Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Busch completed a career sweep of sorts Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.

While his 26th-place finish following a last-lap wreck certainly doesn’t look like much at first blush, it’s the first time in 493 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts that “Rowdy” has finished exactly 26th.

RELATED: Full Talladega results

Yes, the man with 50 career Monster Energy Series wins, with 44 runner-up finishes … and even with four 40th-place finishes … had never finished 26th in a race prior to Sunday.

More than that, the 26th-place finish gives Kyle Busch at least one finish for every possible position in the 40-car field.

What it does it all mean?

Well, we don’t know exactly. But it’s an interesting bit of NASCAR trivia with which you can stump your friends.

MORE: Kyle Busch stats

Posted on by Reid Spencer

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Aric Almirola has been tantalizingly close to winning this season, only to come up empty.

On Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, he finally got to light the victory cigar.

When the No. 41 Ford of Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kurt Busch lost fuel pressure on the final lap of the 1000Bulbs.com 500, Almirola was there to collect his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory since 2014 and clinch a spot in the Round of 8 in the series playoffs.

RELATED: Race results
SHOP: Almirola gear

Almirola’s second career victory — and his first in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford — came one week after a late caution at Dover robbed him of a chance to win.

At the end of a race in which the Stewart-Haas cars achieved mind-bending dominance at NASCAR’s biggest track, Almirola finished .105 seconds ahead of teammate Clint Bowyer, who, coincidentally, caused the telltale caution at Dover — one that mirrored a similar situation at New Hampshire in July.

“This is awesome! At Talladega!” Almirola exulted after taking the checkered flag. “I’ve been so close so many times this year. Four or five times this year, I feel like we’ve had a shot to win, and I haven’t been able to seal the deal. … I feel like I’ve let (the team) down so many times, because we’ve had so many opportunities to win and haven’t done it. …

“We come here, a place that I love — I won an Xfinity race here last year. I just love racing at Talladega, and I came here with the mind-set that we were going to go give ’em hell, and if we wreck, we wreck, and if we win, we win. And we won!”

Led by Busch, the four Stewart-Haas drivers swept the top four starting positions in Saturday’s knockout qualifying session. But that was just the beginning. Busch won the first stage of Sunday’s race, followed by Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Almirola.

RELATED: SHR dominates until late hiccups

It was more of the same in Stage 2, with Harvick taking the green/checkers ahead of Bowyer, Busch and Almirola. Harvick scored enough stage points to clinch a spot in the Round of 8 of the Cup Playoffs.

“This was an incredible race for us,” Almirola said. “We were so committed to each other and so organized, and nobody in the field could touch us. It was us against the field. What an impressive run. I’m just proud to be the one on top today.”

The SHR drivers were running 1-2-3-4 with three laps left when playoff driver Alex Bowman lost control of his No. 88 Chevrolet in Turn 4 to cause the eighth caution of the afternoon.

WATCH: Late Bowman wreck shakes up field

The yellow put Harvick and fellow playoff drivers Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney in dire straits with respect to fuel, and all three came to pit road to gas up before the final restart in overtime on Lap 192. Busch held the lead until his car sputtered in Turn 4 on the final lap — after a multicar wreck in Turn 1 damaged the cars of playoff drivers Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr.

Almirola surged into the lead and took the checkered flag, leading his only lap of the afternoon.

With the runner-up finish, Bowyer climbed from outside the Round of 8 cutline to sixth in the playoff standings, 21 points to the good.

WATCH: Bowyer praises SHR teammates

“I was happy for Aric,” Bowyer said. “He had that race won last week (at Dover), and it was me that brought out the caution. I feel like he got a little redemption there.

“Was happy that we finished second.  I think it was second, second and second (in all three stages). As far as our day went, we needed to be a little bit better.”

Because of the late-race fuel shortage, Keselowski and Blaney enter next Sunday’s Round of 12 cutoff race at Kansas in ninth and 10th place, respectively. Keselowski, who finished 27th at Talladega, trails reigning series champion Martin Truex Jr. (23rd Sunday) by 18 points for the final spot in the Round of 8. Blaney, who ran 29th, is 22 points back.

Kyle Larson salvaged an 11th-place finish after a litany of issues, including a blown left-rear tire and spin on the backstretch, but Larson trails Truex by 26 points. Bowman, who finished 33rd after wrecking, can advance to the Round of 8 only by winning at Kansas.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished third on Sunday, followed by Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, who solidified his claim to a Round of 8 berth with the fifth-place finish. Logano is 39 points ahead of Keselowski, his Team Penske teammate.

AJ Allmendinger ran sixth, followed by Jimmie Johnson, who recovered from a spin through the tri-oval grass and contact with the inside wall on Lap 62 to come home seventh. Erik Jones, Paul Menard and Regan Smith completed the top 10.

Posted on by Staff Report

Following the fifth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race, here’s a brief look at the playoffs picture. The 10-race postseason is exactly at the halfway point, and there is just one race remaining in the Round of 12 before the field is whittled to eight, with four drivers eliminated from the postseason following Kansas (Oct. 21).

Winner

Aric Almirola, who was in agony following last week’s blown opportunity at Dover, passed teammate Kurt Busch on the last lap after Busch ran out of gas and took his first checkered flag of 2018.

MORE: Full race results

Who’s hot

Stewart-Haas Racing. Yep, pick any driver. Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer were collectively the class of the field Sunday, using pure horsepower and a unified strategy to control the entire race. Almirola won and Bowyer finished second — the only reason it wasn’t a 1-2-3-4 finish is because Harvick and Busch ran out of fuel.

Joey Logano. It was tough for anyone to keep up with the Stewart-Haas Racing Fords, including multi-time Talladega winner Logano. But Logano made veteran moves all race, avoided calamity at the end and held on for a top-five finish to jump to third in the standings.

RELATED: ‘We ruled the day’

Who’s not

Martin Truex Jr. Surprise, surprise. Truex Jr.’s Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota was off all day with a rear handling issue, running near the back most of the afternoon. A fortuitous late wreck is the only reason why Truex Jr. is not below the cutline with one race remaining in this round.

Kyle Larson. Larson’s solo spin following a tire issue on Lap 103 took him out of the lead pack and punctuated what had been a frustrating day for the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing group. While he rebounded back to the lead lap admirably (11th), the 26-year-old faces essentially a must-win situation at Kansas following his finish.

MORE: Updated playoff standings

BUBBLE WATCH

Rank Driver Points to cutoff
5. Joey Logano +39
6. Kurt Busch +30
7. Clint Bowyer +21
8. Martin Truex Jr. +18
————— CUT-OFF LINE —————
9. Brad Keselowski -18
10. Ryan Blaney -22
11. Kyle Larson -26
12. Alex Bowman -68

• Does not include Chase Elliott or Aric Almirola, who won at Dover and Talladega, respectively, to lock themselves into the Round of 8.

Next race

The Monster Energy Series travels to Kansas Speedway for a Sunday race on Oct. 21 (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It is the final race in the Round of 12.

Who it favors

Ryan Blaney. The “Big 3” has collectively won the past five Kansas races, but Blaney’s numbers are nearly in the same echelon as those of Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. The Team Penske driver has three top-five finishes and has led 140 laps over the past five Kansas events. Yes, he wrecked out late this spring battling with Kyle Larson, but he also finished third in this race last year.

Who it hurts

Clint Bowyer. It is especially cruel to place Bowyer’s name here, considering Kansas is his home track. But the facility hasn’t been kind to the driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. He has started outside the top 30 in four of the past five Kansas races, and his one top-10 finish during that time frame is tied for worst with Alex Bowman among all playoff drivers.

Posted on by Staff Report

What channels are NASCAR races on 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 | Gets FOX Sports Go | How to find NBCSN

MONDAY, October 15
Midnight, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fr8Auctions 250, FS2 (re-air)
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1994 Coke 600, FS1 (re-air)
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
Noon: Motorsports Monday (with hosts Woody Cain and Joey Meier)

TUESDAY, October 16
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1988 Daytona 500, FS1 (re-air)

On MRN
7 p.m.: NASCAR Live (with host Mike Bagley)

WEDNESDAY, October 17
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7:30 p.m., 100,000 Cameras: Talladega, FS2
8 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fr8Auctions 250, FS2 (re-air)

On MRN
Noon: Crew Call (with hosts Sammi Jo Francis and Rocko Williams)
1 p.m.: NASCAR Coast to Coast (with hosts Kyle Rickey and Hannah Newhouse)

THURSDAY, October 18
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5:30 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series West: All-American Speedway, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Series: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On MRN
Noon: The Straight Line
1 p.m.: Throwback Thursday: 2006 Banquet 400

FRIDAY, October 19
Noon., NASCAR K&N Pro Series West: All-American Speedway, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)
1 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Series: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)
2 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN4)
3 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
4 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)
4:30 p.m., Racing Roots: Bubba Wallace, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (re-air)
5 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN2)

On MRN
Noon: The Inside Line (with host Tyler Burnett)

SATURDAY, October 20
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1988 Daytona 500, FS1, (re-air)
10:30 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, CNBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN1)
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Pole Qualifying, CNBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) *Update: We will simulcast the end of qualifying on CNBC and NBCSN (joining us at 12:30pm); fully transitioning to NBCSN at the conclusion.
12:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
1 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN1)
2 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green, NBC/NBC Sports App
3 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 300, NBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN1)

SUNDAY, October 21
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1998 Daytona 500, FS1 (re-air)
Noon: NASCAR RaceDay: Kansas, FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC/NBC Sports App
2 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green, NBC/NBC Sports App
2:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400, NBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN5)
6 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series will be in action at Kansas Speedway while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off. The Monster Energy Series heads to the final race of the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs, while the Xfinity Series enters the first race in the Round of 8. Check out the full schedule below, which is subject to change.

Note: All times are ET

MORE: How to find NBCSN

SUNDAY, Oct. 21
2:20:00 p.m.: Presentation of Colors by Overland Park Police Department Honor Guard
2:20:20 p.m.: Invocation by Chaplain Graham Bailey
2:21:00 p.m.: National Anthem performed by Kansas City, Kansas Police Department Master Detective, Danon Vaughn
2:23:25 p.m.: Flyover by 393rd Bomb Squadron, Whiteman Air Force Base (1 B2 Bomber)
2:28:30 p.m.: Command to start engines by 50 Penn National Gaming VIPs
2:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Results) (Canada: TSN5)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
11 a.m.: Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award
5:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

FRIDAY, Oct. 19
2:05-2:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results) (Canada: TSN4)
3:05-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results) (Canada: TSN App)
5-5:50 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results) (Canada: TSN App)
7:10 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results) (Canada: TSN2)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
12:30 p.m.: Kyle Larson
12:45 p.m.: Ryan Blaney
1 p.m.: Alex Bowman
1:15 p.m.: Aric Almirola
1:30 p.m.: Christopher Bell, Cole Custer and Daniel Hemric
1:45 p.m.: GMS Racing team announcement
3:30 p.m.: Clint Bowyer
8 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying

RELATED: VIP experience for Ford fan

SATURDAY, Oct. 20
10:30-11:20 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series second practice, CNBC/NBC Sports App (Results) (Canada: TSN1)
11:40 a.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series pole qualifying, CNBC/NBC Sports App (Results) (Canada: TSN App)
1:05-1:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Results) (Canada: TSN1)
2:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 300 (200 laps, 300 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Results) (Canada: TSN1)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
5:30 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Xfinity Series race

Posted on by Staff Report

Stewart-Haas Racing and Fords, in general, continued to dominate at the 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway as Kevin Harvick grabbed his series-leading 15th stage win when he was in the front at the end of Stage 2 on Sunday.

Harvick led the final 41 laps of Stage 2, which ended on Lap 110 of the 188-lap race. His SHR teammates once again made up the top four: Clint Bowyer in second, Kurt Busch in third and Aric Almirola in fourth. Denny Hamlin was the lone non-Ford to crack the top six as he finished fifth in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Jimmie Johnson brought out the first race caution on Lap 62 when he got loose and spun in traffic, slamming into the interior SAFER barrier. His No. 48 crew made repairs, and he returned to the race one lap down.

On the ensuing restart, Kyle Busch managed to crack into the Stewart-Haas Racing pack of leaders, taking the lead on Lap 69 and holding onto it for one lap. He challenged Harvick for the lead for several laps, but then fell out of the draft and as far back as 21st in the field before returning to the top 10.

Another caution came out on Lap 103 when Kyle Larson spun multiple times after blowing a tire. His No. 42 Chevrolet did not make contact with any other cars as it spun. Larson was running in 11th place at the time of the caution; he dropped to 33rd after his team made repairs.

 

Finish Driver Team Race Points
1  Kevin Harvick  Stewart-Haas Racing 10
2  Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3  Kurt Busch  Stewart-Haas Racing 8
4  Aric Almirola  Stewart-Haas Racing 7
5  Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing 6
6  Ryan Blaney  Team Penske 5
7  Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing 4
8  Austin Dillon  Richard Childress Racing 3
9  Joey Logano  Team Penske 2
10  Brad Keselowski  Team Penske 1

 

STAGE 1

Kurt Busch cruised to the Stage 1 victory at the 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, leading all 55 laps after he started on the pole Sunday. It marked Busch’s third stage win of the season.

Busch and his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates started in the first four positions at Talladega, and held the same places all the way to the end of the stage: Clint Bowyer was second, Kevin Harvick was third and Aric Almirola was fourth.

RELATED: Stage 1 results

Midway through the stage, eight cars led a breakaway from the rest of the pack — all Fords (from SHR and Team Penske) and Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet — and set a pace other cars could not match.

Brad Keselowski peeled away on Lap 41, however, pitting early for a loose left rear wheel on his No. 2 Ford. He returned to the race one lap down and finished Stage 1 34th — one place from the lucky dog position.

Finish Driver Team Race Points
1  Kurt Busch  Stewart-Haas Racing 10
2  Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3  Kevin Harvick  Stewart-Haas Racing 8
4  Aric Almirola  Stewart-Haas Racing 7
5  Joey Logano  Team Penske 6
6  Ryan Blaney  Team Penske 5
7  Chase Elliott  Hendrick Motorsports 4
8  Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing 3
9  Alex Bowman  Hendrick Motorsports 2
10  Ty Dillon  Germain Racing 1

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Ever wonder what goes on in a driver meeting? We’re here to help.

This year, we’ll publish the actual rules video your favorite Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will watch before climbing into their stock cars. Above is the video for the 1000Bulbs.com 500 (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Talladega Superspeedway.

Posted on by Zack Albert

TALLADEGA, Ala. — The goalposts kept moving for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoff picture Saturday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway. Each crash, each penalty, each shuffle of position shifted the cutoff line for the Round of 6.

Brett Moffitt and Matt Crafton each spent time going the wrong direction in the Fr8Auctions 250, but both scraped by to clinch spots in the next round of the postseason. Only three drivers had secured their berths by the time the frantic final stage set sail, and the chaotic home stretch put all five remaining drivers in a Yahtzee tumbler.

When it all shook out, the bottom four were separated by just 10 points. Moffitt and Crafton could breathe easier, while Ben Rhodes and Stewart Friesen were eliminated. 

RELATED: Round of 6 set | Full race results

“I wasn’t comfortable at all,” said Moffitt, who entered the race with an 18-point cushion and escaped by just eight. “Every single speedway race I’ve been whether it’s Cup Series or Truck Series, I have been leading and gotten wrecked. I’ve been running in the back and have tried to be conservative and have gotten wrecked. And today, I was a middle man and got wrecked. It happens.

“That’s the stressful part about Talladega. A lot is out of your control.”

Moffitt’s Hattori Racing Enterprises No. 16 Toyota collided with the No. 12 of Tanner Thorson with two laps left in the second stage, but he continued on with moderate damage. An unscheduled stop with 15 laps left for a flat right-rear tire, cut on the sidewall, relegated him to a 17th-place finish, two laps down.

Crafton’s impact was far more severe, his ThorSport Racing No. 88 Ford gobbled up in a 10-truck stack-up that forced a red flag with 59 of the 94 laps complete. He wound up sidelined, 26th in the 32-truck field and had to sweat out the remainder of the event to learn his playoff fate. Finishes of fourth and second in the opening two stages sustained Crafton, allowing him to advance by a four-point margin.

WATCH: ‘Big One’ takes out playoff contenders

“Very frustrating, but it’s Talladega,” Crafton said. “What do you expect?”

Four points the other way was Rhodes, who caught a piece of the pile-up that snared Crafton, his ThorSport teammate. The 21-year-old driver soldiered on to a 16th-place result, but never could regain his lead-lap stature, ending his playoff run after one round.

“We can make excuses, but that’s not what we’re here to do,” said Rhodes, who entered Talladega with a five-point deficit. “We’re here to race and get some wins.  It was just a bad day, but I think overall at the end we showed that we were still strong even with a truck that looked like it belonged on the wrecker.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

TALLADEGA, Ala. – All four Stewart-Haas Racing cars were amply endowed with speed for Saturday’s knockout qualifying session at Talladega Superspeedway.

Kurt Busch was just glad he got the pick of the litter.

“Four Stewart-Haas Fords — I’m really happy that I got the fast one,” Busch quipped after winning the pole for Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and leading an SHR sweep of the top four starting spots for the second race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12.

RELATED: Qualifying results | Lineup, team rosters

The Busch Pole Award was Busch’s fifth of the season and the 27th of his career. What’s more, his final-round lap at 195.804 mph (48.906 seconds) ended a quest dating to his first race in the Cup series in 2000.

“We’re on the pole!” Busch said. “This is my first restrictor-plate pole ever. Ever! It took me almost 20 years. I got one!”

Busch beat teammate Clint Bowyer (195.301 mph) for the top starting spot by .126 seconds, a huge margin relative to the rest of the top 12. Kevin Harvick (195.186 mph) qualified third, followed by Aric Almirola (194.571 mph).

“With Stewart-Haas cars 1-2-3-4 at this race in the playoffs, it really sets the tone,” Busch said. “Now we’ve got to execute on Sunday.”

The time trials, however, were a tale of two organizations, not just one. Behind the four SHR entries were all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers, with last week’s Dover winner, Chase Elliott, leading the way into the fifth starting position. Jimmie Johnson, Alex Bowman and William Byron were close behind.

“With all four guys in the top 12, it’s a strong showing for us,” said Byron, whose lap time of 49.420 seconds (193.768 mph) was identical to Bowman’s. “That should be good for Sunday. Qualifying doesn’t reflect totally on how things will shake out Sunday and how you are going to race. But it should be fine.

“With the four of us together at the start, we have an opportunity to stay in front of some of the possible situations, but you don’t control much out there, and everything gets so shuffled during the race, it’s hard to know. But I feel good about where we are right now. We’ll see what happens.”

All four SHR drivers are competing for the series championship. Elliott and Bowman are still title contenders for Hendrick.

Playoff driver Kyle Busch qualified ninth in the fastest Toyota, with reigning series champion Martin Truex Jr. claiming the 11th starting position.

“You always want to make the second round, and you hope you can do a little better,” said Truex, who has never won a restrictor-plate race. “We thought we picked up some speed, and we gained one spot, beat the 17 (12th place qualifier Ricky Stenhouse Jr.).

“Better than none, and we’ll go get them tomorrow.”

The remaining four playoff drivers qualified as follows: Brad Keselowski 18th, Ryan Blaney 19th, Joey Logano 20th and Kyle Larson 34th.

With the playoff field set to be cut from 12 drivers to eight on Oct. 21 at Kansas Speedway, Bowyer and Almirola currently are tied for ninth in the standings, 10 points below the cut line.

The No. 72 Chevrolet driven by Corey LaJoie failed post-qualifying inspection and will go to the rear on Sunday.