Watch Tuesday’s iRacing action from ISM Raceway

Posted on March 13, 2018March 13, 2018 by Staff Report

The ninth season of the NASCAR Peak Antifreeze iRacing Series continues Tuesday evening with a live stream of action from the virtual ISM Raceway in Phoenix.

The race begins at 9 p.m. ET and will be streamed live here on NASCAR.com and on FansChoice.tv.

RELATED: 2018 iRacing schedule

Eighteen races make up the 2018 season, which includes virtual tracks such as Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway and culminates in a four-race playoff. The championship race takes place Oct. 23 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

More than $17,000 in cash and prizes is on the line in the competitive NASCAR eSports racing series.

View the livestream below or on YouTube and FansChoice. Full scoring can be found here.

Posted on March 12, 2018March 13, 2018 by Staff Report

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin spent 31 years racing in the sport’s top level, and during that time he has seen plenty. Martin shared some of those tales on the inaugural episode of “The Mark Martin Podcast.”

Taking fan questions in the opening episode, Martin detailed a time in the mid-1990s when he was aggravated with seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt.

“I had some issues with Earnhardt,” Martin said in response to a question about who made him the maddest at the track. “The stories on Earnhardt are Dale really respected me before I got to NASCAR. He knew who I was. He treated me with great respect until one day in the mid-90s he wakes up and thinks, boy I’ll just mess with Mark. See how much he’ll take.

“And then he started pushing my buttons for the fun of it. I would go out for practice. Try to run by myself and he would come out and he’d wait for me. He’d come out right beside me and he’d get on the outside of me. That’s when cars were just starting to get aero loose with a car on the outside. And he’d mess with me and mess with me and mess with me.

“I had finally got tired of it at Michigan so he got on my outside and I switched it on him. I got ahead of him and let him get on the inside of me and when he did, it sucked him around. And he spun out and he wrecked me. I had not wrecked myself or him all this time he had been messing with me. And it pissed me off because it wrecked my car. So I was mad and that was in practice. That wasn’t in a race.

“The next weekend on Friday at New Hampshire we roll out on the race track, here he is. So he does the same thing. I put the wheel on him in practice and he comes in after practice and he looks at his PR guy and says ‘I think Mark’s had enough.’ And that’s all. He was just playing.”

Some additional highlights from Martin’s podcast include the worst decision he ever made — turning down the chance to drive the No. 28 car from crew chief Waddell Wilson, a ride that went on to win the 1983 Daytona 500 — to which year he felt was his best chance at a title and, of course, his love of rap.

On how he came to join Twitter: “I would never have been on Twitter had it not for Michael Waltrip. I started driving for Michael Waltrip in 2012 and he pushed me several times to get on Twitter. And so one day, I’m sitting in his office and he says ‘give me your phone.’ So I handed it to him and he handed it back and I was on Twitter.

“… Really love the interaction with the fans, especially the fans that reach back to the old days. I love the photographs that I see on there and get on there. And I share those with everyone else. … I appreciate the opportunity to connect with the race fans. They gave me so much. They gave me my career and extended my career because they followed me so strongly.”

On the best decision he made in racing: “I guess the best decision I ever made was giving in to Rick Hendrick’s pressure to come back full time. I told him no twice.” Martin had told Hendrick he would run a part-time schedule in the No. 5 car.

“And then I just got to thinking, gosh I would love to win one more time before my career is over. So I gave in and dreams came true. We won seven poles and five races and ran second in the championship to Jimmie Johnson (in 2009). Had a chance at it.”

On why he identifies so much with the small teams: “I really identify with the guys who are working on their own cars and riding in the trucks across the country and trying to do this and do what they love. Jordan Anderson is one of them that’s fun to follow because he’s seeing the countryside from the windshield of his dually and racing his truck on the weekends. I just have a lot of appreciation for the guys that are in there grinding and working hard.”

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Steve Luvender

Editor’s Note: Steve Luvender examines how the drivers in the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series are faring with his Power Rankings that will be revealed before each race.

1: Bobby Zalenski (+2)

The usual No. 83 driver raced the No. 2 car at Daytona to a sixth-place finish — and now Bobby Zalenski heads to Phoenix, where he scored a win as a rookie last year.

2: Ryan Luza (-1)

The 2017 champ didn’t have the result at Daytona he’d hoped, but it’s hard to count Luza out as a contender anywhere.

MORE: Full iRacing Series schedule

3: Logan Clampitt (-1)

Clampitt’s first outing in the No. 46 wasn’t the result he was hoping for, unless he was hoping for a 27th-place finish at Daytona.

4: Ray Alfalla (–)

Slip Angle Motorsports’ car No. 2 (well, car No. 1 at Daytona) brought home a Top-10 at Daytona. “Three-Time” is a solid bet each and every week.

5: Michael Conti (+4)

Michael Conti posted a solid Top-5 finish in the season opener after leading 18 laps, and he hopes to keep the momentum rolling into the desert like it’s a tumbleweed or something.

6: Christian Challiner (+2)

After a podium finish at Daytona from starting 34th, it appears Challiner’s immune to the racer’s dreaded sophomore slump.

7: Corey Vincent (-2)

While Corey Vincent’s known for his consistency, Daytona was a disaster — a 35th-place finish. He looks to make Kentucky proud at Phoenix.

8: Dylan Duval (+2)

It looked like Duval had a shot at a Daytona victory, but ended up ninth in the end. As long as Duval’s Phoenix run doesn’t match his car number (42), he’ll probably be happy. He’d probably be happy anyway. Pleasant guy.

9: Nick Ottinger (NR)

2018 couldn’t have started much better for Nick Ottinger, who found Victory Lane at Daytona — his first win in the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series in years.

10: Marcus Richardson (-4)

Marcus Richardson’s debut with CHAOS CREW wasn’t the race he’d hoped for, but he’s looking for a solid effort in Phoenix. I mean, it would be troubling if he wasn’t.

Posted on March 12, 2018March 12, 2018 by

AVONDALE, Ariz. – When the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rolls back to ISM Raceway in November, the track will sport a revamped look.

The $178 million renovation project of the Arizona track began January 2017 and is set to be completed in the fall. From the revamped grandstands to the new hospitality facilities to the relocated start/finish line, the renovations were designed with three Cs in mind: convenience, comfort and connectivity to make ISM Raceway “even better,” said Kristie Maggs, senior director of consumer and digital marketing.

“(Convenience is) why all the stands are located on this side of the building because it’s closer to parking,” she said, leading the tour into the grandstand construction zone Saturday. “You’ll notice right now we’ve got bench seating. The entire grandstands will actually include these new flip-down seats. They’re super comfortable, they have flexibility, arm rests and cup holders. So, as far as comfort and convenience goes, that was really important to us for our fans.

“The other piece is connectivity. … The entire grandstand will have Wi-Fi in it … we have full connectivity, which will be the first of its kind on the NASCAR circuit. We’re really excited about that because, as we know, fans like that connection. Connection to the track, connection to each other and connection to the drivers.”

When the renovations are complete, there will be 45,000 new grandstand seats and 54 suites. Three of the suites are considered garage suites, which offer fans an on-the-ground experience in the race action. Nearly the entire infield area will receive a facelift, offering fans more access to drivers and teams in the garage with new viewing areas.

While several of the amenities are still under construction, many new features made their NASCAR debut during last weekend’s races; one of the new entry ways (referred to as “canyons”) with new elevators was open for fans last weekend, as well as the infield’s The Wheelhouse/Roll Bar and The Trackside Bar and Grill.

“The Trackside Bar and Grill was created with two things in mind,” Maggs said. “We wanted to have a fantastic place for race-goers during the day to hang out, enjoy drinks and some food with their friends and also we wanted to have a great place to entertain our campers at night. Previously we had something called the Busch Garage that was just for campers. We wanted to mix the two, so we came up with this Trackside Bar and Grill.

“So anyone with a race ticket can enter through the midway or the DC Solar Power Pavilion during the day with a race ticket. Come in here, hang out, have food and drinks … but as soon as the green flag drops, we open up this side of the fence, too, so campers can come in. They can watch the race on the TVs, interact with each other and we also have nightly entertainment on the stage here.”

Open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, The Trackside Bar and Grill saw several fans enjoying its amenities midday Saturday ahead of the Xfinity Series race. Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody” boomed on the speakers as bartenders served thirsty patrons in the Americana-themed setting. Even the menu is revamped, offering fun options like a red-white-and-blue burger with blue cheese.

With all the newness, Maggs said it was important to also give fans a sense of familiarity.

“Because it’s all new, we brought in the bartenders that were here previously in the Busch garage and that were here in Sweet Cantina before it, so that the fans really knew that this was their place,” she said.

“So far, the fans have loved it,” she continued later. “We’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback; it’s been jumping all night.”

For those looking for more of a premium experience, there’s The Wheelhouse/ Roll Bar. A red carpet leads fans into the spacious interior of the Roll Bar. An airy space with indoor and outdoor seating options, the Roll Bar offers an option for fans looking for an upscale hospitality experience at the track.

From a competition standpoint, the start/finish line will also move from its current location to what is now Turn 2 near the unique dogleg section. The reformatting will encourage a variety of restart plays, something that drivers like Joey Logano are excited about.

“It is going to be awesome,” Logano said Friday. “It will open up more than any track we go to now. There will be plenty of lanes to pick from and it will all funnel down into Turn 3 and more off Turn 4 and one more time off Turn 1. Everyone will have to find these holes to get back into but there is so much opportunity when you cross the start/finish line for pulling out.

“I think there will be some crazy moves there. Maybe drivers that are too aggressive and make the move too soon, which may cause a penalty. Maybe drivers will be too aggressive in Turn 3 and slide up the race track.

“I am excited about it. I think it is a great change this track is making. Obviously we will all get kind of suckered into how the garage is going to be better and the grandstands will be better. I agree and I am glad they are doing that.

“The racing part is a step that is probably hidden in this whole thing.”

Posted on March 12, 2018March 12, 2018 by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick’s third consecutive Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win put the exclamation point on one of the season’s early story lines: Stewart-Haas Racing is really, really good, from top to bottom.

Is it the best the team has been in its 10-year history? Co-owner Tony Stewart took a shot at answering that following Harvick’s victory at ISM Raceway in Phoenix.

RELATED: Race results | Recap Harvick’s win

“I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Stewart said. “I took a picture of the screen when we had all four cars in the top seven (at Atlanta). I took a screen shot of it as a fan, just kept looking at it.

“It just shows the strength of having four really good teammates that are giving four valid sets of information that they can all feed off of and work off of. It just seems like this group of these guys really work well together. It’s nice to look on the board and see all four cars in the top 10. That’s a proud moment.”

Stewart specifically was referencing that, for the first time since it expanded to a four-car operation in 2014, the entire SHR fleet finished in the top 10.

Through four races, Harvick stands as the series points leader. Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola and Kurt Busch rank 9-11 in the standings, respectively. All have at least two top-10 finishes this year, while Bowyer has a top-five.

PHOTOS: Stewart through the years

Posted on March 11, 2018July 3, 2019 by Jessica Ruffin

AVONDALE, Ariz. – It may have only been the fourth race of the year, but Kevin Harvick said Sunday’s race at ISM Raceway felt like a more than just another trip to Victory Lane.

“This weekend felt like a playoff moment for us,” Harvick said.

Not only did it mark his third straight victory of the season – something that has only been accomplished 24 times in NASCAR’s modern era – but it came as Harvick and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team raced with the weight of an L1-level penalty after last week’s win in Las Vegas.

The SHR driver had said the team would use the chatter surrounding his team this week as motivation to win.

It worked — and it felt good.

“It felt more important to win this week than it did to win at Homestead for a championship,” Harvick said. “It felt like that and everybody felt it, we didn’t even have to really say anything. Those are the moments that you just love to live in and be a part of and succeed in because you can’t even explain them unless you’re a part of them because they’re just so rewarding.”

But history has shown that Harvick’s ability to perform in clutch situations — much like Tom Brady with the New England Patriots — is nothing new.

He’s been doing it since the beginning of his career.

“Gil Martin — he was my crew chief for most of the years at RCR — he used to try to make me mad during the race and say things to me,” Harvick said. “And he would just try to tick me off because he would always say, ‘Man when you’re mad, it’s just something different.’”

In 2014, a win at Charlotte Motor Speedway put the No. 4 in the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Playoffs and paved the way for the team to win the Monster Energy Series championship the following month. He won in 2015 at Dover to secure his place in the Round of 12 after 42nd and 21st-place finishes left him in an uncertain spot heading into an elimination race. Playoff wins at New Hampshire and Kansas in 2016 locked Harvick into the next respective rounds after slow starts in the opening races of the Round of 16 and Round of 12 had him on the wrong side of the cutline. Last season, a win at Texas Motor Speedway put him in the Championship 4 as he chased down Martin Truex Jr for the lead and race win late in the race.

Harvick doesn’t just perform well in these pressure-filled situations – he thrives in them.

“I’m 42 and I’ve been doing this a long time and any time you can reach out and grab motivation, for me that’s just a piece of a puzzle that I like to be a part of and feel the controversy and that enthusiasm and succeeding in these types of moments with all that controversy swirling around you, there’s nothing better,” he said.

“There’s nothing louder than the actions of parking that car in Victory Lane.”

Once he took the checkered flag Sunday, the No. 4 pit box erupted with cheers, applause and high-fives. A crew member wrapped crew chief Rodney Childers into an excited hug. When Harvick climbed out of his car, he banged the back of the window to celebrate the statement victory.

“To come here to a race track that is so good for us is a lot of fun and everyone was just determined this week and we just wanted to just go stomp (the other drivers),” Harvick said. “We didn’t stomp them, but we won. That’s all that really matters. Just proud of this team. Put a fire in our belly. I’ve just got to thank everyone …What a badass team right there!”

Sunday, he made history with three straight wins. Next Sunday, the team will go for a fourth straight win at Auto Club Speedway, an intermediate track where Childers said he feels confident about the team’s chances. If Harvick has any motivation like he had this weekend, it doesn’t look like many would stand in his way.

After all, four for 4 has a nice ring to it.

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Reid Spencer

AVONDALE, Ariz. — With three straight victories in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Kevin Harvick deserves top billing in the Stewart-Haas Racing camp, but Aric Almirola has been strong and steady through the first four races of the season.

In his debut season with SHR, Almirola was less than a half-lap away from winning the Daytona 500 when contact from race winner Austin Dillon sent his No. 10 Ford into the Turn 3 wall. Almirola finished 11th and followed that performance with a 13th at Atlanta and a 10th last week at Las Vegas.

The trend continued on Sunday at ISM Raceway, where Almirola ran seventh as all four SHR cars finished in the top 10 for the first time in the organization’s history. Remarkably, Almirola has turned an average qualifying effort of 24.8 into an average finish of 10.2 through four races.

“We just keep plugging away,” Almirola said. “(Crew chief) Johnny (Klausmeier) and the guys made a lot of good adjustments on the car throughout the day. We started off OK, and then we started dialing ourselves out the first few stops.

“We got some track position there with that two-tire call (on Lap 194 of 312) and got our Smithfield Ford Fusion up front and it really liked the clean air. Our car got a lot better up there. I’m proud of everybody. We just keep building on it. Top-10 ’em to death. Just keep scoring points and doing what we do.”

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Staff Report

Stewart-Haas Racing will not appeal the penalty handed down by NASCAR to the No. 4 team for an infraction at Las Vegas, team owner Tony Stewart said Sunday at ISM Raceway in Phoenix.

Speaking to media alongside driver Kevin Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers — who had just won their third consecutive race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series TicketGuardian 500 — Stewart indicated that the team had chosen not to appeal the L1-level penalty for two violations found during teardown at the NASCAR R&D Center after the car’s win at Vegas last week.

MORE: No. 4 team penalized post-Vegas | Harvick: Penalty ‘just motivates us’

The team was found to have violated Sections 20.4.8.1 (dealing with rear window support) and 20.4.18 (rocker panel extensions). A brace that supports the rear window failed and did not meet specifications for keeping the rear window glass rigid in all directions at all times. Additionally, the rocker panel extensions (the side skirts) were not aluminum.

The No. 4 team won the race at Vegas, but will not get the benefits of that win for the NASCAR Playoffs (a total of seven playoff points for winning the race and both stages). Harvick also won at Atlanta and now Phoenix, however, which means he still is qualified for the postseason on the basis of that first Atlanta win.

Additionally, as part of the penalty, crew chief Rodney Childers was fined $50,000. Car chief Robert Smith was suspended for two Monster Energy Series races, and will wrap up the suspension at Auto Club Speedway. The team also was docked 20 driver points and 20 owner points.

Posted on March 11, 2018June 18, 2021 by Reid Spencer

AVONDALE, Ariz. – For Chase Elliott, Sunday’s TicketGuardian 500 at ISM Raceway was a strong run that ended with a sigh of relief — that he finally got a finish worthy of the position he maintained throughout the afternoon.

In fact, with a quick early pit stop on Lap 255 of 312, Elliott cycled out ahead of eventual race winner Kevin Harvick. Elliott couldn’t stay in front of Harvick, who passed him on Lap 279 for what was then fourth place, but he managed to hold third behind Harvick and Kyle Busch to post his best finish of the season so far.

RELATED: Race results | Photos from Phoenix

“Yeah, we had a good car,” Elliott said. “It was solid, you know? (Crew chief) Alan (Gustafson) made a good call there at the end, and we had a good pit stop there to get into the lead (ahead of Harvick), and I just felt like I needed a little bit of drive there to put the power down in front of him.

“I had a pretty good turn those last two runs, and before that I wasn’t turning good enough and (didn’t have) too good of forward bite.

“He (Harvick) was definitely the car to beat, and it felt like there were a lot of laps left. I tried my best to hold him off as long as I could, but I felt like him and Kyle had just a little bit on us. We’ll go to work and try to get better for California.”

Posted on March 11, 2018March 13, 2018 by Reid Spencer

AVONDALE, Ariz. – As the old aphorism goes, there’s nothing certain except death and taxes.

After Sunday’s TicketGuardian 500 at ISM Raceway, you can add Kevin Harvick at Phoenix to that list.

Harvick beat Kyle Busch to the finish line by .774 seconds to win his third straight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series of the season, the first time a driver has strung three victories together since Joey Logano accomplished the feat in 2015.

RELATED: Race results | Series standings | Stage 1 results | Stage 2 results
SHOP: Harvick gear

The victory was a record ninth for Harvick at the one-mile track in the Sonoran Desert and the 40th of his career, third-most among active drivers and tied with NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin for 18th on the all-time victory list.

But the win was more than a statistical triumph for the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. Harvick came to Phoenix with a chip on his shoulder, stung by a midweek penalty for issues with the roof braces and right-rear side skirt extension after last week’s race-winning car from Las Vegas.

The infractions cost Harvick’s team the benefits of the victory in Sin City and deprived him of the services of car chief Robert “Cheddar” Smith. On the flip side, it lit a fire under the whole organization.

“To come here to a race track that is so good for us is a lot of fun, and everyone was just determined this week, and we just wanted to just go stomp them,” Harvick said. “We didn’t stomp them, but we won. That’s all that really matters. Just proud of this team. Put a fire in our belly.”

As Harvick indicated, it wasn’t the sort of thrashing he engineered at Atlanta and Las Vegas during the winning streak. He started 10th and didn’t lead a lap until he charged past Busch through Turn 4 on Lap 179. All told, Harvick led 38 laps, a distant third behind Busch’s 128 and Kyle Larson’s 54.

A mistake on his final green-flag pit stop cost Busch a chance to win the race. Harvick had come to pit road on Lap 256. Four laps later Busch pitted from the lead, but the jack dropped prematurely on the left side of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, costing the 2015 series champion roughly three seconds.

Busch eventually cycled out into second place after passing third-place finisher Chase Elliott, but the pit road mistake left him too far behind Harvick. At one point in the closing laps, Busch cut Harvick’s advantage to a half-second as the drivers worked traffic, but he could get no closer.

“Coming into the green flag stops, had a couple guys pit a little bit before us,” Busch said. “I don’t think that hurt us too bad, but the jack dropping certainly did. We lost the race on pit road today. There’s been races where I’ve won it on pit road, too. We’ll just have to go into next week and see what we can do there.”

Denny Hamlin ran fourth, followed by Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer. Aric Almirola, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones and Kurt Busch completed the top 10, as both Stewart-Haas and Joe Gibbs Racing put all four of their cars in the top 10—Stewart-Haas for the first time in the organization’s history.

Note: The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Hamlin (finished fourth), the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota of Truex Jr. (finished fifth), the No. 12 Team Penske Ford of Ryan Blaney (finished 16th), the No. 22 Team Penske Ford of Joey Logano (finished 19th) and the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (finished 23rd) were all found to have one lug nut not secured post race.