Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR’s top regional and international drivers converge on “The Magic Mile” this weekend for a unique tripleheader, and race fans around the world can follow all the action on FansChoice.tv

The second annual Full Throttle Fall Weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will host 475 laps of racing across three championship events.

MORE: Watch on FansChoice

• The NASCAR Pinty’s Series will kick off the event with the Visit New Hampshire 100 at 12:05 p.m. ET. Defending race winner Kevin Lacroix holds a slim two-point lead over two-time champion Andrew Ranger heading into the penultimate event of the Canadian stock car championship. The race will be streamed on TSN GO app for residents in Canada and on FansChoice.TV elsewhere.

• The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East takes a step closer to crowning its 2019 champion with the Apple Barrel 125 at 1:20 p.m. Teenager Sam Mayer has a 30-point cushion with two races remaining. Last year, fans watched Brandon McReynolds – son of FOX analyst Larry McReynolds – take the checkered flag, and witnessed the coronation of 2018 champion and current NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series playoff driver Tyler Ankrum.

• The tripleheader will culminate with the main event, the Musket 250 presented by Whelen Engineering for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The $25,000-to-win, high-stakes marathon will take the green at approximately 3:05 p.m.

RELATED: More Home Tracks coverage

The longest race on the tour schedule, last year’s inaugural Musket 250 was settled in the final turn of the final lap as current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rookie Ryan Preece and eventual tour champion Justin Bonsignore got together and crashed racing for the lead, allowing Chase Dowling to skate by and claim his first career tour win.

With three races remaining, including Saturday at New Hampshire, Doug Coby holds a 19-point lead on Bonsignore as he chases his sixth NASCAR Whelen Modified title. Coby and Bonsignore have combined to win nine of 13 races this season.

The full day of racing of racing with the Full Throttle Fall Weekend on FansChoice.tv leads into Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway at 7:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Fans in New England can grab their tickets to the weekend (BUY TICKETS) and watch the FansChoice.tv stream from their seats on their tablet or mobile device.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

With one race down in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, we’re already seeing some drivers sweating their playoff positioning while others surprisingly find themselves on the right side of the bubble … for now.

After a wacky night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that saw four playoff drivers finish 19th or worse, including the regular-season champion, NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola and Terrin Waack make their cases for which drivers should be the most panicked heading to Richmond Raceway (Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Playoff Pulse: Who’s up, down | Full Las Vegas results

DECOLA: For a quick minute there, it was starting to look like Clint Bowyer might be the dark horse of the NASCAR Playoffs, picking up steam at precisely the right time to set himself up for a deep postseason run. Heck, he even won the opening pole of the ’19 playoffs — his first in 12 years. He then went out and led just one lap from said pole, pulling into the garage after the race with an uninspiring 25th-place result.

The Stewart-Haas Racing cars are fast, obviously, and seemingly gaining momentum after the four-car organization swept qualifying by putting the quartet in the front two rows. Time and again, though, Kevin Harvick (finished second) is the only one of the four to consistently harness that power and turn in strong finishes week-to-week.

The book isn’t closed on Bowyer, for sure, as he’s capable of winning at Richmond (two wins, P3 there earlier this year) and he’s among the better road racers in the series, with the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval looming — his scored a top five there last year. He needs to rebound in a big way, however, if he wants to be on the right side of the bubble a couple of weeks from now.

WAACK: It sure seems like Aric Almirola has slid under the radar this entire season. There was never really a question of whether he’d make the playoffs, which he did, but he was never guaranteed a spot either, considering he has not won a race in 2019.

Right now, Almirola is right above the cutline — safe by six points in 12th. Below him is Ryan Newman. The two of them, apart from the difference in points, practically have the same stats. Both own one top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. Almirola’s slight edge comes from a single stage win and more laps led overall.

There could easily be a switcheroo on the cutline before the Round of 12. Newman is on a much more steady roll. The No. 6 has pulled off five top-10 showings in the last 10 races, while the No. 10 has just one during that span. Almirola was performing his best at the beginning of the season — six top 10s in the first seven races — but this is the end of the season.

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.

Martin Truex Jr. scored the first win of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs last weekend in Las Vegas, and is hoping to make it back-to-back wins Saturday night in Richmond.

Truex won this race in the spring, and is unsurprisingly among the favorites at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.

To make this week’s NASCAR Props Challenge picks, I’ll rely on betting odds to project expected driver performance, as well as race trends from the April race at Richmond Raceway.

1. Which playoff driver earns the higher finish: Kyle Busch or Denny Hamlin?

This is close, but I’ll take Busch and his +300 odds to win the race over Hamlin’s +600.

Pick: Busch

2. Will all top-10 finishers be playoff drivers? Yes or No?

Daniel Suarez and Jimmie Johnson — both +8000 — have the best betting odds to win Saturday’s race among the drivers not currently in the playoffs.

Considering neither finished top 10 in the spring, I’m not very optimistic that a non-playoff driver finishes up there.

Pick: Yes

3. Toyota has won six of the last eight Richmond races. Will Toyota win again this weekend? Yes or No?

I typically don’t like taking one manufacturer over the field, but am going to make an exception here. Toyota drivers Kyle Busch (+300), Martin Truex Jr. (+500) and Denny Hamlin (+600) are on the short list of race favorites, with Erik Jones still in the mix at +1600.

Posted on by Staff Report

Richard Childress Racing announced Tuesday it will release Daniel Hemric as the driver of the team’s No. 8 Chevrolet following the 2019 season.

Hemric is in his first full-time Monster Energy Series season with the organization.

“Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has exercised its option and will release Daniel Hemric as driver of the No. 8 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Camaro ZL1 effective at the conclusion of the 2019 NASCAR race season,” a team statement read. “Daniel is a very talented driver and an outstanding person. We’d like to thank him for his commitment and dedication to RCR the past three years and wish him continued success in his future endeavors. Additional information on RCR’s Cup program will be announced at a later date.”

MORE: Silly Season tracker

Hemric, 28, has one top-five finish and two top 10s through 27 races this year. His best showing is a third-place run at Chicagoland. He’s coming off a 17th-place result at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Prior to the 2019 season, the Kannapolis, North Carolina, native drove the No. 21 Chevrolet for RCR’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program. He qualified for the Championship 4 in both 2017 and 2018, with a best finish of third in the final 2018 standings. Hemric logged 23 top-five finishes in that two-year stretch.

RELATED: More from Richard Childress Racing

His move to the Monster Energy Series was announced in September 2018, with a number change coming in December. The No. 31 previously driven by Ryan Newman became the No. 8 for Hemric.

The number has long been associated with the Earnhardt family, which has deep ties to the Kannapolis community that Hemric also calls home. Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke into NASCAR’s top series with the No. 8, and his father and grandfather had used the number in several different racing series.

“I’m disappointed it ended like this, but we’ve got nine more races together,” Hemric said, in part, of the news.

His full tweet:

Posted on by Data Skrive

Ross Chastain placed second in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Friday, 2.116 seconds off the winning pace.

Austin Hill earned the checkered flag in the race, with Christian Eckes crossing the finish line third. Sheldon Creed took fourth place, followed by Todd Gilliland in the No. 5 spot.

Chastain came away victorious in each of the first two stages.

The ninth-year driver qualified in second position at 178.012 mph. He led on 10 occasions for a total of 88 laps.

Chastain has tallied three career victories, 13 top-five finishes and has placed in the top 10 in 31 races.

There were 32 cars in the field and the race endured six cautions and 32 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 21 lead changes.

With Hill finishing out front in Shigeaki Hattori’s Silverado, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 710 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 696. Ford sits at No. 3 with 628 points on the season.

Ross Chastain Driver Page | Get Ross Chastain Gear | NASCAR SHOP

Posted on by Data Skrive

Christian Eckes placed third in the World of Westgate 200 Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It’s Eckes’ second top-five finish of the season.

Austin Hill finished out front in the race, with Ross Chastain taking second. Sheldon Creed took fourth place, followed by Todd Gilliland in the No. 5 spot.

Ross Chastain took each of the first two stages.

Eckes qualified in the pole position at 178.077 mph.

Eckes still is looking for career win No. 1, boasts two top-five finishes and six finishes in the top 10.

There were 32 cars in the field and the race endured six cautions and 32 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 21 lead changes.

With Hill driving to victory in Shigeaki Hattori’s Tundra, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 710 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 696. Ford sits at No. 3 with 628 points on the season.

Christian Eckes Driver Page | Get Christian Eckes Gear | NASCAR SHOP

Posted on by Data Skrive

Brennan Poole finished sixth in the World of Westgate 200 Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Austin Hill earned the checkered flag in the race, with Ross Chastain taking second, and Christian Eckes placing third. Sheldon Creed took fourth place, followed by Todd Gilliland in the No. 5 spot.

Ross Chastain took each of the first two stages.

Poole qualified in 18th position at 175.353 mph.

Poole still is looking for career win No. 1, but owns one top-five finish and four finishes in the top 10.

There were 32 cars in the field and the race endured six cautions and 32 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 21 lead changes.

With Hill driving to victory in Shigeaki Hattori’s Tundra, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 710 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 696. Ford sits at No. 3 with 628 points on the season.

Brennan Poole Driver Page | Get Brennan Poole Gear | NASCAR SHOP

Posted on by Data Skrive

Harrison Burton placed ninth in the World of Westgate 200 Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Austin Hill brought home the win in the race, with Ross Chastain finishing second, and Christian Eckes crossing the finish line third. Sheldon Creed took fourth place, followed by Todd Gilliland in the No. 5 spot.

Chastain came away victorious in each of the first two stages.

Burton qualified in ninth position at 176.939 mph.

The fourth-year driver still is looking for career win No. 1, but boasts 11 top-five finishes and 17 finishes in the top 10.

There were 32 cars in the field and the race endured six cautions and 32 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 21 lead changes.

With Hill finishing out front in Shigeaki Hattori’s Tundra, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 710 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 696. Ford sits at No. 3 with 628 points on the season.

Harrison Burton Driver Page | Get Harrison Burton Gear | NASCAR SHOP

Posted on by Data Skrive

Alex Bowman placed sixth in the South Point 400 Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr brought home the win in the race, with Kevin Harvick taking second, and Brad Keselowski placing third. Chase Elliott brought home fourth place, followed by Ryan Blaney to round out the top five.

Joey Logano picked up 10 bonus points by winning Stage 1, and Truex finished out front in Stage 2.

Bowman qualified in 19th position at 176.355 mph.

Bowman has tallied one career victory, seven top-five finishes and has placed in the top 10 in 22 races.

There were 39 cars in the field and the race endured four cautions and 22 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 24 lead changes.

With Truex driving to victory in Joe Gibbs Racing’s Camaro, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 988 points, followed by Ford in the No. 2 spot with 958. Chevrolet sits at No. 3 with 916 points on the season.

Alex Bowman Driver Page | Get Alex Bowman Gear | NASCAR SHOP

Posted on by Data Skrive

Riley Herbst crossed the finish line ninth in the Rhino Pro Truck Outfitters 300 Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Tyler Reddick earned the checkered flag in the race, with Christopher Bell taking second, and Brandon Jones placing third. Cole Custer took fourth place, followed by Justin Allgaier to round out the top five.

Bell won both Stage 1 and Stage 2.

Herbst qualified in 15th position at 176.603 mph.

The second-year driver still is in search of career victory No. 1, but has placed in the top 10 in four races.

There were 38 cars in the field and the race endured four cautions and 20 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 13 lead changes.

With Reddick driving to victory in Richard Childress’ Supra, Chevrolet added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 933 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 933. Ford sits at No. 3 with 919 points on the season.

Riley Herbst Driver Page | Get Riley Herbst Gear | NASCAR SHOP