Posted on by Staff Report

Fred Rogers made a living out of being a nice guy. Put on a soft sweater, change into some comfortable shoes, sprinkle some food in the fish tank, say hello to Lady Elaine. Just try to get angry while you are watching “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” or the recent documentary on him, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” It’s impossible, you just can’t do it.

But what if Mr. Rogers were in the heat of a short-track battle at Martinsville Speedway? Would he still live by the Golden Rule? Or would the competitive juices start to flow and eventually boil over?

By no means is Martin Truex Jr. a Mr. Rogers clone, but Truex does have the reputation of being one of the nicest guys in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage. Try to recall not seeing him with a smile beneath that beard of his. It’s pretty impossible to imagine.

However, now that Joey Logano pulled his bump-and-run move to win at Martinsville and Truex has hinted at revenge, is change in the air? Should there be no more Mr. Nice Guy from the reigning Monster Energy Series champ the rest of the season?

NASCAR.com’s Jonathan Merryman and George Winkler debate whether it’s high time for Truex to change his racing style and demeanor.

MERRYMAN: This past weekend we raced at one of the oldest and prestigious short tracks in the United States, known for producing hard-nosed competition. It was located in Martinsville, Virginia, not Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.

Some of the biggest houses on the “short-track block” are owned by guys with the last names of Earnhardt, Gordon and Busch — three drivers you most certainly don’t want in your rearview mirror going into Turn 3 at Martinsville, Richmond or Bristol.

Martin Truex Jr. is a nice guy and a very clean race car driver. He also has a zero in the short-track win column. I believe there is a direct correlation between the two.

There is a reason Dale Earnhardt had 20 short-track wins at the Cup level at the three tracks mentioned, Jeff Gordon earned 16 and Kyle Busch — who is far from done — has 15 to his name.

I don’t think Truex Jr. will ever get to the point of retaliation, but it’s time for him to start using the chrome horn if he wants to finally get that coveted short-track win. After all, we call them bumpers for a reason.

WINKLER: What’s more important: Getting that first short-track win, or winning a second championship? I’d vote for the latter because when it’s all said and done, fans are going to remember how many titles Truex won over whether he was a short-track tough guy.

Despite getting bumped out of the way at Martinsville, Truex is right where he needs to be — 25 points above the playoff cutline with another shot at a championship well within his sights. This is not the time to lose your mind and try to get revenge.

Furthermore, there aren’t any beating-and-banging short tracks left on the schedule, so why worry about changing your style? Sure, Phoenix is 1 mile, but it doesn’t race like a true short track. Truex should focus on getting his 1.5-mile program back to where it was in 2017 and dominate at Texas and Homestead and carry home another big trophy.

If Truex keeps his cool, he will show yet again that nice guys can finish first.

Posted on by Staff Report

The “NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami” esports competition races on, and three more drivers have won a seat at the season finale in Homestead, Florida.

Shawn Abbott, John Minitello and Hunter Mullins showed their prowess in NASCAR Heat 3 to secure a spot in a winner-take-all championship race. The finale will be held at Ford Championship Weekend on Nov. 18, where more than $10,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded to the victor.

The latest qualifiers join Nicholas Vroman, Brandyn Gritton and Nick Walker to make up half of the 12-driver field. The other half? You could be part of it.

Three more drivers will qualify through online competitions throughout the next three weekends, while the final three spots will be clinched by wildcards at the track during Ford Championship Weekend.

Earlier this year 704Games, NASCAR’s exclusive esports partner for simulation-style video games on console platforms, announced it would host a weekly esports competition in NASCAR Heat 3. NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami is the culmination of an effort from both 704Games and NASCAR to engage fans through esports.

Visit nascarheatchampions.com for more information on how to compete for a trip of a lifetime as well as a handful of other prizes including gaming wheels, headphones and more.

Don’t have NASCAR Heat 3? You can download the full game and play it for free. Head over to https://nascarheat.com/test-drive/ for a limited time test drive on either the Xbox One or Playstation 4.

Posted on by Staff Report

Back in physics class we learned that according to Newton’s third law of motion, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. But we didn’t need a physics class to see that law set into motion on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.

When Joey Logano decided to move Martin Truex Jr. out of the way in Turns 3 and 4 on the final lap of the First Data 500, there was plenty of action in the form of one of the most exciting finishes this year.

And then came the reaction, when Truex got out of his car and delivered a blistering post-race interview in which he said Logano might have won that battle, but he wouldn’t win the war — meaning perhaps more fireworks would erupt before the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs are over and done with.

RELATED: Watch the final lap | Logano’s reaction

Did Logano make the right move when he had “money” on the mind in going for the Championship 4-clinching win? Or should he have had Newton on the mind instead and played it safer? NASCAR.com’s RJ Kraft and George Winkler debate whether Joey Logano’s move at Martinsville was the right one.

KRAFT: I don’t have any issue with Logano’s move — but frankly, Truex should have expected it from the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Logano showed his playbook for such situations three years ago at Kansas when he turned Matt Kenseth for the lead late in the race. While I liked the fire from Truex post-race, he should have initiated contact a few laps earlier. Drivers talk a lot about racing opponents how they race others, and past history should have told Truex how Logano would drive on the final lap.

MORE: You can win a trip to Miami

That said, Logano seems to have a short memory. In his post-race comments on Sunday, he certainly did not sound like a driver who had learned something from the 2015 incident with Kenseth. At Homestead last year, Kyle Busch felt that Logano held him up as he was fighting to get closer to Truex and a shot at the 2017 championship — which Truex ultimately won. Should Truex not make it back to the Championship 4, I would expect the 78 will try to do something similar to impact Logano’s race. He may not outright retaliate, but there will be plenty of gamesmanship to try and trip Logano up.

WINKLER: Logano has a history of getting under other racer’s skin, but I don’t fault him for doing some beating and banging in order to get the win at Martinsville. If anyone knows how fleeting a chance at a championship can be, it’s Logano, who arguably had the most dominant car in 2015 but could not finish the deal. When you have your opportunity in this sport, you have to go for it.

Plus, over and over again we’ve seen how NASCAR is a contact sport. It’s part of the sport’s DNA for there to be some physical racing in the playoffs. This is especially true on short tracks like Martinsville. Truex’s reaction seemed to be more a case of him being in the heat of the moment than anything else. After further reflection, he probably will come to his senses and realize that racing like this is just part of the game, toeing the line but not quite going over it. Logano will just need to keep an eye on his rearview mirror from here to Homestead.

Posted on by Staff Report

Joey Logano’s last-lap bump-and-run of Martin Truex Jr. at Martinsville Speedway was the type of beating-and-banging move found in NASCAR’s DNA. That was the opinion of NASCAR Vice President of Officiating and Technical Inspection Elton Sawyer, who addressed the move Monday morning in an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

“Fans saw exactly what NASCAR racing was about,” Sawyer said on The Morning Drive. “It is a contact sport. I think Joey (Logano) said it best when the race was over, it’s about Miami. And we didn’t see anything from the tower (that) would indicate either driver did anything that we would consider crossing the line.”

RELATED: Race recap | Watch the final laps

Logano moved Truex out of the way in Turns 3 and 4 of the final lap of Sunday’s First Data 500 to claim the victory and the automatic berth to the Championship 4 on Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Truex vowed after the race that Logano might have won that battle, but he wouldn’t win the war.

The NASCAR Playoffs continue Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway for the AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) before the Round of 8 wraps up at ISM Raceway in Phoenix on Nov. 11.

Truex currently stands 25 points above the cutline in third place behind Logano and Kyle Busch. Kevin Harvick is tied with Truex in points, but Truex’s third-place finish at Martinsville is the best result between the two drivers in this round giving Truex the tiebreaker.

Posted on by Zack Albert

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Jimmie Johnson’s longtime association with Lowe’s has meant a history of primarily blue cars with a bright No. 48 on the roof and doors. That legacy evolved this year to a silver-and-black design to promote the Lowe’s for Pros program. 

So what will the 2019 season bring with a new sponsor in Ally Bank? Expect a mix of new and familiar, says Ally CEO Jeffrey Brown.

RELATED: Johnson lands full-season sponsor for two years 

“Obviously that neon 48, that’s pretty much part of Jimmie’s DNA, so I would expect that to continue,” Brown said Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, “but we have a lot of plum in our brand, so a lot of plum running around Daytona may be fun to see hopefully at the front of the pack.”

The new look notwithstanding, Brown says he expects his brand to launch a full-fledged campaign next season. The company got a head start at Martinsville with associate sponsorship on the rear fenders of Johnson’s Chevrolet, plus prominent placement in portions of NBC Sports’ broadcast of Sunday’s playoff race.

There’s more planned, Brown said — and that includes the new hue for the No. 48.

“A lot of creative passion, and I talked about it with the teams this morning,” Brown said. “Jimmie literally spent a half an hour with us going through different car designs. So he is really buying in, how does he leave his mark, how does he fuel that energy. What he said he loved about our brand is really the energy associated with it, so look for paint schemes, look for marketing next year to really emphasize an energetic car.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Before Martin Truex Jr. entered the picture in an attempt to drive a wedge into Team Penske’s late-race stature Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, the most compelling fight on the track was among Penske teammates themselves.

Joey Logano eventually won the First Data 500 after a rambunctious final 10 laps with Truex, but in the moments that preceded their dramatic finish, Logano was almost equally occupied by his teammate, Brad Keselowski, in their contest for the lead.

The stakes were far higher for Logano, who entered the race still alive in the playoff hunt and wound up clinching a berth in the Championship 4 field Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Keselowski was knocked from title contention in the previous week’s Round of 12 finale, but his goal of claiming a second Martinsville grandfather clock trophy loomed larger as the laps clicked off.

RELATED: Logano fights for Martinsville win | Full race results

The scope of their goals differed, but Keselowski forced the issue with Logano with less than 100 laps remaining, initiating contact and racing his teammate hard but within reasonable limits. Logano said he understood.

“Obviously he wanted to win. He showed that. I wanted to win. Obviously the win to me meant a lot more,” Logano said. “Obviously he wants to prove that he’s a championship car, as well, after everything that’s happened the last round. I get that. He was faster than me at the moment, then we were able to fight that battle and stay ahead. At that point I was hoping he would just race the 78 (Truex) as hard as possible to create some gap, because I saw how fast the 78 was taking off there, running us down.

“We did what we could do there to try to fight there. But I get it. He’s out here trying to win, too. It’s a race. It’s not just eight cars going for a win. There’s still 40 of them out there.”

Paul Wolfe, crew chief for Keselowski’s No. 2, said that his driver’s handling of their battle up front was all he could ask for. The two drivers traded the top spot in close-quarters competition in the late going, but never crossed the line of ruining each other’s day.

“We raced our teammate as good as you could race a teammate,” Wolfe said. “I told Brad when he got out of the car, I said, ‘I hope Joey gives you his bonus for this win because you sure deserve it for what you did helping him win this race.’ …

“If we’re not racing our teammate and we’re in the playoffs or a different scenario, we would’ve probably done a little bump and run and been gone long before it came to the end. We all race hard and race smart and look at the big picture.”

Roger Penske watched the whole scene play out near the end, claiming no nerves from seeing two of his cars locked in a late-race skirmish. The 81-year-old team owner was also quick to dismiss the concept of “team orders” and the notion that Keselowski would have been directed to play nice with Logano with the race and a championship bid in the balance.

“Not at all. Brad knew what had to happen here today,” Penske said. “I told them to use their heads. That’s all I said. He knew exactly what was going on.”

MORE: Roger Penske supports Logano against Truex

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Chase Elliott made the most of a 19th-place starting position and a balky No. 9 Chevrolet on Sunday, but he left the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway under water in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings.

Thanks to excellent pit work adjustments that improved the car’s performance during the race, Elliott managed a seventh-place result, but he’s 31 points below the current cutmy plline for the Nov. 18 Championship 4 Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

RELATED: Race results | Playoff standings

“It was just really bad, really poor execution on our qualifying effort and better in the race, but not near where we needed to be,” Elliott lamented after the race. “So, I’m sure we’re in a hole and probably going to have to win one of these next two races.

“We needed some pace. The guys did a great job on pit road and things to get us kind of back in the ball game, but definitely not what we want.”

Elliott doesn’t expect to be able to claw his way into the top four on points.

“No, I need to win,” he said. “I mean playing the points game is nice, but I need another sticker.”

The good news is that Elliott has picked up win stickers in two of the last four races, and he’s the only driver who has won two events in the playoffs.

Posted on by Sponsored Content

The Ford Hall of Fans finalists have been selected and you could join them in Miami!

Fans have voted, selecting six outstanding NASCAR super fans from 16 finalists – and more than 8,000 entries! After two tough weeks of vying for the public’s votes, the finalists will now travel to Miami and compete for induction in the inaugural class of the Ford Hall of Fans, at Ford Championship Weekend.

Enter the Ford Hall of Fans Sweepstakes between now and Nov. 5 for the chance to watch them compete in Miami. Trip includes:

  • A five-day, four-night, all-expenses-paid trip to Miami for Ford Championship Weekend with premium hotel accommodations
  • $750 gift card for spending money
  • Round-trip airfare for you and a guest included

While you enjoy the VIP treatment, the Top 6 Finalists will test their NASCAR skills in four different challenges at the track. Ford drivers will help judge the contests – as well as lend their expertise to the competitors. The challenges will test the finalists’ NASCAR prowess, creativity, originality and NASCAR knowledge.

Want to learn more about your Top 6 Finalists, Darin, Rick, Mitchell, Chester, David and Michele? Check out their submission videos at nascar.com/ford.

  • A U.S. Navy serviceman, Darin is a die-hard Kevin Harvick fan.
  • Rick likes “nice guy” Trevor Bayne, is a Wood Brothers fanatic and was a racer himself.
  • Mitchell sounds like he could step into the broadcast booth!
  • Chester has his priorities in order, and you must see his bumper collection.
  • David is a lifelong Earnhardt fan who has seen more than 80 races.
  • Michele says Matt DiBenedetto and Ryan Blaney are her favorite drivers, and she credits NASCAR with helping her beat cancer.

Click here to hear more about their NASCAR collections, family connections to the sport and favorite memories.

The two finalists with the top scores in the Ford Championship Weekend competition will be the inaugural inductees in the Ford Hall of Fans. They will each receive an inaugural FHOF jacket — and go home with the keys to a brand new Ford vehicle of their choice!

Enter here now for your chance to win a VIP experience at Ford Championship Weekend and see who the two Ford Hall of Fans inductees will be.

Posted on by Brad Norman

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Frustration boiled over for Cole Pearn, crew chief of the No. 78, after watching Martin Truex Jr.’s shot at clinching a Championship 4 berth slip away in the final lap of Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway.

And Todd Gordon, crew chief of race-winning driver Joey Logano, doesn’t blame him.

MORE: Full Martinsville results | Truex Jr.: ‘He ain’t winning the war’

Pearn and Gordon exchanged words on pit road after watching their drivers bump and bang around the final lap at the .526-mile track. Truex Jr. had taken the lead from Logano as the white flag dropped, but the Team Penske driver rallied and initiated contact in the final turn to win.

“I used a few choice words I probably shouldn’t have,” Pearn told NBCSN. “But it’s racing. You’re competitive. You care about it. We put our entire lives into this and when you come that close you get emotional.”

https://twitter.com/colepearn/status/1056688977258991616

Logano’s last-lap move on Truex Jr. to not only secure a grandfather clock, but also a coveted playoff spot at Homestead-Miami Speedway, was met with a mix of both cheers and boos from the crowd.

PEARN: ‘Not surprised coming from him’

Gordon knows that if he were in the No. 78 team’s position, he wouldn’t be pleased with the outcome, either. But he stands by his driver’s decision and believes the move was clean.

“He’s frustrated,” Gordon explained to NBCSN after hearing Pearn’s comments. “If roles were reversed, I would be, too. It’s what short-track racing is. It’s where this all came from. It’s probably frustrating for them on that end, but it’s something we got done today.”

With two more races left in the three-race Round of 8, there is no guarantee Truex Jr. will have the opportunity to defend his 2017 championship. The team hasn’t won in 14 races, and despite being 25 points above the cutline, emotions will continue to run high as time ticks away to lock down a spot in Miami.

“I’m happy I don’t have a baseball bat or a jackhammer right now,” Pearn said with a wry smile.

Posted on by Staff Report

Following the seventh Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race, here’s a brief look at the playoffs picture. The 10-race postseason is one race into the Round of 8. There are two more races before the field is whittled to four, with four drivers eliminated from the postseason following Phoenix (Nov. 11).

Winner

Joey Logano appeared to have missed his chance at victory after Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski passed him on a late restart. Given a second chance, Logano didn’t misfire. He retook the lead on Lap 460, held off an aggressive Keselowski and then bumped Truex Jr. out of the way on the final turn of the final lap to win.

MORE: Race results

Who’s hot

Martin Truex Jr. We know Martin Truex Jr. hasn’t won at a short track, and Sunday’s post-qualifying inspection failure sent the No. 78 to the back of the pack. But the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion impressively drove through the field, earning stage points and a third-place finish to leave Martinsville second in the standings.

Kyle Busch. The pole-sitter never quite looked like the best car in the field, but he was awful close to it. A top-three finish in both Stage 1 and Stage 2 coupled with a fourth-place finish had Busch looking like he’s rounding into championship form.

Who’s not

Clint Bowyer. Bowyer started second and as the most recent track winner, was a popular pick to win the race. But the No. 14 team sank throughout the race with a variety of issues, including damage to the front of his Ford after he drilled William Byron on pit road. A late spin on Lap 456 (of 500) after battling with Jimmie Johnson sent Bowyer dropping to 21st place.

Aric Almirola. Almirola’s numbers suggested Sunday would be a slog for him, and it was. The first-year Stewart-Haas Racing driver ran in the top 15 all day, and was in the top five on the final restart. Typically, that equals a pretty good day. It’s not enough at this point in the season, though.

BUBBLE WATCH

Rank Driver Points to cutoff
1. Joey Logano WINNER
2. Kyle Busch +46
3. Martin Truex Jr. +25
4. Kevin Harvick +25
————— CUT-OFF LINE —————
5. Kurt Busch -25
6. Clint Bowyer -31
7. Chase Elliott -42
8. Aric Almirola -50

Next race

The Monster Energy Series travels to Texas Motor Speedway for a Sunday race on Nov. 4 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It is the second race in the Round of 8.

Who it favors

Kevin Harvick. Harvick is one of three playoff drivers to have a win at Texas over the last 10 races at the 1.5-mile facility. Yes, Kyle Busch has two wins to Harvick’s one during that time frame, but Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford has been the fastest machine on intermediate tracks this year.

Who it hurts

Aric Almirola. Stewart-Haas Racing’s overall team speed on intermediate tracks helps Almirola, but this historically has not been a good track for him. The last 10 Texas races have yielded zero top-10 finishes for Almirola; every other playoff driver has at least three. His best finish during this stretch is 12th-place, and Almirola really needs a win this round.