Posted on by Kenny Bruce

BRISTOL, Tenn. — It was a frustrating day for pole winner Chase Elliott as the Hendrick Motorsports driver lost the power steering in his No. 9 Chevrolet barely 20 laps into the race, then was involved in an incident just shy of the halfway point of the 500-lap race.

MORE: Official Bristol results

Despite the setbacks, he was still contending for a spot in the top 10 when his car hit the wall with less than 70 laps remaining. He led the first 38 laps of the race, finished 11th and on the lead lap, but saw a good day otherwise ruined.

“Definitely not what we started out hoping for,” he admitted. “We got turned late in the race, that was about it. We fell behind from there.

“I had a great car, even without the power steering.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Busch’s racing-winning No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has passed post-race inspection with no issues at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The No. 18 Toyota was found to be compliant with the 2019 NASCAR Rule Book following Sunday’s Food City 500. With the post-race teardown complete, the race results are official.

RELATED: Race results | Full schedule for Richmond

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Denny Hamlin (fifth-place finisher) and the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. (17th-place finisher) each was found to have one lug nut not safe and secure. According to the guidelines in the rule book, the infraction should result in a fine this week for those team’s crew chiefs.

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 to evaluate technical trends, 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 Zack Albert

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Ryan Blaney locked horns with Ryan Newman at Bristol Motor Speedway and survived to tell the tale.

A full-contact Sunday afternoon back-and-forth between them in the late going of the Food City 500 ended with both Ryans sharing a post-race laugh about it on pit road. The good-natured ribbing and squeeze of the shoulders was easier to stomach after both salvaged top-10 finishes on a day of survival at the rugged Tennessee half-mile.

MORE: Full Bristol results

With 72 laps to go, Blaney’s Team Penske No. 12 Ford carried momentum up into Newman’s Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford at the exit of Turn 2. The two Mustangs collided, and Newman’s car scraped against the outside retaining wall. A handful of laps later, Newman gave Blaney’s car a substantial nudge in retaliation, but both continued without further incident.

“I told him if he’s going to listen to his spotter, he might as well just take the mirror out of the car,” Newman said post-race, delivering hard-edged comments that were softened by a wide grin. “Just cut me off on the back straightaway, kind of hurt both of us. But it was hard racing, I guess that happens at Bristol. It just sucks when it happens to you.”

Later — and importantly, still smiling — Newman said that the contact could be chalked up to both Blaney and the Bristol’s rambunctious brand of racing. “Both. You expect more out of that, and out of him especially,” he said. “If it was a rookie, it’s one thing. But his spotter can’t drive the car, and his spotter’s got to see those runs, too.”

Blaney explained that Josh Williams, his spotter, wasn’t to blame.

“Yeah, I put him in the fence off of (turn) two on accident. I tried to clear him myself,” Blaney said. “Just racing hard on a restart and my spotter said he was still out there, but I stayed on the gas trying to clear him myself. I fenced him and I felt bad about that. He got me back. He fenced me off the frontstretch, so that’s hard racing.

“Me and Ryan have always raced each other really good. I’ve looked up to him for a long time, and it’s nice you can have a laugh about it and joke about it and not be pissed about it, so it was my fault. I just tried to clear myself.”

Blaney and Newman persevered, though both had realistic chances of placing higher on the scoring pylon. Blaney finished fourth, despite leading a race-high 158 of the 500 laps. And Newman grabbed his best finish of the season in ninth, overcoming a penalty for improper fueling on a Lap 435 pit stop.

Blaney’s effort was his fourth top-five result in the last five races. His post-race lament was his difficulty in adjusting to the variable track conditions on the rough concrete surface.

“I kind of run into this all the time here,” Blaney said. “We’re good early and then I can’t figure out kind of what I need to do to get better as the track rubbers up. Joey’s really good at it. I thought he had the best car probably. The track rubbers in and gosh, I just need to do something different there. Overall not a bad day. We were up there all race and just trying to keep up with the track. The track was really racy today from bottom to top. I thought it put on a really good show.”

Newman’s season-best marks a high point in his first year with the Roush Fenway No. 6 team, which spent time among the top five before the slight fade near the end.

“We had a car that was probably better than what we ran all day,” Newman said. “We just kind of got caught up there. Don’t know what happened with the penalty on pit road there. Need an explanation for that, but either way, good day for us. …

“I don’t know. I’ve put in a lot of work before and not gotten rewards, so just proud of the guys. They did a good job on pit road, even with the penalty. We’ll just keep digging.”

Posted on by Kenny Bruce

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Kyle Busch wasn’t the only driver to overcome adversity during Sunday’s running of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

But he was the only one to end up in Victory Lane.

The race winner was involved in a multi-car crash on the second lap of the 500-lap affair, sustaining damage to the rear of his car. But he patiently worked his way back through the field. He took his first lead at lap 384.

The key to the win came late – Busch collected his third win of the season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and his eighth overall at Bristol Motor Speedway when he chose track position over fresh tires during the 11th and final caution of the race.

RELATED: Official race results
SHOP: Kyle Busch gear

“I don’t know, we’re crazy; we just do what we do (to) try to win,” the driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing said after climbing from his entry on the frontstretch.

The final run to the checkered flag was set up after Kyle Larson got into the wall with less than 25 laps remaining to bring out the yellow flag. Joey Logano and Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski, running 1-2, hit pit road, as did several others in the lead pack.

But Busch, along with older brother Kurt, opted to stay out, along with Daniel Suarez and Paul Menard to restart first through fourth when the field went back to green with just 14 laps remaining.

“It’s pretty awesome to be able to snooker those guys, get our win today here at Bristol,” the younger Busch said. “I love this place.

“It was fun to battle out the brother there at the end. I know we didn’t quite get the side-by-side racing it out; I saw him looking at the top. I’m like, ‘I better go.’ I got up there, was able to make some ground.”

“It was a no-brainer for us,” crew chief Adam Stevens said afterward when asked about the call not to bring his driver to pit road.

Busch also paid tribute to three-time series champion and FOX NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip, who won 12 times at the Tennessee venue.

“It ain’t 12, that’s for sure,” Busch said of his win total at BMS. “So I’ve got more to go.”

RELATED: Drama unfolds in Stage 1 | Amirola drags jack stand on track

There were issues on the final restart, Keselowski was penalized for failing to follow a NASCAR directive, but none for the front two.

Logano, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin completed the top five.

Menard, Clint Bowyer, Suarez, Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson were sixth through 10th, respectively.

“I really wanted to beat him,” Kurt Busch said of the battle with his brother. “I was going to wreck him. … He already won (this year). I figure he could give a little love to his brother. I wanted that one bad. …

“I’m happy that we were in position to do it. This group of guys, we’re not quite ready to win yet, but that was close.”

The win was Busch’s 54th overall in the series. His previous wins this season came at ISM (Phoenix) Raceway and Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California

He led 71 laps, including the final 19. He also overcame an early spin that saw his Toyota swept up in a five-car incident on just the second lap of the 500-lap race.

The race was the eighth of the season; all eight have been won by drivers from either the Joe Gibbs Racing or Team Penske camps.

It was a battle reminiscent of past contests held at Bristol, with plenty of contact as well as lead changes. Blaney was the lap leader at 158 while Logano paced the field for 146.

Ty Dillon was a surprising winner of the opening stage, edging Bowyer with a last-lap pass. Logano won the second stage.

Several teams, including those of Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr., battled loose wheel issues. Others were merely forced to deal with damage typically associated with the close-quarters racing that has been the norm at BMS.

Posted on by Staff Report

Family is family but racing is racing and Kurt Busch left no doubt what he would have done to eventual race winner and younger brother Kyle Busch if given the chance in the final few laps of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“That one was tough,” Kurt Busch told FS1’s Jamie Little after the race on pit road. “I really wanted to beat him. I was going to wreck him. I was wanting to stay close enough so that when we took the white (flag) I was going to just drive straight into 3 and 4. I mean he’s already won. I figured he could give a little love to his brother.”

“I wanted that one bad. I feel like him right now. I’m all mad because I didn’t win.”

RELATED: Kyle Busch beats brother to win at Bristol | Official race results

Kyle was able to take a playful jab back at Kurt in the media center after Kurt paid a visit to Victory Lane to congratulate Kyle … and to tell him he was planning on wrecking him if he had the chance.

“I told him you can’t tell people you’re going to wreck them before you do it because when the roles are reversed, that person is going to wreck you because you already told them that you were going to wreck them,” Kyle said sarcastically.

The Busch brothers were 1-2 as both stayed out under caution while the lead twosome of Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski pitted prior to coming to what was the final restart with 15 to go. The brothers stayed 1-2 through to the finish. Kurt’s runner-up finish stands as his third top five and sixth top 10 of the season. The runner-up is also the third straight for Chip Ganassi Racing at the 0.533-mile track.

The 1-2 finish among the Busch brothers is the second such finish for the duo. The previous and only other time it occurred was in 2015 at Sonoma when Kyle Busch scored his first victory after breaking his leg at Daytona four months earlier.

The Busch brothers have 14 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins between them at Bristol as Kyle has eight and Kurt has six. They have also combined to win the last four races at Bristol.

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

Monday, April 8
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7 p.m., NASCAR Racing: Whelen Series: South Boston Speedway, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
8 p.m., NASCAR K&N Series West: NAPA Auto Parts 150, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

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

Tuesday, April 9
5 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
8 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 (re-air), FS2/FOX Sports App

On MRN:
9 a.m., The Tough Trucks of NASCAR: Episode 8
7 p.m., NASCAR Live

Wednesday, April 10
5 p.m., NASCAR America: Motormouths Call In, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
7 p.m., The Adventures of Janet Guthrie (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App

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

Thursday, April 11
4 p.m., NASCAR K&N Series East: Zombie Auto 150, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m. NASCAR America: Motorsports Hour, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
7 p.m., Unrivaled: Earnhardt vs. Gordon (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App

Friday, April 12
3 p.m., NASCAR RaceHub: Weekend Edition, FS1/FOX Sports App
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
4:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceHub: Weekend Edition, FS1/FOX Sports App
5:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole qualifying, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN2)
6:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity Series, FS1/FOX Sports App
7 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: ToyotaCare 250, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN2)

On MRN:
8 a.m., ToyotaCare 250 final practice
11 a.m., Toyota Owners 400 practice
12:30 p.m., The Off Axis Podcast
1 p.m., Toyota Owners 400 final practice
5:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole qualifying
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250

Saturday, April 13
Midnight, NASCAR Xfinity Series: ToyotaCare 250 (re-air), FS2/FOX Sports App
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250 (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
3 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1/FOX Sports App
7 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FOX/FOX Sports App
7:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400, FOX/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN1)

On MRN:
6:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400

Sunday, April 14
3 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App

Posted on by Staff Report

Joey Logano led most of the way in Stage 2 to score his third stage win of the season. Logano took the lead for good at Lap 145 from Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski, who finished fourth in the stage. Their third teammate, Ryan Blaney, finished second in the stage.

Ryan Newman took third, while Kyle Busch finished fifth — the two non-Penske drivers in the top five.

Martin Truex Jr. had to pit in the closing moments of Stage 2 as a loose wheel dropped him from the top three to 24th and two laps down.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Joey Logano Team Penske 10
2 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 9
3 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing 8
4 Brad Keselowski Team Penske 7
5 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 6
6 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing 5
7 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing 4
8 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 3
9 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing 2
10 Daniel Suarez Stewart-Haas Racing 1

Stage 1 recap

Ty Dillon edged out Clint Bowyer for the Stage 1 win in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Both drivers stayed out under a late caution for the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Daniel Hemric, but Dillon was able to get a lead on Bowyer with two to go in the stage and hold on to it despite the bumping and banging for the stage win.

Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano finished third and fourth, respectively, with Jimmie Johnson taking fifth in the stage.

RELATED: Stage 1 results 

The early portion of Stage 1 saw plenty of action. A caution came out right after Lap 1 was completed for a spin involving Kyle Busch. The incident also sent Aric Almirola to the garage and brought an early end to his day. That caution saved Kevin Harvick, who was serving a pass-thru penalty for a failing pre-race inspection three times, from going multiple laps down at the time.

Polesitter Chase Elliott went for spin on the backstretch on Lap 39 as he couldn’t entirely avoid Ryan Preece, who had spun just before that. Afterward, Elliott reported issues with his power steering on the No. 9 Chevrolet. Before the caution, Elliott had led every lap of the stage.

Loose wheels sent Erik Jones and Kyle Larson down pit road for unscheduled pit stops during the opening stage.

RELATED: Early wreck ends Almirola’s day

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Ty Dillon Germain Racing 10
2 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3 Brad Keselowski Team Penske 8
4 Joey Logano Team Penske 7
5 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 6
6 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 5
7 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 4
8 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing 3
9 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 2
10 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 1
Posted on by Staff Report

It didn’t take long for mayhem to strike in Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

William Byron and Aric Almirola were fighting for third position after the green flag waved when Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro got loose, slamming into the side of Almirola’s No. 10 Ford Mustang, sending the Stewart-Haas Racing driver into the outside wall.

RELATED: Race leaderboard

“The 24 just got loose under me,” Almirola said of the incident. “He struggled to get going on the initial start. He spun his tires and then was just loose and out of control that whole first lap. When we went down in Turn 1 he lost it under me and wiped us out. I’m pretty frustrated.  You work all weekend, all week getting ready for the event and to make it one lap is kind of uncalled for, so I’m disappointed, frustrated, but life goes on. We’ll go to Richmond.”

Almirola chalked up what happened to Byron’s inexperience — the Hendrick Motorsports driver is in his second year of Cup duty.

“I think he started to panic because he started to lose spots on the start because he spun his tires on the start, and probably a little bit over his head with the tire pressures and everything not coming up and he just lost it,” Almirola said. “He got loose underneath me, lost it and ran right into the side of us and wrecked us. Part of that comes with experience, I guess, but, either way, it doesn’t change the outcome for us today.”

That incident wreaked havoc for Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as things stacked up deeper in the field. Stenhouse Jr. was unable to slow his No. 17 Ford Mustang quick enough, slamming into the back of Busch’s No. 18 Toyota Camry. The contact sent Busch for a slide down the frontstretch, leaving heavy damage on both Stenhouse Jr.’s front bumper and Busch’s rear bumper. Busch started the race in 17th, while Stenhouse Jr. took off from the 19th position.

Almirola went to the garage and was done for the day while Byron, Busch and Stenhouse remained in the race, though Stenhouse was multiple laps down.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

THOMPSON, Conn. — Justin Bonsignore has become the modern day master of Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.

The Holtsville, New York, driver scored his fifth straight NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win at Thompson on Sunday afternoon in the Icebreaker 150. The victory allowed Bonsignore to become the first driver in the history of Whelen Modified Tour action at the historic Connecticut oval to win five straight.

It was the 10th career Thompson win for the defending series champion, and his 21st overall.

“We’ve had speed at every race so far,” Bonsignore said. “I just said that we had to put together a full race and execute. You have to have a little bit of luck to go your way, and we finally got some this year.”

RACING-REFERENCE: Icebreaker 150 Race Results

After Doug Coby won his second Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Award and led the first 107 laps, the race took a turn for Bonsignore when the field slowed for a caution at lap 99. Bonsignore followed Coby down pit road for fresh tires, and although Coby did beat him off pit road, a penalty for running over his air hose sent Coby to the rear of the field.

While Coby fought back to finish fifth, Bonsignore took the advantage for the restart, and held off South Boston Speedway winner Ron Silk during a green-white-checkered finish to continue his Thompson dominance.

Coby and Bonsignore paced the entire weekend, running first and second, in that order, for both practice sessions and qualifying.

“It would have been a good race, neither one of us would have given an inch, I know that,” Bonsignore said of what would have been with Coby. “We were so close all weekend. I’ve won a bunch here and some of them are just on luck. You have to put yourself in position, and my team always does.”

Silk, who qualified ninth, got back to the track in third following the pit stop, and when Coby was sent to the tail, the former series champion was in position for his second place effort.

“Things are going good,” Silk said. “It’s nice to get a win and back that up with a second today. It’s good for the guys on the team. They are all pumped up.”

Eric Goodale was third, while Patrick Emerling and Coby, who was able to work his way back up through the field, completed the top five. After three races, Coby holds a slim seven point lead in the Whelen Modified Tour championship standings.

Burt Myers was sixth, followed by Matt Swanson, Woody Pitkat, Chris Pasteryak and Jimmy Blewett.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to the track as part of the NAPA Spring Sizzler at Stafford Motor Speedway on April 28.

THOMPSON, CT - APRIL 7: Justin Bonsignore, driver of the #51 Phoenix Communications Inc. Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Icebreaker 150 on April 7, 2019 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Thompson, Connecticut. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)

Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford will start from the rear and serve a pass-through penalty in Sunday’s Food City 500 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM) at Bristol Motor Speedway after three failures in pre-race inspection. NASCAR also ejected No. 4 engineer Billy Kuebler from the garage.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Fantasy advice

The team will also serve a 30-minute practice hold next weekend at Richmond Raceway. The team passed inspection on its fourth time through.

Rodney Childers, crew chief for the No. 4 Ford, explained the car’s technical issues Sunday afternoon before walking to the team’s pit box.

“I’ve seen some other people get roped into that the last few years. We’ve personally never went through it,” Childers said. “We went through the first time and the right-rear camber was .03 of a degree too much, so we went back and changed the sleeve to fix the camber, didn’t adjust anything else, didn’t even put the car on jack stands. We went back down there and right-rear toe was wrong by .01 of a degree. Came back up here and moved the truck-arm slug and fixed that, then got back down there and the left-rear camber was wrong. The left-rear camber hasn’t even been close all weekend, so I don’t know.

“It seems like once you fail one time, it’s easy to get roped into things changing every time you go through and the inconsistencies with that whole deal.”

Kevin Harvick qualified 13th for Sunday’s race and he led 10-lap averages in second practice. In 36 starts at Bristol in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Harvick has two victories and 19 top-10 finishes.

The pass-through penalty will cost Harvick a spot among the lead-lap cars, leaving him 500 laps to regain the ground. Childers said he was not concerned  with the car’s speed.

“I’ll talk to you after the race,” he told reporters with a grin.