Tag: XFINITY Series

NASCAR Racing Schedule for Iowa

The NASCAR XFINITY Series and the Camping World Truck Series head to Iowa Speedway this weekend while the Sprint Cup Series takes a week off. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

All times are Eastern.

Friday, June 17:

On-Track:
3-4:25 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series First Practice – FS2
4:30-5:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – FS2, moves to FS1 at 5 p.m.
6-6:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice – FS1
7-7:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1

Saturday, June 18:

On-Track:
4:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS2
6:45 p.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS2, moves to FS1 at 7 p.m.
8:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Speediatrics 200 (200 laps, 175 miles) – FS1

Sunday, June 19:

On-Track:
1:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series American Ethanol E15 250 Presented by Enogen (250 laps, 218.75 miles) – FS1

Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

June 16, 2016
NASCAR Racing Schedule for Michigan and Texas
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series travel to Michigan International Speedway this weekend while the Camping World Truck Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

All times are Eastern.

Thursday, June 9:

On Track – Texas:
6-6:45 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series First Practice
7:30-9 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice

Friday, June 10:

On Track – Michigan:
11 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series First Practice – FS1
12:30-1:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – FS1
3-3:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Second Practice – FS1
4:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1

Garage Cam: (Watch live)
10:30 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series
Noon: XFINITY Series

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
9:45 a.m.: AJ Allmendinger
10 a.m.: Kurt Busch
10:15 a.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
1:30 p.m.: Brad Keselowski
2:15 p.m.: Brendan Gaughan
5:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)

On Track – Texas:
6 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – WThis will air tape delayed on FS1 at 7:30 p.m. ET
9 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Rattlesnake 400 (167 laps, 250.5 miles) – FS1

Saturday, June 11:

On Track – Michigan:
9-9:55 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Second Practice – FS1
10 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
Noon-12:55 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
1:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Menards 250 Presented by Valvoline (125 laps, 250 miles) – FS1

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
3:30 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

Sunday, June 12:

On Track – Michigan:
1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 (200 laps, 400 miles) – FS1

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
4 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Race (time approx.)

Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

Additional NASCAR Programming:
- Brendan Gaughan and Brandon Jones on “Annoying Orange” – Friday, June 10 on YouTube
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on American Ninja Warrior – Monday, June 13th at 8 p.m. on NBC
June 8, 2016
Kyle Larson Wins Rained Out Inaugural XFINITY Race at Pocono

LONG POND, Pa. – Kyle Larson battled competitors and the weather to score the victory in the inaugural Pocono Green 250 XFINITY Series race in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The driver of the No. 42 Cessna/NTT Data Group Chevrolet received the checkered flag after the race was rain delayed and then finally called.

This was Larson’s fourth victory in 82 NASCAR XFINITY Series races, his first victory for the 2016 season and his fifth top-10 finish in 2016. Larson’s last win came at Homestead in the 2015 season finale.

“I’m happy with it,” Larson said. “We were good, better than I thought we’d be. Shiplett (Mike Shiplett, crew chief) and all the guys did a really good job adjusting on the car. When we put on stickers, I got closer to the feel I wanted.”

“I didn’t really think I would win today but it all worked out. All in all, a really solid day.”

Erik Jones, in the No. 20 SportClips Haircuts Toyota, finished second after starting from the pole. This was his first top-10 finish in his first XFINITY race at Pocono and his seventh top-10 finish in 2016.

“There was just not enough time,” Jones said. “I thought we by far had one of the best cars in the field but we couldn’t get back in the lead before it started raining.

“It’s pretty frustrating. It’s kind of been that kind of year for us. Today was another one of those days where I thought we had a shot at the win but it didn’t work out for us.

“But nice to know we can be that fast and nice to know we can contend for the wins. We will move on from here.”

The driver of the No. 3 Rheem Chevrolet Ty Dillon finished in position three at the “Tricky Triangle.”

“We put ourselves in a good position and I felt like we were a top-five race car,” Dillon said. “We never changed left tires the whole race. When the caution came out, we just weren’t as good anymore and that brought the Gibbs cars closer. My only hope was that I could run them back down.

“If it had stayed green, I thought that we would have had an opportunity, but all in all a good day for us and a good finish in third.”

There were five cautions in the race, the first for a competition yellow, the second for an accident in Turn 2 for the No. 7 of Justin Allgaier, the third for debris in Turn 2, the fourth for a hard hit for both the No. 16 and No. 51 of Ryan Reed and Jeremy Clements respectively. And, of course, the final caution was what ended the race, for rain.

“We had issues from the start,” Reed, driver of the No. 16 Lilly Diabetes Ford, said “We started off getting strapped in the car and didn’t have any radio communication. I could hear the spotter but couldn’t communicate with that.

“We fire off and were on the splitter really hard so balance wasn’t very good. We were getting it better, using hand signals, and then we got racing with the 39 car and he got on our door and we got loose. I think when we got into him it got the right rear tire and eventually it went down.

“We had a little tire smoke but it went away and I thought it cleared up. We were racing with the 62 and he got inside of us and I thought it took the air off and we went into one and the tire let go and here we are.

“I am just thankful to Lilly Diabetes and American Diabetes Association for sticking with us. I feel like we are making progress. These days are really tough with adversity from the start. We will not give up. I was hoping to get our Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustang in victory lane for everyone at home watching on their XFINITY TV, but it just wasn’t meant to be today.”

Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, both doing double duty at Pocono this weekend, finished fourth and fifth respectively.

“We were trying to be off strategy,” Logano said. “Our SKF Ford Mustang wasn’t as fast as it needed to be so we were trying to do anything we could to win it.

“It was interesting for sure. It would have been interesting to see what would happen if we were able to go back green.”

Elliott Sadler, Paul Menard, Brandon Jones, Daniel Suarez, and Alex Bowman completed the top-10 finishing order in the inaugural XFINITY Pocono race.

Daniel Suarez remains in the lead in the point standings with Elliott Sadler behind by just 11 points.

Complete Finishing Order:

1. (4) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 53.

               2. (1) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 53.

               3. (8) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 53.

               4. (2) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 53.

               5. (5) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 53.

               6. (6) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 53.

               7. (7) Paul Menard(i), Chevrolet, 53.

               8. (14) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 53.

               9. (3) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 53.

               10. (10) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 53.

               11. (16) Aric Almirola(i), Ford, 53.

               12. (13) Brennan Poole #, Chevrolet, 53.

               13. (11) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 53.

               14. (17) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 53.

               15. (12) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 53.

               16. (40) Darrell Wallace Jr, Ford, 53.

               17. (19) Ryan Preece #, Chevrolet, 53.

               18. (22) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 53.

               19. (29) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 53.

               20. (30) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, 53.

               21. (26) Ray Black Jr #, Chevrolet, 53.

               22. (25) BJ McLeod #, Ford, 53.

               23. (34) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 53.

               24. (35) Alex Guenette, Chevrolet, 53.

               25. (36) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 53.

               26. (27) Brandon Gdovic, Chevrolet, 52.

               27. (24) Garrett Smithley #, Chevrolet, 52.

               28. (38) Todd Peck, Ford, 52.

               29. (15) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 51.

               30. (39) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 50.

               31. (18) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Accident, 39.

               32. (32) TJ Bell, Dodge, 39.

               33. (23) Ryan Reed, Ford, Accident, 38.

               34. (31) Jeff Green, Toyota, Header, 30.

               35. (28) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Vibration, 29.

               36. (20) Josh Wise(i), Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 23.

               37. (37) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 22.

               38. (33) Carl Long, Toyota, Brakes, 21.

               39. (9) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, Accident, 20.

               40. (21) Matt DiBenedetto(i), Toyota, Transmission, 6.

June 4, 2016
Ray Black Jr. Steps Up From Truck to XFINITY and Beyond

Last year on Pocono race weekend, Ray Black Jr. was driving in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. This year, Black has taken a step up to the XFINITY Series, driving the No. 07 ScubaLife.com Chevrolet Camaro for SS Green Light Racing.

“We did a really good job as a team in the Truck Series last year with a lot of top-15 finishes,” Black said. “We were debating whether to run again in the Truck Series or step up to the XFINITY Series. We figured for the money we were putting in this year and the budget that we had, we could make the XFINITY Series leap, be somewhat competitive and build on that.”

After deciding to go to the next level, Black has been experiencing the normal vagaries associated with competing in a brand new series. He has, however, been progressing nicely, from 33rd place finishes in the first two races to his best finish of 17th at Dover.

Black, however, struggled in the most recent race at Charlotte, suffering an oil line issue which relegated him and his team to a 37^th place finish.

“So far it’s been a roller coaster, Black said of his season to date. “We’ve had some good races and bad ones. Overall, we’ve learned a lot and had a lot of new cars. It’s on the right track and it’s been a good step up for right now.”

As he has moved up, Black acknowledges that there has been a lot of learning involved in that transition, both on the part of his team and on his own part.

“As far as my team is concerned, they have done a good job so far with the change,” Black said. “As a driver, I feel like I’ve learned a lot about these cars but there are a lot of things they do differently in the XFINITY Series, with more tires and different strategies. And you have a lot bigger teams in this Series.”

“I feel like I have a lot more to learn, but that makes it fun.”

Black has been taking it all in, especially when it comes to the differences between the trucks and XFINITY cars.

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to drive these cars with the aero-dependency,” Black said. “The trucks are more mechanical and with the cars, you are almost driving sideways and that’s the fastest way to do it.”

“That’s been our biggest hill to climb and I’m definitely not where I should be there. But I’m getting closer.”

Black is also learning other lessons as he steps up the rungs of the NASCAR ladder, including handling the length race and the fact that some of the Cup drivers are also his competitors.

“The race is longer too so you have to pace yourself and make sure you are there at the end. I’ve always been good at that, so that is paying off for us,” Black said. “And then I’ve been learning how to race these other guys, especially the Cup guys.”

“That’s been interesting but you have to race whoever is on the track,” Black said. “But if you get Kyle Busch popping up in these races, the problem is that he laps us all so fast. Getting laps down in these races is the toughest part.”

“We’re just trying to get more speed so we can race competitively with the guys. We’ll have our chance.”

Black is also proud to have the chance to make history, with the XFINITY Series racing at Pocono for the first time ever.

“I think it’s pretty neat,” Black said. “I’ve been here twice in Trucks and these are great races. That front stretch is really long so if you get a good run there, you can make it five wide.”

“I’ve had some cool experiences here so I think XFINITY coming here is awesome. I think it’s neat and cool to be a part of it.”

While Black is having a cool experience at Pocono, he is also having some pretty cool experiences off the track. He and his father are currently constructing an international location for the Commercial Diving Academy in St. Kitts.

“We’ve built a bunch of docks and a marina,” Black said. “That’s the base of it right now. Slowly in a couple of years, we will have an entire center.”

“Last time I went down, we were building underwater platforms and surveying the area. We had to do some dredging and make it deeper. We also had to build jettys with rocks to tie the boats to. It is a lot of work right now and that’s what I like doing when I’m not on the track.”

“I love racing but you have to pay the bills too.”

Speaking of those bills, Black is hoping to pay some as he takes to the track tomorrow in the Pocono Green 250.

“I want a top-20 finish, at least,” Black said. “That’s a worst case scenario. A top-15 would be really great.”

“We need to get back on track and make sure that we don’t let the mechanical failure of last week turn our season upside down.”

“So, I’m going to get right back out there and continue stepping up,” Black said. “It’s been a good transition from Truck to XFINITY for me and I just hope to keep building on it here at Pocono.”

June 3, 2016
NASCAR Racing Schedule for Pocono
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series head to Pocono Raceway this weekend. The Camping World Truck Series is off. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

All times are Eastern.

Thursday, June 2:

On Track:
2-2:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice
4-4:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Second Practice

Friday, June 3:

On Track:
11 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series First Practice – FS1
12:30-1:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series Third Practice – FS1 (Canceled)
3-3:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1 (Canceled)
4:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1

Garage Cam: (Watch live)
10:30 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series
Noon: XFINITY Series

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
9:30 a.m.: Chase Elliott
10:15 a.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
10:30 a.m.: Brennan Poole
10:45 a.m.: Daniel Suarez
1:20 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
1:40 p.m.: Brad Keselowski
5:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)

Saturday, June 4:

On Track:
9:05 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – FS1
1 p.m.: XFINITY Series Pocono Green 250 (100 laps, 250 miles) – FOX

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
11 a.m.: Pocono Raceway President & CEO Brandon Igdalsky
3 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

Sunday, June 5:

On Track:
1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 (160 laps, 400 miles) – FS1 (Postponed until Monday, June 6 at noon on FS1)

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
4 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Race

Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

Special NASCAR Programming:
- Chase Elliott on “Ridiculousness” – Thursday, June 2 at 10 p.m. ET on MTV
June 2, 2016
Denny Hamlin Wins XFINITY Race in Overtime at Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. — Denny Hamlin won the Hisense 4K TV 300 XFINITY Series Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, moving up through the field and making the pass during overtime to claim the checkered flag.

Erik Jones brought out the eighth and final caution of the event, forcing it into overtime, after contact with the wall due to a blown tire. Hamlin chose to pit for fresh tires while leader Kyle Larson and second-place Joey Logano decided to stay out on the track during the yellow flag.

The gamble paid off for Hamlin who overtook both Larson and Logano for the win.

“It was a second opportunity, obviously,” Hamlin said. ”I was hoping for that caution there at the end, and we got it and we were able to get four tires on this Hisense Camry and took off. A little closer than what I thought. I mean, we were just really tight those last couple laps, but what a great day.”

It was Hamlin’s first XFINITY victory of the season in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and his only start in the series this year. It was the fifth win of the season for the JGR entry, which includes four previous wins by Kyle Busch.

Austin Dillon, who had taken right-side tires only on his last pit stop, finished second in his No. 2 Chevrolet, relegating Logano, who led 58 laps, to a third place result in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

Dillon felt as though, with a little luck, he could have taken home the checkered flag.

“We were definitely a fourth or fifth-place car today. We fired off tight and had decent track position, but after the second caution, we had to start pretty deep in the field. I’m not sure what happened there. That forced Danny (Stockman, crew chief) to call for two tires on the next few stops so we could gain our spots back. I think if we would have had a little extra luck on our side on the final restart, we could have won,” he explained. “Overall, it was a good day for this Rheem team. We have a few things to figure out, but we’ll get there.”

Logano was disappointed with his result but was pleased with the speed they showed.

“The Discount Tire Ford was the fastest it’s been all year,” Logano said post race. “We can’t hold our heads down about it. We had a car that was capable of winning if circumstances went right. I felt like I was gonna have a good restart next to Kyle. I felt my restarts were a little better than his all day, and I thought, ‘OK if I can clear him,’ which we did I was like, ‘Alright, we’ve got a shot,’ but it was really hard to hold off those four tires.”

Cole Custer finished fourth in the No. 88 Chevrolet with Justin Allgaier rounding out the top five in his No. 7 Chevrolet. Larson, after leading 46 laps, finished sixth.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Daniel Suarez, finished 12^thand currently leads the XFINITY Series point standings.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Hisense 4K TV 300 – Complete Results

1. (3) Denny Hamlin(i), Toyota, 206.
2. (4) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 206.
3. (7) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 206.
4. (11) Cole Custer(i), Chevrolet, 206.
5. (8) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 206.
6. (5) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 206.
7. (12) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 206.
8. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 206.
9. (14) Brennan Poole #, Chevrolet, 206.
10. (17) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 206.
11. (27) Jeb Burton, Ford, 206.
12. (2) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 206.
13. (19) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 206.
14. (18) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 206.
15. (31) Garrett Smithley #, Chevrolet, 206.
16. (13) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 205.
17. (16) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 205.
18. (20) Drew Herring, Toyota, 205.
19. (15) Ryan Reed, Ford, 204.
20. (21) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 204.
21. (23) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 204.
22. (26) Ryan Preece #, Chevrolet, 203.
23. (25) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 203.
24. (40) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 203.
25. (30) BJ McLeod #, Ford, 202.
26. (35) Martin Roy, Chevrolet, 202.
27. (9) Darrell Wallace Jr., Ford, 201.
28. (6) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 200.
29. (22) Spencer Gallagher(i), Chevrolet, 200.
30. (34) Carl Long, Toyota, 200.
31. (1) Erik Jones #, Toyota, Accident, 197.
32. (37) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 183.
33. (36) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, Suspension, 130.
34. (29) Jeff Green, Toyota, Fuel Pump, 127.
35. (38) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Accident, 91.
36. (33) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Transmission, 84.
37. (32) Ray Black Jr. #, Chevrolet, Oil Line, 27.
38. (39) Cody Ware #, Ford, Accident, 12.
39. (28) Josh Wise(i), Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 5.
40. (24) Matt DiBenedetto(i), Toyota, Vibration, 3.

May 28, 2016

NASCAR Racing Schedule for Charlotte

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series will compete at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. The Camping World Truck Series is off. Please check below for the complete schedule of events and the Driver Pairings for the 2016 Coca-Cola 600 Miles of Remembrance.

All times are Eastern.

Thursday, May 26:

On Track:
2-3:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Practice – FS1
3:30-4:25 p.m.: XFINITY Series First Practice – FS1
5:30-6:50 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
7:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1

Garage Cam: (Watch live)
1:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series
3 p.m.: XFINITY Series

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
1:15 p.m.: Kyle Larson
1:30 p.m.: Ty Dillon
3:30 p.m.: Carl Edwards
3:45 p.m.: NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew National Combine
4:45 p.m.: Joey Logano
8:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Qualifying (time approx.)

Saturday, May 28:

On Track:
10-10:55 a.m.: Sprint Cup Second Practice – FS1
11:15 a.m.: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
1-1:50 p.m.: Sprint Cup Final Practice – FS1
2:30 p.m.: XFINITY Series Hisense 4K TV 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – FS1

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
12:15 p.m.: 600 Miles of Remembrance with Mark Singleton – tire changer and Graham Molatch – jackman
4:45 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race (time approx.)

Sunday, May 29:

On Track:
6 p.m.: Sprint Cup Coca-Cola 600 (400 laps, 600 miles) – FOX

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
10:15 p.m.: Post-Sprint Cup Series Race (time approx.)

Additional Info:

Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

Special NASCAR Programming:

Daniel Suárez, David Ragan and Matt DiBenedetto on “Fluffy Breaks Even” – Thursday, May 26 at 10 p.m. ET on Fuse
Chase Elliott on “Ridiculousness” – Thursday, June 2 at 10 p.m. ET on MTV

Driver Pairings for the 2016 Coca-Cola 600 Miles of Remembrance:

2016 600 Miles of Remembrance
Car No.	Driver	Soldier	Branch	Soldier Hometown

1	Jamie McMurray	LCPL Scott Albert Lynch	Marines	Greenwood Lake, NY
2	Brad Keselowski	SPC Joseph T. Prentler	Army	Fenwick, MI
3	Austin Dillon	SOC Mark T. Carter	Navy	Fallbrook, CA
4	Kevin Harvick	LCPL Nathan Ross Elrod	Marines	Rockwell, NC
5	Kasey Kahne	LCPL Eric Levi Ward	Marines	Redmond, WA
6	Trevor Bayne	CW4 Jason William McCormack	Army	Enterprise, AL
7	Regan Smith	LCPL Cody Steven Childers	Marines	Chesapeake, VA
10	Danica Patrick	LCPL Benito “cheeks” Ramirez	Marines	Edinburg, TX
11	Denny Hamlin	SGT John Davis Harvey	Marines	Roanoke, VA
13	Casey Mears	SPC Christopher Shane Wright	Army	Tollesboro, KY
14	Tony Stewart	MSG Paul D. Karpowich	Army	Freeland, PA
15	Clint Bowyer	MSGT Tara Brown	Air Force	Long Island, NJ
16	Greg Biffle	SPC Joel A. Taylor	Army	Pinetown, NC
17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	SP4 James (Jim) H. Woolard	Army	Manchester, OH
18	Kyle Busch	PFC Robert Stephan Underwood	Army	O’ Fallon, MO
19	Carl Edwards	CPT Edmond Jablonsky Jr.	Army	Pasadena, TX
20	Matt Kenseth	PFC Christopher Neal White	Marines	Elizabethtown, KY
21	Ryan Blaney	SMSN Cherone L. Gunn	Navy	Virginia Beach, VA
22	Joey Logano	SPC Cindy Beaudoin	Army	Plainfield, CT
23	David Ragan	LT COL Paul Keith Mikeal	Air Force	Mooresville, NC
24	Chase Elliott	GYSGT Justin Martone	Marines	Bedford, VA
27	Paul Menard	SPC Zachary Lee Shannon	Army	Dunedin, FL
30	Josh Wise	SSG Robert A. Massarelli	Army	Hamilton, OH
31	Ryan Newman	SSGT Jason C Ramseyer	Marines	West Palm Beach, FL
32	Jeffrey Earnhardt	CPT Christopher Cash	Army	Old Orchard Beach, ME
34	Chris Buescher	SSGT Eric A. McIntosh	Marines	Indianapolis, IN
38	Landon Cassill	PVT Earl Platt	Army	Vestaburg, MI
41	Kurt Busch	SGT Nicholas Ray Gibbs	Army	Stokesdale, NC
42	Kyle Larson	SO3 Denis Christian Miranda	Navy	Toms River, NJ
43	Aric Almirola	SSGT Forrest B. Sibley	Air Force	Pensacola, FL
44	Brian Scott	PFC John G. Borbonus	US Army	Boise, ID
46	Michael Annett	PFC Jacob Henry Wykstra	Army	Thornton, CO
47	AJ Allmendinger	YN3 Wendell Williams	Navy	Cincinnati, OH
48	Jimmie Johnson	SFC Kyle B. Wehrly	Army	Galesburg, IL
55	Reed Sorenson	PFC Jason Hill Estopinal	Marines	Dallas, GA
78	Martin Truex Jr.	GYSGT Jeffery E. Bohr, Jr.	Marines	Ossian, IA
83	Matt Dibenedetto	CPL Jared C. Verbeek	Marines	Visalia, CA
88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	LCPL Aaron Howard Reed	Marines	Chillicothe, OH
95	Michael McDowell	PFC Andrew Mark Krippner	Army	Garland, TX
98	Cole Whitt	CPL Michael D. Anderson Jr.	Marines	Modesto, CA
	Pace Car	CAPT Matthew Rolland	Air Force	Lexington, KY
	Split Pace Car	1SG Kevin A. Dupont	Marines	Chicopee, MA
	Grand Marshal Car 1	SGT Bryan Paul Abercrombie	Army	Clinton, UT
	Grand Marshal Car 2	SPC Tony J. Gonzales	Army	Newman, CA

May 25, 2016

NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, XFINITY Series and the Camping World Truck Series travel to Dover International Speedway this weekend. Please check below for the complete schedule of events.

All times are Eastern.

Thursday, May 12:

On Track:
2-2:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Practice
4-4:55 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Final Practice

Friday, May, 13:

On Track:
10-10:55 a.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – FS1
11 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – FS1
12:30-1:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – FS1
2:15 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
3:45 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – FS1
5:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series JACOB Companies 200 (200 laps, 200 miles) – FS1

Garage Cam: (Watch live)
10:30 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
8:45 a.m.: Brendan Gaughan
9:00 a.m.: Joey Logano
9:15 a.m.: Ty Dillon
9:30 a.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
12:45 p.m.: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
1:15 p.m.: Jimmie Johnson
5 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Post-Qualifying
7:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Post-Race (time approx)

Saturday, May 14:

On Track:
9:30 -10:25 a.m.: Sprint Cup Series Second Practice – FS1
10:45 a.m.: XFINITY Series Qualifying – FS1
12:30-1:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – FS2
2 p.m.: XFINITY Series Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 200 Heat #1 (40 laps, 40 miles) – FOX
2:50 p.m. (approx): XFINITY Series Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 200 Heat #2 (40 laps, 40 miles) – FOX
3:30 p.m. (approx): XFINITY Series Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 200 main race (120 laps, 120 miles) – FOX

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
4:30 p.m.: XFINITY Post-Race (time approx)

Sunday, May 15:

On Track:
1 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 Drive for Autism (400 laps, 400 miles) – FS1

Press Conferences: (Watch live)
4:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Post-Race (time approx)

Additional Info:

Complete NASCAR TV Schedule

Special NASCAR Programming:

“NASCAR: The Rise of American Speed” – Sunday, May 15 at 9 p.m. ET on CMT

May 11, 2016
Jeremy Clements Captures Career-Best Finish at Talladega

Jeremy Clements survived a tumultuous finish at Talladega Superspeedway to snare a career-best finish of fourth place in the Sparks Energy 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race and win the Mobil 1 Driver of the Race award.

The driver of the No. 51 Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet/BRTExtrusions Chevrolet with new sponsor Signs and Displays Direct (SDD) drove from a 34th starting position to lead seven laps and contend for the win. The race ended under caution in overtime when Joey Logano made contact with leader Elliott Sadler, sending Logano into the outside wall.

Clements’ fourth place result moved him up three positions to 13th place in the championship standings. In 209 XFINITY starts, his previous best finish was sixth at Road America in 2014.

The top five is a career defining moment for this small family-owned team. Jeremy Clements Racing (JCR) only has two full-time and three part-time employees but what they lack in numbers, they make up for with dedication.

They have a rich history entrenched in NASCAR. Clements is the grandson of Crawford Clements, acclaimed engine builder, and the nephew of crew chief Louis Clements who won a championship with NASCAR Hall of Famer Rex White in 1960. Their engine development program continues today under the leadership of his father and uncle at Clements Automotive Racing. They play a vital role in the team’s success by supplying the engines for the No. 51 Chevy.

Jeremy Clements receives a hug from his Dad after a career-best fourth place finish at Talladega, April 30, 2016. Photo Credit: Jason Watson

Clements has an affinity for Talladega and heading into the race, he commented on the unpredictable nature of the track.

“There’s nothing like Talladega,” he said. “We always seem to run well there. In 2013, we scored a Top 10. In 2014, we led but with six laps to go, got clipped in the right rear and sent into the wall. I think we were running seventh or eighth at that point and moving forward. The car got pretty well wrecked, but at least we got our sponsors some face time on TV that day. They’re back with us for this weekend, so hopefully, we can get them some more exposure, but for the right reasons this time.”

Clements’ hopes were realized Saturday and he was ecstatic after the race. I spoke with him about the significance of the top five finish, both personally and for his team.

“I’m pretty excited for sure with our career-best finish,” he said. “It was a lotta fun and I am glad we survived typical plate racing, push the guy that is in front of you for all it’s worth. Great race for us, needed (it) a lot, ‘cause we have been struggling with bump stops, so it gives a great boost to our three-man team.”

Clements is hopeful that it will be the catalyst needed to bring more sponsorship to the underfunded JCR organization, saying, “Definitely, this could help getting our foot in the door with new sponsors.”

He is also confident that his fourth place finish at Talladega will give his team “momentum going into Dover in a couple of weeks.” It’s a track where they have put together good runs in the past, including a top 10 last year.

The series returns to the track May 14 at Dover International Speedway as Clements and the No. 51 team continue to pursue their goal of making it into the top 12 to compete in the first elimination-style Chase for the XFINITY Series.

May 1, 2016
Blake Koch’s Consistency Could Lead to Stronger Finishes

Since making his Xfinity Series debut in 2009, Blake Koch hasn’t exactly set the NASCAR garage on fire. As a matter of fact, until 2016 he had been considered more of a journeyman driver, just there to fill the seat when the situation called for it. But despite running a full 2015 with TriStar Motorsports and having a few promising runs, LeafFilter (Koch’s sponsor) owner Matt Kaulig left TriStar Motorsports at the end of the season and formed his own team, Kaulig Racing, with Richard Childress Racing assistance. He landed Koch as his driver, and 2016 has seen the 30-year-old driver grow exponentially behind the wheel.

How much has Koch grown? After eight events he holds two top-10s and sits 13th in points. He’s had the speed in his No. 11 Camaro, as shown at Bristol where he posted the fastest speed in practice. He’s been steady in qualifying, where he has yet to qualify outside the top-25 and has a season-high qualifying effort of eighth at Fontana. In the season opener at Daytona, he started and finished ninth, cementing that things were indeed changing for him and the LeafFilter crew.

He’s a solid guy with a new, decent team and loyal sponsorship that has stuck with him since 2014. A power-based win is out of the question for the crew thanks to the dominance of Cup drivers in XFINITY, but don’t count out places like Road America, where he led with six laps to go last year before being sidelined by a faulty battery. For that matter, don’t count out any of the short tracks this season, as Koch has had strong runs this season at Bristol and Richmond, the latter of which he finished a career-best eighth.

FORT WORTH, TEXAS – APRIL 08, 2016: Jeb Burton, driver of the No. 43 J. Streicher Ford, and Blake Koch, driver of the No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, have an on-track incident during the NASCAR XFINITY Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Kaulig Racing is a small team, and as with all new teams, there will be hiccups. At Texas, fellow competitor Jeb Burton cut a tire and was drilled by Koch’s No. 11. Issues at Bristol relegated Koch to his worst finish of the year, 37th. He’s only gotten three lead lap finishes this year. Of course, there are struggles for a team currently trying to find their place in the sport.

But look at his 2015 season after three races. Not a single lead-lap finish and not a finish better than 19th. As a matter of fact, for the entire 2015 season, Koch had only five lead-lap finishes, with only three of them on road courses. It’s a given, Koch is doing more with his new team in 2016 than anything that was ever done at TriStar Motorsports.

Koch’s best chance for success is now, and there’s no argument that he’ll make the most of his opportunity. With RCR assistance and the full backing of the Kaulig group, Koch will set a number of career-highs before the season wraps up in November.

April 29, 2016