Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Photos of every Kasey Kahne victory

For most other drivers, the tweet likely would not have been a big deal. But Kasey Kahne isn’t super active on social media, so his seemingly out-of-nowhere post Monday evening on Twitter seemed important.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver hasn’t been in Victory Lane since 2014 (Atlanta), and he has not made the postseason since that same season. Currently he’s 20th in points after Sunday’s 17th-place finish at Dover.

But the tweet to his fanbase should bring a measure of hope to all of the Kahne-iacs — the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet appears to be as locked in as ever, and ready to keep fighting.

Perhaps that elusive win will follow.

Posted on by Team Release

RELATED: Darrell Wallace Jr. to drive No. 43 RPM Ford

CONCORD, N.C. — Roush Fenway Racing has announced that Bubba Wallace will transition from its No. 6 NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) Ford Mustang to the iconic No. 43 Ford Fusion of Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) where the 23-year-old will make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut at Pocono Raceway.

“We are very proud of Bubba and his development at Roush Fenway Racing,” said team president Steve Newmark. “We believe that Bubba has tremendous potential and will continue to excel in NASCAR’s top series. He has been a great representative of our organization both on and off the track and we’ve enjoyed being part of his growth as a driver. Our entire team is excited to see him take the next step in his career and make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut in the No. 43.

“The transition shows the strong collaboration we currently have in the Ford stable,” added Newmark. “We believe this will be a great opportunity for both Bubba and RPM, and will continue to strengthen the overall Ford program.”

With Wallace’s focus on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Roush Fenway Racing will suspend efforts on the No. 6 NXS team after this weekend’s event in Pocono. Roush Fenway and Wallace will continue to evaluate additional potential opportunities for Wallace to run in NXS races. Wallace has driven for Roush Fenway in the NXS for the past two and a half seasons, scoring a career-high finish of second at Dover last spring.

 

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Drivers of the 43 throughout history | Inside look: Petty Hall of Fame exhibit

Darrell Wallace Jr., who began his NASCAR racing career as part of the sanctioning body’s Drive for Diversity program, will fill in for an injured Aric Almirola in the iconic No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports.

Wallace, 23, will make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend when the series travels to Pocono Raceway for Sunday’s Axalta Presents the Pocono 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR).

According to the team, he will serve as the organization’s interim driver until Almirola’s return.

“Driving the famed 43 car is an unbelievable opportunity for any race car driver,” Wallace said. “With all that Richard Petty has contributed to the sport, I’m honored to start my first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event with this team. I’m incredibly grateful that Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports and Smithfield have the confidence in me to help fill the seat until Aric fully recovers, which is the most important piece of this. Moving up to the Monster Energy Series is a tremendous challenge, but I am ready to represent this organization, help the 43 team get the best results possible and prove that I belong at this level.”

 

WATCH: See the wreck that injured Almirola

The Mobile, Alabama, native has 83 career starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, and a best finish of second, in 2016 at Dover International Speedway. He’s driven in the series for Roush Fenway Racing since 2015.

He is fourth in points following an eighth-place finish this past weekend, also at Dover, in the No. 6 Ford for RFR.

Wallace began his NASCAR career in 2010 competing with Rev Racing in the K&N Pro Series East as a member of the D4D program. He won six times in the series and made his XFINITY Series debut in 2012 for Joe Gibbs Racing as part of that organization’s driver development program. He made six starts with JGR through 2014, with a best finish of seventh.

While competing part time for JGR, Wallace raced full time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2013-14.

He became the first African American since NASCAR Hall of Fame member Wendell Scott to win a race in one of NASCAR’s three national series when he won at Martinsville in 2013 in the Truck Series. The following year, he won four more times in the series — at Gateway, Eldora, Martinsville and Homestead.

Scott competed as an independent during the 1960s and early ’70s. He earned his only win in 1964 at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015.

Willy T. Ribbs made three Monster Energy Cup Series starts in 1986 and competed full-time in the Camping World Truck Series in 2001 for Bobby Hamilton Racing.

Bill Lester made 142 career Truck Series starts from 2000-07, as well as two Cup Series starts (2006) and one XFINITY Series start (1999).

Wallace is the second driver to fill in on an interim basis for RPM following the injury to Almirola last month at Kansas Speedway. Almirola suffered a fracture to the T5 vertebra when he was involved in a three-car crash during the Go Bowling 400. He is expected to be out eight to 12 weeks.

Regan Smith stepped in for Almirola at Charlotte in the Monster Energy Open, a qualifying race for the series’ annual All-Star Race, as well as the Coca-Cola 600. He finished fourth in the Open and 22nd in the 600.

This past weekend at Dover, Smith, again in the 43, was running 14th when a tire problem caused his car to shoot up the track and bounce off the wall to bring out a late caution. He finished 34th.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports), David Ragan (Front Row Motorsports) and Daniel Suarez (Joe Gibbs Racing) are scheduled to take part in a two-day Goodyear tire test Tuesday and Wednesday, June 6-7, at Chicagoland Speedway.

The development test is for the ’17 tire that will be used when the series kicks off this year’s playoffs at the 1.5-mile track Sept. 17.

Admission to the test is free for fans who have purchased tickets to the Tales of the Turtles 400. A $10 donation to Racing Advocates for Community Enrichment (R.A.C.E.) will admit those who have yet to purchase race tickets.

Additional Goodyear tire tests are scheduled for Michigan and Darlington next month.

Posted on by Staff Report

Jimmie Johnson’s celebration of iconic win No. 83 was cut a tad short, as the seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion spent the morning after his victory having a minor outpatient procedure to remove Basal Cell Carcinoma from his shoulder.

Basal Cell Carcinoma is considered the most frequently occurring form of all cancers with more than 4 million cases a year in the United States, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. However, as evidenced by Johnson’s tweet, it is very treatable and rarely spreads beyond its initial site.

A representative from Hendrick Motorsports confirmed that Johnson is doing very well and the procedure will not affect his driving. Nonetheless, it didn’t make for as epic of a win celebration the night prior as Johnson may have hoped.


Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR fans, get ready to drive down the Las Vegas Strip in style. That’s because Chevrolet, Sherwin-Williams and NASCAR are teaming up for the “Paint Your Way into a New Chevrolet” sweepstakes. The Grand Prize winner will take home a 2017 Chevrolet Colorado and a trip for two to Champions Week in Las Vegas thanks to these official partners.

The sweepstakes opens in early June and runs until Oct. 24, and here’s the kicker: The Grand Prize could include additional items depending on the number of entries. The more people you tell about the sweepstakes, the sweeter the pot becomes.

So, what are you waiting for? Visit www.winyourchevy.com and enter for your chance to win.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Detailed breakdown

DOVER, Del. – In the first half of Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway, Danica Patrick bounced off the wall, lost a lap and was hanging out near 25th place in the running order.

Then her day got a lot better.

With her car not severely damaged by contact with the outside wall on Lap 146, Patrick got her lap back as the free pass under caution for Landon Cassill’s accident on Lap 218. And Patrick was one of a handful of drivers still on the track when a Lap 330 caution trapped most of the front-runners a lap down.

Patrick avoided the overtime wreck that ended the race and finished 10th, her first top 10 of the season.

“A good day for us,” Patrick said. “We got a bit lucky with staying out at the right time and catching the yellow flags. It’s the stuff that hasn’t been happening for us all year, and it’s just nice to catch some breaks today.

“We weren’t the fastest car today, not sure we were a top-10 car. A lot of times we have been a 10th-place car and weren’t able to get the finish we needed. I’ll take the lucky days anytime I can because there have been plenty of times where it went the other way.”

Tire management was an issue for Patrick, as it was for all teams, with the allotment down one set from last year.

“We put scuffs on two or three times on pit stops,” Patrick said. “It was an issue, but we saw that all weekend, a lot of yellows. We survived and caught the right breaks when we did. I’ll take it.”

 

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Busch experiences major issue on pit road

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Chase Briscoe both lost a wheel on their respective vehicles while circling the track at Dover International Speedway this weekend. NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that officials would dive into those instances later Monday, but that the sanctioning body would consider judging intent when determining any penalties.

The NASCAR Rule Book suggests a four-race suspension to an organization’s crew chief, tire carrier and tire changer in the event of losing a wheel due to improper installation — but also notes safety violations would be handled on a case-by-case basis.

The penalty is designed to discourage teams from changing a tire and intentionally leaving lug nuts loose to save time, and gain track position.

“It’s possible that we will (look at intent),” Miller said. “We really haven’t started those discussions yet. Certainly we will review everything that we have. From what we’ve seen so far, it wasn’t trying to go back on the race track with two lug nuts, it was obviously human error in both cases. There’s a lot of discussions internally that have to happen on how we’re going to rule on that. That process will start later this afternoon.”

As Miller noted, both instances over the weekend appeared to be human error — for Busch, his pit crew dropped the jack before the lug nuts on the left-rear tire were secured; for Briscoe, the team’s airgun appeared to inadvertently be set in reverse.

Busch was the polesitter for Sunday’s Monster Energy Series race and led the first 18 laps before his left rear wheel popped off following the first set of pit stops. He drove back through the field after repairs, but it ultimately cost him a shot at his first win of the season — he finished 16th.

The story was similar in the Camping World Truck Series event in which Briscoe — also the polesitter — couldn’t recover and finished 12th, one lap down.

RELATED: Briscoe loses tire after leaving pit road

Any penalties likely would be announced later this week.

“It’s fairly obvious when things keep occurring that are either competition related or safety related, and you see a recurrence and feel you need to ramp up the consequences of doing said things,” Miller said. “With the wheels, and hitting two or three lug nuts on the last pit stop and all that, that’s kind of where those rules came from.”

MORE: Miller on overtime rule playing out at Dover

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Detailed breakdown

DOVER, Del. — Ty Dillon made full use of divergent pit strategies to take the lead in Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway.

When most of the contending cars came to pit road under caution on Lap 332, Dillon kept his No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet on the track, along with the affiliated Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Ryan Newman.

After taking the green flag in the lead on a Lap 339 restart, Dillon stayed out front for 27 circuits, conjuring the prospect of a Dillon brother in Victory Lane for the second straight week (with brother Austin Dillon having won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte last Sunday).

Eventually, however, Dillon succumbed to stronger cars, and his race ended in a 10-car pileup on the backstretch on the first lap of overtime. Credited with 14th, Dillon was elated by his run.

“I can’t thank (owner) Bob Germain enough for giving me the opportunity to come out here and race with these guys,” Dillon said. “It’s a lifelong dream. To lead laps like that meant a lot to me. We had to restart fourth on old tires (in overtime), and I just think the air off the No. 31 (Newman) got me a little loose and they left a bunch of sand there off Turn 2, and as soon as I got loose and hit that sand it was all over.

“I feel bad for all the cars that got torn up. But, really, I don’t really know what the No. 31 or myself could have done any different to stay out of that crash. Proud of our effort today. We proved to ourselves as a team that we can run up front with the big boys.”

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DOVER, Del. – Martin Truex Jr. thought he was going to have some good fortune – until he found himself on the wrong side of a caution on Sunday at Dover International Speedway.

Truex led 102 laps at his home track in the AAA 400 Drive for Autism and fought Kyle Larson for the top spot throughout the afternoon. But Truex brought his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota to pit road on Lap 325 – and paid the price through no fault of his own.

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings

Eventual winner Jimmie Johnson stayed on the track hoping for a caution and got one on Lap 330 when Regan Smith’s No. 43 Ford slammed into the Turn 2 wall. The caution temporarily put Truex a lap down, but he took a wave-around after Johnson led the cars that still needed service to pit road on Lap 332.

Truex was mired in traffic at that point and fought his way back to third, but couldn’t make progress from the second row on an overtime restart. The race ended abruptly as a wreck on the backstretch froze the field with Johnson in the lead, Larson second and Truex third.

MORE: Stage points earned in 2017

“For us, the ending of the race was really all about trying to pass cars and get back to the front where we’d been all day long,” Truex said. “We got caught on that caution there with, I don’t know, 60 or so laps to go and we pitted. Caution came out, got trapped a lap down, had to do the wave around and then drive up through the field from the back.

It wasn’t an empty day for Truex, however. He won both the first and second 120-lap stages and increased his series-leading playoff point total to 18.

“Definitely proud of our finish today,” he said. “I thought we definitely had a shot at the win until that happened, and after we were kind of playing catch up. At a place that’s really difficult to pass, we had to come from about 15th to get to third. Definitely proud of the run, proud of the effort and the car the guys brought here today.”