Denny Hamlin corrals Coors Light Pole at Charlotte

Posted on October 6, 2017October 7, 2017 by Staff Report

Denny Hamlin set sail atop the leaderboard in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Friday night, landing the Coors Light Pole Award at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Hamlin will guide the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota from the first starting position for Sunday’s Bank of America 500 (1 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM), the opening event in the Playoffs’ Round of 12. He turned a fast lap of 191.598 mph on the 1.5-mile track in the final round of knockout qualifying.

Hamlin’s first pole of the season was his second at Charlotte and the 25th of his Monster Energy Series career.

“It’s good, you always like to keep streaks alive,” said Hamlin, who now has at least one pole in the last six seasons and 12 of the 13 in his career. “Hadn’t had a pole this year and have had one every other year, but it’s good. We’ve been so close and we’ve made so many final rounds, been in the top five, but not as fast as our teammates. Today we adjusted on it, got it a little better each round and had some goodwill.”

Teammate Matt Kenseth will start second Sunday in the JGR No. 20 Toyota after posting a 191.489 mph lap. Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer completed the top five in time trials for the fourth of 10 postseason races for NASCAR’s premier series.

The opening 20-minute session included some drama, with a logjam in pre-qualifying inspection forcing several teams to hustle their cars to the starting grid. The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota of Kyle Busch and the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr. were among the final teams to exit the garage to make their qualifying passes.

Once Earnhardt took to the track for the final qualifying session of his full-time career, his lap came at the expense of his teammate Jimmie Johnson, the defending race winner. Johnson, a seven-time series champ, was bumped to the 25th starting spot for Sunday’s 500-miler, just missing the 24-driver cut line by a margin of .018 seconds.

“Multiple trips through inspection doesn’t help by any stretch,” Johnson told NBC Sports. “We just missed it. So, another frustrating Friday unfortunately. Back tomorrow and we’ll have to pass a bunch of cars Sunday. It sucks getting behind and starting the weekend behind, but it is what it is and we’ll have to go to work on Sunday.”

Erik Jones’ Furniture Row Racing No. 77 Toyota did not make it through the inspection line in time and did not post a qualifying speed. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate will start at the rear of the 40-car field, along with BK Racing teammates Corey LaJoie and Brett Moffitt, who also did not turn a qualifying lap.

Jones’ Furniture Row teammate, Martin Truex Jr., endured a milder setback in the second segment of qualifying, failing to make the 12-driver cut for the final round. Truex, a five-time winner this year and the leader in accumulated playoff points, will start 17th Sunday.

Two 50-minute practice sessions for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series are scheduled Saturday (11 a.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN).

Posted on October 6, 2017October 6, 2017 by Brad Norman

Three rookies rounded out the top three at the 7th annual Better Half Dash at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Jennifer Anderson, girlfriend of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Austin Wayne Self, celebrated in Victory Lane after topping Tammy Rice, wife of No. 11 Blake Koch crew chief Chris Rice, and Kate Tomanio, wife of NASCAR mechanic Trey Tomanio.

MORE: Better Half Dash competitors

“That was a tough, race” Anderson said following her win. “It’s been really fun getting to know these ladies throughout the past month and a half that we’ve been doing this. … The race was tough. It didn’t come easy. It was good that we were able to raise awareness for the Hermie and Elliott Sadler Foundation.”

In a 25-lap competition, drivers bumped and shoved their way to the finish line. Paige Keselowski, wife of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski, led most of the race after winning the pole.

Jennifer Anderson, who is also the younger sister of Camping World Truck Series driver Jordan Anderson, joked that she locked in her first victory before her boyfriend AND her older brother. Self was her spotter for the Better Half Dash.

🏁 pic.twitter.com/Fzf95kyq7c

— Jordan Anderson (@j66anderson) October 6, 2017

“The first thing I said over the radio was I got a win before you (Self) and Jordan this year,” Jennifer Anderson said. “I’ll hold that over them, too.”

The 11 women raised more than $40,000 for the Motor Racing Outreach, Speedway Children’s Charities and the other charities selected by each competitor. The Hermie and Elliott Sadler Foundation will receive $10,000 thanks to Anderson’s victory.

Posted on October 6, 2017October 7, 2017 by Nascar

Alex Bowman says he isn’t exactly rusty when it comes to racing but the 24-year-old is looking forward to climbing back behind the wheel this weekend when he competes for Chip Ganassi Racing in the organization’s No. 42 Chevrolet in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“Honestly, some of it is I just wanted to go race; I’ve been sitting and not doing much on weekends,” Bowman admitted Thursday night during the unveiling of next season’s four Hendrick Motorsports Daytona 500 paint schemes.

Bowman will be in the No. 88 for HMS next year, stepping in for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who wraps up his full-time racing career at the close of the ’17 season.

He’ll be teammates with seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott and newcomer William Byron.

But in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 300 at Charlotte (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM) and next month at Phoenix Raceway, Bowman will be looking to keep Ganassi’s No. 42 entry atop the owner standings.

It’s a ride that has produced four victories this season — three with Cup standout Kyle Larson and a fourth with 21-year-old Tyler Reddick.

Mike Shiplett is the team’s crew chief. Ganassi has an alliance with HMS, hence the opportunity for Bowman to log some laps.

“I think it helps me a little bit just getting back in the car,” Bowman said. “Kind of like a refresher course a little bit. At the same time, I’ve been in the car quite a bit this season.”

Bowman has handled the bulk of the driver simulation for HMS this year, as well as all of the wheel force testing for Chevrolet. But he’s not been in a competitive situation on the track since a single start in the Camping World Truck Series earlier this season.

A 10-race stint in the No. 88 last year, while Earnhardt was recovering from a concussion, paved the way for Bowman to get the 2018 opportunity. Three finishes were inside the top 10, and he won the pole at Phoenix.

“I think if that hadn’t happened, my career path probably wouldn’t have gone the way that it went,” Bowman said. “I’m very thankful. Obviously I hate the circumstances. You never want that to happen to somebody in Dale’s position. But to have the opportunity to get in the car and show that I can compete and I can win races and I do deserve to be here, it completely changed my life.”

RELATED: Alex Bowman through the years

Bowman’s first start in a points race will come in the season-opening Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest single event. It’s also a race Earnhardt Jr. won twice – in 2004 with his family-owned Dale Earnhardt Inc., and again with Hendrick in 2014. Earnhardt has 26 career wins heading into Sunday’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte (1 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR).

Bowman has 81 career starts in the Monster Energy Series and 50 on the XFINITY circuit. He said he has no qualms about following Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s most popular driver for 14 consecutive years.

“I’m my own person; I’m not trying to be Dale Earnhardt Jr, I’m trying to be myself,” he said. “The thing I’m focused on most is going and winning races; the rest of it will come and I’m just really thankful to have the opportunity to do that. Hopefully the Jr. Nation will be still be rooting for the 88 on Sundays.”

Posted on October 6, 2017October 6, 2017 by Brad Norman

It’s now or never for the 12 NASCAR XFINITY Series playoff drivers hoping to secure a coveted spot in the Round of 8.

All eight spots are up for grabs after first-round races at Chicago and Dover — it all comes down to Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Once the checkered flag flies, the Round of 8 field will be set.

MORE: Full on-track schedule for Charlotte | XFINITY Playoff standings

Only two points separate Ryan Reed, driver of the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, who enters the race in eighth place in the playoff standings and Brendan Gaughan, driver of the No. 62 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, who is just below the cutoff line — and only 12 points separate 8th place and 11th place. Justin Allgaier is all but a lock, needing only 3 points to advance; but a win gives any of the 12 contenders a ticket to the next round.

“…This is as tight as it can get,” Reed said, just hours before the first practice session. “The entire season is on the line, coming down to one race. It makes for a lot of exciting (moments) and a lot of drama. I would rather not be the that’s one in the position, I would rather be watching from afar. … We just got to go out there and do a really good job all weekend. Execute.”

Below are the clinch scenarios for tomorrow’s NASCAR XFINITY Series playoff cut-off race; the win totals refer to wins in the Round of 12:

Justin Allgaier (0 Wins, 2107 Points) – Would clinch by scoring 3 Points.
William Byron (0 Wins, 2104 Points) – Would clinch by scoring 7 Points.
Elliott Sadler (0 Wins, 2094 Points) – Would clinch by scoring 17 Points.
Cole Custer (0 Wins, 2093 Points) – Would clinch by scoring 18 Points.
Daniel Hemric (0 Wins, 2090 Points) – Would clinch by scoring 21 Points.
Brennan Poole (0 Wins, 2082 Points) – Would clinch by scoring 28 Points.
Matt Tifft (0 Wins, 2067 Points) – Would clinch by scoring 44 Points.

Ryan Reed, Brendan Gaughan, Michael Annett, Blake Koch and Jeremy Clements can only guarantee a clinched spot in the Round of 8 with a win.

Posted on October 6, 2017October 7, 2017 by Staff Report

Kyle Larson clocked the fastest lap in an eventful first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Larson powered the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet to a best lap of 192.082 mph on the 1.5-mile track in the opening on-track preparation for Sunday’s Bank of America 500 (1 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The race is the opening event in the Playoffs’ Round of 12.

Ryan Newman landed the second-fastest lap at 191.442 mph in the Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet. Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott completed the top five in the 85-minute opening session.

Kyle Busch, the winner of the series’ last two races, had the most adventurous practice session of the 38 drivers to post speeds. At the one-hour mark, Busch was called to the NASCAR competition hauler for consultation after driving a portion of the pit road in reverse. His No. 18 Toyota overshot the entrance to the garage area, and he backed up to make his entry.

With just 10 minutes left in the session, Busch scraped the Turn 4 wall. He limped back to the garage having earned the 17th spot on the practice leaderboard.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. completed four laps before making significant contact with the Turn 4 wall, just before the practice was four minutes old. His Hendrick Motorsports crew prepped a reserve No. 88 Chevrolet, and he returned to the track later in the afternoon ahead of what’s expected to the final Charlotte start of his full-time career. He ended up 26th on the practice leaderboard.

MORE: Keselowski hits the wall | Dale Jr. scrapes Turn 4 wall early

Playoff contender Brad Keselowski also spun in Turn 4, salvaging heavy damage on his Team Penske No. 2 Ford. Keselowski was 20th-fastest on the practice chart.

Seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, the race’s defending winner, was 15th-fastest in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet.

Coors Light Pole Qualifying is scheduled Friday evening (7:20 p.m. ET, NBCSN) for the fourth of 10 races in the NASCAR Playoffs.

Posted on October 6, 2017October 7, 2017 by Nascar

CONCORD, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his last start at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a backup car.

The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports had run just four laps here Friday when his car shot up the track and into the wall.

Earnhardt was not injured; the car, however, was damaged badly enough that his crew quickly began unloading a backup entry and prepping it for practice and qualifying here today at CMS.

Earnhardt said the car slid up the track when he drove through the adhesive compound put down by track officials. The resin has been used by a handful of tracks this season to help create more lane options and enhance competition.

“We’re out there running laps and I put the rights in that stuff and the car just went in the fence,” Earnhardt said when interviewed by NBCSN. “Blew a right front tire.

“Have to get another car out and see how that works out. I think I’m fine. The car is junk. It was actually driving pretty good but the backup will be just as good.

“It’s just disappointing, man. I don’t know. That stuff out there on the track, it ain’t good right now; I wouldn’t touch it.”

Earnhardt said he wasn’t sure why officials used the substance this weekend as CMS prepares to host Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race and Sunday’s Bank of America 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

The BOA 500 (1 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR) is the first race of the Round of 12 in this year’s championship-determining Playoff.

“I don’t even know why they sprayed it down, we’re going to run this race in the daytime; it ain’t like we needed any help getting the top worked in,” he said. “That was more to help this place at night. If you can’t even run in it without plowing into the fence, what good is it?”

Posted on October 6, 2017October 6, 2017 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 6, 2017) – NASCAR and The Weather Company, an IBM Business (NYSE: IBM), announced today a multi-year agreement that will optimize the weather-related decision process for NASCAR as it incorporates hyper-local weather data and forecasts into their races to improve race-day operations and fan engagement. As part of the agreement, The Weather Company, via The Weather Channel brand, becomes the Official Weather Partner of NASCAR.

In collaboration with Flagship Solutions Group, The Weather Company will provide critical weather information to NASCAR through an advanced weather insights dashboard developed by Flagship that will be integrated into NASCAR’s racing operations and decision support system. Additionally, The Weather Channel will work with NASCAR on educational content, which will present fans with information on things like how weather impacts vehicle performance.

“There is an enormous amount of logistics and planning needed to support a NASCAR race, but the one thing we do not have control over is weather,” said Elton Sawyer, NASCAR vice president, officiating and technical inspection. “This partnership with The Weather Company and Flagship Solutions Group will provide NASCAR access to critical information that can improve race operations and help minimize delays, while improving the race day experience for millions of our loyal fans.”

Through this partnership, NASCAR will now have access to The Weather Company’s world-renowned weather data, as well as direct input from an onsite personal weather station, at each race. The Weather Company produces the most accurate forecast for more than 2 billion locations around the world every 15 minutes. NASCAR will incorporate hyper-local weather data and forecasts into their races to improve race-day operations and fan engagement.

“Every business needs a weather strategy – and this is especially true for a partner like NASCAR where every race has the potential to be impacted by weather,” said Bill Dow, head of media and entertainment for The Weather Company. “Having access to the most accurate, precise, and hyperlocal weather information positions NASCAR to make more informed and timely, critical business decisions that impact race day operations, as well as improve planning for future events that will help drive their success.”

The Weather Track, a real-time, weather insights dashboard, developed on the IBM Cloud and leveraging Flagship Solutions’ trademarked Infralytics™ methodology, will provide critical information including rain start and stop times, wind speed, lightning proximity, tornado/flash flood warnings, and more to help organizers optimize each event. Longer term, NASCAR plans to use weather forecasting and analytics to help improve planning.

Posted on October 6, 2017October 6, 2017 by Staff Report

With cars set to take on the rough and rugged hometown Charlotte Motor Speedway, the NASCARnivore series is back to teach you how to eat like a NASCAR driver on his or her home turf.

NASCARnivore takes you through the Queen City to some of the best places to eat when going to a race and shows you where the drivers like to fill up.

Get the ins and outs of Louis’ Grille, Red Rocks Cafe and Pinky’s Westside Grille

Posted on October 6, 2017October 6, 2017 by Zack Albert

SHOP: 2018 Hendrick Motorsports gear
RELATED: Hendrick ushers in new era with paint scheme unveils

The Dover loss still smarts for Chase Elliott. The Hendrick Motorsports driver shouldered the grand share of the blame for last weekend’s narrow runner-up finish, his fifth in his thus-far winless Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career.

Elliott apologized to his crew afterward, then — true to form — was forthright in accepting responsibility for surrendering the lead to eventual race winner Kyle Busch just prior to taking the white flag.

Elliott may be his own worst critic — overly so, some say. But the 21-year-old driver says it isn’t a matter of beating himself up over on-track setbacks. For Elliott, it’s simply calling it like he sees it.

MORE: Elliott dejected after win slips away | Drivers with most runner-ups before first win

“Look, I’m just honest,” Elliott said Thursday from Hendrick Motorsports’ 2018 paint scheme reveal. “People say, ‘ah, you’re too hard on yourself.’ That’s one thing about sports and things that frustrate me is people watch and they say, ‘well, he should’ve done this,’ watching a football game. ‘He should’ve done that, and he’s not doing his job right. So-and-so should’ve handed the ball off instead of passing it.’ Look, we don’t know. I don’t know anything about football. If those guys are in a situation and they do what they think is best, that’s their decision, and nobody knows the situation that I was in better than me at the end of the day.

“So it’s my decision. I want to face it. And it’s also my decision to realize if it’s my fault or not. And when it is my fault, I’m going to own up to it. I think us losing that race in the closing laps on Sunday was my fault and I believe strongly in that. It’s a fact. I messed up, and I’m going to be the first one to say that. That’s just the way I see it. You don’t have to agree with me, but I was in the situation and I know what happened, and that’s what happened.”

Elliott’s chance to rebound comes quickly in Sunday’s Bank of America 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race kicks off the Round of 12, the next three-race elimination phase of the postseason.

Elliott’s father, Bill, can relate to his son’s heartache in some ways. The NASCAR Hall of Famer had eight runner-up finishes in seven partial seasons before finally breaking through for his first win in the 1983 season finale.

“And I didn’t have all this social media following me around either saying how bad he felt or how good he felt,” the elder Elliott said. “I went back to Dawsonville and nobody could find my butt.”

Bill Elliott’s early-career near-misses came in an era of far less scrutiny. Not all the races were broadcast on TV, and the level of driver-fan interaction through social media means was decades away from becoming reality. Stepping out of the car and beating a hasty, quiet retreat back home to Georgia home is less and less viable an option these days.

“We all deal with things differently; we all have a DNA in our system, how we deal with things, how we process it, day to day things that happen,” Bill Elliott said. “If somebody comes up to you and provokes you, one day you can take it, the next day you can’t. It’s just a part of how we’re made up. I can’t say it’s right, wrong or indifferent.

“Yeah, I think he’s hard on himself, but he goes on, goes to the next race and continues on. But he wants to win, he wants to do that, he wants to race.”

Chase Elliott said he won’t forget the feeling from Sunday’s defeat, and that playing “the what-if game” of what he could have done differently over the final stages is inevitable. Fortunately for Elliott, he’s had a shoulder to lean on and a sage source of advice within his team in seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson was among the first to console Elliott after Sunday’s 400-miler. He was also a sounding board for Elliott in another conversation later Sunday evening.

“Nobody knows it better than him and I think he said it best: You have to go home, you have to move on, but you have to find the lesson that came along with losing that race in the closing laps on Sunday,” Elliott said. “You just have to figure that out and realize that if you’re ever in that situation again, what you would do differently to change the outcome.

“I’m a big believer in things coming full circle, especially in racing they have in the past in my career. I think that applies to this situation as well.”

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Zack Albert

SHOP: 2018 Hendrick Motorsports gear

Team owner Rick Hendrick says that he still has plenty of goals for his racing organization to accomplish with seven races left this season. But there was palpable anticipation in getting a jump on 2018’s season of transition Thursday night, with a glitzy introduction to the Hendrick Motorsports paint schemes and drivers.

The twinkle of spotlights and dramatic unveilings against the backdrop of pulsing music were the story Thursday evening in the Charlotte Convention Center’s Crown Ballroom, where all four Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 race cars took the stage for the first time. The new Camaro models, the two new drivers and four all-new looks signaled the next chapter in Hendrick Motorsports’ story.

“The more we talked about it, we’re changing the numbers and bringing in new drivers and there’s so much change, we thought this would be really cool,” Hendrick said, giving due credit to his marketing staff to go full-force with a four-car reveal. “We had to get the cars ready for the sponsors’ pictures and all that, so I thought it was a great idea. Now I think it’s an even better idea.”

The 2018 driver lineup has been known for some time, with veteran Jimmie Johnson and youngsters Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and William Byron forming the Hendrick roster for next year. The only thing missing was that new car smell from the four car unveils, which borrowed from NASCAR history in some instances and pushed the paint schemes forward with sleek, clean designs in others.

The design prompting perhaps the loudest reaction from the sold-out fan section was the reimagined No. 24 for Byron, whose eyes grew big as it was revealed. The rookie was accompanied on the stage by four-time series champion Jeff Gordon, who made the bright flames a next-gen trademark after his debut with the iconic Rainbow Warrior schemes.

“This is really the first time I’ve seen the paint scheme,” Byron said of the splashy colors against a deep blue. “I’d seen parts of it, I’ve seen a rough draft and things like that, but it was a shock to me how it looks in person. It really made me light up, and really all four cars look amazing. It’s exciting and can’t wait for it.”

For Gordon, the flames on the 2018 No. 24 brought back fond memories. He told the story about working with sponsor Axalta and artist Sam Bass to bring the original scheme to life, paying homage to a black racing helmet with orange and yellow flames from his youth. Next season, a new take on those flames will ride again in NASCAR’s premier series.

“The car started, when I started in ’93 with this base of blue. This blue is even more beautiful than that and I think it’s going to allow those flames to pop really nice,” Gordon said. “It’s cool to see. I think the 24 car should have flames on it because that’s the way I always envisioned it.”

Elliott returns for 2018, but his new spin is a change to the No. 9 that his father, Bill, campaigned for years — a move that “feels like home to me,” he said. Elliott said he contributed to the design process, looking through NAPA-sponsored cars through the years and making a nod toward the company’s delivery vehicles.

“I really was big pusher of that because I wanted with this number change and the things going on next year and changing to the Camaro,” Elliott said, “I saw it as an opportunity to do something different and really knock a paint scheme out of the park to change the look of what has been the norm for the NAPA colors over the years, and I think we did that.”

Bowman steps back into the No. 88 that he drove for 10 races in 2016 as Dale Earnhardt Jr. recovered from concussion-related symptoms. This time, the classic blue-and-white look will have Bowman’s name over the driver’s door, something that hit home for Earnhardt on Thursday night.

“It’s a new feeling for sure,” Earnhardt said. “A little sad, but super-excited for Alex. I’m reminded of that excitement when we do things like this. As much as it’s a little sad for me, it reminds me about what’s great to look forward to.”

Johnson’s No. 48 for next season marks a departure from the predominantly blue schemes from years past. The neon yellow numerals remain, but against a black base with sponsorship from Lowes For Pros.

Though he’s still battling for a championship this season, Johnson said he had little reservations — at least for now — for the organization’s jump-start to 2018.

“This is different. This is early,” Johnson said. “From a superstitious standpoint, we’ll reserve our opinion until next year and see what happens.”