Posted on by Staff Report

Perhaps no driver — or former driver, in this case — knows Jimmie Johnson better than Jeff Gordon.

Gordon scouted Johnson early in his career, had a major hand in Rick Hendrick signing the now-seven-time series champion and helped Johnson grow and develop into the 83-time winner he is now. The two remain tight even with Gordon’s retirement from full-time racing following the 2015 season.

Gordon watched Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at the Charlotte road course closely. He saw Johnson, running second, attempt to pass leader Martin Truex Jr. in the final chicane, but spin, take himself out of contention for the win and ultimately be eliminated from the postseason.

MORE: Johnson spins way out of NASCAR Playoffs

“This one didn’t go the way that the 48 wanted it to go,” Gordon said Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “The reason why Jimmie Johnson has 83 wins and seven championships is — and it doesn’t matter if it’s for 10th, for fifth or for first — that guy goes for it. You gotta understand that was a split-second decision. He got a great run on the chicane, and he’s like ‘I want to win this race.’ At that moment, you’re not thinking about anything but checkered flags.

“What I can tell you is that if I had a stack of resumes here and somewhere on that resume it says this guy is going to go for it on the last lap in the last corner every single time, and there’s some risk involved in that, I’m going to take him over all the others every single time.”

Johnson’s spin also caught race leader Martin Truex Jr., who had to settle for 14th. The No. 78 team already had advanced to the Round of 12 regardless of Sunday’s result, but lost an opportunity to collect more playoff points with a Charlotte victory.

“I can tell you the last thing (Jimmie) wanted to do is take out Martin Truex Jr.,” Gordon added. “He’s the type of guy that wants to race hard and race clean.”

DEBATE: Was Jimmie’s move the right one?

Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were among the first to chime in on the 2019 rules packages NASCAR executives announced Tuesday afternoon. Their verdicts? Support, and the thought that the very best drivers still will rise to the top.

The two baseline rules packages for 2019 included the a combination of a smaller tapered spacer to reduce engine horsepower to a target goal of 550 (from 750) and aero ducts to foster tighter racing on a majority of speedways measuring longer than 1 mile. The different packages will be tailored to the specific tracks on the Monster Energy Series circuit.

“It is gonna intensify things for a big way for these drivers,” four-time champion Jeff Gordon added Tuesday afternoon on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, adding he was a proponent of the rules package.

That is the goal, after all, according to NASCAR executives — return the focus to the drivers.

Elliott, Junior, crew chief Rodney Childers and others were the first to chime in on social media and voice their opinion on the new direction.

https://twitter.com/Mc_Driver/status/1047193082394042374

Posted on by Zack Albert

CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR’s top division will race without engine restrictor plates at Daytona and Talladega next season for the first time in 32 years, instead relying on a smaller tapered spacer and increased aerodynamic downforce to reduce speeds at the circuit’s largest speedways.

The total effect of the smaller spacer, larger spoilers and splitters, plus aero ducts is expected to reduce horsepower and increase drag to replicate the current brand of racing in the patented tightly woven packs at those two superspeedways.

RELATED: Explaining 2019 rules

Current restrictor-plate engines make an estimated 410 horsepower. Tuesday’s rules increase the target horsepower to 550, but the aerodynamic devices are expected to offset that potential gain in the speed column. The change will not be in place for the 2019 Daytona 500, instead taking effect April 28 at Talladega.

“We wanted to keep the Daytona 500 as-is,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer. “There was a lot of engine inventory already out there. Teams had already begun preparing for the 500, so we wanted to hold the line there for 2019. And then as we started the season again from a superspeedway standpoint at Talladega, going to that 550 (horsepower) tapered spacer, we think will produce exactly what we’ve seen in the past, the side-by-side racing that fans love. So certainly we’ll learn some things along the way, but believe you’ll see very similar styles of racing at those tracks.”

Graphic for 2019 rules packages

NASCAR has used restrictor plates to decrease speeds at 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway and 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway in every race since Bobby Allison’s airborne crash into the Talladega catch-fencing in May 1987. Bill Elliott’s qualifying speed for that event was a record 212.809 mph. By contrast, the pole-winning lap for the most recent Talladega race was 194.448 mph, posted by Kevin Harvick in April.

RELATED: Package could entice new OEMs

Restrictor plates and tapered spacers have common purposes. Both restrict the passage of air through the engine to reduce horsepower, but the tapered spacer’s funnel-shaped design allows for a slightly more efficient flow and throttle response.

O’Donnell said that discussions with engine builders were critical in the development of the forthcoming rules package, especially with the considerations made for Daytona and Talladega, but added that competition officials are positioned to make slight alterations if necessary. NASCAR did so at Talladega last May, opting for a smaller restrictor plate to curtail horsepower and speed after Jamie McMurray’s car left the ground in a crash during practice.

“I think in terms of the racing and speeds, they’ll be very similar,” O’Donnell said of the contrast between the 2019 rules package and the current restrictor-plate setup. “We’ve got the ability obviously to dial that up or down as necessary, but we’ll certainly keep an eye on that as we roll out in practice as we always do, but to have the ability to make some tweaks if we needed to once that race weekend starts.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR took the step of launching its 2019 rules package Tuesday for the Monster Energy Series. But it’s the next stages that may bring even more significant change.

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, says the sanctioning body continues to have talks with new manufacturers to compete alongside Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, with a 550-horsepower target providing a more attractive entry point for automakers over the current 750-horsepower baseline. O’Donnell also indicated that progress continues to be made toward a seventh-generation stock car, the next evolutionary step for the vehicles in NASCAR’s premier series.

RELATED: Explaining 2019 rules

The 2019 rules package — featuring aerodynamic and engine changes intended to heighten the competition level next season — is designed to be a bridge to both of those developments, O’Donnell says.

“I think if you look at our current partners, it’s important to speak with them first and I think they’re very happy with where we are in the sport, but we always want to grow,” O’Donnell said. “And when we talk about growth, that means being more relevant, potentially introducing more technology into the sport, especially around the engine. As we’ve had discussions with new OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), the direction we’re going in for next year’s rules package really opens up a variety of options for us to bring in new OEMs, to have our current OEMs potentially accept a new direction.

“So a lot of thought went into this that this isn’t just a 2019 rules package, it’s something that we believe really sets us up for the future — not only for our current partners, but growing the sport, which hopefully leads to more healthy ownership as well where we can bring some new OEMs in.”

Graphic for 2019 rules packages

NASCAR introduced the current sixth-generation car — labeled “Gen-6” — in the 2013 season, taking competition and safety cues from the previous model while strengthening the brand identity for the three participating automakers. O’Donnell indicated that a Gen-7 car could further define those manufacturer distinctions, all while exploring long-term technological progress in a closer-to-stock vehicle.

“I think when you look at the next-gen vehicle, if you look at what people are driving on the street today in terms of horsepower numbers and different relevancy options, in terms of electrification or partial electrification, all those things become an option for you,” O’Donnell said. “Do I ever think we’ll be a hybrid racing series? No, but this allows for some tweaks to the engine package down the road if we wanted to when we race around this horsepower, so it gives us a real look not only to what we believe will be better racing than we’ve produced in the past but it also opens it up to new OEMs, opens it up to new technologies and really puts us on a great growth path for the future.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR officials announced Tuesday two baseline rules packages for the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, making a move to bolster competition with enhanced aerodynamic and engine configurations.

The different packages will be tailored to the specific tracks on the Monster Energy Series circuit, with a combination of a smaller tapered spacer to reduce engine horsepower to a target goal of 550 (from 750) and aero ducts to foster tighter racing on a majority of speedways measuring longer than 1 mile. Both features will be in place for 17 of the 36 races next season, excepting the 2019 Daytona 500, which will run with traditional restrictor-plate rules. Five other races will be run with the smaller spacer, but without ducts.

The news was officially announced Tuesday at NASCAR’s Research & Development Center. Competition officials delivered the rules guidelines to teams Monday.

“It’s really been over a two-year process, working with the race teams, the OEMs, specifically the engine builders and probably the most collaborative effort we’ve had across all the industry stakeholders, including the drivers, to get to this package,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer. “For us, it’s really a focus on getting back to a true focus on the drivers and what NASCAR is all about — close side-by-side racing and trying to deliver more of that.”

MORE: Package could help shape Gen-7 car, entice new OEMs

The baseline aero elements of the 2019 rules package are a taller 8-inch by 61-inch rear spoiler, a larger front splitter with a 2-inch overhang, and a wider radiator pan that measures 37 inches wide in the front tapering to 31 inches at the rear. Those base changes will be in place at every race next season with the intent of adding downforce to stabilize handling, a break from a trend of downforce reduction from 2015-18.

“I think it’s probably looking at the bigger picture of where we want to go as a sport, and as we looked at the racing on track, certainly we’re pleased with what we have, but how do we continue to evolve with what’s out there,” O’Donnell said. “We know we’ve got some of the brightest engineers in all of sports and what you see with the low-downforce package is a number of increased entry speeds at times, which makes it more difficult probably to produce a tire that has great wear that the drivers always ask for. It makes it more of an emphasis on engineering and wind tunnels versus what we’re all about, and that’s the drivers and hard side-by-side racing.”

Graphic for 2019 rules packages

Beyond the baseline components are the smaller tapered spacer (.922-inch versus the current 1.17-inch) and aerodynamic ducts to be used at select oval tracks larger than 1 mile. The smaller spacer will further limit airflow through the engine and thereby horsepower to a figure around 550, down from the current 750.

Five races at larger ovals are exceptions. Both Pocono events and races at Atlanta, Darlington and Homestead will use the smaller tapered spacer, but will not use the aero ducts that transfer air to the side of the car away from the front tires. Neither the smaller spacer nor ducts will be used at short tracks and road courses.

Besides being tested in computer simulations and wind-tunnel time, variations on the new configurations received recent field tests in the 2018 Monster Energy All-Star Race and the NASCAR Xfinity Series on specific speedways. The 2019 package takes cues from those events, which promoted closer competition and increased opportunities for drafting.

“From an aero standpoint, I think you’ll see a pretty similar package to what we had in the All-Star Race and what we’ve seen in the Xfinity Series,” O’Donnell said. “Where we looked to make a little bit of a change was around the horsepower and that was, after discussions with the drivers, discussions with the engine builders as well, as what would be something that would produce a little more on-throttle time and have a good relationship with the aero package that we put together. So we made a tweak to that.

“We think that’ll put it more in the drivers’ hands, especially as we go to some of the intermediate tracks, and are excited to see how that plays out.”

Events at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway also will be contested without restrictor plates next season for the first time since 1987. The cumulative effect of the base aerodynamic changes, engine restrictions and aero ducts are expected to keep the speeds and competition close to their current style of racing. The exception is the 2019 Daytona 500, which will be held under the current rules with restrictor plates.

MORE: Monster Energy Series to forgo restrictor plates at Daytona, ‘Dega

O’Donnell said his department’s arrival at two primary rules packages was the result of collaboration within the industry. It was also an effort to avoid a cost-prohibitive rules adjustment at each of the 24 circuits (counting the new Charlotte combination oval and road course) where the Monster Energy Series competes.

PHOTOS: 2018 race winners

“It became evident as we ran through a lot of our data and talked through the possibilities with the owners, with the OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), with the engine builders that if we could stick to as close as one package as possible, it would not only be more efficient but we thought it would really produce the best racing in terms of putting this package together from an aero and engine standpoint,” O’Donnell said.

O’Donnell admits that he has heard preliminary critiques of the 2019 rules configuration from some drivers and fans, but that he’s also received reassurance from others that the direction for the new rules package is the right one.

MORE: O’Donnell lauds collaborative effort for ’19 package

“I think it’s important for a fan to let it play out, right?” O’Donnell said. “I’ve heard it from some of the drivers, but I’ve also heard the opposite from some of the drivers, and I think what’s important to focus on for next year is we want the focus to be on the drivers. They’re our stars and the athletes as well as our teams. If you look at where the sport is today, I think the balance might be a little out of whack in terms of the importance of aerodynamics versus the driver and the car, and so the purpose of this is really to put it back in the drivers’ hands.

“We’ve got the best drivers in the world. We want to see them out there side by side. We’ve seen this package play out already, we’ve seen the best drivers and teams win.”

Three confirmation tire tests are scheduled for the 2019 NASCAR rules package before the end of the year — one-day tests at Charlotte and Atlanta, and a two-day test at Las Vegas. Teams will also get a taste of next year’s package at a test at ISM Raceway on Wednesday, using the baseline rules changes (no smaller spacer, no aero ducts).

Other rules announced Tuesday to take effect in 2019:

‱ The previously announced enhanced vehicle chassis (EVC) will be mandatory at all races.

‱ NASCAR has reduced the amount of organizational tests for the calendar year from four to three. Additionally, Goodyear tire tests in 2019 will be conducted by three teams, down from the current four.

‱ NASCAR will expand the use of sealed engines next season, increasing to three long block seals in addition to keeping the current 13-race short block seal requirement.

Posted on by Staff Report

A series of split-second decisions are often the deciding factor in sports between triumph and heartbreak.

Jimmie Johnson endured the latter on Sunday afternoon.

Running second to race leader Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap of the inaugural Bank of America Roval 400, the seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion elected to push the Furniture Row Racing driver for the race win coming through the final corners on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course. Johnson spun, then made contact with Truex’s No. 78 Toyota — taking them both out of contention for the win and ultimately knocking himself out of the NASCAR Playoffs in the process.

RELATED: Johnson stunned after final lap spin | All Access: Inside the last lap

So now we ask, with the benefit of hindsight: What should Johnson have done in that situation? Play it safe, take the runner-up and move on to the Round of 12 or contest Truex for his first victory of the season?

NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola and Chase Wilhelm discuss.

Jimmie Johnson quote graphic

PD: To be completely honest, it feels a little weird questioning the decision-making of arguably the greatest champion in NASCAR’s storied history, but that’s just it — the ending has such an impact on the playoffs it must be discussed regardless of Johnson’s stature.

Johnson knew his runner-up finish would’ve been enough for him to advance to the Round of 12. The only possible reason for him to go after that win would’ve been if Truex left some sort of obvious window open to maneuver his No. 48 to the lead. There was nothing forcing him into making that call other than the monkey on his back constantly snarling in his ear that he hasn’t won a race since June 4, 2017.

But Johnson could’ve ridden that high of the second-place result being his best finish of the season into — wait for it — literally his best track this weekend at Dover, also the site of his last victory. A week from now, we could’ve been talking about how Jimmie Johnson is the only driver locked into the Round of 8. Instead, he’ll have to wait until 2019 to chase title number eight.

CW: Sure, Johnson could have played it safe, sandbagged behind Truex and finished second for the first time this season. But, if you believe that, you’re forgetting one thing — the foundation that drives every competitor’s mentality: winning.

After the race, Johnson admitted he “could have taken the safe route,” but it was the mentality above that took over in the heat of the moment. When a driver, regardless of the championships he has sitting in the trophy case, is thatclose to a checkered flag, he’s going to do anything in his power to go get it. There was only one mistake Johnson made, one he actually tweeted about after having a night to sleep on it:

Johnson thought he had enough of a points cushion to take a risk, so he went full speed in an attempt to overtake Truex coming to the line. A couple turns of the brake bias in Turns 13 and 14 and this wouldn’t even be a discussion. Racing involves a constant series of risky decisions. Some work out, some don’t. But Johnson could rest a little easier knowing he gave it everything he had trying to do what he gets paid to do — win.

PD: I get that all that racers want to do, understandably, is win no matter what, and it’s that mentality that led Johnson to seven titles.

But Johnson’s a smart guy, and I’m sure there were plenty of lessons learned along the path to those seven titles, one of which is when to give and when to take. By trying to take the small victory on Sunday, he gave away his shot at the biggest victory he could ever ask for in winning a record-setting eighth title later on this season at Miami.

It should have been the other way around: Give up the win, try to take home the bigger trophy in November.

Sure, it’s easy for me to play backseat driver behind a keyboard, but, big picture, it’s hard to reason it was the right decision given all we know now.

CW: One thing that really sticks out when talking about giving up the win is what drivers have talked about in the past — enjoying their most recent win because they never know when it’s their last.

Going into Sunday, Johnson was riding a 51-race winless streak dating back to Dove in June 2017 — the longest of his 17-year career. In that moment on the final lap, I’d be willing to bet that all Johnson had in his head was finally getting back into Victory Lane.

We all know Johnson is far from calling it a career, more wins will surely come and more than likely he’ll have another shot at a record-breaking eighth title. But, still, none of that is guaranteed. Johnson has to take full advantage of any opportunity to win that is placed in front of him, regardless of what’s at stake.

Johnson didn’t lay up, went 100 percent for the victory and just came up a little short. There’s no shame in that at all.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Since the revamped Charlotte road course is still essentially a new track, the version raced in NASCAR last weekend is not yet in iRacing — the sim’s perfectionism when it comes to track detail means sim racers will have to wait a bit before logging laps on the 17-turn beast.

iRacing, however, shared a private beta version of the track with NASCAR drivers looking to log laps at the new Roval track layout — and the racers seemed quite thankful for the opportunity.

Each of them likely fared better than Landon Cassill’s first attempt.

Jesse Iwuji, mostly known for his stock car racing efforts, hopped in a sprint car and credited iRacing for help getting him up to speed.

Kaz Grala and Xfinity Series Charlotte road course winner Chase Briscoe spent a little extracurricular time in the virtual racing world, too.

The eNASCAR Ignite Series crowned its first champion. Connecticut’s Zack Novak, of NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series fame, won the season finale at Martinsville Speedway Thursday — not to mention a $10,000 racing scholarship.

RELATED: Four eNASCAR Ignite Series takeaways

NASCAR PEAK ANTIFREEZE iRACING SERIES UPDATE

Playoffs contender Matt Bussa picked the ideal time for his first-career NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series victory. At iRacing’s virtual Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Radicals Online driver held off a late-race charge from the race-dominant Michael Conti. The win advances Bussa to the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway October 23.

The last chance to make the season-ending championship race comes Tuesday, October 9 at Dover International Speedway. Bussa and Darlington winner Michael Conti have secured their places, with two more up for grabs — currently held by defending champion Ryan Luza and three-time champ Ray Alfalla.

iRACING PAINT SCHEMES OF THE WEEK

Liam Brotherton created Alex Bowman’s AXALTA ride for iRacing, featuring the special green trimmings and decals featured in Bowman’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs effort.

Rookie stripes not included.

Dustin Winegardner brought a mid-2000s classic to 2018. Brian Vickers drove a Ditech/GMAC Chevrolet in 2004 — and it looks great on a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Don’t you hate when your wheel comes unplugged from the computer in the middle of the race? Maybe that’s what happened to Brad Keselowski in Turn 1 at the Charlotte road course Sunday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPN5WJJb178

 

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Zack Novak claimed the inaugural eNASCAR Ignite Series championship Thursday night, beating Ireland’s Dave Walsh for a $10,000 racing scholarship, one-on-one time with Max Papis and a heap of other prizes.

The series, designed to showcase up-and-coming talent in a virtual setting, featured 13- to 16-year old drivers from around the globe racing on short tracks using iRacing’s legends cars — not much unlike the cars used at local short tracks to groom young talent for a future in stock car racing.

Here’s what we learned after the first season.

Zack Novak is really good.

Not only did Zack Novak put on an absolutely clutch performance to win the eNASCAR Ignite Series, he also is a NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series driver — and winner. In his rookie season, the driver from Connecticut won at Chicagoland Speedway, and he’s already picked up three runner-up finishes in 2018.

Zack Novak has proven at a young age he can get it done in the smaller, slower, lightweight eNASCAR Ignite Series legends cars, as well as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series-replica cars of the PEAK Series.

People are watching.

The inaugural eNASCAR Ignite Series drew plenty of attention.

Between social coverage and live viewership, racing fans followed the progression of the series from its launch in June. The finale broadcast stream drew over 100,000 views.

The right people are paying attention.

There are eyes on the eNASCAR Ignite Series — and the right eyes, too.

NASCAR race director Jusan Hamilton tweeted his congratulations to the champ after stopping by the pre-race broadcast earlier in the evening.

iRacing’s Executive Vice President Steve Myers offered his congratulations, too.

There’s talent here.

In addition to highlighting Zack Novak’s skill, the eNASCAR Ignite Series made names for other up-and-comers.

Ireland’s Dave Walsh demonstrated maturity beyond his years in his post-race interview after coming up just short of the title.

Garrett Lowe of North Carolina led the entire playoff-opening race and looked like a favorite to contend.

Briar LaPradd made a name for himself throughout the season.

And that’s just a short list to start — a three-month season put the spotlight on a whole new crop of drivers.

Watch the eNASCAR Ignite Series finale broadcast from Martinsville:

Posted on by Staff Report

After a night of sleep — how much, we’re not sure — following a bummer of an ending at Charlotte, Jimmie Johnson says if he could do Sunday’s last lap over again, there’s just one thing he’d do differently.

MORE: Watch Johnson, Truex Jr. crash on final lap

Johnson was hounding Martin Truex Jr. on the last lap of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at the Charlotte road course. Seven-Time went for the slam dunk rather than the layup in the final opportunity to pass, and spun his car sideways trying to get by the No. 78 Toyota. The move also knocked Truex Jr.’s car around, allowing Ryan Blaney to steal the victory and ultimately eliminating Jimmie Johnson from the NASCAR Playoffs by virtue of a tiebreaker.

The change? Braking slightly different heading into the brake zone. That move, Johnson tweeted, would have put his car even with the No. 78 at the start/finish line.

So even though Johnson’s misfire Sunday dropped him to eighth place and out of the postseason, if given the option again, he’d still go for the win — just with a different tactic.

Posted on by Jessica Ruffin

CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Larson’s bruised No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet sat on pit road looking more ready for a junkyard than any sort of celebration after Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte road course.

But the 26-year-old driver shared a smile after limping to a 25th-place finish; he had made it into the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs.

Thanks to Jeffrey Earnhardt’s stalled No. 96 Toyota.

“I could still see (Earnhardt) was stalled, so I come off the wall and I go through some gears and the whole time I’m going, ‘Just please don’t go, please don’t go, please don’t move,’ ” Larson said on pit road. “Made it through there and it kind of looked like he was starting to get rolling and I hit the wall again because I had a blown right-front and I was just able to get in line.

“So, it was pretty stressful the last 30 seconds of that race.”

Larson was one of several drivers collected in a wreck triggered by Brad Keselowski in Turn 1 that brought out the red flag with six laps to go. Once the red flag was lifted, Larson brought his mangled No. 42 Chevrolet down pit road for repairs twice under caution.

WATCH: Massive pile-up collects several drivers

The repairs helped, but the car was still heavily damaged.

“I think our pit crew did an incredible job getting the car back together,” team co-owner Felix Sabates told a small group of reporters on pit road. “When he came on pit road, that car was a piece of junk. He went out because he had to make the speed and the camber was so far out the right-front tire was going to fall out of the car. So, we brought him back in and did with a hammer, put some nuts and bolts in there and he was able to finish the race.

“It’s a miracle.”

As Larson fought to maintain as many positions possible in the waning laps, he was also monitoring his fellow playoff drivers on the bubble.

“I was watching the board and I could see the big screen,” Larson said. “I could see the 9 (Chase Elliott) fell back and the 88 (Alex Bowman) passed him and I knew the 88 needed every point he could get at that point before they all crashed. I had kinda given up and then they said they all started crashing, so then I just started running hard just trying to get what I could. 


“You just gotta pray that something, I mean you hate to pray that something bad would happen to anybody, but kinda what you’re hoping for to keep your playoff hopes alive,” he continued with a chuckle. “Just cross my fingers and hope something crazy happens.”

It did; on the final lap coming to the checkered flag, leader Martin Truex Jr. and second-place Jimmie Johnson collided racing for the win, leaving Ryan Blaney to nab the victory in the final dash to the start-finish line. As the rest of the field raced to the finish behind the leaders, Daniel Hemric’s No. 8 clipped Earnhardt in the corner, causing the No. 96 to spin out and stall on the track.

Larson had already hit the wall once and blown a right-front tire. But there, he saw his chance and – though he hit the wall again doing so – pushed to pass the No. 96 and gain that precious playoff point that tied him for the final spot with Johnson and Aric Almirola. With Almirola and Larson earning a better finish at one of the races in the Round of 12 than Johnson, the No. 48 was out while the Nos. 10 and 42 were to the good.

RELATED: Playoff standings | Who’s in, who’s out

For Larson, admittance into the next round is a chance for redemption; after a strong 2017 season, he was eliminated in shocking fashion at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 22 after a blown engine took him out of the race early.

He was the victim of misfortune that day. But Sunday, he had luck on his side.

“Maybe just a little good karma from the issues I’ve had the last couple years,” he said. “
 This is damn good luck, so hopefully we can keep some good luck going.”

Sabates wouldn’t mind a little luck – or at least, little less nail-biting, heart-racing moments.

“If we don’t win (the championship) this year, you’re not going to see me at the race track next year,” he said with a slight chuckle. “ 
 My heart can’t stand it, I’m too old for this stuff.”