Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full race results

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 22nd in his final Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway as a full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver.

Earnhardt’s night, and the night for his No. 88 team, got worse post-race after NASCAR officials found two lug nuts unsecured on his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet during post-race inspection.

Two unsecured lug nuts will result in a $20,000 fine and one-race suspension for crew chief Greg Ives, as suggested in the NASCAR Rule Book. That means Ives likely will miss the regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway — Earnhardt’s final chance to win and punch his ticket into the playoffs in his last season.

“We’ll work through that,” Earnhardt said on his Periscope after the race. “It doesn’t concern me about this team. This team can handle this type of stuff. Greg can handle it. He’s a tough guy. We’ll get through that. It happens.”

Any official penalties will be announced later in the week.

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Buy Truex Jr. gear

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Martin Truex Jr. aptly described his Labor Day Sunday as “bittersweet,” with just cause to celebrate and reasons aplenty for dejection.

There was some satisfaction to be had with the sting at Darlington Raceway, a regular-season title lauding Truex’s yearlong accomplishments. But his shot at defending his Bojangles’ Southern 500 crown in one of the season’s most demanding events ended with a blown right-front tire near the end and a grinding scrape for his Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota against the Turn 3 wall.

“I was kind of out there caught up driving my guts out at the end trying to hang on,” Truex said after limping to an eighth-place finish behind eventual race winner Denny Hamlin. “It’s unfortunate we blew the tire, but really proud of everybody on this team for an amazing season so far, and to lock up the regular-season points is a huge accomplishment for us, for our team. I feel like we’ve come a long way in just a few years together and continue to climb.

“Proud of everybody. Wish we could have won, but that’s the breaks. Sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don’t, and tonight we come up a little short. But definitely a lot to be proud of.”

RELATED: Truex expresses disappointment

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship, instituted this year, hands Truex a 15-playoff-point bonus to his already commanding tally. Combined with his two stage wins Sunday night (his series-leading 16th and 17th this season), he heads to next weekend’s regular-season finale at Richmond with 52 playoff points — a heavy advantage as he enters the closing 10-race stretch.

“Oh, we’ve had a great year,” said Cole Pearn, third-year crew chief for the No. 78 team. “We’ve been good every week and managed to not have too many mishaps and added consistency. I think that’s a real credit to the team, and hopefully we can keep that rolling into the playoffs.”

Truex’s four-win season was in prime position of becoming five at Darlington. He led five times for 76 of the 367 laps, and — as has become customary during Truex’s regular-season tear — his time up front was strategically planned at the end of the race’s first two stages.

Truex seemed to have optimal timing again near the finish, springing to the lead shortly after the final exchange of pit stops in the closing 102-lap run of green-flag racing. Hamlin gradually chopped into the lead, setting up a potential classic contest for the lead. But Truex’s tire gave way, allowing Hamlin to scoot by and lead the final three circuits.

“Tough one to take that way, but it is what it is,” Pearn said. “Hell of a car, proud of the effort. This one stings a bit.”

Truex’s consolation prize at least came at an appropriate venue. Post-race, he referenced clinching his first NASCAR championship in what’s now the XFINITY Series here, back with Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2004. He followed that season with another XFINITY title, launching his career toward a star turn in NASCAR’s premier series.

“To do it here again tonight was really cool,” Truex said. “It was just kind of a neat connection. Darlington has been good to me. I love coming here, and for that reason I guess it’s a little bit extra special to do it here tonight.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full results | Series standings | Playoff standings | Detailed breakdown
SHOP: Hamlin gear

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Denny Hamlin made a huge mistake Sunday night.

Then the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota made an even bigger comeback to win one of NASCAR’s most prestigious races.

Running down race leader Martin Truex Jr. from 20 seconds back after missing the entrance to pit road on Lap 313 of 367, Hamlin won the Bojangles’ Southern 500 for the second time, finishing off a sweep of the throwback Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series/NASCAR XFINITY Series weekend at Darlington Raceway.

On tires that were 10 laps fresher than Truex’s, Hamlin exited pit road in 14th-place on Lap 315 after missing the entrance the first time, and methodically began to chop into Truex’s lead. With just over two laps left, Hamlin was closing fast, as Truex was fighting to maintain control of his car on worn-out rubber.

RELATED: Hamlin misses pit road, loses lead

Truex grazed the wall on Lap 365, then cut a tire and bounced off the wall again as Hamlin rushed past. Two laps later, Hamlin had his second victory of the season and the 31st of his career.

Hamlin beat JGR teammate Kyle Busch to the finish line by 2.599 seconds as Truex faded to eighth after clinching the regular-season championship by winning the first two stages of the race.

“That’s as hard as I can drive,” said Hamlin, whose Camry sported a paint scheme paying tribute to renowned modified driver Ray Hendrick. “What can I say — it’s the ‘Flying 11.’ It means everything to me. I mean, as far as I’m concerned, this is a throwback to my history – this is for Ray Hendrick, Bugs Hairfield, Wayne Patterson, Eddie Johnson, the short track guys that I grew up watching.

“This was a throwback to them. Back in 1985 and 1989, I was at Southside Speedway in the stands watching them race and learning everything I could from them, and this is a throwback to them and their history.”

Hamlin last won the Bojangles’ Southern 500 in 2010, when he also achieved a two-race sweep. In the last seven runnings of the event, Hamlin has finished in the top six on six occasions.

But, under the circumstances, Sunday night’s win was one to savor.

“This one’s sweeter,” he acknowledged, “going through the adversity we did.”

Hamlin was pushing hard to get to pit road on Lap 313 when he came in too hot and had to steer his car back onto the track to avoid a commitment violation or contact with the barrels at the head of pit road. Hamlin termed it “kind of a rookie move,” but over the closing laps he more than atoned for the mistake.

Truex didn’t have the dominant car in the first two stages, but he won both, despite leading just 34 of the first 200 laps. And when Truex took the green/checkered flag under caution at the end of the second 100-lap stage, he clinched the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship.

With a 15-playoff-point bonus for that accomplishment, Truex increased his playoff point total to a series-best 52, giving the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota a huge leg up toward advancing through the early rounds of the playoff.

But Truex, the defending winner of the event, was disappointed he couldn’t hold on to the top spot for two more laps.

RELATED: Truex expresses disappointment

“It was definitely a bittersweet night for us, to come up just two laps short there, blow a tire at the end after having no issues with tires all night and having such a good race car,” Truex said. “I don’t know if that last run was the longest one we made all night. I’m not really sure, to be honest. I was kind of out there caught up driving my guts out at the end trying to hang on.

“It’s unfortunate we blew the tire, but really proud of everybody on this team for an amazing season so far, and to lock up the regular-season points is a huge accomplishment for us, for our team. I feel like we’ve come a long way in just a few years together and continue to climb.”

Clint Bowyer suffered an engine failure and fell out of the race after 18 laps, leaving the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing team with but one path into the playoffs — a victory next Saturday night at Richmond.

RELATED: Bowyer’s playoff hopes take a hit

“It just blew up,” Bowyer lamented after taking his Ford to the garage. “It’s a pretty inopportune time to have it happen, but it’s never a good time. Doug Yates and all the guys over at his (Roush-Yates Engines) shop do such a good job of bringing us reliable, good horsepower, and it was just my time.

“It was my turn, and there isn’t much you can do about it. Obviously, the way the playoffs look right now, we’re not out of this thing. We’ve still got a good race track coming up for us. We’ll just go there and do the best we can and put all the cards on the table over there.”

 

 

Posted on by Staff Report

What channel is NASCAR programming on this week? We answer that and provide all the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

All Monster Energy Series and XFINITY Series events are also live streamed online on the NBC Sports App, which can be accessed here. Events that are only available on NBC Sports App are noted below.

RELATED: Watch on the NBC Sports App |  How to find CNBC on your TV

Monday, September 4
4 a.m., Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Tuesday, September 5
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Wednesday, September 6
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, September 7
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Series: Toyota Mod Classic 150, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series East: Visit Hampton Virginia 150, NBCSN

Friday, September 8
8 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Richmond, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)
10 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Richmond, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
11 a.m., NASCAR Whelen Modified Series: Toyota Mod Classic 150, NBCSN
12 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice at Richmond, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
4 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying at Richmond, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO)
5:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying at Richmond, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
7 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green: Richmond, NBCSN
7:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
10 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Post Race at Richmond, NBCSN

Saturday, September 9
3 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: The 1987 Winston 500, FS1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Richmond, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
7 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green: Richmond, NBCSN
7:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 4)
11 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Post Race, NBCSN
11:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN


Posted on by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: See the races at Richmond

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series descend upon Richmond Raceway for a doubleheader weekend of NASCAR action. The 16-driver playoff field for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be set following this race.

Monster Energy Series and XFINITY Series events are also live streamed online on the NBC Sports App, which can be accessed here. Check out the full on-track weekend schedule below.

Note: All times are ET

SATURDAY, September 9

ON TRACK
7:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 (400 laps, 300 miles), NBCSN (Results) (Canada: TSN 4)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
approx. 11 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

FRIDAY, September 8

ON TRACK
8-9:55 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, NBC Sports App (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
10-10:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, NBCSN (Results) (Canada: TSN 2)
12-1:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN (Results) (Canada: TSN 2)
4:15 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN (Results) (Canada: TSN GO)
5:45 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, NBCSN (Results) (Canada: TSN 2)
7:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Virginia529 College Savings 250 (250 laps, 187.5 miles), NBCSN (Results)(Canada: TSN 2)

GARAGECAM (Watch replay)
11:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
9 a.m.: Joey Logano
9:15 a.m.: Matt Kenseth
11 a.m.: Elliott Sadler, William Byron
11:15 a.m.: Denny Hamlin
1:50 p.m.: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2:20 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
3:15: Erik Jones
6:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying
10 p.m.: Post-NASCAR XFINITY Series race

Posted on by Staff Report

MORE: Full Stage 2 results

Defending race winner Martin Truex Jr. won his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series-leading 17th stage of the season when his No. 78 Furnture Row Racing Toyota led after Stage 2 ended on Lap 200 in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Truex Jr. took the lead on Lap 179 and was not challenged for the lead the remainder of the stage. Stage 2 ended under caution when the yellow flag came out on Lap 196 for a spin by the No. 83 Toyota of Gray Gaulding.

Denny Hamlin finished second in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five.

Daniel Suarez’s No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota suffered damage when the right front tire went down on Lap 124. He did not return to the race.

Another caution came on Lap 155 when the No. 47 Chevrolet of AJ Allmendinger and the No. 32 Ford of  Matt DiBenedetto collided in Turn 1. Cody Ware’s No. 51 Chevrolet also suffered damage.

Stage 3 is scheduled to end on Lap 367.

 

Finish Driver Team Race points
1.  Martin Truex Jr.  Furniture Row Racing 10
2.  Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing 9
3.  Kevin Harvick  Stewart-Haas Racing 8
4.  Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing 7
5.  Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing 6
6.  Brad Keselowski  Team Penske 5
7.  Kurt Busch  Stewart-Haas Racing 4
8.  Jamie McMurray  Chip Ganassi Racing 3
9.  Austin Dillon  Richard Childress Racing 2
10.  Matt Kenseth  Joe Gibbs Racing 1

 

MORE: Full Stage 1 results

Martin Truex Jr. won his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series-leading 16th stage of the season when his No. 78 Furnture Row Racing Toyota led after Stage 1 ended on Lap 100 in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Truex Jr. zoomed past Kyle Larson’s No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet at the start/finish line to secure the stage win.

Larson finished second. Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five.

Trouble from “The Lady in Black” hit several cars early, most significantly knocking Clint Bowyer out of the race on Lap 20 after his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford suffered mechanical problems that necessitated it being towed to the garage.

Additionally, Ryan Blaney went down two laps early when he smacked into the outside wall with his No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford and had to come to pit road on Lap 7 to fix a tire rub.

Two cautions were from damage to the No. 6 Ford of Trevor Bayne, the No. 47 Chevrolet of AJ Allmendinger and the No. 17 Ford of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Stage 2 ends on Lap 200. Stage 3 is scheduled to end on Lap 367.

 

Finish Driver Team Race points
1.  Martin Truex Jr.  Furniture Row Racing 10
2.  Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing 9
3.  Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing 8
4.  Kevin Harvick  Stewart-Haas Racing 7
5.  Brad Keselowski  Team Penske 6
6.  Erik Jones  Furniture Row Racing 5
7.  Jamie McMurray  Chip Ganassi Racing 4
8.  Joey Logano  Team Penske 3
9.  Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing 2
10.  Austin Dillon  Richard Childress Racing 1

 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Playoff standings

Clint Bowyer’s playoff chances were dealt a significant blow Sunday, with his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Ford expiring early and ending its day in the garage at Darlington Raceway.

Bowyer and the team indicated that engine failure was the cause of his last-place finish in the Bojangles’ Southern 500.

“As soon as I flipped the switch back on, it sounded terrible and I knew it was blowing up,” Bowyer told NBCSN after completing just 18 laps. “Kind of the nature of the beast for me at Darlington. To be out like this this early pretty much sucks.”

 

Bowyer initially reported to his crew that his car felt as if it was out of gas, according to NBCSN, and his car filled with smoke. The No. 14 Ford was pushed to the garage, where the issue was diagnosed as terminal.

Bowyer, who entered this penultimate regular-season race 58 points below the playoff cutoff line, faces a must-win situation in the regular-season finale Saturday night at Richmond Raceway. Bowyer has won twice on the .75-mile Virginia track.

 

“Obviously, the way the playoffs look right now, we’re not out of this thing,” Bowyer said. “We’ve still got a good race track coming up for us. We’ll just go there and do the best we can and put all the cards on the table over there.”

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: See every car, paint scheme in the field

And the winner is … Danica Patrick.

Her No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion was named the best throwback paint scheme this year at Darlington Raceway’s annual throwback weekend.

Patrick’s car sports a blue-and-red look that honors Robert Yates Racing, specifically the car Dale Jarrett drove to a championship in 1999.

Patrick was one of the 10 drivers NASCAR.com revealed as the top vote-getters last week. That group of cars, which also included Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88, Chase Elliott’s No. 24 and Brad Keselowski’s No. 2, among others, were presented to a group of NASCAR Hall of Famer members, who then voted on their favorite.

Darlington and the collective NASCAR industry honor the 1985-89 era this year, the third consecutive throwback weekend at the “Track Too Tough to Tame.” Previous winners of the best paint scheme vote are Kyle Larson (2015, Kyle Petty-inspired Mello Yello) and Tony Stewart (2016, Bobby Allison-inspired Coca-Cola).

Posted on by NASCAR Wire Service

RELATED: Complete results | Playoff picture | Detailed breakdown | Every 2017 winner

BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO – Canadian Tire Motorsport Park has a knack for hosting dramatic finishes, and Austin Cindric created one of his own in today’s Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

A dramatic last-lap incident saw Cindric push his No. 19 Brad Keselowski Racing Ford into the back of the No. 33 GMS Racing Chevrolet of Kaz Grala to push his way past and punch his ticket into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs by claiming his first victory of the year.

Cindric started the final lap of the 64-lap race less than a truck length behind Grala, and by the time the two rookie racers had reached the back of the circuit at Turn 5 they were nose to tailgate. Cindric made square front-to-back contact with Grala and sent him sideways, which allowed him to move past into the lead and, eventually, into Victory Lane.

“I wanted to pass him clean because I’m all about that,” Cindric said. “I feel like this is what NASCAR racing is about. You have to win to make a playoff position. You can’t finish second.

“Everyone (who has won at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) made the move in the last corner. I figured I might as well change that.”

Noah Gragson in the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota squeezed by Grala’s skid to finish in second-place, while Grala recovered and ended the day in third.

RELATED: Grala: ‘That was a dump and run’ | Gragson’s emotional reaction to second

“He didn’t even attempt to pass,” Grala said of the incident. “He just drove right in there and used me as his brakes, turned me straight around and gave me no opportunity.

“Just a dirty move. I’ve got a lot of respect for him as a road course racer but lost a lot today.”

Cindric’s victory was made all the more remarkable by how much ground he was forced to recover due to a mid-race penalty. After starting on the pole and winning a caution-free first stage – which earned him his first playoff point of the season – he pitted on Lap 32 and left his stall with the fuel canister still attached, drawing a stop-and-go penalty. Due to the length of the 2.45-mile road course he was able to stay on the lead lap, but he rejoined deep in the field.

By five laps in to the final stage, he had worked his way back into top 10. Five laps later, he was back in the top five. And after he pushed his way past Gragson for second on lap 61, he was able to make steady gains over the final three laps to position himself to make his move on Grala.

Rounding out the top 10 were Justin Haley, Ryan Truex, Johnny Sauter, Chase Briscoe, Parker Kligerman, Austin Wayne Self, and Ben Rhodes.

The Chevrolet Silverado 250 was the second-last race before the start of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs. The final chance for drivers to earn a berth comes in two weeks at the Chicagoland 225, which will run on Friday, September 15th.

Posted on by Staff Report

MORE: Darlington’s starting lineup

Fifth Third Bank announced today at Darlington Raceway that it renewed its primary sponsorship of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

The deal is for multiple years and continues a relationship between the parties that started in 2012.

“I’m so appreciative to continue racing with Fifth Third Bank on the car. It’s great to have partners who believe in the sport and are committed long-term to supporting the business of racing,” Stenhouse said in a team release.

Stenhouse qualified for the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and has two wins on the season, both in Fifth Third livery.

Stenhouse will make his 173rd career Monster Energy Cup Series start at Darlington, where the No. 17 Fifth Third Ford features a throwback paint scheme inspired by a Darrell Waltrip 1997 paint scheme.

“It’s a privilege to continue our relationship with Fifth Third Bank,” Steve Newmark, president of Roush Fenway Racing, said in a release. “There are few sponsors in NASCAR who have as deep of an understanding of the industry and whose primary objective is to serve the well being of businesses and individuals in the sport.”