Posted on by NASCAR Wire Service

RELATED: Keselowski, Truex lead practices

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Saturday morning’s first practice ended early for Jimmie Johnson.

Two laps after posting his best time of the session, Johnson lost control of his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the middle of Turns 3 and 4 at Michigan International Speedway.

As the car spun, the seven-time champion was able to keep it away from the outside wall, but the No. 48 shot toward the infield, and the splitter dug into the grass as soon as the car left the asphalt.

Johnson’s first inclination was that his car was damaged severely enough to require a backup, but after he drove the Chevy back to the garage, crew chief Chad Knaus opted to try to repair the primary entry.

“I got loose into Turn 3 and fought it for a long time and unfortunately came around,” Johnson said of the accident. “Did a nice job of keeping it off the outside wall, but came back down the hill and into the grass and the front end dug in pretty good.

“I’m pretty surprised the guys feel like the damage isn’t too bad, and they can get that stuff pulled back out and get the shape of the body back. So we’re out for the rest of this practice and we’ll get back on track for the second one. Not the way we wanted to start the day, but it is what it is.”

Not so fast. After working on the car during the NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying session, Knaus ultimately decided that it wasn’t feasible to repair the primary car.

Accordingly, the No. 48 team rolled out the backup, and Johnson will have to start from the rear in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET on FS1) because of the post-qualifying car change.

In the backup, Johnson was the ninth fastest in final practice.

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Starting lineup for Sunday’s race

At a Glance
What: FireKeepers Casino 400
Where: Michigan International Speedway, 2-mile oval in Brooklyn, Michigan
Green flag: 3:18 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Forecast: Mostly cloudy with a high near 80 and a 60 percent chance of showers, according to the National Weather Service. West-Southwest winds at 11 to 15 mph, gusts to 25 mph.
National anthem: Lisa Bascom, Michigan International Speedway
Grand Marshal: Thompson Square
Race distance: 200 laps, 400 miles
Pit road speed: 55 mph
Caution car speed: 65 mph
Competition caution: Lap 25
Stage lengths: Stage 1 ends on Lap 60. Stage 2 ends on Lap 120. Final stage is scheduled to end on Lap 200.

Posted on by Staff Report

Dale Jarrett and his father Ned Jarrett may be NASCAR Hall of Famers, but the youngest Jarrett — Zach — seemed to find his niche at a baseball diamond.

That dream came to fruition on Wednesday, as the Baltimore Orioles drafted Zach Jarrett in the 28th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

An outfielder, Jarrett played baseball at North Carolina’s Hickory High School before playing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. A successful senior season that included a slash line of .342/.398/.549 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs gathered attention from the major leagues. Jarrett’s college roommate and teammate T.J. Nichting was also drafted by the Orioles.

And it appears that father Dale Jarrett knew his son’s future was bright, even a month before the draft.

Posted on by Staff Report

Practice 3 results

Brad Keselowski soared to the top of the leaderboard in Saturday’s final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Michigan International Speedway with a fast lap of 197.401 mph in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford. A Michigan native, Keselowski is still searching for his first win at his home track.

For the second time today, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch came up second in the field, his No. 18 Toyota clocking in at 197.195 mph.

Polesitter Kyle Larson was third-fastest (197.061 mph) in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Team Penske’s Joey Logano (196.969 mph) and Furniture Row Racing rookie Erik Jones (196.953 mph) rounded out the top-five performers, respectively.

Jimmie Johnson, who had to go a backup car after a spin and slide through the grass in morning practice, was ninth-fastest in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. A one-time Michigan winner (2014), Johnson will start Sunday’s race at Michigan from the rear.

AJ Allmendinger’s No. 47 JTG Daughterty Racing spun in the waning seconds of final practice. It is yet to be determined if the team will go to a backup car.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track at Michigan on Sunday for the FireKeepers Casino 400 (FS1).


Practice 2 results

Propelling his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota at 198.385 mph around Michigan International Speedway, Martin Truex Jr. topped Saturday’s opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice. Truex, who will start Sunday’s race second, missed earning the pole position Friday by 0.007 seconds to Kyle Larson.

Kyle Busch notched the second-fastest speed, his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota clocking in at 197.938 mph. Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson was third on the leaderboard (197.341 mph), while Pocono winner Ryan Blaney was fourth-fastest (197.320 mph) in his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five with a top speed of 197.287 mph in his No. 4 Ford.

Having notching the second-fastest speed at the time a few minutes prior, Johnson brought out the red flag a little over the halfway point of the 55-minute session, as his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet became loose and spun across the track and into the grass. Johnson didn’t make contact with any car or the wall. After trying to repair the damage left by the slide in the grass, Johnson will go to his backup car and start at the rear of Sunday’s field.

“I got loose into Turn 3 and fought it for a long time and unfortunately came around,” Johnson said. “Did a nice job of keeping it off the outside wall, but came back down the hill and into the grass and the front end dug in pretty good … So, we are out for the rest of this practice and we will get back on-track for the second one.  Not the way we wanted to start the day, but it is what it is.”

Four teams were docked 15 minutes of practice time in the early session. The No. 13 of Ty Dillon, No. 31 of Ryan Newman and No. 32 of Matt DiBenedetto were held as a penalty for failing pre-qualifying inspection multiple times. The No. 1 of Jamie McMurray was held 15 minutes for arriving late to pre-qualifying inspection.

Polesitter Larson clocked the seventh-fastest speed in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is back on track at noon ET for final practice (FS2).

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Starting lineup for Sunday’s race | See every car in the field

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Martin Truex Jr. thought he had the pole for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 — until Kyle Larson made the last run in the final round of Friday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series knockout qualifying at Michigan International Speedway.

Driving the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, Larson, who won the first Cup race of his career last August at MIS, covered the two-mile distance in 35.616 seconds (202.156 mph), edging Truex (202.117 mph) for the top starting spot by a scant .007 seconds.

“We made some good adjustments there for that final round,” said Larson, who earned his first Coors Light Pole Award at Michigan, his second of the season and the third of his career. “I was pretty good in the first round and a little bit tight in the second round. They went a step further on freeing it up for the final round and the ‘Cars 3’ Chevy drove good.

“I could tell by the RPM and the engine it was going to be a pretty good lap, so I was happy about that to get the pole after winning here last year. So, hopefully, we can keep it going. So far, it’s been a really good weekend leading in (opening) practice and then getting the quick time here. So, yeah, it’s an exciting weekend, and hopefully we can keep it going.”

RELATED: Full schedule for Michigan and Gateway

Truex went all-out on his lap in the money round, with his car bottoming out and trailing a stream of sparks though the corners at each end of the track.

“You’re just hoping the tires stick enough that it doesn’t turn you sideways or make you get tight or whatever,” Truex said of the lap. “It really feels like the car rides really rough. That’s really all it is. It doesn’t upset the car too much, if it’s just light contact.

“You’ve got to get it down to go fast, and the guys did a good job of getting it down — that’s for sure.”

As fast as his final lap was, Truex will start second for the third consecutive race, having lost poles at Dover and Pocono to Kyle Busch.

“It’s a little disappointing,” Truex said. “I thought we had it there, but Kyle went out late and beat us. But, really, you’re never shocked. It’s really hard to put a perfect lap together. There’s always something you could do a little bit better, and our lap in the third round was the same way… We picked up a good chunk in the third round, but, obviously, Larson picked up a tiny bit more.”

Clint Bowyer matched his best qualifying effort of the season and will start third on Sunday. Kyle Busch qualified fourth, followed by Denny Hamlin, Pocono winner Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Jamie McMurray.

GALLERY: Best photos from Michigan and Gateway

Kevin Harvick, who was fastest in each of the first two rounds of Friday’s time trials, fell off the pace in the third round and will start 11th.

“We just got really loose there in the last round,” Harvick said. “We were really good the first two, but something changed. I like the speed in race trim. We have some work to do for Sunday.”

Chase Elliott, who will start 10th, was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to make the final round, as seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson was bumped out of the top 12 by Matt Kenseth on the last run of the second round.

Johnson qualified 13th, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned the 17th starting spot.

In his second race in the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford as a substitute driver for injured Aric Almirola, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. will start 26th.

Ty Dillon will start from the rear on Sunday after his time was disallowed because of unapproved modifications to the body of his No. 13 Chevrolet during qualifying.

Posted on by Zack Albert

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Michigan International Speedway has already been the site of a historic first for Daniel Suarez, who launched to his breakthrough NASCAR XFINITY Series victory here just a year ago.

Back in the Great Lakes State, the ground seems fertile with potential for another landmark victory. Suarez has since made the jump to his rookie year in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, which has enjoyed a flurry of first-time winners with more than half the season still to run.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon and last week’s first-timer, Ryan Blaney, are the newest drivers on the list. Is Suarez next? Friday at Michigan, he said he’s getting closer to the neighborhood.

“Seeing all these kind of victories always gives you like an extra boost to keep working and keep digging because already Ryan and I, we’ve been racing together for a long time since the K&N days,” Suarez said Friday, ahead of Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). “Austin, obviously we’ve been racing for a while in the XFINITY Series, and it’s very cool to see this new generation of drivers being successful in NASCAR. I was very, very happy for Ryan last week — that was an incredible race and incredible win.

“Overall, I feel like we have to keep working on ourselves. We have to keep working on the race team. I feel like, like I said, we’re getting better, but it’s not easy. It’s not easy to win races in the Cup Series. It’s not easy at all. You have to get there and then one day put everything together to get that win. I feel like now, we are getting more comfortable running in the top 10. We have to keep working to make that top 10, be a top five and after that I feel like we can have a shot every weekend. Once you start running in the top five, you can be a contender.”

The gains have been modest thus far for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota camp. In the past four races, he has a seventh place (Kansas) and a career-best sixth (Dover) to show for his improvement.

That development has come even as the No. 19 team has undergone transition, announcing an indefinite personal leave for crew chief Dave Rogers on March 29. Scott Graves — who helped guide Suarez to the XFINITY Series championship last season — has filled in as an interim replacement, atop the pit box for a premier-series team for the first time since 2013.

Suarez said he’s strengthened his communication with Graves in the nine races since the change, but also expressed his best wishes for Rogers’ speedy return.

“Scott has been doing great, just as I was expecting,” Suarez said. “He’s a great guy outside the race track. We get along very well and he’s a very smart person. The only thing that he needed was some time and to gain some experience at the Cup level as a crew chief, so I feel like he’s been great. I feel like we are getting better every weekend and we had a little hard time last weekend in Pocono, but, you know, that happens to every single race team out there, so I feel like overall we have learned a lot together and we’re moving in the right direction.

“About Dave Rogers, I just hope that he comes back soon to Joe Gibbs Racing to be a part of the family. He’s a great person as well, a great crew chief with a lot of experience and I hope he comes back because the last time I heard from him he was doing much better and things are getting better, so I wouldn’t be surprised if maybe he’ll come back to do something at the race team one day.”

 

Posted on by Staff Report

BUY TICKETS: See the races at Michigan

MORE: Practice results

Kyle Larson topped the leaderboard in Friday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Michigan International Speedway at 200.798 mph in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

Right behind Larson was Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at 200.619 mph.

Rounding out the top five were Joey Logano in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, series points leader Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota and Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

HMS announced earlier Friday morning that Johnson, a seven-time champion, had signed an extension with the team.

RELATED: Johnson locked up for long run | Wants Knaus by his side

With less than two minutes remaining in the session, Landon Cassill backed his No. 34 Front Row Racing Ford into the wall, incurring significant damage. He will go to a backup, the team announced on Twitter.

The cars of Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones were held 15 minutes to begin practice as penalty for failing pre-race inspection at Pocono twice.

The next on-track activity for the Monster Energy Series at Michigan is Coors Light Qualifying at 4:15 p.m. ET on FS2.

RELATED: How to find FS2 on your TV

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Johnson inks contract extension

BROOKLYN, Mich. — The power trio of Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and primary sponsor Lowe’s has been an enduring combination since Johnson’s first season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2002.

Friday’s announcement of contract extensions at Hendrick Motorsports will keep Johnson in the fold through 2020 and Lowe’s on the No. 48 Chevrolet through 2018. But Knaus?

“I think I’ve got another year to try to convince him,” Johnson said before the opening of on-track activity Friday at Michigan International Speedway. “He has another year on his contract, and I’m sure discussions will take place about an extension for him. But he at least has another year. You know, I’ve started this with him and I’ve said it before, I want to finish it with him, so I’ll keep leaning on him.”

Leaning or not, Knaus smiled when asked about his status.

“Look, we’ve been together for a long time obviously,” Knaus said after the series’ opening practice at the 2-mile track. “Great friends, great teammates all the way around with Lowe’s and Hendrick Motorsports and Jimmie. I don’t think the future is written in stone, but it’s looking good, how’s that.”

Knaus, 45, came to Hendrick Motorsports after one year serving as crew chief with Melling Racing and driver Stacy Compton. Since joining Hendrick for Johnson’s rookie year, Knaus has been a driving force behind the team’s success, which has seen Johnson rack up 83 career wins and seven series championships.

RELATED: All of Jimmie’s wins | How Johnson became ‘Seven-Time’

Johnson indicated he’s still motivated to achieve milestones beyond those already impressive numbers, and that the end of his contract and end of his career are not necessarily synonymous. Knaus agreed.

“At the rate he’s going, I don’t see why it would change too much by then,” Knaus said of his driver’s determination. “He’d still be very young in relative terms, obviously maybe a little bit older as some of the drivers go, but his ability is there, his desire is there, his physical fitness is definitely there, so as long as he wants to drive, he’s going to have an opportunity to do it. And he’ll know when that time is before anybody else.”

As for Knaus’ ability, desire and fitness?

“I enjoy the hell out of what I do. I really do,” Knaus said. “I have the best job in the world. I mean, I work for the best race team, I’ve got the best driver, I’ve got the best sponsor, and they keep asking me to come back, so it’s pretty good.”

While he struck a hopeful tone about keeping the pairing intact, Johnson seemed to acknowledge the week-in, week-out demands on a crew chief at NASCAR’s highest level.

“Crew-chief years, I’d like to call them dog years,” Johnson said. “I don’t have a clear picture on where that will take him, but I’ll do my best to keep him around as long as I can.”

 

Posted on by Team Release

WATCH: Alon Day talks about the whirlwind leading up to debut

Alon Day will become the first driver from Israel to ever compete in NASCAR’s top series next weekend in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 driving the BK Racing No. 23 EarthWater Limited Toyota Camry. Day, a 25 year-old native of Tel Aviv, Israel, was named Israel’s 2016 “Athlete of the Year.”

As a result of his outstanding achievements in NASCAR’s Euro Series, Day has the unique distinction of being the first stock car driver from outside of North America to be selected for the NASCAR NEXT program, an initiative to feature NASCAR’s future stars. Day comes to Sonoma upon the heels of being crowned “King of Brands Hatch”, as a result of last week’s victory in the NASCAR Whelen Euro race in England. Day intends to compete for the 2017 NASCAR Euro Series Championship with plans to race again in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, as well as select races in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series the remainder of the 2017 season.

RELATED: NASCAR Next drivers in national series | More on Day’s win

EarthWater Limited, the official water provider of BK Racing, will be on board Day’s Toyota at Sonoma Raceway. EarthWater was first introduced to NASCAR earlier this season when they were on board the BK Racing Toyotas for the Martinsville, Texas, and Charlotte races.

“I’m very excited to make my debut in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series next week in Sonoma,” said Day. “Being the first Israeli who is going to race in NASCAR’s highest series is a dream come true. I must thank BK Racing, EarthWater Limited, as well as Hall of Famer Franco Harris, Super Bakery, and Silversport for giving me this awesome opportunity.”

“We’re excited to partner with BK Racing for this groundbreaking moment in NASCAR’s history which features an amazing driver who will be competing at the highest level with world class drivers,” said EarthWater President, Cash Riley Jr. “With increasing numbers of issues around dehydration in all sports, especially during the summer, we are honored to offer a solution and bring awareness to a life-threatening issue. We’re looking forward to the celebration of diversity at Sonoma and the continued expansion of our global brand.”

“I like giving new drivers an opportunity, and Alon is a great road course driver,” said team owner, Ron Devine. “He has been successful in other series around the world and deserves a shot in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.”