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  • Pole Sitter A.J. Allmendinger Falls Out of Contention with Mechanical Issues

    Pole Sitter A.J. Allmendinger Falls Out of Contention with Mechanical Issues

    Starting on the pole for the Toyota SaveMart 350, A.J. Allmendinger would lead laps early and look to be en route to contending for a victory in the later stages of the event. However, on lap 61, Allmendinger headed down pit road with mechanical issues.

    The team was unable to diagnose the program, sending Allmendinger back on the track. He made a couple more laps, despite not being able to go over 7000 rpms as the team didn’t want him to go behind the wall. Finally, Allmendinger would go behind the wall at lap 64, with the team changing both the ECU and fuel tank.

    “Still investigating, it looks like something with the fuel system may have gotten clogged up or gotten some debris or something in there,” crew chief Brian Burns commented. “Not sure yet. We will take a good look at it when we get back to the shop and regroup. Man, even after having to come back out laps down. We turned it into a test sessions and learned a lot, picked up a lot of speed. We ran the fastest lap of the race compared to anybody else towards the end just trying some things. Trying to turn something positive into it.”

    It marks a big disappointment as Allmendinger was hoping to score the victory to punch his ticket for the Chase for the Championship, just as he did last year in winning the road course race at Watkins Glen.

    “The car was good,” he commented. “I thought we had a better chance of winning this year than we did last year.  It was still going to be tough. The No. 41 (Kurt Busch) was pretty solid. The No. 18 (Kyle Busch) the way it played out was pretty good.  I know the No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson) was good. We just fought the rear a little bit. I don’t know how that would have played out at the end. I know we had the fastest lap of the race, which shows the car had speed. I think we were going in the right direction it just feels like a swift kick to everything right now. But it’s nothing we really did wrong it is one of those circumstances.”

  • Kyle Busch Resurrects Season with Spectacular Victory at Sonoma

    Kyle Busch Resurrects Season with Spectacular Victory at Sonoma

    By Reid Spencer

    SONOMA, Calif. – Check the box. Kyle Busch has a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.

    That simple statement hardly plumbs the depth of emotion Kyle Busch was feeling after winning Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

    In the first-ever 1-2 finish in the series by the Busch brothers, Kyle Busch beat Kurt Busch to the finish line by .532 seconds to win for the first time since returning from an 11-race absence because of a broken right leg and left foot sustained in a Feb. 21 accident at Daytona International Speedway.

    “First Busch brothers 1-2, boys,” Kyle Busch exulted on his radio after taking the checkered flag. “Mom and Dad should be proud.”

    On Lap 106 of 110, Kyle Busch muscled Jimmie Johnson out of the way and took the lead on the way to his second victory at the 1.99-mile road course and the 30th of his career. Johnson had stayed out on old tires while Busch joined a parade to pit road for new rubber after the left rear wheel assembly separated from Casey Mears Chevrolet to cause the fifth and final caution of the race on Lap 99.

    Johnson led the field to a restart on Lap 104, but the cars with fresh tires soon asserted their superiority, with Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, reigning series champion Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano all following Kyle Busch in putting the six-time champion behind them.

    Kyle Busch restarted seventh and got past Bowyer, the eventual third-place finisher, soon thereafter in heavy traffic at the top of the hill in Turn 2. Two laps later, he passed Johnson for the lead.

    All told, 46 races had passed since Kyle Busch last went to Victory Lane in NASCAR’s premier series, including the 11 he missed because of the Daytona injuries. Busch last won at Fontana, Calif., on Mar. 23, 2014. The victory extends his streak of winning at least one race per year to 11 years.

    More significant, the triumph gives Busch the first element he needs to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Busch also must finish in the top 30 in the series standings after 26 races in order to maintain his eligibility for NASCAR’s playoff.

    With the win, Busch gained two positions in the standings to 37th, 136 points behind 30th-place Cole Whit with 10 races left in the regular season.

    “Yeah, we have our work cut out for us,” he said. “We knew we did in the beginning (after returning to competition five races ago), and I knew we put us in the hole in points. It’s unfortunate that we’ve had a couple crashes (in recent events at Dover and Michigan).

    “As much as I can do, that’s what we’re going to do. Adam Stevens, this is his first win as a Cup crew chief, so this is pretty special. My wife is here, she flew in this morning. So it’s awesome to have her with us today. Brexton (Busch’s newborn son) is at home, though. He didn’t want to fly six hours, so we let him stay at home this time. This is so cool.”

    Kurt Busch led a race-high 43 laps but spent too much time getting past Bowyer in the closing laps to have a realistic chance to catch his brother. But his disappointment at finishing second was trumped by empathy for the ordeal Kyle has endured this season.

    “It was emotional,” Kurt Busch acknowledged. “I know he’s been through quite a bit; to have your leg broken, your foot shattered, to never (before) be injured and out of the car … I don’t know what that feels like, but I do know that working with Tony Stewart and having him go through rehab, rehab is very difficult, and it is a mental challenge.

    “And I’m very proud of Kyle for what he’s done to get back in the car as soon as he did get back in the car, and then to be competitive at a track with hard, hard braking and to use his left foot to drive to victory lane, I’m very proud of him.”

    Then Kurt’s competitive juices took over, and he added, tongue-in-cheek, “I just wish I could have one more lap to get to his bumper, but I think he didn’t want to see an extra lap.”

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Toyota/Save Mart 350
    Sonoma Raceway
    Sonoma, California
    Sunday, June 28, 2015

    1. (11) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 110, $315481.
    2. (2) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 110, $222630.
    3. (6) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 110, $191988.
    4. (17) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 110, $183230.
    5. (19) Joey Logano, Ford, 110, $166638.
    6. (13) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 110, $162406.
    7. (20) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 110, $122995.
    8. (26) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 110, $118895.
    9. (16) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 110, $135420.
    10. (24) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 110, $132065.
    11. (18) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 110, $129976.
    12. (7) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 110, $126674.
    13. (32) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 110, $106060.
    14. (25) Aric Almirola, Ford, 110, $133846.
    15. (4) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 110, $124618.
    16. (5) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 110, $139846.
    17. (37) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 110, $131271.
    18. (15) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 110, $108485.
    19. (10) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 110, $137901.
    20. (40) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 110, $101135.
    21. (3) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 110, $129421.
    22. (29) Cole Whitt, Ford, 110, $109493.
    23. (31) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 110, $131885.
    24. (21) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 110, $98160.
    25. (36) Alex Kennedy #, Chevrolet, 110, $107193.
    26. (33) Boris Said(i), Ford, 110, $99868.
    27. (22) Greg Biffle, Ford, 110, $119393.
    28. (38) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 109, $87685.
    29. (30) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 109, $99118.
    30. (35) Justin Marks(i), Ford, 109, $88810.
    31. (41) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 109, $96182.
    32. (43) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, 109, $83965.
    33. (42) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 109, $83855.
    34. (23) Michael McDowell, Ford, 109, $83720.
    35. (27) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 107, $91555.
    36. (39) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 99, $83470.
    37. (1) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 98, $113795.
    38. (8) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, Rear Axle, 97, $85913.
    39. (9) David Ragan, Toyota, Accident, 78, $101064.
    40. (14) Carl Edwards, Toyota, Accident, 78, $69850.
    41. (34) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, Accident, 71, $65850.
    42. (12) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 31, $88195.
    43. (28) David Gilliland, Ford, Accident, 20, $66350.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 74.774 mph.
    Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 55 Mins, 39 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.532 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 5 for 21 laps.
    Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers.

    Lap Leaders: A. Allmendinger 0; Kurt Busch 1-22; A. Allmendinger 23; C. Bowyer 24-27; Kyle Busch 28-39; Kurt Busch 40-52; J. Johnson 53-66; Kurt Busch 67-74; J. Johnson 75-105; Kyle Busch 106-110.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Johnson 2 times for 45 laps; Kurt Busch 3 times for 43 laps; Kyle Busch 2 times for 17 laps; C. Bowyer 1 time for 4 laps; A. Allmendinger 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick – 616; M. Truex Jr. – 563; J. Logano – 559; J. Johnson – 546; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 545; B. Keselowski – 505; J. Mcmurray – 497; K. Kahne – 483; M. Kenseth – 479; Kurt Busch – 469; J. Gordon – 462; P. Menard – 452; D. Hamlin – 438; R. Newman – 435; A. Almirola – 431; C. Bowyer – 430.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Sonoma Raceway

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Sonoma Raceway

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the road course at Sonoma Raceway this weekend while the XFINITY Series and the Camping World Truck Series are off. Please check below for the full schedule.

    All times Eastern.

    Friday, June 26:

    On Track:

    3-4:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Practice – FOX Sports 2
    6:30-7:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Final Practice – FOX Sports 2

    Press Conferences Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    1:15 p.m.: AJ Allmendinger
    1:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    2:15 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    5:05 p.m.: Carl Edwards

    Saturday, June 27:

    On Track:

    2:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 1

    Press Conferences Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    3:15 p.m.: Post-qualifying NSCS Press Conference (Time approx.)

    Sunday, June 28:

    On Track:

    3 p.m.: Sprint Cup Toyota/Save Mart 350 (110 laps, 218.9 miles) – FOX Sports 1 (Green Flag 3:19 p.m. approx.)

    Press Conferences Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    5:45 p.m.: Post-race NSCS Press Conference (Time approx.)

    Notes:

    The NASCAR RaceDay Pre-Race Show will air at 2:00 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.

  • Sonoma Raceway Sprint Cup Preview – Just the Facts

    Sonoma Raceway Sprint Cup Preview – Just the Facts

    With only 11 races remaining in the regular season, the action heats up as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Sonoma Raceway this weekend for some road course action in California.

    Did you Know?

    • The NSCS competes at Sonoma Raceway once each season. The first Cup race was held there in 1989.
    • Ricky Rudd won the first race on June 11, 1989 at a speed of 76.088 mph.
    • Rusty Wallace won the inaugural pole with a 90.041 mph lap.
    • Danica Patrick is the only female NSCS driver that has competed at Sonoma Raceway.
    • Dale Earnhardt won his only NASCAR road course race at Sonoma in 1995.
    • The last 10 races have produced 10 different winners:

    2005 – Tony Stewart
    2006 – Jeff Gordon
    2007 – Juan Pablo Montoya
    2008 – Kyle Busch
    2009 – Kasey Kahne
    2010 – Jimmie Johnson
    2011 – Kurt Busch
    2012 – Clint Bowyer
    2013 – Martin Truex Jr.
    2014 – Carl Edwards

    Winners and Losers:

    • Kurt Busch has the best driver rating at Sonoma (106.5) followed by Jeff Gordon (103.4) and Tony Stewart (98.8).
    • Gordon’s resume, however, may be the most impressive as he leads the series with nine road course wins, five at Sonoma and four at Watkins Glen. Although his last triumph was in 2006, this could be one of his best opportunities to bring home his first checkered flag of the season.
    He is the only driver with consecutive wins at this track, with three victories between the years 1998-2000. Gordon is also the lone competitor to win from the pole more than once (1998, 1999 and 2004) and he leads the series with 14 top-five finishes at Sonoma.
    • Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are at the other end of the spectrum. They have the dubious distinction of leading all active drivers with the most NSCS starts at Sonoma (15) with no wins to show for their efforts. A trip to Victory Lane would be huge for either driver but if their driver ratings at the track are any indication, Earnhardt (72.1) and Kenseth (75.4) are long shots at best.

    Milestones:

    • Brad Keselowski is set to make his 300th NSCS consecutive start on June 28 at Sonoma Raceway.
    • If Kevin Harvick places in the top-two this Sunday, he will accomplish something that only one other driver in NSCS history has done by capturing 11 top-two finishes in the first 16 races of the season. Bobby Allison did so in 1972.
    • Carl Edwards is tied with Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 24 series career wins. A win at Sonoma would tie him with Joe Weatherly and Denny Hamlin who are 29th on the all-time wins list with 25.

    Ten different drivers have secured their spot in the Chase with a victory this year. Will a new driver emerge victorious at Sonoma Raceway this weekend? Tune into the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on FOX Sports 1 Sunday, June 28 at 3 p.m. to find out.

  • Finley Factor: Putting A Muzzle On The Dog

    Finley Factor: Putting A Muzzle On The Dog

    The lottery is really just a volunteer tax. Every week thousands upon thousands of people attempt to win it, in spite of the one in million(s) odds. Every week, these same thousands upon thousands of people don’t win the big money and decide to try again next week.

    NASCAR’s version of the lottery? The free lap rule.

    It’s a fairly easy rule to explain – like the lottery – to explain to those playing. If a caution comes out and a driver is the first a lap or more down (and they did not cause said caution), they become the “lucky dog” and gain a free lap.

    Like the lottery, most “lucky dogs” win it by pure luck with no actual indicator of skill. They are simply lapped right before the caution comes out and if it had been even another lap, the leader would have lapped yet another driver. And if there are multiple cautions in a single period, congratulations, everybody gets their lap back!

    The reality is that no driver has won a race after winning the free pass in five years now. Kevin Harvick was the last to do so, at Daytona in 2010, and only eight times in the 12-year history of the rule has a driver won after being the “lucky dog”.

    If anything, the only factor the free pass rule has on most races is that lapped cars now have extra incentive to “race” each other. This is a code word for “ignore other cars and just get in the way of lead lap cars.”

    Other than that, it has no real effect on racing and only serves to make racing sound better in PR statements – “We’ve had X amount of cars finish on the lead lap this year, we’re at the most competitive point in racing history”- and overall is just a waste of time.

    Like the lottery.

     

    Sonoma Raceway Preview:

    Favorite

    Jeff Gordon has to be the favorite this week. Even though he has not won at Sonoma in the past five years, he has an incredible 3.8 average finish over that same period, making Sonoma his best track on the Cup schedule.

    Sleeper

    Jimmie Johnson only has a single win at a road course but it came here, and like Gordon, he is riding a streak of five top-10s in the last five years here.

    One to Watch

    I’m interested to see how Kevin Harvick does this week. This is a good track for him, but he only finished 20th here last year. Now that this team has some experience together, they should definitely improve on that.

     

    I’m getting tired of writing about Danica Patrick, especially because I feel she is performing decently this year, but here we go again.

    I would like to provide a rebuttal to an article posted on motorsport.com, in particular, one written by news manager Steven Cole Smith about Danica Patrick possibly being a future Hall of Famer.

    Overall I feel Mr. Smith didn’t exactly provide a good argument, as there are plenty of holes in his article that should be pointed out. The Orlando Sentential has already looked at one of them, I’m going to do the rest of the hard work.

    “And while she may not yet have compiled sheer statistics that would send her to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the fact that she has been the first female driver to prove that a woman – particularly a woman that isn’t built like a roller derby jammer – can survive season after season in what has always been, and still is, a man’s sport.”

    Granted she has finished no higher than 27th in practically Hendrick equipment the last two seasons, but hey, it isn’t like her boss is doing a lot better this year.

    “All that said, yes, Patrick doesn’t have a win, but look at her stats this season: As we approach the halfway mark, she is 19th in points, ahead of Greg Biffle (20th), Sam Hornish Jr. (25th), her car owner, Tony Stewart (26th), and her boyfriend, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (28th).

    That shows competence. And for a slot in the Hall of Fame, I contend that’s plenty for a pioneer. I’m not remotely saying that her situation mirrors the struggle that Hall of Famer Wendell Scott faced as the first black driver to make a living in NASCAR, but there are similarities.

    But Scott’s first real season with NASCAR in 1961 when he competed in 23 of 52 races that year, winning $3,240, came a stunning 52 years before a woman ran a full season, when Patrick did in 2013.”

    Competence should never be the skill level of a driver in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The reality is that Wendell Scott was a good driver; he didn’t have the hard stats (i.e. wins) to prove it, but you have to remember his situation. He was running cars out of his backyard and had his children as his primary crew working on them.

    Just the fact that he was able to make it to the racetrack was remarkable, never mind his three top-10 points finishes and an average finish of 15th throughout his career.

    Granted, those results were a little inflated due to smaller fields and fewer drivers running full time versus today, but Scott still had 147 top-10 finishes in 495 starts, roughly a top-10 every 3.3 races.

    Scott was a very consistent driver, similar in many ways to other “strokers” in Cup at the time, including James Hylton and Richard Childress. Nobody had the money the big teams had; they only raced out of pure love for the sport.

    Meanwhile, Patrick, save for a fuel mileage win in IndyCar at Motegi, hasn’t won a professional race in 10 years of trying. And for at least the past 10 years, from Motorola to GoDaddy to whatever will be on the No. 10 next season, she has always had big money sponsors.

    In seven years in IndyCar, she had an average finish of 10.6 in usually a 20 or so car field, only seven podiums, and a pathetic 124 laps led.

    The fact is that she has been a journeyman driver, and as I’ve said, I think her peak is ultimately going to be at the Paul Menard level, she is an incredibly average driver that will contend for a spot in the Chase but probably won’t get it.

    “Add to that the attention Patrick brought, and is still bringing, to stock car racing. She arguably brought along her IndyCar fans, as well as female fans who identified more with her than, say, Jimmy Spencer.”

    How long did these IndyCar fans stay? Apparently not very long since ratings were down in 2014 after being slightly up in 2013, her rookie year. And even then, with the introduction of the Gen 6 and a few other things, the rating increase in 2013 may not have been only because of Patrick.

    Not to mention – what IndyCar fans? NASCAR has been heads and shoulders above IndyCar when it comes to the pure number of fans for many years. IndyCar has been stuck on Versus/NBCSN for years and the only reason NASCAR is going on that network to begin with is to build said network up to someday compete with ESPN. And, of course, I’d cite attendance numbers, but NASCAR doesn’t publically give them out anymore. mainly because of how embarrassing the numbers are, nd are actively tearing down grandstands to reduce seating capacity.

    None of this is Patrick’s fault of course, but she definitely brought in either no fans, a miniscule amount of fans long term, or the people she brings in are being outpaced by the people not caring about racing anymore, which is pretty frightening if true.

    As far as female fans…. There has always been roughly a 30-40 percent female audience for NASCAR since the 90’s. I’m not going to argue that there are women who became a fan of Patrick when she made the switch, but that doesn’t make a huge difference when the overall number of fans is going down.

    “And speaking of IndyCar, no migrant to NASCAR has been able to duplicate the success of Tony Stewart, including Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti and Indy 500 winner Hornish, who is still struggling to establish himself. Patrick has.”

    Hold up, hold up. Granted Montoya didn’t “duplicate the success of Tony Stewart,” but he still won races and made the Chase in 2009. Somehow he isn’t as successful as Patrick, who did “duplicate the success of Tony Stewart.” By this point in his Cup career (97 starts), Stewart had 10 wins and 33 top-fives, with a highest points finish of fourth and was in the middle of a season where he’d be the runner up for the championship. Patrick has no wins, no top fives, has a highest points finish of 27th and is on track to finish the current season in the high teens in points. Granted this is a very unfair comparison but I’m not the one making it, I’m just adding numbers to said comparison.

    “Is there anyone who can say Danica Patrick hasn’t been very, very good for racing in general, NASCAR in particular?”

    Ford has been very, very good for racing in general but I don’t think we’ll be seeing anybody from the Ford family inducted into the Hall of Fame anytime soon.

    “Based on what she has done up to now, Danica Patrick is Hall of Fame material. But she’s young (33) and still has time to wow us, possibly by doing the Memorial Day double – the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.”

    To begin with, doing the double is nice but I don’t see Robby Gordon getting the nod to go into the Hall of Fame, and both Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart will go in for their overall body of work.

    If I were judging today’s drivers based off of Hall of Fame merit, only 8 full time drivers come to mind as being Hall of Famers as of right now. These drivers are:

    Jeff Gordon

    Jimmie Johnson

    Tony Stewart

    Matt Kenseth

    Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Kevin Harvick

    Kurt Busch

    Kyle Busch (Remember it’s a NASCAR Hall of Fame, not just Cup merits matter).

    Bobby Labonte (Not full time but should be mentioned as he will be going in with his brother whenever he decides to hang up the fire suit for good).

    After that there are a few borderline candidates, such as Brad Keselowski or Carl Edwards. But the reality is that it’s unfair to judge all but these select few, because their careers are in progress.

    Who really knows what could happen from here on out. Patrick could go win five races and win the championship this year. But you can’t judge careers now, and even if you want to, Danica doesn’t come close in my opinion.

    But don’t just take my word for it. Read both mine and Smith’s articles and come to your own conclusion on the matter. My own conclusion is that Danica should not be put into the Hall of Fame simply for having something no woman before her has ever had in NASCAR… money.

    All stats cited in the Finley Factor are as per Racing Reference unless otherwise noted.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Michigan

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Michigan

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet was damaged when he went three-wide early in the Quicken Loans 400. The consequences cost Johnson track position and he eventually finished 19th after battling his way back for the remainder of the race.

    “You heard right,” Johnson said. “I went three-wide. That’s something the average NASCAR fan can’t relate to. But they can come close because the average NASCAR fan can certainly relate to going ‘double-wide.’”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 63 laps at Michigan, but his day was derailed by tire troubles that left him with a 29th-place finish, his worst result of the year. He leads the Sprint Cup points standings by 15 over Martin Truex Jr.

    “Hey,” Harvick said, “finishing 29th isn’t all that bad. ‘29’ was my car number at Richard Childress Racing. And finishing 29th reminded me why I left RCR in the first place.”

    3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex took third in the Quicken Loans 400, posting his series-best 14th top-10 of the year. He trails Kevin Harvick by 15 in the points standings.

    “Rain interrupted Sunday’s race four times,” Truex said. “In fact, there were so many water ‘breaks,’ it reminded me of pregnant NASCAR wives.”

    4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt finished second at Michigan, tops among Hendrick Motorsports drivers. He is fourth in the points standings, 68 out of first.

    “The No. 88 Chevy was sponsored by Amp Energy’s new ‘Passion Fruit’ flavor,” Earnhardt said. “I’m not sure that flavor appeals to the good people of Junior Nation. If there’s a fruit they’re passionate about, it better be in the form of schnapps.”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano placed fifth in the Quicken Loan 400, posting his eighth top-five finish of the year.

    “How did Kurt Busch pull out the win?” Logano said. “The rain came at precisely the right moment. And all this time I thought he was trying to get the dark cloud away from him.”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished sixth at Michigan, joining Penske Racing teammate Joey Logano, who finished fifth, in the top 10.

    “Logano won at Daytona,” Keselowski said, “and I won at California. And Penske hasn’t won since. You could say we’re just ‘coasting.’”

    7. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth took fourth at Michigan, scoring his sixth top-five result of the season.

    “My son, Ross, got his first win in the ARCA racing series on Friday night,” Kenseth said. “Obviously, talent runs in the family. There are a lot of drivers who’ll argue that I’m the only thing that ‘runs’ in the family.”

    8. Kurt Busch: Kurt Busch won the rain-shortened Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan, taking the lead when Kyle Larson was forced to pit for fuel. A downpour ensued, and Busch had his second win of the year.

    “I won today,” Busch said. “That means I have a checkered present to go along with my checkered past.”

    9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 11th at Michigan after starting 13th on the grid.

    “Congratulations to Kurt Busch,” Hamlin said. “After two wins this season, he must feel vindicated. Especially now that the feds are investigating his former girlfriend Patricia Driscoll. Apparently, her most covert operation may have been her accounting.”

    10. Jamie McMurray: McMurray finished seventh in the Quicken Loans 400, scoring his third consecutive seventh-place finish.

    “I feel for Kyle Larson,” McMurray said. “He deserved the win, but the rain, or lack thereof, cost him. If the weather were as predictable as racing itself, Larson would have had the win.”

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Michigan and Gateway Motorsports Park

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Michigan and Gateway Motorsports Park

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series head to Michigan International Speedway this weekend while the Camping World Truck Series travels to Gateway Motorsports Park. Please check below for the full schedule.

    All times Eastern.

    Friday, June 12:

    On Track:

    11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
    1-2 p.m.: XFINITY Series practice – FOX Sports 1
    2:30-3:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
    4:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FOX Sports 2

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    10:15 a.m.: Joey Logano
    10:40 a.m.: Kyle Larson
    1:45 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    2:15 p.m.: Clint Bowyer
    2:30 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr. and Joe Garone
    5:15 p.m.: Post NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying (time approx.)

    Saturday, June 13:

    On Track:

    9-9:55 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series practice – FOX Sports 1
    10:15 a.m.: XFINITY Series qualifying – FOX Sports 1
    10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series final practice
    Noon-12:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series final practice – FOX Sports 1
    1:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Great Clips 250 Benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America (125 laps, 250 miles) – FOX Sports 1
    5:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series qualifying – FOX Sports 2
    8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series American Ethanol Presents the Drivin’ for Linemen 200 brought to you by Ameren (160 laps, 200 miles) – FOX Sports 1 

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    11:15 a.m.: Cole Whitt and Nate Burleson
    3:15 p.m.: Post NASCAR XFINITY Series race (time approx.)

    Sunday, June 14:

    On Track:

    1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans 400 (200 laps, 400 miles) – FOX Sports 1 

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    9:15 a.m.: Brad Keselowski and Dave Pericak
    10 a.m.: Ryan Newman, Mark Dantonio and Bill Emerson
    4:15 p.m.: Post NASCAR Sprint Cup race (time approx.)

  • Hometown Son Trent Owens Shares Darlington Memories

    Hometown Son Trent Owens Shares Darlington Memories

    Darlington Raceway is a rare gem in today’s NASCAR because it is unlike any other track on the circuit. It was built on land that once grew cotton and peanuts and shaped around a minnow pond, giving it a unique design and producing NASCAR’s first paved superspeedway.

    The “Track Too Tough to Tame” was the site for an open NASCAR test session Wednesday. Aric Almirola and his crew chief Trent Owens were one of 12 Sprint Cup teams that participated.

    Owens, who hails from Darlington, has racing in his DNA. His father, Randy Owens (Richard Petty’s brother-in-law), was only 20-years-old when he lost his life in a bizarre pit accident at Talladega while attempting to extinguish a fire on Richard Petty’s No. 43. A pressurized water tank exploded, killing him instantly. Trent was only four months old.

    He followed in his father’s footsteps, working at Petty Enterprises as a teenager and eventually making his debut as a driver in NASCAR’s truck series in 2001. The following year he made six truck starts for Billy Ballew Motorsports, but the team lost its funding and Owen’s career took him on a different path.

    From 2006-2013, Owens began working as a crew chief in the Busch/Nationwide Series (now XFINITY) with various teams including Braun Racing and Turner Scott Motorsports. He won with five different drivers in the series and served as crew chief for the 2013 Rookie of the Year, Kyle Larson. Owens also captured one win with Larson in the Camping World Truck Series along with a victory in the ARCA Series.

    In 2014, when Owens got the call to move up to the Sprint Cup Series as crew chief for the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 car with driver, Aric Almirola, it was as if his life had come full circle.

    “In a lot of ways,” Owens said, “I know he would be extremely proud and in a lot of ways I feel like I’m continuing what he was trying to do. Not knowing him, it is special that I’m working on the same car that he was working on.”

    During a break from testing, Owens spoke about the special connection he has with Darlington.

    When asked about his first memory of the track, he said, “It’s hard to remember exactly. I think the best thing for me was getting out of school early to come for qualifying on Thursdays. I always enjoyed that. I don’t think I’ve missed a race here and it’s hard to remember what year that may have been.

    “It was cool that I lived in a town that, you know this racing deal, when you talk about family, we travel a lot, we don’t get to see our families so it was nice that I got to live in a town that my family got to actually come to a town I lived in and I got to visit them there. So I think that was one of the coolest things.”

    As the team heads to Michigan this weekend, their focus is on improving from a 15th place car to a top-10 or top-five car. But in three months, when the team travels back to Darlington for the Southern 500, the emphasis will certainly be on winning. For this Darlington son, a victory with the No. 43 would be nothing short of a dream come true.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Jimmie Johnson: Fresh off a win at Dover, Johnson finished third in the Axalta 400 at Pocono, his ninth top-five of the year. He is third in the Sprint Cup points standings, 78 out of first.

    “I blew a tire on lap 87,” Johnson said, “but I was still able to pull out a third. I’ve got to hand it to my pit crew for getting me back out there quickly. It was a ‘change’ that even Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner’s doctors would be proud of.”

    2. Kevin Harvick: Harvick couldn’t catch Martin Truex Jr. down the stretch at Pocono and settled for second, his 10th runner-up finish of the season. He leads the Sprint Cup points standings by 39 over Truex.

    “Congratulations to Martin for his win in the ‘Axalta 400,” Harvick said. “Axalta’s slogan may be ‘We paint winners.’ For 10 races this season, my slogan has been ‘We ain’t winners.’”

    3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex led 97 of 160 laps at Pocono and finally won for the first time this season, taking the Axalta 400.

    “I feel like the monkey is off my back,” Truex said. “That’s also how I felt after leaving Michael Waltrip Racing.”

    4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt started on row 10 at Pocono and brought home an 11th-place finish, as all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers finished in the top 14.

    “Martin Truex’s win was a popular one for everyone involved in NASCAR,” Earnhardt said. “Even the good people of Junior Nation couldn’t help but applaud. As usual, the clap was rampant among my fans.”

    5. Joey Logano: Logano fell a lap down early but strongly rebounded for a fourth-place finish, his seventh top-five finish of the year. He is fourth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 79 out of first.

    “I have a cameo in the ‘Sharknado 3’ movie,” Logano said. “’Cameo’ means you show up once. They call me ‘Sliced Bread,’ and that makes my part in the movie the ‘roll’ of a lifetime.”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski’s day at Pocono soured when he got into the back of the No. 34 car of Brett Moffitt with 32 laps to go. Keselowski eventually finished 17th and is sixth in the points standings, 118 out of first.

    “I was this close to avoiding that No. 34 car,” Keselowski said. “It reminds me of a story I’ve read my newborn girl—‘Little Miss Moffitt.’”

    7. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth topped all Joe Gibbs Racing drivers at Pocono, finishing sixth for his eighth top-10 of the year.

    “They call Pocono ‘The Tricky Triangle,’” Kenseth said. “And speaking of shapes, I’m known as the ‘Shifty Square.’

    8. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin, a four-time winner at Pocono, finished 10th in the Axalta 400, recording his sixth top-10 result of the year.

    “As you may know,” Hamlin said, “Axalta is known for its coatings. And they are a primary sponsor of Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet. That means they pay him to put their product on his car. And that’s called a cover charge.”

    9. Jamie McMurray: McMurray finished seventh at Pocono, posting his sixth top-10 finish of the year.

    “Ten different drivers have won races this year,” McMurray said. “One of those is Martin Truex Jr. He’s qualified for The Chase For The Cup, and no one can take that away from him. But we’ll see.”

    10. Kurt Busch: Busch started on the pole at Pocono, his third pole of the season, and finished fifth in the Axalta 400.

    “What a race by Martin Truex Jr.,” Busch said. “He totally dominated the second half of the race. He really went in for the kill, but I’ll stop short of calling him an assassin.”

  • Martin Truex Jr. Celebrates Victory and Life after Pocono Win

    Martin Truex Jr. Celebrates Victory and Life after Pocono Win

    The challenges of the last year and a half seemed to vanish as Martin Truex Jr. drove his No. 78 Chevy into victory lane after winning Sunday’s Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 at Pocono Raceway to end a 69-race winless streak. It was his third career Sprint Cup win, his first with Furniture Row Racing and the first for crew chief Cole Pearn.

    But this victory was about so much more than mere numbers. Its significance transcends breaking a losing streak, leading the most laps or cementing his standing in the Chase. This was about beating the odds, both professionally and personally.

    Last year was one of the lowest points in Truex’s life as he struggled with his new team managing only five top-five finishes the entire season. But Truex remained committed to the small single-car team led by owner Barney Visser. His biggest test, however, came as longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex underwent treatment for cancer.

    Truex was inspired by her strength, saying, “She showed me what she was made of and I was like, wow, if she can do that then I can do this, this is easy.”

    This season has seen a resurgence of Truex’s career, perhaps sparked by Pollex’s remission. The couple hugged after he climbed out of his car and one can only imagine the myriad of emotions they experienced in that brief moment, particularly since Truex lost his grandmother this week.

    “Sherry is here healthy and is excited as I am and everything is going well for her,” said Truex.

    “It never gets any better than this,” he exclaimed. “It takes time to heal things especially with what Sherry and I went through. This just kind of makes you forget all about it. Tomorrow we are still going back to normal life. We always try to remember that and be ourselves and remember why we are here and how lucky we are to be doing this. I just feel super blessed to be with this group of guys. They are super impressive and I’m just proud to drive cars for them.”

    Truex’s win was popular within the NASCAR community. Even second place finisher, Kevin Harvick, said, “If you’re going to lose to somebody today, that’s a great person to lose to.”

    “You look at everything, personally and professionally Martin and Sherry have dealt with,” he continued, “and you have to be super-happy for them. To see them have that bright spot is something I think the whole garage will support and be happy with.”

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. agreed, saying, “I’m just happy for him. I know he’s been through a lot of stuff, both inside the car and outside the car the last several years. He’s been able to get into a good opportunity with good people. He’s got a team that believes in him. They’ve come a long way over the last several years.”

    Truex was humbled by the support of his fellow competitors.

    “It means a lot, it really does, because there’s going to come a time when racing and where you finish in races doesn’t matter,” Truex said. “What’s going to matter is kind of the legacy you leave and how people look at the person that you are. So that means a ton to me to have that respect, and, honestly, it’s kind of humbling.”

    Sometimes winning isn’t everything. Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. Today was one of those days.