Posted on by Reid Spencer

Benefiting from a two-tire pit stop with 36 laps left, Kevin Harvick held off charging Denny Hamlin over the final green-flag run to win for the first time at Pocono Raceway.

Harvick crossed the finish line in Saturday’s Pocono Organics 325 just .761 seconds ahead of Hamlin to post his third victory of the season — tying Hamlin for the NASCAR Cup Series lead — and the 52nd of his career, 12th most all-time.

RELATED: Race results | Stage recaps

“We weren’t where we needed to be to start the race and lost a bunch of track position, but we came back and made some great strategy calls to get in clean air and get out front and make some good laps,” said Harvick, who led the final 17 laps after pit stops were complete. “It’s great to finally check Pocono off the list.

On Lap 94, Harvick entered the pits behind Aric Almirola, but with a two-tire stop, he swapped positions with his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, who needed four tires on the same stop. After pit stops cycled out, Harvick had the lead, Hamlin was second, and Almirola was far behind in third.

After the flip-flop of positions on pit road, Harvick was confident the two-tire strategy would pay dividends.

“I knew when we came out of the pits, and they told me how big of a lead we had (over Almirola),” Harvick said. “I saw the 11 (Hamlin) come out of the pits, and he was in second. … He caught us a little in traffic, but I knew I could be pretty patient with the gap we had.

“As I started to see everything cycle out and see with the track position we had with the fresher tires, you could kind of start to put it together in your mind as we started to run through the last stage and cars started to have to pit. Just a great call by (crew chief) Rodney Childers and all the guys up on the pit box for having the right strategy and getting us to Victory Lane.”

Though he led a race-high 61 laps and won the second stage, Almirola rolled across the stripe in third, 15.224 seconds behind Harvick’s No. 4 Ford.

“We opted to score a lot of points (in the stages), and that probably hurt us on strategy a little bit, but I’m really proud of Buga (crew chief Mike Bugarewicz) and these (crew) guys,” said Almirola, who also finished third last Sunday at Talladega.

“They’ve been bringing some awesome race cars. I felt like we were tit-for-tat there with the 4 (Harvick) when we were on older tires and in clean air… We’re trying to keep the momentum going — three top fives in a row. I’m really proud of my race team.”

Even though his car picked up a severe vibration in the late going, Hamlin whittled Harvick’s lead from more than two seconds to less than .3 seconds, as Harvick worked traffic late in the 130-lap event at the 2.5-mile triangular track.

“With about 15 or 20 (laps) to go, the vibration just got really, really bad,” Hamlin said. “It still would have been tough to pass. Even though we got there, it would have been tough to get around him.”

RELATED: Denny Hamlin discusses the vibration he had late at Pocono

Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Christopher Bell posted a career-best fourth-place finish, followed by Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. Clint Bowyer, Michael McDowell, Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher completed the top 10.

Cup drivers will race 350 miles at Pocono on Sunday in the same cars they used on Saturday — with the exception of those needing backups because of damage. The Pocono 350 will be the final event in an unprecedented tripleheader, with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series starting the action in the rain-postponed Pocono Organics 150 at 9:30 a.m. ET.

The Pocono Green 225 NASCAR Xfinity Series race will follow at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Cup event at 4 p.m. ET. Never before have all three of NASCAR’s top touring series raced at the same track on the same day. All three races will be broadcast on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

With the starting order for Sunday’s Cup race determined by inverting the top 20 finishers from Saturday, Ryan Preece will start on the pole, and Harvick will take the green from 20th.

MORE: Sunday’s starting lineup

Joey Logano notched the other stage win, but his No. 22 Team Penske Ford scraped to pit road with a flat left-front tire with seven laps remaining, relegating him to a 36th-place finish.

The 130-lap race began 56 minutes after its scheduled start time of 3:54 p.m. ET because of pesky afternoon rain.

Notes: Post-race inspection in the Cup Series garage went without major issues. Two teams — the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 for Hamlin and the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Ford of seventh-finishing Clint Bowyer — were each found with one lug nut unsecured in a post-race check. Those infractions will mean a fine for their respective crew chiefs, according to guidelines in the NASCAR Rule Book.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

Aric Almirola was able to hold off Stage 1 winner Joey Logano to record a Stage 2 victory in Saturday’s Pocono Organics 325 at Pocono Raceway.

A caution with six laps remaining set up a two-lap sprint to the stage finish as Almirola hung on to his race lead in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to earn the fourth stage win of his NASCAR Cup Series career and first of the 2020 season.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Logano finished second, ahead of Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto to round out the top-five drivers in the 52-lap stage.

The Lap 71 caution occurred when Erik Jones lost control of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, making contact with Tyler Reddick coming off of Turn 3. Reddick attempted to drive below Jones, but the two cars hooked, sending both machines hard into the inside frontstretch wall.

Jones was forced to retire from the race, while Reddick’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team made repairs in an attempt to reach minimum speed.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 10
2 Joey Logano Team Penske 9
3 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 8
4 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 7
5 Matt DiBendetto Wood Brothers Racing 6
6 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 5
7 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 4
8 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 3
9 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 2
10 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 1

Stage 1

Joey Logano earned victory in the first stage of Saturday’s Pocono Organics 325 in partnership with Rodale Institute at Pocono Raceway.

Logano took the lead away from polesitter Aric Almirola after starting from the sixth position, earning his fourth stage win of the 2020 season. Almirola held on to finish second, followed by last Monday’s Talladega Superspeedway winner, Ryan Blaney. Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott completed the top five in order.

RELATED: Stage 1 results

Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Preece and Christopher Bell hit pit road with three laps remaining in the Stage 1, setting themselves up for an alternate strategy to stay out for the beginning of Stage 2.

NASCAR officials threw a competition caution on Lap 12, but the front-runners elected to stay out for the final 10-lap dash to the stage conclusion. The stage also saw a second yellow-flag period after Quin Houff spun into the inside wall at the exit of Turn 2.

Saturday’s 130-lap event was delayed due to inclement weather after the scheduled green-flag time of 3:54 p.m. ET was pushed back to 4:50 p.m. ET.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Joey Logano Team Penske 10
2 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 8
4 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 7
5 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 6
6 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing 5
7 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing 4
8 Brad Keselowski Team Penske 3
9 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 2
10 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing 1

 

Posted on by Staff Report

The start of Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway was delayed due to inclement weather.

Rain fell in Long Pond, Pennsylvania and required track-drying efforts. The green flag for the Pocono Organics 325 in partnership with Rodale Institute was originally scheduled to wave at 3:54 p.m. ET. Coverage is on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Drivers were called to their cars at 4 p.m. ET with the national anthem at 4:15 p.m. ET and the green flag targeted for approximately 4:35 p.m. ET. However, lingering precipitation caused the race not to get underway until 4:50 p.m. ET.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Gander Trucks postponed to Sunday

The race is a 130-lap event at the “Tricky Triangle” for 325 miles.

Aric Almirola drew the pole position in a random draw and led the field to green in his No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet when the time comes. Last Monday’s winner at Talladega Superspeedway, Ryan Blaney, fired off alongside Almirola in Team Penske’s No. 12 Ford.

Saturday marks the first of two NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono. The second is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The Saturday Cup race marks the 14th of the 2020 season and the 10th since the sport returned from the COVID-19 stoppage.

Posted on by Staff Report

Saturday’s scheduled NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway has been postponed a day due to rain, setting up a scheduled tripleheader Sunday with all three national series at the 2.5-mile triangular track.

RELATED: Pocono weekend schedule

The Pocono Organics 150 to benefit Farm Aid will now take place at 9:30 a.m. Sunday with TV coverage on FS1. The 60-lap Gander Trucks event will precede the NASCAR Xfinity Series race (12:30 p.m. ET, FS1) and the second scheduled NASCAR Cup Series race of the weekend (4 p.m. ET, FS1).

According to Racing Insights, Sunday will be the first time three NASCAR national series races will be raced on the same day at the same track. It will be the fifth time that three NASCAR national series races were run on the same day (the previous instances were at multiple tracks).

The first NASCAR Cup Series race of the weekend was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET today with TV coverage on FOX but the start of the race was delayed.

Stay tuned for updates throughout the day.

Posted on by PJ Walsh

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

The NASCAR Cup Series gives us two chances to bet on the eventual second-place finisher with a doubleheader at Pocono Raceway this weekend.

The action starts with Saturday’s Pocono Organics 325 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX), which will be followed by the Pocono 350 (4 p.m. ET, FS1) Sunday.

Pocono is a unique 2.5-mile tri-oval with no real comps to analyze, so I’ll look at past results from this track, as well as general speed at the intermediate race tracks this season.

It’s also important to note track position will be even more crucial Saturday than it already is because the Pocono Organics 325 will be just 130 total laps, down from the traditional 160 laps the Cup Series has run at Pocono since 2012.

Ten of the last 12 Pocono winners came from a top-10 starting spot, so I’m adding more weight to starting position than normal when determining bets for Saturday’s race.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@PJWalsh24) for any additional bets I make for Pocono.

NASCAR at Pocono Odds, Betting Picks

Odds as of Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET

Chase Elliott to Win at Pocono (+800)

I had Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott as my favorites coming into Pocono and opted to take Elliott due to the better price.

Elliott has had the best car consistently this season — he ranks first in average green-flag speed in 2020 — and with no practice to lean on at such a unique track, I decided to fall back on Elliott’s season-long speed at the solid 8-1 price.

Now, that doesn’t mean I still won’t end up betting on Harvick, but at this point, Elliott is the biggest favorite I’ve taken so far.

Ryan Blaney (+1200) to Win at Pocono

At 12-1 or better, Ryan Blaney is my favorite bet for Saturday’s race at Pocono. While Elliott has been the fastest car overall this season, Blaney has been right on Elliott’s heels over the past seven races, and the Team Penske driver will start on the front row in the Pocono Organics 325.

In addition, Blaney’s first career win came at Pocono in 2017, so he knows how to pilot a fast car around this track.

And finally, after winning Monday at Talladega Superspeedway, the No. 12 team will have the best stall on pit road, giving Blaney another advantage in Saturday’s race.

Tyler Reddick (+7500) to Win at Pocono

I just can’t help myself when it comes to Tyler Reddick. He finished second at Pocono in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series race and has already proven he can run in the top five in the Cup Series.

With that said, I’m not betting him as big as I did at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but at 75-1, Reddick is worth a flier at Pocono.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Something the camera didn’t catch during Bubba Wallace’s emotional moment on the pre-race grid this week at Talladega Superspeedway was a light-hearted crack he made to the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series roster. The other 39 drivers had come together and pushed his No. 43 entry to the front of the field as a show of unity, but Wallace found a way to break some of the tension and gravity of a heavy weekend of swirling story lines.

“That’s just my sarcastic side coming out,” Wallace said in a Friday teleconference. “I was like, ‘I don’t like half you guys, but I appreciate all you guys,’ as a joking way.”

While there may be a kernel of truth to every joke, what’s telling is the support came from many corners of the NASCAR garage, from close friends to others who aren’t especially close to the Richard Petty Motorsports driver and to those who had previously crossed swords with Wallace on the track.

Among those in the latter category was Alex Bowman, the recipient of a post-race water-bottle splash after his on-track clash with Wallace last season at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course. In social media and again Friday, Bowman said his competitive differences and past grievances with Wallace were worth setting aside for the greater good.

“Yeah, I think there’s no secret, we’re not best friends, right?” Bowman said. “We’ve had our fair share of run-ins and the on-track stuff is just going to happen — tempers are going to flare, and if you run into the same guy a couple of weeks in a row here and there, it’s not going to go great for your relationship. But that’s as a race car driver and that’s on the race track. As a human being, I have a big appreciation for him pushing us all to be better, speaking up and us do the same.

“It really comes down to, on the race track, we’re probably not going to be friends. But as a person, I appreciate what he’s doing and just wanted to show my support for him.”

The focus on Wallace has sharpened in recent weeks as he has provided his voice for change, both in society at large and within the NASCAR community, including his call for a ban on the confederate flag. Through it, he has had positive encouragement from his peers — on social media, in a video message organized by Jimmie Johnson and in Monday’s rally around him and his No. 43.

RELATED: NASCAR reveals findings | Pocono weekend schedule

“It was good to see everybody out there and I appreciate their support,” Wallace said. “I guess two people that stuck out was Aric Almirola sent a nice text on Monday right before all that on Monday, saying how we’re not friends and we don’t act like we are, but we’re going to stand next to each other and he’ll be proud to stand next to me as a brother and being human beings. I thought that was pretty special because him and I, we don’t click at all very well and will both tell you that.

“Alex Bowman coming up, he said we don’t see eye to eye on everything, but he stands behind me 100 percent, something along those lines. I thought that was pretty cool. I’ve always had respect for Alex, but we’ve definitely butted heads and we’ve lost respect at times for each other, but it shows that we can all come together.”

Denny Hamlin was among those showing support for Wallace’s cause last weekend at Talladega, both in his pre-race presence and with his No. 11 Toyota stripped of its usual FedEx logos and orange-white-purple look for a striking black car that showed its backing of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. He said Monday’s demonstration illustrated on-track rivalries are a lesser priority than the sense of camaraderie within the community of drivers.

“I don’t think it matters really who it is. You show solidarity and I think as drivers, even if you have differences with someone, you show that solidarity to show the family that we are,” Hamlin said. “Driving for change or wanting change in our culture is something that we are all unified on. I don’t think it matters what our differences or friendships are with a certain driver. That is something that we are all going to get behind.”

While Wallace aims to continue making an impact in the larger community, he’s ready this weekend for a pair of Cup Series events at Pocono Raceway with his fellow drivers — rivals or not.

“Just focus on racing. Let’s focus on how we can continue to push the message of love, compassion, understanding,” Wallace said. “Let’s help fight the good fight in what’s going on in the world today. Let’s get new fans out to the race track and encourage our fan base now to welcome them with open arms and show them a good time. I think that’s one important piece that we can focus on right now. Let’s get away from what happened at Talladega. Let’s move on from that. Let’s put it to bed.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR announced in a Friday penalty report that crew chief Theodore Brown has been indefinitely suspended due to a behavioral penalty.

According to the penalty report, Brown violated Section 12.8.1.e of the NASCAR Rule Book, which states:

“Member actions that could result in a fine and/or indefinite suspension, or termination:

“Being charged with or convicted of significant criminal violations (e.g. Domestic Violence, Trafficking, Assault), or having had determinations rendered by criminal or civil authorities that in NASCAR’s judgement necessitate action. NASCAR will not pre-judge guilt or innocence in the criminal or civil legal system, or the guilt or innocence of the Member, but rather review each matter in its own context and circumstances and with regards to its potential effects upon the sport.”

Brown has served as crew chief for 33 total NASCAR Xfinity Series races in his career, including 10 total in 2020 for the No. 74 of Mike Harmon Racing.

Posted on by Staff Report

The starting lineup for Saturday’s Pocono Organics 325 in partnership with Rodale Institute NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) has been set.

Aric Almirola will start from the pole position, with Ryan Blaney — last Monday’s winner at Talladega Superspeedway — joining him on the front row to lead the field to green for the 140-lap, 325-mile race.

RELATED: Pocono schedule

The lineup for the race was determined by a random draw, with results airing on FS1’s “Race Hub.” The parameters for the draw were as follows:

  • Positions 1-12 determined by a random draw from charter teams in those positions in team owner points
  • Positions 13-24: Random draw among charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 25-36: Random draw among charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 37-40: will be filled out by open, non-chartered teams in order of owner points

Here is a look at the full lineup:

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

Five races into the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, Grant Enfinger is the only series regular to have visited Victory Lane.

Enfinger took the checkered flag in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway and earned his second victory June 6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers won the other three races: Chase Elliott in the much-ballyhooed bounty race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kyle Busch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (before the pandemic hiatus) and at Homestead-Miami Speedway (June 13).

RELATED: Action-packed weekend at Pocono

Remarkably, Enfinger is the only full-time driver in the series who has accumulated NASCAR Playoff points. The driver of the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford has 11 — five each for the two victories and one for a stage win. No other driver eligible for the series title has scored a single playoff point.

Interestingly, however, Enfinger is third in the series standings, 48 points behind leader Austin Hill and four behind second-place Christian Eckes. Those two drivers have accumulated more stage points — as opposed to playoff points—in the first five races.

The playoff point picture is likely to change with no full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers in the field for Sunday’s Pocono Organics 150 (9:30 a.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Ross Chastain, a full-time NASCAR Xfinity driver this season, is the defending winner, and he’ll be racing in the Pocono Organics 150.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR President Steve Phelps detailed Thursday afternoon via teleconference findings from NASCAR’s internal investigation, which has concluded, into the noose found in the garage stall of No. 43 driver Bubba Wallace at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend.

A photo of the noose was released by the sanctioning body earlier Thursday, one day after an FBI investigation concluded no federal hate crime was committed against Wallace, who is Black, and the noose had been on the garage door at Talladega since October 2019.

Phelps also detailed both the timeline of events from discovery through the completion of the investigation — scroll to the bottom of this story for the full timeline — and NASCAR’s next steps moving forward.

Talladega Pit Stall 43

“Upon learning of and seeing the noose, our initial reaction was to protect our driver,” Phelps said. “We’re living in a highly charged and emotional time. What we saw was a symbol of hate and was only present in one area of the garage and that was of the 43 car of Bubba Wallace. In hindsight, I should have used the word ‘alleged’ in our statement.

“As you can see from the photo, the noose was real, as was our concern for Bubba. With similar emotion, others across our industry and our media stood up to defend the NASCAR family. Our NASCAR family. Because they are part of the NASCAR family, too. We are proud to see so many stand up for what’s right.”

Phelps outlined specific steps NASCAR would take moving forward. It includes sensitivity and unconscious bias training for all members of the industry, additional, thorough sweeps through the garage areas and installation of additional cameras in all garages.

MORE: NASCAR statement on FBI investigation

“Our ultimate conclusion for this investigation is to ensure that this never happens again, that no one walks by a noose without recognizing the potential damage it can do,” Phelps said. “Going forward, our efforts are best spent on making sure every competitor feels safe and every guest feels welcome. I would also like to reinforce that what we did see at Talladega in pre-race on Monday, our drivers, crews and officials proudly demonstrated that we are united in the belief that there is no place for racism in our sport.”

After Sunday’s discovery, NASCAR officials asked each track to sweep through respective garages. Across the 1,684 garage stalls at 29 tracks, NASCAR found only 11 total had a pull-down rope tied in a knot and only one noose — the one discovered Sunday in the No. 43 garage stall.

Wallace has become more outspoken in recent weeks as he has championed causes to fight racial injustice. Other drivers in the NASCAR garage have rallied behind his message and showed their support Monday before the GEICO 500 at Talladega.

“Bubba Wallace and the 43 team had nothing to do with this,” Phelps reiterated Thursday. ” … I want to thank Bubba Wallace and everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports. Specifically, I want to thank Bubba for his leadership over this past three weeks. Bubba has done nothing but represent this sport with courage, class and dignity and he stood tall for what he believes in. And we all need to stand with him. I know I’m going to.”

INVESTIGATION TIMELINE

Sunday, June 21
~ 4:30 p.m.: NASCAR alerted to the presence of the noose by member of No. 43 team. NASCAR security performs full sweep of the garage. Only the pull rope of the 43 team was discovered to be a noose; all the others were regular ropes.
~ 6 p.m.: NASCAR senior leadership meets, determines need for investigation and begins initial steps of the investigation.
~ 7:30 p.m.: NASCAR President Steve Phelps notifies Bubba Wallace of noose discovered in garage.
~ 10:40 p.m.: NASCAR releases statement after continuing to gather facts and further investigation.

Monday, June 22
– Early Monday a.m.: FBI Birmingham office reaches out to NASCAR.
~ 10 a.m.: FBI arrives at Talladega Superspeedway with 15 field agents to begin investigation. NASCAR provides the FBI with a list of personnel with access to the garage, as well as video and images taken from the weekend and the 2019 fall weekend as well.
– Over the course of the day: FBI interviews race team personnel from multiple teams, NASCAR officials, track, fire and safety personnel and track custodial staff. Talladega Superspeedway also provides the FBI with a list of events that had taken place since October 2019, which is when the new garages opened.
– End of the day: FBI reports interviews are complete for the day and the evidence at that point was inconclusive, with plans to continue its investigation the next morning.

Tuesday, June 23
– Early Tuesday a.m.: NASCAR receives additional video and provides it to the FBI. The video corroborated the testimony from one of the interviews the FBI had conducted earlier that the noose was present in that stall during the fall 2019 Cup event. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI informed NASCAR that their investigation had conclusively found this was not a hate crime.
– 4:10. p.m.: FBI releases statement indicating findings of investigation.
– 4:15 p.m.: After awaiting signal from the FBI, NASCAR releases statement on FBI investigation, with teleconference that follows.