep working to try to get a little bit better. A finish [at Daytona] would be fabulous. If not, hopefully, we’ll pay it forward with a little bit of luck for Talladega in the Playoffs.”

    Behind, Johnson held off teammates Byron and Bowman to finish in third place in his 38th and final event at the Monster Mile. With their results and the stage points both earned on Sunday, Byron holds sole possession of the 16th and final spot to the Playoffs by four points over teammate Johnson heading into next weekend’s regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway.

    Logano finished in sixth place while Almirola, Keselowski, Austin Dillon and Custer finished in the top 10 ahead of Kyle Busch, Blaney, Kurt Busch, Buescher and Kenseth. 

    Based on their top-15 results, Almirola and the Busch brothers secured spots for this year’s Cup Playoffs based on points along with Bowyer, who finished 16th, ahead of DiBenedetto.

    Sunday’s Cup race capped off an eventful weekend of motorsports racing at the Monster Mile that involved a Cup race on Saturday, two Xfinity Series races on back-to-back dates, a Truck Series and an ARCA Menards Series event on Friday. Prior to Harvick’s win, the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway occurred, with Takuma Sato achieving his second Indy title over Scott Dixon and Graham Rahal.

    There were 15 lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 40 laps.

    Results.

    1. Kevin Harvick, 223 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    2. Martin Truex Jr.

    3. Jimmie Johnson, three laps led

    4. William Byron

    5. Alex Bowman

    6. Joey Logano, 15 laps led

    7. Aric Almirola, 22 laps led

    8. Brad Keselowski

    9. Austin Dillon

    10. Cole Custer

    11. Kyle Busch 

    12. Ryan Blaney, 37 laps led

    13. Kurt Busch

    14. Chris Buescher

    15. Matt Kenseth

    16. Clint Bowyer

    17. Matt DiBenedetto, 11 laps led

    18. Tyler Reddick

    19. Denny Hamlin

    20. John Hunter Nemechek

    21. Bubba Wallace

    22. Erik Jones, one lap down

    23. Corey LaJoie, one lap down

    24. Ryan Newman, one lap down

    25. Michael McDowell, one lap down

    26. Ryan Preece, one lap down

    27. Christopher Bell, one lap down

    28. Daniel Suarez, two laps down

    29. Ty Dillon, two laps down

    30. Brennan Poole, six laps down

    31. B.J. McLeod, eight laps down

    32. Josh Bilicki, nine laps down

    33. Reed Sorenson, nine laps down

    34. Quin Houff, nine laps down

    35. Garrett Smithley, 15 laps down

    36. Timmy Hill – OUT

    37. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 96 laps down

    38. J.J. Yeley – OUT

    39. Chase Elliott – OUT, Accident

    40. Joey Gase – OUT, Accident

    The NASCAR Cup Series will return to Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 and the site of the final regular-season event on Saturday, August 29, where the 2020 Cup Playoffs will be determined. The race will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Hamlin conquers first Dover victory following a late pass; leads a JGR 1-2-3 finish

    Hamlin conquers first Dover victory following a late pass; leads a JGR 1-2-3 finish

    Denny Hamlin, who came into this weekend mounted with confidence, saved his best for the end after winning the first Drydene 311 event on Saturday, August 22, of a doubleheader weekend at Dover International Speedway following a late pass on teammate Martin Truex Jr. The victory was Hamlin’s sixth of the season (tied with Kevin Harvick for the most throughout the regular season), his first at Dover in his 29th attempt and the 43rd of his NASCAR Cup Series career.

    The starting lineup was based on three statistical categories: current owner points standings, the results from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap from a previous Cup race. With that, Chase Elliott, coming off his historic victory at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Denny Hamlin. 

    Rookie Brennan Poole started at the rear of the field due to failing pre-race inspection multiple times along with Daniel Suarez and Joey Gase, both of whom also started at the rear due to unapproved adjustments. In addition, Garrett Smithley, who was sent to the rear of the field, was assessed a pass-through penalty down pit road at the start of the race due to an impound procedure infraction.

    When the green flag waved, Elliott launched ahead with an early jump to clear the field with the lead. Behind, Hamlin cleared the field to move into the runner-up spot in Turn 2 followed by teammate Martin Truex Jr. Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano. Behind, William Byron was in sixth place and in front of Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick once the first lap was complete.

    By the fifth lap, Elliott was ahead by more than a second over Hamlin. Teammates Johnson and Byron, both of whom were battling for the final spot to the Playoffs, were in sixth and seventh while Bowyer moved into third place ahead of Truex and Logano. 

    Not long after, the caution flew the following lap when Kurt Busch, who was battling for a top-10 spot, spun and made head-on contact with the inside wall on the backstretch after being tapped by Erik Jones entering the turn. During the ensuing incident, Jones also received right-rear damage after getting hit by Alex Bowman and his No. 88 Acronis Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. The heavy left-front damage to his No. 1 Gearwrench Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was enough to end Kurt Busch’s race in the garage and out of the race in last place of the 40-car field.

    Under caution, Jones and Bowman made a pit stop to have the damage repaired to their respective machines. Chris Buescher, Corey LaJoie, Timmy Hill and rookie Christopher Bell also pitted.

    When the race restarted around the Lap 10 mark, Elliott retained the lead following a strong start. Hamlin followed pursuit in the runner-up spot with Bowyer, Logano and Truex in the top five. Behind, Harvick and Byron battled for sixth place in front of Johnson.

    By the 20th lap, Elliott was still ahead by more than a second over Hamlin. Behind, Harvick made his way into the top five after passing Truex. When the competition caution flew on Lap 25, Elliott was ahead by more than half a second over Hamlin followed by Bowyer, Harvick and Logano. By then, Byron and Johnson were in seventh and eighth followed by Keselowski while rookie Tyler Reddick was in 10th place. Ryan Blaney was in 11th place ahead of Kyle Busch and rookie Cole Custer while Aric Almirola was in 14th. Matt DiBenedetto, Austin Dillon and Matt Kenseth were in 16th, 18th and 19th while Bubba Wallace was in 21st. Ryan Newman and Erik Jones were in 24th and 25th.

    Under the competition caution, nearly the entire field pitted and Logano exited first followed by a two-tire pit stop. Blaney and Almirola also gained spots up the leaderboard following two-tire pit stops while Hamlin edged Elliott as the first car to exit on four fresh tires.

    When the pit stops concluded, Austin Dillon, who made his return behind the wheel after being absent last weekend at Daytona due to being diagnosed with COVID-19 symptoms, emerged with the lead after opting not to pit followed by Kenseth, Newman, Chris Buescher, Bell and Logano. Following the stops, Harvick made two extra pit stops to have lug nuts tightened on his No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang.

    When the race resumed under green past the Lap 30 mark, Austin Dillon cleared Kenseth for the lead in Turn 2. Behind, Hamlin moved up to sixth while Elliott was back in 10th and after making the slightest of contact with Bowyer. By Lap 35, with Austin Dillon leading by more than a second over Kenseth, Buescher was in third place followed by Logano, Hamlin and Newman. Elliott was still stuck back in 11th place behind Almirola and Blaney.

    By Lap 45, Austin Dillon extended his advantage to more than three seconds over Hamlin, who was charging to the front on fresh tires, followed by Kenseth, Logano and Bowyer. Five laps later, Dillon’s advantage decreased to above a second over Hamlin. Kenseth, on old tires, was still holding strong in third place ahead of teammates Logano, Keselowski and Bowyer. Behind, Truex was in eighth ahead of Newman, Johnson was in 11th in between Almirola and Blaney, Harvick moved up from 30th to 14th ahead of Elliott and Byron and Kyle Busch was in 18th. Jones was back in 21st followed by DiBenedetto and Wallace while Bowman was in 28th.

    On Lap 59, Hamlin emerged with the lead over Austin Dillon while a variety of battles around the track among a multitude of competitors continued to ensue. For the remainder of the first stage under a dozen laps remaining, Hamlin was able to cruise to the stage win on Lap 70 and for his sixth stage victory of the season. Austin Dillon settled in second place, more than four seconds behind Hamlin, followed by Keselowski, Bowyer and Truex. Logano, Harvick, Johnson, Buescher and Almirola settled in the top 10. By then, Blaney and Kyle Busch were in 11th and 12th while Elliott fell back to 17th after leading the first 28 laps of the race. Byron was all the way back in 21st.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Hamlin retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Truex, Bowyer, Keselowski and Austin Dillon. During the pit stops, Elliott had a slow stop and dropped all the way back to 28th. Following the pit stops, however, Kenseth was sent to the rear after being nabbed with a pit road speeding penalty.

    The second stage commenced under green on Lap 77, and Hamlin cleared the field with the lead through Turn 2 followed by teammate Truex and Bowyer. A lap later, Johnson moved up to sixth after passing Logano while Kyle Busch battled Almirola for ninth place. 

    By Lap 85, Hamlin was still ahead by more than half a second over teammate Truex followed by Bowyer, Keselowski and Austin Dillon. Behind, Harvick was in eighth place in between Logano and Kyle Busch.

    When the race reached its 100-lap mark, Hamlin stabilized his advantage to nearly a second over teammate Truex. Bowyer was still in third place followed by Keselowski and Johnson, who was 19 spots ahead of teammate Byron and in prime position of moving back into the top-16 in the standings. Harvick was in eighth place, but pursuing for more while racing behind Logano and Austin Dillon. 

    Twenty laps later, on Lap 120, Hamlin and his No. 11 FedEx Toyota were still at the front by more than two seconds over teammate Truex and his No. 19 SiriusXM Toyota. Bowyer and Keselowski were still in third and fourth followed by Johnson, whose No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was 18 spots ahead of teammate Byron. Harvick was in sixth ahead of Logano and Kyle Busch while Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Almirola were in ninth, 10th and 11th. Blaney was in 12th followed by rookies Reddick and Custer while Jones was in 15th. Elliott was back up in 16th followed by Newman and DiBenedetto while Buescher, Wallace and Bell were in 20th, 21st and 22nd.

    Not long after, Byron was lapped by Hamlin as he continued to struggle with the handling of his No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE and keeping pace with the leaders, leading to him and crew chief Chad Knaus voicing their frustrations over the radio.

    Thirteen laps later, pit stops under green started as Harvick made the turn to pit road followed by Bell, Custer, rookie John Hunter Nemechek and Jones. The ensuing laps, Bowyer made his pit stop under green followed by Logano, Almirola, Truex, Blaney, Austin Dillon, Johnson and race leader Hamlin. During the cycle of pit stops under green, Johnson nearly collided with Stenhouse Jr. on the track, who slowed and made a late turn to pit road in Turn 3 in front of Johnson, who was coming with full speed, and caused Johnson to react swiftly to the right to avoid a collision.

    When most of the pit stops concluded and the field cycled through, DiBenedetto emerged with the lead on Lap 143. Buescher was in second followed by Byron, McDowell and Bowman while Hamlin and Truex were in seventh and eighth.

    On Lap 160, DiBenedetto made his pit stop under green and another lap later, Hamlin bolted his way around Byron to move back into the lead followed by Truex. By then, 19 competitors were pinned a lap behind the leaders, names that included Newman, Wallace, Bell, Ty Dillon, Buescher, Ryan Preece, Kenseth, Nemechek, DiBenedetto and Suarez. Shortly after, Almirola made an unscheduled pit stop under green to address a loose wheel.

    With five laps remaining in the second stage, Hamlin stabilized his advantage to more than a second over teammate Truex. Bowyer was still holding strong in third place followed by Kyle Busch, Keselowski and Harvick. Johnson was in eighth while Byron was back in 25th and two laps behind the leaders following his pit stop under green. 

    With no competition lurking behind and with a dominating car, Hamlin ran away with the second stage victory on Lap 185 as he claimed his series-leading seventh stage victory of the season. By then, he had lapped Blaney, who was in 15th. Truex was in second followed by Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Keselowski. Harvick, Johnson, Logano, Stenhouse and Elliott were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Truex, on this occasion, emerged with the lead over Hamlin. Teammate Kyle Busch exited in third place followed by Bowyer and Keselowski. Following pit stops, however, Austin Dillon was sent to the rear of the field due to being nabbed a pit road speeding penalty.

    When the final stage started with 119 laps remaining, Truex, who restarted on the outside lane, jumped with the lead ahead of teammate Kyle Busch, who restarted on the inside lane in second place. Hamlin, who restarted in the second row on the outside lane next to Keselowski, was back in fourth. Behind, Bowyer was in fifth ahead of Logano while Harvick, Elliott, Johnson and Stenhouse were running in the top 10. By then, Johnson was 20 spots ahead of Byron, who continued to struggle to keep pace with the leaders and his teammate for the final spot in the Playoffs.

    With 100 laps remaining, Truex stabilized his advantage to nearly a second over Kyle Busch and his green No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry. Hamlin was in third place, trailing by, followed by Keselowski, Bowyer, Logano and Harvick. Elliott was in eighth followed by teammate Johnson and Stenhouse. By then, 18 competitors were running on the lead lap with Ty Dillon running in 18th.

    Ten laps later, Truex, who was pursuing his first win since June at Martinsville Speedway, was still ahead by less than a second over teammate Kyle Busch and two seconds over his other teammate, Denny Hamlin. By then, with the Playoff picture dominating the headlines in the final races of the regular season, Johnson was in ninth, Jones was in 12th, Reddick was in 14th, DiBenedetto was in 16th ahead of Buescher, Almirola was in 21st in between Newman and Bell, Wallace was in 25th and Byron was back in 29th.

    Another 10 laps later and with the race continuing to dwindle under green, Truex was still leading teammate Kyle Busch by half a second with Hamlin trailing by less than two seconds.

    Under 70 laps remaining, Buescher made a pit stop under green followed by Bowman. Shortly after, Hamlin passed teammate Kyle Busch for the runner-up spot and encountered a bevy of lapped traffic while continuing to pursue teammate Truex for the lead. Behind, with lapped traffic starting to interfere those on the lead lap, Harvick was in sixth place in between Keselowski and Elliott.

    With 60 laps remaining, Harvick and Elliott made a pit stop under green and they were soon joined by Logano, Johnson, Newman, Bowyer and Kyle Busch. Not long after, Hamlin and Truex also made pit stops under green.

    While most of the field pitted, others that included new leader Keselowski had yet to make a stop while they opted to stretch their fuel cell to the fullest as possible. Under 50 laps remaining and with Keselowski, Stenhouse and Reddick pitting, Austin Dillon, who had yet to make a pit stop under green, was leading by more than 11 seconds followed by Truex, Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Bowyer, Harvick and Elliott.

    Under 40 laps remaining, Austin Dillon and his No. 3 Dow/Behr Ultra Scuff Defense Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE were still leading by four seconds over Truex, who continued to chip away Dillon’s huge advantage on old tires and low fuel. Then, with approximately 30 laps remaining, Truex reassumed the lead while Austin Dillon, who was hoping for a caution to cycle back with the leaders, pitted and was eventually lapped.

    Under 20 laps remaining, Truex was leading by nearly a second over teammate Hamlin with teammate Kyle Busch trailing by less than six seconds. Ten laps later and with 10 laps remaining, however, the battle for the lead started brewing with Hamlin drawing himself right to the rear bumper of Truex and challenging for the lead while Truex struggled to navigate his way around the lapped car of Almirola. 

    A lap later, Hamlin emerged with the lead after gaining a huge run through Turns 3 and 4, crossing beneath Truex and sliding up in front of Truex in Turn 1 to clear him for good through Turn 2. Another lap later, Hamlin was ahead by four-tenths of a second over Truex. When Hamlin started the final lap, he was ahead by nearly a second from teammate Truex. With his teammate unable to gain a run to challenge the lead back, Hamlin was able to cross the finish line in first place and take the checkered flag for the win by more than a second. 

    With the win, Hamlin recorded the 150th Cup win for Toyota and the 183rd Cup win for Joe Gibbs Racing. He also recorded his 12th Cup victory with crew chief Chris Gabehart. Sunday’s Dover event marked the first time since Homestead last November where three Joe Gibbs Racing competitors rounded out the podium results. Hamlin’s victory marked the ninth time since June where a Cup race was won by either Hamlin or Kevin Harvick as Hamlin continued his pursuit and momentum for his first Cup championship.

    “I’ve been running down the leaders these last few weeks, but I haven’t been able to get there,” Hamlin said in Victory Lane on NBCSN. “We just didn’t control that restart there and we just had to battle back. We had to go back and get it. [I] Just was able to work the top line there a little bit to get some momentum and it looked like our car was just a little bit better at moving around tp different lines. Proud of this whole FedEx Office team. This Camry was fast today. It was just unbelievable how good it was. Pit crew did an amazing job. Win No. 43. This is pretty awesome.” 

    “People always ask when you have Q&A’s, ‘What’s your least favorite track?’” Hamlin added. “I always say Dover just because I’m not good here. I love the track. I just haven’t been very good here, but we just have unbelievable cars right now. It just seems like we’re coming to the race track prepared. I’m putting the work in and we’re getting results because of it.”

    Truex, who led 88 laps, settled in the runner-up spot for his ninth top-five result of the season followed by teammate Kyle Busch, who led three laps and recorded his 11th top-five result. Following the race, Truex was straightforward in expressing his displeasure with the lapped car of Almirola for holding him up and allowing Hamlin to pass him for the lead and the win.

    “Really, I think if [Almirola] just wasn’t pinned in on the bottom [lane] in front of me, I would’ve been fine,” Truex said. “Every time I tried to move up to get some air on my car, he just slide up in front of me like an idiot. He’s the reason we lost the lead but in the end, we weren’t good enough. I thought that [Hamlin] was better than us all day long. We got the lead there in the pits and was able to use clean air to our advantage. I was never happy with the car all day long. The SiriusXM Camry was fast, but the balance was all over the place. It was firing off tight and getting really loose on the long runs. At the end, [there was] nothing I could do. Just out of control, sideways.”

    “We had a pretty fast Interstate Batteries Camry,” Busch said. “We made it all the way upfront and did a good job there. The time that we put tires on under green, the car was really fast, really good. So, I was optimistic keeping up with Truex. Then once we got tires on it, I could, maybe, keep up or be faster. We were so tight at the end. It went from being four, five numbers loose to four, five numbers tight. A ten number swing in just putting tires on. Crazy how that happens, but [we] come home with a good solid third place. [I] Got two good teammates, notebook, everything that they got to lean on. Hopefully, we can work on some things for tonight, get ourselves better and try to come out here with a win tomorrow.”

    Harvick recorded a strong fourth-place result followed by Elliott, who earned his ninth top-five result. Bowyer, Johnson, Logano, Keselowski and Stenhouse finished in the top 10.

    Almirola, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Bowyer and DiBenedetto continue to remain inside the top-16 cutline following their runs on Saturday. With his seventh top-10 result of this season, Johnson holds sole possession of the 16th and final spot to the Playoffs by three points over teammate Byron, who concluded his long race in 28th place. Jones finished 12th and he trails the top-16 cutline by 22 points while Reddick, who finished 13th, trails by 45 points.

    DiBenedetto finished 20th and will start on the pole for Sunday’s Cup Dover race, second of the weekend, alongside 19th-place finisher Newman.

    There were 15 lead changes for 10 different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 21 laps.

    With his 16th top-five result, Harvick continues to lead the regular-season series standings by 100 points over Hamlin.

    Results.

    1. Denny Hamlin, 115 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    2. Martin Truex Jr., 88 laps led

    3. Kyle Busch, three laps led

    4. Kevin Harvick

    5. Chase Elliott, 27 laps led

    6. Clint Bowyer

    7. Jimmie Johnson

    8. Joey Logano

    9. Brad Keselowski, nine laps led

    10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., one lap

    11. Cole Custer

    12. Erik Jones

    13. Tyler Reddick, one lap down

    14. Ryan Blaney, one lap down

    15. Austin Dillon, one lap down, 49 laps led

    16. Chris Buescher, one lap down

    17. Aric Almirola, two laps down

    18. Ty Dillon, two laps down

    19. Ryan Newman, two laps down

    20. Matt DiBenedetto, two laps down, 17 laps led

    21. Alex Bowman, two laps down

    22. Christopher Bell, two laps down

    23. Matt Kenseth, two laps down, one lap led

    24. John Hunter Nemechek, two laps down

    25. Ryan Preece, two laps down

    26. Michael McDowell, three laps down

    27. Bubba Wallace, three laps down

    28. William Byron, three laps down, one lap led

    29. Corey LaJoie, three laps down

    30. Daniel Suarez, five laps down

    31. J.J. Yeley, nine laps down

    32. Josh Bilicki, 12 laps down

    33. Quin Houff, 13 laps down

    34. Timmy Hill, 13 laps down

    35. Joey Gase, 18 laps down

    36. Brennan Poole – OUT, Rear end

    37. Garrett Smithley – OUT, Battery

    38. B.J. McLeod – OUT, Handling

    39. Reed Sorenson – OUT, Handling

    40. Kurt Busch – OUT, Accident

    The NASCAR Cup Series will return the following day, August 23, for its second doubleheader series event of the weekend at Dover, which will air at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Bristol Motor Speedway to welcome fans for NASCAR races in September

    Bristol Motor Speedway to welcome fans for NASCAR races in September

    More than a month after featuring select fans in attendance for NASCAR’s annual exhibition event, Bristol Motor Speedway will open its facilities and grandstands to allow fans to return in attendance for the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series races on September 18-19.

    The Xfinity and Cup Series are slated to return to Bristol Motor Speedway on September 18 and 19 as part of a quadruple-header week of racing that also involves the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series. The Xfinity Series event on September 18, the Food City 300, will occur at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN with the race serving as the final regular-season event of the season, where the 12-car Xfinity Playoff field will be determined. The Cup Series event on September 19, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, will occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with the event serving as the third and final Round of 16 event during the 2020 Cup Playoffs.

    “We are thrilled that fans will be joining us this September for both the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race and Food City 300,” said Jerry Caldwell, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, said. “We realize hosting major events here with fans during these unprecedented times comes with great responsibility. We anticipate a similar crowd size to July’s NASCAR All-Star Race for Saturday’s event and we will reduce capacity further for Friday night’s race. We will continue to be steadfast in our execution of our protocols and modified procedures to ensure these events are as safe as possible for everyone involved.”

    Bristol Motor Speedway officials noted that all fans who attend the events in September are required to wear a face covering/mask in common areas (gates, concessions, restrooms and concourse areas) and will have their temperatures checked upon entering the facility. In addition, all ticketing transactions will be conducted digitally to reduce touch points, enhanced cleaning/sanitation will be provided in highly public areas, hand sanitizers will be provided for the fans throughout the track’s facility and the fans will be encouraged to wear masks upon exiting the facility when the races are concluded. Social distancing will be in effect and encouraged for all fans upon entering the grandstand seats, but all spectators who are inside the facility are permitted to remove their masks after arriving in their grandstands seats while socially distancing oneself from others.

    “The opportunity to safely welcome back a limited number of guests for the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race in Bristol Motor Speedway history is certainly a privilege that our team doesn’t take for granted,” Caldwell added. “Our extensive plan that we used successfully in July during the NASCAR All-Star Race, which has been utilized as a blueprint recently by other sports leagues in their planning to conduct live events, definitely meets or exceeds all recommended state and local guidelines. We remain in constant communication with local and state leaders and NASCAR about our safety plan and we’ll continue to carefully work with them to ensure we’re doing everything we can to keep our customers, participants, employees and surrounding communities safe.”

    Exact attendance figures for the races will vary based on group sizes and keeping fans socially distanced from one another. Bristol Motor Speedway noted that masks will provided for fans, if needed. Fans will also be permitted to bring one clear bag (14x14x14) with food and beverages, but no coolers. The fans will also have options to park freely at Speedway Parking near the corner of White Top Road and Highway 394 or opt for paid parking at neighboring properties, but shuttles and trams will not operate during the events.

    This marks the second time this season where Bristol Motor Speedway will allow fans to attend a NASCAR event. On July 15, the 36th running of the NASCAR All-Star Race occurred at Bristol Motor Speedway after the event was moved earlier to Bristol from Charlotte Motor Speedway due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in North Carolina and to allow fans to attend the event. Approximately 20,000 fans were in attendance throughout Bristol Motor Speedway’s grandstands, starting from the NASCAR All-Star Open to the All-Star Race occurring under the lights and when Chase Elliott notched his first All-Star victory, which made this the biggest crowd attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic paused all sporting events throughout the United States of America.

    The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series races at Bristol, both to occur on September 17, will proceed with no fans in attendance.

  • Richmond Raceway will not host fans during NASCAR quadruple-header weekend in September

    Richmond Raceway will not host fans during NASCAR quadruple-header weekend in September

    Richmond Raceway will not have fans in attendance when NASCAR competes in Richmond, Virginia, on September 10-12 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and following further review and consideration with public health officials, medical experts and state/federal officials. The decision comes as NASCAR and Richmond elected to ensure the safety of the competitors, staff and the local community.

    “This was a difficult decision, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic we believe at this time it is in the best interests of the local community to host races without fans,” said Richmond Raceway President Dennis Bickmeier. “We are grateful for the patience and support of our long-time loyal fans in this unprecedented season, but we will unite over race weekend as we tune in to the national broadcasts on NBCSN, FS1, and MRN to watch NASCAR’s best compete in four races over three days at America’s Premier Short Track.”

    Prior to the 2020 season, NASCAR was slated to run four national division series races (Truck, Xfinity and Cup), with the Truck and Cup to run a doubleheader weekend on April 18-19 before the Xfinity and Cup Series competes on a doubleheader weekend on September 11-12. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, NASCAR was forced to rescheduled its racing events for March and beyond in an effort to complete the season by early November.

    On August 6, when NASCAR released the final installment of its racing schedule for its three national division series, Richmond was revealed to host a quadruple-header weekend in September. It will all begin on Thursday, September 10, when the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series makes its return to Richmond since 2005. The following day on Friday, September 11, the Xfinity Series will race at Richmond, which will serve as the 24th series event of the season. The quadruple-header weekend of racing will cap off on September 12 with the Xfinity and Cup Series to compete throughout Saturday.

    The Truck Series Richmond event on September 10 will serve as the final regular-season race of this season, where the 10-Truck Playoff field will be determined. The Xfinity Series doubleheader races at Richmond will serve as the penultimate regular-season events of the season prior to the Playoffs. In addition, the Xfinity event at Richmond on September 12 replaces the Xfinity race at Michigan International Speedway that was originally slated to occur in early June. Finally, the lone Cup Series event at Richmond on September 12 will serve as the second Round of 16 race during the Playoffs.

    Ticketholders for the Richmond Cup Series race and the Xfinity Series races will automatically receive a credit for the full amount of their purchase, along with an additional 20% of the total amount paid, in their ticket account by Friday, August 28. The 120% event credit can be used to apply towards future race events, including, but not limited to, a 2021 Cup Series race weekend at Richmond or another 2021 NASCAR sanctioned event at any NASCAR-owned tracks, subject to availability. For additional details or other options, fans can visit richmondraceway.com/assistance.

    The NASCAR Truck Series race at Richmond on September 10 will air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 while the first Xfinity Series race at Richmond on September 11 will air at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. On September 12, the second Xfinity race will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN while the Cup Playoff race will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. All races will also air on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and its network of nationwide affiliates, including SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • 2020 Cup Playoff outlook after Daytona RC

    2020 Cup Playoff outlook after Daytona RC

    Three races and two venues are all that remain in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season schedule with the Playoffs less than two weeks away from being set and commencing. With the deficit for the final spots to the Playoffs stabilizing and not decreasing, time is running low for many current and future stars to earn themselves and their team a ticket to the 2020 postseason battle for the series championship.

    With a win in the inaugural running of the Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, Chase Elliott joins a handful of competitors that have won multiple Cup races this season, a list that includes regular-season leader Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. All five, along with Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon and rookie Cole Custer, remain guaranteed spots in the Playoffs by virtue of winning one or more regular-season races. Though Austin Dillon did not compete at the Daytona Road Course event due to suffering COVID-19 symptoms, he is expected to be granted a waiver to qualify for the postseason.

    Currently, six spots continue to remain vacant for the 2020 Cup Playoffs with three spots set to be occupied by competitors that have not win this season thus far.

    The first competitor who continues to emerge as the highest winless competitor in points is Aric Almirola. Despite starting in sixth place, the Floridian struggled with maintaining and gaining track position throughout the race. A 24th-place result marked his lowest result since finishing in 33rd place at Martinsville Speedway in June. The good news for Almirola and his No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team is the fact that he is 130 points above the top-16 cutline to qualify for this year’s Playoffs.

    “We started to gain momentum there at the end and thought we could have put the Go Bowling Ford Mustang inside the top 10,” Almirola said. “Unfortunately, that caution came out and we pitted. I was caught behind some cars on the restart with nowhere to go. That’s road course racing. Not the day we wanted, but we kept the car on the track and in one piece. We’ll regroup and go to Dover where we know we can bring speed.”

    For the Busch brothers, it was a tale of mixed results. For Kurt Busch, he started in eighth place and was battling for a spot in the top 10 throughout the race before he settled in 14th place when the checkered flag flew. Kyle, on the other hand, had a roller coaster run that ended up with misfortunes. It all started in the opening laps when he locked up his front tires while running inside the top five and made an unscheduled pit stop for fresh tires, a move that sent him to the rear of the field. He rallied his way back into the top 10 during the second stage, but spun in Turn 6 after locking up his front tires. While he appeared poised for a strong result despite his early struggles, his race went away under 20 laps remaining when he took his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to the garage due to brake rotor failure. Though he returned to the track, he was involved in a single-car incident with five laps remaining and was unable to complete the race. Through the first 23 races of this season, both Busch brothers remain winless, with Kurt above the cutline by 121 points and Kyle by 100 points.

    “I really enjoyed the day today, the track was a fun challenge for us,” Kurt Busch said. “[Crew chief] Matt McCall did a nice job making adjustments on the Monster Energy Camaro, but we burned up the tires on the last longer run and just had to play a little defense in the end. It was a really fun track and I had some fun out there today, I just didn’t have enough in the end.”

    Compared to Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer had a strong performance at Daytona. Starting 12th, Bowyer earned top-five results in both stages and collected a number of stage points towards the Playoffs. Though Bowyer could not keep pace with eventual winner Chase Elliott, he remained inside the top five in the final laps and was poised for more before he crossed the finish line in sixth place. Bowyer’s sixth-place result was his highest since finishing seventh and eighth during the Pocono Raceway doubleheader races in June and it snapped his recent seven-race stretch of finishing no higher than 11th. With his sixth top-10 result of the season, the Kansas veteran is 66 points above the top-16 cutline.

    “We did what we needed to do today,” Bowyer said. “We had a great Mobil 1 Ford. I thought it was going to be even better there at the end, but we must have gotten hot. [William Byron] got me on the restart and then another car got by me. If I didn’t have anything to lose there I might have been able to get a few more back. But that was a good points day. I hope we are on a roll and we continue this at Dover.”

    Right behind Bowyer in points continues to be Matt DiBenedetto, who started in ninth place and brought the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang in 15th place when the race concluded. With his 15th top-15 result of the season, DiBenedetto is 44 points above the cutline and three races away from making his first postseason appearance as a championship contender.

    With an eighth-place result at the Daytona Road Course event, William Byron continues to hold sole possession of the 16th and final transfer spot to the Playoffs by 25 points. Starting 13th, the Charlotte native contended inside the top 10 as he earned top-10 results in both stages and collected valuable stage points towards the Playoffs. Restarting in 34th with 26 laps remaining, Byron and his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE charged his way back towards the front. Following a late pit stop under green and a late caution due to a single-car incident, he was scored in sixth place. During the final three laps, he lost two positions before he crossed the line in eighth place for his seventh top-10 career finish in the Cup Series and to remain in contention for a spot to the 2020 Playoffs.

    “It was a good result for us today,” Byron said. “We chose to go for the stage points and had to pass our way through the field a few times because of that strategy. I think we did a nice job of that and getting a lot of those available points. Once we got towards the front top five we kind of stalled out though. Overall, I’m pretty happy with today and getting a good result. We just need to have a couple good weeks with solid races when we go on to Dover for two races and back to Daytona. I’m looking forward to Dover next week for sure though.”

    The competitor who trails the top-16 cutline by 25 points is seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who rallied from his share of on-track struggles throughout the summer to post his highest-finishing result since finishing in third place at Bristol Motor Speedway in May. With three regular-season races remaining, Johnson has three opportunities remaining in keeping his hopes for a record-setting eighth championship alive.

    The next two closest competitors behind Byron and Johnson in points are Erik Jones and rookie Tyler Reddick. Starting in 20th, Jones was able to notch a sixth-place result in the first stage. The remainder of the race, however, did not go as planned for the Michigan native as he settled in 16th in the second stage before finishing 11th in the overall race. For Reddick, who started 18th, he finished outside the top 30 in both stages and he could work his way only up to 18th when the race concluded. As a result, Jones trails the cutline by 35 points while Reddick trails by 57 points.

    The remaining competitors who trail the top-16 cutline by 146 points or more are rookie Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Newman, rookie John Hunter Nemechek, Ty Dillon, Matt Kenseth, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece, Daniel Suarez, rookie Brennan Poole and rookie Quin Houff.

    The battle for the final spots to the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will continue next weekend at Dover International Speedway for a series doubleheader weekend. The first Dover race will commence on Saturday, August 22, at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN while the second will occur the following day on Sunday, August 23, at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Johnson and Buescher record strong top-five results at Daytona RC

    Johnson and Buescher record strong top-five results at Daytona RC

    While Chase Elliott achieved a historic win in the inaugural Daytona International Speedway Road Course event on Sunday, August 16, teammate Jimmie Johnson and Chris Buescher achieved much-needed runs inside the top five and in their quest to contend for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship battle.

    For Johnson, who sported a new white and purple primary scheme to his No. 48 Ally/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, his race started in 11th place. Following the opening lap, the seven-time Cup champion made his way into the top 10. Throughout the first stage spanning 15 laps, he continued to methodically work his way towards the front and was scored in third place when the stage concluded, thus collecting a handful of stage points.

    Due to a series of pit strategies made among multiple competitors, Johnson restarted in 20th place for the stage of the second stage and after he made a pit stop for four fresh tires and fuel under the first stage’s break. Throughout the second stage that also spanned 15 laps, he raced and battled within the top 15 to top 20. Despite sustaining a hole to the front nose of his car due to contact on the restart to start the second stage, Johnson was able to settle in 14th place when the second stage concluded.

    Restarting in sixth place for the final stage, Johnson was running in fourth place and battling for more when the race was delayed due to weather with less than 30 laps remaining. Nearly half an hour later and when the race restarted, he continued to flex his muscles as he worked his way as high as second place, trailing teammate Chase Elliott, before he fell back to fifth.

    With five laps remaining, Johnson was poised for a top-three result behind Elliott and Denny Hamlin when the caution due to a single-car incident flew with five laps remaining. During a final three-lap dash to the finish, Johnson continued to battle for a spot in the top five before he crossed the finish line in fourth place, three spots behind race winner/teammate Elliott.

    Johnson’s third-place result in the inaugural Daytona Road Course event marked his best result and first top-five result since finishing third at Bristol Motor Speedway in May. It also marked his 12th career top-five result at Daytona in his penultimate run at the world center of racing. Despite his top-five run, Johnson trails teammate William Byron by 25 points for the 16th and final spot to the 2020 Playoffs with three regular-season races remaining.

    “Good job to everyone on my No. 48 Ally Chevy team,” Johnson said. “I just lacked that rear grip at the end there. That was a really fun and a solid day, that’s what we needed and now we go to my favorite track – Dover. So proud of Chase, what a road racer he is.”

    For Buescher, who carried a special message on his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang in celebration of a 10-year partnership between RFR and sponsor Fastenal, his race started back in 21st place. Following the first 10 laps, however, he was back in 24th place. When the first stage concluded on Lap 15, he was scored in 30th due to making a pit stop under green two laps earlier. Restarting in 14th place for the start of the second stage, Buescher spent most of the run inside the top 20 before he made a pit stop under green. When the second stage concluded, he was in 23rd.

    Lining up in 13th place for the final stage, Buescher was in ninth place when the race was delayed for nearly half an hour due to weather. When the race resumed with 26 laps remaining, he continued to race inside the top 10 before he pitted under 20 laps remaining. When he returned on the track, he was back in the top 15 and was charging to get back into the top 10. By the time he moved up to ninth place, the caution flew with five laps remaining due to a single-car incident.

    During a three-lap dash to the finish, Buescher wasted no time charging his way into the top 10 and for more as he made his first appearance inside the top five. When the checkered flag flew, he was able to cross the finish line in fifth place and as the highest-finishing Ford competitor.

    The fifth-place result was Buescher’s sixth of his Cup career and his best since finishing in third place in the Daytona 500 in February. With his result, however, he is 174 points below the top-16 cutline and will likely need a race win to qualify for the 2020 Cup Playoffs with three regular-season races remaining.

    “That was just a fun day for our Fastenal Ford Mustang team,” Buescher said. “We needed that after a couple of hard weeks. Some decent runs and some bad luck and that was fun. I was able to mix it up and steadily work our way forward. We kept learning as we went and there at the end we got beat up. All four corners of this Mustang are beat up but we got the finish out of it. That was a good one. A good day.”

    Johnson and Buescher, along with their fellow Cup competitors, will return next weekend for a pair of NASCAR Cup Series races at Dover International Speedway. The first Cup Dover event will occur on Saturday, August 22, at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN while the second Dover race will occur on Sunday. August 23, at 4. p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • 2020 Cup Playoff outlook after Michigan doubleheader

    2020 Cup Playoff outlook after Michigan doubleheader

    The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series regular season is nearing its conclusion following an eventful weekend doubleheader at Michigan International Speedway and with the Playoffs weeks away from being set and commencing.

    With a pair of victories on back-to-back dates at the Irish Hills added to his resume and long list of accomplishments, Kevin Harvick continues his quest for a second Cup championship. Including Harvick, 10 competitors have been guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs by virtue of winning throughout the previous 22 regular-season races, among which continues to include Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon and rookie Cole Custer.

    With four regular-season races remaining until the 2020 postseason field is set, six of the 16-postseason field spots remain vacant with multiple top names either on the bubble or still on the outside.

    Currently, Aric Almirola and the Busch brothers (Kyle and Kurt) continue to remain in decent shape of making the Playoffs by points. Almirola rallied from finishing 16th on Saturday, August 8, to collect a handful of stage points, lead a handful of laps and post a top-10 run on Sunday, August 9, at Michigan as he is 158 points above the top-16 cutline. Kyle Busch, on the other hand, posted two top-five results in both races along with a chunk load of stage points to place himself 140 points above the cutline and with an opportunity of defending his series title.

    Kurt Busch concluded his runs at Michigan by scoring a pair of 10th-place results and gaining a chunk load of stage points towards the postseason. With the 2004 Cup champion tallying his top-10 results to 14 this season, he and his No. 1 Monster Energy/Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team are 137 points above the cutline as he also looks to win a race for the first time since last July at Kentucky Speedway.

    “We covered a lot of ground with the Monster Energy Chevy,” Kurt Busch said on NBCSN. “Both days were a hard-fought battle, a little loose here, a little tight there, lane choice and then, pit stops. We did it as a team, but it was like yesterday, we had a seventh-place car. Today, we had a 13th-place car and finished 10th on both days. Thanks to Monster Energy and Chevy. We know what we need to get our cars more efficient. We need to be a little bit better down the straightaway and still have that handling. This seems like we’re up against this imagery bubble and with [teammate Matt] Kenseth getting better, that’ll help us…working with Hendrick [Motorsports] and trying to get the horsepower right, all of its a balance. Jim Campbell, Chevrolet, thanks to those guys. But, we just didn’t get it done here at Michigan.”

    For Clint Bowyer, it was an up-and-down weekend that ended up with a decent result approaching the final four regular-season races of this season. After finishing 19th on Saturday, Bowyer started Sunday on fire after leading the first 40 laps and winning the first stage. Throughout the second stage, he did not lead but he remained inside the top 10 and finished fifth to gain more stage points. For the early stages of the final stage, however, Bowyer’s race went backwards when he made an unscheduled pit stop after suffering a tire rub. He was able to quickly work his way back on the lead lap and from there, he charged his way back to finish 14th. With his 11th top-15 finish of this season, the Kansas native and his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team are 60 points above the cutline.

    Like Bowyer, Matt DiBenedetto had an eventful weekend at Michigan that started with a 15th-place result on Saturday and ended up with a strong top-10 result (seventh) on Sunday. With his seventh top-10 result of the season, the Californian and his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang team are 57 points above the cutline as DiBenedetto attempts to make his first postseason appearance as a title contender.

    “The ole car had its tongue hanging out all day,” DiBenedetto said on NBCSN. “It still wasn’t pretty. I’m glad to have driven this car. It looked good. Thank you to all of our Ford auto technicians, Motorcraft, Quicklane, Menards, everyone that allows me to drive this thing. It’s a lot of fun. We’re really doing good and the cool thing is when we have a car [that you are] very dissatisfied with and we finished seventh, that shows the strength of our team. So, I’m still encouraged about that. The second half of the season have some really good race tracks for me personally that I like a lot of the 750 horsepower tracks, a lot of the low downforce stuff. That’s what I definitely prefer. It fits my wheelhouse. Looking forward, we have a lot of really good tracks and we just get better and better as a team every week. So, tracks like the [Daytona] road course next week, I’m really looking forward to. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. It’s a lot of great places for us coming up.”

    For the 16th and final spot to the Playoffs, William Byron continues to retain the position by 26 points following a pair of top-15 results at Michigan. The first two competitors who continue to trail Byron and the cutline by 26 points are Erik Jones and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Like Byron, Johnson capped off both Michigan races with top-15 finishes and in his final races at the Irish Hills. Jones, on the other hand, had an up-and-down weekend that started with an 11th-place result on Saturday before he finished a disappointing 27th place on Sunday. With two missed opportunities of locking himself into the postseason and winning at his home track, Jones and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry team are still on the outside of the cutline and with Jones set to depart the organization following this season.

    Rookie Tyler Reddick had a long weekend at Michigan as he recorded finishes of 18th and 24th between the two races, and he now trails the cutline by 36 points.

    “We fought hard today at Michigan International Speedway, but our No. 8 Chevrolet Accessories Camaro ZL1 1LE was a challenge during the race,” Reddick said. “We fired off extremely tight, which made it hard to move around and run the bottom like I needed to be able to do. My crew chief, Randall Burnett, made some good adjustments during the race that helped loosen me up, but we just needed a little bit more today. We’ll definitely look back at this weekend as a team to see what we can learn from it and regroup for next weekend.”

    The remaining competitors who trail the top-16 cutline by 122 or more points include rookie Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, Chris Buescher, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., rookie John Hunter Nemechek, Ryan Newman, Ty Dillon, Matt Kenseth, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece, Daniel Suarez, rookie Brennan Poole and rookie Quin Houff.

    The battle for the final spots towards the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will continue next weekend in the inaugural Daytona International Speedway road course event, which will occur on August 16 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Kyle Busch, Almirola remain in Playoff contention with top-six runs at Michigan

    Kyle Busch, Almirola remain in Playoff contention with top-six runs at Michigan

    While Kevin Harvick capped off an eventful NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader weekend at Michigan International Speedway with back-to-back victories, Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola kept themselves in guaranteed spots for this year’s Playoffs after both notched top-10 results on Sunday, August 9, at the Irish Hills. To go along with their results from the first Michigan race on Saturday, August 8, and the stage points they collected during the two Michigan races, both left the Irish Hills satisfied with their runs as they continue to set their sights towards the postseason and an opportunity to win the 2020 Cup title.

    A day after having a potential shot of winning evaporated following the slightest of contact with eventual winner Harvick, Kyle Busch started Sunday’s race in 16th place and with vengeance. When the green flag waved, Busch wasted no time working his way towards the front. Following the first five laps, he had worked his way into the top 10 as he was running in seventh. Late in the first stage, the Las Vegas native made his way into the top five as he was scored in third. Ultimately, he would retain third place when the first stage concluded as he collected a chunk load of stage points towards the Playoffs. Following a stellar pit stop under the stage break, Busch emerged with the lead for the start of the second stage. At the start of the second stage, Busch, who led four laps, was quickly overtaken by Harvick for the lead. Nonetheless, Busch remained towards the front as he grabbed another third-place result in the second stage along with more stage points.

    Following a pit stop under the second stage break, Busch restarted in second place for the final stage. For the remainder of the race and under the final 65 laps, he kept his No. 18 M&M’s Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry within the top 10 and battled for a top-five spot alongside teammates Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. When the checkered flag flew, Busch settled in fourth place, one spot higher than his fifth-place result on Saturday. Even though his winless streak of this season extended for another week and to 22 races, Busch’s 10th top-five result of this season kept the reigning Cup champion 140 points above the top-16 cutline with four regular-season races remaining until the 2020 Cup Playoffs commences.

    “At the end of the day, we slowed down a little bit on the long runs,” Kyle Busch said on NBCSN. “That’s just what we had. We got about all we could get out of the day. I felt like [Harvick] was the best car, [Brad Keselowski] was second best, [Hamlin] at the end showed up and was pretty fast, but [Truex] and myself were really even. That’s about all we had. Great day again for the M&M’s Fudge Brownie Camry. We come to Michigan not normally looking for top-five days, but this has been two good days. Hopefully, we can keep some momentum rolling and get ready to go next week [at Daytona], turn right and turn left. Yesterday and today, the car drove great. Best driving car I’ve had here at Michigan…We stayed consistent with many of the things that we were doing from yesterday just to have a good solid effort of it today and not screw anything up.”

    Compared to Busch, Aric Almirola had an up-and-down weekend at Michigan that ended up on a positive note. A day after finishing 16th, Almirola, who was scheduled to start in fifth place, dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car. Throughout the first stage and the first 40 laps, he methodically carved his way through the field and was scored in 19th. Starting 16th in the second stage, he cracked the top 10 throughout the run under green. By the time the second stage concluded, he finished eighth and collected a handful of stage points.

    Starting 11th in the final stage, Almirola flexed his muscles as he made his way into the top five. Under 50 laps remaining, however, Almirola and his No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang emerged with the lead under caution through miscommunication when he had meant to pit with the leaders. For the ensuing restart, he led nine laps before he was overtaken by Harvick. While the run progressed, Almirola remained well inside the top 10, but needed a caution to complete the race with a shot of winning. A caution for debris under 20 laps remaining saved Almirola from pitting under green and falling a lap behind. When he pitted, however, he fell back near the top 20 while most of the leaders elected to remain on track. For the remainder of the race, Almirola benefited from the four fresh tires and fuel to charge his way back to the top 10. He had a shot in overtaking Joey Logano for fifth place in the final laps, but he was unable to navigate his way around Logano as he crossed the finish line in sixth place. Almirola’s 13th top-10 result of this season has the Floridian 158 points above the cutline and in a stable position of making his fourth postseason appearance.

    “We overcame a lot today,” Almirola said on NBCSN. “We had to start in the back with a backup car, drove literally from 32nd all the way up to sixth and then, had that miscue on pit road about what we were doing for pitting. Led some laps there, which was nice but I knew that we were in trouble ’cause everybody else could make it on fuel and we couldn’t. So, we pitted, got four tires on [the car] and drove from 22nd back up to sixth again in about 12 laps. Really proud of [crew chief Mike] Buga [Bugarewicz] and all the guys on this team. Yesterday was not a very good day. It was a learning experience and a character-building experience. We learned so much from that and [prepared a] completely different racecar and a different mentality for today, back to what we’ve been running the last couple of months and we’ve had a lot more success on this. Excited to go these next few weeks and get ready for the Playoffs. I don’t know what to expect for next weekend at the Daytona road course but nonetheless, we’ve got a great car, great team and we’re excited about the Playoffs when they come.”

    Almirola and Busch, along with their fellow Cup competitors, will return on Sunday, August 16, for the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway road course layout, which will occur at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Harvick claims the first Cup Michigan race of the weekend

    Harvick claims the first Cup Michigan race of the weekend

    Following a late battle and the slightest of contact with Kyle Busch in the closing laps, Kevin Harvick prevailed through a series of late restarts and in overtime against Brad Keselowski to win the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, August 8, the first of two NASCAR Cup Series races at Michigan of the weekend. The victory was Harvick’s fifth of the season, fourth at Michigan and the 54th of his Cup Series career.

    The starting lineup was based on a random draw. Joey Logano started on pole position for the second time this season and was joined on the front row with Denny Hamlin. 

    Prior to the race, NASCAR confiscated the spoilers from the Roush Fenway Racing two-car lineup of Ryan Newman and Chris Buescher during the pre-race inspection process. With both teams violating Section 12.4.12.b (spoiler section) of the NASCAR Cup rule book, both competitors dropped to the rear of the field and they were also docked 20 driver/owner points. In addition, their crew chiefs (Scott Graves and Luke Lambert) were each fined $25,000 for the infraction. Jimmie Johnson and Joey Gase also dropped to the rear of the field due to their respective cars failing pre-race inspection twice.

    When the green flag and the race commenced following a 45-minute delay because of the delayed Xfinity Series race occurring at Road America, Logano received a push from Aric Almirola on the outside lane to jump to an early lead as he led the first lap. The following lap, Hamlin attempted to pass Logano on the inside lane, but he lost his momentum entering Turn 2 as Logano retained the lead while Almirola challenged Hamlin for the runner-up spot. Behind, Kevin Harvick was in fourth followed by Alex Bowman, teammate Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski, all of whom battled one another through Turns 3 and 4. 

    In Turn 1, Keselowski lost his momentum and dropped all the way back to 12th behind rookie Tyler Reddick, who was fresh off a one-year contract extension deal with Richard Childress Racing. 

    After the first 10 laps, Logano, who reported a vibration, was still leading by less than two-tenths of a second over Hamlin with teammates Almirola and Harvick trailing behind and battling one another for third place. A few laps later, Almirola dropped out of the top five after being overtaken by Harvick and Kurt Busch. 

    On Lap 14, Hamlin made a move beneath Logano’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford in Turn 3 and both battled dead even for the lead through Turns 4 and 1. While Hamlin led the 15th lap, Logano cleared Hamlin for the lead back in Turn 2 just as the competition caution flew. Prior to the competition caution, Ryan Blaney made a green flag pit stop for early adjustments and fresh tires for the ensuing restart. At the time of caution, Almirola had fallen back to 10th place and Martin Truex Jr. was in sixth while Harvick, Bowman and Kurt Busch were scored in the top five. Erik Jones and Chase Elliott were in 11th and 12th while Matt DiBenedetto and William Byron were in 14th and 15th. Clint Bowyer was in 16th, Jimmie Johnson was in 17th and Ryan Newman was in 29th. 

    Under caution, a majority of competitors led by Keselowski, Almirola, Elliott, rookie Cole Custer, Byron, Austin Dillon and Newman pitted while the rest led by Logano, Hamlin, Reddick and Harvick remained on track. 

    The race restarted on Lap 19 and Hamlin received a push from Reddick on the inside lane to move into the lead through Turns 1 and 2. Behind, Logano, who restarted on the outside lane, retained the runner-up spot followed by Harvick, Kurt Busch and Bowman. A lap later, Truex cut a right-front tire in Turn 3 after making contact with Reddick in Turn 2. He was able to keep his car off the wall and return to pit road for two fresh right-side tires. The misfortune, however, cost Truex two laps.

    At the front, Harvick gained a run on Hamlin in Turn 4 and was able to pass Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota to emerge with the lead on Lap 23. Behind, Blaney bolted his way into sixth place followed by Reddick and Jones. 

    By Lap 30, Harvick was ahead by two-tenths of a second over Hamlin. Kurt Busch was in third followed by Blaney, Bowman and Jones. Elliott was in eighth while Logano was back in ninth following contact with Kyle Busch in Turn 2. Bowyer was in 12th, Johnson was in 14th, Byron was in 17th and Almirola was in 18th. Truex was in 36th while Reddick, who had been running inside the top 10, was back in 35th after making an unscheduled pit stop under green a few laps earlier.

    With no one behind him nor close enough to challenge for the lead, Harvick was able to cruise to the win in the first stage on Lap 40 as he claimed his third stage victory of the season. Hamlin trailed in second place and above half a second followed by Blaney, Kurt Busch and Keselowski. Jones, Bowman, Elliott, Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were scored in the top 10. Logano had fallen back to 18th while battling loose-handling conditions to his car.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Hamlin exited pit road first ahead of Harvick following a stellar pit stop from the FedEx crew. Blaney exited in third place followed by Keselowski and Kurt Busch.

    Prior to the start of the second stage and with the new choose rule implemented, Harvick dropped from second to fourth to restart on the outside lane while Keselowski was lined up in second place and beneath Hamlin on the front row. In addition, Jones moved up from sixth to third as the second car to restart on the bottom lane while Bowyer moved up from ninth to fifth.

    The second stage started on Lap 47 and Hamlin gained a huge run on the outside lane to retain the lead. While the field behind battled intensely against one another and raced three to four wide for position, Blaney took the lead on Lap 49. Harvick settled right behind Blaney in second followed by Kurt Busch while Hamlin and Keselowski battled for fourth. 

    By Lap 55, Blaney was still ahead by less than four-tenths of a second over Harvick followed by Kurt Busch and Jones, who gained a huge run on the outside lane to pass both Hamlin and Keselowski for position a few laps earlier. Bowman trailed behind in seventh followed by Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Bubba Wallace. Elliott and Logano were in 12th and 15th while Johnson was in 17th. Reddick, who took the wave around to return to the lead lap under the first stage break, was in 26th while Truex was in 34th, still a lap behind. 

    Five laps later and with less than 100 laps remaining of the overall race, Blaney was still leading by less than half a second over Harvick with Michigan natives Jones and Keselowski lingering behind. Soon after, Hamlin joined the party as he battled teammate Jones and Keselowski for position inside the top five.

    With Blaney leading by less than two-tenths of a second over Harvick on Lap 67, the Busch brothers started to close in towards the top-five competitors for position. By Lap 76, Harvick benefitted from Blaney getting stuck behind a lapped car to reassume the lead. By then, Reddick made another unscheduled pit stop after he reported a flat tire to his No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Behind the leaders, Keselowski moved up to third after passing Hamlin, who earlier nearly wrecked with the lapped car of Timmy Hill. Both competitors continued to battle intensely for the spot as the laps of the second stage continued to dwindle.

    Like his run to the conclusion of the first stage, Harvick was able to pull away from Blaney by less than a second and not worry about any lapped traffic to win the second stage on Lap 85 and claim his fourth stage victory of the season. Blaney settled in second followed by Hamlin, Jones and Keselowski. Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Bowman, Bowyer and Johnson settled in the top 10. 

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Harvick, this time, exited pit road with the lead followed by Hamlin, Blaney, Keselowski and Kyle Busch.

    The final stage under green occurred with 65 laps remaining and Hamlin, who restarted on the inside lane, received a push from teammate Jones to move into the lead. In Turn 3, however, Jones and Harvick attempted to place Hamlin in a three-wide situation for the lead. While Jones slipped and dropped back into the top 10, Harvick was able to muscle his way back into the lead. Keselowski advanced to the runner-up spot over Hamlin while Blaney and Kyle Busch moved into the top five.

    The caution returned shortly after when rookie John Hunter Nemechek spun in a flurry of circles on the frontstretch following contact with Chris Buescher. With the caution, Truex received the free pass and cycled back to the lead lap. Under caution, few that included Buescher, Corey LaJoie, Newman, Almirola, Reddick and Nemechek pitted while the rest remained on track.

    With 58 laps remaining, the race restarted and Harvick was able to clear Hamlin on the outside lane to retain the lead. Keselowski and Hamlin battled again for the runner-up spot followed by Kyle Busch and Bowyer while Blaney, Johnson, rookie Christopher Bell, Jones and Elliott settled in the top 10. 

    Eight laps later, the caution returned for another spin in Turn 4 involving Nemechek. Under caution, the leaders pitted and Kyle Busch emerged with the lead after only taking fuel for his No. 18 M&M’s Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry. Jones and Truex followed suit after they elected for only fuel to their respective Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas followed by Elliott and Bell, both of whom opted for a two-tire stop. Harvick also opted for a two-tire stop to remain within sight of the lead.

    Prior to the restart and with the choose rule implemented, Harvick moved up to the front row on the inside lane beneath Kyle Busch while Austin Dillon and Jones lined up right behind the leaders. Keselowski lined up in fifth next to Truex followed by Hamlin and Elliott.

    With 46 laps remaining, the race restarted and Kyle Busch received a push from teammate Jones to retain the lead on the outside lane. A lap later, Harvick made a move beneath Kyle Busch in Turn 1 to reassume the lead. Behind, Truex passed teammate Jones and started to challenge teammate Kyle Busch for the runner-up spot. 

    With 40 laps remaining and with fuel in question for the leaders to complete the race to its scheduled distance, Harvick was still ahead by less than eight-tenths of a second over Kyle Busch followed by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Truex and Jones. Elliott was in fifth place followed by Austin Dillon, Keselowski, Logano, Bell and Hamlin with Blaney in 11th.

    Ten laps later, Harvick extended his advantage to more than a second over teammates Kyle Busch and Truex. Jones was in fourth while Elliott prevailed in a battle with Keselowski for fifth place. Behind, Hamlin was still running in 11th and trailing Team Penske’s Logano and Blaney for a spot in the top 10.

    With 26 laps remaining, the caution returned for a third incident involving Nemechek in Turn 3, who made contact with the outside wall and sustained heavy rear end damage. Compared to his previous two incidents, this recent incident ended Nemechek’s race in the garage as he will move to a backup car for Sunday’s race at Michigan.

    Under caution, some like Logano, Blaney, Bowyer, DiBenedetto, Michael McDowell, Matt Kenseth and Buescher pitted while the rest remained on track. Prior to the restart, Jones dropped back to sixth to restart as the fourth car on the outside lane while Elliott moved up to second and alongside Harvick on the front row. Keselowski and Kyle Busch were lined up behind the two leaders and in front of teammates Hamlin and Truex.

    With 18 laps remaining, the race restarted and Elliott powered his way into the lead on the inside lane. While the field fanned out and battled for positions through the straightaways and the turns, Elliott maintained a narrow advantage over Harvick a lap later followed by a flurry of Toyota competitors led by Kyle Busch, Truex, Bell, Jones and Hamlin. 

    Five laps after the restart and with the battle for the lead intensifying, the caution returned after Ryan Preece made contact with the outside wall in Turn 2. Under caution, some like Reddick and Kenseth pitted while the rest remained on track. Prior to the restart, Kyle Busch elected to restart on the inside lane beneath Elliott on the front row. Behind, Harvick and Hamlin restarted alongside one another in the second row. 

    The race restarted with nine laps remaining and Kyle Busch received a push from teammate Hamlin to take the lead through Turns 1 and 2. In Turn 3, however, Kyle Busch slipped following close racing with Harvick, which nearly involved contact between the two, and Harvick reassumed the lead while Busch lost his momentum and fell back to the top 10. Shortly after, the caution flew when rookie Cole Custer made hard contact into the outside wall in Turn 3 and retired from the race, thus moving him to a backup car for Sunday’s race at Michigan. At the time of caution, Harvick was leading followed by Elliott, Hamlin, Blaney, Wallace, Jones and Truex while Kyle Busch was back in ninth. The race eventually went into a red flag period for nearly six minutes to allow the clean-up crew to clear the incident site in Turn 3 caused by Custer. 

    Prior to the restart when the race resumed under caution, Hamlin elected to restart beneath Harvick on the inside line and on the front row in front of Wallace and Elliott with teammates Blaney and Keselowski in the third row. 

    The race restarted with three laps remaining and Harvick and Hamlin battled dead even for the lead entering Turn 1. It was there where Wallace attempted to make a three-wide move for more, but it was not enough as Harvick reassumed the lead in Turn 2. Elliott moved up to second followed by Blaney, Keselowski and Truex while Hamlin and Wallace dropped back to sixth and seventh. In Turn 4, Austin Dillon, McDowell and Newman wrecked in Turn 4 as the caution returned and the race went into overtime. 

    Prior to the overtime attempt, Keselowski restarted on the front row beneath Harvick in front of Hamlin and Elliott. Wallace and Blaney were lined up in the third row followed by Johnson and Truex.

    In the first overtime attempt, Harvick and Keselowski battled dead even against one another through half a circuit with both not prevailing ahead of the other and receiving not drafting help from behind. In Turn 3, however, Harvick cleared Keselowski for the lead on the outside lane entering Turn 4. On the final lap, Harvick’s No. 4 Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang were ahead by two-tenths of a second over Keselowski’s No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang. Though Keselowski remained within sight of Harvick, he was unable to gain any draft for the lead as Harvick was able to claim the checkered flag in first place and win by less than three-tenths of a second. 

    The victory was also the 12th of the season for Ford and the sixth for Stewart-Haas Racing. With his 54th career win, Harvick moved into a tie with the late Lee Petty for 11th place on the all-time series wins list.

    “This was an awesome car to drive today,” Harvick said on NBCSN. “The restarts were obviously a handful, but our Busch Light Apple Ford Mustang was really fast today and we held on for the long run and would really go on the short run and did everything we needed it to do. I think that the confidence is high when we come to Michigan. It’s a race track that’s been really good to us and just fits our style of cars. [Crew chief] Rodney [Childers] and [the No. 4 crew] have given me great racecars at Michigan every time we’ve come… I can’t say enough about our whole organization. Since we’ve come back from COVID, the work that these guys and gals are putting in at the race shop and the organization, they’ve had a lot of really good training from Tony Stewart in awkward situations on how to prepare for things. Thanks, Smoke!”

    “I knew I needed to be right there [with Kyle Busch],” Harvick added regarding the contact with Kyle Busch. “I couldn’t tell if I touched him. I knew I wanted that side draft there. I knew that we had a fast enough car to pass him, but I knew that I needed to take the opportunity I had and I needed to side draft him.”

    Keselowski finished in second place as he came one spot short of winning at his home track. Truex ended his race in third place followed by Blaney and Kyle Busch, who nipped teammate Hamlin at the line for a top-five run. 

    “[Harvick] is just super fast in the corners and the straightaway,” Keselowski said. “He was definitely the best car out here today. We put a good effort to kind of maximize our day and that is what we did, finished second. Proud of everyone on the Discount Tire Ford Mustang team. We will go back to work on it and hopefully find a little bit more for the race [Sunday].”

    “I just didn’t get loose and turn up to the wall by myself,” Kyle Busch said regarding the contact with Harvick. “I don’t know whether he hit me or it was just air. It was close enough that it disturbed my car and made me have to get out of [the gas] real bad and chase it real bad. Thankfully, we kept it out of the fence and at least try to salvage something out of it. That’s a pretty good run for us there. I felt like we had a fast car, but it was the best of the rest. [Harvick] was lights out. He deserved to win the race, anyways. It was a race for second today, overall. We’ve been fighting hard all year. We’ve been running well enough for good finishes. We just aren’t getting them. Today was another indication of that. We should’ve finished second, I guess, but a top five it is.”

    Hamlin, Elliott, Logano, Wallace and Kurt Busch rounded out the top 10. Buescher finished 20th and will start on pole position for the second Cup Michigan race on Sunday, August 9, alongside Bowyer with the top-20 finishers on Saturday being inverted for Sunday.

    Jones, who will not be remaining with Joe Gibbs Racing after this season, finished 11th and is 16 points behind 14th-place finisher Byron for the 16th and final spot to the 2020 Playoffs with five regular-season races remaining. Reddick, who finished 18th, is 19 points behind while Johnson, who finished 12th, is 22 points behind. DiBenedetto and Bowyer, both of whom finished 15th and 19th, are 40 and 41 points above the top-16 cutline while Wallace, who notched a career-high fourth top-10 result of this season, remains 123 points below the cutline.

    There were 12 lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 43 laps.

    With his victory, Harvick continues to lead the regular-season series standings by 94 points over Keselowski, 127 over Hamlin and 128 over Blaney.

    Results.

    1. Kevin Harvick, 92 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    2. Brad Keselowski

    3. Martin Truex Jr.

    4. Ryan Blaney, 27 laps

    5. Kyle Busch, four laps led

    6. Denny Hamlin, 10 laps led

    7. Chase Elliott, nine laps led

    8. Joey Logano, 18 laps led

    9. Bubba Wallace

    10. Kurt Busch

    11. Erik Jones

    12. Jimmie Johnson

    13. Christopher Bell

    14. William Byron

    15. Matt DiBenedetto

    16. Aric Almirola

    17. Matt Kenseth 

    18. Tyler Reddick

    19. Clint Bowyer

    20. Chris Buescher

    21. Alex Bowman

    22. Corey LaJoie

    23. Ty Dillon

    24. Daniel Suarez

    25. Ryan Preece

    26. J.J. Yeley, one lap led

    27. Quin Houff

    28. Ryan Newman 

    29. Michael McDowell

    30. Reed Sorenson

    31. Austin Dillon

    32. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    33. Timmy Hill, two laps down

    34. Cole Custer – OUT, Accident 

    35. Garrett Smithley – OUT, Steering

    36. John Hunter Nemechek – OUT, Accident

    37. Brennan Poole – OUT, Engine

    38. James Davison, 58 laps down

    39. Joey Gase – OUT, Transmission

    The NASCAR Cup Series will return the following day, August 9, for its second Michigan race of the season, which will air on 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Clements to make 350th Xfinity start at Road America

    Clements to make 350th Xfinity start at Road America

    A lot is on the line for journeyman Jeremy Clements and his family-owned team approaching the final nine NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season races of this year. For this weekend’s race at Road America, a track where he won at in upset fashion and secured his spot to the Playoffs in 2017, Clements aims to repeat the competitiveness, the pace and the road course magic he and his team exhibited from three seasons ago to propel himself back into title contention this season. Also in the midst of his battle for a postseason berth is the fact that he will making his 350th career start in the Xfinity Series (the only major division series in NASCAR he has ever raced in) when the green flag waves at Road America on Saturday, August 8.

    A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, and who started his racing career by driving go-karts, Clements worked his way up in racing modifies and stock cars, winning feature events and track championships, before racing in Late Models and the ARCA Series. The 2003 season was where he made his first start within NASCAR’s three major division series at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colorado, and in the No. 71 Chevrolet for Young Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He started 35th and finished 31st in his series debut.

    It was not until 2007 when Clements returned to the series and competed in the final five races of the season, driving the No. 36 Chevrolet for McGill Motorsports. His best finish within his five starts was 23rd at Charlotte in October. Throughout the 2008 and 2009 racing seasons, Clements made select Xfinity starts in his family-owned team, Jeremy Clements Motorsports, while practicing and qualifying cars for Joe Gibbs Racing, notably at Kentucky in 2008 and at Iowa in 2009. Late in the 2009 season, Clements competed in six races in the No. 0 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports, where he earned a best result of 12th at Auto Club Speedway in October.

    Clements started the 2010 Xfinity Series season with plans of competing in the opening three races in the No. 0 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports. After failing to qualify for the season opener at Daytona, Clements scaled back to the No. 04 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports. Throughout the 2010 season and the 35-race schedule, he made 16 starts and failed to qualify for seven races. At Gateway in October 2010, Clements notched his first top-10 career result (10th place).

    For the 2011 season, Clements competed on a full-time basis with his family-owned team, Jeremy Clements Racing, and sporting the No. 51 alongside his car. He recorded nine top-20 results with a best finish of 14th in September. The following season, Clements returned for another full-time racing role. All of his starts came while driving for JCR, but his car number was 4 for Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July and at Richmond Raceway in September. During the two races where Clements ran the No. 4 car, Ty Dillon sported the No. 51 alongside his car under the Richard Childress Racing banner during his developing races in the series. Clements’ best results in 2012 were a pair of 10th-place finishes at Dover International Speedway in June and at Indianapolis. After the season concluded, Clements surpassed 100 career starts in the Xfinity Series.

    Clements started the 2013 season by finishing 33rd in the season opener at Daytona, but he was suspended indefinitely for using a racial slur during an ESPN interview. Missing the next two events, where Ryan Sieg drove Clements’ No. 51 car, Clements returned the following race at Bristol Motor Speedway in March and competed the rest of the 33-race schedule. His best results were a ninth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in May and a 10th-place finish during the inaugural race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

    From 2014 to 2016, Clements remained as a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for his family-owned team and he notched a total of six top-10 results between the three seasons. His best runs were a fourth-place finish at Talladega in April 2016, a sixth-place result at Road America in June 2014 and a sixth-place result at Bristol in August 2016. His best points result between the three seasons was 14th in 2015. By then, he surpassed 200 Xfinity career starts.

    For the first 22 races of the 2017 Xfinity Series season, his seventh as a full-time competitor, Clements had recorded only one top-10 result, which was a seventh-place result at Iowa Speedway in June. The following race at Road America was where Clements rose to the occasion and shined under the spotlight as he was closing in towards race leader and rookie Matt Tifft in the final laps. Through Turns 12 and 13, Clements gained a big run to draw himself right to the rear bumper of Tifft’s No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry. In Turn 14, Clements attempted to pass Tifft for the lead when he got loose and collided into Tifft as both spun through the turn. With no caution falling, Clements was able to quickly straighten his No. 51 Chevrolet Camaro, take the lead and bolt away from the field for one final lap to achieve his first NASCAR triumph in his 256th career start. Of all the achievements that came with Clements’ victory, the biggest one of all was that the win clinched the journeyman and his team a spot in the 2017 Xfinity Series Playoffs with an opportunity to win his first NASCAR championship. For the remainder of the season, however, he finished no higher than 16th and settled in a career-best 12th place in the final standings.

    In 2018 and 2019, Clements achieved a total of six top-10 results, a best finish of fourth place at Bristol in August, and he missed the Playoffs during both seasons. His best points result was 14th in 2019. By then, he surpassed 300 career starts.

    This season, through the first 17 Xfinity Series races, Clements has achieved three top-10 results with a best result of third place at Pocono Raceway in June. With 11 top-15 results in total, Clements and his family-owned No. 51 Chevrolet team are currently 32 points below the top-12 cutline to secure a spot into this year’s Playoffs and for the second career time.

    Catch Clements’ milestone start at Road America on August 8 at noon ET on NBCSN.