Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR competition officials said Tuesday that the remaining national series events on the 2020 schedule will be held without practice and qualifying.

The move is part of a continued effort to limit at-track time for teams, officials, safety workers and other essential personnel under COVID-19 health protocols. The safeguards — which include at-track screening and limited team rosters — have been in place since NASCAR returned to the track in May after a two-month layoff because of the coronavirus outbreak.

2020 NASCAR Schedules: NASCAR Cup Series | Xfinity Series | Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series

“Following discussions with our race teams and the broader industry, NASCAR will continue to conduct its race weekends without practice and qualifying for the remainder of the 2020 season in all three national series,” said Scott Miller, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition. “The current format has worked well in addressing several challenges during our return to racing. Most importantly, we have seen competitive racing week-to-week. NASCAR will adjust the starting lineup draw procedure for the Playoff races, and will announce the new process at a later date.”

Miller had suggested on a Monday appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that the structure of the starting lineup draw may change before the NASCAR Playoffs, giving postseason-eligible drivers an equal chance at a favorable draw by keeping them in the same group. The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are expected to open Sept. 6 at Darlington Raceway.

Only two national series events have been held with practice or qualifying since NASCAR’s return. The Cup Series held same-day qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway before the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24, and the Xfinity Series conducted a pair of practice sessions before its inaugural race on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s oval and road course layout on July 4.

Miller told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Monday that practice and qualifying would likely be suspended at least through events scheduled Aug. 21-23 at Dover International Speedway.

“To have practice and qualifying, we have to have more people on the rosters,” Miller said. “There’s a lot more things that need to go on in the garage area, so very much more difficult to execute all the safety protocols with the COVID-19. To get back to anything different than what we’re doing now is really going to take a significant change in sort of the landscape on COVID-19.”

RELATED: NASCAR reveals rest of Cup regular-season schedule

Since returning to action in May, NASCAR officials have determined starting lineups by either random draws according to groups based on team owner standings or — in the case of the second race during a weekend doubleheader at the same track — an inversion of the top 20 finishers from the previous event (in the Cup Series) and an inversion of the top 15 finishers (in the Xfinity and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series).

Posted on by Staff Report

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Chad Knaus is about to become a two-time father — and so he doesn’t miss the birth of his second child, Knaus will not travel with the No. 24 team to this weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway.

Veteran crew chief Keith Rodden, who last served as full-time crew chief on Kasey Kahne’s No. 5 team, will call the shots atop the pit box.

“Originally, this was going to be a stretch of back-to-back off weekends for us and everything was going to go to plan so I could be home for those two weeks,” Knaus said, according to Hendrick Motorsports. “Unfortunately, we now have two races in one week due to the shift in the schedule from the pandemic. Either way, we still have a great plan in place so that I get to be by (wife) Brooke’s side, and we can welcome our baby girl together.”

Knaus has not missed time atop the pit box since 2007, a string of 464 consecutive races. Most of them were with driver Jimmie Johnson, with whom Knaus spent the vast majority of his career. Knaus has been the crew chief for Byron since the 2019 season.

“We have a lot of depth to pull from in this situation at Hendrick Motorsports, and I know Keith is more than capable of getting the job done,” Knaus said. “I have all the faith that it will be a solid race for him and the No. 24 team.”

Rodden will get the reins in the midst of a playoff battle. With eight races remaining in the regular season, Byron finds himself two points below the cutline for the final spot.

The veteran has called 138 NASCAR Cup Series races as a crew chief, and he led Kahne to victory for Hendrick Motorsports at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2017. Coincidentally, that crown jewel win fell on July 23 – the same date of Thursday night’s race at Kansas Speedway.

“I’m super pumped to get to the track again and help out Chad, William and the No. 24 team,” Rodden said. “Being present for the birth of your child is important, especially in the world we are in now. That’s a moment you don’t want to take for granted. Myself and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports support Chad and his family 100% in whatever they need.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The 2020 NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola is more than just a military appreciation platform – it’s a campaign that salutes all who have gone above and beyond to keep their fellow members of society safe and healthy. During a global pandemic that has impacted almost every aspect of our daily lives, they have been there for us – doctors, nurses, EMTs, first responders, etc. Now, it’s our turn to be there for them, and to give recognition where it’s deserved the most.

In this edition of NASCAR Salutes Refreshing Moments, we’re highlighting the work of U.S. Army Colonel Sheryl Bedno and U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Malakai Mumui at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

RELATED: Learn more about NASCAR Salutes

As the Director of Womack Army Medical Center’s Department of Public Health, Col. Bedno organized a regional working group of health care professionals from the state, eight counties, several universities, military and other public and private organizations. This group discussed and planned how to react to an outbreak of COVID-19 in North Carolina.

Staff Sgt. Mumui serves as a medical sergeant in the XVIII ABN Corps Surgeon’s Office. He was a key figure in the tracking and distributing of Operation Dragon Mask as well as the purchase and delivery of materials to the installation quarantine/isolation facility — an effort the U.S. Army undertook to create personal protective equipment (PPE) in the COVID-19 response.

Staff Sgt. Mumui’s tracking of mask requests and the distribution of those informed the Commanding General of which units were requesting masks as well as identifying the demand for the masks both on and off of Fort Bragg. In addition, his efforts in support of quarantine and isolation operations — such as that of FOB Patriot for returning paratroopers — improved the quarantine experience for hundreds of soldiers.

For the first time ever, NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola kicked off with the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as the platform shifts to a mid-summer window because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola, which runs through July 31, will see the NASCAR industry honor United States Armed Forces and frontline healthcare heroes as part of this year’s expanded program — an industry-wide opportunity to recognize and thank those who have gone above and beyond to keep society safe and healthy.

Posted on by Zack Albert

The always expressive Clint Bowyer expressed his desire to return to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2021 and potentially beyond, saying that he hopes to finish his NASCAR Cup Series career with the organization.

Bowyer is in his fourth season driving SHR’s No. 14 Ford, where he became the successor to team co-owner Tony Stewart upon his retirement from the Cup Series after the 2015 season. Bowyer re-signed with the team last October, but his status for next season remains undetermined.

“No, I haven’t really talked to them much about it,” Bowyer said of negotiations. “I mean, I’ve been talking to partners and things like that and just trying to do everything I can do to make sure that all the things line up for next year for them. That’s what I can do. I’ve got to do a better job inside the race car. We’ve got to do a better job of getting this 14 car back up front where it belongs. Doesn’t matter what you do outside the car if you’re not taking care of business in the car, you shouldn’t be in any of them.

“Stewart-Haas is a wonderful organization. I want to be there. I want to retire there, and I love the opportunity, the people behind it. I believe in, all the pieces of the puzzle are there. The manufacturer in Ford, I mean we’re sitting here representing Ford today, and you couldn’t ask for a better manufacturer that’s invested in this sport the way they are. Again, it’s a perfect fit for me.”

Bowyer has made the NASCAR playoffs the last two years and currently sits 15th in the provisional playoff standings, 36 points above the postseason cut with eight regular-season races remaining. “Are we where we want to be? Hell, no. No, absolutely not,” Bowyer said about trying to better his footing in an effort to clinch a playoff berth for the third straight season.

RELATED: Playoff Watch | 2020 Cup Series schedule

The 41-year-old driver said he identified the series’ June 22 race at Talladega as a turning point. A 25th-place at the Alabama track knocked him to 13th in the overall Cup Series standings, placing him in the second tier (positions 13th-24th) in the grouped draw for starting positions. He sits 15 points behind 12th-place Matt DiBenedetto in his quest to get back into that top group.

Bowyer says it’s building bonds with crew chief Johnny Klausmeier and the overall performance goals — starting in his home state at Kansas Speedway on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM) — that have his attention, not his 2021 status. “Yeah, you’re looking at points,” Bowyer says. “You’re always looking at points.”

Bowyer has also branched out in his 15th Cup Series season, becoming a more frequent contributor to FOX Sports programming. He was a regular during the network’s broadcasts of iRacing events after the COVID-19 outbreak and has appeared on air as an analyst for other NASCAR national series events.

Bowyer said his involvement has helped him gain an appreciation for the inner workings of stock-car racing’s media partners. Though his progression to a role as a full-time commentator may seem like a natural fit, Bowyer says it’s premature to make any forecasts on when and if that might occur, especially as his competitive fires still burn.

“Dude, I’m a race car driver, man,” Bowyer said. “I love doing the broadcasts and things like that, but I think that time will come, and I don’t know when that’ll be. No, I want to race and I want to be in a race car. I love competing. I love being pissed off at the end of a race. I love being happy at the end of a race. I love that adrenaline of lining up next to that guy and wondering how in the hell you’re going to come off of Turn 2 ahead of him. That’s a feeling that can’t be replaced.

“That being said, I feel like I really have appreciated the relationship with FOX this year. It’s not up to me whether that happens or not. It’s a ton of fun, I can tell you that. I mean, it’s relatively easy for me. Everyone always asks, ‘how do you get up and do that?’ I mean, I don’t know. ‘Let me get this straight? You want me to go up there and bench-race with a bunch of my buddies and talk racing about a race like I’ve done since I was 4 years old at the dinner table? That’s what you want me to go do? I got that. I can handle that.’ It’s a ton of fun.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials are considering a modification for how the starting lineup is determined once the playoffs start in September, Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller said Monday morning on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

With no practice or qualifying scheduled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, starting lineups at the national series level have been determined by a random draw. For the NASCAR Cup Series, teams that are ranked first through 12th in owner points draw for starting spots 1-12. Same for 13th-24th and 25th-36th, with open, non-chartered teams rounding out the field. The process is similar in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

If NASCAR teams are not able to qualify on-track by the start of the postseason due to safety protocols — Miller noted NASCAR has committed to no practice and qualifying through Dover, which is Aug. 21-23 — NASCAR would likely lump all 16 playoff teams together as one entire group when conducting its lineup draw.

“We’re kind of reviewing now what would be the right thing to do in the playoffs if we can’t have qualifying,” Miller said. “Maybe still some kind of a draw, but obviously, probably something that encompasses the playoff cars in one lot and the rest of the field in another. Haven’t really gotten there yet, but we know that once the playoffs come we may have to adjust the way we draw if we aren’t practicing and qualifying.”

As a working example, the NASCAR Cup Series field opens the postseason with the Round of 16. Rather than have the top 12 cars in one draw and four playoff cars in the next bucket, all cars that qualified for the playoffs would be drawn together for starting positions 1-16.

Posted on by Data Skrive

Tyler Reddick finished second in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday to earn his first career top-five finish.

Reddick’s top-five finish added 42 points to his season total.

Reddick started in 24th position and led five laps in the race, holding the lead a total of two times. The second-year driver has earned one top-five and six top-10 finishes in his career.

The Corning, California native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting one spot higher than his career mark of 25 and completing the race 16 places ahead of his 18 career average finish.

Reddick’s second-place finish came against 41 other drivers. The race endured 10 cautions and 45 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 29 lead changes.

Austin Dillon earned the win in the race, followed by Reddick’s second-place finish. Joey Logano placed third, Kyle Busch secured fourth place, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five.

Ryan Blaney got off to a strong start in the race, winning both of the first two stages, but couldn’t hold on to secure the race victory.

Tyler Reddick Driver Page | Get Reddick Gear | Race Center

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Erik Jones finished sixth in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday.

The top-10 finish for Jones added 33 points to his season total.

Jones started in 23rd position and led seven laps in the race, holding the lead a total of two times. The fifth-year driver has tallied two career victories, with 28 top-five finishes and 55 results inside the top 10.

In his career at Texas Motor Speedway, Jones has compiled three top-five finishes and his sixth-place result marks the fifth top-10.

The Byron, Michigan native began the race 10 spots behind his career mark of 13.3, but finished 12 places ahead of his career average of 17.8.

Jones’ sixth-place finish was against 41 other drivers. The race endured 10 cautions and 45 caution laps. There were 29 lead changes.

Austin Dillon earned the victory in the race, and Tyler Reddick followed in second. Joey Logano crossed the finish line third, Kyle Busch brought home fourth, and Kevin Harvick grabbed the No. 5 spot.

Ryan Blaney got off to a great start in the race, winning Stages 1 and 2, but couldn’t hang on to end up in Victory Lane.

Erik Jones Driver Page | Get Jones Gear | Race Center

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Ryan Blaney finished seventh in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday despite leading 150 laps, the most of any driver.

The top-10 finish for Blaney added 50 points to his season total.

Blaney started in second position and led 150 laps in the race, holding the lead a total of six times. The seventh-year driver has collected four career victories, with 34 top-five finishes and 67 results inside the top 10.

In his career at Texas Motor Speedway, Blaney has compiled two top-five finishes and his seventh-place result marks the fourth top-10.

The High Point, North Carolina native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting 10 spots higher than his career mark of 12 and completing the race 11 places ahead of his 18.3 career average finish.

Blaney’s seventh-place finish came against a field of 41 drivers. The race endured 10 cautions and 45 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 29 lead changes.

Austin Dillon took the checkered flag in the race, and Tyler Reddick finished second. Joey Logano placed third, Kyle Busch brought home fourth, and Kevin Harvick closed out the top five.

Blaney got off to a great start in the race, winning the first two stages, but couldn’t hang on to secure the race victory.

Ryan Blaney Driver Page | Get Blaney Gear | Race Center

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Kurt Busch finished eighth in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday.

The top-10 finish for Busch added 41 points to his season total.

Busch started in third position. The 21st-year driver has secured 31 career victories, with 147 top-five finishes and 308 results inside the top 10.

Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway is a familiar place for Busch, who has one career win at the track. He has also compiled three top-five finishes at Texas and his eighth-place result marks the 21st top-10.

The Las Vegas, Nevada native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting 12 spots higher than his career mark of 14.7 and completing the race eight places ahead of his 16.3 career average finish.

Busch competed with a field of 41 drivers on the way to his eighth-place finish. The race endured 10 cautions and 45 caution laps. There were 29 lead changes.

Austin Dillon earned the checkered flag in the race, and Tyler Reddick finished second. Joey Logano placed third, Kyle Busch took fourth, and Kevin Harvick finished off the top five.

Ryan Blaney got off to a great start in the race, winning Stages 1 and 2, but couldn’t hold on to end up in Victory Lane.

Kurt Busch Driver Page | Get Kurt Busch Gear | Race Center

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Aric Almirola rounded out the top 10 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday.

The top-10 finish for Almirola added 30 points to his season total.

Almirola started in the pole position and led 35 laps in the race, holding the lead a total of three times. The 13th-year driver has earned two career victories, with 23 top-five finishes and 70 results inside the top 10.

Over the course of his career at Texas Motor Speedway, Almirola has put together one top-five finish and four top-10s.

The Tampa, Florida native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting 20 spots higher than his career mark of 20.7 and completing the race 12 places ahead of his 21.7 career average finish.

Almirola’s 10th-place finish was against 41 other drivers. The race endured 10 cautions and 45 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 29 lead changes.

Austin Dillon secured the victory in the race, and Tyler Reddick followed in second. Joey Logano crossed the finish line third, Kyle Busch secured fourth, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five.

Ryan Blaney got off to a great start in the race, winning the first two stages, but couldn’t hold on to secure the race victory.

Aric Almirola Driver Page | Get Almirola Gear | Race Center