Posted on by Reid Spencer

AVONDALE, Ariz. — For Clint Bowyer, it’s all about getting better at a track and on a weekend when he has to be the absolute best.

Bowyer is still alive in the race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship — but just barely. After a 21st-place finish at Martinsville to start the Round of 8 and a problem-laden 26th-place result at Texas last Sunday, Bowyer has only one way to advance to the Championship 4 Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Quite simply, he must win Sunday’s Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The way the weekend started for Bowyer, that possibility seemed remote at best.

The No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford struggled in Friday’s opening practice, posting the 19th-fastest lap. In knockout qualifying that afternoon, Bowyer nailed down the 16th starting spot for Sunday’s race.

MORE: Full qualifying results | Monster Energy Series standings

“I felt like we definitely improved from our practice,” Bowyer said. “Unfortunately, our result didn’t show much for it, but I think the car responded to some of the things that we changed going into qualifying for the better.

“Here, it’s all about the long runs and getting settled in and being good, having a good medium, middle-ground balance between these drastically different corners. (Turns) 1 and 2 are a lot different than 3 and 4, and you’ve got to have that balance. You’ve got to have a happy medium there.”

Bowyer’s approach to Sunday’s race will be as simple and straightforward as his mission — to get to the front and stay there. Bowyer concedes that an off-the-wall strategy isn’t likely to accomplish that objective.

“At the end of the day, stage points lead to good results,” Bowyer said. “Everybody wants stage points, because, if you’re getting stage points, you’re running up front, and you’ve got a shot at winning. That’s the way it is.

“If there’s some sort of opportunity that opens up, of course we’re going to take it at all costs, but at the end of the day, the reason people want stage points is because you’re running up front where you need to be running and in position to win the race.”

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

AVONDALE, Ariz. — The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs contender Christopher Bell failed pre-qualifying inspection three times Saturday morning at ISM Raceway.

As a result, the team will lose its car chief (Chris Sherwood) and start at the rear of the field for Saturday’s Whelen Trusted to Perform 200 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Xfinity playoff standings | Full Phoenix schedule

Bell currently sits seventh in the playoff standings, 34 points below the cutline heading into the final elimination race to set the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 17. Cole Custer is the only playoff driver locked in, leaving three spots up for grabs.

“Well the good thing is Homestead isn’t decided on where we start, it’s decided on where we finish,” Bell told NBCSN after the penalty was handed down. “We have 200 laps, which is an eternity, especially with what I grew up doing in sprint-car racing. We have a bunch of pit stops in there and a really fast race car to make it up. So, I think we’ll be fine.”

MORE: Who’s in bubble trouble in the Xfinity Series?

The No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford of Ty Majeski also failed pre-qualifying inspection three times. Majeski will start at the rear and his car chief (Zach Marquardt) has been ejected.

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick led the way to a Saturday sweep of Monster Energy Series practices, capping his show of speed with a chart-topping lap in final practice at ISM Raceway in Phoenix.

Harvick, who claimed the Busch Pole in Friday’s qualifying, secured a 135.125 mph lap in the final 50-minute session. Harvick will start first in Sunday’s Can-Am 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in search of his 10th career victory at the 1-mile Arizona oval.

RELATED: Harvick wins pole | Final practice results

Harvick is competing the next two weeks without crew chief Rodney Childers and car chief Cheddar Smith, both suspended as part of L1-level penalties against the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 team after last weekend’s win at Texas. Veteran crew chief Tony Gibson and interim car chief Nick DeFazio will fill in for the last two races of the season.

Brad Keselowski collected the second-fastest speed in the final session, clocking a 134.484 mph lap in the Team Penske No. 2 Ford. Kyle Busch, Erik Jones and Martin Truex Jr. went third through fifth, all in Toyotas.

Five of the eight remaining championship-eligible drivers were in the top 10 on the final practice leaderboard. The field of four title contenders for the Nov. 18 Homestead-Miami Speedway finale will be determined after Sunday’s 312-lapper.

Paul Menard crashed with less than one minute remaining in the practice session. His Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford spun and made heavy left-side contact with the outside retaining wall in Turn 3.

The first incident of final practice occurred 12 minutes in, when a small fire flashed under the hood of the Roush Fenway Racing No. 17 Ford of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Three teams had time deducted at the end of final practice:

  • No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet of AJ Allmendinger (15 minutes for failing pre-qualifying inspection twice)
  • No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. (30 minutes for failing pre-qualifying inspection three times)
  • No .97 Obaika Racing Toyota of Tanner Berryhill (15 minutes for failing pre-qualifying inspection twice)

Harvick sets early pace at Phoenix

Pole winner Kevin Harvick set the pace in Saturday’s early Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at ISM Raceway in Phoenix.

Harvick pushed the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford to a best lap of 134.710 mph. He earned the first starting spot in Friday qualifying for Sunday’s Can-Am 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the ninth of 10 races in the NASCAR Playoffs.

RELATED: Best 10-lap averages | Practice 2 results

Kyle Larson turned in the second-fastest lap (134.680 mph) on the 1-mile track in the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet. Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney filled out the rest of the top five in the 50-minute session.

Sunday’s 312-lap race is the final event in the three-race Round of 8. The championship-eligible field will be reduced to the four title-contending drivers who will vie for the Monster Energy Series crown Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Joey Logano, the only driver automatically locked into a Championship 4 spot, was 24th-fastest in the Team Penske No. 22 Ford — slowest among the eight title contenders.

MORE: See every car in the field | Full schedule for Phoenix

The final portion of practice was set aside for teams to practice restarts. The Arizona facility is preparing for its first Monster Energy Series race with the start-finish line moved into the west turn.

Six teams were docked 15 minutes of practice time for being late to pre-qualifying inspection:

  • No. 7 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet for DJ Kennington
  • No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet of Ty Dillon
  • No. 23 BK Racing Toyota of JJ Yeley
  • No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson
  • No. 66 Phoenix Air Racing Toyota of Timmy Hill
  • No .97 Obaika Racing Toyota of Tanner Berryhill
Posted on by Team Release

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Jeffrey Earnhardt will compete in a nine-race NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in 2019 with sponsorship from Xtreme Concepts Inc., a worldwide leader in providing turnkey security solutions, along with training and technology integration to U.S. government, military and commercial clients on a global scale.

Earnhardt will make his debut in the No. 18 Xtreme Concepts Toyota Supra in the season-opening Xfinity Series race Feb. 16 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Eight more races will follow, allowing the 29-year-old from Mooresville, North Carolina, to compete in the same front-running equipment that has secured more than 150 Xfinity Series victories for JGR.

“I’ve worked incredibly hard for this opportunity and I’ve got to thank Xtreme Concepts for making it happen,” said Earnhardt, the grandson of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt. “You see the level of expertise Joe Gibbs Racing has and the caliber of equipment they bring to the racetrack every week. As a driver, it’s exactly where you want to be. It’s the best opportunity I’ve had in my career and I plan to make the most of it.”

Xtreme Concepts is backing Earnhardt’s endeavor, with the Birmingham, Alabama-based company showcasing its brands on the No. 18 Toyota, most notably iK9, a comprehensive canine solutions provider for detection and service dogs, along with professional handler education.

“We believe motorsports is an incredibly strong platform to highlight the many services Xtreme Concepts can provide, and we also believe in Jeffrey Earnhardt,” said Landon Ash, founder, Xtreme Concepts. “I know firsthand how just having the opportunity to show what you can do is all you need to find success. It’s how we’ve grown Xtreme Concepts since our founding in 2008 to a worldwide leader in security concepts and solutions. Jeffrey has been an excellent representative for Xtreme Concepts and our brands like iK9, and through this endeavor with Joe Gibbs Racing we plan to grow together.”

Earnhardt has made a total of 151 starts across the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series, but none have been with an organization with the depth and resources of JGR. Earnhardt is taking a path most recently traveled by Ryan Preece, a driver who joined JGR in 2017 and promptly won two Xfinity Series races after finally getting into equipment befitting his talent.

“From the time we first came to NASCAR in 1992, we’ve always put forth maximum effort to have the best possible results on the racetrack,” said Coy Gibbs, Vice Chairman and COO, JGR. “Our Xfinity Series program is the perfect example of what happens when preparation meets execution. We’ve had both up-and-coming and veteran drivers achieve success in our racecars, and that success has translated to the partners they’ve represented. We think Jeffrey Earnhardt has the talent to win races and deliver strong results for Xtreme Concepts.”

Details regarding Earnhardt’s nine-race Xfinity Series schedule will be announced prior to the start of the 2019 season.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Crew chief Rodney Childers had only one word to say after Kevin Harvick earned the Busch Pole Award on Friday evening at ISM Raceway.

Harvick will start at the head of the field for Sunday’s Can-Am 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), two days after the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team received an L1-level penalty following its win at Texas Motor Speedway.

The penalty resulted in a two-race suspension for Childers, a loss of 40 driver and owner points and a loss of the Championship 4 automatic bid — and left Harvick just three points above the cutline ahead of teammate Kurt Busch.

Tony Gibson, veteran crew chief and current production manager at SHR, will serve as crew chief for Harvick at ISMR and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs finale Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“Everything went smooth,” Harvick said during his post-qualifying press conference. “I think as you guys are quickly figuring out it’s more about people than it is about cars, so we’ve got a lot of good people and obviously a lot of experience with Tony and those guys did a great job filling the roles.

“You can’t drive a slow car fast and you can’t beat good people.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Charging from third to first with a strong inside move after a restart with three laps left, Brett Moffitt clinched his spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship 4 with a dramatic victory in Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 at ISM Raceway.

While Noah Gragson and Grant Enfinger battled for the lead and swapped side-to-side shots on Lap 148 of 150, Moffitt powered his No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota down to the frontstretch apron and cleared Gragson and Enfinger off the second corner.

Moffitt pulled away to win his fifth race of the season by .456 seconds over Gragson, who qualified for the Championship 4 on points, as Enfinger faded to fourth and out of the playoff picture. Moffitt took the checkered flag in his first start at ISM Raceway and claimed the sixth victory of his career.

RELATED: Who’s in the Championship 4? |  Race results

Gragson was leading with seven laps left when Riley Herbst’s spin brought out the fourth and final caution of the evening. The subsequent restart gave Moffitt the opportunity he needed to win the race. Adding to the urgency, Enfinger could have qualified for the Championship by winning, leaving Moffitt and Gragson to fight a close battle for the final spot on points.

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted a caution to come out or not, but in hindsight I did,” Moffitt said. “Where we were sitting we were locked into Homestead mathematically. When that caution came out, I was kind of nervous. I didn’t know what was going to happen. Then when the 18 (Gragson) took the top (lane for the restart), I really didn’t know what the hell was going to happen.

“I was just hoping the 98 (Enfinger) got rolling to where he didn’t stack up the inside, and fortunately he got a good restart, and I dove down to the apron. Our truck was really good running the actual apron through (Turns) 1 and 2 all night long. I made a lot of passes there. I stuck it down there and went for it and was able to clear off (Turn) 2 and drive away.”

After running the spec Ilmor NT-1 engine at Texas last Friday, Moffitt returned to the Mark Cronquist-built Toyota engine at Phoenix, despite a NASCAR gear rule change designed to even out the performance of the two types of power plants.

“It’s Joe Gibbs 299th engine win with Mark Cronquist,” Moffitt said. “They put our backs against the wall (with the rule change), but the s.o.b. won again.”

Toyota drivers Moffitt and Gragson joined GMS Racing teammates Johnny Sauter and Justin Haley in the Championship 4. Sauter had qualified with a win at Martinsville, and Haley earned his spot with a victory at Texas.

Two-time series champion Matt Crafton was eliminated from the playoffs after an 11th-place finish. Crafton lost his chance for victory when his crew had trouble with the right front tire on the No. 88 Ford’s final pit stop.

RELATED: Crafton on one of his worst seasons

Harrison Burton matched his career-best finish with a third-place run.

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship 4 is set with Brett Moffitt and Noah Gragson joining Johnny Sauter and Justin Haley as the four drivers that will battle for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16. Moffitt won the race at ISM Raceway — taking the lead with three to go while Gragson finished second.

ThorSport Racing teammates Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton were the two drivers eliminated from the playoffs at the end of the Lucas Oil 150 at ISM Raceway. Enfinger was in contention late but couldn’t win his way into the next round.

GMS Racing teammates Sauter and Haley won their way in with victories at Martinsville and Texas, respectively. Sauter, the 2016 champion, has made all three Championship 4s in Truck Series history. The Wisconsin native and driver of the No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet was the Truck Series Regular Season Champion in 2018 and has six wins on the season. 

Haley has won three races this season in the No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet — including two last-lap wins in playoff races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Texas. This is the 19-year-old Indiana native’s second season in the series and first Championship 4 appearance.

RELATED: Moffitt wins at ISM Raceway | Playoff standings 

Moffitt now has five wins driving the No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota. The 26-year-old Iowa native has had a knack for late-race passes for the win and has been a feel-good story in the Truck Series garage this season running with an upstart team. Coming off of his win at Phoenix, Moffitt is riding high heading into the finale with a championship on the line.

“This HRE team has been strong pretty much everywhere we go I feel like we have a shot to win the race if we execute,” Moffitt said. “Tonight we executed like we need to and we need to do that next week. Homestead is a fun track for me, I like it. I’ve also never been there in a truck, never been here in a truck and never been there in a truck – only been in Cup cars so hopefully that’s a good sign.”

Gragson rounds out the Championship 4 in his second full-time Truck Series season. The driver of the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota scored his second series win at Kansas in May and has been knocking on the door for another win during the postseason. 

ThorSport Racing teammates Enfinger and Crafton saw their championship dreams come to an end in 2018. Enfinger won at Las Vegas to lock into the Round of 6. Two finishes outside of the top 10 put the driver of the No. 98 ThorSport Racing Ford in a hole for the Round of 6 finale.

Crafton, a two-time series champion, had reached the previous two Championship 4s in Truck Series history. However, the driver of the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford is looking at some statistical lows this season that led to his elimination — he’s winless (first time since 2012), fewest top 10s since 2008 (12) and fewest laps led since 2008 (65).

The Ford EcoBoost 200 (8 p.m. ET on Nov. 16 with coverage on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will close out the 2018 Truck Series season, and the highest finishing driver among the Championship 4 will take home the title. Christopher Bell, who moved up to the Xfinity Series this season, is the reigning series champion.

 

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Martin Truex Jr. will be without his car chief after the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota failed inspection three times prior to Friday’s Busch Pole Qualifying at ISM Raceway.

Truex will be able to keep his 13th-place position for Sunday’s Can-Am 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), but he will lose 30 minutes of practice time in Saturday’s final practice session along with the ejection of car chief Blake Harris.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Full schedule for ISM Raceway

The defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion sits 25 points above the cutline going into the final elimination race to set the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“This seems to be kind of par for the course for us lately,” Truex said after qualifying. “I’d say 13th is a pretty good starting spot for the day we’ve had. We really didn’t get a crack at anything in practice and we didn’t have much time to get ready for qualifying and we were pretty far off. Made some good gains for sure.”

MORE: Truex on Logano saying he’s title favorite: ‘Good for him’

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick rolled to the Busch Pole Award in Monster Energy Series qualifying Friday at ISM Raceway in Phoenix.

Harvick, a nine-time Phoenix winner, landed a best lap of 139.340 mph around the 1-mile track, putting the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford in the first starting spot for Sunday’s Can-Am 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The pole position is the fourth for Harvick this season, his second at Phoenix and 25th of his Monster Energy Series career.

RELATED: Qualifying results | See every car in the field | Weekend schedule

Harvick is competing this weekend with interim crew chief Tony Gibson calling the shots in place of Rodney Childers, who is serving a two-race suspension for a technical infraction after last weekend’s win at Texas Motor Speedway.

“It’s pretty awesome to see a group of people come together — old man Tony Gibson and Nick (DeFazio, interim car chief) — coming out to fill the gaps for the suspensions,” Harvick told NBCSN. “Like I told the radio a second ago, everybody on our Busch Light Ford has been there before and we know what we need to do. This is a great race track for us. I really wasn’t expecting that. Our cars are usually a lot better in race trim than in qualifying trim, and just got fortunate to hit a good lap right there and it came at a good time.”

Chase Elliott will share the front row after registering the second-fastest lap (139.152 mph) in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet.

“Yeah, unfortunately not good enough,” Elliott said. “The guys brought me a great NAPA Chevy this week and one of these days I’ll figure out how to qualify on a non-plate track, maybe. I had a car to do it today, and I didn’t get it done. So, we’ll go to work on Sunday.”

Elliott starts Sunday’s race 17 points behind Harvick for the final spot in the Championship 4.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Blaney and Alex Bowman rounded out the top five in qualifying for the penultimate event in the 10-race playoffs, with title-eligible Kyle Busch snagging sixth.

The 312-lap event is the final race in the Round of 8. After Sunday’s race, the championship-eligible field will be trimmed from eight to the four drivers who will race for a title Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Joey Logano, the only driver assured of a title shot after his Martinsville win clinched an automatic berth, qualified ninth in the 39-car field.

Defending series champ Martin Truex Jr. was a late arrival to the qualifying grid after his Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota failed inspection three times. The issues resulted in the ejection of Blake Harris, the team’s car chief, and a loss of 30 minutes in Saturday’s final practice.

Truex was bumped out of the final round of the session by a last-minute lap from Brad Keselowski. Truex will start 13th.

“It was a battle,” said Truex, who was 20th-fastest in Friday’s practice. “Kind of par for the course for us here lately, so I say 13th is a pretty good starting spot for the day we’ve had. I really didn’t get a good crack at anything in practice and we didn’t end up having much time and we were pretty far off. Made some good gains for sure. I wish we could’ve ran again. I definitely feel like I could pick up some more. Car was just pretty tight, so we’ll start 13th and get to work tomorrow.”

MORE: Playoff standings

Other postseason drivers missing out of the final session were the Stewart-Haas Racing trio of Kurt Busch (starts 14th), Clint Bowyer (16th), Aric Almirola (18th) — all of whom sit outside of the elimination cut-off line.

Cody Ware, who crashed during Friday’s lone practice for the series, did not make a qualifying attempt in the Rick Ware Racing No. 51 Ford.

Contributing: NASCAR Wire Service