Cindric rises in playoff picture, while Rhodes, Nemechek sit outside

Posted on November 3, 2017November 5, 2017 by RJ Kraft

FORT WORTH, Texas — It was a night of good fortune for Austin Cindric, but the opposite held true for fellow playoff drivers Ben Rhodes and John Hunter Nemechek.

Cindric scored a second-place finish to vault past Rhodes for the final provisional transfer spot into the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 17, and the Brad Keselowski Racing driver holds a five-point lead. The Round of 6 finale is next Friday night at Phoenix Raceway.

“It’s personally my best mile-and-a-half race to date,” Cindric said. “Not just finishing position but how we worked through the weekend. … We weren’t the best off the truck and I felt like we were one of the best trucks by the end of the practice so I’m proud of that and proud of my guys.

“I think it was youth vs. experience tonight and experience won. Johnny (Sauter, eventual race winner) taught me a few things, but at the same time he basically passed me for the race win.”

Cindric led a race-high 36 laps thanks to a pit strategy that saw him stay out with Sauter at the end of Stage 2. From there, the race ran green and Sauter passed Cindric for the lead on Lap 109. As pit stops cycled through, Sauter regained the lead but Cindric couldn’t quite reel him in for the pass.

During that sequence of stops, Nemechek tried to gamble for the race win and stay out on a fuel strategy play as he inherited the lead on Lap 127. The driver of the No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet was already in a points hole in the playoffs following a 30th-place finish due to a crash at Martinsville last week. A team representative confirmed that Nemechek had been told they were a gallon short, but he ran dry on Lap 135 and suffered a pit-road penalty on the ensuing stop.

“Can you say deja vu all over again?” Nemcheck said. “We’re pretty much in the same spot we were going into Talladega before we advanced to the Round of 6. We just have a deeper hole to dig ourselves out of now.”

Nemechek’s 19th-place finish leaves him 39 points outside the fourth-place position in the standings heading to Phoenix.

For Rhodes, it was shaping up to be a solid run before a slow green-flag stop on Lap 126. The driver of the No. 27 ThorSport Racing Toyota had to come back down pit road for an apparent lug nut issue on the right front tire and finished the race in 18th-place, two laps down.

“Everything that we could control we’re doing right,” Rhodes said. “The stuff that is outside our control seems to be hindering us on speed. Tonight, we had a couple bad pit stops, we had a loose wheel, a pit gun broke and then a miscommunication on pit road. We took off and we had to come back in.

“… Just a tough night and now we’re outside the playoffs looking in. We’ll have to make something happen at Phoenix.”

Posted on November 3, 2017November 10, 2017 by Reid Spencer

FORT WORTH, Tex. – It was a case of déjà vu for Johnny Sauter on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway.

Now the defending NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion hopes history repeats itself two weeks hence, when he races for his second straight title at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

After taking over the lead on Lap 135 of 147 of the JAG Metals 350 Driving Hurricane Harvey Relief, when John Hunter Nemechek ran out of gas while leading at the end of a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Sauter kept fellow Round of 6 Playoff driver Austin Cindric behind him and crossed the finish line .170 seconds ahead of his closest pursuer.

Sauter had passed Cindric for the lead on Lap 109, charging around the outside of the No. 19 Ford into Turn 1. The drivers ran 1-2 until they pitted on Lap 117 to start the pit stop cycle. Attempting to stretch fuel mileage, Nemechek ran out of gas 12 laps short and saw his championship hopes dim considerably.

Sauter won the Playoff race at Texas for the second year in a row and the fourth time overall. With his third win of the season, he raised his career victory total to 16 in the series and guaranteed a run for the title at Homestead.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Sauter, who celebrated the birth of a daughter, his third child, earlier in the week. “I was actually pretty worried about our truck after qualifying — it was pretty loose. And all we did was lower the track bar a half-round.”

Series leader Christopher Bell ran third, followed by Chase Briscoe and polesitter Justin Haley.

Sauter said after the race he would like to think the season is following the same course as last year, but he’d prefer to stay in the moment.

“I’m a realist, and I know you have to execute,” Sauter said. “Yes, this is looking a lot like it did last year, shaping up like it is. Honestly, this is our third win this year. I think we should have six or seven right now …

“We’ve got to be humble and stay nose to the grindstone, so to speak. You can’t let your guard down.”

The 19-year-old Cindric felt he ran the best race of his career on a mile-and-a-half track, but he couldn’t find a way around the 39-year-old Sauter at the end.

“I think it was youth versus experience tonight, and experience won, in more ways than one,” said Cindric, who moved into fourth place in the standings with the cut to four Championship 4 drivers looming next Friday at Phoenix.

“Johnny taught me a few things, but he basically taught me while he passed me for the race win.”

Bell owns a four-point lead over Sauter in the series standings, with two-time champion Matt Crafton 31 points back in third.

Trouble on a late pit stop dropped Ben Rhodes to 18th at the finish and out of the top four in the standings. Nemechek ran 19th and, for practical purposes, must win next Friday at Phoenix to advance to the Championship 4 race.

In postrace inspection, the No. 24 truck was determined to be too low, and the No. 4 truck was missing one lug nut.

Posted on November 3, 2017November 5, 2017 by RJ Kraft

FORT WORTH, Texas — Fresh off his Coors Light Pole Award-winning run at Texas Motor Speedway, Kurt Busch offered a short statement on his contract status for beyond 2017.

“No updates from me,” Busch said. “We’re in negotiations so days like today help quite a bit.”

Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart chimed in on the ongoing talks about the future of the No. 41 team on Sunday after SHR’s Kevin Harvick prevailed in the AAA Texas 500. Stewart noted that the organization plans to announce Tuesday the 2018 replacement for Danica Patrick in its No. 10 Ford; SHR has fielded Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series entries for Harvick, Busch, Patrick and Clint Bowyer in its four-car campaign this year.

“We’re still working through all that, but obviously it’s pretty busy right now,” Stewart said. “Obviously, we’re going to have a big announcement next week for the 10 car and we’re still working on the 41 right now. But that’s our goal is to have Kurt back in that car for next year.”

Busch posted a fast lap of 200.915 mph in the final round of group qualifying to notch his 22nd pole of his career. The 39-year-old Las Vegas native, who won the season-opening Daytona 500 in Ford’s first race with SHR in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, qualified for the 2017 Playoffs but failed to advance past the Round of 16.

Busch confirmed that he was a free agent in August after SHR reportedly declined his contract option. The team tweeted out at the time that Busch was expected to return to the organization in 2018.

In 18 seasons thus far, Busch won the 2004 championship and has 29 wins at the sport’s top level. In four seasons at SHR, Busch has five wins and has qualified for NASCAR’s postseason in each season with the Tony Stewart-Gene Haas owned organization.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on November 3, 2017November 3, 2017 by Reid Spencer

FORT WORTH, Tex. – A driver without a signed contract for 2018 won the pole position for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN) with a record lap — giving a timely birthday present to his crew chief.

In the final round of Friday’s knockout qualifying session, Kurt Busch covered the 1.5-mile distance in 26.877 seconds (200.915 mph) to top the previous record lap of 200.111 mph posted by Tony Stewart in 2014.

In a third round that saw five drivers exceed Stewart’s record, Busch set the fastest qualifying lap ever recorded on a 1.5-mile intermediate speedway. The Coors Light Pole Award was Busch’s first of the season, second at Texas and the 22nd of his career.

Busch edged Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs driver Denny Hamlin (200.617 mph) by .040 seconds. Playoff driver Kevin Harvick (200.378 mph) will start third, followed by Erik Jones (200.326 mph) and Playoff driver Kyle Busch (200.252 mph).

“It’s something when you set a new qualifying record, and it’s above 200 mph on the scoring pylon,” Busch said. “I told a couple buddies that we were going to go above 200 mph today — and that’s average speed.

“When you have a car that goes that fast, it comes with a lot of hard work from (crew chief) Tony Gibson and the guys on this No. 41 car. It’s neat to have that feeling — you drive down into the corner and just mat the gas and have it stick.”

Busch had been fighting tight handling conditions in the final rounds of time trials this season. For the final round Busch asked Gibson, who turned 53 on Friday, to do everything he could to free up the chassis.

“We’ve struggled a little bit in the third round this year and this time around I said, ‘Throw everything at it.'”

Hamlin, who comes to Texas fresh from controversy at Martinsville, where he wrecked then-leader Chase Elliott with four laps left in last Sunday’s race, held the top starting spot until Busch made his run late in the final round.

“I thought it would definitely have a chance,” Hamlin said of his lap. “We improved with our time each round, and we were top five each round, as well. So I definitely thought once I ran it, it was going to be very close.

“Some of the guys that were up front, we dodged those bullets early in the third round, but the 41 (Busch) was the last one that I knew could give us trouble, and they got us right there off of Turn 4.”

Series leader Martin Truex Jr. qualified seventh, followed by fellow Playoff drivers Ryan Blaney, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski.

Busch doesn’t have a contract for next season, though Stewart-Haas Racing has expressed a desire to re-sign him.

“No updates from me,” Busch said in response to a question about his 2018 status. “We’re in negotiations. Days like today help.”

Elliott, eighth in the series standings, will start deep in the field on Sunday, along with six other drivers whose cars failed to clear inspection in time to make a run in the first round of qualifying. Elliott is the only Playoff driver who failed to advance to the second round of knockout time trials.

The other seven Playoff drivers also advanced to the final round, ensuring Elliott will start the race in a Texas-sized hole as he tries to claw his way into the top four by the end of next Sunday’s race in Phoenix.

Posted on November 3, 2017November 3, 2017 by Holly Cain

FORT WORTH, Texas – Chase Elliott did not make it through qualifying inspection at Texas Motor Speedway Friday evening and will start his No. 24 Hooters Chevrolet from near the rear of the field in 34th for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as a result.

Elliott was one of seven cars — also including Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth — that didn’t turn a qualifying lap because they didn’t pass inspection in time.

While obviously disappointed in having to start from the rear on Sunday, Elliott was still hopeful, even confident, that he will be able to make his way forward. Perhaps challenge for the win.

“As you all know, qualifying well is important for stage points so I think for us now it puts the emphasis on having to compete for a win,’’ Elliott said. “It keeps it simple. [April winner] Jimmie [Johnson] did it in the spring and I think if we have our car driving good tomorrow afternoon, it’s definitely doable.’’

In fact, it’s the second consecutive time Elliott’s car did not pass qualifying here at Texas. He was among nine drivers forced to start the race from the rear.

“I don’t know why teams fail qualifying tech here more than other places,’’ Elliott said. “I think if you get your car driving good tomorrow, you can pass. Jimmie proved that here in the spring. I think it’s doable. We’ll see.

“Everybody’s pushing it. You don’t want to get in position you’re not qualifying. Everybody’s doing everything they can to go fast.’’

Elliott is currently eighth in the playoff rankings — 26 points behind fourth place Kevin Harvick with two races remaining to set the four-driver championship grid for the Homestead-Miami Speedway finale.

Posted on November 3, 2017November 4, 2017 by Holly Cain

FORT WORTH, Texas — As each week passes in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final full-time NASCAR season, he is asked about not only his legacy but also about the new generation of drivers who will crowd the Monster Energy Cup Series grid for the foreseeable future.

Judging by Earnhardt’s remarks and smiles Friday morning at Texas Motor Speedway, he feels like the future is in great hands — both on track and away from the track. Specifically, he had high praise for second-year Monster Energy Series driver Ryan Blaney, one of two young drivers (Chase Elliott is the other) still challenging for this year’s championship.

“I’m excited about all these guys, Alex (Bowman) and William (Byron) and (Ryan) Blaney — he’s just so much fun outside of the car just to observe and watch,” Earnhardt said, speaking at length about his high expectations of the 23-year-old Blaney. “We all kind of enjoy seeing what he’s up to. He’s doing something every week.”

This year’s Pocono winner, Blaney may be NASCAR’s version of the “Most Interesting Man in the World.” The son of sprint car legend Dave Blaney, Ryan has established himself as a big fan favorite and is always a candid interview — win or lose.

His “Glass Case of Emotion” podcast on NASCAR.com is so popular, it just topped 1 million listens this season.

“He’s the guy I think that’s taking the lead and a lot of guys could follow as far as how he self-promotes and engages with the fans,” Earnhardt said of Blaney. “He does such a good job with it and he’s up for anything. I think that’s a great example if those guys want to look for somebody to follow.”

And best of all for Blaney, his performance on the race track has only legitimized and stoked his popularity away from it. He finished runner-up in the Daytona 500 and won the pole position at Kansas earlier this year before claiming his first Monster Energy Series win at Pocono three weeks later. | Blaney’s career stats

He moves to Team Penske next year, teaming with former champion Brad Keselowski and perennial title favorite Joey Logano.

He is ranked fifth among the eight drivers still playoff-eligible – only six points below the cut-off line with two races remaining to set the Championship 4 for the season finale Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami.

Posted on November 3, 2017 by RJ Kraft

FORT WORTH, Texas – Heading into Saturday night’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Texas Motor Speedway, the race for the final provisional transfer spot into the Championship 4 is razor tight.

Brennan Poole (driver of the No. 48 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet) sits fourth in the standings, holder of the last transfer spot for Homestead but has just a three-point edge over Matt Tifft (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota). Cole Custer (No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford) sits in eighth in the Round of 8, but is just eight points behind Poole with two races left in the Round of 8.

With a battle that close, every little edge is needed to try and fight through to advance for a shot at the NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 18. For the drivers closely bunched together, stage points could be the deciding factor.

“I think everyone has seen how important stage points are in these playoffs,” Custer said during a media availability at Texas Motor Speedway. “You can’t make mistakes. If you want to solidify your spot in the Championship 4 here, you have to try to make sure you don’t take yourself out of it. You can’t win it (the championship) here but you can take yourself out of it for sure.”

Tifft noted that given the tight positions in the standings, it is important to execute over all three stages.

“We just haven’t executed in the beginning and middle part of these races,” Tifft said. “We’ve rallied in all these races but now I think it’s time, to have a solid day from start to finish. …We’ll have to be a little bit aggressive to get ahead of some of these guys.”

For the Texas native Poole — who hails from The Woodlands, a suburb of Houston — this race has special meaning to him especially in light of Hurricane Harvey and his work to help with relief efforts.

“I’m proud to be back in my home state and have an opportunity to win the race tomorrow night,” Poole said. “Certainly, kind of holding that close to my heart with everything the city’s been through. It would be awesome to go back and repay them just like the Astros did a couple nights ago (in the World Series).”

Posted on November 3, 2017November 3, 2017 by

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Click n’ Close™, a division of Mid America Mortgage, Inc., has entered into official partnership agreements with the sanctioning body, NASCAR, and one of the most iconic race teams in the sport, Richard Petty Motorsports. The collaborations designate Click n’ Close as the “Official Mortgage Provider of NASCAR^®” in addition to becoming a partner of Richard Petty Motorsports.

Click n’ Close is Mid America Mortgage’s new digital mortgage approval and closing platform that provides home buyers with a fast, simple and secure experience by automating many of the steps of a traditional mortgage process. With Click n’ Close, home buyers are able to complete their application within eight minutes and receive an approval within one business day. On average, home buyers approved through Click n’ Close reach the closing table in less than half the time of a traditional mortgage process and are able to complete their closing and receive their keys within 15 minutes. To safeguard sensitive information, Click n’ Close employs bank-level security, including advanced data encryption, allowing home buyers to safely apply for a mortgage anywhere, anytime, using any device.

“Speed is a familiar concept to NASCAR’s powerful community of sponsors and fans, which is why we chose to launch Click n’ Close nationally by partnering with NASCAR and Richard Petty Motorsports,” said Jeff Bode, owner and CEO of Mid America Mortgage. “Click n’ Close is revolutionizing the way we service home buyers and homeowners, and we’re confident that the NASCAR community will appreciate how quickly and easily they can now secure a mortgage through Click n’ Close.”

Check out the #43 Click n’ Close machine that @BubbaWallace will be driving in 2018! #R43KIE #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/o7Pw4ehcHj

— RPMotorsports (@RPMotorsports) November 3, 2017

As part of the agreement with Richard Petty Motorsports, the Click n’ Close brand will be featured as a primary sponsor of the No. 43 car driven by Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. for at least three races, making its debut at the 2018 Daytona 500. The No. 43 Click n’ Close car will also make appearances at Phoenix Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway.

“We have recently had a lot of positive discussions about our race program in 2018, and having a new partner such as Click n’ Close is proof of that,” said Richard Petty, co-owner, Richard Petty Motorsports. “Click n’ Close is a perfect tool for people who want a faster, more secure way to apply for a mortgage. We feel that Bubba and our team are a perfect fit to help spread their message to NASCAR fans across the country.”

Click n’ Close was introduced today at the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council meetings taking place in Texas, near Mid America’s headquarters. The new Official Partner engaged an exclusive group of nearly 55 Official NASCAR Partners who gather to buy and sell products and services from one another. The business-to-business environment offers unique opportunities for many FORTUNE 500 companies to bypass the time and layers of corporate coordination to construct customized deals that help address specific business needs.

“Click n’ Close’s multi-faceted sponsorship will be an effective way to introduce its platform to a national audience,” said Steve Phelps, executive vice president and chief global sales and marketing officer, NASCAR. “Our fans are the most brand loyal in sports and continue to differentiate NASCAR from other sports and entertainment properties.”

In addition to engaging with fellow sponsors, teams and drivers, Click n’ Close, will also host key customers and prospects at-track with strategic hospitality events at NASCAR races throughout the year.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will continue with the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, Sunday, November 5 at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on November 3, 2017November 3, 2017 by RJ Kraft

FORT WORTH, Texas — In a Martinsville race weekend that saw a memorable post-race exchange between Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin, fellow rising star Ryan Blaney had an exchange of his own with 2014 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick.

And the 23-year-old said it was all a case of young drivers standing up for themselves.

“I think you go through a little bit of hazing like any sport or series when you come in,” Blaney said during a media availability at Texas Motor Speedway. “I do believe that we (young guns) have to stand up for ourselves and not get shoved around. There’s a respect you have to show. I respect every one of the drivers that we are racing against right now, but you can’t get pushed around because it’s not going to stop if you let it happen. You have to be respectful, but at the same time, you are not going to let somebody push you around. You have to stand up for yourself.”

MORE: Harvick talks incident with Blaney

Harvick pounded on Blaney’s bumper throughout the race at the .526-mile short track. The two slammed doors at one point, and Blaney also brake-checked Harvick. The two had a pointed discussion on pit road after the race.

“Obviously, we weren’t happy with each other,” Blaney said. “Both of us had our conversations and what we were upset about. I felt like we handled it fine. It was a stern talking-to, but I have a lot of respect for Kevin. He helped me a lot when I first got started a handful of years ago. Just Martinsville racing pretty much. We had a talk and I think we’re fine right now. I’m sure we’re over it and those we’re just to reassure we were good.”

Blaney enters Texas sixth in points and just six points out of the final transfer spot into the Championship 4 with two races to go in the Round of 8. The AAA Texas 500 (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) represents a big opportunity for the driver of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford.

The team has been strong for much of the year at intermediate tracks, and Blaney led 148 laps here in the spring. On Friday, the No. 21 Ford was fastest in opening practice.

“I don’t think it’s a must-win for us,” Blaney said. “I think we can come out here and have a solid run. And Phoenix, it hasn’t been our best track, but I feel like we can put together a decent race. I don’t mark it down as all or nothing like if we don’t win this race we aren’t getting to Homestead. I just don’t really look at it that way.”

Posted on November 3, 2017June 22, 2021 by Staff Report

Ryan Blaney pounced on the top spot in opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice Friday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway.

Blaney registered a lap of 199.933 mph in the Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford in the opening preparation for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM). It’s the second event in the playoffs’ Round of 8, the last three-race series that will whittle the postseason field from eight to the final four drivers competing for the season-ending championship.

Fellow playoff-eligible driver Denny Hamlin was second-fastest in the 85-minute session, clocking 199.196 mph in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota. Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top five.

Playoff contender Jimmie Johnson — a seven-time Texas winner who has prevailed in four of the last six events on the 1.5-mile track — did not post a speed until late in first practice. Fuel pressure issues sidelined the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet until just 12 minutes remained. He wound up with the 19th-fastest speed among the 39 drivers on the track.

Kyle Busch, a two-time Texas winner, was eighth-fastest in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota. Busch is the only driver locked into the Championship 4 field after securing an automatic berth for his win at Martinsville Speedway last Sunday.

The other playoff-eligible drivers and their positions on the leaderboard: Chase Elliott (sixth), Kevin Harvick (ninth) and Brad Keselowski (13th).

XFINITY Series regular Daniel Hemric participated in practice as a substitute for Paul Menard in the Richard Childress Racing No. 27 Chevrolet. Menard and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed their second child this week. Hemric — 28th-fastest in opening practice — will also qualify the car with Menard on leave.

Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the Monster Energy Series is scheduled Friday at 6:15 p.m. ET (NBC Sports App).