Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 9 team in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series from Hendrick Motorsports received an L1-level penalty for a violation found at the NASCAR R&D Center stemming from Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.

The team was found to have violated Sections 20.4.8.1 (dealing with rear window support). A brace that supports the rear window did not meet specifications for keeping rear window glass rigid in all directions.

NASCAR fined crew chief Alan Gustafson $50,000 and suspended him for the next two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship points events. The team was assessed with the loss of 20 owner points and 20 driver points.

Hendrick Motorsports will not appeal, according to a team press release. Kenny Francis will serve as the interim crew chief.

Chase Elliott drove the No. 9 Chevrolet to an 11th-place finish in Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, which was won by Kyle Busch.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Numbers mean plenty when it comes to building out your Fantasy Live teams each week. NASCAR.com will examine the stats outlook for each track in advance to help give you an edge as you set your lineups ahead of the race weekend.

Don’t forget to check back on NASCAR.com for additional insight from fantasy expert RJ Kraft, and watch Fantasy Fastlane with Jessica Ruffin and NBC Sports’ Steve Letarte for even more advice.

RELATED: Play Fantasy Live now | How the new Fantasy Live works | Driver stats

Top five in average running position (per loop data from 2005 to the present) at Bristol:

Driver Average Running Position
Erik Jones 5.135
Chase Elliott 10.383
Kevin Harvick 11.855
Jimmie Johnson 13.039
Kyle Larson 13.227

Top five in stage points earned at Bristol in 2017:

Driver Stage Points Stage Wins
Erik Jones 28 0
Kyle Larson 27 1
Jimmie Johnson 24 0
Martin Truex Jr. 21 1
Joey Logano 19 0

Top five in points earned at Bristol in 2017:

Driver Race Points Race Win
Jimmie Johnson 90 1
Kyle Larson 86 0
Erik Jones 83 0
Kevin Harvick 78 0
Denny Hamlin 76 0

Most laps led in 2017 races at Bristol:

Driver Laps Led Race Wins
Kyle Larson 272 0
Erik Jones 260 0
Kyle Busch 156 1
Martin Truex Jr. 116 0
Jimmie Johnson 81 1

Average starting position for last 10 winners: 8.4; last three Bristol winners have started outside the top 10; two of last three spring race winners have won from the pole


Active drivers to win a pole at Bristol: Denny Hamlin (3), Ryan Newman (3), Jimmie Johnson (1), Erik Jones (1), Kasey Kahne (1), Joey Logano (1), Kevin Harvick (1), Kurt Busch (1) and Kyle Busch (1).

Most recent pole winner: Erik Jones, August of 2017


Last time pole-sitter won here: Carl Edwards, spring of 2016

Where stage winners started from: Pole, third, fifth and 18th.

Winning manufacturers of last 10 races: Toyota-4, Chevrolet-3, Ford-3

Posted on by Staff Report

Kyle Busch’s victory at Texas Motor Speedway was the 44th of his career in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, tying him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott for 16th place all time.

Busch, who now races against Elliott’s son, Chase, provides an interesting stats comparison with “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville.”

PHOTOS: Bill Elliott’s career

Elliott’s 44th win came in the penultimate race of the 2003 season at Rockingham. Elliott, then 48 years old, led 140 laps in a Ray Evernham Dodge to cap his career, although he’d go on to race 98 more times in NASCAR’s top series over the next nine years.

Let’s take a look at how Busch’s career stats match up to Elliott’s at the time of both drivers’ 44th win.

Key Stats Bill Elliott Kyle Busch
Starts 730 469
Wins 44 44
Top fives 175 166
Top 10s 318 247
Laps led 11,178 14,730
Laps completed 207,750 131,011
Busch Pole Awards 55 28
Age 48 32

“Rowdy” clearly is in good company here, and he has a few other NASCAR Hall of Famers in his sights.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has won 15 races over the past three-plus seasons, so he likely has a few more wins in him this year. Buck Baker is next in his sights with 46 wins, with Hall of Famer Herb Thomas looming after.

Here’s a look at the all-time top-20 winners in Monster Energy Series history, with an asterisk denoting an active driver.

Rank Driver Wins
 1.  Richard Petty  200
 2. David Pearson  105
 3.  Jeff Gordon  93
t-4. Bobby Allison 84
t-4. Darrell Waltrip 84
t-6. Jimmie Johnson* 83
t-6. Cale Yarborough 83
8. Dale Earnhardt 76
9. Rusty Wallace 55
10. Lee Petty 54
t-11. Junior Johnson 50
t-11. Ned Jarrett 50
13. Tony Stewart 49
14. Herb Thomas 48
15. Buck Baker 46
t-16. Kyle Busch* 44
t-16. Bill Elliott 44
t-18. Kevin Harvick* 40
t-18. Mark Martin 40
20. Tim Flock 39

 

Posted on by Zack Albert

Tuesday’s welcome news that Monster Energy has returned as the title sponsor of NASCAR’s top division came with a compelling hint at what the future might hold, not just for the powerful energy drink brand but for the sport’s established sponsorship model in general.

Steve Phelps, NASCAR’s Chief Operating Officer, touched on the potential evolution of stock-car racing’s sponsorship structure in a Tuesday media roundtable, which dovetailed with Monster Energy’s one-year renewal with the sanctioning body. Phelps said the push for the shorter-term contract extension was mutual, as both sides shifted focus toward establishing a new framework for companies involved in the sport.

“This is something we’ve been exploring for a while,” Phelps said, noting that the idea was first broached roughly three years ago. “It’s more to do with this notion that we want to make it easier for sponsors to say yes. The entitlement position, the things that we’re talking about, we’re already requiring of our entitlement partners right now, but we’re talking about broadening it, so it’s not just one company at the top of the pyramid, but it’s multiple categories, multiple companies that will allow us to make it easier.

“We think there’s greater value, frankly, for the sponsors by doing this, but it will take the next level of collaboration within the industry.”

Phelps said that the sport already works with sponsorship packages that involve multiple stakeholders, but that a new model could be even more inclusive, bundling sponsorship across various entities such as the sanctioning body, race tracks and TV and media partners.

RELATED: Monster Energy renews with NASCAR

That new look of corporate backing also would be segmented into different levels or tiers of participation, similar to other sports. Though Phelps added that Monster Energy’s return at the entitlement level in 2020 was “highly unlikely,” he expects the company to return as a key partner in a different role. And Monster VP of Sports Marketing Mitch Covington told the Sports Business Journal on Tuesday that the California-based company was open to participating in the potential new structure, saying, “We’re always open to good ideas and we want to continue to be a part of the sport one way or the other.”

Monster Energy joined the sport as an entitlement partner in 2017, expanding its brand’s reach to a new sports domain. Monster has brought a maverick approach in an effort to win over younger and more diverse fans — an effort, Phelps said, that NASCAR would maintain over the coming seasons.

“That’s a journey that we’re going to continue on,” Phelps said. “… We have to continue on to make sure our content is as strong as it can be that we’re pushing through the digital and social channels. We need to make sure that we continue to cater to kids and to make sure our millennial audience is happy. We have to continue the gains that we’ve made with our Hispanic fans, which has been significant over the last three years. That journey doesn’t end. And by the way, we have to make sure that we’re nurturing the existing fan base that we’ve had for many, many years. They’re incredibly important.”

PHOTOS: Monster Energy girls at the track

Posted on by Staff Report

Daniel Suarez took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to provide fans with an update on his injured thumb. Suarez revealed that he has an avulsion fracture in his left thumb, but has been cleared by a doctor to race in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway (1 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I won’t need surgery and it’s not broke,” Suarez said in a video posted to his Twitter account. “But the tendons and ligaments are pretty bad.”

RELATED: Full schedule for Bristol | Series standings

The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota also modeled the brace he will wear on his left hand for the foreseeable future.

Suarez, caught up in Lap 2 wreck at Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday that also involved Alex Bowman, Paul Menard, Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain, posted a video after the race that showed his left hand wrapped in a splint. On Tuesday, a doctor gave it a closer look now that the driver is back in North Carolina.

Suarez was able to finish the race, logging 290 (of 334) laps to finish 29th at Texas. He enters the Bristol weekend 26th in the point standings through the series’ first seven races.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 10, 2018) — NASCAR® and Monster Energy have signed an agreement that will extend the entitlement sponsorship of NASCAR’s premier series. The extension keeps NASCAR and Monster Energy partners through 2019. As part of the agreement, the brand also continues as the Official Energy Drink of NASCAR.

“NASCAR and Monster Energy enjoyed a productive first year and both parties have benefited significantly from the partnership,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR Chief Operating Officer. “Monster Energy successfully utilized our sport as a platform to elevate its brand and drive business, while introducing NASCAR to new audiences. With this renewal, we look forward to building upon our early success.”

“Over the past year, NASCAR’s passionate and brand loyal fan base embraced Monster Energy and we are excited to be able to continue to build on and strengthen that momentum through 2019,” said Rodney Sacks, Monster Beverage Chairman and CEO. “Racing is in our DNA and extending this partnership further establishes Monster Energy’s prominence in motorsports.”

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Bristol Motor Speedway with the Food City 500 on Sunday, April 15 at 2 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Holly Cain

Kyle Busch’s victory over Kevin Harvick Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway marked the third time in the season’s opening seven races that these two championship drivers have finished a combination of first and second in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race.

Busch, the 2015 champion, is riding an amazing streak of five consecutive top-three finishes. In addition to Sunday’s victory, he was second to Harvick at Las Vegas and Phoenix and to Clint Bowyer at Martinsville. And he was third at Fontana.

Harvick has five top-five finishes – three wins (at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix), a fifth-place at Martinsville and the runner-up Sunday in Fort Worth.

RELATED: Kyle holds off Kevin in Texas | Full race results

The two have led a dominating 869-laps of competition between them (Harvick-520, Busch–349).

And yet for Busch, especially with all his near-misses, the victory Sunday was as much relief as it was celebratory. All the good runs were just that, “good,” but the trophy in hand is the golden ticket to the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, where Busch has been a perennial contender.

In fact, Busch’s recent streak of second-place finishes, began where it all ended last year – at the championship finale in Homestead-Miami. So counting that runner-up finish to Martin Truex Jr., Busch has four second-place efforts in the last eight races – 50 percent of the time: so close.

“Certainly being that close, it gets a little old a little faster, you know,” Busch said of his results this season. … “But if you’re finishing fifth or tenth, whatever, you’re just not capable of winning, it certainly will draw out longer, as well, too. But you know you weren’t there yet. Your stuff’s not there yet, or you’re just not getting the job done yet.

“But being as close as you are, that kind of hurts a little bit more, especially that final one, that one that matters, that Homestead one.  That’s probably the one that stings the most. We just got to make sure that we can do the right things that that don’t happen again this year.

Regardless, Busch certainly appreciated the impact of the win, even if that first trophy took a little longer than he expected.

Texas Motor Speedway isn’t necessarily his best venue – even though he is one of only three drivers (Jimmie Johnson, 7, Denny Hamlin, 2) with multiple wins (three) at the 1.5-track.

“Especially here at Texas, this is probably not one of my best racetracks,” said Busch, whose work Sunday tied him with NASCAR Hall Of Famer Bill Elliott with 44 career Cup wins. “We’ve definitely run well here or run better here the last few years.  But, you know, you tend to struggle sometimes at some places, and this one is kind of one of those, especially with a repave. For me, they’re just not my favorites.

RELATED: Busch family celebrates in Texas | Brexton Busch predicts dad’s win

“To be out front and to have the track position when we did, how we did, was really great for us. My guys did an amazing job on pit road all day. We had that close call there with that one restart in one and two with Chase on our outside. From there we were kind of able to work our way back up through traffic, you know, kind of jump a couple guys under the pit stops there.

“Overall I felt like our car was either first or second all day long.”

And that has been the case the entire season, truly. It has produced exciting finishes and established an early season duel between himself and Harvick, who is also off to a fast start. And the reigning champ? Truex won at Auto Club Speedway (California).

One of the bigger questions about the strong start to the season was whether these two could sustain the effort on the 1.5-milers that the reigning champ Truex so dominated last year.

“I think as you look at the 1.5 mile program in general it has been really good for us,” Harvick said Friday before the Texas race. “I think the thing you guys forget up until last year is that we had dominated the 1.5 mile race tracks and have continued to do that at the end of last year and the first part of this year.

“We did switch manufacturers [Chevrolet to Ford] last year and it took some time to get everything situated and where it needed to be. I think once the Playoffs started last year you really saw where the cars were and the increase in performance, especially on the 1.5-mile race tracks. It just took us some time.”

And the results are very apparent. Harvick’s amazing season start, combined with Busch’s, and counting in Truex – who won at California and is second in the standings – has created a high performance championship fight.  A fifth of the way into the 2018 season and these three continue to establish themselves top-shelf, the drivers to beat.

RELATED: Harvick: ‘We’re better than Truex’

This week’s always-trying Bristol Motor Speedway venue will be another interesting test for the three. Busch has six wins there, including last summer. However, he had three consecutive DNFs before that. Harvick has a pair of wins in 34 starts, including the summer of 2016. And Truex is winless at the track, with only one top-10 in his last 11 races there.

“Bristol is going to be fun,” Harvick said. “There is still nothing quite like Bristol and I am looking forward to it.”

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Ahead of the fourth NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series race, Steve Luvender offers up his Power Rankings of the top drivers in the series.

STREAM LIVE: Las Vegas race Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET

1: Ryan Luza (–)

Even a broken collarbone can’t stop Ryan Luza, who’s coming off a win at Auto Club Speedway and holds the title of defending winner at Las Vegas.

RELATED: Luza wins at Auto Club

2: Keegan Leahy (+1)

It’s fair to give Keegan Leahy the title of rookie sensation — the points leader is three-for-three in top-five finishes this season. And three-for-three in his career, I suppose, too.

 

3: Ray Alfalla (+1)

Driver No. 2 is up to P2 in points. The three-time champ has improved his finish in each race this season, including a third-place finish at Auto Club. If you like numbers, Alfalla started and finished in fourth place in last year’s race at Las Vegas.

RELATED: Full schedule and results for series

4: Logan Clampitt (+1)

Logan Clampitt has started to turn his season around, coming off consecutive top-10 finishes. Clampitt scored a top-five finish in the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series’ most recent trip to Vegas.

 

5: Jimmy Mullis (+2)

Lockdown Racing had a banner day at Auto Club Speedway, and it looks like Jimmy Mullis is on the upswing, coming off consecutive top-five finishes. Mullis finished in the top 10 last year in Las Vegas, making him a solid bet (sorry for the Vegas pun) for Tuesday.

 

6: Michael Conti (-4)

With over 100 starts under his belt, a disappointing 25th-place finish at Auto Club speedway shouldn’t derail Michael Conti’s season. Although in six starts at Las Vegas, he’s finished in the top-5 just once — a runner-up finish in 2015. His five other finishes have been 20th or lower — a rare weak spot for the 2014 champ.

 

7: Bobby Zalenski (-1)

This season, Bobby Zalenski’s playing the consistency game as it was intended, putting him fourth in points after three races. Sometimes it’s smart to stay under the radar at Las Vegas, where Zalenski made his sole start in the series last year and earned a solid seventh-place finish.

 

8: Taylor Hurst (NR)

Taylor Hurst scored an impressive second-place finish at Auto Club Speedway, continuing a trend of an improved finishing position throughout 2018. Hurst won at Chicagoland — a track similar to Las Vegas — after making a gutsy two-tire call in 2017. Keep an eye out for T-Dawg in the desert.

 

9: Zack Novak (NR)

After a rough start to 2018 — two finishes of 30th or worse — Zack is back. Zack Novak led 17 laps en route to his first top-10 finish of the season, a trend he’ll likely continue if he can keep the sophomore slump at bay.

 

10: Darik Bordeau (NR)

Even though Bordeau’s 18th-place outing at Auto Club Speedway wasn’t spectacular, there’s something to be said about consistency. The Canadian finds himself seventh in points after three solid races to kick off 2018. A threat to win Las Vegas? Maybe not, though a top-10 finish isn’t out of the question.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series head to Bristol Motor Speedway, while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off. Check out the tentative full schedule below, subject to change.

Note: All times are ET

Monday, April 16
1 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 (On Lap 204 of 500, postponed from Sunday due to weather), FOX (Results) (Canada: TSN 1, 4)

Press Pass (Watch live)
3:15 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

Saturday, April 14
8:30-9:25 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS1 (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
9:35 a.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, FS1 (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
11:05-11:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS1 (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
1 pm.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 (300 laps, 159.9 miles), FS1 (Results) (Canada: TSN 3, 5)
6 p.m.: Trackside Live

Press Pass (Watch live)
3 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Xfinity Series race

Friday, April 13
Noon-12:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice, FS1 (Results) (Canada: TSN 3)
1:05-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series first practice, FS1 (Results) (Canada; TSN GO)
3:05-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, FS1 (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
4:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, FS1 (Results) (Canada: TSN 3)

Press Pass (Watch live)
10:30 a.m.: Kyle Larson
10:45 a.m.: Trevor Bayne
11 a.m.: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ty Majeski
11:15 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
11:30 a.m.: Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash drivers Christopher Bell, Cole Custer, Daniel Hemric and Ryan Preece
1:20 p.m.: Kyle Busch
1:45 p.m.: Erik Jones
5:45 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying

Posted on by Staff Report

Longtime Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Chad Knaus and wife Brooke Knaus are expecting a baby boy in August, Brooke announced via Twitter on Monday night.


Chad Knaus, a seven-time champion as crew chief for Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Chevrolet team, and Brooke married in August 2015. This will be the couple’s first child.

Given Knaus’ well-earned reputation for preparedness in the garage, we imagine Brooke’s hospital bag is already packed.

Congrats from all of us at NASCAR.com.