Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to ISM Raceway for the Bluegreen Vacations 500 (Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for a crucial elimination race leading up to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Six hopeful drivers contend for the two remaining spots in the Championship 4, while other teams look to build momentum.

RELATED: Full ISM Raceway schedule | No. 9 must win at Phoenix

TRACK DETAILS

The 1-mile desert track is a seemingly flat that track features a variable banking of 8-9 degrees in Turns 1 and 2 with a 10-11 degree variation in Turns 3 and 4. The track has a 1,551-foot frontstretch and a 1,179-foot backstretch.

The PJ1 traction compound will be placed in both corners’ high groove, giving drivers lane options from the middle of the track all the way to the wall.

Alan Kulwicki won the inaugural Monster Energy Series race at the track on Nov. 6, 1988.

RULES PACKAGE

Teams will run the 2019 rules package used at short tracks throughout the season, equipped with a 750 horsepower tapered-spacer engine. Cars will not have aero ducts.

Each team will be provided three sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials for practice, one set for qualifying and nine sets for the race (eight race sets plus one set transferred from practice or qualifying).

The unconventional length of the track and the wide exit in Turn 1 make high top-end speed an emphasis for teams. However, the unique style of racing also requires additional focus on handling in frequent three-wide and potentially four-wide scenarios on the backstretch.

“This being the NASCAR Cup Series’ last short track race of the season, it is the final time we will run this high downforce/high horsepower package,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing.  “There’s really no other track on the circuit that is quite like Phoenix.  Its unique configuration is relatively flat, but it also races more like a speedway than a traditional short track.”

KEY STATS

– Hendrick Motorsports has won a series-high five of the last 15 playoff races at ISM. With Chase Elliott currently sitting 78 points below the cutline, Elliott must win the race to advance to the Championship 4.

– Kyle Busch has yet to lose a race at ISM since the start-finish line was moved in November 2018. The streak includes two Monster Energy Series wins and one Xfinity Series win — each time starting inside the top six.

– Kevin Harvick has dominated this track throughout his career, winning seven of the last 14. Harvick also leads all active drivers with nine career wins at ISM, his last coming in the spring of 2018.

– Joe Gibbs Racing has led 54 percent of the laps raced at ISM since the start of 2017.

Source: Racing Insights

LIVE COVERAGE

The final two spots in the Championship 4 are up for grabs Sunday in the Bluegreen Vacations 500 at 2:30 p.m. on NBC and streaming on the NBC Sports App. Listen in to live radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Also, follow along on NASCAR.com for live Lap-by-Lap coverage, the live leaderboard, Drive (featuring in-car cameras) and RaceView (subscription: in-car audio, stats, more). Be sure to set your lineup in Fantasy Live and make your picks in the Props Challenge.

2018 RACE WINNER

Busch dominated ISM in last year’s elimination showdown, leading 117 of 312 laps and locking down his spot in the Championship 4. With another win at the track this spring, Busch will aim at completing the trifecta to ensure his contention in another season finale at Homestead in Miami.

ACTIVE PHOENIX WINNERS

Harvick (nine); Jimmie Johnson (four); Busch (three); Ryan Newman (two); Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin (one each).

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR announced penalties Tuesday to three Monster Energy Series teams for lug-nut violations found after Sunday’s event at Texas Motor Speedway.

Competition officials found three cars each with one lug nut not safely secured in a post-race check after Sunday’s AAA Texas Motor Speedway. The crew chiefs for those teams were each docked $10,000.

RELATED: Texas race results | Full schedule for ISM Raceway

The teams with Texas lug-nut infractions:

  • No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for driver Daniel Hemric (crew chief Luke Lambert)
  • No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for driver Denny Hamlin (crew chief Chris Gabehart)
  • No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota for driver Parker Kligerman (crew chief Mark Hillman)

There were no penalties stemming from Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth track.

Posted on by Staff Report

For the second consecutive week, Richard Childress Racing has announced a crew chief change for its 2020 program in NASCAR’s top series.

Randall Burnett will take over as crew chief of the No. 8 team and driver Tyler Reddick next season, while Luke Lambert will step down at the conclusion of the 2019 season. The news was announced on RCR’s social media platforms on Tuesday afternoon.

Lambert will be heading to Roush Fenway Racing as the crew chief for Chris Buescher and the No. 17 team. Buescher will be taking over the seat from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the 2020 season. Brian Pattie will not be returning to the No. 17 team as announced last month.

RELATED: Alexander to crew chief No. 3 team | Key players in Silly Season

“We are certainly excited to have Luke Lambert joining our organization and taking over the reins of the No. 17 program,” team owner Jack Roush said in a team release. “Luke has a strong engineering background and also the ability to energize and lead a team. We look forward to pairing him with Chris next season and seeing what they can do on the track.”

Lambert had been a mainstay atop the pit box for RCR since 2011 working with Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman and Daniel Hemric at the Cup level as well as Elliott Sadler in the Xfinity Series. He has one Cup win on his resume with Newman in 2017 at Phoenix and helped guide Newman to RCR’s lone Championship 4 appearance to date in the inaugural season of the elimination playoff format in 2014.

Over eight seasons in the Cup ranks, Lambert also accumulated 24 top fives and 72 top 10s as well as his first pole last month at Kansas Speedway with Hemric. In the Xfinity Series, he tallied four wins with Sadler in 2012 en route to a second-place finish in the standings. In total, he spent 14 years at RCR in a number of roles.

The RCR move teams up Burnett and Reddick, who have found great success in the 2019 Xfinity Series season. The pair has combined for five wins as the series heads to ISM Raceway where Reddick is looking to lock into the Championship 4 as he continues his quest to defend his 2018 championship. Reddick will be competing as a rookie in the sport’s top series next season.

Burnett is no stranger to being a Cup crew chief. He served as the pit boss for AJ Allmendinger in 42 races at JTG Daugherty Racing between 2016-17. He then moved over to RCR’s No. 2 Xfinity car midseason — a position he has held since then.

The RCR announcement comes a week after the organization announced that Danny Stockman would transition to a different role on the No. 3 team and Justin Alexander would be back atop the pit box for Austin Dillon’s team.

Posted on by Staff Report

Hattori Racing Enterprises announced Tuesday that Austin Hill will return as driver of its No. 16 Toyota in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series in 2020.

Hill is currently in his first season driving for team owner Shige Hattori. The 25-year-old driver has won three times this year, including a triumph in the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway.

RELATED: Key players in Silly Season

“It’s awesome to be coming back in 2020,” Hill said in a statement released by the team. “We have plenty left to accomplish this season and that’s our number one focus, but it’s great to have things in place for next year to where we can move right into 2020.”

The organization indicated an “increased presence” for sponsor United Rentals, which has served as the No. 16’s primary backer for six races so far this season. HRE also indicated that Don Valley North Toyota, Ibaraki Toyopet and Gunma Toyopet would return as sponsors, and that support from Toyota Racing Development would continue.

Hill moved to the Hattori team in 2019 after spending parts of the last three Gander Trucks seasons with Young’s Motorsports. Hill, who also has two pole positions this year, qualified for the Gander Trucks playoffs for the first time in his career. He carries a nine-point cushion as he clings to the fourth and final transfer spot in the series standings heading into Friday’s Round of 6 elimination race.

MORE: Gander Trucks playoff standings

Hattori Racing Enterprises claimed the series championship last season with Brett Moffitt, who joined GMS Racing for the 2019 campaign.

Hill was a member of the NASCAR Next driver development program from 2014-15. He made his Xfinity Series debut earlier this season, finishing ninth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a car owned by Carl Long with support from Hattori.

Posted on by PJ Walsh

I’ve found myself on Aric Almirola a lot recently. He gave us a sweat at Texas on Sunday, leading the second-most laps (62) and running the second-most fast laps (50) en route to a runner-up finish at 40-1 odds.

Thankfully, Almirola also finished one spot ahead of Daniel Suarez, cashing a driver matchup between the Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammates at +110.

In all honesty, I’m not going out of my way to bet Aric, he’s just consistently being undervalued by the NASCAR betting market.

And looking at openers from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook for this weekend’s Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway, the driver of the SHR No. 10 Ford is once again priced as a longshot, while his recent stats at ISM Raceway suggest otherwise.

Aric Almirola (50-1) to Win

Almirola’s recent numbers at ISM Raceway are stellar. Over the past four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) races at the flat, 1-mile tri-oval, only two drivers (Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick) have better average finishes than Aric’s 6.0.

In addition, Almirola has the seventh-best driver rating at ISM over that span.

This four-race sample also includes the most recent MENCS event at this race track, which took place back in March and is the only race at ISM using the current aero package.

In that race, Almirola finished fourth, led the third-most laps (26) and had the sixth-best driver rating (100.7).

Further, Aric was a borderline top-five car at Martinsville, another short, flat track, just two weeks ago before getting knocked out of the race after an incident with Kyle Busch.

For all of these reasons, I like the value with Almirola at the longshot price of 50-1. And while the full list of NASCAR props won’t open until the weekend, I’ll also be very interested in a top-five wager assuming he’s priced similarly after practice and qualifying.

Posted on by Staff Report

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Tuesday morning that Riley Herbst would join its NASCAR Xfinity Series operation full time in 2020.

Herbst will pilot JGR’s No. 18 Toyota in his first full Xfinity season. The 20-year-old driver has nine career Xfinity Series starts, with a best finish of sixth in his 2018 debut at Iowa Speedway.

RELATED: Key players in Silly Season

“I’m very excited to compete full time next season in the Xfinity Series in the iconic No. 18,” Herbst said in a release provided by the team. “I’ve enjoyed the transition to the Xfinity car this season, learned a ton and look forward to continuing to learn next season and improve each and every week. I’m eager to get started and have Monster Energy back with me and can’t wait for Daytona.”

Herbst is the latest piece to Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity Series roster for next season. The organization announced Oct. 17 that Harrison Burton would replace Christopher Bell in the JGR No. 20 Toyota for the 2020 campaign, and said Oct. 31 that Brandon Jones would return to its No. 19 Toyota next year.

Joe Gibbs Racing indicated that Monster Energy, ORCA Coolers, and Terrible’s would be a part of their sponsorship lineup for 2020. The team also said a crew chief for the No. 18 would be announced later.

Herbst competed part time this season in the Xfinity Series, Gander Outdoors Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series. The former NASCAR Next class member also made spot starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and Pinty’s Series, in addition to Late Model competition.

Herbst has been one of six drivers to wheel the No. 18 in Xfinity Series competition this year. Burton, Kyle Busch, Matt DiBenedetto, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Jack Hawksworth have also made starts in the No. 18 car this season.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 4, 2019) – NASCAR announced today a multi-year partnership with HotelPlanner, designating the company as the “Official Online Booking Partner of NASCAR®.” HotelPlanner, the leading online seller of group hotel bookings and individual hotel stays worldwide, has been serving travelers since 2002 and will now offer its travel hotel booking platform for NASCAR’s corporate offices, and serve as a valued resource for the industry and fans.

As a key part of the partnership, HotelPlanner will have a customized hotel booking platform on NASCAR.com enabling the industry and fans to conveniently book hotels for upcoming race weekends at the lowest available price. In the coming weeks, NASCAR fans, the most brand loyal in all sports, can look for special deal packages and sweepstakes on NASCAR.com via HotelPlanner.

“As a customer-centric organization, we look forward to enhancing the lodging experience for millions of passionate NASCAR fans in the United States and abroad,” said Tim Hentschel, co-founder and CEO, HotelPlanner. “Our customized booking solution will make it easier than ever to book travel lodging for race days.”

RELATED: 2020 schedule, hotel bookings 

HotelPlanner’s customized hotel booking solution is now available for NASCAR’s three national series – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™ and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series™ as well as NASCAR’s regional series – K&N Pro Series East and West™, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour™, NASCAR Pinty’s Series™, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series™ and NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series™.

“NASCAR is truly a global sport, sanctioning races across the country as well as in Canada, Mexico and Europe,” said Jon Tuck, chief revenue officer, NASCAR. “With years of experience in customized hotel booking, HotelPlanner will be a tremendous resource for our industry and provide our fans with a convenient, streamlined process to book lodging at NASCAR events throughout the year.”

HotelPlanner.com provides its hotel booking technology expertise to over five million customers globally while servicing an estimated $10 billion in hotel sourcing efforts in 2019. In addition to NASCAR, HotelPlanner partners with renowned sports teams and leagues, most notably, the NFL’s Washington Redskins, USA Triathlon and Street League Skateboarding.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs will continue at ISM Raceway this weekend for the Bluegreen Vacations 500 (Nov. 10 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, SiriusXM and MRN), the Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 200 (Nov. 9 at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC, SiriusXM, and MRN) and the Lucas Oil 150 (Nov. 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, SiriusXM and MRN), respectively.

Posted on by
No. Driver Sponsor Make Organization
00 Landon Cassill StarCom Fiber Chevrolet StarCom Racing
1 Kurt Busch Monster Energy Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
2 Brad Keselowski MilerLite Ford Team Penske
3 Austin Dillon American Ethanol Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 Kevin Harvick Mobil 1 Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
6 Ryan Newman Mazola Ford Roush Fenway Racing
8 Daniel Hemric Cat Large Dozers Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9 Chase Elliott NAPA Autocare Center Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
10 Aric Almirola Eckrich Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
12 Ryan Blaney TBD Ford Team Penske
13 Ty Dillon GEICO Military Chevrolet Germain Racing
14 Clint Bowyer One Cure Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
15 Ross Chastain TBD Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. NOS Energy Ford Roush Fenway Racing
18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
19 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
20 Erik Jones Interstate Batteries Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
21 Paul Menard Menards / Maytag Ford Wood Brothers Racing
22 Joey Logano TBD Ford Team Penske
24 William Byron Hertz Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
27 Joe Nemechek VIPRacingExperience.com Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
32 Corey LaJoie TBD Ford Go Fas Racing
34 Michael McDowell Love’s Travel Stops Ford Front Row Motorsports
36 John Hunter Nemechek Yanmar / Martin Generators Ford Front Row Motorsports
37 Chris Buescher Maxwell House Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
38 David Ragan Mannington Commercials Ford Front Row Motorsports
41 Daniel Suarez Haas Automation Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
42 Kyle Larson TBD Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
43 Bubba Wallace United States Air Force Chevrolet Richard Petty Motorsports
47 Ryan Preece Kroger Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
48 Jimmie Johnson Ally Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
51 Garrett Smithley Jacob Companies Chevrolet Petty Ware Racing
52 Bayley Currey Pit Boss Grills Chevrolet Rick Ware Racing
53 JJ Yeley Factor One Source Pharmacy Ford Rick Ware Racing
66 Joey Gase Fan Memories at WGI Toyota MBM Motorsports
77 Reed Sorenson TBD Chevrolet Spire Motorsports
88 Alex Bowman Axalta Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
95 Matt DiBenedetto Dumont Jets Toyota Leavine Family Racing
Posted on by Zack Albert

Motorsports mogul Roger Penske voiced his support Monday for NASCAR’s annual stop at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and an expanded relationship with stock-car racing, saying he also hoped to promote the historic track’s reach as an entertainment destination.

Penske’s comments came hours after Monday morning’s blockbuster announcement that the Hulman & Company ownership group would sell the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the NTT IndyCar Series and IMS Productions to Penske Entertainment Corp. It’s the first change in ownership for the 110-year-old Speedway since 1945.

MORE: Penske Corp. purchases IMS, IndyCar

Penske, who owns a three-car Monster Energy Series operation in addition to championship-winning IndyCar teams, said he planned to walk around the facility as early as Tuesday to form a top 10 list of ideas and improvements. In addition to floating the concept of a 24-hour sports-car race and a possible return for Formula 1, Penske backed a strong commitment to NASCAR and its future in Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been on the schedule for NASCAR’s top division since 1994, when Jeff Gordon won the first running of the Brickyard 400.

“I think you look at 27 years, there’s no reason to break that string of races,” said Penske, a 2019 inductee to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “I had a chance to talk to (NASCAR Chairman & CEO) Jim France late last night to tell him that we were going to have this conference here in the morning, and he obviously was excited. … We would expect to take this for many, many years. They need to run at Indianapolis. We want them to, and there’s no question that we’re going to look at opportunities to expand the relationship with them in the future.”

Penske said that a closer-knit partnership could include possible doubleheader weekends with NASCAR and IndyCar, noting the interest in two-time IndyCar champ Josef Newgarden’s exhibition run in a Team Penske car at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Roval layout in September.

Penske said he would consult with Hulman & Company executives Tony George and Mark Miles to explore those possibilities, hinting that he was not afraid to push the boundaries of tradition and status quo.

“Look, we’ve got to break some glass on some of these things, don’t we?” Penske said. “We’ve got to try some of this, and I’m prepared to take a risk. No risk, no reward in many cases. … I wouldn’t say it’s out of the possibility.”

Penske’s cars have won a record 18 Indianapolis 500s, but he’s also been a longtime team owner in NASCAR, dating back to the 1970s. The 82-year-old Penske indicated he would dial back his influence as a strategist for his racing operations.

France acknowledged the contributions of Penske’s predecessors at IMS as he welcomed a new era of leadership.

“The Hulman-George family has been instrumental in the growth of motorsports through their passion for racing, elevating Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar Series to a global scale, and we thank them for their leadership and significant contributions to NASCAR,” France said in a statement. “Roger Penske is incredibly accomplished across both motorsports and business and we look forward to the successful operation of these properties under his experienced leadership.”

Posted on by Data Skrive

Kyle Larson finished 12th in the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, adding 40 points to his season total.

Larson now sits at No. 7 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings with 4088 points. He’s posted seven top-five finishes in 2019.

Kevin Harvick took the checkered flag in the race, with Aric Almirola following in second, and Daniel Suarez placing third. Joey Logano took fourth place, followed by Alex Bowman in the No. 5 spot.

Harvick came away victorious in Stage 1, and Almirola took Stage 2.

Larson qualified in 13th position at 187.617 mph. The seventh-year driver has collected six career victories, 54 top-five finishes and has placed in the top 10 in 97 races.

There were 40 cars in the field, and the race endured 11 cautions and 56 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were 26 lead changes.

Ford added 40 points to its season total with Harvick’s victory. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 1238 points, followed by Ford in the No. 2 spot with 1201. Chevrolet sits at No. 3 with 1160 points on the season.

Kyle Larson Driver Page | Get Kyle Larson Gear | Race Center