Posted on by Kelly Crandall

The Fourth of July means a lot to Dan Collins, the No. 42 XFINITY Series hauler driver for Chip Ganassi Racing.

A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Collins was an aircraft mechanic crew chief from 1990-1996 in the 121st Air Refueling Wing. Patriotism in the Collins family runs deep, and service was a way of giving back to a country that provided them with opportunity.

At Daytona International Speedway this weekend, NASCAR will recognize the United States Armed Forces during the XFINITY Series race with its NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola campaign.

The No. 42 team of Tyler Reddick has chosen to put Collins’ name on the windshield for the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 (Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

It is a gesture that brings Collins plenty of pride.

“I’d been around that my whole life growing up and once I graduated high school, (I went) into the same unit as my dad and worked with him for about three years before he passed away,” Collins said. “Pride because it had been my life up until I got out in 1996 and got into racing.”

Dan Collins (lower left) with his unit (photo courtesy of Chip Ganassi Racing)

The youngest of five, Collins going into the Air Force wasn’t surprising. Both of his older brothers served, one also in the Air Force and one as an officer in the Navy. His father, Master Sgt. John Collins, put in more than 40 years.

Collins’ role was very much like his current one for Ganassi, with responsibility for the organization and presentation of his vehicle. Instead of a hauler, though, it was an airplane. Maintaining the aircraft, prepping it for flight, keeping it fueled in addition to any inspections and other maintenance.

“After I got back from basic training I got to my unit and the first plane I signed off on, that I did the whole pre-flight inspection, saying this plane is 100 percent ready to fly, my dad was flying,” Collins recalled. “I see him getting out of the crew van to come into the plane and I’m like, ‘Oh great, crew’s here and my dad’s flying on it.’

“At 19 years old, I had a big wakeup call that everything I do regarding this plane has lives on the line. After that you take a little bit more time and attention to detail because if something goes wrong with that plane, I’m responsible for it.”

Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Collins was as familiar with race cars as he was the Armed Forces. Around the house it was common for him and one of his brothers to race to the television, because whoever got the remote picked what they watched.

Collins always turned to motorsports.

But content to follow his father’s footsteps, racing only came to the forefront of his life when hearing in one of his college classes that an open wheel team was expanding. Hired to help out, Collins then spent six years in the series before making a change in 2002.

“NASCAR looked a lot stronger at the time than IndyCar did,” Collins said. “I didn’t have anything to lose and I remember one thing my dad always said was, ‘Live your life to the fullest and have no regrets.’

“I had the opportunity to go to North Carolina and ended up getting hired by Petty Enterprises.”

When Harry Scott and Chip Ganassi joined forces in the XFINITY Series in 2014, Collins blended into the Ganassi group. Previously he worked with some other high-profile teams, such as JR Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing and Team Penske.

Dan Collins (photo courtesy of Chip Ganassi Racing)

Collins has both an XFINITY Series and Monster Energy Series championship on his resume. Both came while working with Brad Keselowski at Penske.

“That was an awesome feeling to be able to accomplish both of those,” Collins said. “Here at Ganassi, we’re trying to get an owner’s championship (in XFINITY) and, hopefully, Kyle (Larson) can do the Cup deal and we get them both. It would be a big feat.

“Roger Penske’s first stock car championship, I was there for that and now I’m here at Ganassi and could be in the same position.”

A win at Daytona would help both efforts. And since there can only be one winner, expect Collins to root for the car with a windshield he can call his own.

“I think they do a great job at it,” Collins said of NASCAR Salutes. “It’s a small section of what NASCAR is doing with ‘Salute the Troops’, but it’s really salute the troops all year long from Daytona to Homestead.

“They do a good job of recognizing (military members) in and out of uniform. Prior service. And those who have sacrificed.”

Posted on by Steve Luvender

Like the solstice, road course races only happen twice a year in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. It’s much less common to see five drivers make their debuts in one race, and Kevin Harvick winning at a road course — but, hey, both of those things happened this weekend.

 

Thumbs Up: Curb Hopping

There’s something about watching a stock car hopping over a curb when a driver’s working to shave a tenth of a second off their lap time. It’s one of the unique treats of a NASCAR road course race.

WATCH: Compilation of Monster Energy Series drivers hopping the curb

Road courses are unique in that when a driver uses up every inch of the racetrack, they’re usually going a bit beyond that limit. You can’t go faster by running into the wall at an oval (although Kyle Larson might disagree).


Come on. What’s not to like about a stock car on two wheels?

 

Thumbs Down: Chad Knaus’ Laptop Thief

Somebody stole Chad Knaus’ laptop and race notes from his rental car this weekend.

Stealing is never cool. Major thumbs-down to the thief.

But it kind of makes you wonder what was on his laptop, doesn’t it?

Like, was it actual important stuff crucial to the No. 48 team’s success over the years? Race-winning setups and detailed strategy notes?

Or ordinary stuff, like a list of birthdays of everyone on the team? His secret collections of poetry? What does Chad Knaus write in his diary?

Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team won Stage 2 of the race at Sonoma and led 12 laps, so the laptop theft mustn’t have set the team back too far.

Here’s to hoping Knaus has a backup of his race notes and that Hendrick Motorsports has some level of security in place to remotely wipe a hard drive. (And, of course, wishing that none of the information landed into the wrong hands.)

 

Thumbs Up: The Visor Cam

For the first time in NASCAR history, a driver’s helmet visor-mounted camera made it to racing competition, much to the delight of TV viewers.

WATCH: Ride along with Danica Patrick’s visor cam

It was a blast watching Danica Patrick wheel around Sonoma Raceway from the vantage point of her helmet. The FOX Sports Visor Cam is about as close as we’ll get to experiencing what it’s like to be in the driver’s seat during actual competition.

As close as we’ll get, that is, until those Virtual Reality nerds figure out how to virtually put us inside the cars during a race. Hurry up, nerds!

(Aside: iRacing with a VR headset is a lot of fun, too. Would not recommend for the carsickness-prone, however.)

 

Thumbs Down: Kasey Kahne’s Luck

Kasey Kahne has crashed out of four of the last five races — none of which were his doing.

First, an unexpected crash at Charlotte. Then, he got tangled in a multi-car overtime crash in Dover. The next week, he experienced a brake failure at Pocono, leaving him in the wall. He broke the unfortunate streak by getting through Michigan without incident.

He almost made it through Sonoma cleanly, until a last-lap tangle with lapped car Kevin O’Connell sent Kahne’s No. 5 hard (really hard) into a concrete barrier.

Kahne was fine after the contact, but he’s now mired 21st in points with 10 races before the end of the regular season. Things are going to have to turn around (and not his race car) if he wants a shot at a championship. It’s time to shed that walking-under-ladders habit, Kasey.

This thumbs-down is for the monkey on Kahne’s back. Begone, monkey!

 

Biggest Thumbs Up of the Week: Clint Bowyer

Clint. Bowyer.

First, he reportedly lost power steering before the race even began. At an 11-turn road course, of all places.

Then, he went for a spin on Lap 22 (and somehow didn’t knock down a wall.)

He made contact with a spinning AJ Allmendinger, damaging the front of the No. 14 Ford.

He started the final stage of the race deep in the field, then drove all the way up to second place behind teammate and race-winner Kevin Harvick before the checkered flag flew.

All with a car that looked like it had just finished a race at Martinsville.

 


It was an impressive run that would have even made Lightning McQueen proud — and for that, the unlikely runner-up gets a thumbs-up the size of the giant piece of tape on the nose of his car.

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Chase Elliott photos through the years

Chase Elliott will stay in the No. 24 Chevrolet at Hendrick Motorsports through the 2022 season in a four-year contract extension announced Tuesday afternoon.

The 2016 Rookie of the Year took over the famed No. 24 last season upon the retirement of Jeff Gordon. However, Elliott has been in the Hendrick family far longer, having signed with the company in 2011. He was 15 years old at the time.

In his first full season of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition, Elliott won two poles, including the Daytona 500, and qualified for the playoffs.

Through the first 16 races of the 2017 season, Elliott, who led the field to the green flag again in the Daytona 500, is sixth in the driver points standings.

“It means the world to me to be a part of this organization and I couldn’t be happier (about the extension),” Elliott said in a team press release. “I wouldn’t want to drive for anybody else but Hendrick Motorsports. I am very proud to be where I am, and I definitely take it upon myself to work hard and make sure I do my part for the company as we move forward.”

Hendrick Motorsports’ previous contract with Elliott ran through the 2018 season.

“As both a driver and a person, where Chase is today at 21 years old is unbelievable,” said team owner Rick Hendrick. “With all the expectations and pressure, he’s stayed focused on being himself and working as hard as he can.

“The pure driving talent has always been obvious, and he’s doing so many great things off the track. He’ll be a big part of our organization and our sport for many years. I’m looking forward to watching him continue to grow with us.”

In addition to being voted Most Popular Driver four times (2011 and 2011 in the K&N Pro Series East; 2014 and 2015 in the XFINITY Series), Elliott has also been voted in the All-Star Race in each of his first two seasons.

Earlier this year, Elliott also started the non-profit Chase Elliott Foundation, which provides support and financial assistance to charitable organizations that emphasize helping others live healthier and happier. The foundation has already raised more than $60,000 to support Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Elliott also has been part of a ticket sales initiative this season at several tracks, combining music and entertainment with ticket deals geared toward college students, called Chase U.

Posted on by

RELATED: All of Dale Jr.’s Monster Energy Series wins

The buzz around Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s impending retirement follows the No. 88 driver wherever he goes. With the constant questions, conversation and commentary, the sport’s most popular driver can hardly forget this season will be his final full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series run.

Not to say it has changed his weekends much; during the race, he’s the same ole Dale Jr., wheeling the No. 88 Chevrolet to the cheers of Junior Nation and chatting with his team on the radio.

RELATED: Like a fine wine, Junior improves in final Sonoma race

But pre-race, the sights, sounds and routine actions that he’s experienced for 19 years and 611 Monster Energy Series races sometimes feel a little different for the 42-year-old this season.

There’s a sense of appreciation, he says.

“There’s a couple times during pre-race, either during the national anthem or just right before you get into the car,” Earnhardt told NASCAR.com. “That’s kind of where you get the most emotional, I think – I don’t know why, but in those moments, that’s where it kind of sinks in, the weight of the situation and the circumstances.”

That appreciation carries over to his fans, which he is paying tribute to with his applicably named #Appreci88ion Tour. Designed to share memories at race tracks, celebrate his storied career, and identify, interact and thank his fans, the tour stretches over Earnhardt’s final five months as a full-time driver beginning at Daytona.

In his 19 years behind the wheel, Earnhardt hopes he’s done his fans proud.

“I hope they think we represented the sport well and represented our sponsors well,” Earnhardt said. “You know, we always try to be ourselves and be relatable and approachable and I hope that we succeeded in doing that.”

WATCH: Junior: ‘Who you are as a person never gets forgotten’ 

As the season rolls on and Earnhardt makes his last stop at several tracks on the circuit, he has begun to value simply being at the race track as a driver. Like the last day of a vacation, he takes in the sights, the sounds, the feelings, and holds onto them for the day that he will no longer stand on pit road in a No. 88 fire suit.

“I think you do start to get a little more emotionally and personally invested in the remaining races because you know that as the races click off, there’s less opportunity to enjoy being behind the wheel,” Earnhardt mused. “There’s parts of driving the car and being around the garage and being part of a team. There’s parts of those things that I’m really, really, really going to miss. You start to maybe absorb more of that and not speed through everything.

“We’re always taught to kind of hustle through everything and get the most out of every moment and do it quickly,” he continued. “And as the season goes, there might be some dialing that back and wanting to kind of take in the moment and enjoy what you’re doing, knowing that you’re not going to be out there too much longer.”

Even practice – which Earnhardt says he’s never looked forward to – doesn’t seem so bad.

“I used to not really like practice all that much – it was kind of like a necessary pain-in-the-butt to get through the weekend to get to the race,” Earnhardt said. “This year, I look forward to working on the car and talking and communicating and working with the team, and on Friday and Saturday during practice is when we have the most communication during those times as we do all week … Little things like that that you don’t even think about start to become more important to you.”

Little moments are a little bigger, little tasks take on a bit more meaning. But his last-season agenda isn’t long; he’s content, both with himself and how his storied career has unfolded.

RELATED: See the best paint schemes of Dale Jr.’s career

Other than, maybe, another trip to Victory Lane.

“(We want to) try to get another win and just be able to celebrate one last time in Victory Lane, no matter where that is, is the only thing I’ve thought about as far as what I want to accomplish in this season,” Earnhardt said. “The list is very short as far as bucket-list items for me.

“I’m pretty fulfilled and pretty satisfied – there’s not a whole lot of holes in my career for me.”

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 27, 2017) – As part of the continued efforts to show appreciation for the United States Armed Forces through NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola, NASCAR XFINITY Series™ drivers will bear the names of active military units and installations on their race car windshields during Friday’s Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Military installations like U.S. Coast Guard Station Port Canaveral, USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110) and 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division are among the military units and installations from all five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces that will replace the XFINITY header on NASCAR XFINITY Series cars.

“Our sport and our fans take immense pride in the tradition of honoring the U.S. Armed Forces on Independence Day Weekend,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola will elevate that sense of appreciation this weekend with a special NASCAR XFINITY Series tribute to the military units and bases vital to protecting our country’s freedom.”

Culminating at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR Salutes Refreshed by Coca-Cola (#NASCARSalutes) is the industry’s six-week collective expression of respect and gratitude for those who bravely served and continue to defend the United States today. NASCAR and Coca-Cola will once again offer fans the opportunity to write the name of a service member close to their heart on a small poster and “Rise to Honor” them during the pace laps preceding the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola.

NASCAR XFINITY Series teams had the opportunity to identify a unit or installation to honor, and NASCAR worked with the Comcast NBCUniversal Military and Veteran Affairs team to place others for the NASCAR Salutes tribute during the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250.

Driver Matt Tifft will drive the No. 19 Comcast NBCUniversal Salute to Service Toyota during the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway and honor the 3rd Infantry Division based out of Ft. Stewart, Georgia, where a Comcast NBCUniversal Military and Veterans Affairs employee served.

Several NASCAR XFINITY Series teams have personal or direct ties to the units displayed this year. Driver Brennan Poole’s windshield will read “1BCT, 10TH MTN DIV,” and honor the 10th Mountain Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, out of Fort Drum, New York, where team engineer Katelyn Supan’s brother is currently serving.

“It’s such a privilege to pay tribute to those who serve our country each year at Daytona, and we’re thankful Comcast feels the same, providing a prominent place to do so,” said Poole. “The No. 48 crew is like family, and we chose to recognize the base of our teammate’s brother’s unit. This weekend is a small token of gratitude compared to what all our service members deserve.”

Harrison Rhodes’ windshield will be adorned with “56TH CIVIL ENGINEER SQ,” located at Luke Air Force Base, where Rhodes’ lifelong friend is stationed. JJ Yeley visited Camp Pendleton earlier this year and will be honoring the Wounded Warrior Battalion-West based there.

Members from the military bases and installations honored on the NASCAR XFINITY Series race cars will be hosted throughout the race weekend. NASCAR Troops to the Track, presented by Coca-Cola, will welcome Sailors from U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship Crews 114 & 115 based out of Naval Station Mayport, Florida, to the Coke Zero 400. Additionally, Coca-Cola is hosting guests from the USO throughout the race weekend, and Comcast is hosting service men and women from military installations in Georgia and Florida on NASCAR XFINITY Series race day.

For the ninth consecutive year, Daytona International Speedway will honor three Medal of Honor recipients during the race weekend. A number of service members will serve in honorary roles, including U.S. Army General (ret.) Wesley Clark, who will serve as Grand Marshal for the Coke Zero 400, and U.S. Navy Captain (ret.) Bob Buehn, Chairman of the Board for the USO Greater Jacksonville, who will serve as Grand Marshal for the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250. Additionally, the Navy Band Southeast will perform the National Anthem for the 59th annual Coke Zero 400.

Earlier this month, the NASCAR industry and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ race teams honored fallen service members with “600 Miles of Remembrance” at the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend, a similar tribute to the one taking place at Daytona International Speedway.

RELATED: See all that were honored in the 2017 ‘600 Miles of Remembrance’

The Gateway Motorsports Park NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™ race celebrated the 100th anniversary of Scott Air Force Base, located near the speedway. As part of that event, fans waved American flags during a four-wide salute at the start of the race, and drivers donned Scott Air Force Base decals. Scott Air Force Base members were hosted for the event at a Camping World hospitality area.

Fans can still visit NASCAR.com/salutes to share their message of honor for the military, view an online gallery of the service members honored and learn more about NASCAR Salutes activities.

Tickets to NASCAR national series events are available at NASCAR.com/tickets.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings | Detailed breakdown

NEWTON, Iowa — The scene around the No. 4 car was one of celebration, congratulations and well wishes from teammates and crewmen alike following the NASCAR XFINITY Series American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen at Iowa Speedway.

Ross Chastain had just notched his best finish in 87 starts in the XFINITY Series — a fourth-place result — and the best result in the 16-year history of JD Motorsports with Gary Keller. Garrett Smithley’s 10th-place run gave the three-car organization two cars in the top 10 for just the second time this year.

“Look at these guys’ faces,” Chastain told NASCAR.com on pit road when examining the scene around his team. “That’s what means the world to me. Our little team out of Gaffney (South Carolina) — up here running with these guys — and a lot of circumstances to get us here but when the time came we were able to run with them.”

That time came with a caution on Lap 219 involving then race-leader Christopher Bell just as green flag stops had begun, throwing the running order into disarray with those that had previously pitted under green trapped a lap down. Chastain had last pitted after the completion of Stage 2 and elected to stay out under caution.

RELATED: Sieg notches career-best result at Iowa

One more caution set up the race’s final restart with 10 laps to go with Chastain in sixth. From there he was able to climb up into the top five.

“Those final restarts you never know what to do until you’re there,” Chastain said. “I had my teammate (Smithley) lined up behind me so I knew we wouldn’t get put three wide going into Turn 1. From there, we just singled out and had to run around the top and we worked on the 28 (Dakoda Armstrong) car, which was big for me to beat him. Definitely want to beat that car and it was good to pass him there with a couple laps to go.”

The night didn’t start off as promising for Chastain. After qualifying 14th, the 24-year-old reflected he had probably led his team down the wrong path at the outset.

“My crew chief (Evan Snider) just asked me, ‘Lap 20 did you think we’d finish fourth?’ ” Chastain said. “And I said no and he didn’t either. We didn’t give up on it. We swung at this thing all night and just a testament to JD Motorsports and Johnny Davis.”

The 2017 campaign has also seen Chastain make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut. In May at Dover International Speedway, Chastain came away with a 20th-place finish in the No. 15 Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports — the organization’s best finish on a non-restrictor plate event. More Monster Energy Series starts could happen this season.

“Nothing set in stone yet,” Chastain said. “I definitely think we are going to do a handful more this year. Working it all out now. Just trying to make the right choices. I don’t need to rush into it. We’ve got a great deal going here with this 4 car, although the Cup car helps me in this thing.

“On the track, it’s hard to balance everything. So trying to make sure we do that the right way and I think we’re going to get there — half dozen more starts this year to help get me acclimated to the Cup cars a little more.”

Posted on by Holly Cain

For the second consecutive year Lesa France Kennedy has been named to Adweek Magazine’s list of the “30 Most Powerful Women in Sports.”

Kennedy, CEO of International Speedway Corporation and Vice Chairperson of NASCAR, joins executives from the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Football League (NFL) among others.

The magazine emphasized Kennedy’s work with the recently completely $400 million Daytona Rising project and the ongoing nearly $200 million facility update at Phoenix Raceway.

RELATED: Daytona rises even higher | Phoenix renovation

“We compete with stick-and-ball sports properties and entertainment venue,” making it imperative to keep “the crown jewel of our sport polished,” Kennedy told the magazine.

Two years ago, Kennedy was also chosen as the 2015 Most Powerful Woman in Sports in a survey conducted by Forbes Magazine.

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Race results | Full schedule for Daytona

SONOMA, Calif. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. closed the book on his Sonoma Raceway career, from a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standpoint, with a sixth-place finish and a somewhat different perspective of the winding 1.99-mile road course.

“It’s like the wine out here, I think you get better with age getting around this place,” Earnhardt said out on pit road following Sunday’s Toyota / Save Mart 350.

It’s no secret that Earnhardt, who will retire from full-time competition at the end of this 2017 season, has never quite taken to competing on the series’ two road course tracks, Sonoma and Watkins Glen. But the popular driver has shown marked improvement at both venues in recent years.

Sunday’s result was his third top-10 in his last four starts at the 1.99-mile Sonoma facility.

“I know all the drivers say this when they run good but I can’t do it without a good car and I’ve had some great, great cars the last several trips here,” Earnhardt said. “We stuck with what we know and it’s working.”

Incidents early in the 110-lap race threatened to take the Hendrick Motorsports driver out of contention almost before it started. On Lap 15 he locked up the brakes on his No. 88 Chevrolet, slid into Turn 11 and was hit by Danica Patrick.

WATCH: Junior’s spin collects Danica

Barely 15 or so laps later, he and Patrick (Stewart-Haas Racing Ford) again were involved in an incident, along with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing Ford).

“Wrong place, wrong time,” was how Earnhardt described the initial incident.

“Danica was trying to protect her position going into (Turn) 11 and I went in even lower than we normally go and … just locked up the rear tires,” he said. “I hate that I hit the 42 (of Kyle Larson) and Danica there.

“Then down in (Turn) 4 I don’t think Danica knew that the 42 had gone to the inside and we just kind of all sandwiched together.”

WATCH: Stenhouse gets the worst of collision

“After all that we settled in, ran our own race, Greg (Ives, crew chief) and the guys had good strategy and the car had real good speed,” Earnhardt continued.

Sunday’s top-10 finish was just the third overall for Earnhardt in 18 starts at Sonoma. He led a total of nine laps here, all coming in 2004.

 

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Race results | Full schedule for Daytona

SONOMA, Calif. – Kasey Kahne came away uninjured from a hard last-lap crash Sunday at Sonoma Raceway that left his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 24th in the final rundown.

“No. 15, no clue who he is,” Kahne said of Kevin O’Connell, driver of the No. 15 Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports in the Toyota Save Mart 350.

“I saw him a lot today lapping him, but he went low down the front stretch and then … I was going to his outside and he just turned right and just hit me, put me straight in the wall getting the white flag there.”

O’Connell was making his first start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He has eight career starts in the XFINITY Series, all on road courses, and one career top-five finish.

“No clue what he was thinking,” Kahne said.

RELATED: O’Donnell reacts to Kahne’s last-lap wreck

Kahne ran in the top 10 for much of the first two stages Sunday, opting for track position and pitting after the start of each stage. A final stop with 18 laps remaining left him a lap down, but he regained the lap before the last-lap contact.

“We had a better car the longer the day went,” he said. “Just really tight early and the guys kept working on it and we got better and better.

“I have no clue where we were running but we were definitely much better at the end than we were at the start.”

 

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Race results | Full schedule for Daytona

SONOMA, Calif. – An unexpectedly long green-flag run to close the books on the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway was almost the recipe for a victory by Clint Bowyer.

Almost. Instead, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver came home second, trailing only teammate Kevin Harvick in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on the 1.99-mile road course.

It was Bowyer’s best finish this season since a runner-up at Bristol in April and his third top five.

“Let’s face it, short runs have never been my strong suit here,” Bowyer admitted afterward, “the long runs are — and thank God we got a long run there. I was out of tires; by the time I got done tearing the hell out of my car, I was out of tires.”

In a race that saw only six cautions, including two predetermined for stage breaks in the 110-lap race, no yellow flags interrupted the final 56 laps, save for a final caution on the final lap.

If the long green flag run was in Bowyer’s favor, the rock ’em, sock ’em start to the race was not. Just 22 laps into the event, the No. 14 SHR Ford was sliding off the track and already banged up.

It was the result of stage racing, according to Bowyer, with teams weighing potential points versus track position and risks versus rewards. Sunday’s stop was the first for the series on a road course this year, and the two stage breaks came after Lap 25 and Lap 50.

“I mean, obviously this is the first crack at it,” Bowyer said. “That’s what lends to torn‑up race cars. It’s such a short stage, there was some technical strategy that you’ve got to try to play and get track position, and then all of a sudden you’re on the bad side of tires trying to hold guys off and you’re blocking.

RELATED: Allmendinger spin clips Bowyer

“They’re stacked up behind them, and it’s just a recipe for disaster.  You know, the 47 (of AJ Allmendinger) … I just didn’t see him and knocked the whole front end off our car. Somebody else I had a really good run on and I thought they were going to give it to me, and they didn’t. Brad (Keselowski) spun me out. So yeah. One of them days.”

The damage wasn’t enough to put the No. 14 team at risk but it did impact the aerodynamics, according to Bowyer.

“When (the front end) was really flaring and there was a huge hole in it, it was plowing terribly bad in the high‑speed stuff,” he said. “You know, it’s just patience and try to take care of my stuff … just do all my normal stuff that’s always gotten me to be good out here. … Just taking care of my stuff and babying it and not spinning the tires and being good on the end back of a run.”

It was the first 1-2 finish for Stewart-Haas since 2015 at Richmond. Teammates Kurt Busch finished seventh and Danica Patrick 17th.

RELATED: Stewart on SHR’s Sonoma success

SHR co-owner Tony Stewart, the three-time series champion who drove the No. 14 until the end of ’16, called Bowyer’s run “one of the most aggressive, hard races of anybody all day.”

“I mean, to restart after the second stage 33rd and to battle back with no trick strategy or any gimmick to get him back up there, he drove from 33rd to second, I thought was really impressive,” Stewart said.

“I think realistically SHR was going to have four cars solidly in the top 10 today if they didn’t have any drama. Pretty good effort for all four teams today.”

The result leaves Bowyer 11th in points, four ahead of 12th-place Matt Kenseth, who is also winless through the season’s first 16 races.

“Let’s face it, yeah, we’ve got to win,” Bowyer said. “We need a win in a big way, and today would have been a great win, but after everything that happened, I mean, to get second place is, I guess, really good, as a matter of fact.”