Stage lengths for Michigan and Gateway

Posted on June 15, 2017June 15, 2017 by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: See the Michigan races | See the Trucks in Gateway
RELATED: Full schedule for Michigan and Gateway weekend

All three NASCAR national series are in action this weekend, but at two sites. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series will travel to Michigan International Speedway, while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will tangle at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Below are the stage lengths for each race. Click here to bookmark stage lengths for every race this season.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (Race is Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FS1)

Stage 1: Ends on Lap 60
Stage 2: Ends on Lap 120
Final Stage: Scheduled to end on Lap 200

NASCAR XFINITY Series (Race is Saturday, 1:30 p.m. ET, FS1)

Stage 1: Ends on Lap 30
Stage 2: Ends on Lap 60
Final Stage: Scheduled to end on Lap 125

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (Race is Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET, FS1)

Stage 1: Ends on Lap 35
Stage 2: Ends on Lap 70
Final Stage: Scheduled to end on Lap 160

Posted on June 15, 2017June 16, 2017 by RJ Kraft

Photo credit: Jamie McMurray’s Twitter account, @jamiemcmurray. Also pictured are Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Brennan Poole and Tyler Reddick.

Editor’s note: This story is part of our Fit Row series that focuses on the health and fitness aspects of racing and its superstar drivers. Presented by Lilly Diabetes, the exclusive diabetes health partner of NASCAR, the series will feature 10 themed stories.

CONCORD, N.C. — Drivers are riding around in the garage a lot these days. They just aren’t necessarily riding what you might expect.

Cycling has become the activity of choice for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers looking for a workout. Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth are part of a brigade of drivers — which also includes Trevor Bayne, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and others — partaking in cycling as a way to improve their physical fitness.

“It’s unbelievable the amount of people that are buying bikes and that are cycling,” McMurray told NASCAR.com at Charlotte Motor Speedway last month. “Dale Jr. started a Group Meet — and you can add basically anyone you want to it. It’s every team member, crew chief, driver. Everyone that is in NASCAR is a part of this. You get on there and you say I am going to go ride and this is where we are meeting at and people will show up.”

McMurray frequently rides with Kenseth and Johnson in between practice and qualifying sessions on a race weekend, which takes a high amount of dedication. The three participated in last month’s Assault on Mt. Mitchell bike ride, where McMurray got the best of both his Monster Energy Series competitors.

In the 102.7-mile ride from Spartanburg, South Carolina, along the Blue Ridge Parkway to the summit of Mt. Mitchell State Park in North Carolina, McMurray edged Johnson by three minutes. McMurray said his participation in the Assault on Mt. Mitchell came at Johnson’s urging.

“I was actually on a ride one day with Jimmie with six to eight people – it was maybe like my 10th ride ever on a road bike and Jimmie was like ‘Hey man, you should do the Assault on Mt. Mitchell.’ And I was like, ‘yeah, I should. That would be fun. I’ll do it.’

“I slowed down to let a couple bikes go to get back to get to where Josh (Wise) was and I was like ‘what’s Mitchell? What does that mean?’ ”

Wise, who has competed in Ironman competitions and has 10 years of experience as a driver in NASCAR’s national series, is working with Chip Ganassi Racing “to help with all the drivers’ fitness programs,” McMurray said. Wise helped put together a plan for McMurray that included six– and four-hour bike rides to train for Mt. Mitchell. McMurray estimated he rode a bike, ran or did something for 90 days – with Sundays being the exception – to get ready for the event.

The 41-year-old Missouri native also likes that he doesn’t lose his family time to participate in cycling. Away from the track, McMurray can get his workout and training in while his two kids are at school. On top of that, he feels riding has a mental benefit when in the car on Sundays.

“As you get fatigued and you got hot, if will make you think clearly and make better decisions and I don’t know that you can measure that,” McMurray said.

McMurray has come a long way after admitting he never felt comfortable on a mountain bike. However, a chat with Kenseth led to McMurray purchasing a Peloton Indoor Bike and riding it for 30 to 45 minutes a day. The end result was that he lost “a bunch of weight” and eventually with the help of Wise started riding a road bike that McMurray “became a little bit obsessed with.”

And while the fitness aspect is very important, McMurray added the social aspect of riding is key too.

“The social aspect of cycling — you can go out for an hour to two-hour ride and it goes by really fast,” McMurray said. “You do a little talking but you are also getting just a really good workout. The amount of calories you can burn and your fitness level goes through the roof and you have a really good time doing it.”

Posted on June 15, 2017June 15, 2017 by

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: FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway

Date: June 18, 3 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Previous five results at Michigan: 39th, 10th, 2nd, 5th, 7th

Notable: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has two wins at Michigan, the latest victory on June 17, 2012. In that race, Earnhardt started 17th and led for 95 laps. He has the fifth-highest driver rating (96.0) at the 2-mile track with an average finish of 13.2 since 2005.

Memorable: Earnhardt said, according to a 2014 tweet, he had one of his favorite races in the Irish Hills. It was a 1999 IROC (International Race of Champions) race, where he battled neck-and-neck against a high-profile driver: his father. Earnhardt Jr., though, came in second by inches to his dad. The race wasn’t a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event, but father and son displayed a fierce, albeit friendly, competition and an enduring familial tie to the sport.

Quotable: “Michigan is a great track,” Earnhardt said in a team release. “I look forward to it aging and widening out. As that happens, the track loses grip. Before they paved it, we were running down next to the apron and against the wall. That is all you can ask for when you’re talking racetracks and what drivers like about them.”

Posted on June 14, 2017June 15, 2017 by Staff Report

Hendrick Motorsports unveiled a special throwback paint scheme for its No. 5 Chevrolet on Wednesday afternoon, paying tribute to the team’s earliest days in NASCAR.

Kasey Kahne will drive the retro look in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Sept. 3 at Darlington Raceway, site of the sport’s annual celebration of all things vintage.

ISC Archives via Getty Images

The yellow-and-white design borrows its style from the Levi Garrett-backed No. 5 that Geoff Bodine drove for team owner Rick Hendrick from 1985-89.

Bodine won four times in the yellow livery, including a victory in the 1986 Daytona 500.

Great Clips steps in as the primary sponsor for the remake, but all other cues — including the early typeface for the No. 5 — remain in place. A Hendrick Motorsports spokesperson indicated that Kahne and crew chief Keith Rodden had a hand in determining the car’s look and feel.

Posted on June 14, 2017June 14, 2017 by Pat DeCola

BOSTON – Danica Patrick arrived at Charlestown’s Warren Prescott K-8 School on Wednesday morning to a sea of students chanting her name in unison, a DJ blaring top 40 hits and New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s Milo the Moose leading the charge in the dance circle.

The scene was electric for 10 a.m. on hump day in the middle of June, considering most kids would be counting down the days and minutes until summer vacation hits.

That’s what “DAN-I-CA! DAN-I-CA!” means to NASCAR’s younger demographic of fans.

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually had a welcoming like that, ever,” Patrick told the crowd, shortly after being serenaded by the school’s chorus with a pretty spot-on rendition of American Authors’ “Best Day of My Life.” That song choice surely wasn’t a coincidence.

Patrick responded by announcing to the school that all of its students would be gifted tickets to the upcoming Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton’s 301 at NHMS (July 16, 3 p.m. ET, NBCSN), for which she was in the Bay State promoting.

NHMS photo

They went wild yet again.

“I’ll tell you what, those kids were really loud,” said Patrick, fresh off her two best results of the season at Dover and Pocono. “I think it’s one of those moments that’s surreal and looking back, those are going to be the kinds of moments where it’s like ‘Wow, that really happened and kids cheered that loud.’

“And they know my name, first of all. They even know my name! And they’re cheering for (me). It was really nice to have that. It made me feel important for a second.”

It wouldn’t be the last stop of the day where everybody “knows (her) name,” – the afternoon ended at the Boston bar Cheers Beacon Hill, inspiration for the long-running sitcom, “Cheers.” There, she filmed a spoof of the show for the track’s social media team with a cameo from NHMS vice president and general manager, David McGrath.

As fun as the Cheers segment was, her appearance was all about the students. Or, in this case, “teachers.”

Patrick, eight girls from the school, and an NHMS social media winner (a 5-year-old girl from Topsfield, Massachusetts) took a trolley decked out with New Hampshire Motor Speedway logos and graphics around one of America’s most historical cities, stopping at important locales from the American Revolution. These tours are typically guided by a jovial, knowledgeable driver, but this one had a catch – the eight girls had prepared notes, took the microphone from “Buck,” Wednesday’s driver, and gave history lessons to Patrick at a few stops along the Boston Freedom Trail.

“The kids are impressive,” said the Cup veteran. “They all prepared information for the different sites that we’ve been seeing around the city of historical importance. The school did such a great job of not only getting all the kids together and getting them excited, but also incorporating something educational along with it, and then adding public speaking on top of that. I mean, what a challenge.

“They did an incredible job.”

The trolley made stops at the Bunker Hill Monument, the statue of Samuel Adams behind Faneuil Hall and the Boston Public Garden, home of the famous swan boats.

After a quick trip around the pond located in the Garden, Patrick got down on a knee to be eye-to-eye with the girls and had a message: “Work hard and dream big.”

The girls were clearly moved.

“Days like today, when you hear that you’re an inspiration, that’s the good stuff,” Patrick said.

“That’s what makes me think that my work, while sometimes frustrating, is worth it.”

Posted on June 14, 2017June 14, 2017 by Jason Lofing

RELATED: 2017 iRacing

Cody Byus broke a long winless streak and won his first NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series race at Pocono Raceway on Tuesday night, surviving a green-white-checkered restart that wound up with over half the field, including championship frontrunner Ray Alfalla, crashed on the Long Pond straightaway.

Alex Bergeron navigated the wreck-filled conclusion to finish second after taking the white flag in seventh. Corey Vincent finished third, Logan Clampitt was fourth, and Zack Novak followed in fifth.

The finish was set up by a caution with 12 laps to go when Andrew Fayash and Kyle Putz crashed, erasing Byus’ large lead over Brian Schoenburg. Despite having 14 laps on his tires, Byus, along with eight others, did not pit, hoping their track position or another caution would help them maintain their spots at the front.

On the restart with seven laps to go the field only made it to Turn 3 when another crash collected about half a dozen cars, setting up a two-lap shootout. On the restart, Byus got the jump on Schoenburg, who was left to battle with Alfalla and Nick Ottinger for second. Ottinger got a run on Schoenburg off Turn 1 but when he got to Schoenburg’s bumper to help push him forward, the two cars were not lined up. The contact sent Schoenburg down the track into Alfalla which caused him to spin and crash into the inside wall. No caution was thrown and the race for second continued.

With Byus pulling away as he took the white flag, Ottinger and Alfalla continued to battle for second as the two headed to Turn 1. Alfalla got the better run off the corner, closed to Ottinger’s bumper, and made contact, sending Ottinger straight into the outside wall while Alfalla crashed hard into the inside wall. Ryan Luza, who was running fourth, clipped Ottinger and was disqualified for hitting the incident limit.

The trio’s hard luck left Alfalla in 26th, Ottinger in 28th, and Luza one stop farther behind in 30th.

Byus started on pole but fell to third after just one lap as Novak and Dylan Duval looked to have the cars to beat early on. A pit stop for tires and adjustments appeared to wake up Byus’ car, however, and on Lap 28 he took the lead from Duval who then blew his engine when he missed a shift entering Turn 3.

Byus continued to lead until another caution on Lap 46 erased his lead and cost him track position as some of the lead-lap cars had already pitted under green. Byus wasted little time regaining the ground he lost, and on Lap 64 he easily passed Schoenburg for the lead.

A similar chain of events happened again on Lap 71 when a caution again cost Byus the lead. This time only two drivers, David Rattler and Chris Shearburn, stayed out and Byus made quick work of both, taking the lead with 22 laps to go and leading the rest of the way.

For all the chaos that took place on the final laps, the championship battle remained close due to Alfalla and Luza both having trouble. Alfalla now leads Bobby Zalenski by eight points while Luza has fallen to 32 points behind. Clampitt’s top-five result closed him to within five points of Luza while Vincent rounds out the top five, 50 points behind Alfalla.

Next up for the NPAS is the inaugural visit to Sonoma Raceway. The series has run at Watkins Glen International the past three seasons, but Sonoma is a different beast. Ottinger and Alfalla have been strong on road courses in the past, but do not discount Michael Conti and the Stergios brothers, Jake and PJ. Can Luza or Alfalla bounce back from their poor results at Pocono, or will a surprise winner find Victory Lane at the treacherous 11-turn circuit? Be sure to follow the action live on iRacing Live to find out!

Posted on June 14, 2017June 18, 2017 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 times are ET.

Monday, June 19
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., Beyond the Wheel, FS1

Tuesday, June 20
1 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Scan All 43, NBCSN
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Wednesday, June 21
7:30 a.m., XFINITY Series Michigan 250 (re-air), FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, June 22
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Scan All 43, NBCSN
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Scan All 43, NBCSN
8 p.m., NASCAR Scan All 43, NBCSN

Friday, June 23
7:30 a.m., Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 (re-air), FS1
10 a.m., Camping World Truck Series practice at Iowa, FS1
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition, FS1
12 p.m., Camping World Truck Series final practice at Iowa, FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition, FS1
2 p.m., XFINITY Series practice at Iowa, FS1 (Canada: TSN GO)
3 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Sonoma, FS1 (Canada: TSN 2)
5 p.m., XFINITY Series final practice at Iowa, FS1 (Canada: TSN GO)
6:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice at Sonoma, FS1 (Canada: TSN GO)
8 p.m., Camping World Truck Series Setup at Iowa, FS1
8:30 p.m., Camping World Truck Series M&M’s 200, FS1

Saturday, June 24
3 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Sonoma (re-air), FS1
5 a.m., XFINITY Series final practice at Iowa (re-air), FS1
6 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Sonoma (re-air), FS1
7:30 a.m., Camping World Truck Series M&M’s 200 (re-air), FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1997 Daytona 500, FS1
2:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole qualifying at Sonoma, FS1 (Canada; TSN 5)
7 p.m., XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole qualifying at Iowa, FS1 (on tape delayed) (Canada: TSN GO)
8 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: XFINITY, FS1
8:30 p.m., XFINITY Series American Ethanol E15 250, FS1 (Canada: TSN 2)

Sunday, June 25
3:30 a.m., XFINITY Series American Ethanol E15 250 (re-air), FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
3 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350, FS1 (Canada: TSN 2)

Posted on June 14, 2017June 14, 2017 by Staff Report

The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the No. 29 Brad Keselowski Racing team in the Camping World Truck Series were assessed penalties Wednesday for lug nuts not properly installed in last weekend’s races.

The violations were discovered during post-race inspection.

Per the infraction under Sections 10.9.10.4 of the NASCAR Rule Book, Scott Graves, crew chief of the No. 19, was fined $10,000 and Buddy Sisco, crew chief of the No. 29, was fined $2,500.

The No. 19 Toyota, driven by Daniel Suarez, finished 15th in the Axalta presents the Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway.

The No. 29 Ford, driven by Chase Briscoe, finished second in the winstaronlinegaming.com 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, after Christopher Bell edged him in a side-by-side, closing-laps battle.

Posted on June 14, 2017June 14, 2017 by Staff Report

RELATED: Buy tickets to Darlington

Cole Custer and Stewart-Haas Racing will honor two-time XFINITY Series champion Sam Ard with the team’s throwback paint scheme at Darlington Raceway.

This will be the third year Darlington has hosted a throwback-themed weekend with both Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and XFINITY Series teams participating. Custer, who will compete at Darlington for the first time, will drive a No. 00 Haas Automation Ford with white and red lettering that is reminiscent of Ard’s car from the early 1980s.

Ard not only also drove the No. 00, but he also scored each of his 22 career wins with the number. He won back-to-back championships in 1983-84.

Ard died April 2 at the age of 78.

“The 00 number has been a part of my entire NASCAR career, and over the years I’ve gotten to know its history and met some of the people who worked with Sam and saw him race,” Custer said in a team release. “The more I learn about Sam and all that he accomplished, the more impressive it becomes. I feel like I’m driving his car, and I want to make him and his family proud. Guys like Sam Ard helped shape the sport into what it is today. Without him, I don’t know if the opportunity to drive race cars for a living would exist. I’m grateful for it and I’d like him and his family to know it.”

The Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 is Sept. 2 at 3:30 p.m. ET with coverage on NBCSN and MRN.

Posted on June 14, 2017June 14, 2017 by Nascar

The 2017 season is shaping up to be a banner year for iconic car numbers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Some of the sport’s most recognizable numerals have begun to reappear in the winner’s circle, rekindling fond memories of drivers and races and battles and finishes from years gone by.

For the first time since 1991, three car numbers linked to tremendously successful pasts have won races during the same season – the No. 17, the No. 3 and the No. 21.

The latest to enjoy a return engagement in Victory Lane came Sunday at Pocono Raceway with 23-year-old Ryan Blaney behind the wheel of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. It was Blaney’s first win in the series and the 99th win for the legendary WBR organization.

It was the first win for the team since 2011 when another youngster, Trevor Bayne, won his first Monster Energy Series race. That one just happened to be the Daytona 500.

The shout-outs on social media were non-stop; the praise deserved for Blaney and the team. The Wood Brothers Racing organization is one of the oldest in the series. A lot of folks in the garage, regardless of their position, likely remember watching the familiar red and white No. 21 compete on the track when they were growing up. Their parents can probably recall seeing the car on the track when they were growing up as well. It’s a car and a team that’s been around, at one time set the standard, survived the lean years and now has come back strong.

NASCAR Hall of Fame member David Pearson is the driver most closely linked with the No. 21. Of his 105 career victories, 43 came in the No. 21 entry. Others have won for the Wood Brothers as well, but no one was as dominant as Pearson during his stay with the organization.

Now Blaney is the face of the team for an entirely new generation of race fans.

Austin Dillon’s win in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was just as impressive and that victory put the No. 3 back in Victory Lane for the first time since 2000.

Fans of the No. 3 and seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress Racing were pleased to see the car number return – Childress didn’t run the number for more than a decade after Earnhardt’s passing – but might have begun to wonder if they would ever see it back in the winner’s circle.

For the better part of two decades, seeing the No. 3 in Victory Lane was expected. And Earnhardt didn’t disappoint. Dillon’s win at Charlotte, his first in the series, gave those fans their answer and the victory has been one of the more popular ones of the season.

Which brings us to the No. 17. An iconic number? If you know your NASCAR, it certainly has its own history.

Two current NASCAR Hall of Fame members enjoyed their share of success in cars carrying the number – Pearson and Darrell Waltrip.

Pearson drove the No. 17 while competing for Holman-Moody, winning two championships (1968-69) and 30 races.

Waltrip won 15 times while using the number – when he formed his own team and went out on his own and again once his career began to wind down. Waltrip won 84 times overall – his first win and his last win came in the No. 17.

Roush Fenway Racing driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. kicked off this year’s run of first-time winners with a victory in the No. 17 at Talladega Superspeedway. Before his breakthrough victory, the 17 hadn’t been a winner since 2012 with Matt Kenseth.

Kenseth certainly fared well with the number – winning 24 times. But for most long-time fans, the No. 17 has always stirred memories of Pearson and Waltrip and the success each enjoyed.

And now it’s been passed along to Stenhouse.

With three first-time winners, all 20-somethings, it has already been a tremendous year for NASCAR’s younger competitors.

But it’s been quite the year for legendary car numbers too, and the regular season is barely past the halfway mark.

There’s still plenty of time for new faces, and old numbers, to join the growing list.