Posted on by Sean Montgomery

The NASCAR Cup Series checks into its final Round of 16 destination in Thunder Valley, as drivers fight to advance in an exhilarating elimination race under the lights at iconic Bristol Motor Speedway.

Tune into this weekend’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race this Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Full Bristol schedule | Clutch Playoff drivers?

TRACK DETAILS

Bristol Motor Speedway is a .533-mile short-track located in the hills of Tennessee. First debuting a Cup Series race in 1961, Saturday night’s showcase will be the 120th held at the track — hosting two races a season every year since it opened.

Known as “The Last Great Colosseum,” the track’s surface measures 650 feet long on the straightaways with 24- to 28- degrees of variable banking in the turns. The frontstretch is banked from 5 to 9 degrees and the backstraight is angled at a 4- to 8-degree tilt.

STAGE LENGTHS

Stage 1 will end at Lap 125, Stage 2 at Lap 250 and the final stage at Lap 500.

STARTING LINEUP

Fresh off a win at Richmond, Brad Keselowski will lead the field to green Saturday night — earning the Busch Pole Award for the race, his second start from the top spot this year at Bristol and his third start from the top spot this year. Team Penske teammate Joey Logano joins him on the front row, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon to round out the top five.

The lineup was determined by four performance metrics from the Cup Series’ previous race: 15% based on fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s final race finish position, 25% of the owner’s final race position and 35% of the owner points position.

RELATED: Full starting lineup | Winless runners-up

RULES PACKAGE

The 2020 NASCAR rules package for short tracks will be in effect with a tapered spacer used to set a target of 750 horsepower. The cars will use a reduced downforce package with a shorter spoiler, a shorter splitter overhang and other aerodynamic changes. 

GOODYEAR TIRES

There are three factors that stand out when it comes to racing at Bristol Motor Speedway. First, the banking creates more speed and load than the “flatter” short tracks like Martinsville Speedway or Richmond Raceway. This makes Bristol race more like a speedway than a short track in some ways. Second, Bristol has a full concrete surface, which wears tires fairly aggressively when the track is “green” with no rubber built up on it. Goodyear designs its tread compounds for Bristol to take the right amount of rubber and not “cake up” on the surface, leaving cars with a good level of grip. Third is the fact that Goodyear, NASCAR and the track operations staff will work together to apply the PJ1 grip compound to the lower four feet of both sets of corners for this weekend’s races. While this does necessarily impact tire wear, its primary purpose is to give drivers a competitive, alternate lane late in which to race.

“Bristol provides several unique challenges for both Goodyear and the race teams,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “We have worked hard in recent years to refine the tread compounds that we bring there, as well as the other concrete tracks on the circuit. The key with concrete is to get it to take rubber, but just the right amount of rubber. It is easy to see that process once the race starts as the track turns from white to black, and lighten again as cars pick up some of that rubber when they are not at speed under cautions. … While the track has progressive banking, adding the grip compound to the bottom lane in the corners gives the drivers a viable, second groove.”

PLAYOFF STATS TO KNOW

— Saturday night’s race at Bristol will be the first NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race ever at the track.

— Denny Hamlin is the only Bristol winner in the last eight races that is not a past Cup Series Champion, and the only active driver that is not a past Champion in the last 15.

— The only two drivers to finish inside the top five in each playoff race so far are Austin Dillon and Joey Logano.

— Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske have combined to win each of the last 11 races at short tracks. Martin Truex Jr. (three) and Brad Keselowski (two) are the only drivers who have taken the checkered flag in the last five.

— In May, there were 17 cautions at Bristol — the most in the last 28 trips to the track and most in any race since Martinsville in 2015 (18).

Source: Racing Insights

INTERACTIVE COVERAGE

For a more interactive experience, head over to NASCAR.com or the NASCAR app to check out an enhanced Race Center, live Lap-by-Lap coverage, the customizable live leaderboard with Scanner (which is FREE for both races), and the return of Drive (featuring in-car cameras).

Be sure to set your lineup in Fantasy Live and make your picks in the NASCAR Finish Line App!

2019 RACE WINNER

Denny Hamlin closed the door on Matt DiBenedetto in last year’s fall race at Bristol, leading 79 laps and collecting his second-ever win at the track — his first since 2012.

RELATED: Who’s favored at Bristol?

ACTIVE BRISTOL WINNERS

Kyle Busch (eight wins); Kurt Busch (six); Matt Kenseth (four); Brad Keselowski (three); Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano (two each).

Posted on by Staff Report

Brad Keselowski won the Busch Pole Award for Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The lineup was determined using NASCAR’s new competition-based formula, which is a total number based on the previous event: 15% of a fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s final race finish position, 25% of the owner’s final race position and 35% of the Owner Points position. Any ties will be broken by the Rule Book.

RELATED: Learn more about the new lineup formula | ADVANCING through the playoffs

The No. 2 Team Penske Ford driver will be joined by teammate Joey Logano on the front row in the No. 22 Ford.

In the majority of national series events since NASCAR’s May return, starting lineups have been set by random draws. The new structure draws on performance from both individual races and season-long results, rather than leaving a range of starting spots up to chance.

See the full starting lineup for Saturday’s race below.

Starting spot Driver Car # Team
1 Brad Keselowski (P) 2 Team Penske
2 Joey Logano (P) 22 Team Penske
3 Martin Truex Jr. (P) 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
4 Kevin Harvick (P) 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
5 Austin Dillon (P) 3 Richard Childress Racing
6 Chase Elliott (P) 9 Hendrick Motorsports
7 Denny Hamlin (P) 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
8 Alex Bowman (P) 88 Hendrick Motorsports
9 Kyle Busch (P) 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
10 Aric Almirola (P) 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Clint Bowyer (P) 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
12 Cole Custer (P) 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
13 Kurt Busch (P) 1 Chip Ganassi Racing
14 Ryan Blaney (P) 12 Team Penske
15 William Byron (P) 24 Hendrick Motorsports
16 Matt DiBenedetto (P) 21 Wood Brothers Racing
17 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
18 Christopher Bell 95 Leavine Family Racing
19 Matt Kenseth 42 Chip Ganassi Racing
20 Erik Jones 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
21 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
22 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing
23 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing
24 Jimmie Johnson 48 Hendrick Motorsports
25 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing
26 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
27 Bubba Wallace 43 Richard Petty Motorsports
28 Ty Dillon 13 Germain Racing
29 Daniel Suarez 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing
30 Corey LaJoie 32 Go Fas Racing
31 John Hunter Nemechek 38 Front Row Motorsports
32 J.J. Yeley 15 Premium Motorsports
33 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing
34 Reed Sorenson 77 Spire Motorsports
35 James Davison 53 Rick Ware Racing
36 Joey Gase 51 Petty Ware Racing
37 Gray Gaulding 27 Rick Ware Racing
38 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management
39 Josh Bilicki 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing
40 Garrett Smithley 78 B.J. McLeod Motorsports
Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR competition officials issued penalties Tuesday across all three of its national series for lug-nut safety violations after last weekend’s events at Richmond Raceway.

STANDINGS: Cup Series | Xfinity Series | Gander Trucks

In the Cup Series, two crew chiefs were fined $10,000 after their cars were found with one unsecured lug nut each after Saturday’s 400-lap race. The teams penalized under Section 10.9.10.4 of the NASCAR Rule Book:

  • No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of driver Denny Hamlin (crew chief Chris Gabehart)
  • No. 12 Team Penske Ford of driver Ryan Blaney (crew chief Todd Gordon)

In the Xfinity Series, crew chief Bruce Schlicker was assessed a $5,000 fine for a lug-nut violation on the Kaulig Racing No. 10 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain after Friday’s event.

In the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, officials handed down a $2,500 fine to crew chief Scott Zipadelli for one missing or unsecured lug nut on the No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota of driver Austin Hill.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Daniel Suarez and Gaunt Brothers Racing will part ways at the end of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Suarez, 28, joined the Marty Gaunt-owned No. 96 Toyota team this year, marking his fourth season in the NASCAR Cup Series. In a social media post, Suarez indicated that his plans for racing in 2021 are uncertain, but expressed his appreciation to the organization, Toyota and his fans.

RELATED: Key figures in Silly Season

“I want to wish Gaunt Brothers Racing nothing but the best for the future,” Saurez said in a video posted from his personal Twitter account.

“At the same time, I don’t really know what the future holds for myself just yet, so you guys stay tuned for that news. I don’t even know exactly what is going to happen yet, but hopefully something good.”

News of the split was first reported by Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press, later confirmed by Suarez and representatives of Gaunt Brothers Racing. Gaunt said Suarez will finish out the season with the organization.

“The entire team is very appreciative of the effort Daniel has put forth,” Marty Gaunt said in a statement provided by the team. “He has helped build the foundation we need for next season as well as 2022 when the NextGen car arrives. We’re both committed to earning as many points as possible in these last eight races together and finishing the season strong.”

Suarez ranks 31st in the Cup Series standings with a best finish of 18th, achieved twice this season. He failed to qualify for the season-opening Daytona 500. His strongest effort this season came in the regular-season finale at Daytona, where he led 19 laps before being swept up in a crash in the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

Suarez will be searching for his third team in as many seasons in 2021. He was thrust into NASCAR’s top division as a rookie in 2017, replacing Carl Edwards at Joe Gibbs Racing. After two seasons at JGR, Suarez spent the 2019 season at Stewart-Haas Racing before joining the Gaunt Brothers’ effort this year.

The 2020 season has marked Gaunt Brothers Racing’s first full season in the NASCAR Cup Series after three years of part-time participation.

“It’s a big jump to go from a part-time schedule to a full-time schedule, especially this season as we all dealt with the challenges of a global pandemic, but we’ve made it work,” Gaunt said. “Our strategic partnership with Toyota has been a critical and valuable asset, and that’s evident by the reliability we’ve been able to achieve this year. We’re laying important groundwork for improved goals next year that, ultimately, sets us up for success with the Next Gen car in 2022. We’re taking a methodical, long-term approach to our future and the next driver of our No. 96 Toyota will be an integral part of that development.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Former Chicago Bears All-Pro offensive lineman Kyle Long is set to host a new weekly show on NASCAR’s YouTube Channel titled “The Kyle Long Show.”

The show will air at 5:30 p.m. ET Wednesdays — and its debut is this Wednesday, Sept. 16 —  with Long joined by Paul Swan, tire carrier for the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Austin Dillon and former linebacker for the Bowling Green State University football team.

BOOKMARK NOW: NASCAR on YouTube

Howie Long, Long’s father and FOX NFL Sunday analyst, will be the first guest on Wednesday’s pilot episode. The show will feature guests from both inside and outside the NASCAR industry, including stars from other sports, entertainment, pop culture and esports.

Long has made his growing passion for NASCAR known via social media, which includes his love for iRacing, so much so that he he is now the owner of the Mode Motorsports iRacing team in the Coca-Cola iRacing Series.

RELATED: Why Kyle Long immersed himself in iRacing

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – JR Motorsports announced today that Sam Mayer, alumnus of the organization’s Late Model program and 2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion, will reunite with JRM in 2021 to begin the next phase of his racing career. The 17-year-old Mayer has been tabbed to drive a JRM Chevrolet in the second half of the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season before taking the reins full time in 2022.

A native of Franklin, Wis., Mayer is the son of former IndyCar and road racing star Scott Mayer. Following a successful stint with JRM’s Late Model team in 2018-19, which included a victory in the prestigious Bobby Isaac Memorial, Mayer transitioned to K&N Pro Series competition, winning four races in 2019 en route to a championship that crowned him the youngest champion in any NASCAR series at the age of 16 years, three months and eight days. Mayer leveraged those achievements into 2020 success, tallying eight wins and 15 top-five finishes in 16 starts across ARCA and its East and West divisions.

RELATED: Mayer continues Toledo domination

“When Sam first came to run the late model a couple of years ago, he was adamant he would be racing an Xfinity car for us someday,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, JRM general manager. “I admired his initiative then, and now we’re happy to help make his dream a reality. It will be quite a step up, but it’s one he’s ready to make. He’s shown he has the skills to be successful at a very high level.”

Currently, Mayer leads the ARCA Menards East and ARCA Showdown championship standings. Mayer has also made six starts to date in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, earning a best finish of fourth at World Wide Technology Raceway earlier this season.

“Having the opportunity to return to JR Motorsports after racing late models with them in 2018 is definitely very special to me,” Mayer said. “Being able to share this news makes me very excited for the coming year. I hope I can learn as much as I can in the second half of next season and to be ready to go race full time for the NXS championship in 2022.”

If Mayer’s path seems familiar, that’s because it is. He is the second driver from the JRM Late Model pipeline to return to the organization for NXS competition, joining 2017 NXS champion and current Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron, who piloted a JRM Late Model in 2014-15. Additionally, Mayer is the first racer to make the move to the NXS as part of Chevrolet’s Drivers Edge Development program. He’ll turn 18 on June 26, 2021.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR and Camping World announced Tuesday that after leveraging the series entitlement position to support the launch of the Gander RV & Outdoors brand, Camping World will transition back as the series partner beginning in 2021 – marking the return of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

RELATED: 2020 Gander Trucks playoff field

“The transition back to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series demonstrates the continued power of NASCAR’s brand-loyal fan base and creates a broader touchpoint with fans who are RV and Outdoor enthusiasts, “ said Marcus Lemonis, CEO of Camping World, which owns the Gander RV & Outdoors brand.

“We leveraged the series to support the successful launch of our new brand in 2019, and look forward to celebrating the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Champion in November. The next generation of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is right around the corner and we’re committed to the series that has delivered for our customers, fans and the entire Camping World family of brands.”

Camping World CEO, Marcus Lemonis broke the news and released the new series logo on social media.

The series debuted in 1995 as the NASCAR SuperTruck Series. It was also called the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (1996-2008), the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (2009-2018), and the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series last season. The entitlement sponsorship was tweaked this year to the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

Posted on by Staff Report

This year, as many as nine cars at Adams County and I-80 Speedways were built by Chris Vannausdle and his company, High Side Chassis.

Chris and his wife, Dawn, run the company that builds cages for sports compact and front-wheel drive race cars. While many of the cars he built found success this year, none were more successful than the one he drove himself.

Chris Vannausdle

Chris won the Brandon Towing and Recover Compacts championship at NASCAR-sanctioned Adams County, a half-mile dirt oval track in Corning, Iowa. He also won the sport compact title at I-80, a semi-banked dirt oval in Greenwood, Nebraska. Vannausdle had been racing for 29 years and these were the first two championships he had ever won.

Adams County Speedway | Facebook | Twitter

“We knew coming in us and about of three or four others would be the top cars and we just had the perfect season,” he said.

Chris said on any given weekend he would be racing against six or seven cars built by his company, and there were four cars that came right out of his race shop. One of those belonged to his son, Bryan Vannausdle, who won a track championship himself at Stuart International Speedway in Stuart, Iowa, and finished fifth at Adams County and sixth at I-80.

“Every track that me and my dad raced on we kind of took clean sweeps,” Bryan said.

I-80 Speedway | Facebook | Twitter

Chris began going to races at Adams County, which is about 15 minutes from his home, when he was four years old, thanks to his dad.

“I don‘t know much more than going to the races on Saturday night,” he said. “I remember dad and I coming home on a Saturday before we‘d head to the races and he‘d always go fishtailing around the road and stuff and I loved it. I loved the loud engines. I loved the ‘out of control but in control‘. I loved the competition.”

While helping someone in the pits when he was about 17, Chris said a friend of his made the impulsive decision to buy a car and tasked Chris with driving it.

“And from then on there was nothing more I wanted to do than that,” he said. “Anything with motors I‘ve always been all about it.”

Even after so many years racing, though, Chris was still chasing that elusive championship. His title at Adams County was pretty much locked up by championship night, but the points lead at I-80 was much closer.

“I‘ve been there four years ago where I was really close in points and I did get nervous, looked the car over, maybe rethought things too many times,” he said. “And I guess when I‘m 48 years old you look at things different and you think, ‘Well, if it‘s going to happen it‘s going to happen.‘

“Until the checkered flag flew and I realized maybe there‘s a little more stress there than you realize because I took a deep breath and just said, ‘Wow.‘”

Being able to celebrate a championship was even more special because Chris‘s four kids were there to celebrate with him.

“The thing I loved most about it all was my kids saying congratulations,” he said. “All my kids were there that night. My mom was there, my wife. And for my kids to say, ‘Dad, you finally did it,‘ meant a lot.”

I-80 Points Standings | Adams County Points Standings

Chris‘s other son, Tyler Housley also raced early this season.

Bryan Vannausdle

Watching Chris is what got Bryan into the sport as well. He would help his dad before getting behind the wheel himself for a first full season in 2016 when he was 26.

The two now build their cars together and race against one another on the track. While they enjoy working together in the shop, they‘re still very competitive once the green flag flies.

“There‘s some stuff that we don‘t tell each other. We don‘t want to give each other an extra advantage… If I leave a lane open for my dad he‘ll go right around it. He told me before one race, ‘If I‘ve got to dump ya, I‘m going to dump ya.‘ And I said to him ‘I‘m going to do the same thing right back. I‘ll dump you too,‘” Bryan said with a laugh.

“We never have done it in a race. We might take away each other‘s lines just to keep them behind us but otherwise we never bang or destroy the cars because we both know we‘ve got to work on the cars the next week.”

This year was a career year for both Vannausdles. The two are currently first and second in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division V national points standings. Bryan has three more races he‘ll compete in this year, but Chris said his season is done because there are no tracks within a day‘s drive that run his car on dirt. He‘ll instead have to wait and watch the standings every week.

With nine wins and 19 top fives, Chris currently leads Bryan by 68 points, and is 78 points above third. All of the top six in the Division V standings drive at either Adams County or I-80.

NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series Division V Standings

Now that Chris is a track champion, he‘s already had his competitors talking to him about coming for his title. He and his wife had actually been talking about buying a camper and slowing down a bit, but the peer pressure may convince him to come back. He‘s going to take a wait-and-see approach.

He‘ll still be building cages for other drivers though, and his son is hoping the older Vannausdle returns to repeat a bit of the 2020 magic.

“Hopefully we‘ll do it again next year,” Bryan said.

Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Red Farmer is home and recovering after a five-day hospital stay because of COVID-19.

An update on Farmer’s condition was first reported Monday by Rick Karle of WVTM-13, an NBC affiliate in Birmingham, Ala. Farmer had informed the public that he had contracted coronavirus in a post to Facebook during the weekend, noting the severity of his condition.

RELATED: Class of 2021 announced | Reaction for newest Hall of Famers

Karle said that the 88-year-old Farmer had spent five days at Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham. “I felt like a truck ran over me and then drove in reverse and ran over me again,” Farmer told Karle, noting that his fever spiked to 104 degrees. “The doctors at Grandview told me if I went in a day later, I may not have made it. Those doctors and nurses saved my life.”

Karle reported that Farmer’s two-week quarantine period will end after the weekend, and that he hoped to return to racing dirt Late Models in early October, in conjunction with NASCAR’s racing weekend Oct. 3-4 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Farmer was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021. He is scheduled for induction next year with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mike Stefanik.