Posted on by Reid Spencer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kevin Harvick, nicknamed NASCAR’s “Closer,” earned his moniker on Saturday night at Kansas Speedway, passing reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. on the next-to-last lap to add the KC Masterpiece 400 to his collection of victories this season.

Charging from sixth place and chasing race leader Martin Truex Jr. after a restart on Lap 259 of 267, Harvick found speed in the top lane with five laps left and passed Truex on the outside through Turns 3 and 4 on the penultimate lap.

In winning his second straight race and his fifth in 12 starts this season, Harvick beat Truex to the finish line by .390 seconds. The victory was Harvick’s third at Kansas Speedway, tying him for most ever at the 1.5-mile track.

MORE: Full results | Standings
SHOP: Harvick gear

“I think, as you look at the last couple of laps, it wasn’t working for me on the bottom, and I was able to make up some ground on the top,” said Harvick, who will try to win three straight races in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford for the second time this season when NASCAR’s top tour goes to Charlotte for the May 27 Coca-Cola 600.

“I thought, if it came down to it, I could pass him on the bottom, because my car went through (Turns) 1 and 2 on the bottom, or I could drive through the middle of 3 and 4, but I just had to pick which lane.  He wasn’t going to choose, and he never chose the high lane, and we were able to drive right by.”

Having taken the lead by staying out on older tires after a caution for an accident involving Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney on Lap 248, Truex thought he could keep Harvick behind him over the closing laps. That proved not to be the case.

RELATED: Blaney takes blame for Larson contact

“I thought we were going to be all right there,” said Truex, who was trying for a third straight win at Kansas. “Like three or four laps to go, my car just got real tight, and I chattered the right front off of Turn 4, and I was like, ‘Oh boy, that’s not good.’

“We had been so tight all night, and I didn’t know where to go once he was getting there. If I go to the top, he’s just going to catch me on the bottom. I might as well run where I feel I can run the fastest, and I did, and it just wasn’t enough.”

The most violent accident of the night set up the final restart with nine laps left and the dramatic pass for the victory. In Turn 4 on Lap 253, William Byron got loose underneath Clint Bowyer’s Ford and knocked Bowyer up the track. Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet slammed into the outside wall with a bone-rattling impact that lifted the rear of the car off the pavement.

MORE: Fiery wreck brings out red flag

Byron’s car landed on the hood of Ryan Newman’s Chevrolet and slid down the track with fire in the engine compartment. All told, seven cars were involved in the wreck, including the No. 6 Ford of Matt Kenseth, who finished 36th in his first race of the season.

Byron was shaken but otherwise unhurt after the multi-car wreck.

“Yeah, that one hurt really bad,” Byron said. “But I’m fine. We took two tires there and couldn’t get it turned on the bottom and then got sucked around at the last minute. I just should have been lower on the track than that.

“Just couldn’t rotate. Couldn’t cut. I think, overall, we were trying to kind of push some things there and it just didn’t work out. That was definitely the hardest hit I’ve been in. But I’m thankful to be walking, so that’s good.”

Joey Logano ran third, followed by Larson and Denny Hamlin. Larson made a remarkable recovery after he and Blaney made contact in Turn 1 on Lap 248, when Blaney was trying to side-draft aggressively. Blaney, who led 54 laps before the accident, slammed into the Turn 1 wall and exited the race.

PHOTOS: Scenes from Kansas including the late-race wrecks

But Larson continued, and he took on fresh rubber under the final caution and charged through the pack to fourth place.

“Blaney was side-drafting really hard, and I was as high as I could get, and we made contact, whatever, and we had a bunch of damage,” said Larson, who won the second stage and led a race-high 101 laps to Harvick’s 79. “So I hate that we didn’t turn today into a win, but it’s satisfying to see how much speed our car had tonight.

“And, it’s definitely good to show that Chevy has a lot of speed, at least in the No. 42 team. So we’ll just keep working hard and try to get as fast as the No. 4.”

Paul Menard, Erik Jones, Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola and Kyle Busch completed the top 10. Kyle Busch retained the series lead by 12 points over Logano in second place and 19 over Harvick in third. Brad Keselowski (14th on Saturday) is a distant fourth, 107 points back.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

A heavy multicar crash late in Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race snared William Byron, Clint Bowyer and more, forcing a red flag with 14 laps remaining at Kansas Speedway.

Byron triggered the melee as he appeared to lose grip under the No. 14 of Bowyer, and his No. 24 Chevrolet nosed hard into the outside retaining wall, lifting its rear wheels off the ground with the impact. Byron’s car landed on the roof of Ryan Newman’s No. 31 Chevy as more cars scrambled to avoid the mess.

Byron exited his crumpled, smoldering car under his own power. He told FS1 after being released from the infield care center that it was the most severe hit of his career.

RELATED: Watch Byron’s wreck through helmet cam of Kurt Busch

“I think overall we were trying to kind of push some things there and it didn’t work out,” said Byron, who gained track position with two-tire stops on more than one occasion in Saturday’s KC Masterpiece 400. “We’re going to wherever’s next and that one was definitely the hardest hit I’ve been in, but thankful to be walking so that’s good.”

Other drivers involved were Matt Kenseth in his first event of the season, Jamie McMurray, Ty Dillon and Chris Buescher.

MORE: Byron on his Kansas crash

“I just saw everybody wrecking and the track was kind of blocked, so I tried to get down toward the grass,” said Kenseth, who finished 36th in his return to competition in the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford. “This grass is not the new friendly grass with the rain and all it just kind of dug in and then I just hit the car in front of me.”

Said Bowyer, who continued and held on for 15th place as the last driver on the lead lap: “We started in the back and got up through there pretty good, but then kind of stalled out. We got wrecked there. I was trying to get us up in the top five and got wrecked there. That’s just part of it I guess.”

Posted on by Staff Report

What channels are NASCAR races on this week? We answer that and provide all 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, FS2 | Get FOX Sports GO | How to find NBCSN

Sunday, May 13
Midnight: One Hot Night: NASCAR 1992 All-Star Race (FS1)
6 a.m.: Classic NASCAR: 1988 Daytona 500 (FS1)
6:30 a.m.: Classic NASCAR: 1998 Daytona 500 (FS1)
7 a.m.: The 600: History of NASCAR’s Toughest Race (FS1)
8 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 37 Kind Days 250, FS1 (re-air)
10 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series KC Masterpiece 400, FS1 (re-air)

Monday, May 14
3 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series KC Masterpiece 400, FS1 (re-air)
8 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 37 Kind Days 250, FS2 (re-air)
10 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series KC Masterpiece 400, FS2 (re-air)
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
12 p.m.: Motorsports Monday (with hosts Woody Cain & Joey Meier)

Tuesday, May 15
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

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

Wednesday, May 16
3:30 a.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1 (re-air)
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
12 p.m.: Crew Call (with hosts Sammi Jo Francis & Rocko Williams)
1 p.m.: NASCAR Coast to Coast (with hosts Kyle Rickey & Hannah Newhouse)

Thursday, May 17
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
1 p.m.: Throwback Thursday-1989 All-Star Race

Friday, May 18
9:30 a.m.: One Hot Night: The 1992 NASCAR All-Star Race, FS1
10:30 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1
11:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open/All-Star Race practice, FS1 (Canada: TSN 2)
3 p.m.: Monster Energy All-Star Pit Road Speed practice, FS1 (Canada: TSN 2)
3 p.m.: The 600: History of NASCAR’s Toughest Race, FS1
4 p.m.: 100,000 Cameras: NASCAR All-Star Race
4:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Pole qualifying, FS1
6 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying for All-Star Race, FS1 (Canada: TSN 2)
8 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, FS1
8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: North Carolina Education Lottery 200, FS1

On MRN
12 p.m.: The Inside Line (with host Tyler Burnett)

Saturday, May 19
4:30 a.m.: One Hot Night: The 1992 NASCAR All-Star Race, FS1 (re-air)
5:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying for All-Star Race, FS1 (re-air)
7:30 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: North Carolina Education Lottery 200, FS1 (re-air)
9:30 a.m.: The 600: History of NASCAR’s Toughest Race, FS1
1 p.m.: One Hot Night: The 1992 NASCAR All-Star Race, FS2 (re-air)
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying for All-Star Race, FS2 (re-air)
4 p.m.: One Hot Night: The 1992 NASCAR All-Star Race, FS1 (re-air)
5 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
6 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open, FS1 (Canada: TSN 1, 3, 4)
7 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
8 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race, FS1 (Canada: TSN 1, 3, 4, 5)

Sunday, May 20
8 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race, FS1 (re-air)
2 p.m.: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East: South Boston Speedway, NBCSN
3 p.m.: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East: South Boston Speedway, NBCSN

Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series are at Charlotte Motor Speedway for All-Star weekend. Check out the tentative full schedule, subject to change.

Note: All times are ET

Saturday, May 19
10:30-11:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice (All-Star Open, All-Star Race combination) (Results for All-Star Race drivers) (Results for Open drivers)
2:45-3:45 p.m.: Trackside Live at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Watch live)
5:30:00 p.m.: Monster Energy Open driver introductions
5:44:20 p.m.: Invocation: Donnie Floyd
5:46:30 p.m.: God Bless America by Danielle Johnson
5:51:30 p.m.: “Drivers, Start Your Engines” by Senior Marketing Manager at Circle K Stores Southeast Misti Mason
6:00:00 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open (20 laps, 20 laps, 10 laps), FS1 (Canada: TSN 1, 3, 4) (Results)
7:32:00 p.m.: Drivers introductions begin
8:00:00 p.m.: Presentation of Colors by: Jay M Robinson High School JROTC
8:00:20 p.m.: Invocation by:  Joe Gibbs Racing Owner: Coach Joe Gibbs
8:01:00 p.m.: National Anthem by:  Monster Energy’s own Monster Energy Girl: Erica Nagashima
8:07:30 p.m.: “Drivers, Start Your Engines” by: Interscope Records and Monster Energy Artist Machine Gun Kelly
8:16:00 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race (30 laps, 20 laps, 20 laps, 10 laps), FS1 (Canada: TSN 1, 3, 4, 5) (Results)

Press Pass (Watch live)
12:30 p.m.: Joey Logano
12:45 p.m.: Aric Almirola
9:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race

Friday, May 18
9:05 -9:55 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice (Results)
10:35-11:25 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1 (Results)
11:30-3 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice (All-Star Open, All-Star Race combination), FS1 (Canada: TSN 2) (Results for All-Star drivers) (Results for Open drivers)
3:05-3:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pit road speed practice FS1 (Canada: TSN 2) (CANCELED)
4:40 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole qualifying, FS1 (CANCELED) (Lineup)
6:05 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open Busch Pole Award qualifying, FS1 (Canada: TSN 2) (CANCELED) (Lineup)
6:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race Busch Pole Award qualifying (three laps with pit stop), FS1 (Canada: TSN 2) (Results)
8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 (134 laps, 201 miles), FS1 (Results)

Press Pass (Watch live)
Noon: Todd Gilliland, Noah Gragson and Myatt Snider
12:15 p.m.: Kurt Busch
1 p.m.: Kyle Busch
3:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon, William Byron and Sam Bass
3:50 p.m.: Austin Dillon
7:45 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying
10:15 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Stage 2

Kyle Larson’s charge from the rear was officially complete on Lap 130, when he passed polesitter Kevin Harvick for the race lead. Larson, who diced through the field by riding the high line, held onto the lead, too, to win Stage 2 at Kansas Speedway.

Harvick, who radioed that he was fighting a handling condition throughout the 80-lap stretch, wound up in second place for the second consecutive stage. Stage 1 winner Ryan Blaney finished third in Stage 2, followed by Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

In addition to the 10 race points earned for winning Stage 2, Larson adds a playoff point toward his postseason total. It was his first stage win of the season.

Other drivers to finish in the top 10 in both stages at Kansas are the Stewart-Haas Racing trio of Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch.

Finish Driver Team Race points
1 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing 10
2 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 8
4 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 7
5 Joey Logano Team Penske 6
6 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 5
7 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing 4
8 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 3
9 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing 2
10 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing 1

Stage 1

Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney nabbed his third stage win of the season Saturday at Kansas Speedway, narrowly beating polesitter Kevin Harvick to the start/finish line after a harrowing and thrilling final few circuits of the 80-lap stage.

Blaney started Saturday night’s race from the outside pole position, and he nabbed the lead from Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing) with a blistering stop on pit road following the competition caution on Lap 30. Blaney would lead the final 48 laps of the stage, but Harvick made him work for it with close-quarters racing that nearly resulted in both drivers taking a spin.

RELATED: Full Stage 1 results

In addition to the 10 race points earned for winning Stage 1, Blaney adds a playoff point toward his growing postseason total as well.

Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, both of Team Penske, claimed third and fourth in Stage 1 with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson taking fifth.

Larson started from the rear for unapproved adjustments — his No. 42 team was forced to change his qualifying tires after he took a spin Friday night — but charged through the field, passing Aric Almirola for a top-five spot in the waning Stage 1 laps.

Finish Driver Team Race points
1 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 10
2 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3 Brad Keselowski Team Penske 8
4 Joey Logano Team Penske 7
5 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing 6
6 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 5
7 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 4
8 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 3
9 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing 2
10 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 1
Posted on by RJ Kraft

Kevin Harvick won the Busch Pole Qualifying Award and will start in the top position in Saturday’s KC Masterpiece 400 (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Kansas Speedway. After a nearly two-and-half-hour practice session for this race, we’ve dissected the numbers and 10-lap averages to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you go to make roster decisions for the 12th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of 2018.

Note: There will be a competition caution on Lap 30.

Cars to the rear: Kyle Larson (tire change)

RJ Kraft’s revised Fantasy Live lineup following practices and the lineup being set:
1: Kevin Harvick
2: Ryan Blaney
3: Aric Almirola
4: Kyle Busch
5: Daniel Suarez
Garage: Martin Truex Jr.

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

Analysis: I had the front row duo of Harvick and Blaney in my original lineup and see no reason to move away from it. Harvick has two intermediate wins (out of his four total victories) already in 2018 and Blaney has three top-five finishes in his last four Kansas starts. I’m also sticking with Suarez in my lineup in large because I’ve yet to use him. He finished in the top 10 here last spring and has four straight top-11 finishes in 2018.

The big move for me is putting Kyle Busch into my lineup in place of his brother Kurt. He has five top-five finishes in his last six Kansas races — including a 2016 victory in this race. He’s been strong all season at the intermediate tracks — picking up a victory at Texas last month to kick start his run of three straight victories in April. Add in that the 2015 champion posted the second-best 10-lap average and best 15-lap average (thanks to FS1 and @mikejoy500 for sharing the 15-lap data) and I need to get him in my lineup. Playing Busch, though, does come at a cost in that I am now down to only five uses with him.

In an effort to somewhat save a driver, I’m sticking Martin Truex Jr. — the winner of the past two Kansas races — in my garage. Despite Truex not picking up where he left off last year on the 1.5-mile tracks — he has led just seven laps on that track type in 2018 — I think its too risky to sit him entirely especially when races that involve shifting from daylight to night are a 78 team speciality. I don’t plan on using all three of Harvick, Busch and Truex when my lineup locks at the end of Stage 2. The two that are running the best will stay in and I will shuttle the third of that group into the garage. If something goes haywire elsewhere in my lineup, I potentially have a tough decision to make and I’m willing to live with that potential outcome.

In a quest for significant stage points, I’m adding Almirola into my lineup in place of Erik Jones. He authored his best qualifying effort of the season on Friday — will start fourth and had the third-best 10-lap average and 15-lap average in the lone practice session. With nine top 15s in 11 races, Almirola has been solid all year. But with that starting position (and minimal usage on my rosters thus far), I’m looking for the Stewart-Haas Racing driver to score well in the stages (he currently sits 12th in that category so far in 2018).


Posted on by Reid Spencer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – There are times when redemption is swift and merciful.

A week after throwing away a chance to win at Dover with a wreck of his own making, Noah Gragson scored his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory of the season, beating his car owner, Kyle Busch, to the finish line in the 37 Kind Days 250 at Kansas Speedway.

Starting from the pole for the second straight race, Gragson led 128 of 167 laps in his No. 18 Toyota, swept all the stages of the event and collected the second NCWTS victory of his career.

RELATED: Race results | Full schedule for Kansas

“This is such a relief for a driver who had a hard week last week battling for the win,” said Gragson, who was running side by side with Johnny Sauter at Dover when he lost control of his truck and backed into the outside wall. “We came back strong this weekend. Two consecutive poles. We led the most laps today.

“Man, this is a pretty damn cool moment.”

After passing Busch and third-place finisher Stewart Friesen on Lap 157 — thanks to a four-tire call by crew chief Rudy Fugle during a green-flag pit stop on lap 134 — Gragson took the lead for good when Myatt Snider ran out of gas with five laps left.

Snider was one of five drivers trying to stretch fuel to the end of the race. One by one they fell by the wayside, but not before muddying the waters in the closing laps.

“After the pit stop, I thought I was going to be the leader, but they told me that (fifth-place finisher) Johnny (Sauter) was stretching it on fuel,” Gragson said. “So I said, ‘OK, maybe I’m running second.’ Then they said the 52 (Friesen) and the 4 (Busch) are a half a lap ahead of you.

“And I thought that was for the lead when I passed the 4 and I passed the 52, and then they said the 13 (Snider) was the leader. And I said, ‘Dang, how many leaders are there going to be?”

As it turned out Snider was the last one, and Gragson had come full circle from his mistake at Dover.

John Hunter Nemechek came home fourth, followed by Sauter and Matt Crafton. Cody Coughlin, Grant Enfinger, Brandon Jones and Justin Haley completed the top 10.

With 23 laps left, Friesen forced Busch down to the infield grass in the tri-oval, costing Busch a chance to pass the No. 52 Chevrolet and put distance between himself and Gragson.

RELATED: Busch takes ride through the grass

Busch had taken right-side tires only on his green-flag stop on Lap 139, and Gragson methodically caught his car owner, making what proved to be the winning pass with 10 laps left.

“The truck felt good after about 15 laps, but it took too long to come in,” Busch said. “And there on that last run, we didn’t make enough adjustments. We took two tires and we got way too tight.

“But awesome run by Noah and those guys. They deserve it—they’re fast. They needed a boost and they got one. They’re going to race for a championship, and hopefully this will help them get going.”

Sauter retained the series lead by 35 points over Gragson. The Camping World Truck Series’ next race is scheduled Friday, May 18 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Reid Spencer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — William Byron expects his fledgling Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career to get a boost during the summer months — and with good reason.

If the arc of his first season in Cup follows that of his first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Byron has cause for optimism.

He didn’t win in the Xfinity Series until the 14th race of 2017, when he took the checkered flag at Iowa Speedway. He won again the following week in the July race at Daytona and went on to collect victories at Indianapolis and Phoenix on the way to the series championship.

After a rough start to his rookie season in the Cup series, the 20-year-old driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has finished outside the top 20 only once in the last eight races.

“The beginning of the year was a big shock, especially Atlanta and some of those places, but now we’re just getting a lot closer, and that’s allowing us to run closer to the top 15,” Byron said on Friday at Kansas Speedway. “Summer has normally been the best results for me. Normally, May is a really good month for me, so looking to start that off strong here.

“Dover was pretty solid (14th). I feel like the May tracks are really indicative for what the rest of the year looks like with the 1.5-milers. Charlotte is a race track that is very similar to Kentucky and other places. I feel like the summer has always been the area where we start to hit on what we need in the race car, and I think that is my confidence in the team and then showing them that I can produce with what I get in the race car. I think we’re starting to get that feel that I want, and it’s just kind of around the corner, I guess.”