Posted on by Holly Cain

DOVER, Del. – If it were as simple as good vibes producing great results, Californian Jimmie Johnson would be a sure-bet to end a 33-race trophy drought at Dover this weekend.

MORE: Full schedule at Dover | Is Johnson king of the Monster Mile?

But it takes more than just positive energy. Yes, Johnson, 42, conceded, he is encouraged by a string of three consecutive top-12 finishes entering the weekend. And he always feels a sense of calm arriving at the notoriously tough “Monster Mile,” where he has been absolutely dominant over the course of his career. Eleven trophies will do that for you. He is one shy of having as many Dover wins as Sunday’s entire starting field – combined.

“With it being my best track and the love I have for this place, I’m always excited to come, but trying to get the No. 48 [Lowe’s for Pros] car back into Victory Lane, I can take a little pressure off myself here knowing that the rhythm-style and the way you drive this track and the set-up for the car,” Johnson said Friday. 

“We’ll get it close, and history shows that. Hopefully we get it perfect and we can have the day that we really want to have and get back to Victory Lane. But it does take a little pressure off me knowing that this is my best track and knowing that this is my favorite track.”

MORE: Analyzing Jimmie’s Dover success | Who is Lydia Johnson’s favorite driver?

As he spoke Friday morning from the track, Johnson was his typically calm, optimistic and realistic self. And in the midst of everyone else’s “concerns” that he hasn’t won since the Dover spring race last year – the longest time in his career between wins – he also issued a good reminder for his fans and the race pundits to stay calm.

His historic tally of 11 wins at Dover, his seven Monster Energy NASCAR Cup championships – including an unprecedented five straight from 2006-2010 – are remarkable accomplishments. 

And with 83 wins – nearly twice as many as the next closest active driver – Johnson is a single victory from tying NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip on the all-time list. That big number could come this week.

“I think I’m doomed, regardless, right now,” Johnson acknowledged, a bit tongue in cheek. He added, “I mean it doesn’t matter the track or the result unless it’s a win, and lots of wins.

“I think we have created an environment of very high expectations because of the success we’ve had and I think people forget how special our run has been and we certainly want to get back into those ways and have it happen again. But history shows it doesn’t happen very often. And we’re very fortunate to harness lightning for a long stretch of time. 

“The encouraging news is we are making our cars better each and every week. I’m more of a realist in where we’re at and what we’re doing, and reflect back and think damn, we had it really good for a while and it was really special. But we’re a victim of our own success, and I hope to create the headlines that we want and the headlines being along the lines of, ‘Well, they should have won. It was Dover.’”

Posted on by Staff Report

Paul Menard landed the top spot on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series leaderboard in Friday morning’s opening practice at Dover International Speedway.

Menard wheeled the Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford to a best lap of 159.830 mph on the 1-mile concrete layout.

RELATED: Practice 1 results | Full schedule for Dover

Defending race winner Jimmie Johnson was second-fastest in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet, posting a 159.440-mph lap in the final minute of practice. Kevin Harvick was third-fastest in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford, with series points leader Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski completing the top five in first preparation for Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism (2 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Defending series champ Martin Truex Jr. claimed the sixth-fastest lap in the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota.

A backlog of cars in opening inspection forced several teams to be late in joining the 50-minute session. Just one team served a 15-minute deduction in opening practice, the Premium Motorsports No. 15 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain.

Corey LaJoie’s TriStar Motorsports No. 72 Chevrolet slowed in a trail of smoke off Turn 2, forcing a red flag with roughly five minutes left in the session. The stoppage for clean-up of the fluid prompted series officials to extend practice, going back to green-flag conditions for an extra three minutes.

Busch Pole Qualifying for the Monster Energy Series is scheduled Friday at 3:20 p.m. ET (FS1).

Posted on by Staff Report

Hendrick Motorsports comes into Dover International Speedway’s race weekend with optimism, with Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott leading the charge of likely contenders.

But Johnson indicated Friday morning that his teammate may have a rooting section from a close-to-home source — his 4-year-old daughter, Lydia.

“Chase is a great guy and Lydia’s favorite driver, but it’s time for Dad to win,” Johnson said.

RELATED: Full schedule for Dover | Paint Scheme Preview

Whether that vote of confidence from the youngest of the Johnson clan means Elliott is her favorite besides her father remains untold. But family favoritism aside, both Hendrick teammates have statistical reasons for hope in Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism (2 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). Johnson is the defending race winner with 11 of his 83 career wins coming at the Monster Mile.

Elliott, meanwhile, has finished among the top five in all four of his career Monster Energy Series starts at Dover, including a runner-up result last October.

It seems a Victory Lane trip for either driver on Sunday would prompt some cheering from within the Johnson household.

Posted on by Staff Report

Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race start time Dover International Speedway has been bumped up an hour with the threat of inclement weather looming.

The OneMain Financial 200 now has a start time of 12:30 p.m. ET. The race will be televised on FS1, with radio coverage on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and Motor Racing Network. The facility does not have lights, so there is no possibility of extending the race day well into the night if weather hits.

The remainder of Saturday’s schedule was also essentially moved up an hour earlier. Monster Energy Series practice now kicks off the day at 8:30 a.m. ET. The full list of updates can be found here.

RELATED: TV schedule for the week

Dover, a 1-mile concrete oval in Delaware, is site of the 11th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race weekend of the year. The Monster Energy Series race, scheduled for a 2 p.m. ET start Sunday on FS1, is also unchanged for now.

The “Monster Mile” hosts a tripleheader this weekend, with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returning to action for the first time since late March. The Truck Series race remains on scheduled for 5 p.m. ET Friday night.

PHOTOS: Memorable Dover moments

Posted on by @nascarcasm

The ‘Star Wars’ saga and NASCAR, as many of you know, are deeply intertwined. There are many parallels. NASCAR was founded by moonshine runners, while ‘Star Wars’ prominently features smuggler Han Solo, for instance. In honor of Star Wars Day — May 4 — we dove deep into a galaxy far, far away (ie. tweets from several years ago) to find the best ‘Star Wars’ tweets that our drivers have posted. Read them, you will.

RELATED: If NASCAR drivers were Star Wars characters

OBI WAN: Use the Force.

LANDON: No u.

Well then only imagine the elation when Ryan learned that in addition to the new one, there would be like 120 more new ones after that.

I have no idea what he’s talking about. Yoda was more coherent than this.

The issue with answering this questions is that you want to say, “Yes, absolutely. You have to see it.”

And then they’re like, “OK. So do I start with ‘The Phantom Menace’?”

And you’re like “NO WAY IN HELL — IT’S TERRIBLY ACTED, CONFUSING AND THERE’S A LIZARD NAMED JAR JAR THAT YOU’LL SPEND THE WHOLE TIME WANTING TO THROAT PUNCH.”

The ‘Star Wars’ saga is like an Instagram timeline – best enjoyed completely out of chronological order.

Leo’s wise beyond his years. Imagine if the saga unfolded with Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker sheathing their lightsabers and hashing out their differences on Dale Jr.’s podcast.

That is so cool. Still awaiting word on whether that’s his or Keelan’s.

Obviously, as evidenced by his favorite Yoda quote, “Difficult to beat a person who never gives up, it is.”

Working out is way more important than fitting the prequels in the schedule. Always.

Yes. It is. I have it on good authority that after destroying the Death Star, Luke Skywalker and the Rebels got commemorative butt tattoos.

Posted on by Zack Albert

Kyle Petty says his love of riding motorcycles started at an early age — 5 or 5 1/2 years old, by his estimate. He’s turned that passion into a beneficial cause, one that has allowed him to reach countless amounts of people and to see sights that only naturally occur in the U.S. of A.

So, along last year’s route in the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, a scouting mission led him to Darwin, Minnesota, a sleepy town with a population tally of 350 at the last census. There was something there, Petty said, and he was intent to find out what it was.

That attraction, as it turns out, was the World’s Largest Twine Ball Museum, with the claim of possessing the largest ball of twine made by one person. And that must-see roadside sighting wasn’t too far from another stop for Petty, the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota — another tourist draw billed as the “World’s Only.”

“It’s just stuff that you only see in America,” Petty says. “I’m sure there’s not the largest ball of twine in Europe somewhere, or the Corn Palace of Europe or Asia. You know what I mean? Only do Americans do things like this.”

Petty and a hardy band of fans and personalities from NASCAR and other sports plan to take in many more sights in this year’s Charity Ride, which starts Saturday from a northerly starting point in Portland, Maine. The seven-day journey is scheduled to end May 11 at the Victory Junction camp, the Randleman, North Carolina retreat for children with medical needs that opened in 2004 to honor the memory and mission of his son Adam, who lost his life in a racing accident in 2000.

Billed by Petty as “The Americana Tour,” the event returns to the East Coast for this year’s trek, a roughly 1,200-mile trip to raise awareness and funds for Victory Junction. The ride enters its 24th year as a labor of love that’s kept Petty coming back each spring.

“I think for us, it’s a little bit of everything,” Petty says. “It’s spreading the NASCAR gospel, it’s spreading camp gospel and getting to ride motorcycles and talk about motorcycles and hang out with people that you really love and you really like hanging out with and just meeting people.”

Scenes from the Kyle Petty Charity Ride.
Kevin Kane Photography

Petty stands to encounter new faces along the way, but plenty of familiar names have already lent their support to this year’s ride. His father, Richard, plans to participate, as do racing legends Harry Gant, Donnie Allison, Ricky Craven and Herschel McGriff. Current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver David Ragan has signed on, as have Heisman Trophy winners Herschel Walker and George Rogers, plus NBC Sports personalities Krista Voda, Rutledge Wood and Rick Allen.

A pair of NASCAR tracks — New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway — will be opening their doors as checkpoints for the ride. And while more snapshots alongside a massive ball of twine aren’t on the agenda, the tour plans to visit the grounds of the original Woodstock music festival in New York, the Martin Guitar Factory, the Harley-Davison Factory, Manheim Auto Auctions and the Amish country in Pennsylvania, and a winding trip through Shenandoah National Park before arriving in North Carolina with stops at the Petty Museum and a homecoming at Victory Junction.

Petty has been recognized for his philanthropic efforts on multiple occasions, winning the Myers Brothers Award for outstanding contributions to the sport of stock-car racing in 2000 and 2004. But even with his track record of charitable endeavors, Petty insisted that the eponymous ride was not all about him.

“It’s the group, it’s the community, it’s the family — it’s all of us,” Petty said. “I’ve said it before about camp: When Adam’s accident happened, we raised our hand and said hey, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to build a camp, and Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett and Rick Hendrick and Felix Sabates and so many team owners and teams, and then in conjunction with that, so many NASCAR fans built camp. The Pettys didn’t build camp. We just raised our hand and said that’s what we would like to do, but it’s all the fans and all the drivers and all the community that built camp.

“When we do this motorcycle ride, I kind of raised my hand and said this is what I want to do, I want to ride motorcycles across country, anybody want to ride with me? … So it is incredibly gratifying to see that other people want to be a part of it and see the vision, and they’re the ones that really drive it.”

With this year’s edition marking 24 continuous years of good deeds, next spring’s charity ride will mark a silver anniversary. Petty said, without skipping too far ahead, that plans were already underway to commemorate the milestone and that his dream sequence for that year’s ride would be an extraordinarily epic itinerary across the USA’s extreme boundaries: Fairbanks, Alaska to Key West, Florida.

“Having said that, I don’t think that’s going to be our route next year,” Petty said with some heavy sarcasm. “But yes, we have thought about it for two years and we’ve planned some big stuff next year. Really do. Honestly, I never thought there would be the second anniversary ride, much less the 25th anniversary ride that we would get this far.”

Posted on by Matt Lederer

*Editor’s note: This is a letter by Matt Lederer, Executive Director of Sports Marketing at Comcast

We created the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award at the start of our NASCAR sponsorship to recognize the incredible individuals in the NASCAR family giving back to their communities in remarkable ways. I am proud to say this program has far exceeded all expectations, and the ongoing commitment to giving back within the sport continues to inspire us.

This year, we have introduced an exciting element of the program, allowing fans to weigh in with their nomination for the next Comcast Community Champion of the Year. Fans and members of the industry alike can visit ComcastCommunityChampion.com to nominate.

Since the program kicked off in 2015, Comcast has donated a total of $360,000 to inspirational individuals in NASCAR who are truly living Comcast’s core values. From work with the Iowa Donor Network to hosting camps for children with heart disease, we have been able to shine a much-deserved spotlight on individuals who have dedicated their lives to making a difference beyond the track.

As we embark on the 2018 program, here’s a little inspiration from our 2017 Champion and finalists:

Chip Ganassi Racing's pit crew department won the award in 2017.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s pit crew department won the award in 2017. (Scott Hunter/NASCAR)

The Chip Ganassi Racing Pit Crew Department made the decision early on that they would use their role as a team to help their local Charlotte, North Carolina community. Led by coaches Shaun Peet and Mike Metcalf, the entire department gathers regularly to help organizations throughout the city.

With the $60,000 donation the team received from Comcast, the group has continued their long-standing work with Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. The donation allows the House to provide rooms, meals and services to families in need while children are in local hospitals for care. Over the years, the Department gathered with the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte during the holidays to support their efforts in various ways — from providing bikes to the children staying at the House to serving meals to their families.

“We want people on our team who are dedicated and committed to sharing simple acts of kindness,” said Peet. “We chose the Ronald McDonald House to receive [Comcast’s] donation because we believe in their mission. When a family needs to use the services of the house, that is a difficult time for them and if we can lighten that burden, it is more than worth it to offer our time and resources.”

Seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion and 2017 finalist Jimmie Johnson used the $30,000 finalist donation from Comcast to further the Jimmie Johnson Foundation’s Champions Grant Program. This program gives back to public schools in California, Oklahoma and North Carolina, all states that hold special meaning to Johnson and his wife, Chandra. With support from Comcast, the foundation was able to help 13 public schools in 2017.

“Chani and I are so grateful to Comcast and appreciate all they do to recognize the outstanding charitable work within the NASCAR industry,” said Johnson. “It is an honor to be a part of such a generous and giving community. We couldn’t be more proud that the Jimmie Johnson Foundation was recognized as a finalist in 2017.”

For 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion Brad Keselowski, the $30,000 finalist donation from Comcast enabled Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation to double its support with the National Military Family Association. Through this partnership, Keselowski’s organization is able to sponsor an Operation Purple Healing Adventure, a free three-day experience for families that encourages growth on their new journey post-injury through family fun and outdoor exploration. The families were also treated to a VIP race day experience at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Bank of America 500.

“As a finalist for the Comcast Community Champion Award, I was humbled and also very proud to be part of that select group. My hope with the Checkered Flag Foundation is to leave a meaningful legacy that continues to grow long after I’m gone,” said Keselowski. “This type of recognition lends credibility to the work we are doing to assist those who have sacrificed greatly for our country, and the donation from Comcast enabled us to make more of an impact than ever before. It’s inspiring to work with partners such as Comcast who highlight and encourage the philanthropic efforts of our NASCAR industry, and their support is greatly appreciated.”

We hope this inspires race fans everywhere to join us in the search for the 2018 champion by visiting ComcastCommunityChampion.com. All we ask is that you share a story about your favorite NASCAR driver, team member, official or media member, and why you believe he / she should be the next Comcast Community Champion.

Posted on by Staff Report

Driver Spencer Gallagher has been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy, NASCAR announced Wednesday.

On May 1, Gallagher was found to have violated Section 19 (NASCAR’s substance abuse policy) of the 2018 NASCAR rule book, according to a NASCAR press release.

Gallagher has agreed to participate in the Road to Recovery Program, a requirement before he is eligible to be cleared to race again.

Gallagher issued the following statement after news of his suspension was announced: “I recently have had a positive result in a NASCAR drug screen, which has violated NASCAR’s substance abuse policy. I want to assure everyone in the NASCAR community this one-time error in judgment will never happen again. I am taking the steps to enroll in the Road to Recovery program supported by NASCAR. I would like to say that I am sorry to all of the GMS organization for my actions, especially my team and team owner, who have worked so hard this year and have put faith in me. I also want to apologize to NASCAR, Chevrolet and my fans for letting them down. I have not upheld the behavior that is expected of me. I promise you all here and now, I will do whatever it takes to make this right.”

Gallagher won his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series race last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, making a pass on the final lap. He drives the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet. Should Gallagher be reinstated this season, he would not receive a playoff waiver.

Additionally, Gallagher and GMS Racing are not eligible to compete in the four-driver Dash 4 Cash field this week at Dover. RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg will replace Gallagher after finishing sixth at Talladega.

PHOTOS: More from Talladega

Gallagher has made 49 starts in the Xfinity Series and an additional 59 starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He has five top-five finishes and 22 top-10 finishes combined across both series.

GMS Racing President Mike Beam issued this as part of a team statement: “GMS fully supports NASCAR’s policy on substance abuse and we do not condone this type of behavior. First and foremost, our entire organization wants to apologize to NASCAR, our sponsors, teammates and fans due to this policy violation. … A substitute driver will be announced at a later date.”

Posted on by Brad Norman

An encouraged phone call was enough for Matt Kenseth to return to where it all started at Roush Fenway Racing.

MORE: Kenseth ready for challenge 

The 2003 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion was welcomed back with open arms and lots of applause at his old stomping grounds after making a speech to the team, thanking all those who have supported him.

Jack Roush announced on April 25 that Kenseth would reunite with Roush Fenway Racing as a part-time driver of the No. 6, splitting time with current driver Trevor Bayne.

MORE: Full circle: Kenseth’s career through the years

“Just because you walk away from the race car for a while doesn’t mean you’re done forever,” Mark Martin, a longtime friend and mentor of Kenseth, said during the announcement.

Kenseth’s first crack at finding Victory Lane in 2018 will be at Kansas on May 12, quickly followed up by a highly anticipated All-Star run at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 19.