Posted on by Terrin Waack

Austin Dillon is ready to bust some 2020 NASCAR Playoffs brackets.

The pilot of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet already threw the Cup Series’ 16-driver postseason field for a loop when he secured himself a spot with a regular-season victory. He was outside the playoff picture at the time of his win, with eight races remaining. Every driver with a win – surprise or not – means one less opening for someone else to point their way into championship contention.

“I love being dismissed,” Dillon said Wednesday during the first day of the virtual 2020 NASCAR Playoffs Media Days. “I think it’s great. I’ve just always kind of been that way. … I feel like that’s what propels us, and then we sneak up on people.”

RELATED: Darlington schedule | Playoff field | Throwback paint

Dillon did just that in July, and so did rookie Cole Custer, driver of the Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 41 Ford.

Before Custer won at Kentucky Speedway, he ranked 25th in the overall point standings – not even close to the bubble. Dillon was 16th in points prior to his win at Texas Motor Speedway the next week, but when it came to the playoff picture, he was actually bumped from the top 16 because of Custer’s guaranteed spot.

“I think we can go in there and prove some people wrong is the biggest thing,” Custer said. “But at the end of the day, it’s about being consistent and it’s about being competitive. I think we’ve had a lot of peaks and valleys at times this year, but at the same time, we just need to try and level it out more going into these playoffs.”

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: Drivers dish on the playoffs

William Byron flirted with the cutline by single digits – a slight edge toward the good – so his berth can’t really be seen as a complete plot twist. The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet wheelman had the opportunity to point his way into the playoffs. But then he won the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway last week, so it didn’t end up mattering anyway.

Also, Byron qualified last year. Dillon did not. Custer wasn’t even in the Cup Series.

“Obviously, our goal going into this year was to make it further than we did last year in the playoffs, which was the Round of 12 last year,” Byron said. “So, if we can make it to the Round of 8 this year, it would be a success, for sure.”

Byron closed out 2019 ninth in the final standings. Dillon wound up 21st, which ties for his worst career finish.

In this season’s initial playoff seedings, Byron is ninth at 2,007 points, followed by Dillon and Custer in order with 2,005 points apiece. Top-seed Kevin Harvick has 2,057 points and bottom-seed Matt DiBenedetto has 2,000 points – for perspective.

The Round of 16 kicks off Sunday at Darlington Raceway with the Cook Out Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The Round of 16, Round of 12 and Round of 8 consist of three races, with four drivers getting eliminated at the end of the segment. Winners automatically advance. Otherwise, points keep title chances alive. In the Championship 4, the highest-finishing driver among the title-eligible drivers wins the title.

“You got to get points,” Dillon said. “So we’re going to be very aggressive in getting those points, and hopefully mess up a lot of brackets.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

Matt DiBenedetto said Wednesday that he expected contract negotiations with Wood Brothers Racing to resume soon, expressing optimism for continuing his career with the No. 21 Ford for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series.

DiBenedetto’s remarks came during the first of two media days for the Cup Series playoff field. The 29-year-old journeyman qualified for the postseason for the first time in his career, securing the 16th and final playoff berth on the basis of points.

RELATED: Silly Season’s key players | Cup Series standings

“Yeah, it is funny, we have talked about that. I hadn’t even brought it up or talked about it because the focus was so much of just making the playoffs, which I am so glad we did for the team,” DiBenedetto said. “Obviously I love driving for the Wood Brothers and our alliance with Team Penske is incredible and a place I want to call home for many years to come. I am sure we will get to that.

“My contract has options built in for multiple years and they expressed that they wanted this to be a relationship for many years to come so I would expect to have those talks here pretty soon to hopefully do what I assume should be continuing to drive this 21 car.”

DiBenedetto is in his first season with the venerable Wood Brothers team, entering the Cup Series Playoffs as the 16th seed. He has scored two top-five finishes, including matching his career-best of second place earlier this year at Las Vegas.

MORE: Meet the 2020 playoff field

DiBenedetto related some of the pressures of making the postseason cut in last Saturday’s regular-season finale, saying that nerves began to wear for both him and his wife, Taylor. But DiBenedetto said that the Wood family helped to relieve some of the tension, saying they supported him regardless of the outcome.

“I would say that this week has been a release,” DiBenedetto said. “It was so stressful and kept getting more stressful leading up to Daytona and the points closed in and we lost the gap that we had and all that. I would call this week exciting and we got to celebrate with some friends out on the lake Sunday and have a good time but come Monday it was time to shift focus and we still have a lot of racing left and a lot to accomplish. It was a relief and exciting moving forward now instead of stressful.

“Exciting knowing that we have an opportunity to really put a good end to our season and cap it off and have a lot more success. I am pretty pumped up about that and I am appreciative to be doing it for the Wood Brothers.”

DiBenedetto has been a Cup Series regular since 2015, spending two years each with BK Racing and Go Fas Racing before last year’s one-season stop at Leavine Family Racing.

Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Elliott won the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs opener at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The Cook Out Southern 500 is a crown-jewel event and will highlight throwback weekend.

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 | In-depth look at playoff field

Denny Hamlin will join the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on the front row in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

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.

An example of how the math works: Elliott finished second in the last race (2 x 0.5), is fifth in owner points (5 x 0.35) and his most recent fastest lap ranked third in the field (3 x 0.15). His metric total is 3.2. Hamlin, meanwhile, had a metric total of 3.85 to claim second; he finished third Sunday (3 x 0.5), is second in owner points (2 x 0.35) and scored the 11th-fastest lap of the race (11 x 0.15).

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

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

* Driver change

Posted on by Staff Report

THOMPSON, Conn. — With weather forecasting rain all day Wednesday, NASCAR and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park have decided to postpone the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event to Thursday, Sept. 3.

The Thompson 150 is scheduled for 8 p.m., and limited tickets are still available.

The race is the sixth of the 2020 season and marks the tour’s first visit of the year to the historic Connecticut track.

The Thompson 150 will stream live on TrackPass on NBC Gold.

Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR president Steve Phelps shed some light on the logistics of the 2021 racing schedule, saying that new tracks and new weekend formats are in the mix.

Phelps held court Tuesday afternoon in a virtual roundtable with core beat reporters, ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series’ 10-race playoffs. The postseason begins with Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM) at Darlington Raceway.

MORE: 2020 Cup Series schedule | Meet the playoff field of 16

Among the topics touched on by Phelps were the impact of COVID-19 on the series schedules (both this year’s and 2021), NASCAR’s continued efforts to create a more inclusive environment and the progress of the Next Gen car for the 2022 Cup Series.

Phelps did not pinpoint a timetable for the 2021 NASCAR schedule to be unveiled, but indicated that it could be released in segments, depending on how long the effects of coronavirus might linger later in the calendar year. The pandemic has altered how race weekends have been conducted, with practice and qualifying largely removed in an effort to limit the disease’s spread, reduce the number of necessary personnel and to limit travel time and costs with streamlined shows.

Nashville Superspeedway has already been confirmed as a new addition to next year’s Cup Series slate, but other venues — Phelps said — could be pending. Phelps also said he did not anticipate moving the season-opening Daytona 500 from its scheduled Feb. 14, 2021 date, even if event protocols dictated that fan attendance remain limited.

“There are a lot of different variables and factors that need to go into what our 2021 schedule is going to look like,” Phelps said. “If we didn’t have the COVID situation, I think we would be in a situation where we would have already announced our 2021 schedule probably long ago. But it’s been delayed as we’re frankly trying to get in the balance of this year. With that said, these variables are things we’re taking into consideration, so do we want to continue to look at potential new venues? The answer is yes. Do we want to look at potential format changes? Yes. Do we want to consider the continuing of one-day shows in some form or fashion? Probably.

“That’s something that we have to weigh with all the stakeholders in the industry — the tracks themselves, our broadcast partners and the content they would lose as part of this, the teams and what it looks like to try to help them out. These are difficult times, and so all of those things are things that we are taking into consideration.”

Phelps addressed the potential 2021 schedule addition of Daytona International Speedway’s road course layout, which debuted in all three NASCAR national series this season. The circuit will be used for the Cup Series’ preseason Clash exhibition, and while Phelps wouldn’t fully rule out its return as a points-paying event, he indicated a road-course race would be unlikely to replace the tracks’ second superspeedway event, which was slotted as the regular-season finale for the first time last weekend.

“I don’t see that happening. I think you saw the success of the event last weekend, so the question really is do you add the Daytona Road Course as a third Daytona event — or a fourth, if you’re going to include the Clash,” Phelps said. “Again, nothing to announce at this particular point. It is nice to have options, though, and I think it’s great that that is an option that we have in — if you will — our bag of tricks to be able to have compelling racing because what we want to have is we want to make sure that wherever we go to race that the fans are getting the best show they can get.”

Phelps also said that scheduling midweek races for 2021 was “probably in the lower end of probability,” as the sanctioning body and its partners try to balance scheduling and logistics while maintaining its TV ratings.

In other topics the NASCAR president, who was appointed to NASCAR’s Board of Directors on Aug. 25, addressed in his nearly 45-minute conversation:

• Phelps said that other sports leagues have drawn on NASCAR’s COVID-19 protocols for conducting events safely for its competitors and for limited amounts of fans. He said that NASCAR has recently shared its experiences with college football’s organizers as that sport takes measures to start its season this month.

• Phelps said NASCAR was continuing its mission to create a more welcoming and inclusive atmosphere at its race tracks and businesses after its June 10 decision to ban the Confederate flag and its sustained support of Bubba Wallace’s cause against social injustice. He said those measures were continuing both internally and externally, and that viewership of NASCAR among minorities was on the rise.

“It’s important. For us, it is going to be about action,” Phelps said. “It’s not just going to be about words. … I think it’s a real opportunity for our sport. The message that Bubba Wallace has had out there, which is the message that we want out there is that we want to welcome everyone here. We want to be inclusive. We want people to understand and be a part of this new community because the NASCAR community is all about that.”

• Phelps also mentioned the industry has entertained the idea adopted by other sports leagues to use its facilities as polling places in the November election, providing more expansive spaces for voters to cast ballots while socially distanced.

• Phelps noted the development process has resumed for the Next Gen car, which was delayed a year from its scheduled 2021 Cup Series debut because of the COVID-19 work stoppage. Prototypes underwent two tests last month — an unofficial session at Daytona’s road course by IMSA team Action Express Racing and an official two-day test with NASCAR officials at Dover with Stewart-Haas Racing rookie Cole Custer.

Officials with the NASCAR Research & Development Center have indicated that manufacturer-specific Next Gen car bodies are expected to be approved by the end of September.

“They’ve done a phenomenal job of keeping things moving,” Phelps said. “And the great thing is you’ve got race teams and OEMs (manufacturers) and others who are continuing to provide input and feel a part of this. So this isn’t just a NASCAR thing, this is an industry thing, and the industry is excited about that car coming online.”

• Phelps indicated NASCAR does not intend to alter its rules should a playoff-eligible driver miss time because of a positive COVID-19 test. Current rules require a driver who tests positive to have two negative test results a minimum of 24 hours apart plus written clearance by a personal physician. Without those, a driver’s status may also be reviewed after a 10-day waiting period.

Two Cup Series drivers — Jimmie Johnson and Austin Dillon — have each missed a single race this season after reporting positive coronavirus tests.

“We’re going to control the things that we’re going to control, and understand that the drivers when they’re coming into the bubble are going to follow the same protocols that we’ve been following,” Phelps said. “I would say that if you look at the success that we’ve had to date that the protocols, by and large, are working very well. Is everything perfect and foolproof? It’s not, but for us, we’ve been pleased with how it’s gone thus far and will continue to make sure we’re abiding by those rules and the footprint remains closed and pristine to only those who need to be there.”

Placing a finer point on the footprint of personnel permitted in the garage, Phelps added access to pit road and garage areas would continue to be prohibited for fans, certain team members, sponsor guests and media until a COVID vaccine was widely available.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

After seeing his longtime teammate Matt Kenseth get back in the saddle for full-time racing at NASCAR’s highest level, could a 50-year-old Greg Biffle be the next to find the fountain of youth?

He’d be open to it, should a competitive team come knocking.

“I think the right (Cup Series car), yes,” Biffle said Tuesday when asked if he would entertain a return to the Cup Series full time. “To define that is very difficult for me. You know, if I was asked to drive the 22 car (currently driven by Team Penske’s Joey Logano, signed through 2023) certainly I think a lot of us or any of us would make a very quick decision … there’s certainly a handful of them you could pick that are very competitive. I don’t think there’s a driver that feels he can still win races that wouldn’t take that opportunity.

“Yes, in the right situation I would come back and race potentially a full season.”

MORE: Biffle added to Darlington Gander Trucks race

The only problem? There aren’t a plethora of competitive Cup rides out there to be had.

Just last month we saw a 24-year-old Cup winner in Erik Jones squeezed out of his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing ride in favor of Toyota up-and-comer Christopher Bell simply because of a lack of seats available. And with the fast and furious nature of NASCAR’s silly season, opportunities are drying up quickly.

RELATED: All of Greg Biffle’s Cup Series wins

The 19-time series winner and 2005 championship runner-up can still wheel it despite his last full-time season coming in 2016, picking up a win — at Texas Motor Speedway in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series — in his only NASCAR start since. He’ll have another opportunity to show what he’s capable of in his golden years in Sunday’s South Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Darlington Raceway, a race also being run by another former Roush Fenway Racing teammate and retiree Trevor Bayne.

Even if the rare Cup opportunity should arise, Biffle knows he might not be first in line, with so much talent in the lower NASCAR ranks.

“There are so many great, young, talented drivers that will get that opportunity well before somebody like myself would,” Biffle said. “As an example, look at the Xfinity and Truck Series. Lot of great drivers there right now.

“I think those guys certainly stand in front of me for an opportunity.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team of Riley Herbst has been penalized following Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR officials announced Tuesday afternoon.

RELATED: Xfinity Series points standings | Weekend schedule for Darlington Raceway

The L1 infraction stemmed from an improperly mounted ballast discovered during pre-race inspection at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Along with a pass-through penalty served by Herbst following the green flag in the Wawa 250 powered by Coca-Cola, the team has been assessed a loss of 10 driver points and 10 owner points.

Herbst recovered to finish fourth in Friday night’s event, his third top five of the 2020 season.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Hendrick Motorsports announced Tuesday that William Byron, the NASCAR Cup Series’ newest first-time winner, has signed a contract extension that will keep him in the No. 24 Chevrolet through the 2022 season.

Byron, 22, has been with the Rick Hendrick-owned organization since his rookie season of 2018. He became a first-time winner last Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, landing a playoff-clinching victory in his 98th Cup Series start. According to Hendrick Motorsports, Byron signed his extension Aug. 8, before his Daytona victory.

RELATED: Silly Season’s key players | Meet the Cup Series Playoffs field

The personnel move adds another puzzle piece to Hendrick Motorsports’ driver lineup for next season and beyond. Chase Elliott signed a four-year extension in June 2017 with the Hendrick No. 9 team through 2022. Alex Bowman re-upped with the Hendrick group in mid-May, securing him in the No. 88 Chevy through next season. That leaves only the No. 48 Chevrolet ride unresolved as the organization aims to replace Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time champion who will end his full-time career at season’s end.

Byron has tried to replicate the performance gains of last season in the 2020 campaign. He won five Busch Pole Awards in 2019 and notched five top-five finishes, but until his Daytona breakthrough, Byron had only placed among the top five once this year — an output that had him firmly on the playoff bubble.

Byron is in his second season paired with crew chief Chad Knaus, who was a key part of Johnson’s march to seven Cup Series titles. Byron has qualified for the 16-driver playoff field in both seasons with Knaus atop the No. 24 pit box.

Byron won the 2017 championship in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving for HMS-affiliated JR Motorsports. He has four Xfinity Series wins and seven in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Byron also won the 2015 title in what is now called the ARCA Menards Series East.

Posted on by Staff Report

Aric Almirola has signed a contract extension with Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Almirola will continue to drive the No. 10 Ford Mustang with backing from primary sponsor Smithfield Foods, which also extended its partnership with the team. Additional terms were not disclosed.

RELATED: Key figures in 2020-21 Silly Season | Zipadelli foresees SHR lineup to stay intact

Greg Zipadelli, Stewart-Haas Racing’s vice president of competition, said Monday he anticipated the organization keeping its four-driver lineup intact for 2021, hinting contract negotiations were nearly complete.

In nearly three seasons with SHR, Almirola has earned one victory, 12 top fives and 43 top 10s, including playoff appearances each year. The 36-year-old driver enters the 2020 playoffs as the 12th seed with 2,005 points, 52 points behind teammate and top-seeded regular-season champion Kevin Harvick.

Almirola’s lone victory with Stewart-Haas Racing came in October 2018 at Talladega Superspeedway. He was partnered with a new crew chief this year in Mike Bugarewicz, who replaced Johnny Klausmeier for the No. 10 team.

Though he hasn’t reached Victory Lane yet with the new pairing, Almirola has stitched together strings of consistency. The middle portion of the season yielded a stretch of five straight top-five finishes, part of a larger streak of nine consecutive top 10s.

“He’s done a really good job, him and Mike, of growing together as a team and figuring out what he likes,” Zipadelli said during the Monday teleconference. “Buga has done a great job at that, but it’s time to go. They’ve been picking up and building their confidence and I feel like they’re ready, they just have to go out and execute. When you go back through and you look at the top fives and top 10s he’s had all year, I don’t know if a single one of them was just a good, clean race.

“They’ve had issues.  Pit crews, restarts, speeding on pit road – things of that nature that have made him go to the back and have to race to the front. If we can clean all of those things up and not make any mistakes, I think he’ll have a good opportunity.”

Smithfield’s relationship with Almirola stretches back to 2012, his first full season with Richard Petty Motorsports. The company joined Almirola in moving to SHR in 2018.

The NASCAR Playoffs will kick off with Sunday night’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (6 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).