Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kyle Busch, the 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, took home some hardware at last night’s ESPY Awards, winning Best Driver – his second win in the last four years.

Busch, who also won the award in 2016, received the most votes in the category full of elite drivers including Formula One’s Lewis Hamilton, NHRA’s Steve Torrence and IndyCar’s Scott Dixon.

RELATED: Every national series win for Kyle Busch 

With Busch’s win, NASCAR drivers have now won the award in four of the past five seasons (Martin Truex Jr. – 2018; Kyle Busch – 2016; and Kevin Harvick – 2015).

Busch won eight races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2018, tying Harvick for the most in the series. He also logged 28 top 10s and 22 top fives across 36 total points races. Busch is poised for another title run in 2019, as he has already logged four wins, 10 top fives and 15 top 10s in 18 starts this season.

Back in March at Auto Club Speedway, Busch picked up his 200th career NASCAR national series victory, the same track where he notched his first career Monster Energy Series victory in 2005. Heading into this weekend at Kentucky Speedway for the Quaker State 400, Busch will be gunning for his 56th career win in NASCAR’s premier series.

Tune-in to NBCSN this Saturday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET to watch Busch and NASCAR’s best at Kentucky, or listen live on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials confiscated the No. 52 Halmar Racing Chevrolet of driver Stewart Friesen on Thursday morning at Kentucky Speedway after the sanctioning body found the vehicle not acceptable.

The team was permitted to remove the driver safety equipment before the confiscation. The organization rolled out its backup truck to run in the series’ opening practice Thursday morning.

NASCAR officials later confirmed it was a firewall issue in the truck. Friesen must start Thursday night’s Gander Trucks race (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) from the rear of the field, but no team members will be ejected. The team was also permitted to keep the tires from the confiscated truck.

MORE: This weekend’s schedule

Any additional penalties likely will be announced next week.

Friesen currently is second in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and has three consecutive top-five finishes, including two consecutive third-place efforts. He trails Grant Enfinger by 52 points for the series points lead.

 

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Trackside Live is back at the Bluegrass State! The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Gander Outdoors Truck Series return to Kentucky Speedway this weekend for an action-packed tripleheader race weekend, and Trackside Live will be along for the ride with two shows.

The live shows will be Friday, July 12th at 3 p.m. ET and Saturday, July 13th at 4 p.m. ET with Monster Energy Series drivers Aric Almirola, Austin Dillon, Daniel Hemric and Ryan Newman scheduled as guests over the two shows.

WATCH: Trackside Live | MORE: Full schedule for Kentucky | Buy tickets

Q&As, games and more family fun will be a part of this unique experience, so join in on the excitement and don’t miss your opportunity to soak up the sun and be a part of this must-see event — all leading up to Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

Can’t make it to the track? Don’t worry, you can still watch! The entire show will be streamed live on NASCAR.com here.

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

With four races left in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series regular season, there are still four spots available for the postseason Playoffs, and the competition for those berths is certain to amp up in Thursday’s Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The assertion that four spots are available is based on the reasonable assumption that Ross Chastain cracks the top 20 in the series standings. Having declared for the series championship in mid-season, Chastain took the first step toward a Playoff spot with his victory at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway near St. Louis.

Chastain is currently 24th in the series standings, but he’s only 10 points behind Jennifer Jo Cobb in 20th.

RELATED: Gander Trucks standings 

Currently, only two of the top eight drivers—Brett Moffitt and Austin Hill—have won races this season. Johnny Sauter and Chastain are 10th and 24th, respectively, but are expected to punch their Playoff tickets because of their victories.

That leaves six of the top eight in the standings—Grant Enfinger, Stewart Friesen, Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes, Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliland scrambling for the remaining four positions. A win at Kentucky would be a huge boon for any of those six drivers.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Bluegrass State for a Saturday night showdown at the 1.5-mile tri-oval at Kentucky Speedway.

Heading into Saturday’s Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), here’s the rundown.

RELATED: Full weekend schedule for Kentucky

TRACK DETAILS

Kentucky Speedway is a 1.5-mile tri-oval which opened in 2000 and was first introduced to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2011. The 72-feet wide asphalt racing surface has a 1,600-foot backstretch with a 17-degree banking in Turn 1 and 2 and a 14-degree banking in Turn 3 and 4. The inaugural race took place in July 2011, and was won by Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing.

RULES PACKAGE

The Kentucky Speedway rules package will mirror the setup used at other 1.5-mile tracks this season — the same package most recently at Chicagoland in the race won by Alex Bowman. The engine will be fitted with a tapered spacer generating an expected horsepower of about 550. Cars will also feature aero ducts.

TIRES

Each Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team will get 12 sets of Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials — three sets for practice, one set for qualifying, and eight sets for the race (7 sets plus one transferred from qualifying or practice). The tire features a new compound change that adjusts for a relatively newer and smoother racing surface, as Kentucky was repaved before the 2017 race.

STATS

  • Brad Keselowski has dominated the 1.5-mile track, picking up three career wins in eight starts — more than any other driver in the track’s history. That tops Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., who are tied with two wins apiece.
  • A Chevrolet driver has never won at Kentucky — only claiming a trio of runner-up finishes. A Toyota team has hoisted the trophy in five out of the eight races at the track.
  • Despite being winless in 2019, Jimmie Johnson boasts the longest active streak of top-10 finishes at 1.5-mile tracks with four. The longest top-10 streak of his career is six, spanning from the late 2015 to early 2016 season. The seven-time Cup Series champion also has the most 1.5-mile wins is NASCAR history at 28 — 11 more than former teammate Jeff Gordon (17).
  • Dating back to the track’s inaugural race in 2011, Kentucky Speedway has the highest percentage of wins from the pole position with drivers starting first winning 37.5 percent of the time. That’s nearly 2.5 percent better than second-highest Michigan International Speedway (35.29 percent).

RELATED: Kentucky TV schedule

LIVE COVERAGE

Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race will be televised live on NBCSN and streamed live on NBC Sports App. For the radio broadcast, tune in to coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Navigate to NASCAR.com for the live leaderboard and interactive options, including in-car cameras on Drive and in-car audio on RaceView.

2018 RACE WINNER

Martin Truex Jr. started on the pole and made his way across the finish line to take home the checkered flag in last year’s edition. Truex Jr. led 174 of 267 laps en route to a dominant performance that landed him his fourth and final win of the 2018 campaign. He also reached Victory Lane at Kentucky in 2017 — will Truex make it a three-peat?

ACTIVE KENTUCKY  WINNERS

Brad Keselowski (three), Kyle Busch (two) and Martin Truex Jr. (two).

Posted on by Staff Report

Tony Stewart, a recent inductee of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2020, defended his back-to-back titles at the King’s of the UMRA Three-Quarter Midget Race on Tuesday night at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds.

The annual TQ Midget race was co-sponsored by the Tony Stewart Foundation, which provides grant funding to well-qualified organizations serving children who are critically ill or physically disabled, animals at-risk or endangered, and drivers injured in the sport of motor racing.

MORE GRASSROOTS: Elledge OK after scary wreck
MORE GRASSROOTS:  Kenseth conquers Slinger
RELATED: Upcoming FansChoice.tv coverage

Stewart, once again racing in his hometown of Columbus, Indiana, has collected the checkered flag in this event each of the last two years, with Tuesday night’s win completing the trifecta.

The three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion battled handling issues throughout the night, leading to a rough start to the competition. After a less-than-ideal fourth-place finish in his heat race and a fifth-place run in qualifying, Stewart gained an edge in the main event with an inverted top-six starting order that gave him the outside line on the front row.

In the opening lap, Stewart sped his way into the lead — a lead he never surrendered. He went on to dominate all 25 laps, holding off strong pushes from polesitter Anthony Lawrence and 14-year-old Emerson Asxom, en route to his third consecutive hometown-race victory.

RELATED: Harvick, Stewart grace cover of NASCAR Heat 4

Posted on by Staff Report

You could say retirement is going pretty well for Matt Kenseth.

Well, if “retirement” can include still racing and still winning with incredible last-lap moves, as he did Tuesday night to capture the checkered flag at the 40th SUPERSEAL Slinger Nationals presented by Miller Lite.

Kenseth, 47, led just one lap in the annual 200-lap super late-model short track race — the final one. He made an aggressive pass on Ty Majeski on Turn 4 of the final lap to secure the win in his first race since last season’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

MORE GRASSROOTS: Elledge OK after scary wreck
MORE GRASSROOTS: A ‘Smoke’ threepeat
RELATED: Upcoming FansChoice.tv coverage

“It’s short-track racing,” Kenseth told reporters afterward.

Majeski, who at 24 is nearly half Kenseth’s age, said, “Exactly what I’d have done.”

Kenseth’s move denied Majeski a second consecutive win at the Slinger Nationals, and was Kenseth’s record eighth at the Wisconsin track. Kenseth has not raced at Slinger Speedway since 2016 when he edged Erik Jones for the victory.

Apparently, there is no rust in retirement.

Posted on by Staff Report

Karsyn Elledge was shaken up but appeared uninjured following a frightening wreck during a USAC Racing midget car event Tuesday night at Red Dirt Raceway in Oklahoma.

Elledge, driving the No. 1, began to tumble down the track entering Turn 3 and flipped high enough to careen over the Turn 3 wall and crash onto the ground outside the track, near the woods.

MORE GRASSROOTS: Kenseth wins Slinger | ‘Smoke’ shows ’em
RELATED: Upcoming FansChoice.tv coverage

Elledge climbed out of her car under her own power and was seen talking to medical personnel in the above video.

Karsyn’s mom, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, tweeted that her daughter was OK — and mom was, too, after watching the incident on TV.

Later on, Karsyn provided an update and a thank-you note herself:

NASCAR.com profiled Karsyn Elledge earlier this year as she makes her way up the sprint car ranks, with a spotlight firmly affixed to her. The 18-year-old has a racing pedigree as a member of the Earnhardt family — and she has the Earnhardt racing gene, too.

MORE: Read more about Karsyn

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 Discount Tire Ford Team Penske
3 Austin Dillon AAA Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 Kevin Harvick Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
6 Ryan Newman Acorns Ford Roush Fenway Racing
8 Daniel Hemric Caterpillar Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9 Chase Elliott DEWnited States Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
10 Aric Almirola Valley Tech Learning Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
12 Ryan Blaney DEX Imaging Ford Team Penske
13 Ty Dillon GEICO Military Chevrolet Germain Racing
14 Clint Bowyer Rush Truck Centers/Haas Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
15 Ross Chastain Premium Motorsports Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fifth Third Bank Ford Roush Fenway Racing
18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
19 Martin Truex Jr. Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
20 Erik Jones Craftsman Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
21 Paul Menard Menards/Quaker State Ford Wood Brothers Racing
22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford Team Penske
24 William Byron Axalta Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
32 Corey LaJoie CorvetteParts.net Ford Go Fas Racing
34 Michael McDowell Love’s Travel Stops Ford Front Row Motorsports
36 Matt Tifft Southwestern Trucking Ford Front Row Motorsports
37 Chris Buescher Planters Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
38 David Ragan Long John Silver’s Ford Front Row Motorsports
41 Daniel Suarez Haas Automation Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
42 Kyle Larson Clover Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
43 Bubba Wallace Victory Junction Chevrolet Richard Petty Motorsports
47 Ryan Preece Kroger Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
48 Jimmie Johnson Ally Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
51 Bayley Currey TBA Ford Petty Ware Racing
52 BJ McLeod TBA Chevrolet Rick Ware Racing
77 Quin Houff Go-Parts.com Chevrolet Spire Motorsports
88 Alex Bowman Nationwide Children’s Hospital Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
95 Matt DiBenedetto Anest Iwata Toyota Leavine Family Racing
Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Ryan Truex will roll into Kentucky Speedway this weekend with JR Motorsports’ No. 8 team, carrying a new partnership from award-winning country music duo Florida Georgia Line and the band’s official merchandise website, ShopFGL.com.

“I’ve been anxious to get back behind the wheel of this No. 8 car ever since we had such a strong run back in Phoenix,” Truex said. “To be able to do it with Florida Georgia Line and ShopFGL.com is awesome. We have a great relationship with FGL lead singers Tyler (Hubbard) and Brian (Kelley), who are currently on their ‘Can’t Say I Ain’t Country’ tour.  I think everyone agrees that country music and NASCAR fans are synonymous with each other, which makes this a perfect relationship.  I love the look of this throwback scheme and can’t wait to unload at Kentucky.”

The old-school red and gold paint scheme of the FGL / ShopFGL.com Chevrolet drew inspiration from the classic liveries of motorsport legends Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Tim Richmond. The paint scheme is also replicated on the fan-favorite single “Speed of Love” T-shirt, available at ShopFGL.com. To celebrate the partnership, fans that visit ShopFGL.com can use promo code GORYAN20 for 20 percent off their entire order.

Since 2012, FGL has earned prestigious honors from the AMAs, ACM Awards, CMA Awards, Billboard Music Awards and CMT Music Awards, plus left its mark on several chart-crushing songs as writers.

The duo were Billboard’s first-ever Trailblazer Award recipients.

The Kentucky event marks Truex’s second race of the 2019 season. His lone start for JRM came in March when he drove the No. 8 to the team’s season-best finish, a second-place effort at Phoenix Raceway.

The No. 8 is currently ranked 12th in owner points on the strength of four top-five and 11 top-10 finishes.

The Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway airs on Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.