Posted on by Holly Cain

Ryan Blaney acknowledged with a slight smile Friday morning that perhaps some pundits don’t consider his No. 12 Team Penske Ford team a shoe-in to advance beyond this second round of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Then again, those may be the same people that weren’t expecting the 24-year-old to be one of only three race winners in the first round either. And he and his team are still feeling the good vibes from last Sunday’s victory at the Charlotte road course even as they change focus to this Sunday’s Gander Mountain 400 at Dover International Raceway (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Blaney comes from third to first in final turn to win 

“Just because you win a race, and the circumstances that we won the race in (where) we weren’t the best race car that weekend … but I don’t really think it elevates us or hurts us winning that race as far as the outside kind of sees,” Blaney said. “I feel like it’s more of a confidence-builder inside the 12 team and inside our whole group that really gets everyone fired up, and big momentum for our team. I wouldn’t say we’re a championship favorite. I’d say we’re in the hunt and honestly we’ve been in the hunt all year.

“I feel like we’ve kind of been on the cusp of being right there where we need to be just finding that little bit more from the speed standpoint of the race car and myself, but I think we’re close. 

“I don’t think we’re a favorite, but I think we’re getting close to where we need to be, which is nice to see the progress that we’ve had throughout the year. It’s really been fun to be a part of and witness in person.”

Blaney has always had a humble, low-key persona even as one of the most popular new generation Cup drivers. Most importantly – as his win Sunday demonstrates – he is a top-shelf talent and knows how to get it done when it matters most. He and Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski (Las Vegas) and regular season champion, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch (Richmond) are the only drivers arriving at the always-tough Dover “Monster Mile” with a playoff victory in their pocket and plenty of positive momentum.

Blaney’s eighth-place finish at Dover this spring ties his best work (spring, 2016) at the track.

RELATED: Playoff standings | Blaney leaves lasting impression with young fan

On the season, he has finished in the top 10 in four of the last seven Cup races with a fifth place at the Vegas playoff opener. Additionally, the win on Sunday moves him to eighth in the playoff standings. He’s only two points behind fifth-place Clint Bowyer in a crowded and competitive top eight as the second round begins.

“We had a pretty good run at this track earlier this year,” Blaney said of Dover. “We’ve always run decent here, we haven’t really led a lot of laps here, but we’ve kind of been running in that fifth to eighth range here for the last year or so, and we did that in the first race here.

“I think we ran eighth or something, but I think it’s just trying to be consistent throughout the whole race. I think that’s really important in these playoffs and the reason why you want to be consistent is obviously the stage points and you want to be able to get stage points in every round or every stage, I should say, and finish the race where you should up towards the front of the field. The same thing goes at Talladega.”

His positioning is solid going forward and Blaney says the team is genuinely – and understandably – invigorated with the victory at Charlotte. And with tough and varied venues in this round – from the Dover one-miler, to the Talladega Superspeedway restrictor plate toss-up next week and the Kansas 1.5-miler elimination race the next – any positive momentum can be a difference maker.

RELATED: Statistical superlatives heading into Round of 12

Blaney has a pair of top 10s in eight Talladega starts and has been taken out in crashes two of the last three races there. He started on the outside pole position at Kansas earlier this year and led 54 laps before being caught up in a crash. But he has three top fives at the track, including a third place in the playoff race there last season.

“People focus on just not getting in the big one, and that’s a big part of it, but you’ve got to get stage points at that place,” Blaney said of Talladega. “You can’t go to Talladega or these speedways and not get any stage points. That’s a killer to your day. We did that a couple times. We didn’t get any stage points at Richmond and we finished 19th and that was a brutal hit to the points that we were in in the first round, so you really can’t have that and especially when you start moving on in the rounds and the championship field gets smaller and smaller. 

“You’ve got to get stage points and finish well, so I think just being consistent is the biggest thing we have to do and obviously staying out of trouble.”

With so much on the line in this most crucial portion of the schedule, Blaney conceded a good celebration last Sunday with friends followed by Team Penske’s traditional victory ceremony at the shop on Monday has certainly kept him and his team enthusiastic about their chances going forward in the trophy hunt. His exuberance is a fantastic reminder of what winning is all about. And it will surprise no one if Blaney wins more.

“It’s good to celebrate these wins, but then you’re focused on the next week, so there has just been a couple more things to do and you see everybody in the shop,” Blaney shared with a smile. “They’re really excited, so it’s nice to see their faces, but you’re focused immediately on the next round, the next race and trying to do it again.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR announced before the season that it will standardize at-track team rosters across all three national series in 2018, providing a structure for the number of personnel working on each vehicle during the course of a race weekend.

Official team rosters for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) have been released. Click the print icon above, or the link below.

ROSTERS: Dover fall race

RELATED: Overview of 2018 rules updates

Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Larson soared to the top of the leaderboard in Friday’s opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice from Dover International Speedway with a top speed of 164.444 mph.

MORE: Practice results | Full Dover schedule

The entire top five was made of of NASCAR Playoff drivers in the Round of 12; seven-time 2018 winner Kevin Harvick was next fastest to Larson, his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford clocking in at 163.451 mph. His SHR teammate Kurt Busch ranked third on the speed charts in his No. 41 Ford (163.362 mph), while Chase Elliott was fourth in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (163.236 mph).

Charlotte road course winner Ryan Blaney rounded out the top five with a 162.719 mph lap in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

Blaney’s teammate Joey Logano was the slowest playoff car, his No. 22 Ford ranking 21st.

The Monster Energy Series is back on track for qualifying at 3:40 p.m. ET (NBC Sports App).

Posted on by Steve Luvender

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not pumpkin spice season — NASCAR silly season. With rumors of driver changes and team changes floating in the air among the autumn leaves, have you ever wanted to add to the noise? Now, with the 2018 upgrade to our Silly Season Simulator, you can generate your very own fictional scenarios to share with your friends and totally look like a genius when they come true for next season.

RELAYED: Key players in the 2018 Silly Season

Posted on by Jordan Bianchi

Two races down, one race remaining in the first round of the Xfinity Series playoffs that hasn’t lacked for drama nor intrigue. Here is a look back at what’s transpired thus far and where things stand entering the Round 1 elimination race Saturday at Dover International Speedway (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Is championship co-favorite Justin Allgaier, 11 points above the cut line, sweating heading into the Bar Harbor 200?

When the playoffs began regular season champion Justin Allgaier was presumably a lock to advance to the second round based on all the bonus points he had accumulated during the regular season. Now, after consecutive subpar finishes (15th at Charlotte, 32nd at Richmond) to open the postseason he finds himself in a precarious position where another poor result Saturday could lead to his elimination.

It is understandable why the JR Motorsports driver may be feeling a bit uneasy, as his championship run could be over far sooner than expected. The good news for Allgaier is that Dover is one of his better tracks. He has finished fourth or better in four of the past five races, a stretch that includes a dominating win in the spring where he led 104 of a possible 200 laps.

MORE: Clinching scenarios | Xfinity Series Playoff standings | Full Dover schedule

How is Christopher Bell, the other championship co-favorite, feeling this weekend?

Relieved, thanks to his win two weeks ago at Richmond that automatically transferred Bell into the next bracket regardless of what happens Saturday. His focus is now on winning and amassing additional playoff points that he can use to his advantage in subsequent rounds.

Who else is feeling good about their chances to advance?

Barring a disastrous finish Saturday, Daniel Hemric (+30 points) and Tyler Reddick (+21) are in good shape and should be confident about maintaining their championship eligibility. Also feeling secure, though with a bit more trepidation, is Cole Custer (+14), who would need a lot to go wrong for him to be eliminated.

Can Ross Chastain’s magical run continue?

Ross Chastain maximized his opportunity to drive Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 Chevrolet, winning the regular season finale at Las Vegas then finishing runner-up in the playoff opener at Richmond. He jumped back to JD Motorsports for the Charlotte roval and finished 12th, which has him nine points clear of Austin Cindric for the final transfer spot.

MORE: Chastain nabs first Xfinity win at Las Vegas

Whether Chastain can advance depends on two factors: 1) He needs to run and finish well for the entirety of the race Saturday, with Cindric capable of overcoming that nine-point deficit via stage points, and 2) Chastain becomes vulnerable if a playoff driver below him in the standings wins as that would move up the cut line.

Only one of the above factors Chastain has any control over, making for a stressful weekend with the real possibility the clock may strike midnight for NASCAR’s Cinderella.

Is Austin Cindric up to the task of racing his way into the second round?

Although Cindric’s best tracks are road courses — he’s coming off a third-place finish at Charlotte — Dover does offer the rookie a good opportunity to earn himself a spot in the second round. He qualified seventh and finished ninth there in the spring (in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford), his first start on the high-banked, one-mile oval. That result was seven positions higher and 18 points better than Chastain. If a similar outcome occurs Saturday, Cindric is likely moving forward in the playoffs.

What must Ryan Truex, Ryan Reed and Brandon Jones each do to avoid elimination?

Win! It is anything but easy, however that is the most straightforward path for the three drivers lowest in the playoff standings if they are to continue onto the second round. Yes, Truex (-24 points), Reed (-25) and Jones (-28) could transfer without a victory, except a lot things would need to occur in their favor and that is simply not realistic.

By going out and winning, Truex, Reed and Jones would take their respective playoff fates into their own hands without the need to concern themselves about how their competition is performing.

Of course, this is easier said than done and each faces an incredibly tall task Saturday. Among the three, Jones appears to be the best candidate to accomplish the feat with the Joe Gibbs Racing driver turning in a fine performance at Dover in the spring that saw him win the pole, lead 33 laps and finish 10th.

Posted on by Staff Report

Four drivers will be eliminated from the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs after Saturday’s Bar Harbor 200 presented by Sea Watch International (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Dover International Speedway. The postseason field will be whittled from 12 to eight drivers.

Only Christopher Bell has sealed a berth in the Round of 12 with a victory at Richmond Raceway in the Round of 12.

RELATED: Postseason standings | Full schedule for Dover

With seven spots up for grabs, here’s what the remaining contenders must do to advance to the next round (drivers listed in order of their points ranking):

  • Daniel Hemric  – Hemric would clinch on points with 31 Points.  If there is a repeat winner (or a win by Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer, Matt Tifft, Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier or Ross Chastain), he would clinch with 26 Points.
  • Tyler Reddick – Reddick would clinch with 40 Points.  If there is a repeat winner (or a win by Daniel Hemric, Cole Custer, Matt Tifft, Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier or Ross Chastain), he would clinch with 35 Points.
  • Cole Custer – Custer would clinch with 47 Points.  If there is a repeat winner (or a win by Daniel Hemric, Tyler Reddick, Matt Tifft, Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier or Ross Chastain), he would clinch with 42 Points.
  • Matt Tifft – Tifft would clinch with 48 Points.  If there is a repeat winner (or a win by Daniel Hemric, Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer, Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier or Ross Chastain), he would clinch with 43 Points.
  • Elliott Sadler – Sadler would clinch with 50 Points.  If there is a repeat winner (or a win by Daniel Hemric, Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer, Matt Tifft, Justin Allgaier or Ross Chastain), he would clinch with 45 Points.
  • Justin Allgaier – Allgaier would clinch with 50 Points.  If there is a repeat winner (or a win by Daniel Hemric, Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer, Matt Tifft, Elliott Sadler or Ross Chastain), he would clinch with 45 Points.
  • Ross Chastain – Chastain would clinch on points with 51 Points.  If there is a repeat winner (or a win by Daniel Hemric, Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer, Matt Tifft, Elliott Sadler or Justin Allgaier), he would clinch with 47 Points.
  • The following drivers can clinch either with a win, or with help (none have a defined points total that would guarantee a clinch): Austin Cindric, Ryan Truex, Ryan Reed and Brandon Jones.
Posted on by Zack Albert

An “out of the blue” invitation from family in Charlotte a couple of months ago gave Ricky Brockmiller the chance to take his 4-year-old son, Payton, to his first NASCAR race last weekend. The family made the trek from their home in Colfax, Wisconsin, and witnessed a classic finish. But there was more that made Sunday’s debut for the Charlotte Roval an unforgettable memory.

Payton Brockmiller was front and center in the stands above the start-finish line for Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400, having made the walk down to the bottom row to get a closer look at his favorite part — the burnout. That’s when race winner Ryan Blaney locked eyes with the young fan, handed over the checkered flag and offered a fist-bump and thumbs-up.

“We just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Ricky Brockmiller said Wednesday. “I knew Ryan likes to give out the checkered flag, so when I saw him grab it, I saw him scanning the crowd and I managed to get Payton up as high as I could. I just made my way to the front and guess we got really lucky.”

Lucky, maybe. But perhaps all the coincidences foreshadowed that Payton’s first race was bound to be special. Blaney’s first checkered flag giveaway — after an Xfinity Series win at Dover last year — was also on Sept. 30. His father also works as a body mechanic at a truck equipment company, right across the street from a distribution center for Menards, Blaney’s primary sponsor on his Team Penske No. 12 Ford. And Ricky Brockmiller’s job means plenty of work for Penske’s rental truck division.

RELATED: 360-degree view of Blaney’s last lap

Ricky and Payton Brockmiller at Team Penske headquarters
Courtesy: Courtney Brockmiller

Serendipity aside, the shellshocked look on Payton’s face told the post-race story Sunday. Reached Wednesday by phone, his father said that the meaning of the moment has just started to sink in.

“He kind of gets it, but I don’t know if he fully gets how cool and how big of a deal it is,” Ricky Brockmiller said. “He’s a shy kid, but he’s getting it and liking it. Coming out of the race track, I think he was starting to notice that yeah, it felt pretty cool because everyone’s giving him fist-bumps and shaking his hand. A lot of all these stray people just wanted to take pictures with him. So he’s kind of getting it.”

The post-race accolades weren’t the end of the already heartwarming story, which spilled over into a memorable Monday. The family paid a visit to Team Penske’s shop in Mooresville to pick up souvenirs, with Payton still proudly carrying the flag from the day before. A member of Blaney’s crew noticed him from the shop floor, asking if it was the flag. When the Brockmillers said yes, arrangements were made for a second meeting that afternoon with Blaney, who happily posed for pictures and added his autograph to the checkers.

The Monday photos featured Payton smiling with a No. 12 shirt for his new favorite driver, even though his race-day apparel showed the youngster’s support for Kyle Busch. Blaney, in his weekly podcast for NASCAR.com, joked that he was doing his level best at “converting fans, one person at a time.”

Pressed to name a favorite driver going forward, Payton stammered before blurting out, “Ryan Blaney!” His father admitted that his son’s allegiances were still split.

“At night, he and my wife, they do a prayer,” Ricky Brockmiller said. “My wife will say, ‘All right, who are you thankful for?’ and she’ll put ideas in his head like Mom, Dad, your sister, whoever. He still will say he’s thankful for Kyle Busch although now he has added in Ryan Blaney. I think he’s torn. He likes them both. I think it’s the candy on Kyle’s car.”

Ryan Blaney fist bumps a young fan
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Once home, Payton Brockmiller unraveled the flag to show to the rest of his family. But now it sits rolled up and hidden away, awaiting his father to preserve both the flag and the race tickets in a keepsake frame.

But there are plans for Payton and his future with racing as well. Ricky Brockmiller said he helps out at Thunder Hill Speedway, a nearby karting track, and that he hopes to get his son up and running in competition in the next two years. Payton’s already making laps in a youth all-terrain vehicle on an oval burned into the field in the Brockmillers’ back yard.

“That’s all that he wants to do is race,” Ricky says, recounting the oft-told anecdote of Denny Hamlin’s rise to NASCAR’s big leagues. Hamlin, as an 11-year-old and a relative unknown finding his way on Virginia’s short tracks, told Coach Joe Gibbs at an autograph session that he’d drive for him one day. It’s a tale that’s resonated with the Brockmillers this week.

“I told my wife this is the beginning of his story,” Ricky says. “Hopefully one day he can come back and run for Ryan Blaney.”

Ryan Blaney greets the Brockmiller family at the Team Penske shop.
Courtesy Courtney Brockmiller
Posted on by Staff Report

Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Chad Knaus admitted it was a tough Monday morning earlier this week, the day after his team and driver Jimmie Johnson were eliminated from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

“I beat myself up pretty bad,” Knaus told host Dave Moody on Wednesday evening during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Knaus watched from atop the pitbox as Johnson hounded race leader Martin Truex Jr. over the final lap at the Charlotte road course. A win in sight — and a transfer spot into the Round of 12 seeming safe — Johnson attempted a late pass for the win with an aggressive move that spun his car around, and collected Truex Jr.’s No. 78 in the process.

JOHNSON: I’d do it again

The spin left Johnson with an eighth-place finish instead, and he was eliminated from the postseason by virtue of a tiebreaker.

“I feel like that maybe just one word out of me or two words out of me would have changed the outcome,” Knaus said. “Maybe he wouldn’t have gone in those extra 2 feet deeper. … It’s difficult to make those decisions in an environment like that.

“I feel that if Jimmie Johnson wins that race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the Roval to transfer into the next round of the playoffs, we have an opportunity to go win the championship. And I don’t mean just an opportunity, I think a real opportunity. I think that motivates (Johnson) and reinvigorates him and the whole team. And with the way that we’ve been performing over the last month and a half or so, I think we would have had the speed to actually do it.”

RELATED: Jeff Gordon chimes in

Instead, the No. 48 operation will load in at Dover International Speedway out of the postseason, but in search of the Johnson’s 12th career win at the track.

As for the seven-time championship crew chief, he still has his driver’s back.

“He was going for the win, and that’s what thoroughbreds do,” Knaus said. “They go for the win.”

Posted on by Team Release

CONCORD, N.C. (October 3, 2018) – Kasey Kahne will continue to sit out from Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition this coming weekend when the series travels to Dover International Speedway. Kahne participated in a private medical test session on Tuesday afternoon with his physicians as they continue to evaluate his health following a case of extreme heat exhaustion at Darlington Raceway.

Regan Smith will once again serve as the team’s substitute driver for the Dover race weekend behind the wheel of the No. 95 Camaro ZL1.

Leavine Family Racing continues to work with Kahne and his medical team and will provide an update following the Dover race weekend.