Posted on by Staff Report

The race-winning No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Kevin Harvick has passed post-race inspection at Michigan International Speedway with no issues.

The No. 4 was found to be compliant with the 2019 NASCAR Rule Book after Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400. Additionally, the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of runner-up Denny Hamlin and No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet of third-place Kyle Larson also cleared inspection with no issues. The No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of fifth-place Daniel Suarez will be taken to the NASCAR R&D Center.

With the post-race teardown complete, the race results are official.

RELATED: Full Michigan results | Michigan stage recaps

The post-race process is part of a new, more timely approach to inspection for all three NASCAR national series. Competition officials announced in February that thorough post-race inspections would take place shortly after the checkered flag at the track instead of midweek at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.

Those inspections come with a stiffer deterrence structure that includes disqualification for significant rules infractions — “a total culture change,” according to Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer. In the past, race-winning teams found in violation of the rules were penalized with post-race fines, points deductions and/or suspensions, but victories were allowed to stand.

Competition officials introduced the quicker post-race inspection timetable in an effort to make the results official on race day, aiming for a 90-minute target time frame to complete their scrutineering. The new post-race inspection process was also designed to deal with potential violations more promptly, avoiding any midweek news that might cloud the previous week’s results or the build-up to the following week’s event.

NASCAR will still inspect cars and parts at the R&D Center as needed, but the more comprehensive at-track inspection will take priority.

According to NASCAR statistical archives, the last time a premier-series driver was disqualified occurred in 1973, when early retiree Buddy Baker was demoted to last place in the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The last time an apparent race winner in NASCAR’s top division was disqualified came on April 17, 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis’ victory at Wilson (N.C.) Speedway was thrown out because of an oversized fuel tank on his No. 85 Chevrolet.

Posted on by Staff Report

Keelan Harvick went to Michigan International Speedway on Sunday with one checkered flag.

He left with two.

According to Kevin Harvick’s wife, DeLana, 7-year-old Keelan brought a bit of good luck with him to the Consumers Energy 400 — his father’s race-winning Michigan checkered flag from a year ago.

That was the victory where then-6-year-old Keelan went for a ride around the track in his dad’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford after Harvick collected his seventh win (of eight) in 2018.

This time, after Harvick outlasted other drivers on fuel, Keelan had to run down pit road to join his father for another ride on the 2-mile track in celebration.

Keelan got a ride straight to the flag stand, where he proceeded to collect his second consecutive souvenir from Michigan.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Recovering from a punctured-right front tire that cost him track position early in the race, Kevin Harvick passed Joey Logano on Lap 183 of 200 and cruised to a 1.595-second victory in Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

During a closing 48-lap green-flag run that began with a restart on Lap 153, Harvick charged from seventh to first, recording his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season, his third at the 2-mile track and the 47th of his career.

RELATED: Race results | Stage recaps
SHOP: Harvick gear

“It was a day of a little bit of adversity that we were able to overcome,” Harvick said. “We had a really fast car all weekend. Our car handled really well today, and with the multiple lanes (thanks in part to the application of traction compound in the high grooves), we were able to run all three lanes pretty well and make our way through traffic.

“They (the team) put a really fast race car on the track, and we were able to capitalize on it, so that’s always fun.”

When Harvick crossed the finish line, leading his 22nd lap of the afternoon, Denny Hamlin was running second after Logano pitted for a splash of fuel on Lap 197. Kyle Larson ran third, followed by Martin Truex Jr. and Daniel Suarez, who re-entered the playoff picture when two drivers on the bubble ahead of him — Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer — had disastrous days in the Irish Hills.

Thirty-one laps into the race, Harvick steered his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford onto pit road with a flat right-front tire. But with the first 60-lap stage running green from start to finish, Harvick was able to drive up to sixth by the end of the stage.

Martin Truex Jr. won Stage 1 after starting from the rear because of two pre-race inspection failures, but his No. 19 Toyota wasn’t as strong in traffic late in the race than it had been early on. Kyle Busch won Stage 2, but his car, like Truex’s, wasn’t as effective in traffic after pit stops at the end of the stage scrambled the running order.

Likewise, Hamlin’s car was best in the heat of the day on a hot, slick track, but the speed in Harvick’s car prevailed as the asphalt cooled down.

“Well, it seemed like we generally had the best-handling car when it was really hot and slick, but as the day went on and the track cooled off, the guys that had built more speed into their car, it kind of handicapped it for them,” Hamlin said. “Nothing I could really do, just didn’t have enough speed. The 4 was about a half second faster than us in qualifying, and when we were holding it wide open there at the end, just couldn’t overcome it.”

Kyle Busch ran sixth, and Ryan Preece came home seventh, posting his first top 10 outside of Daytona or Talladega. The Hendrick Motorsports trio of William Byron, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman completed the top 10.

Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson wasn’t as fortunate. On Lap 15, his No. 48 Chevrolet slapped the outside wall, severely damaging the right side of the car. Johnson finished 34th, eight laps down.

Bowyer’s misfortune came on Lap 137, after contact with the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford of Paul Menard. Bowyer’s car slammed into the Turn 3 wall, and efforts to repair the car proved futile. Bowyer retired from the race in 37th place.

WATCH: Johnson hits wall early | Bowyer clips wall late

Johnson dropped two places to 18th in the series standings, 12 points behind Bowyer and 12th-place finisher Ryan Newman, tied for the last Playoff-eligible position. Suarez moved past Johnson to 17th in the standings and trails Newman and Bowyer by four points with three races left before the cut-off at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The series’ next race is scheduled for Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM) at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give you the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find NBCSN | Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App

Monday, August 12
3 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing: Pilot Challenge at Road America (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
7 p.m., NASCAR Presents: Davey Lives On, FS1/FOX Sports App
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Presents: The Adventures of Janet Guthrie, FS1/FOX Sports App

Tuesday, August 13
5 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
6 p.m., Glory Road: David Pearson and the 1968 Darlington 400, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m., Glory Road: Dirt Roots with Ray Evernham, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Wednesday, August 14
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Motormouths Call In, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

MRN
Noon, NASCAR Coast to Coast

Thursday, August 15
10:05 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series first practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
1:35 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
Noon, IMSA Auto Racing Special: Lamborghini Super Trofeo at Road America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
1 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing Special: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA at Road America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Motorsports Hour, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7 p.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series qualifying, FS1/FOX Sports App (tape delay)
8 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1/FOX Sports App
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway, FS1/FOX Sports App

MRN
8 p.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol

Friday, August 16
2 a.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
11 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN3)
1 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN3)
4 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN3)
7 p.m., Countdown to Green: NASCAR Xfinity Series at Bristol, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN3)
9:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Saturday, August 17
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7 p.m., Countdown to Green: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN3)
11 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Busch emerged from a shootout with one lap remaining in the stage to secure a Stage 2 win Sunday at Michigan International Speedway in the Consumers Energy 400.

RELATED: Race leaderboard | Stage 2 results

Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota led just one lap in the second stage — the final one — after a late-stage restart. The outcome marked Busch’s series-leading ninth stage win this season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Stage 1 winner Martin Truex Jr. held on for second place in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota at the end of Stage 2. Kurt Busch, Joey Logano and Erik Jones rounded out the top five.

Pole-starter Brad Keselowski, who had led a race-high 67 laps by the end of Stage 2, survived a prolonged spin with the Team Penske No. 2 Ford on Lap 115. Keselowski avoided contact with the outside wall and continued with minimal damage.

WATCH: Keselowski goes for a spin

That caution period set up a one-lap shootout to the stage finish, which ended in a three-car crash involving Richard Childress Racing teammates Austin Dillon and Daniel Hemric with Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola.

Sunday’s event — the 23rd of 36 points-paying races this season — is scheduled for 200 laps (400 miles) at the 2-mile track.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 10
2 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 9
3 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing 8
4 Joey Logano Team Penske 7
5 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing 6
6 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 5
7 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 4
8 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports 3
9 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 2
10 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing 1

STAGE 1

Martin Truex Jr. showed early strength, driving from the back of the pack and fending off teammate Denny Hamlin for a Stage 1 victory Sunday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway.

RELATED: Stage 1 results

Truex — making his 500th career start — led 15 of the 60 laps in the opening stage. His Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota dropped to the rear of the field in pace laps after inspection trouble, but Truex made up the ground quickly and scooted to the front with a fuel-only pit stop. The effort marked Truex’s third stage win of the Monster Energy Series season.

Hamlin led six laps and was a close second in the opening stage of the Consumers Energy 400, his JGR No. 11 Toyota just 0.138 seconds behind at the green-checkered flag. Pole-starter Brad Keselowski in the Team Penske No. 2 Ford led the opening 39 laps and finished third in the first stage. Joey Logano and William Byron rounded out the top five.

A pair of contenders ran into early trouble. Jimmie Johnson was forced to pit road on Lap 15 after a scrape with the Turn 2 retaining wall. Two stops for repairs and tires dropped the seven-time champ’s No. 48 Chevrolet to last place, seven laps off the pace at the end of the stage.

MORE: Johnson off early pace

Kevin Harvick also made an unscheduled stop while running in second place, puncturing a tire on the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford after running over debris. Harvick recovered to finish sixth in the stage.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 10
2 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 9
3 Brad Keselowski Team Penske 8
4 Joey Logano Team Penske 7
5 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports 6
6 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 5
7 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 4
8 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 3
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 2
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 1
Posted on by Staff Report

Jimmie Johnson’s playoff hopes took another hit Sunday afternoon after an early scrape with the wall at Michigan International Speedway.

RELATED: Race results

Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet drifted out of the groove and made contact with the outside retaining wall in Turn 2 at the 2-mile track. He limped back to the pits with a flat tire and significant right-side body damage on Lap 15 of a scheduled 200.

Repeated pit stops for repairs cost him more ground, both on the results sheet and in the points standings. He wound up 34th in the 38-car field, scored eight laps behind race winner Kevin Harvick in the Consumers Energy 400.

“The right-side tires went into the PJ1 (traction compound) and as soon as I got my tires in it, I went straight into the wall,” Johnson said post-race. “When you’re aggressive, it doesn’t work and then sometimes you’re cautious and it doesn’t work. It was a great car. That hurt, for sure. We’re just going to have to rally on and these guys are doing an amazing job. We’ll keep digging.”

Johnson entered the 400-mile race tied for 16th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings. With just three races left in the regular season, Johnson sits 12 points behind the playoff cut line in 18th.

Since posting top-five finishes at Chicagoland and Daytona, Johnson has slumped in the last five races with three finishes of 30th or worse. It’s left the seven-time series champion in a pressure-packed scenario with some clear goals.

“To just fight hard for every point,” Johnson said. “The guys around that cut-off point all seem to be having bad luck. If one of us could just string together some good races and get in the clear and get away… I think that’s what the No. 24 (William Byron) has been able to do, is just have some good, consistent races and built a nice gap. You’ve just got to keep fighting for every point.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Decked out in a special bow tie fire suit for the occasion, Martin Truex Jr. will make his 500th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start in Sunday’s Consumer’s Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Truex, 39, is in his 14th full-time Cup Series season and pilots the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

This season, Truex has four wins (Richmond, Dover, Charlotte, Sonoma), nine top fives and 14 top 10s in his first year driving for the organization.

Truex qualified to start 15th Sunday in Michigan, but his No. 19 failed pre-race inspection twice and he now will start from the rear and lose a crew member for the infraction.

RELATED: Truex’s No. 19 fails pre-race inspection

But it should be noted that Truex is the last Cup Series driver to win after starting from the rear. He did it earlier this year at Dover International Speedway.

Truex becomes the 42nd driver to hit the 500-start mark in the Monster Energy Series. His first career start came in 2004 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the No. 1 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

In only his second full time Monster Energy Series season, Truex got his first career win at Dover International Speedway in 2007, leading 216 laps.

Since then, Truex has gotten better with age, logging 22 more wins, 96 top fives and 19 poles. Twenty of those wins have come in the last four seasons.

Competing for Furniture Row Racing, Truex won the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship for team owner Barney Visser. FRR shut down after the 2018 season, and Truex moved to Joe Gibbs Racing.

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Truex competed for parts of 10 years — two full time — with 103 starts and 13 wins.

Truex also ran in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for four years, with 62 starts, five wins, 23 top fives, 32 top 10s and 13 poles.

Posted on by Staff Report

Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 19 Toyota failed pre-race inspection twice on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. That means the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will drop to the rear to make his 500th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start and lose a crew member (race engineer) for the race .

RELATED: Michigan starting lineup

Truex was originally slated to start 15th after Busch Pole Qualifying on Friday at the 2-mile track. Michigan native Brad Keselowski will start on the pole in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, and Kevin Harvick, in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, will also be on the front row.

Other cars starting from the rear include: The Nos. 32 (Corey LaJoie) and 36 (Matt Tifft) for transmission changes and the No. 77 (Garrett Smithley) for a driver change.

The Nos. 3 (Austin Dillon) and 8 (Daniel Hemric)  will also start from the rear for having their qualifying times disallowed on Friday.

Today’s race is televised on NBCSN at 3 p.m. ET with coverage also on the NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Nick Giffen

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

Michigan International Speedway is the site of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ 23rd race of the year. With only four races remaining until the playoff field is set, the intensity should be high at one of the fastest tracks on the schedule.

We’re back to a traditional race weekend schedule, with no post-qualifying inspection failures to worry about. That gives us plenty of time to make bets heading into the race.

Michigan is a 2-mile, D-shaped oval that’s very wide. The addition of the PJ1 traction compound should mean there are multiple grooves of racing. However, track position will also be key.

Joey Logano led 163 of the 203 laps after from the pole position en route to a win at the first Michigan race this year. Starting on the front row this weekend is Logano’s teammate, Brad Keselowski, and Ford stablemate Kevin Harvick.

My model also finds these other data points as statistically significant:

  • Long-run speed in practice
  • Year-to-date quality pass percentage

Armed with these data points and my statistical model, I’ve found two strong outright bets for tomorrow’s race.

*All odds as of 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. A quick explainer on the odds below: A $100 wager on +2000 would profit $2000.

Kevin Harvick +600

Harvick is the race favorite according to my model, and the Westgate has appropriately listed him as such. However, a bit of shopping around goes a long way.

Harvick is listed at +600 at MGM and is a must-bet at that price. Lately, race favorites have been going off anywhere from +200 to +450, so this price is fantastic for Harvick.

In addition to starting on the front row, Harvick also has strong practice times. He was quickest across the board in Saturday’s opening practice session, and was third in 10-lap averages in final practice.

Because of the different aerodynamic packages NASCAR has run with the Gen-6 car at Michigan, track history doesn’t pop out as significant. However, with two races per year, it is valuable to look back at the first race. Harvick posted the second-most laps led, and also had the most fastest laps.

If you’re not in Vegas, but can find Harvick at +450 or longer, I’d still make that bet.

Clint Bowyer +2000

Bowyer is a driver on the playoff bubble, just 12 points ahead of the cutline. However, a win would secure his spot in the playoffs, and he has a strong car this weekend that should be in contention.

Bowyer starts fifth, and was also near the top of the charts in practice. He posted the second-fastest five- and 10-lap times in Happy Hour, and was the fastest of 10 drivers that made a 15-lap run.

Bowyer is also stronger than his 15th-place point position in other key metrics. His year-to-date quality pass percentage is 10th, and his driver rating is 11th. Both of those numbers would be even higher if not for his tremendously bad luck.

That means he’s typically a driver running inside the top 10, but just hasn’t been able to consistently finish. Rolling all these numbers together, my model gives Bowyer the fifth-best average finish for tomorrow’s race.

You can find Bowyer at this number at MGM and at the DraftKings Sportsbook. However, I expect it to drop. I’d bet him as low as +1600.

Posted on by Staff Report

David Gravel won his first Knoxville Nationals race, his trip to Victory Lane punctuating a four-day event that ended early Sunday morning on the East Coast. It may have been one of the more emotional victories in the 59-year history of the race, too.

Gravel’s victory in the country’s preeminent sprint car race came with Jason Johnson Racing in an Axalta-sponsored No. 41, with supporter Jeff Gordon watching and cheering.

Johnson died last year due to injuries sustained in a wreck while racing. His widow opted to keep Jason Johnson Racing going, and Gravel was selected to fill the seat. The choice paid off in a huge way. Moments after the win, Gravel and Jaxx Johnson — Jason Johnson’s son — celebrated together.

Dubbed the “Granddaddy Of Them All,” the 59th Knoxville Nationals hosted more than 100 sprint cars at Knoxville Raceway, a half-mile clay oval that served as the site for the four-day showdown. Gravel won his Qualifying Night feature race on Thursday to automatically qualify for Saturday night’s 24-car A-Main. His prize for winning was $150,000.

Gordon, who vouched for Gravel and urged Axalta to sponsor the car for the event, celebrated the win as well.

Logan Schuchart finished second, followed by World of Outlaws star Daryn Pittman, Tim Kaeding and Aaron Reutzel.

Brad Sweet, last year’s Knoxville Nationals winner, finished sixth for team owner Kasey Kahne. Sheldon Haudenschild, who drives for team owner Ricky Stenhouse Jr., took seventh. Rico Abreu qualified for the A-Main and finished 22nd.

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyle Larson fell a couple spots shy of qualifying for Saturday night’s A-Main during his qualifying session on Wednesday. With the Monster Energy Series racing in Michigan all weekend, Larson did not further attempt to make the main event at Iowa, but he showed up at the track Saturday to sign autographs and take in the racing.