Posted on by Staff Report

After being pushed back three times due to rain, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour teams were finally able to complete the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon.

Five-time series champion Doug Coby added to his already historic Stafford resume, winning his 12th career Whelen Modified Tour race at the Connecticut half-mile, but it didn’t come without a fierce battle to the finish.

Craig Lutz scored his best career finish with a runner-up finish in his near victorious effort, while former series champion Ron Silk continued his early-season success driving for Kevin Stuart Motorsports.

All of that and more in the Rapid Rewind from the fourth race of the Whelen Modified Tour season.

NAPA SPRING SIZZLER 200: Race Results | Race Recap | Point Standings

Coby’s Stafford Experience Shines Again

Doug Coby may not have been the fastest car on the track all weekend, but he found himself in a familiar place when the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 finally took the checkered flag.

The Milford, Connecticut, driver was inside the top three in all three of the practice sessions for the prestigious event, and qualified second, grabbing his third front row start in the first four races of the season.

When the green flag dropped, Coby ran the outside of polesitter Justin Bonsignore early, leading the first lap, but he quickly settled in for second, riding the back bumper of Bonsignore before the two leaders pitted and Chase Dowling took control at lap 65.

From there, it was a see-saw like ride for Coby, as he pitted during a caution on lap 78 for an adjustment, and multiple other times throughout the race to take fresh Hoosier rubber and Sunoco race fuel. He was at the point from laps 144-150, but after getting shuffled back in traffic following another pit stop, Coby regained the lead on lap 189, and never looked back.

It was Coby’s 30th overall win at Stafford, placing him tied for 18th on the all-time wins list with Fred Desarro. He’s been winning races at his home track for 20 years.

But this one wasn’t easy. Coby passed Lutz for the lead on lap 189, but the rising star didn’t go away easily, as Coby had to look in the rear-view mirror in the final circuits and hold his charge off.

“He is super aggressive, I watch him in traffic a lot and I was ready for him to sail it in,” Coby said of Lutz. “I drove really, really hard to keep him behind me.”

With the strategy in the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 one of the more difficult to master in Whelen Modified Tour competition, Coby wasn’t exactly sure what the race was going to bring. Teams can only take one tire per pit stop and can’t take any fuel in the same stop that they take tires; that required multiple stops during a caution if a team wanted more than one tire or tire and fuel. Fuel is a must in the 200-lap marathon.

“The car was good, we made a bunch of adjustments over the race and we took tires there at the end and all of the cautions were eating up laps, and I was thinking we weren’t going to have the time to get up front,” Coby said. “But we picked up three or four spots on a restart when Woody (Pitkat) and Timmy (Solomito) got together and once we got to the top five, it was no friends. I told my spotter that we had no friends… I didn’t want to wreck anyone, but we had tires, and we were coming. The car was as good as you could hope for.”

PHOTO GALLERY: NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 in Photos 

For Coby, winning the Sizzler for the fourth time is likely something he will never forget. He moves into a tie with Mike Stefanik for second all-time, trailing only the late Ted Christopher’s six Sizzler victories.

Coby won his first Sizzler in 2006 driving for Curt Chase, and in 2012 for Wayne Darling. The rest of them have come for Mike Smeriglio III Racing — a team he has now won four championships with in the last five years.

Right now, he’s off to a good start on his path towards returning to the top — leading the early championship standings by 17 points at the quarter-way point of the season.

“My guys did a great job on pit road, we came in a few more times than we wanted to in order to make adjustments and I stalled the car a few times down there, they will make fun of me for that,” Coby joked. “It’s really special to win the Sizzler. This is my home track. This is where I grew up racing, and it’s extra sweet to win races here.”

Lutz Comes Close To Breaking Through

Close, but no cigar quite yet for Craig Lutz.

The Miller Place, New York, driver showed speed throughout the entire NAPA Spring Sizzler 200, and was in prime position to score his first Whelen Modified Tour win, in the lead in the final laps. After being passed by Coby, he didn’t give up, but couldn’t quite get the run he needed.

It was the third time Lutz has been a bridesmaid in Whelen Modified Tour action — two of them coming in the last two events at the historic half-mile.

“Doug Coby is one of the best here, and if you are going to lose, that’s the guy you want to get beat by,” Lutz said. “It’s probably the most disappointing second place because I felt like everything played out and fell into our lap.”

Even though the run is certainly a confidence builder for Lutz and his entire Goodie Motorsports team, they already knew they could get the job done, they just felt like they needed a little bit of luck. Saturday, they had the luck they needed, and a strong LFR prepared Modified on their side.

“It was a really good rebound for my team,” Lutz said. “We struggled for the first few races to start the season.”

Lutzchasescoby

Dowling Falls Late After Dominating Middle Stage

Chase Dowling knew returning to Stafford Motor Speedway was going to be one of his best shots to return to Victory Lane.

He finished second at South Boston Speedway in March, and was quick to point out that his day at the Virginia oval was a shakedown to get the car ready for Stafford’s Spring Sizzler.

At the end of the day, that shakedown almost paid off.

Dowling started fourth, and ran third for the early stages, but when leaders pitted, Dowling stayed out and took control of the race, leading from lap 65 to 128, before it was time for him to make the move down pit road for tires. He took three during the caution for Chris Pasteryak wrecking on the backstretch, and then quickly blasted his way back through the field and took the lead back with ease from Ron Silk.

From there, the questions were swirling in the pit area about whether Dowling had another Sunoco race fuel to go the 200-lap distance — a task many didn’t think was going to be possible. In the end, Dowling rolled down pit road at lap 165, where many thought he would be taking fuel. But crew members took a dive under the car, looked at the left-rear, and sent Dowling back to the track.

It wasn’t just a few mere seconds later that Dowling was pulling down pit road and taking his race fuel, putting him in position to charge back through the field and try to blast back to the point.

But he didn’t have the chance.

Dowling quickly pulled down pit road, and behind the wall just after the green, while others crashed in turn four. The day was done for the Roxbury, Connecticut, driver.

“Class of the field today, we were fast,” Dowling said just after climbing from the car.

Dowlingclimbsout

“I just felt something vibrating apart,” Dowling he told Short Track Scene. “Ronnie Silk was behind us and reported to us that something was coming apart… If I had stayed out, I would‘ve lost a tire, lost the rear and killed the race car for no reason. There‘s no reason to do that when you‘re part-time.”

NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 Race Notebook:

  • Ron Silk, the 2011 Whelen Modified Tour champion, continues to shine driving the Kevin Stuart Motorsports No. 85. Silk was in prime position to grab his second win of the season, leading with just 17 laps to go. But after giving up the top spot, Silk was able to settle for third, adding his third straight podium in competition.
  • In his return to racing, Max Zachem showed no signs of having slowed down. After sliding under the radar much of the race, Zachem rolled through the field late because of his tire strategy, and took the No. 20 machine to a fourth-place finish. All of his efforts at the Sizzler were in memory of close friend Cliff Nelson, who recently passed.
  • Patrick Emerling, who finished seventh, scored his fourth top 10 finish in the first four races.
  • Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, and current leader, Sam Rameau, notched his first top 10 with an eighth-place finish.

Up Next

For the first time since 2007, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour teams will return to Wall Stadium in Wall Township, New Jersey, for the Jersey Shore 150 next Saturday evening.

Posted on by Staff Report

Two of the three NASCAR national series are headed to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will have six events live-streamed on NASCAR.com/live on Friday, May 17. These will include first and final practices for the Gander Trucks. Also, the Monster Energy Series will have first practice (combination Open and All-Star Race practice), final practice (Open), All-Star final practice, and All-Star pit road practice live-streamed.

The Gander Trucks will get things started at 9 a.m. ET. Bookmark NASCAR.com/live and don’t miss any of the action as the top drivers return to the track.

RELATED: Full All-Star Weekend Schedule

Once the Gander Trucks practices end, the Monster Energy Series will roll out at 11:30 a.m. ET for its first practice with a combination of drivers from the Open and All-Star Race.

Commentary from MRN will be available on the live stream.

To recap, here is the full schedule of on-track activities being streamed on NASCAR.com:
— 9:05-9:55 a.m., ET  NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series First Practice
— 10:35-11:25 a.m., ET NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Final Practice
— 11:35 a.m.-12:25 p.m., ET, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Practice (combination)
— 1:05-1:55 p.m., ET, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice (Open)
— 2:05-2:25 p.m.,ET, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, All Star Final Practice
— 2:35-2:55 p.m., ET, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, All Star Pit Road Practice

Fast Friday will kick off on FS1 and the FOX Sports App at 3 p.m. ET with Monster Energy Series All-Star final practice. That will be followed by NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition at 4 p.m. ET., Gander Outdoors Truck Series qualifying at 4:30 p.m. ET,  the Monster Energy Series Busch Pole Qualifying at 6 p.m. ET, NASCAR Raceday: Gander Outdoors Truck Series at 8 p.m. ET, and the night finishes off with the Gander Outdoors Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Then, tune in Saturday, May 18 for the Monster Energy Series All-Star Race on FS1 at 8 p.m. ET.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Editor’s note: This story was first published on April 17, 2019.

NASCAR is offering a potential look into the future with the technical specifications for the May 18 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), announced jointly by the sanctioning body and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The cars will feature two new technical elements that the sanctioning body may incorporate into the series’ Generation-7 stock car that is slated to debut in 2021. The event also will be five laps longer than the previous year’s running, increasing from 80 to 85 total laps split among four stages.

RELATED: Fan Vote now open

The first new technical component is a single-piece carbon fiber splitter/pan that is expected to offer dramatic improvements in ride-height sensitivity for competitors. The splitter also should provide a more stable aero platform and create a more consistent performance in traffic.

“We’re looking forward to bringing two major elements that we’re looking at and evaluating for our Gen-7 car,” Senior Vice President of Racing Innovation John Probst told NASCAR.com. “This will be a good chance for us to see this in real race conditions.

“ … Nowadays we have a flat splitter that has the teams chasing control of their ride heights a lot, which gets pretty expensive. It also makes the sweet spot, if you will, for the setup narrow. It’ll be very visible to the folks watching at home on TV or in the stands. The whole idea behind that is actually just trying to open up the window for a good setup for our teams.”

The second All-Star element requires cars to be configured with a radiator exit duct through the hood. This will separate aerodynamic performance and engine temperatures, creating more parity across the field.

“Throughout its history, the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race has provided a platform to try new and innovative ideas, some of which we have incorporated on a full-time basis,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “Last year’s All-Star rules package resulted in one of the most exciting All-Star races in history. With a similar package and added elements that we could see in the next generation race car, we expect another must-watch event.”

Graphic Charlotte All Star Rules

Last year’s race featured a rules package that incorporated higher downforce and special aero ducts, which led to 38 green-flag passes. Teams also used restrictor plates for the first time at Charlotte as well as a splitter borrowed from the 2014 rules package, a 2018 radiator pan and a 6-inch tall spoiler with two “ear” extensions measuring 12 inches wide. That rules package became the basis for the primary 2019 rules package.

The 2019 All-Star Race will have four stages, with a five-lap increase in the final stage from last year’s event. The stages will last 30 laps, 20 laps, 20 laps and 15 laps. Green- and yellow-flag laps will count in Stages 1-3, while only green-flag laps will count in the final stage.

NASCAR Overtime rules will be in effect for Stages 1-3. For the final stage, if the race is restarted with less than two laps remaining, there will be unlimited attempts at a green-white- checkered finish under green-flag conditions.

The showcase event has $1 million on the line for the race winner. Kevin Harvick is the defending race winner.

The Monster Energy Open will be held earlier that evening (6 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and will feature a three-stage format of 20 laps, 20 laps and 10 laps. The winner of each stage earns a spot in the All-Star Race.

To be eligible for the Monster Energy All-Star Race, a driver must have won a points-paying event in 2018 or 2019. The race is also open to full-time drivers who are former winners of the Monster Energy All-Star Race or past Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champions. Drivers who have yet to qualify can still earn their spot through the Monster Energy Open or the Fan Vote, which is now open on NASCAR.com.

RELATED: Cast your vote here!

To date, 15 drivers (listed alphabetically) have qualified for the event: Aric Almirola, Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr.

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

Sunday, May 12
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Digital Ally 250, FS1/FOX Sports App (re-air)
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Monster Energy Series Digital Ally 400, FS1/FOX Sports App (re-air)
3 p.m., The 600: History of NASCAR’s Toughest Race, FS1/FOX Sports App
4 p.m., NASCAR Monster Energy Series Digital Ally 400, FS1/FOX Sports App (re-air)

Monday, May 13
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App

On MRN
12:30 p.m., MRN Outloud

Tuesday, May 14
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App

On MRN
7 p.m., NASCAR Live 

Wednesday, May 15
Midnight, Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
7 p.m., One Hot Night: The 1992 All-Star Race, FS/FOX Sports App (re-air)

On MRN
Noon, NASCAR Coast to Coast
1 p.m., NASCAR Crew Call

Thursday, May 16
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App

Friday, May 17
3 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1/FOX Sports App (airing on tape delay)
4 p.m. NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FS1/FOX Sports App
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series qualifying, FS1/FOX Sports App
6 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Monster Energy Open qualifying, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN2)
7 p.m.,Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race qualifying, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN2)
8 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, FS1/FOX Sports App
8:30p.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200, FS1/FOX Sports App

On MRN
11:30 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star practice
12:30 p.m., The Off Axis Podcast
1 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star final practice
6 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying
8 p.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200

Saturday, May 18
4:30 a.m., One Hot Night: The 1992 All-Star Race, FS1/FOX Sports App (re-air)
5:30 a.m., 100,000 Cameras: NASCAR All-Star Race (re-air)
6 a.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200, FS1/FOX Sports App (re-air)
5 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: All-Star Open, FS1/FOX Sports App
6 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Monster Energy Open, FS1/FOX Sports App, (Canada TSN3)
7 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: All-Star Race, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada TSN3/TSN4)
8 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race, FS1/FOX Sports App

On MRN
5:30 p.m.,  NASCAR Monster Energy Series Open and All-Star Race 

Sunday, May 19
1 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race, FS2/FOX Sports App (re-air)
10 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race, FS1/FOX Sports App (re-air)

Posted on by Staff Report

The race-winning No. 2 Team Penske Ford of Brad Keselowski has passed post-race inspection at Kansas Speedway with no major issues.

The No. 2 Ford was found to be compliant with the 2019 NASCAR Rule Book after Saturday’s Digital Ally 400. Additionally, the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of runner-up Alex Bowman and No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Erik Jones also cleared inspection with no issues.

One lug nut not safe and secure on the No. 2 car was the only hiccup for the race-winning team. The No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Quin Houff was also found with one lug nut not safe and secure. Per the NASCAR Rule Book, the penalty will result in $10,000 fines for respective crew chiefs, but official penalties won’t be handed out until later in the week.

RELATED: Race results | Full All-Star schedule

The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Chase Elliott will also go back to the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina for further evaluation.

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

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 scrutiny. 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

Alex Bowman’s streak of runner-up finishes reached three Saturday night at Kansas Speedway as Brad Keselowski foiled his bid for his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory.

RELATED: Race results | Keselowski prevails

Bowman’s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet finished .205 seconds behind Keselowski’s Team Penske No. 2 Ford at the finish of the Digital Ally 400. His run of second-place finishes now stretches over a three-week span — Talladega to Dover to Saturday’s event at Kansas.

Bowman led 63 laps, all but one of those coming in the final stage. Keselowski, however, closed in and grabbed the lead for the final time on the 261st of 271 laps. Bowman briefly allowed Erik Jones’ No. 20 Toyota to slip by for second place before regaining the stop in overtime.

“We had a really good car, I just made bad decisions going through lap traffic on lane choice,” Bowman said. “They stayed where I needed to run. I should have gone high and I shouldn’t have picked the middle like I did. I just had to lift and let the 2 and the 20 drive right around me. I’m pretty frustrated with myself. There was no way around that, that was a bad mistake on my part. We’ll go home and get them next week.”

Bowman remains winless in 129 starts in NASCAR’s top series, but counted the result as part of a recent performance gain for the Rick Hendrick-owned organization. Three of four Hendrick drivers led laps in Saturday night’s race, and three Hendrick drivers placed among the top six at the checkered flag.

“It’s absolutely a good day for everyone at Hendrick Motorsports,” Bowman said. “We all had really competitive cars and we really appreciate everyone’s hard work to continue to build our cars and continue to get better like we have. It was a really good day. My family is from here, so it would have been pretty cool. Probably the two closest times I have been to winning was my hometown and my dad’s hometown, so it’s just frustrating. We will get one soon.”

The last driver to net runner-up finishes in three consecutive races was Kyle Larson, who finished second at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix early in the 2017 season. No driver has ever landed three straight runner-up results before scoring his first career Monster Energy Series win.

Posted on by Staff Report

An overtime clash for position spilled over into a heated post-race chat for Clint Bowyer and Erik Jones on Saturday night at Kansas Speedway.

Jones got the better of Bowyer in the finishing order for the Digital Ally 400, taking third place behind race winner Brad Keselowski as Bowyer drove home fifth. But a blocking maneuver by Jones as the final lap began drew the ire of Bowyer, who pulled his No. 14 Ford alongside to brush Jones’ No. 20 Toyota on the cool-down lap.

RELATED: Keselowski rallies at Kansas

The cooling-down part was far from complete after the two pulled to pit road, and Bowyer made his complaints known beside Jones’ driver’s window.

“It’s just, what are you going to do? Turn him right in front of the field and hurt him?” Bowyer told FOX Sports post-race. “I mean, he puts you in a bad situation. I lifted for him and it cost me three spots right there. We should’ve finished second. Everybody knows that. That was dumb on his part. I guess that’s what he wants, just go down and wreck him in front of the field. I mean, you’ve got a run like that, you don’t just move up. I should’ve just wrecked him, I guess.”

Jones had a different point of view.

“I’d be mad if I was him, but it’s just racing,” Jones said. “I’ve been blocked a lot, especially with this package and I haven’t done a lot of blocking, so you have to get aggressive and fight for every position. That’s all I was doing at the end of the race. We were taking the white flag and you’re going for it. It’s unfortunate. You don’t want people upset, but feelings are going to get hurt and you’ll move on and we’ll be fine next week.”

Jones matched his best finish of the season, equaling the third-place result he posted in the Daytona 500 in February. Bowyer’s fifth-place effort marked his fourth top-five finish of the year.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — At the end of a thrilling victory in Saturday night’s Digital Ally 400 at Kansas Speedway, race winner Brad Keselowski’s first thoughts sped to the truck owner who helped further his career.

“I just want to dedicate this win to Mike Mittler,” Keselowski said of the man for whom he drove for two NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series races in 2006. “You know, he helped a lot of guys in their career, and I was one of them. He passed away yesterday. It’s just a huge loss to the NASCAR community.

“He was one of those unsung heroes that works in the garage. He gave his whole life to this sport, and there’s so many of those guys and so many of those fans. It hurts to see those guys go away.”

Keselowski’s other emotion was joy. In a two-lap overtime shootout, he beat Alex Bowman to the finish line by .205 seconds, as the race went four laps beyond its scheduled 267. The victory was Keselowski’s third of the season — matching Kyle Busch for most in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series — his second at Kansas and the 30th of his career.

RELATED: Race results | Stage recaps
SHOP: Keselowski gear

With fresher tires, thanks to a pit stop under caution on Lap 241, the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford grabbed the lead from Bowman on Lap 261, building momentum down the backstretch and passing the No. 88 Chevrolet to the outside through Turns 3 and 4.

“What a great day. On the (last) restart, I just got a great launch and Alex Bowman — he’s going to win a race. He did a great job today. We had a little bit of fresher tires than he did (to facilitate the lead change before overtime), and we were able to make the move on the outside there and caught everything perfect.

“I’m just so thankful.”

Saturday’s race was the first under the lights with the new higher-downforce, lower-horsepower competition package NASCAR introduced this year.

“I’m a little biased because I’m parked in Victory Lane, but this was an awesome race today,” Keselowski said. “This rules package is really made for tracks like Kansas Speedway, and I think the fans saw a great one today.”

The runner-up finish was Bowman’s third straight, following second-place runs at Talladega and Dover.

“Just made some bad calls there through lapped traffic and got tied off, had to lift, and then the 2 (Keselowski) was able to drive around us,” Bowman said. “Wish we were standing here with three wins in a row, and things could have gone differently, and that could be the case, but we’ll keep digging next week and try to go get in the All-Star (Race), go win the All-Star and then go try to win the (Coca-Cola) 600.”

Erik Jones ran third, followed by Stage 2 winner Chase Elliott and Clint Bowyer. Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher completed the top 10.

Pole winner Kevin Harvick led a race-high 105 laps and won the first stage, but Harvick brought the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to pit road on Lap 180 with what he thought was a flat right front tire. The unscheduled stop cost Harvick a lap, which he didn’t recover until Lap 244 as the highest-scored lapped car under caution for debris in Turn 2.

Harvick finished 13th behind Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Aric Almirola.

Kyle Busch was battling with the front-runners after a Lap 245, but contact with Bowyer’s Ford cut a tire on Busch’s No. 18 Toyota, forcing him to pit road and ending his record-tying streak of top-10 finishes to start the season at 11. Busch came home 30th, three laps down.

Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Elliott landed a Stage 2 victory in Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, foiling Kevin Harvick’s bid for a stage sweep at Kansas Speedway.

Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet set the pace for 26 of the first 160 laps. He grabbed the top spot after a sequence of green-flag pit stops midway through the stage.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Once pit service for the field was complete, Elliott led the final 16 laps to bag his second stage win of the season in the Digital Ally 400.

Harvick, who started from the Busch Pole and led 88 of the first 160 laps, was second at the conclusion of Stage 2 in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford. Erik Jones was third, with Alex Bowman and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounding out the top five.

Chris Buescher waited longer to come to pit road, leading 10 laps just past the stage’s midpoint. The time spent out front marked the first laps led by the JTG Daugherty Racing driver this season.

The full scheduled distance is 267 laps.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 10
2 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing 8
4 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 7
5 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing 6
6 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing 5
7 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing 4
8 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 3
9 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 2
10 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing 1

STAGE 1

Pole-starter Kevin Harvick scooted to an opening-stage win Saturday night at Kansas Speedway, securing the green-checkered flag early on in the Digital Ally 400.

RESULTS: Stage 1 results

Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford led 54 of the opening 80 laps and secured his third stage win of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. He gave up the lead twice after making a pair of pit stops, but took the lead to stay on Lap 73.

Chase Elliott wound up second in the opening stage, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Kyle Larson and Kurt Busch completing the top five.

Harvick started from the Busch Pole and led the opening 32 laps until a pit-stop exchange during a scheduled competition caution. Harvick’s No. 4 Ford dropped back to 10th place after a four-tire stop, handing the lead to William Byron, who joined eight others in taking just two new tires under the yellow flag.

With the benefit of fresher rubber, Harvick vaulted from 10th to fourth in one lap off the restart, then charged past SHR teammate Clint Bowyer’s No. 14 Ford to complete Lap 49.

WATCH: Harvick goes from 10th to first

Denny Hamlin spun with 20 laps remaining in the opening stage to trigger the only other caution period in the stage. Harvick pitted again, briefly ceding the lead to Chase Elliott before passing him late in the opening stage.

Bowyer was credited with leading 12 of the opening 80 laps. Elliott led nine, Byron set the pace for four laps, and Kyle Busch was ahead for one lap.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 10
2 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 9
3 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing 8
4 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing 7
5 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing 6
6 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing 5
7 Brad Keselowski Team Penske 4
8 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 3
9 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing 2
10 Joey Logano Team Penske 1
Posted on by RJ Kraft

Kevin Harvick will start from the Busch Pole in Sunday’s Digital Ally 400 at Kansas Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Should you ignore a potential lack of uses and go all-in with the defending race winner at the 1.5-mile track on your Fantasy Live lineup? We’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration.

PLAY NOW: Set your lineup | How the game works | Tips to set your lineup

Remember that the garage locks at the end of Stage 2. Once the final stage starts, your roster is locked in.

RJ Kraft’s Fantasy Live lineup for race day at Kansas:
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Alex Bowman
3. Kurt Busch
4. Erik Jones
5. Clint Bowyer
Garage: Ryan Blaney

RELATED: Odds for Kansas | 10-lap averages | Podcast: Fantasy Fastlane
MORE: Which cars lost their starting spots?

Analysis: I had to rip up most of my planned plays following the inspection failures of Daniel Suarez, Aric Almirola, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. All of them were going to be in my lineup, but let’s not dwell on the negative. Let’s focus on the opportunity that provides others to drive into my race-day lineup.

Harvick has been in a class by himself as he led the 15- and 20-lap board (h/t@mikejoy500) and is the defending race winner. I understand the usage concerns here, but if you have six or more left, he’s a must-start. At five, I’d still play him — four is where I’d draw the line. Another option is to stack your bonus picks with the 4 car in an effort to save a use if you are low on how much you have left for Harvick. For me, I’m at five uses left and he’ll be in my lineup and will be manning all my bonus picks. Bowman was in my planned lineup at the start of the week and I’ve seen nothing to change that thinking. Bowman was fifth and fourth on the 15- and 20-lap boards. Add in his back-to-back runner-up finishes, a solid Kansas history of late and plenty of uses left to me and he’s a solid play.

The biggest bugaboo for Kurt Busch has been a starting spot, but the inspection failures move him to ninth in the lineup and he’s been solid all year on 1.5-mile tracks. Jones has been up and down all year, but I like taking advantage of a sixth-place starting spot with him, especially when he had the fifth-most points at this track last year. I’m not crazy about playing Bowyer, but it’s hard to argue against a second-place starting position and the No. 14’s 10-lap averages were good. I said on the podcast he was an avoid for me, but the allure of stage points following all the inspection woes is too great to pass up. Keselowski was also a consideration, but I want to be a bit mindful of my usage on him since I am throwing it to the wind with Harvick.

For my garage play, I’m going to go with Blaney. I like the Kansas history and the lap averages were solid in final practice. He moves up to start 13th and I like the speed he had over, say, Denny Hamlin or Jimmie Johnson. William Byron is also a sneaky play here as he’ll start third, but I’m reluctant to trust him back-to-back weeks after a solid result at Dover.

Almirola has had plenty of speed all weekend, but at just five uses left, I don’t want to risk using him when he starts at the back. I like Larson and the speed he’s shown as well, but I think he’s more likely to make a mistake flying up from the back and that’s a risk I’d rather not take. Suarez misses my lineup because he’s not nearly as attractive a play starting in the back quarter of the field as opposed to when he’s slated to start fourth. If Truex’s lap averages were better, I’d have no problem righting a wrong I committed at Dover and sticking him in the garage. However, those lap averages were pretty pedestrian and that leads me toward sitting him.

Each week in this space, we’ll also highlight two Props Challenge items for players.

MORE: Play the Props Challenge today

1. Kurt Busch has an average finish of 10.5 the last six races at Kansas. Will he finish in the top 10 on Saturday? Initially, I was leaning no on this at the start of the week. However, the 2004 champion qualified ninth and has performed well on 1.5-mile tracks this season — a perfect 3-for-3 in top 10s so far. Given the long run speed he has shown as well, this seems like a solid yes.

2. O/U 19.5 lead-lap finishers at Kansas. I’m going under here for two main reasons. The three races contested on 1.5-mile tracks so far this year have seen an average of 16.7 cars finish on the lead lap and the high for one race was 18. The past three Kansas spring night races have averaged 19 lead-lap finishes with the over being hit just once. The numbers and trends indicate the under and there’s where I’m going.