Erik Jones: ‘That win is going to come’

Posted on September 9, 2017January 21, 2022 by RJ Kraft

RICHMOND, Va. — As the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season wraps with Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Richmond Raceway, Erik Jones is among the hottest drivers in the series. The only thing he is missing is a win.

Oh, he came close at a different type of short-track race at Bristol Motor Speedway last month, but the runner-up effort with 260 laps led did simply made Jones hungrier to get to Victory Lane. A victory at Richmond would launch the Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate into the sport’s playoff as one of 16 drivers battling for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup.

He will line up 10th in the race. The driver of the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota is in a win-or-no-playoffs situation, and that has not brought him added stress coming into the race weekend.

“I’ve honestly felt just really locked in all week,” Jones said during a media availability at Richmond on Friday. “I’ve felt like I’ve just been really excited to get here and get on track and get qualifying done and get the race going. … I’m sure once the race rolls around here tomorrow night the nerves will be high and we’ll be itching to go and get things out of the way.

“I think as a team we’re trying not to put too much more pressure on ourselves and just do what we’ve done here for the last month, and that’s just run well and be fast and run up front. We just need to keep running the way we’ve been running, and that win is going to come.”

The weekend didn’t get off to the greatest start for Jones, who had a 60-minute hold for the 85-minute practice session due to failing pre-qualifying tech and pre-race tech at Darlington three times in each instance. While Jones said “it is always a bummer not to get out there and get track time, I don’t think it’s going to make a huge difference.”

As we’ve gotten deeper into the 2017 season, Jones has made an impression on Furniture Row Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr., who offered praise for the Michigan native earlier in the day.

“They’ve been fast all year and now they are starting to put together the results,” said Truex, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2017 Regular Season Champion. “It’s fun to see. Erik’s doing an awesome job and he’s a great kid, so it’s been fun to see it.”

The way that Jones has been running of late sees the 21-year-old come into this race with five straight top 10s and three straight top-five finishes. In the past five races, only Kyle Busch has a better average finish (4.2), while Denny Hamlin has equaled Jones’ mark of 5.6.

That is one heck of a counter to the three finishes of 33rd-or-worse he had in the season’s first 10 races – one of which was the spring race at Richmond where he exited after four laps due to a crash and finished last in the 38-car field.

“To have it really all come around and come full circle at this point in the year and be getting finishes where I feel like we are capable of, yeah, it’s hugely rewarding,” Jones said. “It’s huge for the team. It’s huge for everybody’s confidence, and it just gives us a lot of momentum week in and week out. We feel like we can run right up front with the best of them. There’s a lot of times where I feel like at the beginning of the year we were getting runs taken away from us, but now, like I said, it’s coming around.

“It’s been really rewarding to just stick with it all year and keep after it and keep plugging away to try to get these runs.”

Posted on September 8, 2017September 8, 2017 by Track Release

CONCORD, N.C. — Before drivers battle in the afternoon sun during the Oct. 8 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, stars will shine the night before at zMAX Dragway when award-winning country music singer, songwriter, guitarist and entertainer Brad Paisley lights up zMAX Dragway with a spectacular pre-race concert.

Paisley revs up his involvement in America’s most high-octane sport with a rocking salute to race fans with hometown hero Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Nation Appreci88ion Tour.

While Paisley and Earnhardt are prominent models of success in their chosen fields, fans who attend this year’s Bank of America 500 will win big as well.

Paisley’s concert is open exclusively to Bank of America 500 ticketholders. As an added incentive, fans who buy two adult tickets to this year’s Bank of America 500 — Earnhardt’s final Charlotte Motor Speedway start as a full-time driver — will receive concert admission and a commemorative Earnhardt bobblehead while supplies last. Tickets are available as a two-pack for $88.

TICKETS:
Kids 13 and under can get into the Bank of America 500 for just $10. As a salute to Earnhardt’s final race, adult tickets are available as a two-pack for $88. For tickets, camping and upgrades, fans can call the ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or shop online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Posted on September 8, 2017September 9, 2017 by RJ Kraft

RICHMOND, Va. — Elliott Sadler clinched the NASCAR XFINITY Series Regular Season Championship with his fifth-place finish in the Virginia529 College Savings 250 at Richmond Raceway.

Sadler entered the night with a 91-point edge over JR Motorsports teammate William Byron and needed to come out of the race ahead by at least 61 points in the standings. Sadler’s lead in the standings sits at 95 points after the Richmond race.

The regular-season crown gives Sadler 15 playoff points to add to the five he has already banked during the season. Those 20 points will be added to Sadler’s total at the start of the Round of 12 and the Round of 8 (should Sadler advance) in the XFINITY Series playoffs.

“Thank you for the 15 (playoff) points,” Sadler said. “… Something we had on our mind and wanted to work hard for this season. My team’s been very consistent and very fast. We’ve done very well with stage racing and to get 15 points that takes us not only to the first round and through multiple rounds (if advancing) getting to Homestead means a lot for our team.

“That means we can go to Chicago (site of the regular-season finale) and be aggressive and take some chances. We are going to use it as a preseason game to use the NFL analogy to kind of warm us up for Kentucky (where the playoff opener will take place). Feels very good to do it at Richmond of all places with my family and friends here,” the Emporia, Virginia native said.

The carry-over of playoff points from round to round provides a nice added cushion for Sadler. That was not lost on JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., who himself finished ninth in Friday’s race.

“The playoff points are really important,” Earnhardt said. “Anything can happen in these rounds. Those may come in real handy if he gets into trouble somewhere. That’s good for Elliott. They worked hard all year and been strong all year.”

Sadler has three runner-up finishes in the XFINITY Series standings in the last six seasons, and the series championship has remained elusive for the 42-year-old — something Sadler would very much like to change in 2017.

“Last year, I let my emotions get too high probably sometimes and too low sometimes during the season and during the playoffs,” Sadler said of a postseason run in 2016 that saw him reach the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “I learned the hard way that it’s all about one race for me. It’s all about Homestead. It’s all about winning the championship. I want to get back to that position again.”

Three drivers locked up their playoff spots after the Richmond race: Jeremy Clements, Cole Custer and Matt Tifft. That trio will join Sadler, Byron, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Reed, Brennan Poole and Daniel Hemric in the postseason field. Three more spots are still to be decided in the regular-season finale at Chicagoland Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) next Saturday.

Posted on September 8, 2017January 21, 2022 by Staff Report

RICHMOND, Va. — In the long run, Brad Keselowski knew he had the superior car.

And that’s exactly what Keselowski got – a long run to close Friday night’s Virginia529 College Savings 250 at Richmond Raceway.

On lap 235 of 250 of the NASCAR XFINITY Series race, Keselowski powered his No. 22 Team Penske Ford past the No. 18 Toyota of Kyle Busch and pulled away to win by 3.008 seconds.

“When you can race with him (Busch), you know you’re having a good day, especially in this series,” Keselowski said after completing a spectacular celebratory burnout on the frontstretch. “When you race with Kyle, you race with the best. He and I may not always get along, but I have a lot of respect for his talent.”

After the second stage, which Keselowski won with a pass of Busch on the final circuit (Lap 150), the race ran without caution for the final 89 laps. Keselowski was driving a car with the new flange-fit composite body, which will be mandatory in the series by 2019.

“We weren’t quite where we wanted to be on the short runs, but good enough to be right there,” said Keselowski, who won for the second time this season, the fourth time at the .75-mile track and the 36th time in his career. “We just hung with him and got the long runs and we were able to pounce.

“That’s a testament to the team. (NBC Sports Analyst Jeff) Burton was asking me if it was the setup or the driver. I think it was both. I’m happy to get another win in this series. It’s a lot of fun and the first one in these new bodies. At least you know it isn’t an aero advantage. A great night at Richmond. I’m proud of my whole team.”

The cars of Keselowski and Busch were the clear class of the field, but behind them, series regular Elliott Sadler rolled home in fifth place and clinched the regular-season championship, along with the bonus of 15 playoff points that goes with it.

“We’re getting ourselves in playoff form,” said Sadler, who locked up the title with one race left in the regular season. “We’re fired up and ready to go.”

Making his last XFINITY start of the season, Busch had to settle for second.

“We just didn’t have long-run speed,” said Busch, who lost the lead for the final time in heavy traffic through Turns 1 and 2, after leading on five occasions for a total of 182 laps. “It”s tough to finish second, especially in the last go-round for the year.”

Ty Dillon ran third, followed by Daniel Hemric, Sadler, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Justin Allgaier and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt’s No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was the last car on the lead lap, thanks to the long green-flag run to finish the race — the same long run Keselowski was so glad to see.

Note: The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Matt Tifft was found have a lug nut violation in a post-race check. Tifft finished 13th in the race. Any potential penalties, typically a fine to the team’s crew chief, will be announced next week.

Posted on September 8, 2017September 8, 2017 by Staff Report

Take a look at where your favorite driver will pit for Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Richmond Raceway.

Posted on September 8, 2017September 9, 2017 by RJ Kraft

RICHMOND, Va. – Fast facts and figures ahead of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway. With 13 playoff spots locked up, three drivers will punch their postseason tickets following this race to complete the 16-driver field.

At a glance
What: Federated Auto Parts 400
Where: Richmond (Va.) Raceway, 0.75-mile oval
Green flag: 7:44 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Forecast: Mostly clear, 65 degrees at green flag time. North wind 3 to 5 mph, according to NOAA.gov
National anthem: The President’s Own
Grand Marshal: Cliff Havis
Race distance: 400 laps, 300 miles
Pit road speed: 40 mph
Caution car speed: 45 mph
Stage lengths: Stage 1 ends on Lap 100. Stage 2 ends on Lap 200. Final Stage scheduled to end on Lap 400.
Playoff spots already clinched (13): Ryan Blaney, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Martin Truex Jr (regular-season champion).

Bubble Watch: Where the bubble drivers will line up | RELATED: Full starting lineup

Driver	*Starting Spot*	*Current playoff position* *(entering Saturday’s race)*
Chase Elliott	9th	In, a repeat winner locks him in
Matt Kenseth	1st	In, a repeat winner locks him in
Jamie McMurray	11th	In, a repeat winner locks him in
Clint Bowyer	13th	Out, needs a win
Erik Jones	10th	Out, needs a win
Joey Logano	12th	Out, needs a win
Daniel Suarez	16th	Out, needs a win
Trevor Bayne	18th	Out, needs a win
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	21st	Out, needs a win
Paul Menard	26th	Out, needs a win
Ty Dillon	32nd	Out, needs a win
Chris Buescher	24th	Out, needs a win
Michael McDowell	28th	Out, needs a win
AJ Allmendinger	22nd	Out, needs a win
Danica Patrick	19th	Out, needs a win
David Ragan	29th	Out, needs a win
Aric Almirola	23rd	Out, needs a win

Posted on September 8, 2017January 21, 2022 by Reid Spencer

RICHMOND, Va. – In need of a playoff spot next week and a place to drive next year, Matt Kenseth stormed to the pole position for Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM).

Kenseth covered the .75-mile distance in 22.055 seconds (122.421 mph) in the final round of Friday’s knockout qualifying session to edge Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin (122.277 mph) for the top starting spot by .026 seconds.

The Coors Light Pole Award was Kenseth’s second of the season – both coming at Richmond – his third at the “D”-shaped short track and 20th of his career.

Winless in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series so far this season, Kenseth is one of three drivers who can secure a berth in the postseason on points.

Kenseth will exit his ride at JGR at the end of the season and thus far has not announced plans for next year. But Friday’s pole run was an emphatic statement that the 45-year-old is still quick.

“The third round, it didn’t feel as good, but luckily it was fast enough,” said Kenseth, who is driving the No. 20 Hurricane Harvey Relief Toyota in the final regular-season race. “We missed the balance a little bit there, but it was fast enough to get the pole…

“I’m hoping for the best. I thought we were at our best this morning (in practice) when the track was the coolest and the cleanest. As it got hotter, we ran worse. So I guess that gives me hope that we’ll have speed tomorrow night.”

Hamlin’s final lap produced a better result than the driver expected when he ran it.

“I thought it would be a little worse than it ended up,” said Hamlin, last week’s winner at Darlington Raceway. “I didn’t drive the laps as good as I probably could have and probably gotten the pole. Either way, a good run. We improved every round.

“And, obviously, we’re hoping for long green-flag runs. That’s typically where I excel at this race track. All in all, a pretty good day.”

Kurt Busch qualified third, followed by Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. All three drivers, including Kenseth, who can make the playoff of points advanced to the final round on Friday. Chase Elliott will start ninth and Jamie McMurray 11th.

Two drivers who must win on Saturday to claim a playoff spot also cracked the top 12. Despite missing the first hour of Friday’s final practice because of pre-qualifying and pre-race inspection failures last week at Darlington, Erik Jones qualified 10th.

Joey Logano, whose April 30 win at Richmond was encumbered by penalty, grabbed the 12th spot on the grid.

“We just had too much fall-off,” said Logano, who was third fastest in the first round. “The first run was almost the fastest car, within a couple hundredths (of a second), and then the next run we were a tenth-and-a-half off, and then next run three-tenths off.

“Too much fall-off from run to run. I don’t know that I completely understand why, but that’s where we will start, so it doesn’t much matter now.”

Nevertheless, Logano isn’t discounting his chances to barge into the 16-driver playoff field with a victory.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” he said. “I think we’re OK. Our long-run speed looked to be OK. I don’t think we are lights-out fast, but I think we’re close enough that we can certainly make it interesting on everyone.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified 21st for his final start at Richmond in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Posted on September 8, 2017January 19, 2022 by @KESELOWSKI

HARRISBURG, N.C. — When AJ Allmendinger hits the golf course, it’s just him, the range and a few balls.

There’s no team, no pit crew, no car that may or may not run as planned.

In a world of racing that moves quite quickly, Allmendinger embraces that simplicity.

“We live in a sport where there’s race cars, there’s pit stops, there’s so many variables that can go right or wrong and it’s not solely based on you,” Allmendinger told NASCAR.com from the JTG Daughterty Racing shop. “As a team — and I think people kind of forget that this is one of the biggest team sports that there is. You see the race cars on Sunday and just the drivers and the pit crews and think, oh it’s still on them … but it’s a huge team sport.

“So, with golf, I love the mental side of it, that it’s just you. The only way you’re going to get better is to go out and put the work in. There’s no substitute for that — you can’t blame anybody else out there.”

Allmendinger began golfing around eight years ago when a friend at a former Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team encouraged him to hit the links. At first, he resisted. But after a trip to the course, he became enamored with the sport, and has really gotten into it the past three years.

Now, that competitive streak seen on race tracks around the country every weekend during the season has extended to the greens.

“I’m hugely competitive with just myself,” the 35-year-old admitted. “And that’s what it’s all about. Whether it’s on the race track or whatever I’m doing, I’m competitive with myself. You want to beat the other competitors that you’re around or playing with on the golf course, but in the end, for me it’s all about setting my goals and setting where I think I should be at and go out there and try to achieve that.”

But “once a racer, always a racer” rings true here, too — even in a mentally captivating game like golf. For drivers, putting aside problems at the shop, upcoming races and recent events on track is challenging, even for a few moments.

Like golf, racing drains a great deal of mental stamina.

“I love to say that I get my mind off of racing but I really don’t because racing never really truly leaves,” Allmendinger said. “Maybe I can put it in the back of my brain, but it’s always there. But it’s nice to be able to go out there and just try to get away from it for a little bit. Or work on something else to try to get better.

“That’s something that, whether it’s good or bad, because I punish myself sometimes, but it’s always trying to get better at whatever I’m doing. So, that’s always the goal.”

His next goal? To get his JTG Daugherty Racing teammate Chris Buescher to play a few rounds with him.

“I’m trying to — he’s more of, wants to go play in the mud, go buggy-riding, (has) gotta go fishing,” Allmendinger said with a grin. “He’s got that personality where he can kind of just sit back and relax and I’m always having to go and do something.

“I’ve got time, though — I’ll work on it. I’ll wear him down slowly.”

Posted on September 8, 2017September 8, 2017 by Staff Report

NASCAR notified teams that it will seek the firmest penalty currently available for a specific rear suspension violation after observing a rules infraction trend developing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series.

Effective immediately, any penalty associated with the Section 20.14.2 Rear Suspension I-4 portion of the NASCAR Rule Book found in post-race inspection will be elevated to the maximum L1-level penalty.

The maximum penalty includes: an encumbered finish, the loss of 40 driver and owner points, a $75,000 crew chief fine ($40,000 in the XFINITY Series) and the suspension of both the team’s crew chief and car chief from the next three championship points events.

Three violations of the Section 20.14.2 Rear Suspension I-4 rule were discovered during post-race inspection following Darlington weekend. The race-winning No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Monster Energy Series team, along with the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing XFINITY Series team and No. 22 Team Penske XFINITY Series team, all were issued penalties.

Denny Hamlin won both the Monster Energy Series and XFINITY Series Darlington races, in the No. 11 and No. 18, respectively. Joey Logano drove the No. 22 XFINITY Series car to a runner-up finish.

The sanctioning body’s observations of trends show teams are spending significant effort attempting to gain an advantage in the this particular area, and it believes an increase in penalties will curtail those actions.

Posted on September 8, 2017September 8, 2017 by Holly Cain

Dale Earnhardt Jr. seemed calm and collected for a driver about to make his final regular-season start without his regular crew chief atop the pit box. And that good zen, he insists, actually says a lot about his No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet team.

“I think we’re going to be fine,’’ Earnhardt said Friday at Richmond Raceway, insisting the back-up plan for his team relies on a lot of competent people — some perhaps getting a prime-time opportunity to shine and to step up.

NASCAR suspended Earnhardt’s regular crew chief Greg Ives for Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 400 regular-season finale after Earnhardt’s car was found to have a safety violation (improperly installed lug nuts) after last weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway.

In Ives’ place is longtime Hendrick employee Travis Mack, 34, Earnhardt’s current car chief and a former XFINITY Series championship crew chief at JR Motorsports while working with Chase Elliott.

Earnhardt seemed very confident in Mack’s ability to handle the crew chief duties this weekend.

“I like him a lot,’’ Earnhardt said. “When we got the news about Greg, I said, ‘I think Travis is the guy you put in charge.’”

Further, Earnhardt said, “I think Travis certainly paid his dues and has a ton of ambition. It’s like you’re pulling the reins on him all the time, saying, ‘Be patient. Your time is coming. You’re going to get these opportunities.’

“He’s just all the time seeking out what he needs to be doing and who he needs to be talking to. He asks for advice all the time. …I’ve worked with him a long time and he’s always been a very productive employee. He takes care of the company which is important.”

Despite his calm demeanor, the 42-year old Earnhardt acknowledged this is a crucial weekend for his team. Ranked 22nd in the points standings — well below the 16th-place final playoff spot – and without a playoff-qualifying win so far, Earnhardt will need to hoist some hardware Saturday night to close out his Cup career with a shot at a title.

He has three wins at Richmond – all in the spring race – and he hasn’t won here since 2006.

He finished 30th here in May, however finished fourth in his last start in this race in 2015 (he missed last year’s race recovering from a concussion).

“It’s competitive as hell out there,’’ he said. “You’ve got to push as hard as you can.’’

Granted, the circumstances the No. 88 team faces this week make that mission more complicated, but perhaps prevailing against the odds is exactly the kind of boost the team could use.

“There’s nobody that fills that the way Greg does, so in the hauler we’ll feel that void and absence,’’ Earnhardt said. “He has the ability to be that voice of reason and obviously, he’s the leader of the team.

“With that said, I was watching practice and the teamwork and listening to Travis and our second engineer and the guys — and all of them are much more vocal than (they) usually are any other weekend.

“And in my opinion, I plan to give them this advice: ‘I think that’s what they need to be doing every week, even when Greg is here. To be more supportive and active.’

“Everyone on the team has to sort of raise it up a level with the situation we’re in here and I think that’s what we could be doing going forward that will help the whole team.

“It’s been good to see, but I think if Greg were here in the garage to actually see it, he’d think, ‘This is how the guys need to be every week. This is what we need out of every individual every week. No idea is a bad idea – it’s an all-hands on deck kinda thing.”