Posted on by Jason Lofing

Ryan Luza wasted no time finding Victory Lane after his three-race absence, rallying late and passing Ray Alfalla to win at Michigan International Speedway. The victory was Luza’s third in the 2018 NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series, but this one involved a fair amount of drama and contact.

Zack Novak finished second and Keegan Leahy was third. Marcus Richardson came from nineteenth to finish fourth, followed by Michael Guest. Alfalla faded to sixth after the late skirmish with Luza.

RELATED: iRacing results and schedule | Updates from the armchair

As the laps wound down Alfalla worked his way by Luza after a restart but Luza had the better long run car and slowly closed the gap. With eight laps to go Luza was right on Alfalla’s decklid as the two headed into Turn One. Luza made light contact with Alfalla in the center of the corner, slightly breaking Alfalla’s momentum as the pair exited Turn Two.

Ryan Luza (No. 6) made the race-winning pass with eight laps to go when he applied the bumper and moved Ray Alfalla (No. 2).
iRacing.com

Luza looked to the low side down the backstretch but Alfalla threw a block and stopped the run. However, Luza appeared to not take too kindly to the maneuver as he made more contact with Alfalla entering Turn Three, running the three-time champ high out of the groove. The contact was not finished there either as Luza was just shy of clearly Alfalla but came up the track anyway and put Alfalla in the wall off Turn Four. The damage crippled Alfalla’s car and he did well to hold onto sixth.

With Alfalla out of the picture, Novak drew a bead on Luza and looked to spoil his return. Novak looked a bit quicker but a caution with three laps to go froze the field and caused the race to end under yellow.

Luza worked his way up from mid-pack after staying out on three-lap old tires with 50 laps to go cost him track position. After restarting in the lead, the pack devoured Luza on his old tires and five laps later he was outside the top 15, hoping for a caution. Luza got his wish and a caution put him back on equal footing, but he was mired back in seventeenth with 40 laps to go.

Despite cautions slowing his progress, Luza rose to seventh in just ten laps and was third after five more with only Leahy and Alfalla in front of him. The fifth caution of the evening erased Luza’s gap to the leaders and a strong pit stop put him second on the restart with 20 to go.

Luza spun the tires a bit but a quick caution gave him another chance, this time from the inside row in third. On the next restart with 14 to go, Luza minimized wheelspin and passed both Leahy and race leader Logan Clampitt to briefly lead before the duel with Alfalla.

Even with the late-race contact, Alfalla remains the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series points leader, 36 points in front of Leahy. Bobby Zalenski is third after a twelfth-place effort at MIS. Nickolas Shelton sits fourth, and Luza rebounds into the top five with his victory, displacing Matt Bussa.

Week Nine takes the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series drivers to the lone road course of the season; Sonoma Raceway on June 26. The highly technical track is demanding on tires and track position will be at a premium as full-course yellows are disabled in road course races. Last season, Zalenski was dominant while Alfalla and Luza both finished outside the top 20. Will Zalenski show his road course prowess once again, or can a surprising face find victory lane in perhaps the toughest test of the season thus far?

Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 11, No. 18 and No. 20 teams for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series have been assessed L1-level penalties for having splitters that did not meet rules specifications during pre-race inspection before Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway.

The No. 11 team of Denny Hamlin, the No. 18 team of Kyle Busch and the No. 20 team of Erik Jones all were sent to the rear of the field prior to the Michigan race, when the violations were discovered.

RELATED: Playoff Watch post-Michigan | Full Michigan race results

Crew chiefs Mike Wheeler (No. 11 team), Adam Stevens (No. 18 team) and Chris Gayle (No. 20 team) all were fined $25,000, according to Tuesday’s penalty report. Their respective car chiefs — Brandon Griffeth (No. 11 car chief), Nate Bellows (No. 18 car chief) and Jason Overstreet (No. 20 car chief) — all were suspended from the next Monster Energy Series points event.

The Monster Energy Series is off this weekend, meaning the penalties will be served at Sonoma Raceway next weekend.

All of these teams have the right to appeal their penalties to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel. There was no immediate indication on whether Joe Gibbs Racing officials planned to appeal.

Busch finished fourth Sunday, with Hamlin finishing 12th and Jones 15th.

Posted on by Staff Report

Tickets for the 2019 Daytona 500 are now on sale, Daytona International Speedway announced Tuesday.

The 61st running of the prestigious race, scheduled Sunday, Feb. 17, will once again open the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

RELATED: 2019 Monster Energy Series schedule

Tickets to the 101,500-seat motorsports stadium have sold out for the past three seasons. The amenity-filled DAYTONA Rising seating area opened in 2016.

Ticket packages are available at Daytona500.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Tickets for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the opener for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, are set to go on sale at a later date.

A preliminary schedule for 2019 Speedweeks activities at the 2.5-mile track is available. Season-opening events will be held for the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Feb. 16 with the Camping World Truck Series to open Feb. 15.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

You know, Michigan winner Clint Bowyer’s last tweet before his big win Sunday referenced iRacing, in their sponsorship of his dirt racing team. Could this be an exception to the iRacing curse?

iRacing’s Season 3 update brought racers plenty of updates — including new, enhanced visual features when you spin through the grass. It may not sound like a big change, but if you’re a frequent crasher like some people, it’s a game-changer.

The release of a new build means a whole bunch of updates to download — maybe not the most fun part of an iRacing driver’s career, as Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Shane Lee expressed:

It seems like Lee got everything up and running, though, as evidenced by his drive around RCR’s simulation setup at Michigan.


NASCAR PEAK ANTIFREEZE IRACING SERIES UPDATE

The world’s finest virtual racers head to Michigan International Speedway Tuesday after three weeks off. There’s been a bit of shake-up atop our Race 8 Power Rankings following a thrilling side-by-side finish that crowned Nick Shelton a new winner in the series.

Ryan Luza, 2017 champion and winner of two races at the beginning of 2018, hasn’t entered the last two races in the series, though he’s expected to make a return at Michigan.

 

IRACING PAINT SCHEMES OF THE WEEK

Erik Le re-created the No. 54 DGR-Crosley Racing Toyota Tundra for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Matthew Meyer reimagined Erik Jones’ Coca-Cola 600 ride as a super late model — a staple for Jones, the short track racer.


DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME

You know how they say cautions breed cautions? It’s a reality in iRacing, too. Watch the field stack up on a restart in a league race, driving onboard with iRacer Aaron Bean.

https://twitter.com/BlackBlur14/status/1004560922256568321

With a little bit of luck, it appears Bean gained a few positions out of what was a disaster for other racers. Stay alert on restarts!

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Nick Shelton edged Jarl Teien in a photo-finish thriller at Charlotte Motor Speedway for Race 7 of the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series championship. The series inches closer to the halfway point of the season at Michigan International Speedway on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

RELATED: Full iRacing schedule | Watch iRacing

1: Logan Clampitt (+2)

After leading a chunk of laps at Kansas, winning the All-Star exhibition race, and dominating much of the Charlotte race, it’s clear Logan Clampitt is on a tear. It’s #ClampNation’s time.

2: Ray Alfalla (–)

Points leader Ray Alfalla heads into Michigan — a track where he’s won twice — with a 39-point lead over Keegan Leahy. It’ll be business as usual for Slip Angle Motorsports in the Irish Hills.

3: Keegan Leahy (-2)

Keegan Leahy started on the front row and led laps in Charlotte, but the Phenom Racing Team driver’s run went south after a crash in the late stages of the race. We fully expect the Canadian to rebound in Michigan.

4: Nickolas Shelton (+4)

After we watched him trend upward at 1.5-mile tracks in 2018, our Race 7 Power Rankings wisely predicted a strong run from Nick Shelton at Charlotte. Sure enough, he won the darn race. Thanks for making us look good, Mr. Shelton.

5: Bobby Zalenski (+2)

Bobby Zalenski led laps and finished fourth at Charlotte, enough to bump him to third in the points standings. Believe it or not, Charlotte marked Zalenski’s first top-five finish of 2018.

6: Matt Bussa (+1)

Still searching for his first victory of 2018, Matt Bussa is on the right track after scoring a season-high third-place finish at Charlotte.

7: Michael Conti (-1)

Michael Conti didn’t have a stellar race at Charlotte, finishing outside the top 20 for the second race in a row, but he is the defending winner at Michigan. It’s worth keeping an eye on the 2014 champ.

8: Ryan Luza (-3)

Where in the world is Ryan Michael Luza? After winning two races early in the season, the defending series champion was a no-show for the second consecutive race. When he’s back, we expect he’ll pick up where he left off — a weekly threat for victories.

9: Taylor Hurst (NR)

If Lockdown Racing’s Taylor Hurst could lock down some consistency, expect some good things. Hurst has climbed to eighth in the standings following two consecutive top-dozen finishes — and finished fourth and sixth in the last two series races at Michigan.

10: Christian Challiner (-5)

Great Britain’s Christian Challiner started on the pole at Charlotte, but fell apart quickly after leading the opening laps, finishing 25th. He’ll look to regroup in Michigan, where the Dynamic Autosports driver finished 12th last year.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Next driver Riley Herbst is scheduled to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this weekend at Iowa Speedway.

Preliminary entry lists have the 19-year-old Herbst listed as the driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota in Sunday’s Iowa 250 presented by Enogen (5 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The start will be Herbst’s first in a NASCAR national series race.

RELATED: Get to know the NASCAR Next class

Herbst, a Las Vegas native, has made 27 career starts over the past two seasons in the ARCA Racing Series, scoring a win last season at Pocono Raceway.

Herbst is in his second year of the NASCAR Next youth initiative. Before the season, Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that Herbst would participate in two Camping World Truck Series races later this year with first coming next weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Posted on by Team Release

Statesville N.C. – GMS Racing’s No. 24 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, Justin Haley, will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in the No. 23 entry at Iowa Speedway. The Indiana native will run at Daytona International Speedway (July 6) in a second GMS Racing entry and additionally will run at Watkins Glen International (August 4).

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime to be in top notch Xfinity Series equipment,” Haley said. “I can’t say enough about how much the Gallagher family has helped my career over the past few years in the Truck Series. I’m excited to get to Iowa and run a doubleheader with The Fraternal Order of Eagles (FOE) onboard. FOE, along with my family, have been nothing but supportive of me since the beginning. I am humbled to have the support to take the next step into the Xfinity Series, after always being unsure if it would ever happen. Thank you to the whole GMS organization.”

RELATED: Elliott to drive for GMS | Bowman, too | Xfinity Series schedule

A familiar partner for Haley, FOE will serve as primary sponsor at Iowa. Sponsors for Daytona and Watkins Glen will be announced at a later date. Over a four-year span, Haley has competed in a total of 35 NCWTS races, collecting six top fives, 18 top 10s and one pole award.

Additional drivers for the No. 23 entry will be announced at a later time.

Posted on by Brad Norman

Battle of the Dads.

Clint Bowyer’s son Cash stole the internet with a video of him hollering and cheering following the No. 14 team’s victory at Michigan on Sunday, the second of the season for the Stewart-Haas Racing team.

MORE: Complete Michigan results | Larson comes up short at Michigan record

But not to be outdone, Owen Larson (also known as Kyle Larson’s son) talked a little smack of his own to the Bowyer clan.

Now you see, Cash and Owen are good buddies — old pals, if you will. The two are often found at the track putting on a show for fans or doing a little racing of their own in their pint-sized cars.

WATCH: Cash celebrates with Bowyer at Martinsville

The eldest Larson sibling even checked in on the Bowyer patriarch after his epic win at Martinsville.

However, some love seems to be lost with Owen’s most recent message, and we are all here for a Larson-Bowyer showdown just in time for Father’s Day.

Let the games begin!

Posted on by Pat DeCola

Clint Bowyer won a rain-soaked race at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, his second win this season and second since 2012.

RELATED: Bowyer wins Michigan | Full results

After that career-long drought, the floodgates appear to have opened — quite literally, if you saw some of those puddles Sunday — and Stewart-Haas Racing owner and three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart thinks the No. 14 team is just getting started.

More Clint Bowyer wins? We certainly wouldn’t mind that — the man knows how to celebrate a victory.

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

After winning the pole for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Kurt Busch liked his chances in the race, and, indeed, his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford started strong.

Busch led the first 46 laps, holding it for 19 circuits after taking right-side tires only under caution on Lap 27. But on Lap 47, Ryan Blaney passed him for the top spot, and Busch dropped from second to seventh from an inside-lane position after a Lap 60 restart to end Stage 1.

RELATED: Race results | Bowyer edges Harvick for win

He never regained the lead. Busch was third off pit road behind teammates Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick under yellow on Lap 122, and that’s where he finished when rain forced NASCAR to call the race 11 laps later. It was another strong run for the 2004 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, but it wasn’t a victory. A Stewart-Haas sweep of the podium positions provided some consolation.

“We’ve been consistent this year,” Busch said. “We haven’t had that super perfect all-star type day. We’ve chiseled away at being consistent, not making mistakes, and our day will come. We just have to put ourselves in position more often.

“One of the times off pit road I came out fourth and then a car stayed out in front of us, that put me to the fifth spot (and in an inferior spot on the inside lane). I’m like, ‘Well, one of those times when things just don’t quite go your way.’ We had a fast car. Again, it’s easy to smile and go into this off week and celebrate a Stewart-Haas 1-2-3. It’s very special.”