Posted on by Reid Spencer

It won’t take a miracle for Jimmie Johnson to miss the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the first time in his career.

No, all it could take — potentially — is a continuation of the rotten luck and spotty execution that has mired the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team in mediocrity over the past 11 races.

Sunday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway was emblematic of Johnson’s recent struggles, not to mention a paradigm for Murphy’s Law. After running fifth in the first round of knockout qualifying on Saturday, Johnson scraped the outside wall in the second round and had to settle for the 20th starting position.

RELATED: Full driver standings

Unapproved adjustments to his car before the race, however, sent the seven-time series champion to the rear for the opening green flag. Johnson made rapid progress in the early stages of the race.

After the first round of green-flag pit stops cycled out on Lap 54, Johnson was running 14th. That’s when the evening began to go horribly wrong. On Lap 60, Johnson returned to his pit stall with a loose wheel. To compound the issue, he ran too wide at the entrance to pit road and drew a pass-through penalty for a commitment line violation.

Johnson spent the rest of his time on track two laps down, until an oil pump failure knocked him out of the event after 227 of 367 laps. The resulting 39th-place finish added one point to Johnson’s total in the series standings, leaving him within striking distance of teammate Alex Bowman.

MORE: Current playoff picture

Johnson left Darlington 14th in points, 19 ahead of Bowman. Because Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon is locked into the NASCAR Playoffs with that victory — despite his 18th-place position in the standings — there are only two postseason spots left to be settled in Monday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

A four-time winner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Johnson can guarantee a berth in the NASCAR Playoffs by scoring 37 points or more. If Bowman wins the race and passes Johnson in the standings, Johnson is still locked in.

RELATED: Most likely to pull upset

But there’s a lot that can still go wrong. Bowman gained 13 points on Johnson at Darlington. If he beats Johnson by 20 points or more at Indy, that puts Johnson squarely in the danger zone. Why? Because four of the last eight winners at the Brickyard are lurking behind Johnson and Bowman in the standings, and a repeat victory by any one of them would eliminate either Johnson or Bowman — guaranteed.

In 2010, Jamie McMurray, then in a contract year, won the Brickyard 400 during his most successful season in Monster Energy Series racing. Currently 21st in points, McMurray hasn’t had the same level of performance as Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Kyle Larson, but his cars have the potential for speed. And with NASCAR “Silly Season” in full swing, McMurray has every reason to be up on the wheel.

Paul Menard, 19th in points, won his first and only Cup race at Indy in 2011. That win came out of nowhere, preceded by consecutive 24th-place runs at Kentucky and New Hampshire. Could lightning strike twice for the driver of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford?

Ryan Newman, 17th in points, was an upset winner at the Brickyard in 2013, collecting his only victory of the season and one of two in the last six seasons.

Kasey Kahne, 27th in points, won last year’s race in double overtime after Johnson wrecked in a three-wide battle for the lead (with Kahne and Brad Keselowski) on the final lap of regulation. Kahne was driving Hendrick equipment at the time, a spot now held by Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender William Byron.

PHOTOS: This week’s paint schemes

And that brings us to another interesting wrinkle. Byron is 22nd in the standings, with a win-or-bust mentality entering the Brickyard 400. Last year, at 19 years, 7 months and 23 days, Byron became the youngest winner of a NASCAR race at Indy when he took the checkered flag in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event.

A breakthrough win by Byron would knock one of his teammates out of the playoffs. So the races within the race on Sunday could involve Johnson vs. Bowman, or potentially Johnson vs. Bowman vs. Byron.

In a real sense, Johnson and Bowman are on an island. The 13 drivers ahead of them are locked into the postseason and can’t be displaced.  The only way either Johnson or Bowman could be “voted off” the island comes with an unexpected victory by a driver behind them in the standings.

In Bowman’s case, that’s unlikely, given that wins in 24 of the 25 races so far have come from drivers in the top 13 in the standings, the only exception being Dillon. In Johnson’s case, it’s a shoot-the-moon long shot, given that the seven-time champ also would have to finish 20 or more points behind Bowman in the race.

But quirky results have come at the Brickyard in four of the last eight years. So until the race is over and the playoff field is set, both Bowman and Johnson will have a reason to sweat that doesn’t have anything to do with the temperature inside their Chevrolets.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Most Popular Driver Award presented by the National Motorsports Press Association and sponsored by Hooters is the only major NASCAR award to be determined solely by fan vote. This year, it will be the responsibility of the fans to choose a worthy candidate to succeed Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won the award for the past 15 years.

With Earnhardt Jr. retired, now is the time for fans to choose a new people’s champ — and actually it’s three champs because an award will be given out not only for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ most popular driver, but also for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

RELATED: Vote now for the Most Popular Driver!

The polls are open and will remain open until noon ET on Nov. 27. Vote at the link listed below — or bookmark https://www.nascar.com/mostpopulardriver — early and often. Fans can submit one vote per day. A vote shared on Facebook and/or Twitter will count as double, so be sure to jump on social media, let your friends know who you are voting for and use #MostPopularDriver.

The winners for the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series will be announced on Nov. 27. Then, the winner for the Monster Energy Series will be announced on Nov. 29 during the postseason banquet in Las Vegas.

Good luck with your decisions as you determine the outcomes for these major NASCAR awards!

MORE: See past Most Popular Driver Award winners

Posted on by Staff Report

In his former role as a driver and his current role as a broadcaster for NBC Sports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a keen perspective on the inner workings of the NASCAR “Silly Season” carousel. Wednesday morning, he used that insight to lob a prediction about a major personnel move that may or may not be drawing near.

On the heels of yesterday’s news that defending Monster Energy Series champ Martin Truex Jr. and his crew chief, Cole Pearn, will be on the move next season, Earnhardt opened up on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “The Morning Drive” about a potential 2019 shift to Joe Gibbs Racing — a theory that would directly impact Daniel Suarez and JGR’s No. 19 team.

“It’s definitely going to move a lot of things around on the competition side with Truex and Cole Pearn going to Gibbs,” Earnhardt told SiriusXM. “It’ll be interesting to see where Daniel ends up, and where Daniel goes moves another domino and so forth. I think that this’ll be one of the most interesting offseasons or silly seasons that we’ve had in many, many years. Seems like there’s a piece of news or new domino falling every single day, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens through the rest of the year.”

RELATED: Martin Truex Jr. through the years

Furniture Row Racing announced Tuesday that it would cease operations at season’s end, leaving driver, crew chief and other team personnel in limbo. Earnhardt speculated that whichever team brings Truex into the fold would strive to keep the chemistry of the driver-crew chief pairing with Pearn intact.

Pearn joined Furniture Row in 2015, one year after Truex landed at the Colorado-based organization. They have combined for 17 Monster Energy Series victories together, including the 2017 championship.

“I think they’ll both stick together and they’ll end up in the 19, more than likely. I think they both complement each other,” Earnhardt said. “I believe that Martin Truex Jr. is as good as anybody in the series, but without a great crew chief, no driver is going to be as competitive as they could be and reach their potential, so they both complement each other. I think they’re a good package if they can stick together.

“I worked with Martin for a long time and we’ve been friends for a long time, and I’ve always thought a lot about his ability. He’s a guy that comes to work, does his job. Anything that they ask of him outside the race car, he does. He’s no-nonsense.”

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR discovered a lug-nut violation for the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing team in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series following last weekend’s racing action at Darlington Raceway.

That car, driven to a third-place finish by Kyle Larson, was found to have one lug nut not properly installed in post-race inspection, a violation of Sections 10.9.10.4 in the NASCAR Rule Book. Crew chief Chad Johnston was fined $10,000.

In addition, NASCAR issued an L1-level penalty to the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team in the Xfinity Series for failing pre-race inspection multiple times at Darlington. As a result, the team lost 10 driver points and 10 owner points. Brandon Jones drove that car to a 12th-place finish and is seventh in the driver standings with two regular-season races left.

Posted on by Staff Report

704Games, NASCAR’s exclusive esports partner for simulation-style video games on console platforms, announced it will host a weekly esports competition in the upcoming video game NASCAR Heat 3. Spanning the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs, NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami will culminate at Homestead-Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend with more than $500,000 in potential prize money up for grabs.

Players can compete online in NASCAR Heat 3 starting Sept. 10, 2018, through Nov. 11, 2018. Fans can qualify at home weekly by posting their fastest total race times to qualify for the final tournament in Miami. Weekly tournaments will alternate between the Xbox One and PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system. Three additional finalists will race their way in at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“Fresh off the launch of NASCAR Heat 3, NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami launches our first esports tournament so fans can literally play along with the real-world NASCAR Playoffs,” Ed Martin, President of 704Games, said in a press release. “NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami is the first NASCAR esports competition of its kind on video game consoles, accessible to NASCAR fans across the U.S., making it a truly one-of-a-kind experience.”

704Games will fly weekly finalists and a guest to Miami for Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami finale will take place Sunday, Nov. 18, and award $10,000 in prize money, Audeze Mobius gaming headsets and an exclusive race weekend package from Homestead-Miami Speedway.

As a bonus, if the winner of NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami correctly predicts the official total race time of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 within five seconds, they will win an additional $500,000.

“As we strengthen our position in the esports arena, tournaments like NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami continue to enhance fan engagement with our sport,” said Blake Davidson, NASCAR Vice President of Consumer Innovation. “Fans will get a thrill from weekly competitions and finalists get to share this championship event with the best drivers in the world at Homestead, one of the most anticipated race weekends of the season.”

NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami is the culmination of an effort from both 704Games and NASCAR to engage fans through esports. The mass-market reach of NASCAR Heat 3 creates an unparalleled esports opportunity for NASCAR fans around the country. In 2019, 704Games will look to expand NASCAR Heat Champions as a mainstay of the sport.

Fans can visit www.NASCARHeatChampions.com for further details and the official rules of NASCAR Heat Champions: Road to Miami.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Numbers mean plenty when it comes to building out your Fantasy Live teams each week. NASCAR.com will examine the stats outlook for each track to help give you an edge as you set your lineups and bonus picks ahead of the race.

Don’t forget to check back on NASCAR.com for additional insight from fantasy expert RJ Kraft as well as to watch Fantasy Fastlane with Jessica Ruffin and NBC Sports’ Steve Letarte.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live roster now | How the new Fantasy Live works | Driver stats

Top five average running position at Indianapolis (per loop data from 2005 to the present):

Driver Average Running Position
Erik Jones 9.547
Kyle Larson 9.855
Kyle Busch 10.882
Matt Kenseth 11.211
Jimmie Johnson 11.315

Top five in stage points earned at Indianapolis in 2017:

Driver Stage points Stage wins
Kyle Busch 20 2
Martin Truex Jr. 18 0
Ryan Blaney 16 0
Kevin Harvick 13 0
Joey Logano/
Matt Kenseth		 10 0

Top five in points earned in last two races at Indianapolis:

Driver Race points Race wins
Matt Kenseth 81 0
Kevin Harvick 79 0
Joey Logano 78 0
Kyle Busch 68 1
Kasey Kahne 63 1

Most laps led in last two races at Indianapolis:

Driver Laps led
Kyle Busch 236
Brad Keselowski 38
Matt Kenseth 21

Average starting position for last 10 winners: 7.4; Six of past 10 winners have started on the front three rows.

Active drivers to win pole: Kevin Harvick (2), Kyle Busch (2), Jimmie Johnson (1), Denny Hamlin (1), Reed Sorenson (1), David Ragan (1), Ryan Newman (1)

Active drivers to win at Indianapolis: Jimmie Johnson (4), Kyle Busch (2), Kevin Harvick (1), Kasey Kahne (1), Jamie McMurray (1), Paul Menard (1), Ryan Newman (1)

Most recent pole winner: Kyle Busch, July of 2017

Last time pole-sitter won here: Kyle Busch, July of 2016

Where stage winners started from: Pole (twice)

Winning manufacturers of last 10 races: Chevrolet-8, Toyota-2

Posted on by Staff Report

Defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. will race elsewhere in 2019.

Truex, a four-time winner this year, is in his fifth season with Furniture Row Racing. The Denver, Colorado-based team announced Tuesday that it will cease operations at the end of the 2018 NASCAR season.

Truex, 38, has four wins and four Busch Pole Awards this year for Furniture Row, which operates in partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing. His performance has placed him among the Big 3 championship contenders, alongside other series front-runners Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing and Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing.

RELATED: Truex Jr. through the years

He and crew chief Cole Pearn have emerged as one of the best driver-crew chief pairings in the garage, and the driver is in the prime of his career.

Truex brought Furniture Row’s No. 78 Toyota its first Monster Energy Series championship last season. The organization began racing operations in 2005.

“I’ve always felt that we could be a competitive team and run for a championship even when it seemed like a pipe dream to many racing insiders,” team owner Barney Visser said in a release provided by the organization. “But to be successful in any business you need to assemble the right people and make a strong commitment to succeed. We achieved what we set out to do and feel like we climbed Mount Everest. To continue with anything less than a competitive team would not be acceptable. It’s been one incredible ride.”

Truex indicated Aug. 17 at Bristol Motor Speedway that his future with Furniture Row was uncertain, saying, “I’m starting to hear rumors. That’s kind of how it works in this sport, I’ve been in this position before.” All but two of his 19 Monster Energy Series wins have come with Furniture Row and Visser.

“Barney Visser, Joe Garone and the entire Furniture Row Racing team took me in while my career was in a bad place, and together we reached the pinnacle of the sport,” Truex Jr. said. “I will forever be grateful to each and every one of them, and also to Furniture Row, Denver Mattress and the Visser family.

“But make no mistake this is not the immediate end. We still have unfinished business to attend to and that’s to give everything we have to successfully defend our Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. Right now that is foremost on my mind as it is with the entire team.”

Truex marched to his first title in NASCAR’s top division in 2017 by winning eight races, including the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He is also a two-time champion in what is now called the Xfinity Series, going back-to-back in 2004-05.

“NASCAR wishes the very best to Barney Visser and his family,” a NASCAR statement read. “Barney has been a successful owner and an amazing champion, and his presence will certainly be missed. We look forward to seeing Martin Truex Jr., Cole Pearn and the entire No. 78 team finish the 2018 season strong and competing for another championship. NASCAR will continue to work on growing the sport and working with the race teams on competitive and operational excellence. Much of those efforts have already been put in place, and will continue to be a focus.”

Posted on by Track Release

LONG POND, Pa. (September 4, 2018) – Children, ages 12 and under, will receive free gate admission for Sunday Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Verizon IndyCar Series races at Pocono Raceway in 2019. This new initiative will start today as part of the 2019 Pocono Raceway Ticket Renewal Program. All remaining tickets for next season’s events at ‘The Tricky Triangle’ are scheduled to go on sale to the public in early October.

Kids, ages 12 and under, will now receive free admission to 100 and 200 levels of the Grandstand, as well as Fan Fair, for all Friday, Saturday and Sunday events during NASCAR and INDYCAR event weekends. Children will have the chance watch all the racing action from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards at ‘The Tricky Triangle’ free of charge next summer. All children must be accompanied by an adult with a gate admission ticket. For more information, please visit www.poconoraceway.com/kidsfree.

“The 2019 season marks our 50th year of racing,” said Nick Igdalsky, Pocono Raceway CEO. “To celebrate this milestone, we wanted to do something extraordinary for the fans. One of my grandparents’ visions was for Pocono to become one of the most beloved, family-friendly motorsports and entertainment facilities. Today’s announcement embodies our family’s core values, which have remained unchanged since we first opened our gates to the public in 1968. Hopefully, this kids free on Sunday initiative will provide more families the opportunity to create lasting memories, much like the ones I have and continue to experience with my own family, at the track for generations to come.”

RELATED: Buy NASCAR tickets!

Individuals who purchased tickets through Pocono Raceway in 2018 can renew their tickets for next season. These customers have the opportunity to save 20% on select 2019 tickets by renewing before the November 15, 2018 deadline. Renewal customers will also gain automatic entry for a chance to win Tricky’s custom-built golf cart, crafted and designed by our partners at Jake’s Golf Carts. Email communications regarding the renewal program are in the process of being delivered to these fans. For more information about the ‘2019 Pocono Raceway Ticket Renewal Program,’ please visit www.poconoraceway.com/renewals.

Pocono Raceway will host seven motorsports events in 2019. This includes two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, one the Verizon IndyCar Series, one NASCAR Xfinity Series, one NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and two ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards races. For more details about these events and additional information, please visit www.poconoraceway.com.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Bubba Wallace shared some pics of his gaming setup this week, complete with boxes of goldfish crackers. See? NASCAR stars are just like us.

Meanwhile, Ty Majeski did Ty Majeski things, confirming the realism of his only Richmond Raceway experience — on iRacing, of course.

NASCAR Xfinity Series standout Christopher Bell isn’t shy about his use of iRacing, and he confirmed on Twitter he uses it as a tool to practice — even on dirt.

But Bell is really good, even at iRacing, where he boasts a 5700 iRating. (That’s quite high.)

Greg Hill, iRacing’s VP of Art and Production, shared a video teaser of new cloud and weather effects in the iRacing sim, showing signs of tremendous progress on highly anticipated dynamic weather features. Quite a treat for iRacing’s 10th birthday.

The eNASCAR Ignite Series — 50 of racing’s brightest future stars competing for a $10,000 racing scholarship — held its second race of the playoffs on Aug. 29. Garrett Lowe went back-to-back, picking up the checkered flag at iRacing’s virtual Irwindale Speedway.


NASCAR PEAK ANTIFREEZE iRACING SERIES UPDATE

The playoffs for the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series kicked off Tuesday at Darlington Raceway. Michael Conti scored his first victory of 2018, and at the perfect time. His win locks him into the championship finale on Oct. 23 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Maybe his Jimmie Johnson-esque throwback paint scheme made the difference Tuesday.

 

iRACING PAINT SCHEMES OF THE WEEK

William Long brought Gary Bradberry’s 1998 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ride to a modern-day iRacing Ford Fusion. It looks great for aging 20 years.

Doug DeNise created Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Darlington-raced John Deere throwback for iRacing.

 

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

This week, iRacing will release the long-awaited Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 race car, laser-scanned to perfection. iRacing’s teaser video confirms the car looks as good as it does on the real race track.

Posted on by NASCAR.com

Name: Moriah​
Current City: Clovis, Calif.
Member since: 2016

Getting to Know Moriah
​
​Q. How did you first become interested in NASCAR?
“My father was a flat-track racer in the 1970s here in California. At one point he was ranked fourth in the nation. He introduced my sister and I to NASCAR in the 1990s and we attended our first race at Sonoma in 1995. He took my husband to his first race at Sonoma in 2007.  He also was there when we took our young sons to their first race at Las Vegas in 2015.”

Q. What makes NASCAR special for you?
“I love the family aspect of NASCAR. It’s welcoming to not only myself but my children. I have a child with sensory issues and when he attended his first race with his younger brother everyone was very kind to him. Unfortunately, their first race was just after Kyle Busch had broken his leg in Daytona. My youngest son wanted to make a get-well sign for Kyle and we took it to the track. When someone from Joe Gibbs Racing saw little Noah, he gave us a tour of the pit box and allowed us to take pictures. Two lifelong NASCAR fans were made that day, and one reluctant Jeff Gordon fan (me) found her new driver.”

Q. What track would you like to go to next?
“Charlotte! We are actually planning a trip next summer to North Carolina to visit all the race shops, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and catch a race! We have family stationed out there so it’s perfect!”

Q: Do you have a favorite in any of the following categories?
Memorabilia: “My kids and I have Kyle Busch shirts and hats! I still have Jeff Gordon shirts and wear them on race day, too. I even wear my Rainbow Warrior jacket to the track when I have the chance!”
Sponsor: “M&M’s! Before every race we make sure to have them in the house and celebrate with them when Kyle wins.”
Favorite Place to Watch a Race: “We like being at the start/finish line high in the stands, so we are able to see all the action!”

​Q: Do you have any race-day traditions?
“We try and watch the races together at home. If not, we record them and watch them later as competitive soccer is life in our house a lot of weekends. We listen to Sirius XM NASCAR Radio every morning during breakfast and on our way to school.”

From all of us at NASCAR, we thank Moriah for her continued support and look forward to hearing from her in 2018.