Posted on by Zack Albert

LAS VEGAS — The first round of the NASCAR Playoffs has a decidedly different look this year, one that includes a fresh batch of uncertainty as the curtain-closer.

Last season, the Round of 16 for the Monster Energy Series traveled from Chicagoland to New Hampshire before wrapping up at Dover. This year, the postseason opens with Las Vegas, adds Richmond to the mix, then finishes with a brand-new event at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course/oval layout.

RELATED: Full schedule for Las Vegas | Playoffs Central

That significant schedule shift had drivers talking at Thursday’s NASCAR Playoffs Media Day at the South Point Hotel and Casino. Several stressed the need to win at either Vegas or Richmond to enter the Charlotte elimination race with playoff immunity, knowing how wildly entertaining that race could be.

Here’s what a sampling of the 16 championship-eligible drivers had to say:

Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Ford): “This is a big difference this year. We haven’t had a lot of race dates moved around in the playoffs and so to have three tracks that have never been part of the playoffs before, there’s zero notes going into this.

“We haven’t even gotten to the Roval yet. That’s going to be a pretty big mix-up, shake-’em-up and we hope to survive that one, in all honesty. We just need to not make mistakes at that one and not get caught up in other people’s mistakes and that’s how we’ll get through this first round.”

PHOTOS: Behind the scenes at Charlotte

Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet): “I don’t think your method changes. I just think the unknowns of that road course obviously is going to dictate a lot, being an elimination race, too. So ultimately try to get a win out here or at Richmond and not have to worry about it would be really nice. That’s our mindset, my goal. Try to grab a win here and take it a week at a time.”

Joey Logano (Team Penske No. 22 Ford): “It makes the first two races really important. It makes getting through Vegas here with some solid points and then going to Richmond and having another solid day to give yourself some cushion for the Roval because I don’t know if you know what’s going to happen at the Roval, but I sure don’t. …

“I think everyone’s going to be fairly conservative unless they have to win. There will be a few drivers in that situation that will have to make something happen to get through. They’ll be making desperate moves.”

Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota): “We’re used to the same tracks so this is definitely a different feel. I remember starting the Playoffs in Chicago and know what I need to do there. I go to New Hampshire and know exactly what to do there. Now, it’s a different mix-up of tracks. I think it’s going to be a bigger wild-card. I think of the top eight seeds, at least one will fall out of the first round, just because of the unknowns and circumstances in which these first tracks have.”

Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota): “It’s good to start off good, but then thinking of Richmond and Roval, two places where anything can happen and a lot of people are saying that the Roval is going to be crazy and I absolutely agree with that. Richmond, too, and the things that can happen there. We could have like four wins in the last five or six Richmond races and we have zero – we’ve led a ton of laps in the spring this year and we were in position to win and finished 14th. Last fall, led the most laps, in position to win, didn’t finish at all so it’s another, I think, bit of a wild card because it’s a short track mentality and you get some late-race restarts with guys in the Playoffs and some guys trying to lock themselves into the next round and not have to worry about the Roval, you think about all that, it’s going to be crazy for the first round right?”

Posted on by Zack Albert

LAS VEGAS — Brad Keselowski has his fastball back.

The trademark zip from the Team Penske driver has resurfaced at an opportune time, with Keselowski riding a two-race win streak into the NASCAR Playoffs opener this weekend. In a town where one’s fortunes are often described in relation to their gambling wins or losses, Keselowski is decidedly “up.”

RELATED: Full schedule for Las Vegas | Media Day quotes

There’s good reason for Keselowski’s buoyant demeanor, crossing two prestigious tracks in Darlington and Indianapolis off his career bucket list in consecutive weeks. He’s savoring it now, but there are longer-reaching goals at stake with the postseason opening this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“It’s kind of sunk in that we won Darlington and Indy, and it means the world to me, it really does. I hope that we can win Daytona and the Coke 600 and just get ’em all,” said Keselowski, the 2012 Monster Energy Series champ. “That would be really special to me, personally. We have that opportunity in front of us as well, but there’s nothing more important to me than winning another championship, and that’s what I see in front of us.”

Keselowski enters Sunday’s playoff opener — the South Point 400 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM) — seeded a scrappy fourth behind the ballyhooed Big 3 of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and defending series champ Martin Truex Jr. That trio has accounted for 17 wins in the 26 regular-season events and accordingly, the three are ranked first through third.

Keselowski’s two-week resurgence more than doubled his tally in the playoff-point column, his Indianapolis win pushing him up three spots in the standings and within reach of the leading triumvirate. If those three are John, Paul and George, Keselowski is making a solid case for becoming Ringo.

“Of course we want to climb to first, which sounds easy, but there’s a lot of great competition that won’t make it easy nor should they,” Keselowski said. “So, with that in mind, the opportunity is in front of us and we’ll see what we can deliver.”

There’s not one clear-cut factor, Keselowski said, that has made these last two weeks vastly different than the 24 winless weeks that preceded them. Execution on pit strategy has helped, he said. So have the pit stops themselves and some timely restarts.

That’s all equaled a sizable dose of momentum for the No. 2 Ford team ahead of the closing 10-race stretch. Should that surge give the rest of the 16-driver field reason to be worried?

“I’m not ready to say worried,” Keselowski said, “but I’m also very proud of what we’ve done.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Playoffs drivers turned Las Vegas Boulevard into Burnout Boulevard Fueled by Sunoco on Thursday afternoon, thrilling the crowd with celebratory burnouts up and down the famed Vegas Strip.

RELATED: See photos from Burnout Boulevard

The drivers were getting the fans pumped up for the NASCAR Playoffs opener in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (with coverage on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Check out some of the burnouts that were televised on NBCSN in the video above — and one below — to see which one is your favorite.

MORE: ‘Big 3’ have burnout showdown on Strip

Posted on by Reid Spencer

LAS VEGAS — Despite rumors that he is headed to Chip Ganassi racing next year — and though team owner Chip Ganassi has confirmed that Jamie McMurray won’t return to the No. 1 Chevrolet in 2019 — Kurt Busch says he remains unsigned beyond this season.

Busch is driving the No. 41 Ford as one of four Stewart-Haas Racing entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, which start with Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Report: McMurray out of No. 1 in 2019

The contract limbo has become familiar territory for Busch in recent years. Last season, Stewart-Haas declined to pick up Busch’s option before re-signing him later to a one-year deal. This season, Busch has acknowledged fielding offers from more than one team but has yet to announce his plans for next year.

“It’s all the same stuff that I’ve been through before, and I don’t look at it like a (distraction),” Busch said. “The contracts that I signed when I was a rookie or a younger guy, they were five-year deals. And now, as of late, I haven’t signed anything that was more than two years.”

Busch, however, doesn’t think the uncertainty of his future will affect his prospects for a second Cup title.

“It doesn’t matter in this day and age what’s going on behind the scenes,” he said. “It’s just a matter of executing when you’re at track, and there are so many things that are out of your control in a race on the track that it doesn’t matter what’s going on outside the car.

“So each week, when I fire up the car for the first Friday practice session, that’s the best feeling, ‘cause I know that I’m going into a zone that I can control the most, and that keeps me away from having to think about other stuff during the week.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick holds a lot of opinions, and he is not shy about sharing them in the media or on his SiriusXM NASCAR Radio program “Happy Hours.”

The 2014 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion was back at it Thursday during the NASCAR Playoffs Show on NASCAR.com when asked how much payback and rivalries determine how one races another driver in the playoffs.

RELATED: Full schedule for Las Vegas | Full breakdown of playoff field

Harvick brought up the infamous run-ins of Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth during the 2015 playoffs that stemmed from Logano turning Kenseth for the lead in the closing laps at Kansas Speedway. Upon elimination in the Round of 12, Kenseth later got his revenge at Martinsville Speedway. Down several laps down due to an earlier accident, he wrecked Logano, the leader at the time.

“(If) Kansas doesn’t happen, Martinsville doesn’t happen and he (Logano) wins the championship,” Harvick said of the Team Penske driver.

Logano had swept the Round of 12 races at Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega and was the hot driver heading into the Round of 8, but his history with Kenseth came back to bite him.

MORE: Top quotes from drivers

On-track aggressiveness played a role in last year’s Round of 8 as well, when Denny Hamlin’s late contact with Chase Elliott at Martinsville took Elliott out of the lead. The circumstance led to an exchange of words and a confrontation. Two races later, Elliott’s contact with Hamlin at Phoenix led to the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s playoff exit.

“He (Hamlin) wasn’t going to win that race at Phoenix, (anyway),” Harvick grinned, nodding to last year’s drama between Hamlin and Elliott.

These on-track battles are about perspective.

“You’ve got to be smart in each scenario,” Kyle Busch said. “There are opportune times for guys to make your life hell.”

Busch then cited how he felt Logano cost him a shot at a second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship by holding him up in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway last year. Busch felt that delay in not being able to get by Logano cost him valuable time in trying to track down the eventual race winner and champion Martin Truex Jr.

“You’ve got to pick and choose your battles,” Busch said.

Posted on by Staff Report

For much of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the “Big 3” of Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. have garnered plenty of attention with 17 wins in the first 26 races.

One young star had an idea on how to get around the Big 3 in the Monster Energy Series Playoffs, and he went into detail during Thursday’s NASCAR Playoffs Live Show on NASCAR.com.

RELATED: Full schedule for Las Vegas | Full breakdown of playoff field

“If we just wreck the Big 3 the next several weeks, we’re going to have a much better shot going to Homestead,” Austin Dillon said, laughing, in posing a question to his panel of fellow young drivers in Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones and Kyle Larson.

That only elicited a response from Bowman, who said “I’m not scared.” Dillon also jokingly said the group could split championship money among them.

Larson, though, offered a different approach on beating the Big 3.

“We’ll just beat ’em heads up. We don’t need to crash them,” Larson said.

And regular-season champion Kyle Busch sees Larson as a favorite if he can get to Homestead-Miami Speedway as part of the Championship 4. Larson enters the playoffs as the 12th seed.

“Obviously, Larson knows if he can get himself to Homestead and be championship-eligible, he’d be the favorite,” Busch said.

Posted on by Pat DeCola

Look, we get it.

You guys raced a day later than usual on Monday at Indianapolis, flew home to Charlotte to pack up some things before a trip out west for the NASCAR Playoffs opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and now you’re in front of cameras for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Media Day. You’re all tired, and you’re trying to catch a few winks here and there any way you can before you put it all on the line Sunday.

But 2015 series champion Kyle Busch is taking it to a whole new level.

That nap status is epic, considering the room is filled with a bevy of fluorescent lights, the floor isn’t exactly Tempur-Pedic and perhaps your biggest playoff rival — one known for pushing the buttons of his competitors — is standing right there!

But Busch is a bold guy, and one with a penchant for legendary snoozes.

MORE: @nascarcasm: Kyle Busch can nap anywhere

Here’s a history lesson, courtesy of @nascarcasm.

 

OK, one of those was fake, but still. The man can nap with the best of ’em, and Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin only cemented that notion.

Screen Shot 2018 09 13 At 1.45.59 Pm

Bravo, Mr. Busch. Brexton must be wearing you out.

Posted on by Staff Report

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races can be won — and lost — on pit road. It’s why teams have poured resources into hiring and training the best of the best to service their respective cars.

Monster Energy went behind the scenes with the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing pit crew for driver Kurt Busch. The exclusive look shows what it takes to execute a pit stop, from every angle, with multiple cameras. The full video is available on YouTube.

WATCH: Monster Energy Pit Project

Beyond that, it got an up-close look at the team as it welcomed a new front tire changer in Ryan Mulder prior to the summer race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Mulder told the camera prior to the race weekend, then went out and performed.

Fans can see exactly how Mulder fit in as the new guy, then watch the team meeting next week as the pit crew breaks down film to find high spots and low spots from the weekend.

Posted on by Jessica Ruffin

Sitting in a centrifuge at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Bubba Wallace navigated his way through the simulated flight.

“How high do you have to be to do a successful flip?” he asked, surrounded by controls and overlooking a simulated grid in the air.

“You want to start that about 15,000 (feet),” he was told.

Wallace visited the Human Performance Wing of the Dayton, Ohio, base on Sept. 7 ahead of the race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of his partnership with the U.S. Air Force.

MORE: Behind-the-scenes photos from Wallace’s day

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A look at Bubba Wallace spending time in the centrifuge simulating a flight. (Jessica Ruffin | NASCAR Digital Media)

“The flight simulator was pretty tough,” Wallace told NASCAR.com. “I was struggling a little bit. I crashed on trying to take off. Pulled it up too much and destroyed the plane.

“So, I would have died – so I wouldn’t be a good pilot,” he added, lightheartedly.

In addition to the centrifuge, Wallace also toured the Brain Stimulation Lab and the Strong Lab, partaking in different exercises and chatting with base personnel throughout the day. He tested his sweat levels and his reaction time – with a machine he likened to a “Whac-A-Mole”-type game at Dave & Busters — and went through blind target practice with a laser gun in the Strong Lab.

In the Brain Stimulation Lab, he learned about the newest technology that was being developed to stimulate memory, alertness and attention — and even tried out the transcutaneous vagal nerve simulator for himself.

“Have you had any surgeries on your neck or anything in your life?” he was asked, to which Wallace responded with his trademark humor.

“Nope, am I going to need one after this?” he joked.

Img 0211
Bubba Wallace tries out a transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulator that, when used, makes its user more alert and attentive. (Jessica Ruffin | NASCAR Digital Media)

Wallace put the tool to his neck to begin the stimulation and was then instructed to step into something all-too-familiar for the No. 43 wheelman: a driving simulator. A computer outside the simulator measured his attention during the course.

“We gotta get one of these before a race,” he said, later noting the similarities between his job as a race car driver and some of the tasks he partook in that day.

“There are some parallels there,” he said. “Once you’re kind of in your realm, you kind of know what to do and I wasn’t in my realm there, so I’m kind of learning everything. So, it would be cool to spend a day with the pilots, go through that and then bring them to our world. Obviously, I can’t fly the plane, they can’t drive the race car, but we could put them in our simulator and we could get their reaction.”

For Wallace, his regular visits to Air Force bases are important not only for his partnership, but also to expand his own knowledge of the group’s depth.

“Any time we get to do an Air Force appearance, I’m always questioning, ‘What are we doing?’ … Obviously, I know it’s going to be super exciting,” he said. ” … When you think of the military, you think of shooting guns, flying planes, blowing stuff up, right? Going across seas, fighting for our country, fighting for our freedom.

“But you never think about the behind the scenes of people doing this stuff … just different departments that you don’t think about … They’re doing studies and activities to see how we can make them more efficient people on the battlefield. We have a whole team of people doing that. It’s super cool.”

The visit left Wallace with many learned lessons – and also a few memories to take back home to North Carolina.

“Going through all three departments that we went through, seeing the nutrition side of it and all the technology that’s coming out, monitoring your sweat levels, doing a bunch of peripheral vision stuff, trying to focus on multiple things at once — it’s super cool and my mind’s racing,” he said.

“I can’t wait to talk to people about this, what I did today.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Team owner Jack Roush told SiriusXM Radio host Claire B. Lang on Wednesday night that he is in negotiations to fill his team’s No. 6 Ford next year, and Trevor Bayne will not return to the car.

“We’re making a search,” Roush said in the interview. “We’re in negotiations with drivers right now that would drive the 6 car next year. I think the decision’s been made. I don’t want to be breaking the story here, but I think the decision’s been made.

“Trevor is not going to be in the car next year. Who we’re talking to and how close we are in those negotiations, I’m not inclined to say.”

RELATED: Key players in Silly Season 2018

Bayne had driven the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford full time since the start of the 2015 season, logging four top-five finishes and 13 top-10s in three full time seasons from 2015-17.

Earlier this year, Roush brought back veteran Matt Kenseth on a part-time basis to split seat time with Bayne. Kenseth had retired following the 2017 season after Erik Jones slid into the No. 20  Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Matt is one of the guys who really put us on the map of the racing landscape,” Roush said at the time. “He’s one of the most talented drivers to ever sit inside a race car and his will to win, drive and determination have always embodied what we strive for as an organization.”

Roush did not confirm whether the team was bringing Kenseth back full time, or if it had targeted another driver.

“I want a driver that can be fast,” he said when asked what he’s looking for in the next driver of the No. 6.

Roush also fields the No. 17 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.