Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials issued penalties Tuesday to the Team Penske No. 22 Ford team for a lug-nut infraction after Sunday’s Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway.

RELATED: Phoenix race results

The No. 22 entry was found with one lug nut not safely secured after Joey Logano drove to victory in the FanShield 500, the series’ fourth race of the year. Crew chief Paul Wolfe was fined $10,000 for the violation, which falls under Section 10.9.10.4 of the 2020 NASCAR Rule Book (“Tires and Wheels”).

Logano’s No. 22 car was otherwise compliant with the rule book, making his second Cup Series win this season official.

Posted on by Zack Albert

NASCAR competition officials confirmed Tuesday that Clint Bowyer will drive the Next Gen car for the 2021 Cup Series in next week’s two-day test at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Monday-Tuesday test session will be the fifth on-track shakedown for next season’s car and the second for the “P3” model, the third prototype built. The car, built by Richard Childress Racing in conjunction with developers at the NASCAR Research & Development Center, is ready after contact during the last test at Auto Club Speedway on March 2-3.

RELATED: Photos from Next Gen testing at Fontana

Next Gen prototypes have previously been tested by (in order) Austin Dillon, Joey Logano, Erik Jones and William Byron. The selection of Bowyer, a Stewart-Haas Racing veteran, follows what is now a pattern of Chevrolet, Ford then Toyota drivers in the testing rotation.

The seventh-generation car’s Atlanta debut follows a tripleheader weekend of racing at the 1.54-mile track, culminating with Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (2 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM) for the NASCAR Cup Series. Next week’s test will also mark the Next Gen car’s second appearance on a track measuring roughly a mile and a half; Erik Jones drove the car in testing on Jan. 15-16 at 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The most recent test at 2-mile Auto Club Speedway marked the debut of a center-locking, single lug-nut design for the car’s 18-inch wheels. Officials confirmed that the single-lug wheel would be part of the 2021 rules rollout.

Posted on by Staff Report

The fifth and final episode of the “NASCAR All In: Battle for Daytona” docuseries is live. Produced by MotorTrend Group in partnership with NASCAR, fans who have downloaded the app and subscribed have been treated to behind-the-scenes access as three teams prep for the Daytona 500.

That goes up a notch in the final episode, titled “Win the Damn Race,” which gives viewers an in-depth and up-close look at “The Great American Race” itself.

MORE: Download the app to watch

All of the offseason work and previous episodes have led up to this moment, and cameras are there to capture the emotions before and during the race — including Corey LaJoie’s unfiltered reaction following a frightening last-lap wreck with Ryan Newman.

In this docuseries, fans will receive exclusive, inside access to NASCAR Cup Series drivers Austin Dillon, Tyler Reddick and Corey LaJoie preparing for the Daytona 500 from the vantage point of the athletes, their race teams and their families. MotorTrend will go off the track for an emotional, behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows of real-life NASCAR racing.

All five episodes are available to watch as the sports documentary series chronicles the commitment, struggles and sacrifices in the chase for greatness at the biggest race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Click here to catch up on the entire series so far, including the finale.

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No. Driver Sponsor Make Organization
00 Quin Houff Units Chevrolet StarCom Racing
1 Kurt Busch Monster Energy Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
2 Brad Keselowski AutoTrader Ford Team Penske
3 Austin Dillon Symbicort Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 Kevin Harvick Hunt Brothers Pizza / Fields Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
6 Ross Chastain Acronis Ford Roush Fenway Racing
8 Tyler Reddick Roland Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
10 Aric Almirola Eckrich Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
12 Ryan Blaney Advance Auto Parts Ford Team Penske
13 Ty Dillon GEICO Chevrolet Germain Racing
14 Clint Bowyer Haas CNC Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
15 Brennan Poole TBD Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
17 Chris Buescher Fastenal Ford Roush Fenway Racing
18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Messages Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
19 Martin Truex Jr. TBA Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
20 Erik Jones Stanley Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
21 Matt DiBenedetto Menards / Knauf Ford Wood Brothers Racing
22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford Team Penske
24 William Byron Liberty University Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
32 Corey LaJoie TBD Ford Go Fas Racing
34 Michael McDowell FR8 Auctions Ford Front Row Motorsports
37 Ryan Preece Cottonelle Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
38 John Hunter Nemechek Yanmar Ford Front Row Motorsports
41 Cole Custer Haas Automation Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
42 Kyle Larson Clover Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
43 Bubba Wallace Victory Junction Chevrolet Richard Petty Motorsports
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Kroger Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
48 Jimmie Johnson Ally Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
51 Garrett Smithley TBD Ford Petty Ware Racing
52 JJ Yeley TBD Chevrolet Rick Ware Racing
53 Joey Gase TBD Ford Rick Ware Racing
66 Timmy Hill TBD Toyota MBM Motorsports
77 Reed Sorenson TBD Chevrolet Spire Motorsports
88 Alex Bowman Axalta Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
95 Christopher Bell Rheem Toyota Leavine Family Racing
96 Daniel Suarez Cherry Vanilla Coke Toyota Gaunt Brothers Racing
Posted on by Data Skrive

Brandon Brown finished 12th in the LS Tractor 200 at Phoenix Raceway Saturday.

Brown’s result added 26 points to his season total.

Brown qualified in 13th position at 131.820 mph. The fifth-year driver has two top-10 finishes in his career.

Saturday was Brown’s third career start at Phoenix Raceway. Though he’s completed three of those races, he has never managed to crack the top 10 at the track.

The Woodbridge, Virginia native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting 11 spots higher than his career mark of 24.3 and completing the race 10 places ahead of his 22.2 career average finish.

Brown took on a field of 36 drivers on the way to his 12th-place finish. The race endured seven cautions and 45 caution laps. There were 11 lead changes.

Brandon Jones secured the win in the race, and Harrison Burton took second. Kyle Busch crossed the finish line third, Brad Keselowski took fourth, and Justin Haley finished off the top five.

After Justin Allgaier won the first stage, Noah Gragson drove the No. 9 car to victory in Stage 2.

Brandon Brown Driver Page | Get Brandon Brown Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Austin Cindric finished eighth in the LS Tractor 200 at Phoenix Raceway Saturday.

The top 10 finish for Cindric added 37 points to his season total.

Cindric qualified in second position at 133.665 mph and led nine laps in the race. The fourth-year driver has piled up two career victories, with 23 top-five finishes and 40 results inside the top 10.

In his career at Phoenix Raceway, Cindric has compiled two top-five finishes and his eighth-place result marks the fourth top 10.

The Mooresville, North Carolina native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting four spots higher than his career mark of 6.1 and completing the race five places ahead of his 12.8 career average finish.

Cindric battled against a field of 36 drivers on the way to his eighth-place finish. The race endured seven cautions and 45 caution laps. There were 11 lead changes.

Brandon Jones secured the win in the race, and Harrison Burton finished second. Kyle Busch crossed the finish line third, Brad Keselowski brought home fourth, and Justin Haley closed out the top five.

After Justin Allgaier won the first stage, Noah Gragson drove the No. 9 car to victory in Stage 2.

Austin Cindric Driver Page | Get Austin Cindric Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Noah Gragson finished seventh in the LS Tractor 200 at Phoenix Raceway Saturday.

The top 10 finish for Gragson added 45 points to his season total.

Gragson qualified in seventh position at 133.333 mph and led 27 laps in the race. The third-year driver has one career victory, with 13 top-five finishes and 28 results inside the top 10.

The seventh-place result for Gragson was the second top 10 of his career at Phoenix Raceway in three starts.

The Las Vegas, Nevada native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting three spots higher than his career mark of 10.3 and completing the race one place ahead of his 7.7 career average finish.

Gragson took on a field of 36 drivers on the way to his seventh-place finish. The race endured seven cautions and 45 caution laps. There were 11 lead changes.

Brandon Jones brought home the win in the race, and Harrison Burton finished second. Kyle Busch crossed the finish line third, Brad Keselowski secured fourth, and Justin Haley finished off the top five.

After Justin Allgaier won the first stage, Noah Gragson drove the No. 9 car to victory in Stage 2.

Noah Gragson Driver Page | Get Noah Gragson Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Justin Haley finished fifth in the LS Tractor 200 at Phoenix Raceway Saturday.

Haley’s top five finish added 35 points to his season total.

Haley qualified in 14th position at 131.815 mph. The third-year driver has accumulated six top-five and 23 top-10 finishes in his career.

The fifth-place result on Saturday was the first time Haley has cracked the top five at Phoenix Raceway. It also marks his second top-10 finish at Phoenix.

The Winamac, Indiana native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting one spot higher than his career mark of 15.1 and completing the race nine places ahead of his 14 career average finish.

Haley’s fifth-place finish came against a field of 36 drivers. The race endured seven cautions and 45 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 11 lead changes.

Brandon Jones earned the checkered flag in the race, and Harrison Burton finished second. Kyle Busch crossed the finish line third, with Brad Keselowski bringing home fourth place. Haley rounded out the top five.

After Justin Allgaier won the first stage, Noah Gragson drove the No. 9 car to victory in Stage 2.

Justin Haley Driver Page | Get Justin Haley Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Harrison Burton finished second in the LS Tractor 200 at Phoenix Raceway Saturday.

Burton’s top five finish added 40 points to his season total.

Burton qualified in third position at 133.496 mph. The second-year driver has one career victory, with five top-five finishes and nine results inside the top 10.

Saturday’s race was the first of Burton’s career at Phoenix Raceway.

The Huntersville, North Carolina native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting four spots higher than his career mark of 6.6 and completing the race eight places ahead of his 9.6 career average finish.

Burton’s second-place finish came against a field of 36 drivers. The race endured seven cautions and 45 caution laps. There were 11 lead changes.

Brandon Jones brought home the win in the race, followed by Burton’s second-place finish. Kyle Busch crossed the finish line third, Brad Keselowski brought home fourth place, and Justin Haley closed the top five.

After Justin Allgaier won the first stage, Noah Gragson drove the No. 9 car to victory in Stage 2.

Harrison Burton Driver Page | Get Harrison Burton Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Matt DiBenedetto finished 13th in the FanShield 500 at Phoenix Raceway Sunday.

DiBenedetto’s result added 31 points to his season total.

DiBenedetto qualified in ninth position at 137.289 mph. The sixth-year driver has earned four top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in his career.

Sunday was DiBenedetto’s 11th career start at Phoenix Raceway. Though he’s completed 11 of those races, he has never managed to crack the top 10 at the track.

The Grass Valley, California native’s starting and finishing positions compared favorably to his career averages, starting 18 spots higher than his career mark of 26.6 and completing the race 11 places ahead of his 24.3 career average finish.

DiBenedetto’s 13th-place finish came against a field of 38 drivers. The race endured 12 cautions and 73 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 20 lead changes.

Joey Logano took the checkered flag in the race, and Kevin Harvick followed in second. Kyle Busch placed third, Kyle Larson brought home fourth, and Clint Bowyer grabbed the No. 5 spot.

After Harvick won the first stage, Brad Keselowski drove the No. 2 car to victory in Stage 2.

Matt DiBenedetto Driver Page | Get Matt DiBenedetto Gear | Race Center