Jamie McMurray is none the worse for wear after his car got airborne during practice last week at Talladega.
The impact from the nose of Ryan Newman’s car launched McMurray’s machine into the air. The car rolled six times and hit the inside catch fence on the backstretch before settling upright on the apron. The car landed upright, and McMurray emerged unhurt.
In fact, he felt good enough to go on a 60-mile bike ride up North Carolina’s Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River.
“It’s crazy to have a wreck that it that spectacular to watch and that many flips and tumbles and I really didn’t even have a bruise on my body,” McMurray said on Friday at Dover. “I got to look at the car on Monday, and it’s amazing how much the roll cage was smashed in, but then how everything around me was still perfect. I actually got our whole fab shop and the guys together on Tuesday when I was at the shop to thank everyone.”
Admittedly, the sample size is small, but Dover International speedway is one of Daniel Suarez’s best Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series tracks.
In his 2017 rookie season at NASCAR’s top level, Suarez qualified third and fifth and finished sixth and eighth in his two appearances at the Monster Mile. And he comes to Dover this week after consecutive results of 11th, 10th and 10th at Bristol, Richmond and Talladega, respectively.
After a sluggish start to the season, which included a crash in the Daytona 500 that knocked him out of the race on Lap 60, Suarez has climbed to 21st in the series standings over the last two weeks.
“Definitely, the first month and half of so of the season was a little rough,” Suarez said on Friday at Dover. “We had speed pretty much everywhere we were going. We just had a lot of inconsistency, and for whatever reason, we were not doing a good job putting ourselves in a good position by the end of the races — getting involved in different accidents or just not good positions.
“And I feel like I was putting maybe a little bit too much pressure on myself to try to do well. The last month or so, I’ve been just more relaxed and doing just this without expecting to be great, and things are coming our way again. The speed, like I said, has been there pretty much the entire year. It’s just the results and the consistency, but it seems like now we’re heading in the right direction.”
Suarez also believes qualifying for the Playoff is a distinct possibility.
“Playoff position? Oh, yeah, there’s plenty of time,” he said. “I feel like it’s still very early.”
DOVER, Del. — No matter how much he’d like to, Joey Logano knows he’ll never be able to escape his spectacular past at Dover International Speedway.
Nine years ago, last Sunday’s Talladega winner was the victim of a crash that still is a focal point in video highlights of the track. Driving the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing at the time, Logano was turned into the outside wall and barrel-rolled five times down the high-banked concrete track, with his mangled car coming to rest on the apron.
“It is a spectacular moment here,” Logano acknowledged. “Unfortunately, when people think of Joey Logano and Dover, they think of that big crash. Even if I win, I still think people will think of that crash. That’s just what happens until someone else barrel-rolls.
“I hope that doesn’t happen to anybody. Oh, well. It was so long ago that it doesn’t bother me. It is what it is.”
It didn’t take the speedway long to incorporate Logano’s wreck into its marketing program.
“I always thought the funniest part was when I came back here the next race, and they had the race program with Miles the Monster, and it had Miles the Monster holding my car in his hand and when you moved the cover, the monster slammed my car into the ground.
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.
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.”
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.’”
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Editor’s note: Fantasy Fastlane will look at each race from a fantasy perspective, examining the top plays as well as several under-the-radar options and a play to avoid for NASCAR Fantasy Live. See the full analysis here.
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.
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.
Ingredients to a great day.
Leo: ”Dad what is Star Wars about?”
Me: ”In a galaxy far away….good vs evil….Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader”
Leo: “why don’t they just talk it out?” 🤔
Me: “good point buddy”
Leo: “I know why, they wouldnt be able to make all those movies” 😂
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.
Obviously, as evidenced by his favorite Yoda quote, “Difficult to beat a person who never gives up, it is.”
My day so far: 5:00am: Rogue One 7:15am: A New Hope 9:30am: Leave for workout 10:00am: Workout 11:30am: Empire Strikes Back 1:45pm: Return of the Jedi 4:00pm: The Force Awakens 6:15: Leave for theater 7:00 The Last Jedi
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.”
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.”
