Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Complete race results | Blaney wins in thriller

Ryan Blaney won his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday, holding off a hard-charging Kevin Harvick at Pocono Raceway to do so.

The final laps were particularly exhilarating as the 23-year-old wheeled his way to Wood Brothers Racing’s first win since Trevor Bayne won the 2011 Daytona 500.

NASCAR Nation reacted appropriately on Twitter.

 

 


Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Race results | Series standings | Detailed breakdown

SHOP: Winner’s gear

LONG POND, Pa. — Dogged by Kevin Harvick for the final eight laps of Sunday’s Axalta presents the Pocono 400, Ryan Blaney held off the 2014 series champion in a breathtaking battle to claim the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory of his career.

After a restart on Lap 148 of 160, Blaney grabbed the lead from polesitter Kyle Busch on Lap 151, with Busch on older tires, doing everything he could to block Blaney’s No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. Racing side by side with Busch’s No. 18 Toyota down the Long Pond straightaway, Blaney stayed in the gas through the Tunnel Turn and cleared Busch’s Camry off the corner.

A lap later, Harvick passed Busch and closed within a car-length of Blaney, who drove flawlessly for the final eight laps to keep Harvick at bay. Blaney crossed the finish line .139 seconds ahead of Harvick to become the 18th different driver to win for the Wood Brothers and the first since Trevor Bayne took the checkered flag in the 2011 Daytona 500. Blaney, 23, is also the youngest first-time winner since Bayne, who was 20 years old when he took the checkered flag for the Wood Brothers at Daytona.

RELATED: Wood Brothers through the years

When Blaney climbed from his car in Victory Lane, the magnitude of what he had just accomplished still hadn’t registered.

“I think it exceeds the dream a little bit,” Blaney said. “I grew up watching my dad (Dave Blaney) race on this race track, and it’s so cool to get the Wood Brothers in Victory Lane, No. 1, and to do it here at a race track that is really close to Ohio — a home to me — is pretty awesome.”

First, however, Blaney had to get past Busch after the final restart, no easy task, even though Busch had stayed out on older tires during the fourth and final caution, called for Kasey Kahne’s brake failure and crash into the Turn 1 wall.

“Kyle stayed out and he was on a little bit older tires, and it looked like he was getting pretty tight, especially off of (Turn) 1, and that’s where new tires really seemed to come alive, because you could hold the line and get runs on him, downshift and get next to him.

“I had a big run on him off of (Turn) 3, and he did a good job blocking, and we were able to get under him, but then I had to hold the 4 (Harvick) off. He was super-fast. I can’t thank Kevin enough for racing me clean. That was really cool of him, but it was definitely hectic. Hopefully, the fans liked it. It was really cool.”

WATCH: Blaney holds off hard-charging Harvick

Harvick, whose engine survived a missed shift at the end of Stage 2, was waiting for Blaney to make a mistake over the final eight laps, but the mistake never came. And Harvick’s brakes weren’t stout enough to allow him to charge the corners as effectively as Blaney could.

“We never could stop like we needed to all weekend, so you just had to be really careful with the brakes,” Harvick said. “If I’d over drive it for a lap or two the pedal would start going down, and then I was really at a deficit. So I had to be very aware of where I let off every lap.

“The 21 (Blaney) could charge the corner a little bit harder than I could, and my best bet, the way I passed people all day was waiting for him to slip up off the bottom, and he never slipped up off the bottom. So I just didn’t have enough laps to finish that last pass off, and Ryan did a good job of not slipping a wheel with the amount of laps that he had left and was able to hold on.”

RELATED: Watch video of Jimmie, McMurray wrecks

Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Erik Jones finished a career-best third in the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Kurt Busch ran fourth, followed by Brad Keselowski, who started on the front row beside Kyle Busch on the final restart but lost positions through the first corner.

Martin Truex Jr. came home sixth and retained the series lead by one point over seventh-place Kyle Larson, who won the second stage. Chase Elliott was eighth, and Kyle Busch slipped to ninth, despite winning the first stage and leading 100 of the 160 laps.

Driving the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford in his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. finished 26th, hampered by three pit road speeding penalties, two of which came on consecutive trips to pit road early in the race.

WATCH: Bubba assesses his Monster Energy Series debut

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Find NBCSN in your area | How to find FS2 in your area

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 12
6:30 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Axalta presents the Pocono 400 (re-air), FS1
9:30 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Axalta presents the Pocono 400 (re-air), FS2
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Tuesday, June 13
7 a.m., XFINITY Series Pocono Green 250 (re-air), FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Wednesday, June 14
5:30 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Thursday, June 15
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., K&N Series Race: Colorado National Speedway, NBCSN

Friday, June 16
11 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Michigan, FS2 (Canada: TSN GO)
12:30 p.m., XFINITY Series practice at Michigan, FS2 (Canada: TSN GO)
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1987 Winston 500, FS2
2 p.m., Beyond the Wheel, FS2
3 p.m., XFINITY Series final practice at Michigan, FS2 (Canada: TSN GO)
4 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole qualifying at Michigan, FS2 (Canada: TSN GO)
9:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole qualifying (re-air), FS1

Saturday, June 17
7 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole qualifying (re-air), FS1
9 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Michigan, FS2 (Canada: TSN 2)
10 a.m., XFINITY Coors Light Pole qualifying at Michigan, FS2 (Canada: TSN GO)
11:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub Weekend Edition, FS2
Noon., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice at Michigan, FS2 (Canada: TSN GO)
1 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: XFINITY, FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Michigan 250, FS1 (Canada: TSN 2)
7 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole qualifying at Gateway Motorsports Park (tape delayed), FS1.
8 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Set-up, FS1
8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Gateway 200, FS1

Sunday, June 18
2 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
3 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan, FS1 (Canada: TSN 5)

Posted on by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: See the races at Michigan | See the Trucks come to Gateway

RELATED: How to find FS2 on your TV

NASCAR rolls into Michigan International Speedway for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series race, while Gateway Motorsports Park will host a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standalone event. Check out the full weekend schedule below.

Note: All times are ET

SUNDAY, JUNE 18

PRE-RACE SCHEDULE
—1:00:00 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Driver/Crew Chief Meeting
—2:20:00 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Drivers Introductions w/ NASCAR Special Awards
—2:58:30 p.m.: Canadian Anthem: Michigan International Speedway’s own, Lisa Bascom
—3:00:00 p.m.: Presentation of Colors: Michigan State Police
—3:00:20 p.m.: Invocation:  Father Geoff Rose, St Francis de Sales High School
—3:01:00 p.m.: National Anthem: Michigan International Speedway’s own, Lisa Bascom
—3:02:30 p.m.: Fly-By: (2) F-16s, 180th Fighter Wing, Ohio Air National Guard (Turn 4 to Turn 1)
—3:07:30 p.m.: “Drivers, Start Your Engines” by:  Thompson Square
—3:16:30 p.m.:  Start of the FireKeepers Casino 400 (200 Laps, 400 Miles)

ON TRACK
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
– 3 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 (200 laps, 400 miles), FS1; Canada: TSN5 (Results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
6:30 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

FRIDAY, JUNE 16:
ON TRACK
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
– 11 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS2; Canada: TSN GO (Results)
– 12:30-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS2; Canada: TSN GO (Results)
– 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, FS2; Canada: TSN GO (Results)
– 4:15 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole qualifying, FS2; Canada: TSN GO (Results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live) 
9:15 a.m.: Daniel Suarez
9:30 a.m.: Wood Brothers Racing
10:15 a.m.: Jimmie Johnson
10:30 a.m.: Cole Custer, Matt Tifft, Tyler Reddick
1 p.m.: Joey Logano
1:15 p.m.: Kyle Larson
1:30 p.m.: Erik Jones
5 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying

GARAGECAM (Watch Live)
– 10:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

SATURDAY, JUNE 17:
ON TRACK
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
– 9-9:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, FS2; Canada: TSN2 (Results)
– 10 a.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole qualifying, FS2; Canada: TSN GO (Results)
– noon-12:50 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, FS2; Canada: TSN GO (Results)
– 1:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Michigan (125 laps, 250 miles), FS1; Canada: TSN2 (Results)

GATEWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK
– 10:30-11:25 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, no TV (Results)
– 12:30-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, no TV (Results)
– 5:45 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole qualifying (tape delayed on FS1 for 7 p.m.) (Results)
– 8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 (160 laps, 200 miles), FS1 (Results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
3:30 p.m.: Post-NASCAR XFINITY Series race

 

Posted on by Holly Cain

LONG POND, Pa. — Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray spun out on Lap 95 in what almost looked like a synchronized chain reaction midway through the Axalta presents the Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway.

Both drivers say their Chevrolets lost brakes. The reigning seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Johnson spun hard into the Turn 1 wall while running seventh. Seconds later, McMurray also came down the track apparently without any brakes. His No. 1 Cessna Chevy hit the wall, sparking smoke and flames before coming to rest, allowing the 2010 Daytona 500 winner to climb out.

Johnson, meanwhile, sat on the track, resting against the wall briefly after climbing out of his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet. After exiting from a visit to the infield care center, he insisted that he was absolutely fine.

RELATED: Junior’s day ends early, too

“When the brakes fail like that, there’s so much time to think about the crash and I just needed a minute,” Johnson said. “I thought it was going to be a lot worse than that. And to have it turn out where I basically just scared myself and got out of the car and walked away, I just needed a second to sit down and catch my breath.

“But, honestly, I have no sore spots or aches. I feel fine.”

RELATED: Johnson reacts to hard hit

McMurray said he was also physically fine, although, like Johnson, it was a stunning turn of events just past the race’s halfway point. He had been running solidly in the top 10 all afternoon.

“Just lost the brakes and really weird that it happened at the same time that the 48 did,” McMurray said. “I didn’t even see his problem until I didn’t have any brakes. And then, it seemed like I might have gotten into a little oil. I don’t know if any came out of his car, but I just didn’t have any control.

“We were talking in the infield care center that we both turned left when we probably should have turned right instead of making a bigger impact.”

McMurray said his top priority was getting out of his car once he realized it was smoking and possibly parts on fire.

“I saw the fire before they told me on the radio and I was already trying to get everything off,” McMurray said. “I was wanting to get out faster but couldn’t get the car to stop. So I was literally rolling along and didn’t know I was moving as I was trying to get out.

“I could see how fast it gets hot inside the car, not warm, crazy hot so I was glad to get out.”

A red flag stopped the race for just over 23 minutes as workers cleaned up after the accident.

“I saw a replay inside the medical center,” Johnson explained. “The smoke, I think, is the brake fluid coming out of wherever failed and onto the rotors. I can only speculate that I got the brakes too hot and when I went to the brakes they just traveled straight to the floor. I didn’t even have a pedal to push on. At that point, I threw it in third gear and I was just trying to slow it down. 

“I just want to let my wife and kids and my mom know that I’m okay,” he said, smiling. “And I will go change my underwear and get ready to go home.”

 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Why Junior started at the rear | Dale Jr.’s stats by track

History repeated itself this weekend for Dale Earnhardt Jr. as an engine issue brought on by a bad shift ended his day in the Axalta presents the Pocono 400 and resulted in a 38th-place finish.

A two-time winner at Pocono, Earnhardt entered this race with six top-five finishes in his last seven starts at the 2.5-mile track. However, the weekend started off rocky when the No. 88 team had to change engines on Friday.

After missing a shift Sunday on Lap 57, Dale Jr. said over the radio: “I don’t know what it is about the shifter this week, but it’s not natural to me.”

This race marked the second DNF for Earnhardt in 34 starts at Pocono.

RELATED: Dale Jr. frustrated by Pocono weekend

“It’s going in the wrong gear,” a dejected Earnhardt Jr. told FS1 on the race broadcast. “I wish I could blame it on something else, because it’s awful. It feels awful.

“It’s just my fault. I wish I could say that the shifter is different and something’s out of line. This really concerns me. … I don’t really have an answer other than me having to pay more attention.”

Crew chief Greg Ives came over the radio to offer encouragement as the team will move on to Michigan, a place where Junior has two wins.

“We’re going to go to Michigan. We will be fine,” Ives said.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: FAQ for race format | Stage points earned in 2017

STAGE 2:

Kyle Larson emerged on the final lap of Stage 2 in Sunday’s Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway to take the Stage 2 win in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. This marks Larson’s third stage win of the season.

Kyle Busch, who won Stage 1, and led most of Stage 2, finished second in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stage wins leader Martin Truex Jr. was third in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott were fourth and fifth, respectively.

The stage was red-flagged with three laps remaining after fiery wrecks by Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray necessitated track cleanup.

The top 10 finishers in both Stage 1 and Stage 2 receive race points. The race winner will receive 40 points and five playoff points at the conclusion of the Final Stage.

STAGE 1:

Kyle Busch led 33 of the first 50 laps of Sunday’s Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway, and he won Stage 1 in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. This marks Busch’s fourth stage win of the season.

Kevin Harvick, who was gaining on Busch toward the end of the first stage, finished second in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford came in third in Stage 1, followed by Kyle Larson in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

Last week’s Dover winner Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Stage 1 results

Finish Driver Team Race points
 1.  Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing  10
2.  Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3.  Brad Keselowski Team Penske 8
4.  Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing 7
5.  Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 6
6.  Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 5
7.  Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing 4
8.  Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing 3
9.  Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing 2
10.  Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing 1

Stage 2 results

Finish Driver Team Race points
 1.  Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing 10
2.  Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 9
3.  Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing 8
4.  Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 7
5.  Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 6
6.  Erik Jones Furniture Row Racing 5
7.  Brad Keselowski Team Penske 4
8.  Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing 3
9.  Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports 2
10.  Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing 1

 

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Complete lineup for Sunday

LONG POND, Pa. — A Furniture Row Racing team spokesperson confirmed late Saturday afternoon it changed motors in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota and will therefore start Sunday’s Axalta presents the Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway from the rear of the field.

Driver Martin Truex Jr. — the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship leader — had qualified the car on the outside pole on Friday. Instead of starting on the front row, it will now have to drop to the rear of the 39-car grid, per NASCAR rules.

He’ll join Hendrick Motorsports driver (and friend) Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the back. Earnhardt Jr.’s team changed motors in the No. 88 Chevrolet on Friday afternoon, forcing it to the back.

Truex is a 2015 winner at the 2.5-mile Pocono track. Earnhardt swept the 2014 races at the track.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Race results | Series standings | Detailed breakdown

LONG POND, Pa. — Cole Custer was as calm and collected standing alongside his No. 00 Haas Automation Ford on pit road after Saturday’s XFINITY Series race at Pocono Raceway as he was minutes earlier steering the car to his third consecutive top-10 finish.

The 19-year-old finished seventh and led twice for a total of 14 laps — his first laps out front this season — in an impressive afternoon of learning for the rookie.

“It was a good day,’’ Custer said, allowing a slight smile. “We had a solid car and made a lot out of it, got to lead some laps. I’m really happy with it today.’’

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series veteran Brad Keselowski — who swept the two stage victories — won the race, passing fellow Cup driver Kyle Larson on the final lap of the 100-lap race.

For Custer, coming off finishes of fourth and seventh in the previous two races, Saturday’s race result and time out front seemed to spell a definitive turn in his young career. And he moved up to a career-high ninth in the XFINITY season standings.

It all demonstrates that he’s capable of more than a random good day here or there, and provided a solid, noteworthy body of work to build upon.

“It means a lot,’’ Custer said of leading laps on Saturday. “It just makes you feel like you deserve to be here a little more. It reaffirms your confidence. Still need to win some races and we will be focusing on that in the future.’’

Custer said he was looking forward to the remaining 17 consecutive race weekends of the current 20-race run for the series and felt confident in hoisting his first trophy before fall hits.

There are return dates on the schedule, including Texas Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway, where he posted fifth- and fourth-place finishes, respectively, earlier this season. He had top-six finishes at Richmond and Charlotte last year.

And there is Iowa, where Custer finished runner-up last year competing in the Camping World Truck Series.

“Iowa is definitely one I’ve had success at,’’ Custer said. “I’m looking forward to the road courses later in the year too. There’s definitely a good stretch of tracks for sure.

“It’s nice (today) because at the start of the year, we couldn’t even put one race together. It’s definitely been a good stretch for us so far. We just want to keep it going through this 20-week stretch.’’

Posted on by Pat DeCola

RELATED: Race results | Series standings | Detailed breakdown

WATCH: Bowyer blooper | Mullet mayhem | Pit road reports

FOX Sports mixed things up for Saturday afternoon’s XFINITY Series race at Pocono Raceway, replacing standard broadcasters and pit road reporters with Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers.

A bold move, for sure, but one that appears to have paid off.

The social media reaction from drivers, fans and NASCAR Nation was seemingly universally positive, drawing heavy praise and leaving many to wonder how soon it can happen again.

Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer held down the broadcast booth, while Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. manned pit road. Danica Patrick and Denny Hamlin hosted the coverage from the Hollywood Hotel mobile studio.

Here are some of the highlights, including current FOX broadcaster Michael Waltrip commandeering Harvick’s phone and live-tweeting how the broadcast was going from @KevinHarvick.

 

 



WATCH: That’s a wrap for drivers-only crew