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FORT WORTH, Texas — Carl Edwards misses parts of racing — and while he doesn’t want to race full time, he also doesn’t want to rule out any racing in the future.

Standing at the Speedway Club upon his induction into the Texas Motor Speedway Hall of Fame on Saturday, the former No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing driver reminisced on his time behind the wheel — specifically his 2016 Championship 4 run at Homestead-Miami Speedway — and his last Cup win, which came on Nov. 6, 2016 at Texas Motor Speedway.

“You know what I miss, is I miss the challenge,” Edwards said. “And this is something, it took me until the end of my career to figure this out. … My competitors, even when you hate each other and you’re at each others’ throats. It’s like, those are the people that actually drive you to try to be your best.

“I told somebody the other day, I miss the meetings where you’re arguing with your teammate about something … It’s that kind of, I guess you’d call it adrenaline. Or excitement or challenge. And that’s the cool thing about races is you get to go battle every week. That’s something I miss.”

Edwards has spent his two years out of the car traveling, even swimming with a pod of whales while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. He’s also spent time with loved ones, being “the friend and family member that I just wasn’t able to be because I was gone all the time.”

His heartbreaking run at Homestead-Miami Speedway is one that he looks back on fondly, despite missing the title in what would later be announced as his final season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

“There’s one simple fact, you can’t go back and change anything,” he said on his 2016 Miami run. “That’s the way it is. Yes, I would love to be a two- or three-time champion. That’s what we work toward. But I think it’s not just time, I think it’s the more life I live, the more I see, the more I realize the real gift of racing to me was the day-in-day-out effort and the teamwork and the learning. … I was a much different person at the end of my career than I was at the beginning of my career. I feel like I was better and I feel like racing made me that way.

“To me, it’s not about winning — that’s the fun part, yes — but, it’s the growth. I wouldn’t trade that Homestead race for anything. Yeah, it didn’t turn out great, but that was the best I’d performed in a race car, the best team that I have ever had. … I think I’d be foolish to try to change (it).”

RELATED: Carl Edwards through the years

As for any racing cameos in his future? Edwards said he’s “had a couple conversations with people but none in the last year.”

“It would have to be something that really excited me,” he said. “The thing I like the most is driving in the road courses. I’ve talked to some people about maybe doing some testing on a course or something. It might be a lot of fun. The races I miss the most are really Sonoma, Homestead — Homestead for two reasons, because of all the pressure and the championship, I like that — I miss those tracks where you’re sliding around a lot, you know, Atlanta. So that kind of stuff would be fun to do. …”

“I don’t know how I’ll feel in a year or two. I don’t have a plan.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Practice 3 | Full practice speeds

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. topped the leaderboard in Saturday’s second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Texas Motor Speedway in the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford at 192.349 mph.

Right behind him was fellow Ford stablemate Kurt Busch at 192.075 mph in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing entry.

Rounding out the top five were Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota (191.884 mph), Paul Menard in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford (191.782 mph) and Ryan Blaney, P5 in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford (191.761 mph).

Other NASCAR Playoffs drivers landed on the speed chart as follows: Kevin Harvick, P7 in the No. 4 SHR Ford (191.625 mph) Kyle Busch, P8 in the No. 18 JGR Toyota (191.625 mph), Aric Almirola, who led the first practice of the day, P9 in the No. 10 SHR Ford (191.625 mph), Chase Elliott, P17 in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (190.402 mph), Joey Logano, P18 in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford (190.235 mph) and Clint Bowyer, P22 in the No. 14 SHR Ford (190.054 mph)

Jimmie Johnson was the fastest Chevrolet driver on the board at 191.096 mph, only good enough for P11 on the leaderboard.

Drivers next hit the track for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN) as the Round of 8 continues.

Practice 2 | Full practice speeds

Aric Almirola topped the leaderboard in Saturday’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Texas Motor Speedway at 193.854 mph in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

Right behind him was spring Fort Worth winner Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at 193.805 mph.

MORE: Texas schedule

Rounding out the top five were SHR’s Clint Bowyer at 193.771 mph in the No. 14 Ford, Brad Keselowski at 193.555 mph in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford and Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 JGR Toyota, clocking in at 193.403 mph.

Martinsville winner and Championship 4 driver Joey Logano was ninth-fastest at 193.161 in the No. 22 Penske Ford.

The remaining NASCAR Playoffs drivers placed as follows: Kurt Busch, P6 in the No. 41 SHR Ford (193.313 mph) Kevin Harvick, P8 in the No. 4 SHR Ford (193.285 mph), Martin Truex Jr., P10 in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota (193.154 mph) and Chase Elliott, P19 in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (192.226 mph).

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Hulman & Company and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Chairman of the Board Emeritus Mari Hulman George, who touched the lives of millions through her deep passion for auto racing, stewardship of the Racing Capital of the World and decades of compassionate philanthropy, died Nov. 3 in Indianapolis with her family by her side. She was 83.

Mari served as IMS chairman from 1988-2016, but motorsports and the world-renowned racetrack were among the cornerstones of her life since her father, Anton “Tony” Hulman Jr., purchased the facility in November 1945 and saved it from almost certain demolition after World War II. She was a pioneer as co-owner of a team that raced at the highest levels of Midwestern auto racing, in the 1950s and 1960s, a rarity for a woman at the time.

She also touched the lives of countless Hoosiers through tireless, generous philanthropic efforts for her entire adult life, with special focus on the arts, health care and, in particular, animal care.

“Mari’s devotion to Indianapolis Motor Speedway was only surpassed by her kindness,” NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim France said. “Her tireless philanthropy and her passion for auto racing leave a legacy that touches the lives of millions.

“Mari was a true inspiration to us and her leadership and grace impacted us all. From the France family, all of NASCAR, ISC and IMSA, we send our deepest condolences to the Hulman George family as we mourn her loss.”

Mary Antonia Hulman was born Dec. 26, 1934 in Evansville, Indiana, the daughter of prominent business magnate Anton “Tony” Hulman Jr. and Mary Fendrich Hulman. “Mari” attended primary and secondary school at St. Benedict in Terre Haute and the Ladywood School in Indianapolis, and attended Purdue University.

When her father bought IMS in November 1945, Mari was immersed into the world of auto racing, becoming friends with many drivers during her teenage and early-adult years. That loyalty and passion for the sport and its competitors and teams remained steadfast for the rest of her life.

Before her 21st birthday, Mari joined with longtime family friend Roger Wolcott to form the HOW racing team, which fielded American Automobile Association (AAA) and United States Auto Club (USAC) Sprint and National Championship cars for several drivers, including Jerry Hoyt, Eddie Sachs, Tony Bettenhausen, Roger McCluskey and Elmer George, whom she married in April 1957.

The team was successful. George won the Midwest Sprint Car title in 1957 and finished third in 1956 and 1958. Sachs was runner-up in the rankings in 1954. George ended up 10th in the National Championship standings in 1957, with a victory in a 100-mile race at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, New York.

Mari also fielded an entry in the Indianapolis 500 in 1962 and 1963, with her husband as the driver. Elmer George finished a career-best 17th in 1962, receiving relief help from Paul Russo and A.J. Foyt.

Mari savored the friendships she established with drivers, team owners, mechanics and officials during her young adult years, maintaining those bonds for her entire life. She was especially close to legendary four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Foyt, whom she met a year before his 1958 Indianapolis 500 debut and is still a cherished family friend.

In a symbol of their enduring friendship, Mari and Foyt placed a commemorative “golden brick” into the famous Yard of Bricks start-finish line in May 2011 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the inaugural Indianapolis 500 and the 50th anniversary of Foyt’s first “500” victory, in 1961.

Mari’s loyalty to her extended racing family was displayed for decades in May through two parties she hosted for drivers. The “Racers Party” took place on the opening weekend of the Month of May leading into the Indianapolis 500, and she celebrated friendships with many drivers from her stint as a team owner during the “Friends of the 50s and 60s” event during the week between qualifying and the race in May.

She welcomed all drivers who participated in the “500” – including some who didn’t qualify for the race – to the parties, setting a standard for providing red-carpet treatment to all past and present Indianapolis 500 competitors when they came to the track in May, regardless of their stature with the public. She sometimes even cooked meals for drivers in May during her younger years.

Mari also was a constant fixture at the track with her family during racing events at IMS, especially in the Month of May. She visited with drivers and team officials in Gasoline Alley and on pit lane and shared in many magic moments. The photo of her embracing Willy T. Ribbs on pit lane after he became the first African-American to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, in 1991, was especially poignant and cherished by many.

Racing fans worldwide also knew her as the individual who gave the famous command to start engines for the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 for more than 15 years from the late 1990s until 2015.

She also became close friends with many of the celebrities who visited the track each May, especially beloved Memorial Day weekend fixtures Jim Nabors and Florence Henderson.

The Speedway also served as a platform for some of Mari’s tireless philanthropic efforts. She hosted the “Save Arnold” Barbecue to benefit Indiana Special Olympics every May for nearly 25 years, from 1981 through the mid-2000s. The fun event united drivers, racing personalities and media with Indiana Special OIympic athletes in sports demonstrations and other activities. The “Save Arnold” Barbecue raised more than $1 million for Indiana Special Olympics.

Mari also created a program through which thousands of Indiana school children visited the Speedway each May on complimentary field trips to learn about the connections between education and motorsports. Those field trips continue to this day.

IMS prospered and evolved into a new era during Mari’s tenure as chairman of the board, from 1988-2016.

During that span, the Indianapolis 500 grew to unprecedented worldwide popularity. The facility also expanded its annual schedule beyond the Month of May to include the Brickyard 400 for the NASCAR Cup Series, the United States Grand Prix for the FIA Formula One World Championship and the Red Bull Indianapolis GP for the FIM MotoGP World Championship.

That evolution required significant capital improvements to the facility, such as the construction of the new Pagoda control tower, an infield road course that included parts of the famous 2.5-mile oval, new pit-side garages and various safety improvements.

IMS and INDYCAR also led the development of one of the greatest safety innovations in motorsports history – the energy-absorbing SAFER Barrier – during Mari’s tenure as chairman. That barrier system was first installed in 2002 at IMS and soon adopted at nearly every major oval track in North America and many road courses worldwide.

These contributions to IMS and motorsports – along with her charitable work for the racing community – led to Mari being inducted into the IMS Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2015.

Mari’s commitment to racing was equaled by her generosity for supporting local, regional and national causes.

She was devoted to the arts and education and served for years as a trustee at the Rose-Hulman Institute for Technology in Terre Haute, which was founded in 1874 with significant assistance from the Hulman family. She received an honorary doctorate degree from Rose-Hulman in 1998 and from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, also located in Terre Haute.

The Hulman-George family also made large contributions to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana State University, Purdue University, Indiana University and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, among other art and educational institutions.

Mari also was a leading charitable force to benefit animal care, especially for horses and greyhounds, two of her greatest passions.

Her dedication to learning and horses led to the endowment and establishment in 1989 of the equine science program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, named the Mari Hulman George School of Equine Studies. The school also conducts the Mari Hulman George Thoroughbred Adoption to provide proper care for horses.

She also raised, bred and rode horses at the family’s farm, Circle S Ranch near Terre Haute, the family ranch in Wyoming and at stables in Florida. Her quarterhorses and thoroughbreds competed in numerous events. The Mari Hulman George Stakes remain a prestigious annual stakes race at Indiana Downs, in tribute to her dedication to horses and racing.

In 2001, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security renamed its search-and-rescue training area at Camp Atterbury the Mari Hulman George Search and Rescue Training Center, recognizing Mari’s contribution to the care of animals displaced and affected by disasters.

She worked tirelessly to promote adoption of retired racing greyhounds, leading by example by taking in many of the dogs at her farm. She also housed stray dogs at an extensive kennel at the family’s farm.

Besides serving as chairman of the board for Hulman & Company, IMS and the IMS Foundation, Mari also was a longtime board member of First Financial Bank, a publicly traded company headquartered in Terre Haute.

Mari is survived by three daughters, Nancy George, Josie George and Kathi George-Conforti; a son, Anton H. “Tony” George; a stepdaughter, Carolyn Coffey; seven grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and her longtime companion, Guy Trollinger. She was predeceased by her husband, Elmer, and a stepson, Joseph George.

Funeral arrangements are pending and have been entrusted to Callahan & Hughes Funeral Home in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Posted on by @KESELOWSKI

Justin Haley won Friday night’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, punching his ticket to the Camping World Truck Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He joins Martinsville winner Johnny Sauter as the only two drivers locked into the Championship 4 on Nov. 16 (8 p.m., FS1). The field dwindles from six to four next weekend at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona.

Winner

Haley earned his third win of the season — and his Truck career — in the Lone Star State when late leader Todd Gilliland ran out of gas on the last lap, paving the path for the No. 24 driver to notch the victory. The win extends Haley’s impressive streak of consecutive top-10 results in the Truck Series to 12 straight, giving him ample momentum heading into Phoenix, and ultimately, the championship in Miami.

Who struggled

A lengthy pit stop and involvement in a wreck Friday derailed Noah Gragson’s night that began with a promising second-place starting position. Although the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports driver finished 10th, Haley’s win put Gragson fourth in the playoff standings — the last spot above the cutline — heading into Phoenix.

“Just got to go into Phoenix with one goal in mind and that’s to win the race,” a disappointed Gragson told NASCAR.com in the garage. “I’m not worried about points, I’m just worried about winning the race, going to Homestead and competing for a championship. Just a bummer, bummer weekend. …

“I’m just over not winning. Need to get back in Victory Lane, we need that momentum. I have the team to do it, we’ve just got to execute, fire on all cylinders and mix it into these races up front and have track position and then just be able to contend for the win. I think we can do it; we definitely have the Safelite Autoglass Tundras capable. Just everything needs to fall into (place) and we just have to have the luck.”

Bubble Watch

Next race
The Camping World Truck Series heads to ISM Raceway on Nov. 9 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1) for the penultimate race of the 2018 season.

Who’s in danger?
Gragson sits 18 points above the cutline heading into next week’s race, while Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton are the two drivers below the cutline. Gragson’s outlook appears the best of the group, as he’s finished 16th and 15th, leading 55 laps in his most recent trip to Arizona despite a wreck. Though he has 11 career top 10s at Phoenix, Crafton has crashed in two of his last three races at Phoenix and only led 15 laps in 17 starts. His position in the standings also puts him in a precarious position. Enfinger crashed midway through his only Truck start at Phoenix, recording a 24th-place result.

Rank Driver Points to cutoff
1. Johnny Sauter WINNER
2. Justin Haley WINNER
3. Brett Moffitt +22
4. Noah Gragson +18
————— CUT-OFF LINE —————
5. Grant Enfinger -18
6. Matt Crafton -23

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

FORT WORTH, Tex. – Todd Gilliland’s heartbreak was serendipity for Justin Haley, who staked out his place in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship 4 race with a stunning victory Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.

Gilliland was half a lap away from collecting his first series win in the JAG Metals 350 when his No. 4 Toyota sputtered on the backstretch and ran out of fuel. Haley, who was 1.3 seconds back on the white-flag lap, surged past Gilliland and crossed the finish line 8.133 seconds ahead of runner-up Ben Rhodes.

With his third victory of the season and his second in the Playoffs, Haley joined GMS Racing teammate Johnny Sauter for a chance to win the series title in the Nov. 16 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. That leaves two spots available to the remaining six competitors.

RELATED: Full results | Texas photos

“That was amazing,” the 19-year-old Haley said in Victory Lane. “I thought we had it lost there. I didn’t quite maximize my pit road (on the final green-flag stop)… This is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity. To get two Chevrolets—me and Johnny—back to back to Miami, that’s what we want.

“We’ve got a 50-percent chance of winning it.”

Gilliland took on one can of fuel when he came to pit road on Lap 115 of 147, and his team calculated—erroneously, as it turned out—that he had enough gas to go to Lap 150. Haley stopped under green seven laps later and was five seconds behind Gilliland when the pit sequence cycled out.

Haley gradually gained ground over the final 25 laps but would have run out of time had Gilliland not run out of fuel.

“I didn’t know we were close on fuel at all,” said Gilliland, who hit the wall in qualifying and had to start from the rear of the field after his team made unapproved adjustments to the truck. “It’s horrible. I’m incredibly disappointed. I still feel like we could have been faster if I hadn’t wrecked during qualifying.

“So many things… we win and lose as a team. But I’m super proud to be in that position, to be fighting for wins every now and then. I feel like we’re on the verge of being a competitor week-in and week-out. I think we’re getting there every week, and that’s what I’m really proud of, but at the same time, it really hurts.”

Gilliland rolled across the stripe in fourth place behind playoff driver Brett Moffitt, who holds third in the Playoff standings behind Sauter (last week’s winner at Martinsville) and Haley.

After a change in gear rules, Moffitt was running the crate NT-1 engine for the first time, in lieu of a Mark Cronquist-built Toyota engine.

“It’s different,” Moffitt said. “I wouldn’t say good, bad or either, but it’s certainly different… We lost a lot of track position, and it doesn’t matter what you have under the hood here at Texas, you’re not going to make up that many spots.

“We just have to execute a better race and move forward. It certainly helps to run good, but when you’re in the Playoffs like this, you have to get back to Victory Lane.”

Noah Gragson, who finished 10th, is the fourth in the Playoff standings, 18 points ahead of Grant Enfinger, who ran out of fuel on the final lap and finished 12th, and 23 ahead of two-time series champion Matt Crafton, who ran ninth.

Austin Hill scored a career-best fifth-place finish in his 49th NCWTS start.

Posted on by Holly Cain

Not involved in any high conflict during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup playoffs so far, veteran Kyle Busch seemed comfortable and at ease heading into Sunday’s AAA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The regular season champion and current championship leader — who holds a sizable 46-point lead on the field — was willing to offer his take on last week’s victory battle at Martinsville Speedway between Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. But he was more eager to talk about his own game plan for a second Cup championship.

RELATED: Playoff standings

The “bump-and-run” used by Logano to get around Truex for the victory last weekend – and a berth in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway – has dominated NASCAR social media channels, radio talk shows and television commentary. As for Busch, the 33-year old maintains he’d prefer not to be so aggressive, but acknowledged it is on a case-by-case basis and largely depends on who the other driver is.

“Overall, it’s just there’s certain guys and individuals that you can race that wouldn’t do those sorts of things,’’ Busch said, of the bump-and-run to win technique.

“Names that come to mind would be Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr. — that you can race with and battle with and do it cleanly. And there’s guys that you have names that you know are going to just flat out run into you on Lap 128 when they get to your rear bumper and move you out of the way in a 500-lap race. ‘OK, whatever dude.’

“It’s all about who it is. It’s their norm and if it’s their norm then you have to treat them back because it’s their norm. But when you do it back because you’re doing it to somebody that you know will do it then you’re now associated as being that kind of guy. How do you balance that? I don’t know.

“For instance, if it was me and Joey (Logano) and Joey flat out ran over me when he got to me at Martinsville, then when I go back on him the next time, am I just doing it because it’s Joey or am I doing it because it’s me? I would say I’m doing it because of who it is not that’s the way I want to do it.”

Busch has been known to go door-to-door throughout his 50-win Cup career. But the father of 3-year-old Brexton, the driver who spent Halloween handing out sponsor M&Ms candy to trick-or-treaters, concedes he may have mellowed. His path to the 2018 championship hasn’t included any major detours into full-on aggressive driving. Yet.

And the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota doesn’t necessarily consider the 1.5-mile Texas high banks a prime backdrop for that style of racing either.

“I think there’s opportunity to be aggressive here if you want to be aggressive, but there’s a lot of risk for reward at this place, especially on restarts with as slick as we’ve seen it be, as narrow as we’ve seen it be the last few years since the repave,’’ Busch explained.

“Depending on how the rubber application gets going here this weekend and how wide of a groove you kind of see between the Truck race and the Xfinity race leading into the Cup race, that kind of determines what all you should expect or how hard you feel like you can go on restarts. “

As for last week’s situation with Logano and Truex, specifically?

“Obviously I didn’t go back and rewatch it, but just remembering what I remember about it, the 78 (Martin Truex Jr.) worked hard for quite a few laps to make a move at Martinsville and at a short track as clean as he possibly could and just cleared a guy too soon and got run over through 3 and 4,’’ Busch said.

“With sometimes who you’re racing around, I guess you have to know what’s going to happen and expect that and try to plan for it, I guess. When you try to do too much planning, last time I checked, that’s not racing.”

Of more concern for Busch is another playoff win so he doesn’t have to points-race his way into the four-driver shot at a title. Of the drivers competing this weekend, only Jimmie Johnson (seven) has more wins than Busch’s three. He’s had seven top-five finishes in the last 10 races on the Fort Worth high banks and won here just this April.

“I’d like to think our odds are pretty good,’’ Busch said. “Obviously anything can happen. We won Martinsville last year and came here and had two flat tires in the race and we didn’t fare very well. You still have to have some luck on your side and have everything kind of go your way. It’s tough to rebound sometimes after a difficult start to a day or even if you have trouble later in the day it’s really difficult to rebound and get a good finish like you need.

“We’d love to be able to win and automatically lock ourselves through, but if that’s not the case then you just have to be smart and mindful of a good points day and try not to hurt yourself and minimize mistakes if some are made.”

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

FORT WORTH, Tex. – Ryan Blaney may have exited the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, but that doesn’t mean the desire to win has left the driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

RELATED: See every car in the field | Qualifying results

Running the fastest lap of the day in the final round of Friday’s knockout qualifying session at Texas Motor Speedway, Blaney sped around the 1.5-mile track in 26.932 seconds (200.505 mph) to earn the top starting spot for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

In winning his first Busch Pole Award at Texas, his third of the season and the fifth of his career, Blaney fell just short of the track record (26.877 seconds at 200.915 mph) set by Kurt Busch in November of last year. Nevertheless, Blaney’s lap in the money round was the second fastest ever run on a 1.5-mile intermediate speedway.

Blaney, who paced the first round but fell to eighth in the second, beat playoff driver Clint Bowyer (200.230 mph) by .037 seconds when it counted. Kevin Harvick (199.941 mph) qualified third, as Ford drivers swept the top five spots on the grid and seven of the top eight.

“We just seemed to get tighter round to round,” Blaney said. “We just kept freeing it up, and I messed up Round 2 pretty bad. I got really greedy in (Turn) 1 and drove in there too deep. So we freed it up even more, and I backed my entry up, and that helped it out …

“It felt really fast. That’s what you get with this nighttime qualifying. High speeds. Speeds pick up, and it has been cool here today. We’ve had a really good Ford all day, and it is nice to back it up in qualifying. It doesn’t mean a lot if you are fastest in practice and blow it in qualifying … I’m excited to see how it is in race trim in Saturday’s practice.”

With Aric Almirola qualifying fourth and Kurt Busch eighth, Stewart-Haas Racing placed all four of its drivers in the top seven, and all four are still in contention for the series championship. Brad Keselowski was fifth fastest, giving Team Penske two drivers in the top five.

Toyota driver Denny Hamlin was seventh with the only non-Ford in the top eight. Team Penske driver Joey Logano — already qualified for the Nov. 18 Championship 4 race at Homestead by virtue of last Sunday’s victory at Martinsville, was eighth quickest after topping the second round at 200.267 mph.

Playoff driver Martin Truex Jr. will start 13th on Sunday after Almirola bumped him out of the final round by .001 seconds.

“I got a little loose on Turn 3 in my last lap there,” Truex said. “If I didn’t mess that up, I probably would have been in. It’s a sensitive track, really fast. For whatever reason, we’ve been off qualifying since they redid this place.

“I haven’t quite figured out what I need for qualifying. In our race trim, we’ve been really good here. We’ll see. We’ll work harder on it (Saturday in practice) and see on Sunday.”

Chase Elliott, winner of two Playoff races, will start 16th. Ninth-place qualifier William Byron, Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, was the only Chevrolet driver to crack the top 12.

Posted on by Staff Report

After three-plus seasons behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford Fusion, Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN) will mark Trevor Bayne’s last scheduled start for Roush Fenway Racing.

The driver, who shocked the world in 2011 by winning the Daytona 500 in just his second career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start, commented on Instagram on Friday evening about his final race for his longtime organization.

MORE: Roush: Bayne will not return in 2019

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpscPOQA3Qp

Heading into Sunday, Bayne had amassed 16 top 10 finishes across 186 starts at NASCAR’s top level. After driving part-time for Wood Brothers Racing from 2010-14 — including his win in the “Great American Race” — the now-27-year-old joined RFR in 2015 and had been driving the No. 6 full time before sharing it with veteran Matt Kenseth this season.

Roush Fenway Racing announced last month that Ryan Newman, current driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, would drive the No. 6 in 2019.

MORE: Newman to drive No. 6 in 2019

Bayne has not announced any future plans at this time.

Team Penske driver and Ford stablemate Brad Keselowski sent Bayne some words of encouragement, as well.

Posted on by Staff Report

Trackside Live is heading back to Texas Motor Speedway to help celebrate the NASCAR Playoffs tripleheader. The two shows will be at 6:45 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 3,  and 11:30 a.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 4.

WATCH: Trackside Live | MORE: Full Texas Schedule | Buy your tickets

Don’t miss your chance to meet your favorite drivers and get in on the playoff action!