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  • Harvick to start on pole position at Richmond

    Harvick to start on pole position at Richmond

    The 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick will start on pole position for the upcoming Cup Playoff race at Richmond Raceway, the Federated Auto Parts 400, on Saturday, September 12.

    Harvick, who won last Sunday’s first Playoff race of this season at Darlington Raceway and has punched his ticket to the second round of the Playoffs, was awarded the pole position based on four statistical categories: current owner points standings, the driver’s results, the owner’s results and the fastest lap time from a previous Cup race. This Saturday will mark the fourth time this season, third in the previous six races, where Harvick will start in first place and lead the field to the start of a Cup Series race.

    Joey Logano, who finished in third place last Sunday at Darlington, will start alongside Harvick on the front row for Saturday’s race at Richmond while Austin Dillon, who earned a strong runner-up finish at Darlington, will start in third place. Alex Bowman and William Byron, teammates at Hendrick Motorsports, will start fourth and fifth followed by Kyle Busch, a six-time Richmond winner who has yet to record his first victory of this season.

    Denny Hamlin, Busch’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing and a three-time Richmond winner, will start in seventh place followed by Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski and Aric Almirola. Clint Bowyer, a two-time Richmond winner, will start in 11th place followed by Chase Elliott, Cole Custer, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto.

    Erik Jones will start in 17th place and as the highest-starting non-title contender followed by Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Michael McDowell.

    Starting in positions 21-29 are Ryan Newman, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher, Christopher Bell, Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez and Brennan Poole.

    Starting in positions 30-38 are Bubba Wallace, John Hunter Nemechek, J.J. Yeley, Quin Houff, Corey LaJoie, Reed Sorenson, Joey Gase, Timmy Hill and James Davison.

    The second NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race of this season at Richmond Raceway will occur on September 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • 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.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex passed Kyle Busch for the lead on Lap 26 and won the Federated Auto Parts 400, his second consecutive win.

    “I had to overcome getting spun out by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. while I was leading,” Truex said. “Ricky’s made a habit of doing things like this. He’s ruined days, night, weekends, marriages, etc.”

    2. Kyle Busch: Busch won Stage 2 but couldn’t hold off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr., who got by Busch and cruised to the win.

    “We both had to deal with a lot of lapped traffic,” Busch said. “As you know, lapped traffic can sometimes be your best friend and sometimes be your worst enemy. Currently, lapped traffic is my worst enemy, on and off the track.”

    3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin took third at Richmond as Joe Gibbs Racing cars took the top four spots until Erik Jones was disqualified from the fourth-place finish.

    “JGR was so dominant,” Hamlin said, “we may have put the rest of the teams down for the count. That count is ‘1-2-3-4.’ Unfortunately, Jones suffered a technical knockout.”

    4. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished seventh at Richmond and secured a spot in the next round of the playoffs.

    “Having my spot in the next round assured really takes the pressure off,” Harvick said. “It always better to have your place ‘clinched,’ as opposed to your sphincter.”

    5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski started on the pole and finished fourth at Richmond.

    “I was originally scored in fifth,” Keselowski said, “but Erik Jones was disqualified after his car failed post-race inspection. Jones didn’t pass inspection and if Penske’s performance was any indication as to whether we have anything for Joe Gibbs Racing, then we didn’t ‘pass muster.’”

    6. Joey Logano: Logano struggled at Richmond and finished 12th.

    “I’m certainly not in the championship form I was in last year,” Logano said. “It’s basically the same car, but for some reason, I’m a ‘Shell’ of my former self.”

    7. Chase Elliott: Elliott started third and finished 14th at Richmond.

    “We’re headed to Charlotte for the first elimination race of the playoffs,” Elliott said. “There will be tension, there will be desperation, there will be anxiety. But enough about traffic on Bruton Smith Boulevard. I think everyone can agree that placing Kyle Busch right in the middle of that traffic would make it entertaining for everyone.”

    8. Kyle Larson: Larson finished sixth in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond and is eighth in the playoff points standings.

    “Erik Jones became the first driver to be disqualified under NASCAR’s new crackdown on rules infringements,” Larson said. “I think NASCAR should be applauded for doing this. Let me clarify that last statement. NASCAR should be sarcastically applauded for doing that. This must be an aspect of NASCAR’s new ‘Rules Are Rules’ initiative.”

    9. Ryan Blaney: Blaney came home 17th at Richmond and is 10th in the playoff standings.

    “I’m looking forward to the ‘Roval’ and Charlotte Motor Speedway,” Blaney said. “Last year, I won when Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson wrecked at the last corner racing for the lead. Here’s hoping lightning strikes twice. By that, I mean I hope lightning strikes the two leading cars and allows me to win again.”

    10. Ryan Newman: Newman finished fifth at Richmond.

    “I’m putting Roush Fenway Racing back on the map,” Newman said. “And speaking of ‘maps,’ it’s been so long since Roush Fenway visited Victory Lane, they probably need directions to get there.”

  • Keselowski earns top-five finish at Richmond

    Keselowski earns top-five finish at Richmond

    Brad Keselowski started on the pole heading into Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond. Keselowski swapped the lead a couple of times in the race. He led the first 53 laps before quietly running in the top five. The Team Penske driver took the lead again on Lap 246 and led for 36 laps during that stint.

    However, those were the only times Keselowski would be up front. After leading 89 laps, he wound up finishing in fifth place. But, after the No. 20 of Erik Jones failed post-race inspection, the No. 2 driver was moved up in the running order and was credited with a fourth-place finish.

    When asked about the dominance of the Joe Gibbs Racing cars, Keselowski said, “It’s definitely not good news. We’ve got work to do. They’re really strong and we’re not where we need to be to be able to beat them heads-up, but we threw everything we had at them. We put down a great qualifying lap, got the first pit stall, had great pit stops and got to the lead, but just didn’t have the raw speed to keep it.”

    While admitting that their organization has some work to do, he was satisfied with what they were able to accomplish Saturday night at Richmond Raceway.

    “We led eighty-some laps, so it’s not a bad day but just not nearly fast enough to dominate the race and win.”

    “Yeah, we’re locked into the next round.  That feels good.  I’m proud of that effort.”

  • Spin and win for Truex Jr. at Richmond

    Spin and win for Truex Jr. at Richmond

    After making contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. mid-race, Martin Truex Jr. was able to rebound. He took the lead from his teammate Kyle Busch with 25 laps to go en route to his sixth victory of the season.

    “Yeah, that’s unbelievable, that’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened to me in my whole racing career,” Truex Jr said to MRN Radio. Thanks to all the fans coming out tonight, everyone at Bass Pro Shops; our Camary was really fast tonight. Just takes a lot of people to make this happen.”

    “I felt good coming into the race. We’ve had a lot of heartbreakers over the years at Richmond and to come here to sweep this year, I guess it’s meant to be. Thanks to all of our guys. Toyota, TRD, Auto-Owners, all of our partners that let us do this. Everyone back at Joe Gibbs Racing, they’re building unbelievable racecars. I hope we can keep this up and we came here to get bonus points, and we sure did.”

    Brad Keselowski qualified on the pole Friday afternoon, while Truex qualified eighth. Only one car had to go to the back and that was the No. 27 Quin Houff for unapproved adjustments.

    Stage 1: Lap 1- Lap 100

    It was clean and green for the first stage. Truex took the lead from pole-sitter Brad Keselowski on Lap 54 and held on to win Stage 1. There were no cautions.

    Kyle Busch, Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Matt DiBenedetto, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top-10 finishers for the first stage. One minor incident took place during the stage break. The No. 13 of Ty Dillon was too fast on pit road and the No. 36 of Matt Tifft was too fast as well. Kyle Busch assumed the race lead after pit stops.

    Stage 2: Lap 108- Lap 200

    One caution broke out during the second stage. On Lap 111, Alex Bowman was sent spinning around after contact with the No. 3 of Austin Dillon. A few laps before, Bowman made slight contact with Dillon. Under the caution, Joey Logano who was struggling all night received the free pass. Kurt Busch and Keselowski also made pit stops.

    Stage 2 ended on lap 200 and Kyle Busch went on to win the stage. Truex, Hamlin, Jones, Keselowski, Ryan Newman, Harvick, Elliott, Bowyer and Johnson swept the top-10 spots for the second stage. Kurt Busch and William Byron were penalized on pit road for being too fast after stops.

    Stage 3: Lap 209- Lap 400

    Just two cautions took place in the final stage. On Lap 242, Reed Sorenson hit the wall on the backstretch. During his attempt at a pit stop, Jimmie Johnson missed his pit stall and had to come back down to complete his pit stop. Almirola was caught with a speeding penalty during stops.

    Keselowski was able to take the lead on Lap 246 and led for 36 laps before Truex retook the lead on Lap 282. As the race was going smoothly, a major incident happened on Lap 316 when Stenhouse, on cold tires, accidentally made contact with race leader Truex. Truex went spinning around on the front stretch.

    After the caution and pit stops, Kyle Busch assumed the lead again and was making his way around the track. However, Truex began to reel in his teammate as laps started to click away. With 25 to go, he was finally able to take the lead from Busch and eventually the win.

    “I was just trying to stay out of the fence and tried to get it straightened out,” Truex added to MRN Radio. “Luckily we got a caution and ended up in a pretty good spot, and came down pit road. We had a pretty big lead there and we took advantage of it. From there, we just battled, had to pass the 11 (Hamlin), the 18 (Busch). I knew it was going to be really tough to get by both of them. They were strong all night long and track position was important. I don’t know if the 18 fell off on the long run or if we were a little better at the end, and made a move.”

    Kyle Busch ended up in second after winning Stage 2 and leading the most laps with 202.

    “We were a little bit off,” Busch told MRN Radio. “Just missed a little bit. We were pretty fast and led a lot of laps, but when we’re out front leading, he could keep close to me pretty well. That kind of worried me for a finish like that and wasn’t sure we would be able to hold him off. At the start of that last run, Denny (Hamlin) pressured me a little bit, so I tried to make sure to stay ahead of him and that’s when Martin started to come on. Martin was just on better tires there throughout the rest of the run, so I don’t know if I hurt my stuff or what. Great job to the team. Everybody on this MMS Camry did a great job. We can now just focus forward.”

    With Truex winning and Kyle Busch finishing second, both are locked into the Round of 12. Kevin Harvick also clinched a spot in the next round.

    Truex swept both Richmond races this year. This was his sixth victory of the season. He led three times for 109 laps for the 25th victory of his career.

    There were five cautions for 32 laps and seven leaders among six lead changes.

    UPDATE: Erik Jones’ car failed post-race inspection. He will be credited with a last-place finish and receive one point.

    Playoff Standings

    1. Truex Jr, 2 wins, 2141 points
    2. Kevin Harvick, +69
    3. Kyle Busch, +66
    4. Brad Keselowski, +55
    5. Denny Hamlin, +54
    6. Joey Logano, +50
    7. Chase Elliott, +37
    8. Kyle Larson, +25
    9. Ryan Newman, +14
    10. Ryan Blaney, +8
    11. Aric Almirola, +3
    12. William Byron, +
      Below the Cut Line
    13. Alex Bowman, -2
    14. Clint Bowyer. -4
    15. Kurt Busch, -14
    16. Erik Jones, -45

    Official Results

    1. Martin Truex Jr., led 109 laps, won Stage 1
    2. Kyle Busch, led 202 laps, won Stage 2
    3. Denny Hamlin
    4. Brad Keselowski, led 89 laps
    5. Ryan Newman
    6. Kyle Larson
    7. Kevin Harvick
    8. Clint Bowyer
    9. Daniel Suarez
    10. Jimmie Johnson
    11. Joey Logano
    12. Bubba Wallace
    13. Chase Elliott, one lap down
    14. Matt DiBenedetto, one lap down
    15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr, one lap down
    16. Aric Almirola, one lap down
    17. Ryan Blaney, one lap down
    18. Kurt Busch, two laps down
    19. David Ragan, two laps down
    20. Matt Tifft, three laps down
    21. Michael McDowell, three laps down
    22. Austin Dillon, four laps down
    23. Alex Bowman, four laps down
    24. William Byron, four laps down
    25. Daniel Hemric, four laps down
    26. Ty Dillon, four laps down
    27. Paul Menard, five laps down
    28. Landon Cassill, five laps down
    29. Corey LaJoie, five laps down
    30. Ryan Preece, six laps down
    31. Chris Buescher, seven laps down
    32. Austin Theriault, eight laps down
    33. J.J. Yeley, nine laps down
    34. Spencer Boyd, 12 laps down
    35. Quin Houff, 16 laps down
    36. Ross Chastain, OUT, Brakes
    37. Reed Sorenson, OUT, Crash
    38. Erik Jones, failed post-race inspection

    Up Next: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competes next week at Charlotte Motor Speedway, home of the Roval and the final race in the Round of 16.

  • Christopher Bell earns dominating win at Richmond

    Christopher Bell earns dominating win at Richmond

    In what was dominating fashion, the No. 20 of Christopher Bell won at Richmond Raceway, the first race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. With the win, he is locked into the Round of 8.

    “I think I told every one of my guys, that this is an important race right here,” Bell told MRN Radio. “If you win this, you’re pretty much safe until October, maybe middle of October, going to Kansas. This one means a lot and number 7, that’s pretty good too.”

    The Go Bowling 250 marked the first race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and the beginning of the Round of 12. Playoff driver Austin Cindric qualified on the pole, while Justin Allgaier originally was second. However, Allgaier was forced to go to the rear before the start of the race, as he ran over a generator key during his qualifying run forcing the No. 7 team to change a tire on pit road prior to the start.

    Also starting in the back was playoff driver John Hunter Nemechek. Nemechek had an ignition issue prior to his qualifying run and was unable to make qualifying lap.

    Stage 1: Lap 1- Lap 75

    Most of the action occurred in the first stage, especially on the very first lap. The No. 66 of Mike Marlar had an accident on the backstretch and the second caution was flown on Lap 50 for Vinnie Miller. Miller had smoke coming out of the back of his car and came to a stop in Turn 2. His car was eventually pulled behind the garage and Miller recorded a disappointing 35th place outing.

    The final caution was for an incident that came on Lap 59 for the No. 74 of Tyler Matthews who went spinning in Turn 2. Matthews’ night was done early and he wound up 33rd. Under the caution, playoff drivers Michael Annett and Brandon Jones made pit stops. Both would have trouble during their sequence. For Jones, it was trouble with the jack but he was able to get the car off pit road with no damage.

    Stage 1 came to a close on Lap 75 and Christopher Bell took the win. Cindric, Noah Gragson, Annett, Cole Custer, Justin Haley, Hunter Nemechek, Jones, Chase Briscoe, Allgaier and Harrison Burton rounded out the top-10 Stage 1 finishers.

    Stage 2: Lap 83 – Lap 150

    Brandon Jones stayed out to the assume the lead however, it was Christopher Bell who stayed out front. Bell would retake the lead and go on to sweep the stages at Richmond. There would be no yellow flags in the second stage.

    One minor incident occurred under the stage break during pit stops. It was found that Justin Haley’s crew had too many men over the wall and he was penalized and was sent to the back for the start of Stage 3.

    Stage 3: Lap 158 – Lap 250

    Stage 3 was a repeat of Stage 2. However, one driver tried to put up a fight before lap traffic got in the way. Cole Custer closed in one time before his car started to go away.

    In the end, it was Bell who wound up having the best car of the night leading 238 laps en route to victory number seven of the season, the 15th of his Xfinity Series career.

    “It’s tough,” Bell added to MRN Radio. “The longer you go, the more you start slipping around. The 00 (Custer) was really good, he was keeping pace with us, gaining on me a little bit. I just had to stay focused and continue to hit my marks.”

    Cindric qualified on the pole, led eight laps and came home to finish second behind Bell.

    “Just trying to figure out what the track conditions were and what we needed with our race car, short run, long run and we were able to execute well there at the end,” Cindric said to MRN Radio. “Just trying to save my stuff because this track is great. You can manipulate the run with your hands and feet driving. Spotter Coleman (Pressley) did a great job tonight to help me manage that as well. The pit crew did an awesome job. All in all, a pretty good day for the MoneyLion Ford Mustang.”

    There were five cautions for 31 laps and four lead changes among three drivers. Bell led twice for 238 laps and all but 12 laps for his third Richmond win.

    Playoff Standings

    1. Christopher Bell, Advanced to Round of 8
    2. Cole Custer, +60
    3. Tyler Reddick, +38
    4. Austin Cindric, +34
    5. Justin Allgaier, +21
    6. Michael Annett, +18
    7. Chase Briscoe, +17
    8. Noah Gragson, +15

      Below the Cut Line
    9. Brandon Jones, -15
    10. Ryan Sieg, -19
    11. Justin Haley, -20
    12. John Hunter Nemechek, -21

    Official Results

    1. Christopher Bell, led 238 laps, won both stages
    2. Austin Cindric, led eight laps
    3. Cole Custer
    4. Justin Allgaier
    5. Chase Briscoe
    6. Harrison Burton
    7. Noah Gragson
    8. Zane Smith
    9. Michael Annett
    10. Tyler Reddick
    11. Brandon Jones
    12. Ryan Sieg
    13. Dillon Bassett, one lap down
    14. Joe Graf Jr, one lap down
    15. John Hunter Nemechek, one lap down
    16. Jeremy Clements, one lap down
    17. Justin Haley, one lap down
    18. Ray Black Jr, two laps down
    19. Ryan Repko, two laps down
    20. Joey Gase, two laps down
    21. J.J. Yeley, three laps down
    22. Gray Gaulding, three laps down
    23. Josh Williams, three laps down
    24. Hermie Sadler, three laps down
    25. David Starr, three laps down
    26. Chad Finchum, four laps down
    27. Garrett Smithley, four laps down
    28. Matt Mills, six laps down
    29. Stephen Leicht, nine laps down
    30. B.J. McLeod, 10 laps down
    31. C.J. McLaughlin, OUT, Axle
    32. Joe Nemechek, OUT, Brakes
    33. Tyler Matthews, OUT, Crash
    34. Brandon Brown, OUT, Engine
    35. Vinnie Miller, OUT, Engine
    36. Landon Cassill, OUT, Handling
    37. Stan Mullis, OUT, Suspension
    38. Mike Marlar, OUT, Crash

    Up Next: The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to the Charlotte Roval next Saturday, Sept. 28.

  • Jeremy Clements Racing is Ready to tee it Up this Friday Night at America’s Premier Short Track

    Jeremy Clements Racing is Ready to tee it Up this Friday Night at America’s Premier Short Track

    September 20, 2019 (Spartanburg, SC) – JCR is extremely excited to welcome Topgolf Entertainment Group, a global sports and entertainment company, as its newest sponsor. The Topgolf livery will make its debut Friday, Sept. 20 at the Richmond Raceway in the Go Bowling 250 ahead of Richmond’s Topgolf venue grand opening, which will bring climate-controlled hitting bays fueled by Toptracer technology, Swing Suite virtual gaming and minigolf to the Richmond community.

    “We were thrilled to bring this deal together ahead of the Topgolf opening in Richmond.  We also recently visited the new location in Greenville and it’s a blast,” said racer Jeremy Clements. 

    “I love hanging out with friends at Topgolf and having fun with the awesome atmosphere and great food and drinks!”

    Joining Topgolf as associate sponsors will be Repairable Vehicles.com, TRITEC, Chalew, Elite Towing & Recovery LLC, Circle Body Shop and Carolina Driveline.

    RACE PREVIEW:

    Track: Richmond Raceway

    Race: Go Bowling 250 – 250 laps

    Date: Friday, September 20, 2019

    TV Broadcast Information: 7:30 p.m. EST on NBCSN

    FAST FACTS:

    • Best Start – 12th September 2016
    • Best Finished – 8th April 2018
    • 18th average finish in last five races at Richmond

    JCR TEAM:

    Team: No. 51

    Crew Chief: Andrew Abbott

    Manufacturer: Chevrolet

    Engine: Clements Racing Engines

    Twitter: @JClement51 @JCR_Clements51

    Instagram:@jclements51

    Facebook: Jeremy Clements Racing

  • Weekend Schedule for Richmond

    Weekend Schedule for Richmond

    This weekend the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series head to Richmond Raceway. It will be the second of three races in the Round of 16 Cup Series Playoffs. Kyle Busch is the defending race winner on the 0.75-mile D-shaped track.

    The Xfinity Series will begin their Playoffs with the Round of 12 at Richmond. Christopher Bell who has six regular-season victories will be back to defend his win.

    The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series is off and will return to competition at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday, Oct. 12.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, September 20

    9:35-10:55 a.m. – Xfinity Series Final Practice (NBCSN)

    11:35 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. – Cup Series First Practice (NBCSN, MRN)

    1:35 – 2:25 p.m. – Cup Series Final Practice (NBCSN, MRN)

    4:35 p.m. – Xfinity Series Qualifying Impound – Single vehicle/two laps all positions (NBCSN)

    6:05 p.m. – Cup Series Qualifying impound – Single vehicle/two laps all positions (NBCSN, MRN)

    7 p.m. – Xfinity Series Driver Intros

    7:30 p.m. – Xfinity GoBowling 250 race – Stages 75/150/250 laps = 187.5 miles (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

    Saturday, September 21

    6:50 p.m. – Cup Series Driver Intros

    7:30 p.m. – Cup Series Federated Parts 400 race – Stages 100/200/400 laps = 300 miles (NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kyle Busch: Busch led 101 laps at Richmond and posted an eighth-place finish, his ninth top 10 of the season.

    “It’s good to see Martin Truex Jr. get the win,” Busch said. “That’s three of four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers with at least one win this season. Now, if Erik Jones could get a win, it would further extend JGR dominance. All our rival teams know they need to keep up with the Joneses, but let’s face it, the Jones needs to keep up with the Busch’s, Hamlin’s, and Truex’s.”

    2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin failed pre-race inspection twice and was relegated to the rear of the field at the start. Despite that, he finished fifth, his sixth top five of the season.

    “I was one of eight drivers whose cars failed inspection,” Hamlin said. “For NASCAR viewers who decry the lack of passing, it doesn’t get any better in qualifying either.”

    3. Joey Logano: Logano stalked Martin Truex Jr. over the closing laps at Richmond, but didn’t have enough for the pass and settled for second.

    “It didn’t help that my Penske teammate Brad Keselowski held me up earlier,” Logano said. “It was a case of ‘(Get out of) my way or the highway.’”

    4. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex held off Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano down the stretch to win at Richmond, capturing his first short track win.

    “That’s six wins for Joe Gibbs Racing already this year,” Truex said. “And six for Toyotas. The race was called the ‘Toyota Owners 400,’ and Joe Gibbs can verify that it’s good to own Toyotas.”

    5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished fourth in the Toyota Owners 400, joining Stewart-Haas Racing teammate and third place finisher Clint Bowyer in the top five.

    “SHR has yet to visit Victory Lane,” Harvick said. “And we’re spoiling for a win. Which is surprising, because I’ve always heard that ‘to the victor go the spoils.’ As to the reasons we haven’t been able to win, well, I’m lost.”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished seventh at Richmond and is now fifth in the Monster Energy Cup points standings, 87 out of first.

    “We have a week off for the Easter holiday,” Keselowski said. “And it’s the best time of year for drivers to thank the man upstairs. For me, that would be my spotter, Coleman Pressley.”

    7. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 11th in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond.

    “On Twitter, NASCAR described the Richmond race as a ‘classic,’” Busch said. “It was most certainly not. Sure, the race will ‘go down in history.’ And when I say ‘down,’ I mean way down on the list of memorable races.”

    8. Chase Elliott: Elliott started at the rear of the field after failing pre-race inspection, but battled back to post a solid 15th at Richmond.

    “My teammate Jimmie Johnson raced in the Boston Marathon on Monday,” Elliott said. “Jimmie may never win that elusive eighth Cup championship, but he accomplished a feat that I’m sure no other driver has—he lost to a Kenyan.”

    9. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer chased race leader Martin Truex Jr. over the final 40 laps at Richmond, but wasn’t able to make the pass. Bowyer settled for third, his fourth consecutive top-10 finish.

    “I was hoping to force Martin into an unintentional mistake at Richmond,” Bowyer said, “or better yet, an intentional mistake, like a spin. After all, he doesowe me.”

    10. Ryan Blaney: Blaney struggled with handling issues at Richmond and settled for a 25th-place finish.

    “I didn’t even feel like I was driving the car,” Blaney said. “I felt like it was driving me. And it drove me places I care not to go, like ‘crazy,’ ‘insane,’ and ‘up a wall.’”

  • Truex finally gets his short track win at Richmond

    Truex finally gets his short track win at Richmond

    After a three way battle in the closing laps, Martin Truex Jr. was able to out run Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer to the checkered flag in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway.

    “You just had to hold ’em off,” Truex told FOX on the front stretch regarding the battle between Logano, Bowyer and himself. “Tonight we didn’t have the best car, but we’ve lost some here with the best car. We’ve kept chipping away at it and hopefully we get better from here on out.”

    Truex claimed the lead from Brad Keselowski with just under 80 laps to go, and led to the finish with a race-high of 186 laps. Truex also improved his stage positions throughout the night, third in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2. Kyle Busch led 101 laps, but a speeding penalty paired with the caution for Kyle Larson’s crash knocked Busch off cycle. He wasn’t able to get back to the front, but continues his top 10 streak for the 2019 season among the opening nine races.

    Logano won Stage 2 after passing Truex with a handful of laps remaining, but was not able to repeat at the end of the race.

    “I figured something out there toward the end with about 10 laps to go to make up some speed,” Logano said. “Fun race, but, gosh, two weeks in a row I felt like we had a car that could win the race, and we haven’t won.”

    At this point last year, Clint Bowyer already had a short track victory at Martinsville. He was looking to break the Team Penske/Joe Gibbs Racing duo by putting a Stewart-Haas Racing car in victory lane. He came up a couple of spots short, but not without a few side by side battles with Truex with around 20 laps to go.

    “It’s frustrating,” said Bowyer. “I was faster on a long run than him, but by the time you get to (Truex), your stuff is pretty wore out. And with this aero package, you are so aero dependent behind those cars that you get terrible tight.”

    Pole sitter Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin finished in the top five. Austin Dillon was the first and only Chevrolet driver in the top 10, finishing in sixth. Brad Keselowski, Stage 1 winner Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Paul Menard rounded out the top 10.

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series takes Easter weekend off. They will race again at Talladega Superspeedway in the Geico 500 on April 28.