Posted on by Steve Luvender

Have you ever taken a selfie with Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Well, whether or not you’ve been so lucky, it doesn’t matter, thanks to advances in modern technology. Now, in celebration of 8/8 — Dale Day, if you will — you can take your very own selfie with the most popular NASCAR driver of all time.

 

Simply choose an image from your device, and it’ll magically turn into a selfie with Dale Jr.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Kahne, Hendrick to part ways at season’s end

The Monday announcement of Kasey Kahne’s approaching departure from Hendrick Motorsports became the latest move in a flurry of forthcoming personnel changes announced this season.

The NASCAR garage likely will look far different in 2018, and you might need a program to tell who goes where. Our Kenny Bruce and Zack Albert debate the finer points of an especially zany Silly Season.

1. What are some scenarios for Kasey Kahne in 2018?

Bruce: “Without sponsorship” will be a term that gets tossed around a lot in the coming months when talking about driver movement, and for good reason. Without funding, some drivers, such as Kahne, may have a difficult time finding a suitable ride for 2018. With funding, he could wind up at Richard Childress Racing in the No. 27, or Furniture Row Racing in the No. 77. Or perhaps the No. 41 if something keeps Stewart-Haas and Kurt Busch from ironing out any differences.

Albert: Where to go from here? There isn’t much greener a pasture to be found than the lush grounds of Hendrick Motorsports, so any transition would be a lateral move at best. Furniture Row may be an enticing option, but a potential vacancy at Richard Childress Racing would keep him in the Chevrolet fold. Can’t rule out Kahne successfully re-inventing himself in the XFINITY Series (see: Sadler, Elliott), but that scenario seems unlikely unless most other avenues run dry.

RELATED: Hendrick teammates react to Kahne’s departure

2. Is this the busiest Silly Season in recent memory?

Kenny Bruce: In terms of sheer numbers? Probably. But it wasn’t that long ago (2012) that Kurt Busch was headed to the No. 78, Joey Logano was moving to the No. 22 at Team Penske, Matt Kenseth was departing Roush Fenway for Joe Gibbs Racing and a handful of other moves were taking place. The spate of “planned” retirements have taken some of the juice out of the Silly Season story line in recent years.

Zack Albert: It does seem that way. Turnover on the NASCAR roster seems to go in cycles, sometimes in generations. Retirement age for drivers isn’t getting any older, and the rise in new talent isn’t sitting idly by. On the “silly” scale, the moves thus far may parallel a pie in the face. But it’s still August, and more dominoes are set to fall. 

3. Will Kurt Busch return to Stewart-Haas Racing?

Bruce: Speaking of Busch … the 2004 champion has five wins in four years at SHR, including this year’s Daytona 500. He also has made the postseason every year since joining the organization. It’s unlikely he could go somewhere else and be more competitive. He stays.

Albert: Can’t say with the same certainty that Busch returns to the SHR No. 41, but where else would he go? With talent comes turbulence. Even if there were openings at Roush Fenway or Team Penske, acrimonious long-ago departures likely eliminate those from consideration. One possible landing spot: The No. 77 at Furniture Row Racing, where Busch gave the organization its first playoff spot in 2013.

RELATED: Kurt Busch says he has offers

4. How about Matt Kenseth; do you see him landing a full-time ride?

Bruce: It’s unlikely Kenseth will find an open seat that is anywhere close to his No. 20 at JGR. He says he wants to keep racing. Maybe the No. 77 at Furniture Row is an option — the Toyota folks love him — but there don’t appear to be many others of that caliber available.

Albert: Retirement? But then who else could we count on for droll humor and plainspoken Midwestern sensibility if Kenseth heads home to Wisconsin? Last month’s hot-and-heavy rumor that Kenseth would succeed Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 soon fizzled with Alex Bowman’s ascension. The 38-time Monster Energy Series race winner will surely land somewhere.

5. Which Silly Season move thus far was the most surprising?

Bruce: Can we go all the way back to January? Because Carl Edwards’ decision to step away from NASCAR after making it all the way to the championship round in 2016 remains the most surprising move of the year, in my opinion.

Albert: But wait, does Edwards’ abrupt adios count as last season’s Silly Season? If not, it’s hard to argue with the seismic jolt surrounding his departure. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s decision to make this season his last may not rank quite as highly on the surprise scale, but it’s every bit as impactful.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Kahne, Hendrick to part ways | Silly Season outlook

Hendrick Motorsports announced Monday morning that Kasey Kahne will not return in 2018 to pilot the No. 5 Chevrolet. His teammates were quick to offer words of encouragement and praise via Twitter following the news.

An appreciative Kahne responded to his teammates’ Tweets with one of his own, saying his cohorts are “as good as it gets.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Silly Season outlook

Hendrick Motorsports announced Monday that it will not retain driver Kasey Kahne to compete in the team’s No. 5 Chevrolet for the 2018 season. A future driver for the car was not revealed, but the team said it would announce its four-car lineup at a later date.

Kahne, 37, won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis in July and has 18 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins in 14 seasons. He was the 2004 Rookie of the Year.

“I’d like to thank Rick (Hendrick) and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for their hard work and dedication, along with providing me a great opportunity and success over the last six years,” Kahne said in a team release. “We won six races together and I’m coming off of one of the biggest wins of my career at the Brickyard, which has given the (No.) 5 team a lot of momentum heading into the playoffs. We still have a lot of racing left in 2017 and finishing strong is our top priority. I look forward to what the next chapter in my career holds.”

RELATED: Kasey Kahne through the years

Kahne started his Monster Energy Series career with Ray Evernham’s Dodge team in 2004, winning a season-best six races in 2006. He also drove for Richard Petty Motorsports and the Red Bull Racing teams before landing at Hendrick in 2012, where he has earned six victories.

In his first year with the championship organization Kahne won two races and tied a career-best mark of 19 top-10 finishes. He also finished a career-high fourth place in the standings that season.

His win at Indy broke a victory drought that stretched back to 2014.

MORE: Kahne breaks through for Brickyard 400 victory

“Kasey has worked extremely hard,” Hendrick said. “He’s a tremendous teammate and person, and he has been totally dedicated to our program since day one. I’ve always believed that he’s a special talent, and I know he will thrive in the right situation. We will do everything we can to finish the season as strong as we can.”

Hendrick will have a decidedly youthful look next season. The team already announced that 24-year-old Alex Bowman will replace retiring veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 car. And 21-year old Chase Elliott is in his second Cup season driving the No. 24 Chevrolet formerly steered by retired four-time champion Jeff Gordon.

MORE: Bowman to replace Earnhardt Jr. in No. 88

At 41, seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson remains the elder statesman on the team.

There is no word where Kahne may work next season. He joins a list of highly respected veterans without firm 2018 plans, including former Cup champions Matt Kenseth, who will not be retained by Joe Gibbs Racing, and 2004 champion Kurt Busch, whose option was not picked up by his Stewart-Haas Racing team this past week.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full race results | Playoff watch | Busch wins XFINITY race

All things considered, Kyle Busch’s seventh-place finish in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International was a remarkable one.

After starting on the pole and winning Stage 1, Busch’s day took a bad turn after he was forced to bring his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota back down pit road during pit stops at the stage break; the team found a lug nut stuck between the caliper and the wheel.

Things only got worse for Busch on Lap 45 of 90, as he tangled with Brad Keselowski in the inner loop of the 2.45-mile road course, sending both drivers spinning. Busch was not happy with Keselowski after the incident. “…Better keep me away from that (expletive) after the race,” Busch told his crew via his in-car radio.

Following a frustrating day in the office, Busch took to Twitter to provide some entertaining commentary — and show plenty of passion.

Aside from the haters, Busch also showed some love to his fans that tweeted support.

Although Busch and Keselowski had a moment during the race, Keselowski tried to shed a positive light on the situation, pointing out a fan who indicated he was a fan of both drivers.

Posted on by NASCAR Wire Service

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Daniel Suárez didn’t seem particularly elated about finishing third at Watkins Glen International, even though he had just achieved a career best in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Perhaps that’s because the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender is growing accustomed to success.

Consider this: Suárez received a battlefield promotion into the Monster Energy Series when Carl Edwards announced his sudden, unexpected exit from the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the offseason. After a rough start to his rookie season, Suárez has posted four straight top 10s. The third-place finish at Watkins Glen was the first top five of his career.

In Sunday’s I Love New York 355, Suárez also collected his first stage win of the season, blocking Martin Truex Jr. through the final corner and holding off the eventual race winner for the  playoff point.

But to Suárez, the success is merely a reflection of steady progress, mirroring his 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series season, where he started slowly and finished with the championship.

“I think I mentioned in the beginning of the year that I was so looking forward to the second half of the year, as well, because I knew that the second half of the year we were going to be more competitive,” Suárez said.

“All the hard work from my team and from everyone in the 19 group and from Joe Gibbs Racing, TRD (Toyota Racing Development), Toyota, it’s paying off. In the beginning of the year, we were not like that. I wasn’t the same driver, either, and now I feel like we are moving in the right direction.

“We have speed pretty much every weekend now where we are running in the top 10. I don’t think it’s a surprise anymore to run in the top 10. We just have to keep it up. We have to keep ourselves calm, and hopefully we can catch a break in the next few weeks, month or so, to try to make it in the playoffs.”

Currently 15th in the standings and 129 points out of the last playoff-eligible position in points, Suárez would have to win one of the next four races to accomplish that goal.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Race results | Series standings | Playoff standings

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — With only four races remaining to set the 16-driver Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff field, a small group of drivers fighting for the final ‘transfer’ positions proved again Sunday at Watkins Glen exactly how competitive that last playoff push is.

Three of the five drivers on the cusp of “pointing” their way into the playoff crowd finished among the top five in a furious fuel-gamble race won by the season points leader, Martin Truex Jr.

Matt Kenseth, who was ranked 16th in the playoff standings entering the race, finished runner-up while securing his best finish of the season. That helped him hold onto the tenuous last playoff transfer position — should he not win before the playoff start on Sept. 17 at Chicago.

His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Daniel Suarez, who is 19th in the playoff standings, finished third and Clint Bowyer, who is right on Kenseth’s heels and 17th in the playoff standings, was fifth in Sunday’s race.

“The last month we’ve been finishing pretty good and running good,” Kenseth said. “The 78 (Truex) was a lot faster … but when you’re that close, I was hoping I could push him and get him to run out.”

As the points stand now, there are three drivers — Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray and Kenseth — ranked among the top 16 without a victory, therefore relying on points standings to qualify for the championship pursuit.

Bowyer is only 28 points behind Kenseth in the standings. Suarez is 129 points out from Kenseth and a playoff bid as the series heads to Michigan International Speedway for next Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400.

RELATED: Full playoff standings

Race winner Truex conceded he was aware of Kenseth’s high motivation to win in the final laps of the race. And Kenseth admitted it was a tough loss — his best run of the year, capping off a string of four consecutive top-nine finishes.

“I’m second happiest; Martin is the happiest,” said Kenseth, driver of the No. 20 Toyota. “We really needed the win.

“Honestly, I don’t even think about the playoffs. I more think about coming here for however many, 15, 17, 18 years, whatever it’s been, and not really having a win or an opportunity to win and never even really been that great here.

“I felt like we had a top-five car. Obviously we had good fortune there at the end with our track position and our fuel mileage and all that to stay in it and have a shot at it, but man, when it’s that close and you see him saving and you’re saving and then you go after him there on that last lap, it’s disappointing not to get it.”

Bowyer, like Kenseth, is in the midst of a stellar month of racing results as he tries to secure his first playoff berth since 2015 and his first victory since 2012. He remained optimistic and has three top-seven finishes in the last four races.

“It’s hard to discipline yourself and save the fuel especially when you have him right there,” Bowyer said of running among the top-three for many of the final laps, but ultimately having to play it safe and save fuel in his No. 14 Five Star Urgent Care Ford.

“That’s the win we needed to get in the Chase and seal up the deal,” he said as Truex did a burnout feet away. “But if we had messed up and run out of gas going for it, that’s probably the dagger that knocks you out of the Chase.

“You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. We’ve come a long ways and we’re still in this thing.

“We’ll win a race, I guarantee you. And if we win one, we’ll win another.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Race results | Series standings | Playoff standings

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Sunday’s winning crew chief Cole Pearn had the ultimate in mixed emotions — proud and happy to lead his driver Martin Truex Jr. to victory at Watkins Glen; and still so sad and bewildered after losing his best friend four days earlier.

Pearn naturally, and understandably, fluctuated between emotions discussing his team’s fourth victory.

He managed a smile, hoping the good result would honor his dear friend, 35-year old Jacob Damen who passed away — completely unexpectedly from a bacterial infection he got in their native Canada days earlier.

Pearn and Damen grew up together – attending high school and university together; even working together.

And Damen and his young family (he has 4-year-old and 11-month-old boys) were scheduled to attend next week’s race at Michigan as guests of Pearn.

In fact, he had just called Pearn a day before he died so the two could organize the upcoming visit.

Pearn said the community outside Ontario where they grew up may have trouble finding a large enough venue for his friend’s funeral, as Damen was active and popular in his community.

“It’s been probably the hardest week of my life and it’s not over yet,’’ Pearn said after Truex won as his voice cracked in emotion. “I lost my best friend growing up this week. He caught a random bacterial infection from a cut in his hand the day before. It doesn’t seem real. He’s got two little boys that will never know his dad. He was a heart of gold guy.

“I still haven’t come to terms with it to be honest.”

As happy as the team was for the win, Truex also acknowledged the emotional week his friend and teammate Pearn was going though.

“It was his best friend growing up and he’s completely devastated and shocked,’’ Truex said. “It definitely makes you feel proud to maybe do something for your friend more than anything — like ‘Hell yes, we did this for him,’ not just for us. And I think he [Pearn] feels a little bit of that. He always wants to win, but I could feel this weekend, he had his buddy with him. He really wanted to win for him. I was glad I was able to be a part of that for him.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

RELATED: Race results | Series standings | Playoff standings | Detailed breakdown
SHOP: Truex gear

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – At a track where his father raced, and a track where he was a “garage rat” as a child, Martin Truex Jr. won Sunday’s I LOVE NEW YORK 355 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race by slowing down over the closing laps.

Truex let Brad Keselowski pass him for the lead on Lap 77 of 90. On instructions from crew chief Cole Pearn, Truex also let Ryan Blaney past his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota on Lap 83.

All the while, Truex was saving fuel, with Pearn calculating that both Keselowski and Blaney would have to stop for a splash of gas. The strategy played out as expected, with Keselowski giving up the lead for a trip to pit road on Lap 87 and Blaney following a lap later.

That left Truex to hold off a desperate charge from Matt Kenseth on the final lap, with Truex streaking across the finish line .414 seconds ahead of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Camry. Kenseth’s teammate, Daniel Suarez, rolled home in third to register a career-best result.

RELATED: Truex thanks fans | Truex’s career stats

“I’m a little bit lost for words at the moment, just because I’ve been thinking about this one a long time – all weekend, all day,” said Truex, who won for the fourth time this season and the 11th time in his career.

“Then, at the end there, just it’s so hard there to let guys pass you for the lead. You’ve just got to listen to your crew chief and, luckily for me, I’ve got the best one in the business, and I just believe in him so much, and I just do what he says and it seems to work out.”

Kenseth, who remains on the playoff bubble with four races left before the 16-driver field is set, was disappointed at coming so close to the victory—one that would have guaranteed him a playoff spot.

“I’m second happiest,” said Kenseth who was also saving fuel and gunned it on the last lap. “Martin is the happiest. We really needed the win. Honestly, I don’t even think about the playoffs. I more think about coming here for however many, 15, 17, 18 years, whatever it’s been, and not really having a win or an opportunity to win and never even really been that great here.

“I felt like we had a top-five car. Obviously, we had good fortune there at the end with our track position and our fuel mileage and all that to stay in it and have a shot at it, but man, when it’s that close and you see him saving and you’re saving and then you go after him there on that last lap, it’s disappointing not to get it. Especially when I saw him miss Turn 6, I was like, ‘Man, I’m going to have a shot,’ and he was so fast I still couldn’t get to him getting into (Turn) 7.”

Polesitter Kyle Busch led all 20 laps of the race’s first stage, but a snafu on pit road left his left front wheel loose, and Busch had to return under caution during the stage break to correct the problem. That left him deep in the field for the subsequent restart on Lap 25.

MORE: Midrace incident for Busch, Keselowski

Busch worked his way back into the top 10, but after restarting ninth on Lap 45, his No. 18 Toyota and Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford collided in the bus stop chicane, sending both cars off course. Busch wasn’t a contender for the victory after that, though he did rally to finish seventh.

Posted on 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 Monster Energy Series and XFINITY Series events are also live streamed online on the NBC Sports App, which can be accessed here. Events that are only available on NBC Sports App are noted below.

RELATED: Watch on the NBC Sports App |  How to find CNBC on your TV

Monday, August 7
1 a.m., Racing Roots: Daniel Suarez, NBCSN
12 p.m., NASCAR 120: Watkins Glen, NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Tuesday, August 8
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Wednesday, August 9
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Finger Lakes Wine Country 100, NBCSN

Thursday, August 10
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR The Decades: The 1970s, NBCSN

Friday, August 11
11:30 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Michigan, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 2)
1 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice at Michigan, FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice at Mid-Ohio, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO) RAINED OUT
3 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice at Michigan, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice at Mid-Ohio, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO) RAINED OUT
5 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying at Michigan, NBCSN (Canada: TSN GO)

Saturday, August 12
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice at Michigan (re-air), FS1
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice at Michigan (re-air), FS1
8:30 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Michigan, CNBC (Canada: TSN GO)
9:30 a.m., Racing Roots, CNBC
9:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light qualifying at Michigan, FS1
11:30 a.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice at Michigan, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)
12 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying at Mid-Ohio, CNBC (Canada: TSN GO)
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Setup, FS1
1 p.m., Camping World Truck Series LTI Printing 200, FS1
3 p.m., Camping World Truck Series post-race show, FS1
3 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN
3:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Mid-Ohio Challenge, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 5)

Sunday, August 13
12:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series LTI Printing 200 (re-air), FS2
9 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series LTI Printing 200 (re-air), FS1
12 p.m., NASCAR Raceday, FS1
1:30 p.m.: NASCAR America Sunday, NBCSN
2:30 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN
3 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pure Michigan 400, NBCSN (Canada: TSN 1, 3)
6 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series post-race show, NBCSN
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN
7:30 p.m., Racing Roots: Kyle Larson, NBCSN
8 p.m., Racing Roots: Daniel Suarez, NBCSN
11 p.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1