Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Results | Detailed breakdown | All-Star format | At-track gallery: Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. — Rookie Daniel Suarez prevailed in the final stage of Saturday’s Monster Energy Open preliminary race, emerging from a brilliant three-car battle to transfer to Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race.

Clint Bowyer and Ryan Blaney also secured All-Star berths by winning the opening two 20-lap stages in the 50-lapper at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The last spot in the 20-car All-Star field went to Chase Elliott, who finished third behind runner-up Austin Dillon but was the top vote-getter in fan balloting.

Suarez survived a wild 10-lap final stage, which began with Elliott spinning Landon Cassill out of the first position. Elliott, Suarez and Erik Jones later made a three-way contest for the lead on the frontstretch, with Jones getting the worst of his excursion into the infield grass.

WATCH: Jones tries ‘pass in the grass’

Jones’ Furniture Row Racing No. 77 Toyota began smoking and his spin in Turn 1 brought out the final caution flag with three laps remaining. Suarez’s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota pulled away from there.

Even though it didn’t count as an official points-paying victory, Suarez said he savored scratching the win column in his first season in NASCAR’s premier series.

“It’s a lot of fun, racing with Chase, racing with Ryan and with all these guys,” Suarez said. “They’re super-aggressive, they’re great drivers and it’s a lot of fun.”

Jones wound up 19th in the 24-car field, unable to continue after his bold move in the late going.

“Just hoped there was enough pavement down there to make a move and get clear, but unfortunately there wasn’t and that was the end of our day,” Jones said. “I knew if we could get out front that we could probably drive away from them, but it just didn’t work out.”

Bowyer started first and led every lap in the opening 20-lap stage, putting his Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Ford in the 70-lap main event (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). Blaney’s Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford scooted away to lead wire-to-wire in the second stage.

Blaney finished second in the opening 20-lap stage, with Jones, AJ Allmendinger and Elliott completing the top five. In the second stage, Blaney was trailed by Elliott, Suarez, Jones and Paul Menard in the top five.

Bowyer, who won the Open pole at 189.474 mph earlier in the day, returns to the All-Star Race after a one-year absence last season. The All-Star berth is a first for Blaney, who is in his second full season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Suarez will also be making his first All-Star appearance.

RELATED: Bayne makes ‘super’ save in Open

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Full schedule | Starting lineup | See every car in the field

CONCORD, N.C. – Of the 16 drivers guaranteed a spot in Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), six have never won the annual non-points race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Two – Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski – are former series champions. Others have points wins. That lineup consists of Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Chris Buescher.

It’s a big payday – the winner gets $1 million – and a big night. Since its debut in 1985, the All-Star race quickly evolved from novelty into a no-holds-barred shootout that has often left egos bruised and fenders wrinkled.

Truex (Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota) made his first All-Star appearance in 2005 and tomorrow night’s race will be his seventh start. His perception of the event before his first start was that the race “was just a Saturday night shootout for a million bucks or a ton of money.

“Guys … were willing to do whatever it took to win,” he said prior to Friday’s first practice at Charlotte. “Nobody was ever worried about finishing second. I think it still has that feel.”

Truex knows what it feels like to finish second – his best result in the race came in 2010 when he trailed race winner Kurt Busch across the line.

“I’m pretty sure everyone forgets about that,” he said. “I for the most part forget about it till we get here.

“It’s all about winning. It’s a race for the fans. It’s a race to just put on a show, kind of a throwback short track race with the stages and the segments, just putting it all out there for the win.”

RELATED: Format explained | Fast facts for Saturday’s races

Race winners from the previous season and through the first 11 races of ’17 earn a spot in the field, as do former winners of the event. Three additional slots will be filled by drivers who win stages in the Monster Energy Open qualifying race and a final position will be awarded to the driver who wins the fan vote to round out the 20-car lineup.

There is “no pressure” to win, Truex said.

“None … at all,” he said. “It’s a fun weekend. Anytime you take points off the table, it becomes a lot less stressful and a lot more fun. But at the same time we all want to win it.”

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyle Larson will start on the pole, with Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch second through fifth, respectively.

Truex qualified 14th.

Keselowski (Team Penske No. 2 Ford) will be making his ninth consecutive appearance in the All-Star Race and he also knows the feeling of being second-best. In ’12, he finished behind Jimmie Johnson; last year it was Team Penske teammate Joey Logano who ended up in Victory Lane.

“To me, it’s a marquee race,” Keselowski, who will start seventh, said. “All-Star just naturally implies best of the best even though the best of the best compete against each other every week. (There’s) just something special about it.

“I think the fact that if you win it you get locked into it for life is really cool. And that means a lot.”

Johnson (Hendrick Motorsports) is a four-time winner of the race, tops in the series. No other current active driver has more than one win.

“There’s always some level of pressure,” Keselowski said. “There’s no season-ending pressure but it’s pressure in the opportunity because I know I’m going to have a quality opportunity to do it.”

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Ron Malec has been the car chief for Jimmie Johnson as long as the seven-time champion has been in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Along with crew chief Chad Knaus, they comprise the triple-threat tandem that has claimed seven championships for Hendrick Motorsports.

For his work and results with the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 team — most of it coming behind the scenes — Malec was honored Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the Brian Lunniss Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Mechanix Wear.

The Mechanix Wear-sponsored award is dedicated to the hardest working hands in racing who possess exceptional drive and inspire the team to win. The Lunniss Award is reserved for mechanics in motorsports who demonstrate remarkable achievements during their career.

Malec was chosen as this year’s recipient in recognition of his outstanding achievements as a car chief in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Malec is the second individual to be recognized.

“He is a guy that wants to go out there and work and he doesn’t pull punches and he doesn’t hold grudges,” Knaus said. “If you’re in a situation where you need to give somebody the ball, he’s the guy you’re giving it to.”


Posted on by

RELATED: View the video series

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. — Racing is a team sport, so to celebrate the launch of new M&M’S® Caramel Chocolate Candies, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series® Champion Kyle Busch has recruited an all-star team to “unsquare” the ride-along and try M&M’S newest flavor, M&M’S Caramel. In the new video series “Riding with Kyle Busch,” Kyle puts wife Samantha, country music superstar Jake Owen, pro football player Greg Olsen and fellow Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez in the passenger seat to talk about fatherhood, car repair and everything in between.

Each of the conversations in the series are as unique as new M&M’S Caramel itself. The days of the square-shaped, square-wrapped caramel candies are history as M&M’S has updated one of the most popular flavors by covering soft caramel in a delicious, candy-coated shell.

With Kyle Busch behind the wheel to celebrate the new caramel-filled fun of M&M’S Caramel, M&M’S took “unsquaring” the ride-along one step further.  Kyle and his caramel crew spend time behind the wheel of a variety of unique Toyota vehicles, including a Toyota Racing Development (TRD) outfitted Camry, 4Runner, Highlander, and even a tricked-out Toyota Sienna minivan.

View the Videos

Available on M&M’S YouTube Channel, the four part series includes:

“What I love about M&M’S is that they’re all about innovation and always changing it up,” explained Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Caramel Toyota. “For me, caramel has always been a little square, so it’s great to be part of the M&M’S Caramel launch that gives a familiar flavor a modern and fun chocolate makeover. Taking that theme to the ride-along and spending time with Jake Owen, Greg Olsen, Daniel Suarez and Samantha was great fun.”

Caramel Fun All Season Long

In addition to the Riding with Kyle video series, M&M’S Caramel will become a fan favorite on race day all season long, with the No. 18 M&M’S Caramel Toyota debuting under the lights at the Monster Energy All-Star Race on May 20th.  In addition, the special M&M’S Caramel paint scheme will adorn Kyle Busch’s No. 18 M&M’S Toyota for nearly the entire back half of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

For more information about Mars, Incorporated, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Posted on by Staff Report

Once again, Aspen Dental is off to the races when it comes to inspiring people to get on the road to great oral health.

That’s because there’s more horsepower than ever when it comes to the Aspen Dental brand as the Official Dentist of NASCAR. In partnership with Danica Patrick, the new “Get Started” campaign was created to encourage fans to simply make that first step by scheduling an appointment.

“I’m really excited for the next phase in our partnership,” said Danica. “There’s a great connection because starts and restarts are part of my sport and the same is true for gaining control over your oral health.”

In fact, Danica was so excited she even hosted her very own talk show segment, “Let’s Get Started” with special guest, Clint Bowyer (boi –yer). During the show, Clint appointed himself as Aspen Dental’s newest tooth fairy; little did he know the title was already taken …

Go to AspenDental.com/GetStarted now to see the exclusive full length segment and behind-the-scenes photos from filming with Danica and Clint.

RELATED: Watch the full video here!

See behind the scenes of the making of the Let’s Get Started video with Danica and Clint!

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Bookmark the live stream here

The destination for a fun, exciting and informative pre-race experience, NASCAR Trackside Live is back for a second consecutive weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The stage show from the fan midway at Charlotte takes place twice this weekend, at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday — and you can catch all the action from the comfort of your own screen if you’re unable to join the fun live. NASCAR.com will live stream the entire show here: https://www.nascar.com/tracksidelive.

Fans, of course, are the center focus here and also will participate in games and have the chance to win some great prizes.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Race results | SHOP: Kyle Busch gear
MORE: Full race breakdown | Updated standings

CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Busch never tires of winning, even though he does it more often than anyone else.

Busch led 90 of 134 laps in Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and completed a dominating victory in the event, sweeping both early stages of the race and taking the checkered flag .986 seconds ahead of runner-up Johnny Sauter.

The win was Busch’s seventh in 11 starts at the 1.5-mile track, his second of the season in three starts and the 48th of his career. No other driver in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history has won more races at a single track.

After diverging pit strategies under the fifth caution on Lap 71 scrambled the running order near the end of the second stage, Busch took control of the race with a breathtaking pass on the backstretch on Lap 78, splitting the middle between Sauter and eventual sixth-place finisher Matt Crafton.

“It was fun,” said Busch, who collected his 173rd NASCAR national touring series win. “We had a really fast Cessna Tundra tonight. It was a challenge there in the middle part of the race. It was confusing for a while there, but we got through it.

“There near the end of that stage, we shot through the middle there. I thought the middle was going to close up and I was going to have to push Sauter, but Crafton left me a lane and I was able to blow through there.”

Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Christopher Bell ran third, overcoming early trouble to stay within striking distance of Sauter, the series leader. Bell started from the pole but cut a left rear tire three laps into the race and went a lap down.

Regaining the lead lap as the “lucky dog” for a restart on Lap 65, Bell worked his way to the front. He was running second when a caution for Matt Mills’ spin on Lap 128 brought out the ninth and final caution and set up a three-lap run to the finish.

Sauter, who extended his series lead to 15 points over Bell, got the better of the young Toyota driver on the restart and rolled home in second.

“I struggled on restarts, man,” Bell said afterwards. “I’m pretty bummed that I ran third with a second-place truck.”

Ryan Truex charged into fourth place after the final restart and posted his best finish since last year’s season opener at Daytona. It was his first top five in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on an open-motor track.

Timothy Peters ran fifth, followed by Crafton, Grant Enfinger, Ben Rhodes, Noah Gragson and Parker Kligerman.

Notes: Justin Haley’s No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet entry failed the height requirements in post-race inspection following his 17th-place finish in Friday’s race. That infraction carries with it a loss of 10 points in the driver and owner standings and a one-race suspension for the team’s crew chief, per the rulebook.

Contributing: Staff report

Posted on by Zack Albert

RELATED: Starting lineup | Essential race info | At-track photos

CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Larson stormed to the Coors Light Pole Award on Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, taming the unique qualifying format to earn the No. 1 starting spot for Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Larson hurried the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet to a speed of 143.839 mph in the three-lap format, which requires teams to make a four-tire pit stop during their run. Despite a slight slip by his rear tire changer, Larson’s team avoided the pitfalls that snagged the other four competitors who advanced to the final round of qualifying.

Kyle Busch was second-fastest in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota with a speed of 143.826 mph, just one-hundredth slower than Larson’s time. Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch completed the top five.

Larson led 18 laps in last year’s All-Star event, relinquishing the top spot to eventual winner Joey Logano with two laps remaining. With a prime No. 1 starting position this year, Larson said he hoped to capitalize by winning one of three opening segments to lock his name into the final 10-lap, 10-car dash.

“Starting up front is a big deal,” Larson said. “If we can get out there and win that first stage I know we’re going to be in the top 10, and then build on our average finish. I’m very excited for (Saturday). And I’m definitely excited about getting the pole because I wasn’t expecting to qualify this good. To get the pole is pretty neat.”

The one-of-a-kind qualifying procedures — which abandon the pit-road speed limit for one night only — tripped up a handful of drivers. In the final round, Johnson overshot his pit stall and incurred a five-second penalty when his crew went over the wall too soon. Kurt Busch’s crew left two lug nuts loose, causing race officials to dock him five seconds for each.

In the first session, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth overshot their pit stalls trying to hustle in for service, costing them precious time as their teams backed their cars into position. Logano’s drastic overshoot kept Larson’s place on the bubble; the series points leader was the last of the five drivers who advanced to the final knockout round.

The crews for Martin Truex Jr. and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. each left one lug nut unsecured, incurring five-second penalties that kept them from advancing to the final qualifying round. Truex will start 14th with Stenhouse 16th on Saturday night.

WATCH: Ryan Newman saves car in qualifying

Ryan Newman recovered from a long, smoky sideways slide through Turns 3 and 4 just before his pit entry. He avoided contact, but his Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet was the second slowest of the 16 drivers in the opening round.

“Hoping next year maybe they’ll award style points,” Newman told FOX Sports after making his stellar save. He’ll start 15th in Saturday night’s invitational.

Four more drivers will be added Saturday to round out the 20-car field for Saturday night’s main event. Three drivers will transfer as segment winners from the 50-lap Monster Energy Open preliminary race. One more will be added as the winner of fan voting.

Posted on by Staff Report

“Carpool Karaoke” has nothing on Kyle Busch, who stars in “Riding with Kyle Busch,” a series of videos shot from the dash cam of the champion driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. See Kyle as the interviewer instead of the interviewee as he chats with his wife, Samantha; country music star Jake Owen; pro football player Greg Olsen and teammate Daniel Suarez as they ride in different models of Toyota vehicles — and of course, snack on some M&M’s.

Spoiler alert: Kyle does share his Caramel M&M’s with Samantha, but they can’t agree on what color the bag is. Watch each of the episodes below:

Jake Owen: The country music superstar and admitted beach bum tells Kyle Busch about his perfect day at the beach while riding in an Expedition Overland Toyota 4Runner.

Greg Olsen: The Carolina Panthers tight end tells Kyle Busch a funny autograph-seeker story while driving in the Toyota SEMA Edition TRD Land Cruiser.

Samantha Busch: She gives husband Kyle Busch an honest critique of how good — or bad — his driving is on family vacations while riding in a Toyota Sienna Extreme.

Daniel Suarez: Kyle Busch’s teammate teaches him a Spanish phrase or two while they ride in a SEMA Edition Camry.

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Full schedule | Format explained | ‘Soft’ tire in use

At a Glance

What: Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race; Monster Energy Open
Where: Charlotte Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile tri-oval in Concord, North Carolina
Green flag: Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race — 8:16.30 p.m. ET; Monster Energy Open — 6:15 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Forecast: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, high near 87. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
National Anthem: Calysta Bevier, 2016 “America’s Got Talent” semifinalist
Honorary Pace Car Driver: Ricky Carmichael, 15-time national motocross and supercross champion
Honorary Starter: JB Mauney, two-time PBR champion
Grand Marshal: Victor Espinoza, Triple Crown winning jockey
Race distance: Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race 70 laps; Monster Energy Open 50 laps
Pit road speed: 45 mph
Caution car speed: 55 mph
Stage lengths: Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race — 20 laps, 20 laps, 20 laps, 10 laps (Stage winners in first three stages advance to final stage); Monster Energy Open — 20 laps, 20 laps, 10 laps (Stage winners in Open advance to All-Star Race)