Posted on by Staff Report

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — In a year nearly unprecedented in its upheaval and changes, directly impacting short track racers across NASCAR, Josh Berry put together a season as remarkable in its consistency and perseverance as it was in its excellence.

Consider, in 37 Late Model Stock Car races starting on June 27, the 29-year-old from Hendersonville, Tennessee, recorded one finish outside of the top 10.

It wasn’t just about rolling up good finishes.

Twenty-four times at four different race tracks, Berry drove the No. 88 All Things Automotive/iRacing Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports to Victory Lane. He capped the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series season this past weekend with a win at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday and a doubleheader sweep at Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly, North Carolina, on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Berry got the call from Steve O’Donnell, executive senior vice president and chief racing development officer at NASCAR, officially congratulating him on winning the 2020 Division I national championship.

“We just want to congratulate you on behalf of everyone at NASCAR and the France family on an incredible 2020 championship,” O’Donnell told him. “To you, Dale Jr., Kelley, and everyone at JR Motorsports, it has been an incredibly challenging year. You persevered, 24 wins – heck of a year, heck of a job – and we‘re really proud to have you as our champion.”

For Berry, the call was expected after he built a nearly insurmountable lead over the last half of the season. But it was one that was almost inconceivable before this year.

“It was pretty amazing,” said Berry of getting the call. “A national champ is no something we really thought we’d be ever able to compete for.

“To be able to get the championship, with the amazing season we’ve had, it really means a lot.”

Berry finished with 24 wins, 33 top fives and 36 top 10s in 37 starts. A driver’s top 14 finishes this season counted toward their championship points, giving Berry 480.

He out-distanced 2007 national champion Peyton Sellers, who had 10 wins, 26 top fives and 28 top 10s in 30 starts and finished with 452 points. Sellers won the track championship at Virginia’s Dominion Raceway. Ryan Millington, who captured the track title at Hickory, finished third in the national standings. Millington had six wins, 20 top fives and 22 top 10s in 26 starts for 440 points.

RELATED: Final 2020 National Top 100 | U.S. State & Canadian Province Standings

Defending national champion Jacob Goede finished fourth with 422 points, racing at Elko Speedway in Minnesota as well as Wisconsin’s LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway and Madison International Speedway.

Brian Robie finished fifth, winning a tiebreaker with Nick Murgic. Robie had 10 wins at New Hampshire’s Hudson Speedway, Claremont Motorsports Park and Monadnock Speedway; Murgic won twice while racing at Madison, Elko and LaCrosse.

Sam Butler wrapped up the Josten’s Rookie of the Year and finished seventh in the final national standings.

Benjamin Byrne (Monadnock, Hudson, Claremont), Keith Rocco and Mason Diaz rounded out the top 10. Rocco, the 2010 national champion, won his NASCAR-record 18th track title with his championship at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway, while Diaz took home the title at Southern National.

Berry credited his team, led by crew chief Ryan Vasconcellos, who has been with him for a decade. Together they won the 2012 Late Model title at Virginia’s Motor Mile Speedway and the 2014 championship at Hickory.

For Berry, his 2020 race season started with five wins in eight starts at Hickory.

His “dream” season, however, dates back to last October when he won the annual postseason Late Model race at Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway. He started on the pole and led every lap to win the race for the first time after seven previous failures.

“That was a huge boost,” said Berry. “I can’t even put into words what kind of night that was for us. That we a big weight off my shoulders, as a race car driver, that was a win that had eluded me.

“We turned this year into something special.”

In the offseason, he and his wife welcomed a baby girl. Racing close to home — he made 19 starts at Hickory — allowed him to have them at the race track with him.

“It’s been amazing,” said Berry. “That was really special to share all those moments with them.”

Josh Berry, driver of the #88 All Things Automotive Chevrolet, with his wife and child during Championship Weekend for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, North Carolina on October18, 2020. (Jacob Kupferman/NASCAR)

 

Berry finished sixth and 18th at South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach Speedway on Aug. 1, the lone blip on an otherwise flawless season.

He bounced back with four more wins at Hickory, including a doubleheader sweep on Aug. 29 that he followed with a doubleheader sweep the next day at Southern National. The wins vaulted him to the top of the standings, a position he would not relinquish.

“That’s when we really looked at the points and knew we needed tighten down the rest of the season and hold those guys off and win it,” said Berry, who closed out the season with 13 wins in his last 15 starts. “We were really fast, and we had some luck, too, and that’s just hard to beat.

“This whole season, it was tough on everybody. We were just able to come together as a team, find a goal, and achieve it.”

Josh Berry, driver of the #88 All Things Automotive Chevrolet, during Championship Weekend for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, North Carolina on October18, 2020. (Jacob Kupferman/NASCAR)

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials reinstated Kyle Larson on Monday, more than six months after his suspension for his use of a racial slur during an iRacing event.

Chip Ganassi Racing fired Larson on April 14, one day after NASCAR barred him indefinitely as part of a behavioral penalty. Larson was mandated to complete sensitivity training at NASCAR’s direction as a condition for reinstatement, but will also have continued requirements to fulfill in order to keep his NASCAR membership current.

“NASCAR continues to prioritize diversity and inclusion across our sport,” the sanctioning body said in an official statement. “Kyle Larson has fulfilled the requirements set by NASCAR, and has taken several voluntary measures, to better educate himself so that he can use his platform to help bridge the divide in our country. Larson’s indefinite suspension has been lifted. Under the terms of his reinstatement, he will be cleared to return to all NASCAR racing activities effective January 1, 2021.”

Those terms for reinstatement include several speaking engagements, each spaced out through 2023, where Larson will share his experiences with NASCAR’s weekly series, e-sports and dirt-racing communities. He will also be required to take further training and engagement classes through 2023, plus continue his work with the Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS) and Rev Racing, providing coaching and mentorship for those initiatives.

RELATED: Kyle Larson applies for reinstatement

Larson’s suspension came after an April 12 invitational iRacing event. He said he had keyed his microphone to send a private message, but his use of a racial slur was instead broadcast to all participants in the race and to viewers on public live streams.

Larson was penalized for violating Sections 12.1 (General Procedures) and 12.8 (NASCAR Member Conduct Guidelines) of the NASCAR Rule Book. He later apologized for his actions through his social media channels. Competition officials confirmed Oct. 16 that Larson had applied for reinstatement.

After his dismissal, Larson told the Associated Press in an Aug. 19 article: “I was just ignorant. And immature. I didn’t understand the negativity and hurt that comes with that word.”

He also explained the measures that he had quietly undertaken since the incident to learn more about civil-rights issues, making some of his first in-depth comments about the matter in a personal essay published Oct. 4 on his website.

In his essay, Larson took accountability for his actions and said he had connected with former athletes Tony Sanneh and Jackie Joyner-Kersee to work with their foundations and to see the impact of racial injustice first-hand in Minneapolis. He also said he had hired a diversity coach, Doug Harris of The Kaleidoscope Group, and had conversations with Black racers Bubba Wallace, J.R. Todd and Willy T. Ribbs to learn about their experiences.

“I want them to know that words do matter,” Larson wrote in his essay, referencing that he would have to answer to his family as he takes responsibility for his actions moving forward. “Apologizing for your mistakes matters. Accountability matters. Forgiveness matters. Treating others with respect matters. I will not stop listening and learning, but for me now, it’s about action — doing the right things, being a part of the solution and writing a new chapter that my children will be proud to read.”

RELATED: Kyle Larson pens essay about learning hard lessons

Larson’s first televised remarks about the subject came Oct. 16 in an interview with James Brown on CBS This Morning. The feature also focused on Larson’s work with the UYRS in Philadelphia and his efforts to regain the trust of its founders after the incident.

During his suspension from NASCAR, Larson was a regular winner in sprint-car competition, including a series-best 12 victories on the World of Outlaws tour, which required Larson to complete sensitivity training within 30 days of the incident to be cleared for competition. Larson won again Sunday in USAC’s Silver Crown division, taking the Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Larson has six victories in 223 NASCAR Cup Series starts. He joined the circuit full-time in 2014 with Ganassi’s operation. The California native has also tallied 12 Xfinity Series wins and two victories in Gander Trucks competition.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Crew chief Paul Wolfe has been a part of Team Penske since 2010, when he helped guide a young Brad Keselowski to the Xfinity Series championship. Joey Logano has been with Roger Penske’s organization since 2013, when he took over driving duties for the No. 22 Ford that is now his longtime home.

The two have worked on separate teams for most of their Team Penske tenure, but their goals were on common ground, oars that helped to keep rowing the collective operation forward. This season — a most unusual season for driver-crew chief communication — became their first working under the same No. 22 umbrella.

RELATED: Logano leaps to Kansas win | Cup Series standings

Given their career overlaps, Wolfe was already familiar with the competitive fire that has pushed Logano to elite status in the NASCAR Cup Series garage. Now he’s seeing it first-hand, week upon week.

“It’s a lot,” Wolfe said after Sunday’s latest triumph. “I mean, that’s the one thing I’ve noticed with working with Joey for the short time now, is how big of a team player he is, effort and things he does to make sure we have a strong team all working together, pulling in the same direction.”

Logano and Wolfe took the next step toward each landing their second premier-series championship, winning Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway and locking up the automatic Championship 4 berth that came with it. Wolfe and Keselowski won the Cup Series title together in 2012; Logano did it six years later, paired with veteran Todd Gordon atop the pit box.

The Logano-Wolfe partnership stemmed from a three-team crew chief shake-up orchestrated by Penske before the season in an effort to boost overall performance. The overhaul meant Wolfe’s first new driver in 11 years and Logano’s first new crew chief in eight.

The combination leapt from the starting blocks quickly, grabbing two victories in the first four races of the season before the COVID-19 outbreak placed the sports world — motorsports calendar included — on hold. The initial footsteps for Logano and Wolfe toward building at-track chemistry went on hold as well.

MORE: Saving the 2020 season

The return to racing in mid-May was a difficult one from an adjustment standpoint, with practice or qualifying scratched in an effort to streamline weekends to control both costs and the disease’s spread. For a new driver-crew chief pairing, those adjustment hurdles may have been more pronounced.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

“It’s been an amazing challenge, if I’m being honest with you,” Logano said. “The beginning of the year with practice, we were able to get to know each other, get to know what I needed with the car, work on it during practice. COVID started. Coming back with no practice, we started getting our butts handed to us pretty hard. We were struggling for the first, I don’t know, 15 races back. Just really struggling, trying to get a handle on the car, what direction we need to go. It’s really hard to fix things when you don’t have practice.

“We’re going to the race track for the first time together, honestly it’s kind of shooting from the hip from a setup standpoint, just trying to find something that we can hit on that’s decent.”

Those opening two wins became a more distant memory after NASCAR’s return, in part because of the lengthy interruption of the racing schedule but also because of the downturn that Logano noted. His playoff fate was already secure, but the No. 22 team posted just one top-five finish in the first 13 races back, as rivals Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin quickly took control of the series’ win column.

That’s when Logano, Wolfe says, became more vocal, all in an effort to instill the same competitive drive in the rest of the team.

“It was kind of a rocky road there for a while, a lot of ups and downs, some struggles,” Wolfe said. “Towards the end of the summer, before the playoffs, we kind of got together and talked a lot. It was very important for him to make sure everyone was focused and pulling in the same direction. He’s a great leader from that standpoint, keeping the team and the guys around him motivated.

“Everyone knows you’re getting all the effort, all the time. It really makes everyone want to step up and do their part.”

Logano still trails Harvick and Hamlin in the season’s win count, but Sunday’s victory gave the 30-year-old former prodigy a measure of one-upmanship. He’s now the only driver automatically qualified for NASCAR’s final four in the season-ending race Nov. 8 at Phoenix Raceway — a track Logano conquered in March during the series’ last event before the coronavirus outbreak.

Pandemic aside, the parallels between this season and Logano’s previous title march are uncanny. Two years ago, in a campaign that also included a midseason lull, Logano also won the Round of 8 opener (then held at Martinsville), earning the No. 22 team a two-week release of postseason pressure to focus on the championship race.

Logano entered that finale as the Cinderella facing that year’s Big 3 of Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. — winners of 20 of the 36 races. This year, it’s Harvick (nine wins so far) and Hamlin (seven) who — barring catastrophe — will likely enter the Phoenix final as co-favorites.

Logano embraced the “Big 3 and Me” mindset ahead of the 2018 championship race, saying, “I might be the underdog on the stats standpoint, but we sure don’t feel like we are.” Sunday, he indicated he’s ready for the next test of his competitive spirit, aiming for a sequel of the movie that debuted two years ago.

“I hope so. I hope so,” Logano said with trademark grin. “I’m A-OK with being the underdog. Kind of been there for most of my career. I’m fine with that, doesn’t bother me a bit.”

Posted on by Team Release

LEXINGTON, N.C. — Kaulig Racing is thrilled to announce Justin Haley will return to the No. 11 Chevrolet for the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

Haley, who originally signed a two-year deal with Kaulig Racing beginning in 2019, has signed a one-year extension, and will be the first driver to return for a third season with the team.

RELATED: Justin Haley driver page | Xfinity Series standings

“I’d first like to thank LeafFilter Gutter Protection, Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice and everyone at Kaulig Racing for an amazing partnership the past two years,” Haley said. “We’ve grown as a team, an organization, and most importantly, as a family. I feel super blessed to have gotten the call from Kaulig Racing after my second win at Talladega that they wanted me back in 2021. They have believed in me since Day 1, and have stuck with me through the highs and lows. I’m extremely humbled to keep this strong partnership going into 2021 and continue trophy hunting!”

Before Haley joined the team in 2019, Kaulig Racing recorded 22 top 10s and one top-five finish from 2016-2018. So far, Haley has earned three wins, 39 top 10s and 14 top five-finishes for Kaulig Racing in the No. 11 Chevrolet.

Haley also joined the likes of Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. as a driver to win three superspeedway races in a row following his win at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this month. The 21-year-old has since become one of 34 drivers, and the second youngest, to record a win in all three of NASCAR’s top-tier series.

“To have Justin Haley come back for a third year with us is beyond amazing for our team,” Matt Kaulig, owner of Kaulig Racing, said. “Everyone at Kaulig Racing loves Justin, and it is safe to say he has become an integral part of our family. Justin has only helped our program grow, and the proof is in the stats! I’m looking forward to many more wins and trophies with Justin in 2021.”

Haley and the team also made history together when they entered their first Daytona 500, the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race for Kaulig Racing, in February of 2020.

“Having Justin Haley return to Kaulig Racing for the 2021 season is truly special to me,” said Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing. “I had my eye on Justin for a while before he came to Kaulig Racing and knew there was something special about this kid. I was able to be a part of handpicking him for the No. 11 car, and there has not been one day that I have regretted that decision. I know he will do big things in 2021 for Kaulig Racing.”

Posted on by Terrin Waack

The NASCAR Cup Series kicked off its Round of 8 in the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs at Kansas Speedway with the Hollywood Casino 400. Sunday marked the first of three races in this postseason round. At the end of it, four drivers will be eliminated from playoff contention and the Championship 4 will be set for the title race Nov. 8 at Phoenix Raceway.

WINNER

Joey Logano. The No. 22 Team Penske Ford won Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at the 1.5-mile track in Kansas City, Kansas, leading 47 of the 267 laps. It marked Logano’s third win in 2020 and 26th in his career. The 2018 champ is locked into the Championship 4.

RELATED: Unofficial race results

WHO’S HOT

Kevin Harvick. The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford finished runner-up after losing the lead to Joey Logano with 45 laps to go. Harvick tried to chase Logano down but fell short by .312 seconds. Harvick led a race-high 85 laps.

Chase Elliott. The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team struggled with radio issues throughout the entire first stage. Elliott reported he could not clearly hear his crew chief or spotter, though they could hear the driver fine. That didn’t prevent Elliott from going on to win Stage 1 for a playoff bonus point. The only reason Elliott now lands below the cutline after his sixth-place, 47-points day points is because Joey Logano won from fifth in standings.

WHO’S NOT

Denny Hamlin. The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota clipped the Turn 4 wall with 86 laps to go in the final stage while battling for fifth. The contact made the right-rear tire go down, prompting an unscheduled pit stop. Hamlin had just won Stage 2. He finished 15th. Watch what happened.

Kurt Busch. The No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet blew its motor with 69 laps remaining, forcing Busch to exit the race prematurely. Busch was already in the eighth — last — playoff spot, 21 points below the cutline. This keeps him there and adds to his deficit. Learn what happened.

BUBBLE WATCH

Rank Driver Points to cutoff
1. Joey Logano WIN
2. Kevin Harvick +41
3. Denny Hamlin +20
4. Brad Keselowski +8
——-                               CUTOFF LINE ———————
5. Chase Elliott -8
6. Alex Bowman -27
7. Martin Truex Jr. -31
8. Kurt Busch -73

NEXT RACE

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for its second race in the Round of 8 next Sunday — the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

WHO IT FAVORS

Kevin Harvick. The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford has won three of the last six races in Fort Worth, Texas, and all three of those wins came during the playoffs. The three other spring races still resulted in top-10 finishes, including a fifth-place finish earlier this season. Harvick also boasts the best average finish at the Texas track among playoff contenders with a 10.2 mark.

WHO IT HURTS

Alex Bowman. The No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet carries the worst Texas average finish — 25.6 — among playoff drivers. In Bowman’s 10 starts there, he has one top-five and one top-10 finish, and it was a fifth-place effort in last year’s postseason event. Earlier this season, he wound up 30th after crashing out with 15 laps to go.

Posted on by Holly Cain

Joey Logano held off Kevin Harvick by a scant .312 seconds in a high-speed duel to the checkered flag to win the Hollywood Casino 400 Playoff race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday and earn the first position in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 that will settle the season title Nov. 8 at Phoenix Raceway.

Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford beat Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford off pit lane and then successfully held off the 2020 regular-season champion for the final 45 thrilling laps – the two former series champions putting on a master class in pursuit and defense.

RELATED: Official race results | Cup Series standings
SHOP: Logano gear

“You gotta want it, man,” an exuberant Logano said after climbing out of his car. “What an amazing team this Shell Pennzoil team is. Oh my goodness. Pit stops put us in position and got us the lead. The 4 (Harvick) was fast, he was real fast especially on the straightaways and I thought if I could hold him off the first 15 laps I had a chance and actually dirty air was best for us and as I caught lapped traffic I was able to gap ourselves.”

Sunday’s win marked Logano’s 26th career NASCAR Cup Series win and third victory of the year, but his first since competition resumed under the COVID-19 pandemic conditions. Of note, the 30-year-old Connecticut native’s last win this season came at championship venue Phoenix Raceway in March.

Alex Bowman, Logano’s teammate Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five at Kansas with Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Martin Truex Jr. and rookie Christopher Bell completing the top 10.

As with Logano and Harvick, Bowman, Keselowski, Elliott and Truex are playoff drivers. The other two playoff competitors, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch, finished 15th and 38th, respectively. Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota had to rally after he brushed the wall late in the race. Busch’s No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet blew an engine on Lap 198 of the 267-lap race.

MORE: Kurt Busch out early at Kansas

With the victory, Logano secured his place in the title race. Harvick is now second in the playoff outlook with a healthy 41-point edge on fifth-place Chase Elliott. Hamlin is third in the standings, 20 points up on Elliott in the first spot outside the Championship 4 cutoff. Keselowski, in the final transfer position, is eight points up on Elliott.

Despite his third-place finish, Bowman is ranked sixth, 27 points behind fourth-place Keselowski. Truex, who made a valiant run up through the field to finish ninth after starting last, is now seventh, 31 points below the cutoff. Kurt Busch is in a must-win situation with a 73-point deficit.

“Just a really fast Jimmy John’s Ford Mustang, all our guys did a great job and we moved all over the race track [in pursuit],” said Harvick, who led a race-high 85 laps. “We weren’t the best behind somebody but I had a lot of options as the team made the car better. Good run for us, wish we could have won, just one short.

“I needed the lapped cars to time out well, but Joey’s a good blocker.”

Elliott, who led 47 laps, started from the pole and won Stage 1, his ninth stage victory of the season. Hamlin won Stage 2, his 10th stage victory of 2020.

Hamlin led 58 laps and looked strong throughout the event but scraped the wall and damaged a tire while racing inside the top five. He went a lap down after making a green-flag pit stop but still managed to rally to that 15th-place finish.

Busch’s No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet blew an engine 198 laps into the race, putting the 2004 series champ in essentially a must-win situation at Texas and/or Martinsville. Busch, who scored a playoff win at his hometown Las Vegas track four races ago, had run among the top five at various times at Kansas.

“It’s a shame for everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing,” Busch said. “Having an engine failure in the playoffs is like a huge parachute that slows you up. We’ll pack that parachute up, throw it away and go to Texas to win.

“We knew we were going to have win either here or Texas and Martinsville we’ve got a shot at it too. The odds are stacked against us, but hey, we’re in the top eight for a reason and I’ve got a great crew chief in Matt McCall. We’ll bounce back.”

The series’ next race is the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Note: Post-race inspection in the Cup Series garage was completed without major issue. Three teams were each found with one lug-nut not safely secured in a post-race check: the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Harvick and the Nos. 18 and 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas driven by Kyle Busch and Truex respectively. According to the deterrence structure in the NASCAR Rule Book, those infractions will result in $10,000 fines for each team’s crew chief.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Terrin Waack

Kurt Busch arrived at Kansas Speedway thinking this Round of 8 track was his ticket into the Championship 4.

Instead, Sunday’s Round of 8 opener saw Busch prematurely retire from the Hollywood Casino 400.

Internal mechanical issues hit the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing team on Lap 193 of a scheduled 267. Busch reported his Chevrolet was losing power. A handful of laps later, the souring engine expired in a plume of smoke, and Busch drove to the garage after just 197 laps.

RELATED: Joey Logano outlasts Kevin Harvick | Who’s hot, not in playoffs

“Hendrick engines have been bulletproof the last few years, and it’s a big surprise to all of us,” Busch said in a post-race Zoom video conference. “Nothing really showing a big indication of what went wrong. Maybe a valve and eventually the valve broke, and then once it broke, it just started rattling around and locked up a rod? Who knows. That’s all speculation.”

Busch’s name was listed 38th of 40 on the final results.

The 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion entered 2020’s fourth-to-last race already eighth – last – in the playoff standings and 21 points below the cutline. Busch exited in the same spot, but his deficit increased to 73 points.

“When you start the Round of 8 against these guys who have all those points, all those stage points and points in the bank, we knew we needed to do something spectacular,” Busch said. “We just didn’t expect an engine failure.”

After firing off third, Busch was 19th at the end of Stage 1 on Lap 80 and then ninth at the conclusion of Stage 2 on Lap 160. The top-10 result in the second portion gave him two stage points. And it showed he could compete with the front-runners.

Until he literally couldn’t compete at all.

“It’s really weird,” Busch said. “Quality control is very high. The amount of attention to detail, that’s at an all-time high. I mean, I haven’t seen an engine failure in years. Whether it’s a Chevy or a Ford or a Toyota, everybody is spot-on. So, it’s one of those fluke things we have to get to the bottom of.”

And soon.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for next Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – another 1.5-mile oval. Busch has one win (2009) at Texas in 35 career starts. He placed eighth there earlier this season, creating a seven-race streak of top 10s. He averages a 14.1 finish.

That figure stands as not the worst — sixth among playoff drivers — but Busch needs to win.

Only two races remain before the Championship 4 is set for the Nov. 8 championship event at Phoenix Raceway. Busch’s last chance will be Martinsville Speedway in two weeks, but he and his team preferred the first two Round of 8 options.

“We couldn’t decide,” Busch said. “We had Kansas circled. We had Texas circled. Now we know it’s all about Texas, and we’re going in there with everything we’ve got.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find NBCSN | Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App

RELATED: How to follow races on NASCAR.com | NASCAR Live Stream

Monday, October 19
6 p.m, NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
10 p.m., NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: Clean Harbors 200 at Kansas Speedway (re-air), FS2/FOX Sports App

Tuesday, October 20
3 p.m., IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship at Road Atlanta (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m., Dale Jr. Download (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., Glory Road: Controversial Finishes (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
6:30 p.m., Glory Road: The Winston Million (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On MRN:
7 p.m., NASCAR Live 

Wednesday, October 21
5 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., Glory Road: The Inaugural Brickyard (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
6:30 p.m., Glory Road: NASCAR’s Lost Tracks (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Thursday, October 22
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App                   

Saturday, October 24
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Countdown to Green, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN3)
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Post-Race Show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On PRN:
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway

Sunday, October 25
11 a.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, FS1/FOX Sports App
Noon, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors: SpeedyCash.com 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, FS1/FOX Sports App
2:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
3 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Countdown to Green, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN1, 4)–POSTPONED TO MONDAY AT 10 A.M. ET
8 p.m., Lost Speedways, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
8:30 p.m., Lost Speedways, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On MRN:
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: SpeedyCash.com 400 at Texas Motor Speedway

On PRN:
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway–POSTPONED TO MONDAY AT 10 A.M. ET

Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 19 NASCAR Cup Series car driven by Martin Truex Jr. will move to the rear for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Kansas Speedway because of two inspection failures before the race.

The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was originally set to start the race in the fifth position on the grid, but it will drop to the back during pace laps.

RELATED: Kansas starting lineup | Kansas schedule

“It’s not optimum,” Truex Jr. said in a pre-race media session. “It’s not what you are hoping for. I don’t know. We will see. We have done it a lot this year. It is what it is. We will deal with it. This place, fortunately, there are a lot of lanes that you can run, really the whole race track works. You just have to go where they are not and pick them off one-by-one.”

Truex, who is in the Round of 8 and has qualified for the Championship 4 in each of the past three seasons, enters Sunday’s race 10 points below the playoff cutline. In 24 career races at Kansas, Truex has two wins, 11 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 13.4.

The No. 53 Ford driven by James Davison will also drop to the rear for two inspection failures. The Rick Ware Racing entry was originally slated to start 33rd.

Posted on by Nick Giffen

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

Today’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway is the eighth race of the year at a 1.5-mile track with low- or medium-tire wear. That gives us plenty of data to work with to find the best value when betting matchups and other props.

In particular, there are four representative races that we can lean on to best inform us on driver performance. We can also look back at 2019 data, which had a similar aerodynamic and engine package.

This vast amount of relevant data has led me to recommend these three prop bets:

NASCAR at Kansas Betting Picks

Austin Dillon (+195) for a top-10 finish

Dillon has been very good at low-wear, 1.5-mile tracks this year. In seven races, he has three top-10 finishes, including a win at Texas and a fourth-place at the first Las Vegas race. He does have two races with major incidents, so his top-10 ratio is actually 60% in his incident-free races.

Dillon has an average finish of 8.0 over a five-race sample size and, somewhat stunningly, is 10th place in the point standings. This line at FanDuel is just too good to pass up.

[Bet Austin Dillon now at FanDuel and get a $1,000 risk-free bet.]

Erik Jones (+100) over Aric Almirola

Both Jones and Almirola have had struggles at low- or medium-wear, 1.5-mile tracks this year, with each having three finishes outside the top 15. Head to head, Jones holds a 4-3 advantage over Almirola. Dating back to 2019, Jones holds an 8-7 lead.

This edge improves to 3-1 for Jones at the four most representative races in 2020, where similar tires have been used. When looking at average green-flag speed from these four races, Jones comes in as the 11th-fastest driver, while Almirola is 16th. Even removing Almirola’s worst race, Jones still ranks better.

Jones should be favored here, so this line at William Hill is good value. I’d bet on Jones as low as -115.

Chris Buescher (+470) for a top-10 finish

I debated between Buescher and Stenhouse, who are priced the same and each have two top-10 finishes to their name at low- or medium-wear, 1.5-mile tracks this year. The tiebreaker came down to three things.

First, Buescher is more consistent, with only two DNFs all year. That gives him more opportunity to place in the top 10 if crazy things happen.

Second, Buescher has just been better all year, leading Stenhouse, 3-2, at 1.5-mile, low-wear races where both drivers did not encounter major incidents.

Third, Buescher’s two top-10 finishes came at the four races where at least one side of tires was the same as what’s being used at Kansas Speedway. Stenhouse has only one finish inside the top 10.

Buescher has eight top-10 finishes on the year, and outside of superspeedways, 1.5-mile tracks are historically his best track type. All four of his top-10 finishes in 2019 came at 1.5-mile tracks.

Snap him up at +470 at FanDuel and hope he keeps his nose clean while faster drivers have issues. Buescher has top-10 finishes in five of his last 13 low-wear, 1.5-mile races, so there is definitely value here.

[Bet Chris Buescher now at FanDuel and get a $1,000 risk-free bet.]