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Tag: Quaker State 400

  • Busch’s win indicative of Chevrolet resurgence in the Cup Series

    Busch’s win indicative of Chevrolet resurgence in the Cup Series

    By winning in Kentucky on Saturday night, Kurt Busch and his Ganassi Racing team solidified the speculation that the Chevy teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series have returned to competitive form.

    This, after a disastrous 2018 for the manufacturer that only saw two drivers win four races (Austin Dillon – 1, Chase Elliott – 3) and a long dry spell in 2019 broken up by Elliott’s win at Talladega before winning three straight (Alex Bowman – Chicagoland, Justin Haley – Daytona, Busch – Kentucky).

    Elliott’s win seemingly opened a stretch where it appeared that Chevrolets were finally on the verge of turning things around. At Talladega, six of the top-10 drivers were Chevrolet drivers, including runner-up Bowman and rookies Ryan Preece and Daniel Hemric, both of whom finished in the top-five. Bowman would score two more runner-up finishes in the next two races before scoring a seventh at Charlotte. He scored another top-10 at Michigan before scoring his big win at Chicagoland.

    Elliott has also had several stout runs since winning at Talladega, following it up with four straight top-fives. He’s since run into some issues, but the finishes aren’t indicative of his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team’s performance. Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron is having a strong sophomore season, scoring three poles and six top-10s in 2019, including a runner-up finish at Daytona last weekend.

    Speaking of Daytona, five of the top-10 finishers were Chevrolet drivers including race winner Haley. As a matter of fact, the top-four finishers were Chevrolets (Haley, Byron, Jimmie Johnson, Ty Dillon). Although rain played a factor in calling the race, Chevrolets did seem to have the field in hand, leading 60 of the 127 laps run, including 46 by Austin Dillon.

    Although he sits 13th in points, Kurt Busch’s teammate Kyle Larson has also rattled off some strong runs, including a win in the non-points All-Star race at Charlotte. He’s scored a pole (Sonoma), three top-fives, and seven top-10s, but four DNFs have kept the No. 42 Ganassi Racing team from truly scoring the results the team deserves. Meanwhile, the No. 1 team has been a consistent force on a weekly basis, scoring four more top-fives and 10 more top-10s to go along with his Kentucky win.

    All of this is in contrast to some of the teams that were dominant one year ago, notably Stewart-Haas Racing. SHR Fords won 12 races in 2018, but are winless so far in 2019. Compared to the win total of teams like Hendrick, who was winless at this point a year ago, ditto Ganassi, and it’s safe to say the Chevrolet camp has caught up and are now actually competing with the Fords and the Toyotas.

    Granted, there are hurdles to cover, such as the 10 wins from Joe Gibbs Racing and the five wins from Team Penske. But Chevrolet has started a trend in 2019, and if it keeps up the momentum it has been building during the spring/summer stretch, names like Larson, Elliott, and Byron could find Victory Lane before season’s end. There may even be a glimpse of a certain seven-time Cup champion parking it in the Winner’s Circle. Time will tell for sure heading into Loudon next weekend.

  • Keselowski and Johnson Among Those Eliminated by Multi-Car Wrecks at Kentucky

    Keselowski and Johnson Among Those Eliminated by Multi-Car Wrecks at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Three multi-car wrecks during the Quaker State 400 ended the night of a number of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers at Kentucky Speedway.

    Rounding Turn 3 on Lap 88, Brad Keselowski was running inside of Clint Bowyer when his car got loose and spun out. He clipped the left-rear corner of Bowyer and sent him spinning as well. Jimmie Johnson, coming up on the spinning Keselowski, had nowhere to go, took a critical hit to the right-front wheel-well, veered up the track and slammed the wall in Turn 4.

    Bowyer continued on with his race and finished 13th, but the night was over for Johnson and Keselowski.

    “I just got in an aero wake and it pulled me around,” Keselowski said. “I knew I was in a bad spot. I was trying to lay up but there is only so much you can lay up here because you get ran over from behind. The air pulled me around. It sucks. I feel bad for everyone on the Miller Lite Ford team and I think I tore up two or three other guys and that sucks for them. I don’t know. It is kind of a tough spot to be in on these tracks where they are kind of one groove. You can’t just lay up everytime. You give up too many spots or get ran over from behind. If you drive in with someone close to you the car just spins out. It just sucks but it is what it is. We have to find a way around it and we didn’t today.”

    The next wreck occurred after the ensuing restart on Lap 94 when Kasey Kahne tried to force his way inside of Trevor Bayne, sending him spinning and sending himself into the wall in Turn 1.

    “It was just a restart, I had a run on the No. 6 and I got under him getting into Turn 1 down the front stretch and he just drove over my front end, pretty simple,” Kahne said.

    The final multi-car wreck occurred in overtime.

    As race leader Martin Truex Jr. came to the line to take the white flag, Darrell Wallace Jr. ran Matt Kenseth up high in Turn 4, pushing him out of the racing groove and into the marbles, where he got loose and spun out in front of teammate Daniel Suarez, who t-boned the drivers side of Kenseth’s car. Austin Dillon, who was following Suarez, slammed into the back of him and hooked him towards the wall as he turned down towards and through the grass.

    David Ragan was also involved as he drove over the grass with the words “restart zone” painted over it to avoid Kenseth and Suarez.

    Dillon was the only one who was available for comment afterwards and said, in short, he “had nowhere to go.”

    “We were committed to the top for the final restart, so I had nowhere to go when they spun in front of me. It was a rough end to a challenging night,” he said.

    Of the drivers involved, Keselowski left Kentucky highest in points in eighth, followed by Johnson in ninth. Bowyer leaves 10th, while Kenseth leaves 11th. Suarez left 19th, Kahne left 22nd and Ragan left 28th.

  • Larson Ends Weekend with Runner-Up Finish at Kentucky

    Larson Ends Weekend with Runner-Up Finish at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Calling Kyle Larson’s weekend at Kentucky Speedway an adventure would be quite an understatement.

    First, his car failed inspection so many times in qualifying that he didn’t even post a lap and started dead last. Even on raceday, it took more than one attempt to finally clear tech inspection. And they did so with less than 30 minutes to go before the start of the Quaker State 400.

    Starting dead last, Larson moved his way through the field and made it all the way up to third by the conclusion of the first stage. But he was sent to the tail-end of the field on the following restart for speeding on pit road and was forced to work up through the field a second time.

    While he didn’t score any stage points in the second stage, a result of finishing outside the top-10, He found  himself running top-five in the closing laps of the race itself.

    With race leader Martin Truex Jr. pulling out to a 15-second lead in the closing laps, it looked as though Larson would have to settle for just a top-five. But that all went out the window when Kurt Busch’s engine expired on the frontstretch with two laps to go.

    While Truex opted to stay out, Larson and a company of others elected to pit. He exited third (fourth in the running order) and restarted behind Truex, who chose the outside line, on the overtime restart.

    He gave a push to shove Truex out ahead coming to the green, but ended up behind Kyle Busch. Exiting Turn 2, however, Larson got underneath him, powered by and cleared him going into Turn 3.

    A four-car wreck exiting Turn 4 ended the race under caution and locked in a runner-up finish for Larson.

    He said afterwards that he wasn’t sure what he could’ve done to catch Truex.

    “Yeah, I don’t know what we could have done to beat him,” Larson added. “He was obviously pretty fast with the lead there. It would have been fun to get to race him because I felt like I had the second best car today; and it would have been interesting to get a restart with him earlier and get to hang with him that last run there. But, we brought the Target Chevy home second after not being able to qualify and having to start last in the race and then having my speeding penalty there. I guess I was just a little too fast leaving my stall and got a penalty. So, I’ve got to clean that stuff up. I’m mad at myself that I made that mistake. I don’t really know if it affected the outcome, but you never know.”

    Larson leaves Kentucky the points leader, retaining a one-point lead over Truex.

  • Truex Dominates and Survives Overtime Restart to Win at Kentucky

    Truex Dominates and Survives Overtime Restart to Win at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Martin Truex Jr. put on a clinic in the Quaker State 400, leading the most laps and sweeping the stages, but had to out-duel the field in overtime to win for the third time this season at Kentucky Speedway.

    Restarting in overtime, Kyle Larson shoved Truex out ahead of the field and a multi-car wreck in Turn 4 coming to the white flag ended the race under caution, rendering the victory to Truex.

    It’s his 10th victory in 423 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career starts.

    Larson finished runner-up, followed by Chase Elliott on the bottom step of the podium.

    Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five.

    Erik Jones, Jamie McMurray, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-10.

    RACE RECAP

    Busch led the field to the green flag at 7:49 p.m. He led the first 29 laps before Truex edged him out at the line on Lap 30. Busch regained it the following lap, but Truex drove him back down to take it and win the first stage.

    Busch took back the lead on the ensuing Lap 88 restart exiting Turn 2. But as was the case in the first, Truex reeled him in, passed him on Lap 136 and won the second stage. Joey Logano broke up the Busch/Truex parade up front by bypassing pit road under the stage break and taking the race lead, only to lose it on Lap 171.

    Truex then built himself up a 12-second lead, only surrendering the lead under a cycle of green flag stops with 43 laps to go, which he took back with 39 to go. Kurt Busch’s blown engine on the frontstretch with two to go brought out the race’s eighth caution, setting up the overtime finish.

    CAUTIONS

    Caution flew for the first time on Lap 31 as a scheduled competition caution due to rain that pelted the track the whole weekend. The second flew on Lap 81 for the end of the first stage. The third caution flew on Lap 88 for a three-car wreck in Turn 3 involving Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson. The fourth flew on Lap 95 for a two-car wreck in Turn 2 involving Kasey Kahne and Trevor Bayne. The fifth flew on Lap 112 when Bayne went spinning in Turn 4. The sixth flew on Lap 138 when Joey Gase hit the wall in Turn 2. The seventh flew for the end of the second stage.

    NUTS & BOLTS

    The race lasted two hours, 55 minutes and 57 seconds at an average speed of 138.604 mph. There were nine lead changes among four different drivers and nine cautions for 39 laps.

    Larson leaves with a one-point lead over Truex.

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  • Kyle Busch Captures Cup Series Pole at Kentucky

    Kyle Busch Captures Cup Series Pole at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag tomorrow night after winning the pole for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway.

    Inclement weather forced NASCAR to cancel the final round of qualifying.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota scored the pole with a new track record time of 28.379 and a speed of 190.282 mph.

    It’s his 22nd career pole in 444 career starts.

    Martin Truex Jr. will start second with a time of 28.392 and a speed of 190.194 mph. Matt Kenseth will start third with a time of 28.460 and a speed of 189.740 mph. Jamie McMurray will start fourth with a time of 28.464 and a speed of 189.713 mph. Denny Hamlin will round out the top-five with a time of 28.468 and a speed of 189.687 mph.

    Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski will round out the top-10.

    Kyle Larson didn’t post a lap after failing to pass tech inspection on multiple tries. He’ll start 40th.

    No driver failed to make the race.

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  • Larson Fastest in Final Cup Practice at Kentucky

    Larson Fastest in Final Cup Practice at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Kyle Larson topped the chart in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 28.695 and a speed of 188.186 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was second in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 28.848 and a speed of 187.188 mph. Chase Elliott was third in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a time of 28.892 and a speed of 186.903 mph. Ryan Blaney was fourth in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 28.961 and a speed of 186.458 mph. Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 28.991 and a speed of 186.265 mph.

    Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top-10.

    Larson posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 181.516 mph.

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  • Kenseth Doesn’t Expect JGR to be an Option Next Season

    Kenseth Doesn’t Expect JGR to be an Option Next Season

    SPARTA, Ky. — Matt Kenseth’s announcement that he doesn’t expect to return to Joe Gibbs Racing next season set off the 2017 silly season domino chain.

    It wasn’t a case of giving a vague answer that could be misinterpreted. He outright said he doesn’t think returning to JGR next season is an option.

    “I don’t think so. I don’t think it is (an option). Like I said, I don’t have a ride at this moment for next year. I haven’t worked on anything real hard, but I don’t think I will have the option to race at JGR next season, unfortunately,” he said.

    Compounding the dilemma for the 2003 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion is that he doesn’t have a ride for next season. While his name has been brought up a time or two in the discussion on drivers to replace Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet, it’s important to note Hendrick Motorsports already has two young drivers, Alex Bowman and William Byron, waiting in the pipeline.

    With the wave of young drivers rising up through the NASCAR ranks in the last few seasons, it would appear Kenseth’s days are numbered, especially with rides hard to come by. But at the end of the day, he’s not panicking yet.

    “I’m not really worried about it,” he added. “As of today, I do not have a job for next year. So I certainly hope to still be racing next year. I think I got some wins left in me and, hopefully, I can race for championships. But right now, my focus is finishing up this year. As we talked about, it’s been kind of a slow start. Has not been a good year, at all. Not nearly up to my standards or my teams’ standards. So trying to get back to victory lane and, hopefully, get qualified for the playoffs here and have a shot at the playoffs is pretty much my focus at this point.”

  • McMurray Fastest in First Cup Practice at Kentucky

    McMurray Fastest in First Cup Practice at Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — Jamie McMurray topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Kentucky Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 28.911 and a speed of 186.780 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was second in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota with a time of 28.963 and a speed of 186.445 mph. Kyle Larson was third in his No. 42 Ganassi Chevrolet with a time of 29.017 and a speed of 186.098 mph. Ryan Blaney was fourth in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford with a time of 29.023 and a speed of 186.059 mph. Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 29.042 and a speed of 185.938 mph.

    Denny Hamlin, Danica Patrick, Clint Bowyer, Chase Elliott and Erik Jones rounded out the top-10.

    Busch posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 183.148 mph.

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  • Scott Miller Cites ‘Strategic Reasons’ for Running Aero Package at Michigan and Kentucky

    Scott Miller Cites ‘Strategic Reasons’ for Running Aero Package at Michigan and Kentucky

    SPARTA, Ky. — When asked why NASCAR only ran the lower downforce package at tracks with a less abrasive surface, Scott Miller said that there were “strategic reasons” for doing so.

    Speaking to the media after the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, NASCAR’s senior vice-president of competition was asked if it would be in the interest of the sanctioning body to add a race with the package at a track with a more abrasive surface, such as Darlington, in the interest of getting a representative sample to continue modifying the package for 2017.

    “There were some strategic reasons why we chose to do it the way we did it, and we engaged the entire industry in putting the plan together of when we’re going to do it,” Miller said. “That certainly does make sense, but the timing of that and some testing that we had and a lot of other things‑‑ there’s a lot of things that go into making these decisions and making the schedules, so it just didn’t line up for us to be able to do that in the initial plan.”

    The package used in last night’s race was also used in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Both instances were met with reception, from fans and media, with statements such as, “it’s a step in the right direction, but the race itself was meh.” This is in contrast to 2015 where NASCAR ran what would become the 2016 aero package at tracks with more abrasive surfaces such as Kentucky before the repave, and Darlington Raceway.

    Miller didn’t rule out this package being used again this season.

    “Now, after tonight we’ll go back and we’ll sort of reconvene with the drivers and the owners and the OEMs and decide where we’re going,” he added. “We’re open to a lot of different options, and if something like that bubbles up and we have industry support for it, nothing right now is out of the question.”

    He did, however, rule out this package being used in the Chase.

    “One thing that I think we won’t do is change the Chase around,” he said. “We’ll stick to our guns and run the 2016‑‑ regular 2016 package in the Chase races.”

    He concluded by saying the main objective is to get this package ready for 2017.

    “All of this has been geared toward deciding what we’re going to do for 2017 and getting it decided as early as we possibly can, which gives the teams the most runway into next season, which is something that they’ve needed and been asking for, so that’s what we’re striving toward,” he said.

  • Truck Catches Fire in Kentucky Parking Lot

    Truck Catches Fire in Kentucky Parking Lot

    SPARTA, Ky. — A scary incident took place early during tonight’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Quaker State 400  race as a white GM pickup truck caught fire in one of the parking lots right behind the frontstretch grandstands at Kentucky Speedway.

    A car that was next to the truck was also on fire and a third vehicle had minor fire damage.

    The Herald-Leader’s Mark Story spoke with Kentucky Speedway’s General Manager, Mark Simendinger who stated that the fire originated in the cabin of the truck and that someone had been rescued from the burning vehicle. He added that the rescued individual did not appear to be seriously injured.

    “I always tell our people, be prepared, something weird will happen,” Simendinger told Story. “But we never envisioned this.”

    The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

    Video courtesy of NBC Sports