Posted on by Brad Norman

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Sometimes playing too nice won’t get you a victory.

And Martin Truex Jr.’s being the nice guy resulted in him getting knocked out of contention late in Saturday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway while battling for second place with Kyle Busch.

RELATED: Busch, Truex make contact on Lap 2 in pileup

The No. 18 clipped the Truex Jr.’s left-rear tire at Lap 431, causing Truex to spin and hit the wall hard. The reigning champion believes if he had been more aggressive taking the lead away from Clint Bowyer, the race may have turned out differently.

“Half (Busch’s) fault, half my fault for following the 14 (of Bowyer) so long,” Truex Jr. said. “I should’ve knocked his butt out of the way because he held me up for 15-20 laps and burnt my front tires off screwing with him. Played too nice and got the crappy end of the stick.”

MORE: Truex on being nice and getting pushed out of the way

Busch came on the radio following the incident, expressing his regret and saying he misjudged the distance between the cars. After the race, he made it clear he accepted full responsibility for what happened.

“Totally my fault, man, I feel terrible about that” Busch said. “Obviously I just misjudged it by a little bit – four inches, six inches, whatever and I got in the gas and was coming up off the corner and was going to slide in behind him (Martin Truex Jr.) and I didn’t think I was next to him yet and I clipped him and sent him for a whale of a ride. Hopefully, he’s alright and everything is okay there. I hated that I clipped him, I know he could have had a good shot to win the race too.”

MORE: Busch on Truex incident after the race

Understanding the nature of short track racing and the frustrations that come along with it, Truex chalks up his 30th-place finish at Bristol to just that – tough racing. His frustration was evident as he exited his car on pit road, delivering a hard kick to the body.

And Bowyer and Busch both might want to make sure he checks his rearview mirror a little closer the next couple weeks just in case the No. 78 sneaks up.

“This place has been so hard on us,” Truex said. “I mean, I can’t even explain it to you how good we’ve run here in the past three or four years and crap like this every single time. It’s like just one thing after another. … Sometimes you’re the nice guy and you get knocked out of the way. We’ll just have to race him a little harder next time.”

Posted on by Track Release

Before the bumping and banging begins in Bristol’s Night Race, fans always enjoy the driver introductions like no other. Here are this year’s picks.

  1. Kyle Larson                       “Dirt Road Anthem” by Jason Aldean
  2. Chase Elliott                     “A Crazy Racin’ Man” by Bill Elliott
  3. Kyle Busch                        “All I Do is WIN” by DJ Khaled
  4. Paul Menard                    “R.O.C.K. in the USA” by John Mellencamp
  5. William Byron                  “Fan the Flames” by Liberty University
  6. Kevin Harvick                   “Happy” by Pharrell
  7. Denny Hamlin                 “Forever” by Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem
  8. Aric Almirola                    “Miami Vice”
  9. Kurt Busch                        “Outlaw State of Mind” by Chris Stapleton
  10. Ryan Blaney                     “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash
  11. Brad Keselowski              “Little Deuce Coupe” by The Beach Boys
  12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.         “People Back Home” by Florida Georgia Line
  13. Jimmie Johnson              “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes
  14. Erik Jones                         “You Ain’t Seen Nothin Yet” by Bachman Turner Overdrive
  15. David Ragan                     “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band
  16. Clint Bowyer                    “Country Boy Can Survive” by Hank Williams Jr.
  17. Martin Truex Jr.              “Reason to Drink” by Cole Swindell
  18. Austin Dillon                    “Cowboy” by Kid Rock
  19. Joey Logano                     “Brass Monkey” by The Beastie Boys
  20. Jamie McMurray             “One” by Metallica
  21. Daniel Suarez                  “Speedy Gonzales” by Pat Boone
  22. Alex Bowman                  “Rise” by I Prevail
  23. Trevor Bayne                   “Rocky Top” by the Pride of the Southland Marching Band
  24. Ryan Newman                 “Huntin, Fishin & Lovin Every Day” by Luke Bryan
  25. AJ Allmendinger              “I’m Alright” by Kenny Loggins
  26. Kasey Kahne                    “5-1-5-0” by Dierks Bentley
  27. Bubba Wallace                “Into The Fire” by Asking Alexandria
  28. Chris Buescher                “Pork and Beans” by Weezer
  29. Matt DiBenedetto           “Rocky Theme Song”
  30. Corey LaJoie                     “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
  31. Michael McDowell          “Taken it to the Streets” by The Doobie Brothers
  32. Ty Dillon                           “Walk it Like I Talk It” by Migos
  33. Jesse Little                        “John Deer Green” by Joe Diffie
  34. JJ Yeley                              “Warrior” by Imagine Dragons
  35. Ross Chastain                  “Watermelon Crawl” by Tracy Byrd
  36. Reed Sorenson                “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix
  37. Timmy Hill                        “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osborne
  38. Gray Gaulding                 “Makes Me Wonder” by Maroon 5
  39. Landon Cassill                 “Going to Mars” by Judah and the Lion
  40. Blake Jones                      “Copperhead Road” by Steve Earle

 

Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is off this weekend. NASCAR Xfinity Series will be at Road America and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be at Canadian Tire. Check out the full schedule below, which is subject to change.

Note: All times are ET

MORE: How to find NBCSN

SUNDAY, AUG. 26

CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK
Run of Show
2:24:00: Presentation of Colors: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
2:24:10: Invocation: Tom Kipp
2:24:40: Intro to National Anthem
2:24:50: National Anthem: Martina Ortiz Luiz
2:26:20: Intro Canadian National Anthem
2:26:30: Canadian National Anthem: Martina Ortiz Luiz
2:28:00: Fly-by: Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team
2:33:00: ‘Drivers, Start Your Engines’: Kris Barclay, winner of 2018 Chevrolet Boots & Hearts Festival Emerging Artist Showcase
2:42:00: Green Flag: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 (64 laps, 157.37 miles), FS1 (Results)

FRIDAY, AUG. 24

ROAD AMERICA
1:35-2:25 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series first practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO) (Results)
3:35-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO) (Results)

SATURDAY, AUG. 25

ROAD AMERICA
12:35 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO) (Results)
3 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Johnsonville 180 (45 laps, 182.16 miles), NBCSN (Canada: TSN2) (Results)

CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK
9:30-10:25 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice, No TV (Results)
11:35 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, No TV (Results)
6 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS2 (Results)

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 

Sunday, August 19
Midnight: NASCAR The Decades: The 1970’s, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
1 a.m.: Glory Road: Modified Mastery (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
1:30 a.m.: Glory Road: Blacker (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
10 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 (re-air), FS1
6 p.m.: NASCAR 120: Bristol, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Monday, August 20
6 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
noon: Motorsports Monday (with hosts Woody Cain & Joey Meier)

Tuesday, August 21
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m.: Glory Road, “Battle of the Big 3,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m.: Glory Road, “Modified Mystery,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App
9 p.m.: Glory Road, “Battle of the Big 3,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App
9:30 p.m.: Glory Road, “Modified Mystery,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App

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

Wednesday, August 22
12 a.m.: Glory Road, “Battle of the Big 3,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App
12:30 p.m.: Glory Road, “Modified Mystery,” (re-air) NBCSN/NBC Sports App
3:30 a.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1 (re-air)
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: Whelen Series: Busch’s Beans 150, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

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, August 23
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
1 p.m.: Throwback Thursday: 1980 LA Times 500

Friday, August 24
1:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)

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

Saturday, August 25
12:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)
2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
3 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Johnsonville 180, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN 2)
6 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS2

Sunday, August 26
2 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
2:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Silverado 250, FS1

Posted on by Staff Report

Joey Logano captured just his third stage win of 2018 when he led the final 50 laps of Stage 2 in the Bristol Night Race on Saturday.

Logano took the lead in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford after he won the race off pit road following stops on a caution on Lap 197 for a David Ragan a spin in traffic.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Chase Elliott crossed the start/finish line in his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet just behind Logano, and ahead of three others he had battled for the lead throughout the stage: Kyle Larson, Aric Almirola and Ryan Blaney.

Meanwhile, Kyle Busch earned the free pass on the Stage 2 caution, edging Kevin Harvick as the first car one lap down at the end of the stage on Lap 250.

Harvick dropped from the leaders on Lap 184 when he had to come in for a green-flag pit stop because of a loose wheel. Harvick fell from running second to one lap down.

The Bristol Night Race is scheduled to conclude on Lap 500.

Finish Driver Team Race Points
1  Joey Logano  Team Penske 10
2  Chase Elliott  Hendrick Motorsports 9
3  Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing 8
4  Aric Almirola  Stewart-Haas Racing 7
5  Ryan Blaney  Team Penske 6
6  Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing 5
7  Erik Jones  Joe Gibbs Racing 4
8  Jimmie Johnson  Hendrick Motorsports 3
9  Kurt Busch  Stewart-Haas Racing 2
10  Alex Bowman  Hendrick Motorsports 1

 

STAGE 1

Ryan Blaney took the lead after a competition caution midway through Stage 1, and held off a hard-charging Kevin Harvick at the stage’s end to capture his fifth stage win of the season Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

In all, Blaney led 108 of the first 125 laps of the Bristol Night Race in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

Harvick crossed the start/finish line just behind Blaney in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

Clint Bowyer, Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola rounded out the top five in the stage.

The eventful Stage 1 saw race favorite Kyle Busch find trouble just after the green flag dropped.

A 15-car pileup came on Lap 2 when Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota drifted up the track and made contact with the No. 12 Team Penske Ford of Ryan Blaney.

Busch spun in traffic, doing enough damage to Bubba Wallace’s No. 43 Chevrolet that he was forced from the race. AJ Allmendinger’s No. 47 Chevrolet also sustained damage, as did Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota.

MORE: Busch, Bubba among those involved in Lap 2 wreck

Finish Driver Team Race Points
1 Ryan Blaney  Team Penske 10
2 Kevin Harvick  Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3 Clint Bowyer  Stewart-Haas Racing 8
4 Chase Elliott  Hendrick Motorsports 7
5 Aric Almirola  Stewart-Haas Racing 6
6 Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing 5
7 Kurt Busch  Stewart-Haas Racing 4
8 Erik Jones  Joe Gibbs Racing 3
9 Joey Logano  Team Penske 2
10 Trevor Bayne  Roush Fenway Racing 1
Posted on by Staff Report

Seven-time Bristol winner Kyle Busch found trouble early in Saturday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway when he was in the middle of a 15-car wreck on Lap 2.

After starting third, Busch nudged Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Ford on just the second trip around the .533-mile track. The contact caused Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to spin into traffic, where he sustained further damage when Jesse Little and Michael McDowell ran into his No. 18 after it stopped spinning low on the track.

RELATED: Live leaderboard

Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suarez, Kasey Kahne, JJ Yeley, Matt DiBenedetto, AJ Allmendinger, Landon Cassill, Timmy Hill, Ty Dillon were also involved. Wallace’s No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet sustained too much damage for him to continue.

“I was pissed there for a moment, get out of the car, slammed the roof, then just laughed about it,” Wallace said. “It’s crazy. We can’t even make it two laps? I don’t even know if we made it a lap and then we’re wadded up. It’s just a bummer. I usually sweat pretty easily. Hell, I didn’t even have enough time to sweat.”

Busch brought the No. 18 down pit road multiple times for repairs and ultimately returned to the track two laps down.

It’s been a tough weekend for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, as he also found early trouble in Friday night’s Xfinity Series race at Bristol; his No. 18 smacked the wall after a tire went down, ending his night after 74 laps.

As it turns out, the wreck was the beginning of another trying evening for Busch. He battled his way back onto the lead lap by the end of Stage 2 and was as high as third by Lap 431 when he clipped Truex Jr. from behind, ending the No. 78 team’s day.

Busch spun a final time with 19 laps remaining in the race and finished 20th.

Posted on by Staff Report

BRISTOL, Tenn. — The Richard Childress Racing No. 3 Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection three times Saturday, pushing Austin Dillon to the rear of the field for Saturday night’s Monster Energy Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

NASCAR officials have ejected Greg Ebert, the No. 3 team’s car chief, for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race (6:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The team was also penalized with a 30-minute deduction of practice time at the series’ next race, Sept. 2 at Darlington Raceway.

RELATED: Bristol schedule | Full starting lineup | Weather updates

Dillon was scheduled to start 18th in the 40-car field for Saturday night’s 500-lapper. The reigning Daytona 500 champ currently ranks 20th in Monster Energy Series points.

Posted on by Staff Report

Ever wonder what goes on in a driver meeting? We’re here to help.

This year, we’ll publish the actual rules video your favorite Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will watch before climbing into their stock cars. Above is the video for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race (6:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Enjoy!

Posted on by Brad Norman

Turning laps at Bristol Motor Speedway is natural for Erik Jones.

The 22-year-old driver has seen great success at the .533-mile track in the beginning stages of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career — and a victory at Thunder Valley is very much within reach.

MORE: Full updated Bristol schedule

Especially at night.

In 2017, Jones gave race winner and now Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch all he could handle around the short track and led 260 laps, to Busch’s 156. However, the checkered flag went to his former boss and put a fire under Jones to make sure he’s the last one standing next time around.

“I’ve been excited to get back to this one since that day,” Jones shared with NASCAR.com. “It’s fun to finally be back here for this one. Get to go after it again. You know Bristol is a place I like a lot, we had a car that was capable of winning last year. We led a lot of laps and had a good shot at it. Excited to hopefully have another chance here to do it again. I’d love to get up there and contend … see if we can finally grab one. ”

MORE: Who will start where on Saturday?

A runner-up finish left a bittersweet taste in Jones’ mouth, but standing in his way on Saturday night is seven-time Bristol winner — and the driver who stole the win last season — Busch, who has already notched six wins already in 2018.

A member of this year’s Big 3, Busch is arguably the one to beat under the lights, especially with a third-place starting position. So how can Jones wheel his way to his second victory of the season from a 14th starting position? Simple: He just has to drive, and drive well.

“You have to be on your game,” he said. “Last year we were on it as much as we could be and it still wasn’t quite enough. … You really have to be on it and making the right calls all night. No mistakes. … We’re going to have to stay up front again and just be contending with them all night. Do a better job of moving around and keeping up with the track. That’s probably the thing we just missed out on last year.”

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Kyle Larson nabbed the Busch Pole Award before Saturday’s Bristol Night Race (6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Bristol Motor Speedway. That only further solidified his place in my Fantasy Live lineup. After two practice sessions and qualifying, we’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you make roster decisions for the 24th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of 2018. Remember that the garage locks at the end of Stage 2.

RJ Kraft’s revised Fantasy Live lineup following practices and the lineup being set:
1: Kyle Busch
2: Kyle Larson
3: Chase Elliott
4: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
5: Aric Almirola
Garage: Jimmie Johnson

Cars to the rear: Austin Dillon (failed pre-race inspection three times)

PLAY NOW: Set your Fantasy Live lineup | How the new Fantasy Live works
MORE: Fantasy analysis for Bristol | Driver stats | Full lineup | 10-lap averages

Analysis: Busch, Larson and Stenhouse were part of my original lineup and nothing I’ve seen on Friday has me moving away from them. These are three of the best to have at Bristol and I will be sticking with them. Johnson was also initially in my lineup and I am keeping him in the garage. I realize the overall body of work in 2018 hasn’t been too great, but I am playing a hunch with “Seven-Time.” He qualified 13th and has scored the most points in the past three Bristol races. In fact, in his last four Bristol races, he has had an average starting position of 16.3 and an average finish of 5.5. I’ll roll the dice on those numbers.

Two lineup changes going into this race for me: Out are Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano. I didn’t like where they qualified and I expect track position to be big. Also, Bowyer has been a little off in recent weeks — no top 10s in the past six races. Logano seems to disappoint in some way every time I use or plan to use him, so I moving on from that play this weekend.

Going into my lineup are Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola. Elliott qualified second and when he has started inside the top four this season, he has by and large produced points. Throw in his stretch of four-straight top-nine finishes on the season and an average of 44.5 points over that span and it’s easy to see why he should be in your lineup. Taking Almirola because he tends to get stage points when he starts in the top 10 and he notched a sixth-place finish here in the spring. I considered Erik Jones and Ryan Blaney as well for this spot, but I like taking the less-flashy play, an under-the-radar move that could net me points others might not get. This and the Jimmie move are zagging where others might zig and I am OK with that.

As for the bonus picks, I’m expecting a Kyle and Kyle show with Larson taking Stage 1 and Busch taking Stage 2 and the win.