Posted on by Steve Luvender

Matt Bussa picked a great time for his first-career NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series victory, locking him into the Championship 4. With one race before the season finale in Miami, there’s only one shot for the eight playoff drivers to guarantee a shot at the title — that’s at the Monster Mile.

1: Ryan Luza (+1)

Ryan Luza’s in solid shape on points, and his lone start at Dover resulted in a victory last year. He’s a solid bet for Tuesday.

2: Michael Conti (+1)

The 2014 champ and Dover winner picked a great time to peak (pun absolutely intended), finishing in the top two in three of the last four races, leading laps each time. Conti can breathe easy for one more week since he’s locked into the season finale. He’s never finished worse than eighth at Dover in five races.

3: Ray Alfalla (-2)

Although he’s currently holding a Championship 4 position on points, Ray Alfalla needs a win for safety. Unfortunately for Alfalla, he’s riding a streak of four finishes outside the top 10 at Dover.

4: Matt Bussa (–)

Where did he come from? Matt Bussa came from 25th to score his first career victory at Atlanta, and Dover marks the first time in his rookie season he can take a deep breath before heading to Miami.

5: Bobby Zalenski (+1)

Since his breakthrough victory at Sonoma in July, Bobby Zalenski’s average finish has been a dismal 17.3. Zalenski finished seventh in Dover last year, but he’ll need to step it up Tuesday if he wants a shot at the title.

6: Nick Ottinger (+1)

A third-place effort at Atlanta was just what Nick Ottinger needed to keep his season on track, but he’s still on the outside looking in heading to Dover. Ottinger will need to bring back his groove from 2013, when he led 157 of 200 laps en route to victory at the Monster Mile. Maybe playing 2013’s hit “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk during the race will take Ottinger back to such a time.

7: Keegan Leahy (-2)

Keegan Leahy’s untimely collapse continued at Atlanta, where he finished a disappointing 26th. He’ll need to pull out some magic at Dover to advance to Miami.

8: Nickolas Shelton (–)

Nick Shelton finished ninth in Atlanta, but it’s too little, too late. Like his Slip Angle teammates, he needs a win at Dover to keep his title hopes alive.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

Chase Elliott earned more than just his second career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 at Dover International Speedway.

Elliott earned redemption from last year’s heartbreak at the 1-mile concrete oval, a race that saw a potential first win slip away when Kyle Busch passed him in the final laps. This time around, Elliott took advantage at arguably one of his best race tracks, earning the victory in the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12 opener to advance.

But even bigger than that, Elliott proved he and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team are now the biggest threat as the Championship 4 favorite for Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.

EXCLUSIVE: Behind the scenes with Elliott’s Dover win

As ‘Big 3’ teams of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. faltered, Elliott and crew chief Alan Gustafson stepped up their game, gambling on pit strategy to get out front and win. It was a move that showcased the maturation of Elliott over the course of a year and the confidence Elliott and Gustafson have in each other.

“He (Gustafson) lets me do my thing, and I let him do his thing,” Elliott said of their relationship. “He doesn’t question me, I don’t question him, and to me it’s really simple and it works great. I’ve always appreciated that approach.”

This is a different Chase Elliott we are seeing this season compared to years past. Elliott doesn’t get down on himself as much when things go wrong and he’s exuding more confidence than what we’ve seen from him over the past three years.

Elliott credits those trying times for allowing him to grow as a person and a race car driver.

“It definitely makes you learn for sure, and it makes you appreciate a day like today more, I can assure you if last year wouldn’t have happened, I wouldn’t appreciate it as much as I do today,” Elliott said. “When you have those hard days, that certainly makes you learn and gives you no choice but to grow up a little bit.”

Hall of Fame team owner Rick Hendrick has even seen a change in his 22-year-old driver, especially after Elliott broke through and finally earned his first career victory at Watkins Glen.

MORE: Buy Elliott gear

“I think you could sense it up here, there was so much pressure on him to close the deal, and I would reassure him, man, that wasn’t your fault that the pit crew fumbled the ball,” Hendrick said. “Several races like that it wasn’t his fault. And so you keep trying to reassure him, but you could to a certain point.

“When he won that race at Watkins Glen, it was like the world was lifted off of his shoulders,” he added.

Now locked into the Round of 8, Elliott can focus his attention to a string of tracks that have produced strong results. Elliott holds an average finish of 7.4 at Texas with two top-five finishes. At Martinsville in 2017, he was poised to win when Denny Hamlin infamously bumped him, taking him out late in the race. He also has a 6.8 average finish at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, consisting of two top fives and four top-10 results.

Along with the statistics to back up the success we’ve seen from him, it’s Elliott’s personal growth that has transformed him into a championship-caliber driver.

The Watkins Glen triumph was the turning point in Elliott’s career. The Dover win was a statement saying forget the Big 3 — a championship bid will have to go through him.

Posted on by Track Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Daytona International Speedway and Florida Hospital, which will soon be renamed AdventHealth, announced today an expansion of their relationship, making the health system the official presenting sponsor of Daytona Speedweeks at the “World Center of Racing.”

RELATED: Buy Tickets

With this expanded multi-year partnership, Daytona Speedweeks will now be referred to as Daytona Speedweeks presented by AdventHealth, which is highlighted by the 61st annual Daytona 500, “The Great American Race.”

DAYTONA Speedweeks 'AdventHealth new logoIn 2014, Florida Hospital was named a Founding Partner and the Official Healthcare Partner of Daytona International Speedway. In addition, Florida Hospital provides the medical services at the facility. The new expansion of the partnership will further enable Florida Hospital to share its guiding philosophy of delivering whole-person care for the mind, body and spirit on the Daytona Speedweeks’ international platform.

In August, Florida Hospital’s parent company, Adventist Health System, announced that it will change its name to AdventHealth on Jan. 2, 2019. As one of the nation’s largest health systems with more than 80,000 employees, nearly 50 hospital campuses and hundreds of care sites, the change to the AdventHealth name will unite the healthcare system under one connected and identifiable national system of care.

Daytona Speedweeks presented by AdventHealth includes the following events:

  • The Lucas Oil 200 Driven By General Tire, the ARCA Racing Series season opener: Saturday, Feb. 9
  • Daytona 500 Qualifying presented by Kroger and the Advance Auto Parts Clash doubleheader: Sunday, Feb. 10
  • The Duel At Daytona 150-mile qualifying races: Thursday, Feb. 14
  • The NextEra Energy Resources 250, the season-opening event to the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series: Friday, Feb. 15
  • The Daytona 300, the season-opening event to the NASCAR Xfinity Series: Saturday, Feb. 16.
  • The Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest and most prestigious event that marks the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season: Sunday, Feb. 17.

“Florida Hospital has been an ideal partner for Daytona International Speedway,” track president Chip Wile said. “To be able to expand our partnership to now include the Daytona Speedweeks brand will provide another platform for Florida Hospital to amplify their new name.”

“The Daytona 500 and the associated races of Speedweeks are the nation’s premier racing events and present an amazing opportunity to introduce AdventHealth to race fans across the globe,” said David Ottati, president and chief executive officer of Adventist Health System’s Central Florida Division – North Region, which includes the Florida Hospitals located in Volusia, Flagler and Lake counties. “Since announcing our Founding Partnership with Daytona International Speedway four years ago, we have had the opportunity to share our message of health and wellness, focused on improving lifestyles and offering high-quality healthcare services. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to further expand upon our relationship with the Daytona International Speedway and are already looking forward to the upcoming Speedweeks.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DOVER, Del. – It was a case of déjà vu Aric Almirola didn’t want to see again. 

Almirola was leading Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 at Dover International Speedway with eight laps left. Right in front of him was his first victory of the season and a guaranteed transfer into the Round of 8 of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

But Bowyer’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Clint Bowyer, smacked the Turn 4 wall on Lap 392 of a scheduled 400, and Almirola restarted sixth on Lap 397 behind three cars that stayed out during the caution for Bowyer’s accident and two others that took only two tires during the stop.

WATCH: Bowyer wrecks late | … Then Almirola triggers another wreck

After exiting Turn 2 on the restart lap, Almirola tapped the outside wall on the backstretch and triggered a five-car accident — involving only playoff contenders — that ended his winning chances. Almirola rolled home in 13th place and fell into a tie for ninth in the standings with Bowyer.

Coincidentally, in July race at New Hampshire, Bowyer also caused the final caution when Almirola had a good-sized lead.

“We’ve had so many opportunities and been so close and had the car to win and been in position, and I don’t know, it just seems to not come through,” a disconsolate Almirola said after the race. “I don’t know. I’m frustrated and mad and angry. I don’t know. I could have been conservative and probably finish third or fourth like Kurt (Busch).

“It’s just track position is so tough, and it’s so hard to pass here. On that restart, I tried to at least go where they weren’t to the top, and the 11 (runner-up Denny Hamlin) moved up to kind of block me, and I just got really tight off of (Turn) 2, and I bounced off the fence and got into Brad (Keselowski) and tore up a lot of race cars along the back straightaway. 

“I hate that for everybody that was involved, but it kind of killed our day, too. I don’t know. I feel like we should be over there in Victory Lane celebrating, but we’re not.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Dover, Del. — Kevin Harvick did everything right — until a fluke occurrence on pit road cost him a chance to win Sunday’s Gander Outdoors 400 at Dover International Speedway.

Harvick had led 286 of the first 321 laps before a lug nut knocked the valve stem off his left rear tire during a green-flag tire change. Harvick had to return to pit road two laps later and lost a lap in the process.

Though he eventually regained the lost lap as the highest-scored lap car under caution for debris on Lap 339, Harvick couldn’t climb higher than sixth place before the race ended in overtime with Chase Elliott the winner.

RELATED: Results | Playoff standings

Harvick did manage to dodge a late wreck that collected five less-fortunate playoff drivers.

“We were just lucky there and wound up dodging and weaving and being in the right place, so maybe that makes up for the bad luck on losing the race with an absolute dominant car,” Harvick said.

Harvick won the first and second stages of the race and left the Monster Mile with the series lead — by five points over Kyle Busch. But that was little consolation after Sunday’s disappointment.

“I don’t really care about points,” Harvick said. “I’d rather win.”

MORE: Harvick sweeps opening stages at Dover

Posted on by Staff Report

After the fourth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race, here’s a brief look at the playoffs picture. There are two races 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

Chase Elliott notched his second win of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career and advanced to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs. Elliott stayed out on old tires to take the lead spot and survived two restarts — including one in NASCAR Overtime — to claim a victory on a day when he had to rebound from an earlier pit-road penalty. Elliott, who entered the day beneath the cutline, is safely into the next round.

Who’s hot

Kurt Busch. All the Stewart-Haas Racing cars had speed, but Busch ran the cleanest race. As a result, he gained 15 more points of cushion above the cutline to stand 21 points to the good. His fifth-place finish at Dover also gave him the tiebreaker over Brad Keselowski, who finished 14th, so Busch is ahead of Keselowski and in sixth place in the standings.

Kevin Harvick. Harvick had some pit-road issues to work through, but the No. 4 regained its dominance by leading 286 of the 404 laps and fighting back for a sixth-place finish. Harvick overtook Kyle Busch for the top spot in the standings and picked up two more playoff points by winning the first two stages.

Who’s not

Clint Bowyer. Bowyer was primed for a second straight top-five finish, but a loose wheel brought him to pit road in the final stage. Later, a flat tire led to him smashing the wall on Lap 391 of 404. Bowyer finished in 35th place, the worst of the playoff drivers, and now he’s beneath the cutline. Amazing for a driver who looked like he was in position to be a legit Championship 4 contender for much of this race.

WATCH: Bowyer blows tire, wrecks later

Aric Almirola. Almirola was in position for his first win in 148 races, but a call for four tires put the No. 10 Ford in sixth place going into a late restart. Perhaps feeling desperate to gain ground on that restart, Almirola made contact with Brad Keselowski and ignited a wreck that also collected Alex Bowman and Martin Truex Jr. among playoff drivers. Almirola fought back and finished 13th and actually gained points on the cutline, but coming close to a win and not getting it had to be heartbreaking. Can he bounce back?

WATCH: Almirola triggers wreck 

BUBBLE WATCH

Rank Driver Points to cutoff
5. Joey Logano +31
6. Kurt Busch +21
7. Brad Keselowski +21
8. Ryan Blaney +10
————— CUT-OFF LINE —————
9. Aric Almirola -10
10. Clint Bowyer -10
11. Kyle Larson -12
12. Alex Bowman -34

Next race

The Monster Energy Series travels to Talladega Superspeedway for a Sunday race on Oct. 14 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It is the penultimate race in the Round of 12.

Who it favors/hurts

Favors: Team Penske drivers Brad Keselowski (five) and Joey Logano (three) have combined for eight wins at Talladega and they’ve had recent success there, too, by taking five of the past six checkered flags. Keselowski, who won this race last year, has led the most laps in the past five races at the 2.66-mile track, while Logano, who won the spring race this year, has led the most laps in the past three races there.

Hurts: Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson both have an average finish of 21.3 at Talladega, but Truex has raced at Talladega 27 times to Larson’s nine, thus a larger sample size. Truex can’t even hang his hat on good recent performances, either, as he’s finished 23rd or worse in his last four trips to Talladega. The only playoff driver with a worse average finish at Talladega than Truex and Larson is Alex Bowman at 27.3, but he’s coming off an eighth-place performance in the spring. Plus, four of his first six races here weren’t in Hendrick-quality cars, perhaps skewing his numbers.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DOVER, Del. — What looked like a Stewart-Haas Racing victory parade for much of Sunday afternoon ended in a wild overtime scramble, with Chase Elliott taking the checkered flag in the Gander Outdoors 400 at Dover International Speedway.

On considerably older tires, Elliott pulled ahead and cleared runner-up Denny Hamlin through Turns 1 and 2 after a restart on Lap 403 and powered his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet across the finish line .265 second ahead of Hamlin’s Toyota.

With the victory — his second of the season and the second of his career — Elliott punched his ticket into the Round of 8 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, extricating himself from the bottom four in the postseason standings.

RELATED: Full race results
SHOP: Elliott gear

“This was a lot about perseverance,” said Elliott, who recovered from a penalty for an uncontrolled tire incurred during a yellow-flag pit stop on Lap 123. “We had a penalty early and fell behind and luckily had a good enough car and good strategy to get back (to the front). What a day!

The win was a satisfying turnaround from the same race last year, when Elliott had victory in his sights, only to be tracked down and passed by Kyle Busch on the next-to-last lap.

“Definitely think it makes it sweeter, for sure,” Elliott said. “You don’t appreciate it in those moments, but to come back here and have the day we had …

“We get to move on to the next round, and I don’t have to worry about Talladega next week. It’s just a hell of a day.”

RELATED: Harvick must pit, gives up lead | Harvick wins stages

The move that won the race was crew chief Alan Gustafson’s decision to keep Elliott on the track with tires that were more than 50 laps old, when most of the other lead-lap cars opted to pit on Lap 393 after Clint Bowyer’s Ford slammed into the Turn 4 wall one lap earlier.

Elliott led the field to a restart on Lap 397, but on the backstretch during that circuit, Aric Almirola nicked the outside wall and started a chain-reaction collision that also damaged the cars of fellow playoff drivers Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Blaney.

NASCAR red-flagged the race, and Elliott outran Hamlin in an overtime that extended the event four laps beyond its scheduled distance. The only laps Elliott led were the last 11.

Kevin Harvick, on the other hand, was out front for 286 of the 404 laps in a No. 4 Ford that was the clear class of the field. Harvick swept the first two stages, as he had done during his June victory at the Monster Mile and appeared headed for another perfect afternoon, but the 2014 series champion had to return to pit road under green for an extra tire change after a flying lug nut knocked the valve stem off Harvick’s left rear tire.

Harvick regained the lap he lost under a debris caution called on Lap 339, but he couldn’t work his way back to the front before the race ended.

Joey Logano dodged the Almirola wreck and finished third, followed by Erik Jones, Kurt Busch and Harvick. Austin Dillon ran seventh, one spot ahead of Kyle Busch, who snared his top 10 despite dealing with a malfunctioning track bar adjuster throughout the afternoon.

“You use it (the track bar) a lot here because of the tire wear and tire build-up,” Busch said. “Cars get loose over courses of the run. Not having that and not knowing where it was (set), I had no clue where it was throughout the whole day. We came in here poised to not run very well, and that’s how we did.”

For a long stretch after a restart on Lap 248, the four Stewart-Haas drivers — Harvick, Almirola, Bowyer and Kurt Busch — ran 1-2-3-4. But Bowyer had to a pit with a flat tire on Lap 382, after racing side-by-side with Ryan Newman, Harvick had his issue on pit road, and Almirola lost his winning chances when Bowyer hit the wall late in the race.

Harvick leaves Dover with a five-point lead over Kyle Busch. After the Oct. 21 race at Kansas, the playoff field will be trimmed from 12 drivers to eight.

Posted on by Staff Report

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

Note: All times are ET

MORE: How to find NBCSN

SUNDAY, Oct. 14
1:45:00 p.m.: Davey Allison & James Hylton Read/Moment of Silence
1:45:30 p.m.: Pledge of Allegiance, Cub Scout Pack 10 from Ellisville, MS
1:46:00 p.m.: Intro Presentation of Colors by Alabama Army National Guard
1:46:20 p.m.: Invocation by Dr. Robert Jeffress, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, TX
1:47:00 p.m.: National Anthem performed by 313th United States Army Band, Birmingham, AL
1:48:15 p.m.: Flyover by (4) F-18s from VFA-213 The World Famous Fighting Blacklions
1:53:15 p.m.: Command to start engines by Kim Pederson, CEO of 1000Bulbs.com
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 1000Bulbs.com 500 (188 laps, 500.008 miles), NBC/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN1, 4) (Results)

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

FRIDAY, Oct. 12
10:05-10:55 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice, FS2 (Results)
11:35 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS2 (Results)
5:35 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS2 (Results)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
1:45 p.m.: Matt Crafton, Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes
2 p.m.: Bubba Wallace
2:15 p.m.: Noah Gragson and Brett Moffitt
2:25 p.m.: Stewart Friesen, Justin Haley and Johnny Sauter
2:45 p.m.: Ty Dillon
3 p.m.: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
3:15 p.m.: Lyn St. James
3:35 p.m.: NASCAR/Talladega Superspeedway
6:45 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying

RELATED: VIP experience for Ford fan

SATURDAY, Oct. 13
11:05 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN1, 3, 4, 5) (Results)
1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fr8Auctions 250 (94 laps, 250.04 miles), FOX (Results)
4:35 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App) (Results)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
9:45 a.m.: Alex Bowman
10 a.m.: Chase Elliott
10:15 a.m.: Aric Almirola
12:30 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
3:15 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race
6:15 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying

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, Oct. 8
3 p.m.: NASCAR 120, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

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

TUESDAY, Oct. 9
4 p.m.: Glory Road (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

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

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 10
3 a.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN

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

THURSDAY, Oct. 11
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NCBSN/NBC Sports App
5:30 p.m.: Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub (live), FS1
6 p.m.: NASCAR K&N Pro Series race, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On MRN
Noon.: The Straight Line
1 p.m.: Throwback Thursday: 1980 Talladega 500

FRIDAY, Oct. 12
10 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Talladega practice, FS2
11 a.m.: NASCAR Race Classic: 1998 Daytona 500, FS2
11:30 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Talladega final practice, FS2
5:30 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series Talladega qualifying, FS2

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

SATURDAY, Oct. 13
9 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series Talladega qualifying (re-air), FS1
10:30 a.m.: NASCAR Decades: The 1990s, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
11 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Talladega final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN1, 3, 4, 5)
12:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Set Up, FOX
1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Talladega, FOX
4:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Talladega, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
6:30 p.m.: Racing Roots: Bubba Wallace, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

SUNDAY, Oct. 14
8:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Talladega final practice (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
9-11 a.m.: Camping World Truck Series race at Talladega (re-air), FS1
10 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Talladega (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
11 a.m.: NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
noon: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
1 p.m.: NASCAR America Sunday, NBC/NBC Sports App
1:30 p.m.: Countdown to Green: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NBC/NBC Sports App
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega, NBC (Canada: TSN1, 4)
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

Kevin Harvick kept on going in Stage 2 much like he did in Stage 1, leading all but 13 laps in the 120-lap stage. Harvick and Clint Bowyer led a Stewart-Haas Racing brigade that took four of the top-six spots in the stage. Playoff drivers occupied nine of the top 10 spots in the stage to earn valuable stage points.

Chase Elliott had an uncontrolled tire penalty during pit stops under the caution following Stage 1 and rebounded to earn two stage points. Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman were the playoff drivers that did not earn stage points in Stage 2. Both Bowman and Larson finished the stage one lap down following another caution free stage.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin — eliminated from the playoffs in the Round of 16 — was the lone non-playoff driver to score stage points.

STAGE 2 RESULTS

Driver Team Points
Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 10
Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 9
Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing 8
Joey Logano Team Penske 7
Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 6
Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing 5
Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 4
Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 3
Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 2
Brad Keselowski Team Penske 1

STAGE 1 RECAP

Kevin Harvick picked up where he left off in the spring race at Dover International Speedway as he led 98 of the 120 laps in Stage 1 to score his 13th stage win of the 2018 season and his first of the playoffs. Playoff drivers comprised the entire top 10 in the opening stage that was caution free with just Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman as the playoff drivers outside the top 10 in the stage.

In a surprise turn before the green flag, 11-time Dover winner Jimmie Johnson came down pit road and eventually headed to the garage during the pace laps. NBCSN reported it was a lower ball joint failure on the No. 48 Chevrolet that saw him join the race 10 laps down.

STAGE 1 RESULTS

Driver Team Points
Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 10
Joey Logano Team Penske 9
Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 8
Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 7
Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 6
Brad Keselowski Team Penske 5
Ryan Blaney Team Penske 4
Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing 3
Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 2
Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing 1