eNASCAR, ASUS announce new gaming hardware partnership

Posted on September 22, 2020October 26, 2020 by Official NASCAR Release

Note: This story first appeared in September.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 22, 2020) — eNASCAR and ASUS announced a new partnership Tuesday for the remainder of the season for NASCAR’s premier sim-racing esports series, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. As part of the agreement, ASUS becomes the “Official Gaming Hardware of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series.” In its 11th season, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series is the pinnacle of motorsports esports, featuring 40 of the world’s top sim racers in the most environmentally accurate racing experience.

“Our eNASCAR platforms are redefining fan engagement for our sport,” said Tim Clark, NASCAR’s senior vice president and chief digital officer. “This series has grown exponentially through the support of the entire NASCAR community, and partnerships with internationally acclaimed brands like ASUS, with authentic connections to the league, legitimizes that growth.”

Through the agreement, ASUS will market its Republic of Gamers (ROG) product line during in-race broadcasts and on social media. ASUS produces innovative gaming hardware that provides gamers with leading performance, premium features, superior durability and stylish design. Since 2006, ROG has played an active role in the global gaming community through partnerships at events and with gaming personalities as well as organizations.

“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with eNASCAR to bring an unrivaled motorsports esports experience to racing professionals and their fans, both on the track and as a spectator,” said Yen Hoang, senior manager of brand marketing for ASUS North America. “As the new Official Gaming Hardware of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, we’re excited to share our most innovative products to aspiring sim racers and fans so they can compete at their best!”

Established in 1989, ASUS is a multinational company known for producing the world’s best motherboards and high-quality personal computers, monitors, graphic cards, routers and other technology solutions. ASUS is dedicated to innovating, designing and building next-generation technology in order to provide incredible experiences that enhance the lives of people everywhere. From robust ASUS education solutions in physical and virtual classrooms to powerful ProArt devices in movie studios and home offices, ASUS goes above and beyond the status quo to reimagine today’s smart life. The latest innovations from ASUS include world record-setting motherboards such as the Maximus XII Apex, ultra-fast and smooth Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with the gaming-ready RT-AX82U router, and unrivaled gaming hardware performance in products like the ROG Phone 3 and ROG Swift 360 Hz monitor.

The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series is the longest running officially sanctioned esports racing series. The series features some of the world’s best sim racers competing for more than $300,000, one of the richest payouts in esports racing competition. The elite series features NASCAR and professional esports teams, including those established by NASCAR Cup Series drivers William Byron, Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin.

The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series will be back in action Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on eNASCAR.com/live.

Posted on September 22, 2020January 21, 2021 by Staff Report

The coronavirus pandemic put a bit of a damper on the start of the race season, but changes in plans have helped John Goin and given him a chance to race against some of the best late model drivers in the country.

Goin had planned to run a full season at Dominion Raceway — an .400-mile asphalt oval track in Thornburg, Virginia — this season, with a few trips to South Boston and Motor Mile Speedways as well.

Motor Mile canceled its season in April, and South Boston has yet to race this year, but Goin has made the best of 2020, racing at NASCAR-sanctioned tracks Dominion, Larry King Law‘s Langley Speedway — a 0.396-mile slightly banked asphalt oval in Hampton, Virginia,— and Southern National Motorsports Park – a 0.4-mile asphalt oval track in Lucama, North Carolina.

Dominion Raceway | Facebook | Twitter

Traveling between the three tracks has been a chance for Goin to face the best of the best in his rookie season.

“One thing good that‘s come out of it, it‘s allowed me to run against people like Peyton Sellers and Josh Berry and all of your national contenders week after week,” Goin said. “It makes you better to run against good competition.

“That‘s the one thing that‘s been really fun too is going to different tracks and learning what makes you fast at this track and how to get around there.”

In 17 NASCAR races between the three tracks, Goin has one win at Southern National and 10 top-five finishes. He‘s currently 11th in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I points standings.

Goin‘s transition up to a late model was an easy one, and he found success early. In his first time racing a late model, running an exhibition at Dominion last year, he finished second in the first race, and won the second. That ease in the bigger car was a big part of what made Goin and his team want to move up and run late models for a full season this year.

“That kind of got our feet wet last year,” he said. “It was actually a really easy transfer. It really suits my driving style better.”

Langley Speedway | Facebook | Twitter

Goin began racing 11 years ago when he was 13. His father loved racing himself and was a dirt car driver.

“At that time we started going to dirt races together then we went and checked out a go-kart race one time and we just fell in love with it,” he said.

He raced go-karts for about five years before moving to dirt himself.

Goin‘s father passed away in 2012, but his love of racing is something Goin has always carried with him, and “I‘ve been blessed to have good people behind me,” he said.

The 23-year-old ran a full season in the late model sportsman division at Southside Speedway in Virginia last year, and while his team had a great time racing there, they never really had the results they wanted.

“But we learned a whole lot about the cars and got a lot of seat time racing against guys that had raced for a long time,” he said.

Southern National Motorsports Park | Facebook | Twitter

Everybody on his team came together and decided to try something different for 2020. Goin‘s stepdad, Bo Collins, became the owner for his late model this year.

“My stepdad and myself, we went to a lot of late model races and watched some of your bigger names run and always admired how clean and how hard the racing was,” Goin said.

“It was always something, before my stepdad became involved with me, I just really hadn‘t had the funds to do but now that I‘ve got the funds behind me because of him to do it, it makes a big difference because that was something we really wanted to do big time. That‘s been fun.”

The team also has help from Craig Oliver building the chassis and providing coaching and Sammy Houston doing setups and spending time in the shop. Goin‘s biggest struggle this year has been finding consistency, which Oliver has helped him improve.

Having grown up in a dirt car, Goin said a late model is better for the way he likes to drive.

“I was used to a wider tire so when I went for a couple years on the small tires it took me a long time to get adjusted running that,” he said. “Then when I kind of went back to a bigger tire, something that‘s more durable and you can drive the car harder, it‘s really worked better for me because I can do more stuff that I‘m capable of doing. I usually overdrive instead of underdrive so it makes up for that.”

Goin‘s goal coming into the season was to get the Virginia Rookie of the Year award, which he currently leads in the points. Now that he‘s seen success on the track, his new goal is to win at least one more race and finish in the top 10 in the national points.

NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I standings

No matter where he finishes, Goin has proven to himself and others that he can race with the best of them.

“It‘s definitely been a good rookie year. I‘ve got good people that work behind me,” he said.

“I love competition. I love racing and having the challenge of beating other drivers who have won a lot before… And just seeing how I stack up against other guys knowing that they‘re trying their hardest and I‘m trying my hardest. It‘s fun. It‘s fun also when you‘ve got great guys behind you that make it fun for you and make you a better driver.”

Goin will race at Dominion Raceway this Saturday, a night that will feature twin-60s late models, modifieds, Virginia Racers, U Cars, INEX Legends, and INEX Bandos.

Posted on September 22, 2020January 21, 2021 by Staff Report

You can‘t blame Justin Bonsignore for having a love-hate relationship with Stafford Motor Speedway.

The Connecticut half-mile is the one track on the 2020 schedule that the Long Island driver has yet to win at. But it‘s also the track where he clinched his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship in 2018, and came put a hammerlock on this year‘s title with a strong run on Saturday in the NAPA Auto Parts 150.

There are (limited) tickets available to see this race in person, and the race will also be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Gold.

NAPA Auto Parts 150

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Bonsignore came up short of the Musket 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway two weeks ago, but there was silver lining, as he gained nine points on six-time champion Doug Coby.

That pushed Bonsignore‘s lead to 27 points with two races remaining — Stafford and the finale on Oct. 11 at Connecticut‘s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

Bonsignore clinched the 2018 title in that season‘s penultimate race at Stafford, which was won by his cousin, Kyle Bonsignore.

Stafford has suited Coby well. In addition to being a former track champion in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series at the track, Coby has 12 Whelen Modified Tour wins — tied with the late Ted Christopher for second all-time. Coby has won six of the last 14 events. On the flip side, Justin Bonsignore has four runner-up finishes, including last year‘s Fall Final at Stafford.

In addition to Kyle Bonsignore (2018), Craig Lutz scored his first career Whelen Modified Tour win in last fall‘s race at Stafford. Lutz sits fourth in points after picking up his second career win earlier this season, and is just six points behind third-place Jon McKennedy. Dave Sapienza is fifth in points after m

issing most of last season with a back-injury and is having his best career points performance in this abbreviated season.

Craig Lutz and Jon McKennedy both lost significant ground to Bonsignore in the championship chase at Monadnock. But Lutz has two third-place finishes at Thompson in his last three races there, while McKennedy finished fourth at the World Series finale last year.

Ron Silk also has a pair of Tour wins at Stafford, including one last season.

RACING REFERENCE: Previous NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at Stafford | NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour drivers career stats at Stafford | 2020 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Standings

RACE FACTS

RACE	NAPA AUTO PARTS 150
PLACE	Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Conn.
DATE	Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020
TIME	6 p.m. ET
TELEVISION/RADIO	Trackpass on NBC Gold (live), 4 p.m. ET; NBCSN — Thursday, Oct. 15, 6 p.m. ET
TRACK LAYOUT	half-mile paved oval
EVENT SCHEDULE	Saturday, Sept. 26 — Garage opens: 10:15 a.m. ET; Practice: 1:20-2:20 p.m.; Qualifying: 4 p.m.; NAPA Auto Parts 150: 6 p.m.
TWITTER	@StaffordSpeedwy, @NASCARRoots
HASHTAG	#NWMT

RACE CENTER | ENTRY LIST | RACE SCHEDULE

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the NAPA Auto Parts 150 is limited to 32, including provisional positions. The field will be set by qualifying (1-30) and provisional process per the entry blank (31-36) for the NAPA Auto Parts 150. In the event that qualifying as stated on this entry blank does not take place for any unforeseen circumstance, the field will be set in accordance with the 2020 NASCAR Touring Series Rule Book.

QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. Vehicles will be impounded after qualifying. Vehicle must qualify on race set up.

The NAPA Auto Parts 150 will be 150 laps (93.75 miles) and is to be run in one (1) segments. The tire change rule is four (4) tires, any position. To utilize the third change tire, teams will designate a practice tire purchased at Stafford Motor Speedway to be the fourth change tire.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Four (4) for qualifying and to start the race, plus an additional seven (7) for a total of eleven (11) tires.

Posted on September 21, 2020 by NASCAR Statement

“We proudly welcome Michael Jordan into the NASCAR family, and look forward to watching Michael, Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace compete in 2021. Michael is an iconic sports figure and celebrated champion whose fiercely competitive nature has placed him among the greatest athletes of all time. His presence at NASCAR’s top level will further strengthen the competition, excitement and momentum growing around our sport. We wish Michael and his team tremendous success.”

Posted on September 21, 2020September 21, 2020 by Staff Report

Basketball legend Michael Jordan has agreed to purchase a NASCAR Cup Series Charter and Bubba Wallace will be the driver for “His Airness” and partner Denny Hamlin when the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season begins.

Jordan, widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time and current owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, will be the majority owner of a NASCAR Cup Series team. Wallace, the series’ lone Black driver in the midst of a career-best season, has found a home after announcing earlier this month that he would not return to Richard Petty Motorsports.

RELATED: Silly Season’s key figures

Also announced Monday was news that Hamlin would also be a minority owner of the single-car team. Hamlin has long been connected to Jordan through the latter’s Jordan Brand, and the two are close friends.

“Growing up in North Carolina, my parents would take my brothers, sisters and me to races, and I’ve been a NASCAR fan my whole life,” Jordan said in a news release. “The opportunity to own my own racing team in partnership with my friend, Denny Hamlin, and to have Bubba Wallace driving for us, is very exciting for me. Historically, NASCAR has struggled with diversity and there have been few Black owners. The timing seemed perfect as NASCAR is evolving and embracing social change more and more.

“In addition to the recent commitment and donations I have made to combat systemic racism, I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for Black people in racing.”

The Jordan-Hamlin ownership group indicated that the organization’s name, manufacturer affiliation, car number, sponsors and other details would be announced later. The group indicated that it struck an agreement to acquire the team charter from Germain Racing.

Hamlin will remain a driver of the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, where his Cup Series career began in 2005. He has six wins this year and is one of the favorites to win the 2020 championship.

Hamlin said he met Jordan at a Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) game 11 years ago. Their friendship blossomed as he became the first NASCAR driver with an endorsement by Jordan Brand, and Monday night’s announcement was a next-level extension of their partnership.

Though other details of the new team’s formation had not been announced, Hamlin said “deciding on a driver was easy — it had to be Bubba Wallace.”

Wallace has made 105 career starts at NASCAR’s top level, all of them with RPM. He has five top-10 finishes this year, including a fifth-place run in the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway, which is also site of his career-best finish – runner-up in the 2018 Daytona 500.

Wallace announced Sept. 10 that he would leave Richard Petty Motorsports, the team that gave him his start with a four-race audition in 2017 before hiring him full-time the following season. He’ll leave at the end of this season with an enduring memento — the famed curlicued signature of team owner Richard Petty tattooed on his right leg.

The news is the latest development in a season of personal growth for Wallace, who has championed causes that fight racial injustice. Wallace has found his voice in the quest for social change and has welcomed others in the NASCAR industry to join him in solidarity.

“Bubba has shown tremendous improvement since joining the Cup Series and we believe he’s ready to take his career to a higher level,” Hamlin said on social media. “He deserves the opportunity to compete for race wins and our team will make sure he has the resources to do just that. Off the track, Bubba has been a loud voice for change in our sport and our country. MJ and I support him fully in those efforts and stand beside him.”

Said Wallace: “This is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I believe is a great fit for me at this point in my career. Both Michael and Denny are great competitors and are focused on building the best team they possibly can to go out and compete for race wins. I’m grateful and humbled that Michael and Denny believe in me and I’m super pumped to begin this adventure with them.”

Jordan has attended several NASCAR races over the years, most recently the 2019 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway when Hamlin was in the Championship 4 and competing for his first championship.

“I’m a big race fan,” Jordan told NBC’s Dale Earnhardt Jr., who did the interview. “Started off when I was a kid and I grew up watching (Dale Earnhardt), Richard Petty … Cale Yarborough was an original 11 that I remember. Now I’m good friends with Denny Hamlin and we go way back. … I’m a big NASCAR fan, so I came out to support him.”

NASCAR President Steve Phelps confirmed during a pre-playoffs roundtable with reporters on Sept. 1 that it’s possible for a current driver of a four-car team to own all or part of another team – but that NASCAR would have to ensure fair competition. Additionally, Phelps added the NASCAR Charter system and development of the Next Gen car – which will debut in 2022 – has created a surge of ownership interest.

“On the expense side, I think that what we’ve done, working with our teams and our OEMs to pull costs out of the system. From that perspective, I think it’s improving,” Phelps said. He also suggested that the number of new owners trying to get into this sport “has never been higher” and that he’s seen “a ton of enthusiasm” for future team ownership under the current business model.

Posted on September 21, 2020September 21, 2020 by Staff Report

Ross Chastain will drive the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2021, the team announced Monday.

Chastain, who currently has a full-time ride in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing, will take over for Matt Kenseth, who has held the seat since May after Kyle Larson was dismissed for using a racial slur during an iRacing event.

Chastain currently is preparing for the Xfinity Series Playoffs starting Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The 27-year-old driver is ranked eighth entering the playoffs and has 23 top-10 finishes in 26 races this season. He has two career Xfinity wins in 184 starts over the past seven years.

The first of those Xfinity wins came in 2018 with Ganassi, who indicated in an interview after Kenseth’s hiring that Chastain was “still a part of this team, and I hope Ross has a future with this team.” Monday, the team owner elevated him to full-time in the Cup Series.

“Ross has been a part of this organization for a few years now, and I am happy to announce him as our driver for the No. 42 team,” Ganassi said in a release provided by the team. “In three races with our organization in 2018 and watching ever since, he showed me and everyone else that he is a tenacious driver who wants to win. We believe that Ross will give our team the opportunity to be competitive each week and our sponsors someone to build a program around. Additionally, his racing background has him well-suited to make the move to the Cup Series.”

Chastain became emotional at Bristol Motor Speedway after his most recent Xfinity Series finish on Friday, when he recorded his fifth second-place result in what’s so far been a winless season. When asked post-race about a potential opportunity with Ganassi’s No. 42 team, Chastain said he’d jump at the chance.

“Are you kidding me? Of course,” Chastain said. “Everybody in this entire garage would. Yeah, who wouldn’t?”

He echoed those sentiments Monday.

“I can’t thank Chip enough for this opportunity,” Chastain said. “The faith he and the organization showed me back in 2018 was a real turning point in my career, and I am extremely happy for the chance to join the team again especially with all the great guys they have on the 42 and to be able to team with a champion like Kurt Busch. Racing in the Cup Series with a serious contender has always been my goal, and I’m looking forward to joining what is a very strong team. I know I have my work cut out for me, but I’m ready to get to work and help bring more success to the organization.”

Kenseth returned to the Cup Series after the COVID-19 shutdown. The 2003 series champion, Kenseth had not driven in the Cup Series since running a partial schedule with Roush Fenway Racing in 2018.

Kenseth’s best finish this season was a runner-up effort at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, marking his only top five in his return. The 48-year-old veteran sits 25th in points after missing the first four races of the season, and the CGR No. 42 team changed crew chiefs — Phil Surgen in for Chad Johnston — ahead of the Cup Series’ doubleheader weekend at Michigan last month.

Chastain also has three wins in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, coming in 91 starts over 10 years. He has made 79 career Cup Series starts with one top-10 finish, 10th in the 2019 Daytona 500 for owner Jay Robinson.

Chastain has been among the most prolific participants in all three NASCAR national series in recent years, frequently making double-duty appearances during race weekends. He has made 43 national-series starts this year, down from 77 last season and 74 in 2018 as he has tried to concentrate more on his Xfinity efforts with the Kaulig organization.

Chastain is a 12-generation watermelon farmer from Alva, Florida. He has embraced the “Melon Man” nickname and has punctuated his NASCAR wins by smashing watermelons on the track or in Victory Lane.

Posted on September 21, 2020January 21, 2021 by Staff Report

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR and Riverhead Raceway announced Monday that the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 200 scheduled for Oct. 17 has been cancelled. This breaks a 35-year streak of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour action at the historic quarter-mile oval, a place where NASCAR Hall of Fame drivers like Richie Evans and Mike Stefanik added to their legendary racing resumes.

“We‘re heartbroken for the track, our competitors and most importantly our fans who are struggling during this trying time,” said NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Director Jimmy Wilson. “We look forward to when we can return to Riverhead and continue adding to its rich legacy of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour racing.”

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will continue its season at 6 p.m. ET Saturday at Connecticut‘s Stafford Motor Speedway. It will conclude a nine-race championship schedule on Oct. 11 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Connecticut.

Fans can watch both races live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and get the latest news on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at NASCAR.com/roots.

Posted on September 20, 2020September 21, 2020 by Terrin Waack

Kevin Harvick doesn’t just lead the NASCAR Cup Series field with the most wins. He does so rather drastically.

The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford boasts nine victories in 2020. That’s three more than the next-best winner in 2020, Denny Hamlin. There are only three competitors overall who have at least three total victories.

One more win and Harvick will become the 11th driver in NASCAR’s modern era to accomplish a 10-win season. He’ll be the first since Jimmie Johnson met the milestone in 2007.

“Well, I love that it’s in the conversation of being the greatest season ever,” Harvick said Saturday after his Round of 16 playoff win at Bristol Motor Speedway. “Because you look at the sport’s gurus that don’t know a lot about racing, they put these graphs up and talk about where your peak seasons are, where you’re good, where you’re bad. Where you’re good is where you have the best results, and fortunately for me, they’re coming right now.”

Harvick is in the midst of his 20th season in NASCAR’s top series. His previous season-best win mark was eight in 2018, when he finished third in the final standings. Even in his championship run – 2014 – Harvick had five wins.

There still are seven races remaining in the 2020 season, and Harvick already has topped both marks and sits comfortably atop the playoff rankings with 67 bonus points.

“I don’t know if we’ll make it to 10 (wins),” Harvick said. “But we’re going to keep trying to do the best we can every week, and it’s just been an unbelievable year.”

RELATED: Career highlights for Kevin Harvick | RACING REFERENCE: Kevin Harvick’s career stats

An unorthodox one, too.

NASCAR had a two-month pause, eight-race postponement after just the first four events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cup Series eliminated practice and qualifying sessions, opting to do one-day shows to limit exposure. The schedule itself featured midweek races and weekend doubleheaders, which were both new.

This season has tested teams in a way they have never been tested before.

“We’ve all learned a lot about ourselves this year, including me, and we’ve all learned to do things differently,” said Rodney Childers, the No. 4 crew chief. “We’ve learned to trust each other. We’ve learned to work hard no matter what the circumstances are – whether you’re first shift, whether you’re second shift. I haven’t had one team meeting since February. I haven’t got my guys together. I haven’t had to tell anybody what to do. I haven’t had to tell somebody they need to work harder, they need to pay more attention to details.

“I have the best group that I’ve ever worked around. … We expect to be the best.”

The No. 4 crew’s first win actually came in NASCAR’s return on May 17 at Darlington Raceway. Harvick hopped into his car after an unprecedented amount of time out of it, led a race-high 159 of the 293 laps and took the checkered flag to solidify his postseason berth. From there, he went on to win at six different tracks – Atlanta Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (a crown-jewel event), Michigan International Speedway (swept the doubleheader), Dover International Speedway and eventually Bristol (an elimination race). He also had another win at Darlington in the Southern 500 (another crown-jewel event), the playoff opener.

Now Harvick heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first Round of 12 race – South Point 400 (7 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He finished eighth there earlier this season, before the on-track break. In 22 career starts, he has two wins at the Nevada track; both of which came in the past five years (2015 and 2018).

“We’ve got nine; he didn’t know if we we’re going to get 10,” Childers said. “If you don’t get 10, you’re not going to win a championship. It’s pretty simple at this point: You’ve got to win races to hold that big trophy at the end of the year.”

Posted on September 20, 2020September 20, 2020 by Zack Albert

The same four drivers who entered Bristol Motor Speedway on the outside of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ safety zone left without making season-saving moves above the cutline.

Clint Bowyer was the benefactor as the last driver to qualify for the postseason’s Round of 12 on the basis of points. That left four drivers eliminated — rookie Cole Custer, William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto — from championship contention with seven races left in the season.

Bowyer advanced after notching a sixth-place result in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, marking a season-best string of three straight top-10 finishes to open the playoffs.

“I mean, I just feel comfortable we’re getting back to our consistency,” Bowyer said. “I guess for a long time in my career I was kind of Steady Eddy, and that’s what it takes in these playoffs. To go the rounds, you can’t make mistakes. I said that going into these playoffs. For our team, we’ve got to live up to our capabilities, and if we can do that and race to our capabilities and not make the mistakes we were making through the summer months, we can contend and move forward rounds in this playoff system, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Others vying to make up points deficits were less fortunate. Byron’s demise was the most spectacular as his Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet became crossed up with Christopher Bell and Joey Gase just before the end of Stage 2. Byron retired after 232 of the 500 laps with a 38th-place night.

MORE: Byron exits early with damage

The other three drivers eliminated hurt their cause by finishing outside the top 10 — both at the checkered flag and when points were paid out at each stage.

Blaney fared the best of the ousted drivers with an unlucky 13th-place outcome. The Talladega Superspeedway winner from earlier this year had issued a warning he’d be aggressive if given the chance Saturday night, but the speed he flashed in the early segments of the season eluded him at Bristol.

“I’m upset about it,” Blaney said. “I don’t want to be knocked out with seven races to go and not be able to run for a championship. I’m not very excited about that, but there’s a lot of things we could have cleaned up as a group together, myself included, and we just didn’t perform. We didn’t perform in the first round like we needed to to transfer and that’s something you’ll have. We just needed to step up and we just had too many issues, but we still have seven races left. We’ll try to win one or two of them and try to get fifth in points. We’ve still got that, so there’s still a goal that you’re trying to go to.

“Yeah, it sucks that you’re not able to run for it, but I’m just disappointed — not really disappointed. It’s kind of hard to put into words. I wish we all had a better three races as a team. I know this team can have great races and it’s a shame we missed that a little bit.”

DiBenedetto rallied from an unscheduled pit stop early but ended the day in 19th — which wound up being his average finish for the three races in the postseason’s opening round.

“If we didn’t have bad luck, we wouldn’t have any luck at all,” DiBenedetto said. “I don’t know. It’s just frustrating. I hate it.”

Custer, who made the playoffs on the strength of a first-time win at Kentucky Speedway, finished with a crinkle of damage to the nose of his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in 23rd place.

“We’ve accomplished a lot of our goals,” Custer said. “I mean, to go from where we started and be able to be competitive now. Obviously, tonight we were off a little bit, but for the most part we could run pretty competitively and I think that was one of our goals by the end of the year and then also to make the playoffs and to have a win by now, and to win Rookie of the Year. There are a lot of things that we can hold our head high on, but at the same time as a competitor I’m not happy about getting knocked out in the first round and really struggling tonight, but we’ll keep working at it and that’s part of it. We’ll just keep trying things and keep grinding away at it.”

Posted on September 20, 2020September 20, 2020 by Zack Albert

Kyle Busch was in prime Bristol Motor Speedway form Saturday night, leading 159 of 500 laps in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. But an aggravating second-place finish had him in prime post-race zinger form as his season-long winless streak in the NASCAR Cup Series continued.

Busch was the runner-up for the fourth time this season after dicing through lapped traffic and swapping the lead in a late-race duel with eventual winner Kevin Harvick. Busch hung the tail of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota out as he chased Harvick through the final corner but came home .310 seconds short at the checkered flag.

“Just didn’t have enough at the end,” Busch told NBC Sports after bidding for his series-leading ninth Bristol win. “The guys did a great job and gave me a really great piece tonight to contend and at least be up there and be close. Unfortunately, just didn’t have enough. Lapped cars were definitely a problem. It’s part of racing. You have to try to get around them where you can, and there was just no room for me to do what I needed to do with a couple of those opportunities to get past them.”

Busch dropped to the rear of the field during pace laps after his No. 18 car failed pre-race inspection twice, but he quickly regained the lost ground, rising to second place after the 125-lap first stage. He remained a fixture in the top five, and his main challenge emerged from Harvick as the race entered the late going.

Lap-down traffic posed an issue for both drivers, but the two were held up in particular by the No. 22 Ford of Joey Logano, who eventually finished two laps back in 11th. His post-race criticisms for his longtime foil that weren’t aired for a live television audience were slightly more harsh.

“He’s nobody’s friend for a reason, so there you have it,” Busch said.

The lead changed hands twice between Harvick and Busch in the last 100 laps. When asked if he would have been more aggressive while battling Harvick in the late going, Busch said traffic played too big a role — managing to sneak in a dig at two drivers who slowed him at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in last year’s postseason opener.

“It actually never crossed my mind. You always try to win races clean,” Busch said of his duel with Harvick. “You always try to race hard and race clean and get the job done right. Yeah, I mean, if that lapped car wasn’t there, I would have blown it in on the outside or the inside and maybe we would have banged each other’s doors or whatever and had a greater finish to the checkered, but some of them dips — kids don’t know what the hell they’re doing or where they’re at and can’t stay out of the way. Nothing like a (Joey) Gase and a (Garrett) Smithley.”

Despite his losing skid hitting 29 consecutive races, Busch advanced out of the playoffs’ first round on the basis of his place in the points standings. He enters the Round of 12 tied for 10th in the re-seeded standings, and his outlook for the Las Vegas round opener wasn’t full of optimism when pressed.

“We’ll be eliminated in the next round,” Busch said, “so don’t care.”