Suarez earns high praise on rookie year from Joe Gibbs Racing teammates

Posted on September 14, 2017September 14, 2017 by Zack Albert

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Daniel Suarez’s rookie season has had moments of splendor, something that hasn’t escaped the notice of his veteran Joe Gibbs Racing teammates.

Still, it was refreshing for Suarez to hear the kind words from both Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth when asked to assess their young protégé’s performance thus far.

“I love you guys,” Suarez said with a grin, flanked by Hamlin and Kenseth in an informal roundtable this week with NASCAR.com. “You guys are great.”

MORE: Content from JGR shop visit

Thrust into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at the start of the year, Suarez has made strides in his first run through the regular season in the No. 19 Toyota. A pair of DNFs in the last four races hampered his bid for a playoff berth, but he still has plenty to race for as he vies for a breakthrough premier-series victory and his chance at the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.

The 25-year-old Mexico native first attracted the attention of his JGR stablemates by working his way up the national series ladder, culminating in last year’s XFINITY Series championship march — an achievement that made a distinct impression on Kenseth.

“The thing about Daniel is he’s a really hard worker,” Kenseth says. “You see him where he started and where he is today. But for me, really, last year I watched a lot of improvement in the XFINITY Series from where he started and how he started progressing throughout the whole year. And then really at Homestead where he took that pressure-packed race and beat those other three guys and figured out how to get it done and do it mistake-free.

“You never see him make the same mistake twice — a quick learner — so it’s definitely been fun to watch the progress.”

Hamlin has noticed, too, whether it’s in the results column or in the gym, the latter of which has helped him prep for the series’ longer schedule and race distances. The former came quickly as well. After three straight finishes in the 20s to open the season, Suarez posted his first top-10 finishes in consecutive weeks at Phoenix and Fontana.

WATCH: JGR drivers show off personalities

“I’ve just seen a steady progression,” Hamlin says. “I mean, I know even five or six races in, he was optimizing his finish. He was finishing better than what he was running through the event, and that’s probably the opposite of what a rookie usually does, right?”

One factor helping Suarez’s learning curve has been recent advancements in Joe Gibbs Racing’s performance. The organization was slow out of the gate in 2017 and didn’t crack Victory Lane until mid-July, but has made a major push to contend on a weekly basis since.

There has been plenty for Suarez to adjust to in year one, but having fast cars tends to ease most growing pains.

“I feel like for me in the beginning of the year, there were a lot of new things: the new car, the new Camry, new crew chief, new car in general for me, new racing — so many new things for me,” Suarez said. “I feel like we’ve been getting better as a race team — more speed and getting better. I feel like the entire team has been getting much better as well from the beginning of the year. Already, that’s helped me a lot as well to be more competitive and racing in the front.”

“Just super excited to be at this point, and hopefully one of these guys can get the championship for JGR.”

Posted on September 14, 2017 by DraftKings

Rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings NASCAR salaries for that day. The ordering is not based on highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the value of each driver. FPPK = Average fantasy points per $1,000 of salary.

1. Martin Truex, Jr. ($10,700) – The biggest dig on fantasy NASCAR is that it’s volatile. Anything can happen. Anyone can wreck. An ambulance took out one the best cars last week! Is Truex volatile? He’s scored over 60 points in each of the last nine intermediate tracks races (an average of 98 pts per race). That doesn’t sound volatile. (6.3 fppk)

2. Kyle Larson ($10,400) – Last year, Larson had to start from the back at Chicago. With only four cautions during the entire race, Larson never had a chance. In the two previous Chicago races, Larson finished with top-five scores. That was with inferior equipment. (5.6 fppk)

3. Kyle Busch ($10,600) – In the last five Chicago races, Kyle Busch has five DraftKings top-10s. Finishing position points have helped, but the main reason for his success is elite speed. This car consistently scores fast lap and laps led points every year at Chicago. (5.5 fppk)

4. Jimmie Johnson ($9,100) – Last year at Chicago, a distance of one foot allowed Johnson to stay on the lead lap during the first caution. The leaders pitted and he took the lead. His luck ran out when he was nailed with a pit road penalty near the end. Johnson scored the third most fantasy points. (3.7 fppk)

5. Denny Hamlin ($9,700) – His Darlington win was taken away because his car failed the post-race inspection. When Hamlin won at New Hampshire, he employed a very strange burnout. At any rate, he’s fast. (4.2 fppk)

6. Brad Keselowski ($9,400) – This looked like a Ford year back in March. Keselowski busted out of the gates at the 1.5-mile tracks in Atlanta and Las Vegas. However, as quickly as the speed appeared, it vanished. BK flashed some speed at Michigan, but it was ephemeral. (4.1 fppk)

7. Kurt Busch ($8,100) – Last season, Denny Hamlin won at Daytona. For most of the regular season, Hamlin’s team experimented. At the end, of the regular season, they turned it on. Kurt followed the same pattern. He enters the playoffs with three straight top-five finishes. (3.3 fppk)

8. Joey Logano ($9,000) – There are a lot of really good cars this season, but there are only a few great cars. Unfortunately for Logano, he’s one of the really good cars. He’s a consistent top-10 driver, but he has not led a significant amount of laps at an intermediate track since April. (3.1 fppk)

9. Matt Kenseth ($9,300) – Fantasy football has nothing on Fantasy NASCAR. An ambulance took out one of the top fantasy picks last week. That’s like a cheerleader concussing Tom Brady with a karate kick. Kenseth should run around 10th, but he doesn’t have the speed to lead the pack at an intermediate track. (3.5 fppk)

10. Clint Bowyer ($8,200) – Points no longer matter. Bowyer can take chances and race for wins. A change of strategy will not make his car faster than the JGR cars. When Bowyer was running his best with his former teams (MWR and RCR), he earned five straight top-10s at Chicago. (3.5 fppk)

11. Ryan Newman ($7,500) – This is a great time to be on a hot streak. Newman has four consecutive top-10 finishes heading into the playoffs. Over that span, he’s averaging 56 fantasy points per race. In his last 10 Chicago races, he has seven top-10 finishes. (4.5 fppk)

12. Kevin Harvick ($10,100) – It’s all about comparisons. Harvick is having a good season, but not when you compare it to previous seasons. He set the second place finish record in 2015. Compared to the JGR Toyotas, he’s not a Xfinity car, but he’s not in JGR’s league either. (4.2 fppk)

13. Chase Elliott ($9,900) – The #24 car has been strong at Chicago. Gordon passed the torch to Elliott last season, and Elliott responded with 86 fantasy points. The #24 car scored over 50 fantasy points in each Chicago race from 2013 to 2015. (3.7 fppk)

14. Aric Almirola ($6,000) – He’s still too cheap. His results at Chicago are mixed. Two of his races are outside of the top-30. Three of his races are top-20s. That’s fine for a $6,000 driver. The #43 car is strong this season. Bubba Wallace finished 11th in this car in his first Monster Cup intermediate track race. (4.4 fppk)

15. Erik Jones ($8,400) – This summer at the intermediate tracks, Jones has been fast in the practices and fast in the races. Having a fast car helps, but not all rookies can translate one fast lap in practice into 300 fast laps in traffic. (4.2 fppk)

16. Jamie McMurray ($8,500) – One part of fantasy NASCAR is identifying the fast cars. The other part is figuring out how to get those cars into your lineup. McMurray is always fast, but he never fits. He’s averaging 37 points at intermediate tracks, but rostering him makes it difficult to afford an elite driver. (3.4 fppk)

17. Ty Dillon ($6,900) – Throw out the two intermediate track duds (that’s not very many), and Dillon averages 35 fantasy points per race. Duds asides, his lowest score is 25 fantasy points. He’s safe, and he’s cheap. (4.6 fppk)

18. Ryan Blaney ($8,700) – The Wood Brothers’ #21 car is fast. It excels at the intermediate tracks. The two times that Blaney started on the front row, he scored fast lap and laps led points. In the other intermediate track races, Blaney was a top-10 contender. (2.7 fppk)

19. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. ($7,400) – In eight of the 10 intermediate track races this season, his average running position is 17th or better. In six of those eight races, Stenhouse has finished better than 17th. It’s too early to dub him “The Closer,” but he can be “The Good Finisher.” (3.9 fppk)

20. Daniel Suarez ($7,800) – Richmond was a nice bounce back week for Suarez, but the fear of a wreck still looms. Suarez had avoided trouble for most of the season, but his last two intermediate tracks races have ended in DNFs. (3.9 fppk)

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Staff Report

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a diehard Washington Redskins fan. Everyone knows that.

But just how much is Junior willing to do to see his team win a Super Bowl? According to Twitter, just about anything.

MORE: Legacy: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Can Junior win another at Chicagoland?

Using a meme that pays homage to the newly-released horror movie “It,” the No. 88 driver said he would float down to the sewer if it meant Washington were to be crowned the new champs. Actually, not even champs. Just in the Super Bowl. That’s how desperate he is.

Risking his life at the hands of psycho clowns just to potentially see his team win? Sign Dale Jr. up.

“The @Redskins are in the Super Bowl down here” https://t.co/pu52Ok4KAn

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) September 14, 2017

Would you head down to the sewer if it meant seeing Dale Earnhardt Jr. find Victory Lane one more time?

Posted on September 14, 2017September 14, 2017 by Holly Cain

NASCAR PLAYOFFS: Print your grid | Guide to the playoffs

Kyle Larson’s victory in Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway feels like an appropriately dramatic scenario to begin the highly anticipated 10-race NSACAR Playoffs.

Regular Season Champion Martin Truex was leading the final laps and looked to wrap up his series-best fifth victory, when a late-race caution changed the juju. Larson, who led 53 laps on the night, beat Truex off pit road, then Truex and Denny Hamlin collided, sending Truex’s No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota into the wall as the race finished.

While Truex’s heart may have been broken in the moment, his motivation is undoubtedly stirred and strengthened. And his position already was strong: He takes a series-best 53 bonus points into the playoffs — 20 more than No. 2 seed Larson.

He joked with reporters at Wednesday’s playoff media day, that he “got over” Saturday night’s Richmond disappointment fairly quickly.

“Actually it was Tuesday,” he said with a laugh.

“I think we’ll be OK,” he continued. “I think it’s certainly not going to hurt our momentum or confidence the way the last two finished out. Sometimes circumstances in racing you can’t control happen. That’s just the way it goes. So I think we’re in good shape. We’ll just have to see how it all plays out.”

The rather interesting thing about a Truex versus Larson rivalry is that they both have extremely laid-back personalities.

Highly-driven, super motivated to win a first Cup championship? Yes.

But they are considered two of the sport’s genuine “nice guys” — less inclined to give the bumper in an angry payback and highly unlikely to talk smack heading into the playoffs, even with a career-making trophy on the line. Their canvas has always been on the race track and judging by their success — especially this season — it’s been a sort of masterpiece in the works. The question is what it will look like when it’s finished.

Asked about his competition Wednesday, Larson was typically generous in his assessment.

“It’s kind of hard to have a favorite really; it’s only one race,” Larson said of a Homestead-Miami Speedway grand finale. “Martin will be really good there. If both Kyle Busch and I make it there, I think we’re both really good at that style of race track. (Kevin) Harvick obviously is really good. Jimmie (Johnson).

“I mean, there’s so many people that are good at Homestead, it’s hard to pick a favorite. But I think if you had to pick a favorite to make it all the way there, it would be Martin.”

Truex’s Toyota and Larson’s No. 42 Target Chevy have been the consistent “class of the field” throughout the season and locks on most fans’ playoff grids. The real struggles come in predicting the other two who might take it to the Miami season-finale. Former champions Busch (a two-time winner in 2017) and Harvick (Sonoma winner) are popular and obvious picks.

And of course there is that perennial “Fall guy,” seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who has three wins this season — the most recent coming June 3 at Dover, which also plays host to the final race in the Round of 16.

Last year Johnson performed the most dramatic championship performance in recent memory. Literally minutes before the race started, his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevy was moved from its 14th place spot on the grid to last because of an unapproved adjustment. He still rallied to win he the race – his first victory at Miami for a record-tying seventh title.

“This playoff format to date … nobody knows,” Johnson said Wednesday. “And it takes away from over-thinking it which is really nice.”

It’s certainly an interesting dichotomy for the sport — two drivers racing for their first championship favored against a group all ready to add the word “multi” to the word “champion” in their introductions.

It’s as compelling a title run as the sport has had.

“We had a rough little summer, but, you know, I feel like we got a great shot at the championship this year,” Larson said. “I’m with a great team. I feel like now our team knows what we have to do every week, every race track. I think we can be competitive for the next couple, few years hopefully, then be a championship-contending team year in and year out.”

Posted on September 14, 2017September 15, 2017 by Brad Norman

What happens in NASCAR Heat 2, stays in NASCAR Heat 2.

That’s what Brad Keselowski preached during his video game showdown Wednesday versus Ryan Blaney, who ended up pulling off an epic comeback to take down his future Team Penske teammate 4-3 on the virtual tracks.

“I think it’s definitely an improvement from where we were Year 1,” Keselowski said. “I helped build the game. I’m a little bit biased, but definitely a step up. I think the vision all along was for it to get better and better every year.”

MORE: Pick up your copy of NASCAR Heat 2 now

A split-screen option is the biggest, and most important, update in the latest version of NASCAR Heat 2 (published by 704Games and developed by Monster Games) — a feature both drivers agreed was a game-changer.

“You want to be able to play with your friends and talk trash in the same room,” Blaney said.

Keselowski came ready to race in his fire suit and told NASCAR.com that there was no doubt the matchup would get competitive — and he wasn’t wrong. The drivers tried out seven different tracks (they originally were slated for four, but Blaney wanted a chance at redemption): Chicago, New Hampshire, Dover, Charlotte, Talladega, Kansas, and Martinsville.

The No. 2 driver took an early 3-1 lead, but the No. 21 pilot dubbed himself a “Cleveland Cavalier” and mounted three consecutive wins in the final four tracks to claim the trophy. Racing as themselves, Keselowski and Blaney found themselves battling it out for first and second place often — even nudging each other into fences and traffic to gain momentum.

When asked how he would celebrate a real-life championship, Blaney said he would rent a plane, load up his boys and head to Nashville, Tennessee.

“Probably burn the place down,” the 23-year-old explained.

Posted on September 14, 2017September 14, 2017 by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – JR Motorsports announced today the addition of Tyler Reddick to the team’s NASCAR XFINITY Series program in a multi-year agreement that begins with the 2018 season opener. The 21-year-old Reddick will pilot JRM’s fourth full-time entry in pursuit of the NXS championship next season.

Reddick, a native of Corning, California, is a three-time winner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series who finished a career-best second in points during the 2015 season. His journey to NASCAR began with an impressive five-year stint in the dirt late model ranks. Reddick followed up with a transition into ARCA and NASCAR K&N competition, winning in his series debut in the latter at Rockingham Speedway in 2012.

“Tyler is a very talented racecar driver and someone we’ve enjoyed watching over the years,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JR Motorsports. “We’ve seen him make a lot of strides in the short time he’s been in the XFINITY Series. He’s a strong complement to our driver lineup next season, and we’re confident that with consistent seat time he’ll find additional success at this level.”

Reddick currently competes part-time in the NXS with the No. 42 entry, posting one top-five and three top-10 finishes in 14 starts this season.

“This is an amazing opportunity for me,” Reddick said. “Having the chance to race full-time with an organization like JR Motorsports is something I’ve worked toward my entire life. It’s a thrill to be joining such an accomplished group of teammates in going after a championship next year.”

Reddick joins JRM teammates Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett and Elliott Sadler next season in place of departing William Byron. The team will also field a fifth entry in a handful of events. Additional details specific to sponsorship, crew-chief duties and car number for Reddick and the team will be announced at a later date.

Posted on September 14, 2017September 14, 2017 by Kelly Crandall

For his final full-time season as a driver, NASCAR.com will offer an analytical preview on Dale Earnhardt Jr. ahead of every remaining Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

Race: Tales of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway

Date: Sunday, Sept. 17, 3 p.m. ET (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Previous five results at Chicagoland: 12th, 11th, 35th, eighth, third

Notable: The 1.5-mile Chicagoland oval has been hit or miss for Earnhardt during his career. In his first two visits to the speedway, Earnhardt rolled off two top-11 finishes. However, those were then followed by two finishes outside the top 20. Overall, Earnhardt has three top-five and five top-10 finishes in 15 starts at Chicagoland, including a 2005 victory. And in keeping with the hot or cold theme, Earnhardt has two DNFs at the track in addition to 123 laps led.

Memorable: In the midst of a rough 2005 season, Earnhardt arrived at Chicagoland in July looking for something to write home about. After starting 25th, crew chief Shane Hmiel, who had taken over the team just six races prior, knew the car handled better with clean air. Hmiel called for two tires on Earnhardt’s final pit stop, putting him in position to take the lead with 11 laps to go. Earnhardt then fended off a challenge from Brian Vickers and pulled away just enough that a charging and a dominant Matt Kenseth – who had four tires – was not able to catch him. “We got us a win! Yaahoo!” was the cry from Earnhardt as he took the checkered flag for the first time that season and at Chicagoland.

Quotable: “Chicago should be a good track for us. One of our teammates went out there and tested, so we’ve got some information that we can look at,” Earnhardt said in a team release. “[Crew chief] Greg [Ives] is going to be back. T-Mack [Travis Mack, last week’s interim crew chief] is still there as a car chief. I told all my guys at the end of the race last week that this is the team that Greg needs underneath of him to be successful. All of these guys stepped up a little bit and we need to be that way all year long. We should be able to do this going forward, at least that’s what I think we’re capable of, so we’re going to keep working hard for these last 10 races.”

Posted on September 13, 2017September 15, 2017 by Staff Report

NASCAR Playoffs Media Day was held in Charlotte, North Carolina, prior to the start of the opening race in the 10-race postseason. All 16 drivers were on hand to discuss the elimination-style postseason, title aspirations and much more. Check back often for the latest content from the day.

Chicago begins playoff push for 16 drivers

Drivers talk keys to postseason success

Kyle Busch discusses postseason pit crew switch

Blaney, Stenhouse fueled by first time in playoffs

Cain: Truex, Larson elevate their season-long battle into NASCAR Playoffs

NASCAR Playoffs: Underdogs relish opportunity ahead

What drivers are saying at media day

Harvick: Playoff points likely to gain importance in later rounds

Austin Dillon reacts to strong words from Danica Patrick

Elliott on adding to No. 24 legacy with a win: ‘That’s an obligation of mine’

JGR swaps pit crews for Nos. 18, 19 as Kyle Busch heads into postseason

Harvick: Danica a ‘huge part of this sport’

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Reid Spencer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – No one knows precisely how the current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff format will unfold this season.

Two innovations have injected considerable uncertainty into the stage-based racing, under which drivers can accumulate points at the end of defined segments of an event; and playoff points, which can give drivers a cushion that could help a driver survive a disastrous race in one of the rounds leading up to the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

With four race victories, 18 stage wins and a regular-season championship, Martin Truex Jr. has accumulated 53 playoff points he can carry forward into the first three playoff rounds. Kyle Larson has 33 playoff points and Kyle Busch 29.

On the low end of the scale, Jamie McMurray has three. But how the playoff points will translate into advancement through the playoff rounds is still a matter for conjecture.

“I think as you look at the points, in the first round I don’t think you’re going to notice it as much,” said 2014 champion Kevin Harvick. “I think it’s when you see those points start to roll in the second and third rounds and how they affect everything is going to be much more noticeable.”

Posted on September 13, 2017September 13, 2017 by Zack Albert

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Danica Patrick’s status as a newsmaker may not be limited to just this week.

In an interview with ESPN.com about her looming departure from Stewart-Haas Racing at season’s end, Patrick said rival Austin Dillon was on her payback list after their round of bumper tag last Saturday at Richmond Raceway.

Dillon, speaking Wednesday from NASCAR Playoffs Media Day at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, said he’d take her remarks under advisement.

“Well, that’s good to know,” Dillon said. “I’m glad she’s worried about me, but I’ll talk to her at some point. I’m sure we’ll be OK. She could’ve retaliated at Richmond. I pulled right in front of her to allow her to do it, but nothing happened. I was ready to get out of the Richmond race. We sucked so bad. I was like, ‘Man, just take me out if you want.’ But she didn’t do it, so I didn’t think she was that mad.”

Dillon finished 21st Saturday night, two spots ahead of Patrick in the regular-season finale for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. A nudge from Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet sent Patrick’s No. 10 Chevy into the outside retaining wall, prompting the race’s fifth caution flag on Lap 257.

Asked if their run-in was in response to earlier contact between the two, Dillon was matter-of-fact.

“Oh, yeah. She punted me, so I just punted her back,” Dillon said. “She spun out and I saved mine when she punted me.”